“What are you doing?”
A cold, clear voice sounded from behind Huo Yuhao.
Without even turning his head, Huo Yuhao kept his eyes fixed on a locust tree ten paces away.
With a flick of his finger, a small pebble flew out with a sharp *swoosh*, striking a falling leaf with pinpoint accuracy.
“Practice,” he replied laconically.
A silver figure drifted over as Gu Yuena stepped up to his side.
She glanced at the unfortunate locust tree, then at the handful of pebbles in Huo Yuhao’s hand.
“Boring,” she assessed in two words.
“At that speed, you’d struggle to hit a rabbit.”
“Well, it’s not like I have proper tools,” Huo Yuhao said, spreading his hands helplessly.
Ever since his encounter with Xu Sanshi in the East Market, he had realized that although he possessed God-king level spiritual power and the Snow Empress’s origin, this physical body was simply too weak.
Should he run into someone unreasonable who immediately resorted to violence, he needed some means of self-defense.
And the most suitable option for his current situation was, without a doubt, secret weapons.
“Tools?” Gu Yuena tilted her head, seemingly pondering the meaning of the word.
“Weapons.
Things used to attack,” Huo Yuhao explained.
“You want weapons?”
Gu Yuena looked at him.
“I can give them to you.
What kind do you want?
A sword that can cleave mountain ranges?
Or a spear that can freeze the oceans?”
Huo Yuhao’s eye twitched.
“…Thanks, but I just want something small, portable, and good for catching people off guard.”
Involuntarily, the name of a certain sect surfaced in his mind—the Tang Sect.
When it came to secret weapons, what sect under heaven could possibly compare to the Tang Sect of old?
Buddha’s Fury Tang Lotus, Guanyin’s Tear…
those earth-shattering names remained fresh in his memory, even after he had become a God-king in his past life.
However, the Tang Sect had long since fallen into decline.
Suddenly, Huo Yuhao stiffened.
He remembered.
He recalled a pivotal event from his past life.
He remembered very clearly that at some point during his sixth year, the decaying Tang Sect estate outside Heaven Dou City would face a devastating disaster.
The Iron Sword Sect, a second-rate sect that coveted the Tang Sect’s secret weapon techniques, would launch a fatal strike when the Tang Sect was at its weakest.
And Tang Ya—the blue-haired girl who, after her sect’s destruction, would carry a blood feud, found the New Tang Sect, and eventually meet him at Shrek Academy—should only be a child of about eight years old right now.
Calculating the timeline…
Huo Yuhao’s heart sank.
It seemed to be happening within these next couple of days!
“What is wrong with you?” Gu Yuena noticed the sudden fluctuation in his emotions.
“Nothing.” Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
“I want to go out for a walk.”
He had to go.
This had nothing to do with reviving the Tang Sect.
The rise and fall of the sect founded by Tang San had no direct relation to him, Huo Yuhao.
He was under no obligation, nor did he have any desire, to shoulder the banner of the Tang Sect.
He was intervening for only two reasons.
First, Tang Ya was an old friend from his past life.
Although they hadn’t been incredibly close, it was Tang Ya and Beibei who had brought him into Shrek Academy when he was at his most destitute, giving him his first place of belonging.
He had to honor that debt of past kindness.
Second, the Tang Sect’s Encyclopedia of Secret Weapons.
If he could save the Tang Sect, he might have a chance to obtain this heritage.
It would be of immeasurable value for training the future combat forces of the Spirit Pagoda.
With this in mind, Huo Yuhao hesitated no longer.
He turned to Gu Yuena and said, “I’m going out to buy some things.
I’ll be back before dinner.”
With that, he hurriedly left the courtyard and dashed alone toward the outskirts of Heaven Dou City.
***
Outside Heaven Dou City, at the Tang Sect estate.
This place had once been a magnificent manor, but now, only broken walls and inescapable ruin remained.
By the time Huo Yuhao arrived, the battle was already drawing to a close.
The thick stench of blood and charred smoke filled the air.
