Chapter 223: The Shattered Mansion, the Broken Son
As the Duchess screamed in agony, Dai Huabin reacted swiftly. He ignited his first, third, and fifth soul rings, reaching peak combat state before releasing White Tiger Destruction Kill toward Huo Yuhao.
For Duke White Tiger, the death of the Duchess was no great tragedy—it meant freedom, promotion, and power. With at least five Titled Douluo from the Body Sect pressuring him, there was nothing he could do to protect his wife. In fact, letting her die was convenient. The royal family would turn a blind eye, and his hands would remain clean.
But for Dai Yueheng, it was different.
This was his biological mother—the one who never gave up on him, who aged a decade in just two years trying to restore his crippled martial soul. As her screams echoed through the halls, Dai Yueheng didn't care about the Body Sect's power or Huo Yuhao's origins. He only knew that if he couldn't protect his mother at this moment, he didn't deserve to be her son.
He burst forth with all his strength, but—
"You can't interfere with the work of my Body Sect!"
A Titled Douluo swatted him aside like an insect. The impact sent Dai Yueheng crashing to the ground. Though he was only trying to defend his mother, the Body Sect's sense of superiority allowed no room for defiance—even from someone once hailed as a genius.
"Yueheng!" The Duchess screamed, even as her life was being drained. She no longer cared about her injuries—her only concern was her son's survival. But she could do nothing.
"Yuhao! What's going on? Why do you act so much like an evil soul master?" Du Bu Si asked grimly, his gaze fixed on Huo Yuhao.
But Huo Yuhao didn't answer. With his only remaining arm, he grasped the Duchess's throat. Her soul power and life force were completely drained, leaving her a shriveled husk. Then, the external soul bone on Huo Yuhao's head—once a divine tool capable of nurturing souls—activated. Like the Ten Thousand Souls Banner in the hands of an evil cultivator, it extracted her soul and stored it within Huo Yuhao's sea of spirit.
"Death is just the beginning," Huo Yuhao growled. "The pain I endured… the suffering my mother endured… I will make you all repay it a thousandfold!"
Without the legacy of Alex, he would not have known how to wield this soul bone. But now, he not only wielded it—he used it for retribution.
"Mother!" Dai Yueheng roared in despair. He watched his mother's soul be torn away, powerless to stop it. His heart shattered.
"Yuhao! Where did you learn such soul-controlling techniques? You must explain yourself!" Du Bu Si questioned again, more forcefully.
But before Huo Yuhao could answer, Dai Yueheng spat blood and cursed, "Evil soul master? Ha! Aren't you, the Body Sect, the true evil soul masters? How many from the Haotian Sect have you slaughtered? How many innocents have died for your so-called cultivation?!"
"You're slandering us!" a Body Sect Titled Douluo bellowed and slapped Dai Yueheng into a wall. Dozens of his bones cracked, but his defiant glare never wavered. Even broken, he stared with nothing but hatred.
"If I could move, I'd tear your throats out myself!"
"Watch your mouth, brat!" the Titled Douluo raised his hand again—but paused. The White Tiger bloodline responded. A king's aura clung faintly to Dai Yueheng, warding off death for now.
"So what if you kill me!" Dai Yueheng roared. "The people of Shrek! The Haotian Sect! And the tens of millions of innocents you slaughtered—they will rise! They will wipe you from the continent!"
At the mention of the Haotian Sect, Du Bu Si's face twisted with barely suppressed rage. "Lies! The evil ones are the Haotian Sect! Years ago, I led an assault on Mingde Hall under their banner, but it was one of their disciples who betrayed us! One of ours died that day—an elder! Don't twist the truth!"
"Yueheng, shut up!" Dai Hao barked. "How dare you accuse seniors from the Body Sect! They're paragons of virtue!"
"Heh," Dai Yueheng coughed blood and laughed bitterly, "You think I'd believe that?! The Haotian Sect is the sacred lineage of Tang San—the one who ended the reign of evil Spirit Hall ten thousand years ago! He brought peace! And now you dare call his descendants evil?!"
"Rebellious son! Your Majesty, I will deal with this disgrace immediately!" Dai Hao snarled, turning to Du Bu Si.
But Du Bu Si waved him off with an annoyed grunt. "No need. That kid may be reckless, but he has guts. You, on the other hand…"
His eyes narrowed.
"You rose fast with your White Tiger Martial Soul, but I doubt your troops are half as strong as you pretend. If the Sun Moon Empire invades, they'll be crushed like ants."
Turning to Dai Yueheng, he added, "Boy, you've got fire. You're not the original martial soul, but I was wrong to let this unfold like this. I won't kill you today. Come for revenge if you dare—I'll be waiting. Body Sect, we move!"
With that, Du Bu Si and the others turned and left, leaving only devastation behind. The White Tiger Duke's Mansion was now little more than broken pillars and bitter memories—and at its center, a dry corpse.
Dai Hao turned to his son, rage boiling. But as he stepped closer, he froze.
A dark aura clung to Dai Yueheng's broken body. His eyes, once brilliant with red and blue martial spirit light, had been tainted—completely consumed by black.
Something inside had shattered. And something new had awakened.