Flames shot into the sky within the manor, painting half the night sky in an ominous, dark red.
Bodies lay strewn everywhere.
There were disciples dressed in Tang Sect robes, as well as enemies in the attire of the Iron Sword Sect.
They lay tangled together as blood pooled into small streams, soaking the earth beneath them.
Huo Yuhao’s heart sank inch by inch.
He was still a step too late.
Holding his breath, his figure moved like a ghost as he slipped silently into the depths of the estate.
In the center of the martial arts field, he witnessed the most tragic scene.
A middle-aged man lay in a pool of blood, his body pierced by dozens of swords.
He still gripped a broken mechanical crossbow in a death grip, his eyes wide open, refusing to rest in peace.
Beside him lay a middle-aged woman who had already stopped breathing.
They were Tang Ya’s parents—the last Sect Master of the Tang Sect and his wife.
Not far from them, a middle-aged man in black training robes, holding an iron sword, was laughing savagely.
With one hand, he choked a young girl by the neck, hoisting her into the air.
He was the Sect Master of the Iron Sword Sect.
The little girl in his grip wore cute twin tails and a blue dress covered in blood and dust.
Her small face was flushed red and stained with tears, but her large eyes burned with a fierce fire of stubbornness and hatred.
She was none other than the young Tang Ya.
“Little girl, I will ask you one last time!”
The Iron Sword Sect Master’s voice was hoarse, filled with greed and impatience.
“Speak!
Where are your Tang Sect’s secret weapon techniques and blueprints hidden?”
Choked by the neck, Tang Ya found it difficult to breathe, but she still used every ounce of her strength to squeeze words through her teeth.
“Even…
even if I die…
I won’t…
tell you…”
“You court death!”
The Iron Sword Sect Master was utterly enraged.
He raised his other hand, and yellow soul power rapidly condensed in his palm as he prepared to strike Tang Ya’s crown.
At this critical, hair-raising moment—
*Buzz.*
An invisible wave struck the Iron Sword Sect Master’s head with absolute precision.
It was a shockwave of pure spiritual power, glowing with a faint blue light.
The Iron Sword Sect Master felt as if his head had been violently smashed by an invisible sledgehammer.
His vision went black, and his mind went completely blank.
The soul power condensing in his hand instantly dispersed, and his grip on Tang Ya loosened instinctively.
He staggered back several steps.
“Who is it?!”
Clutching his pounding head, he let out a furious, startled roar.
A small, thin figure slowly emerged from the shadows at the edge of the martial arts field.
It was Huo Yuhao.
His expression was perfectly calm, but his eyes were exceptionally cold.
The Iron Sword Sect Master stared at the boy who had suddenly appeared, looking not even ten years old.
He was stunned for a moment, and then flew into a towering rage.
“You little bastard, you dare sneak attack me!”
He roared, preparing to circulate his soul power.
But Huo Yuhao did not give him any chance.
Without wasting a single word, he directly mobilized his vast, sea-like spiritual power.
If the previous strike had been a mere warning, then this was a true execution.
The massive spiritual power was instantly condensed and compressed by him, transforming into tens of thousands of invisible, sharp needles.
Like a raging storm, they flooded into the Iron Sword Sect Master’s mind, blotting out the sky.
A clash of spiritual power was far more dangerous than a collision of soul power.
Although the Iron Sword Sect Master was a Soul King, his spiritual power was as minuscule as a firefly before a bright moon when compared to the reborn God-king Huo Yuhao.
“Aaagh!!!”
He only had time to let out a screeching, inhuman scream before he clutched his head and collapsed straight onto the ground.
His body convulsed violently as dark red blood seeped from his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth.
His spiritual sea had been utterly destroyed by Huo Yuhao.
The surrounding Iron Sword Sect disciples, who hadn’t had time to flee, were scared out of their wits.
They stared in horror at the calm boy standing in the middle of the field.
Their Sect Master, a powerful Soul King, had actually collapsed and died just from a single glance from this child?
Huo Yuhao’s gaze slowly swept across them.
An indescribable, terrifying pressure instantly descended upon everyone’s heart.
It was an absolute suppression of their very life force.
In the eyes of these Iron Sword Sect disciples, the boy before them was no longer a child.
He seemed to have transformed into an ancient beast capable of devouring the sun and moon.
That freezing gaze seemed to pierce through their souls, ready to tear them to shreds at any moment.
*Thud!*
No one knew who was the first to succumb to this terror.
Dropping his iron sword, he fell to his knees.
Then came the second, the third…
They threw down their weapons, scrambled on all fours, and fled in every direction, crying out for their parents and wishing they had been born with extra legs.
In the blink of an eye, the clamorous battlefield fell into a deathly silence.
Tang Ya sat slumped on the ground.
She stared blankly at the corpses covering the courtyard, and then stared blankly at the boy who had saved her life like a god descending from the heavens.
Huo Yuhao walked up to her and extended his hand.
“Are you alright?”
His voice broke the dead silence, bringing Tang Ya’s soul back to her body.
Tang Ya slowly raised her head, looking at him through tear-filled eyes.
Silhouetted against the firelight, she couldn’t see his face clearly.
She only felt a warm, sun-like aura radiating from him, dispelling the cold and terror in her heart.
It made her instinctively want to draw close, to rely on him.
Trembling, she grasped his hand.
The hand wasn’t large, but it was warm and reassuringly strong.
Huo Yuhao pulled her up from the ground.
The moment she stood stable, Tang Ya could no longer control her emotions.
She threw herself into Huo Yuhao’s embrace and wailed.
“Waaah…
they’re all dead…
my mom…
they’re all dead…”
She released all her terror, sorrow, and despair in her tears.
Huo Yuhao’s body stiffened slightly, but he did not push her away.
He simply reached out and gently patted her shaking back.
He didn’t offer any empty words of comfort, choosing instead to let her cry in silence.
He knew that at this moment, any words would ring hollow.
***
By the time Huo Yuhao brought Tang Ya back to the small villa, the sky was completely dark.
“Yuhao, you’re finally ba—oh!”
Hearing the door open, Huo Yun’er came out to greet him.
She gasped in shock when she saw a filthy, traumatized little girl covered in blood following behind her son.
Huo Yuhao briefly explained what had happened at the Tang Sect.
Upon hearing the story, Huo Yun’er’s eyes instantly turned red.
Looking at Tang Ya’s small, thin frame and her hollow eyes, her heart ached as if pierced by needles.
“Oh, you poor child!”
She quickly stepped forward, taking Tang Ya’s hand with deep pity.
Without allowing any argument, she led her toward the bathroom.
“Come, let’s get you into a hot bath first and change into some clean clothes.”
Half an hour later, Tang Ya emerged wearing clean, oversized clothes—they were Huo Yuhao’s pajamas.
She sat on the living room sofa, holding a cup of hot tea in her hands, but her gaze remained vacant and unfocused.
Huo Yun’er brought over a bowl of freshly cooked hot porridge from the kitchen.
“Child, don’t be afraid.
It’s all over now.
Have something to eat first to warm up your body.”
Tang Ya accepted the bowl mechanically.
The hot bowl made her hand twitch, and tears fell uncontrollably once again.
But this time, she bit her lip hard, swallowing her sobs.
Huo Yuhao sat down beside her.
“From now on…
you can live here,” he said.
Tang Ya’s body trembled slightly.
She raised her eyes to look at Huo Yuhao.
“What…
what can I do?
I cannot stay here for free.”
Looking at the stubbornness in her eyes, Huo Yuhao thought for a moment and said, “I plan to establish an organization in the future.
I’ve already thought of a name: the ‘Spirit Pagoda’.
I will need a lot of help when the time comes.
If you are willing, you can study under me first and help me out later.”
The Spirit Pagoda?
What was that?
Tang Ya didn’t understand, but she saw a light in Huo Yuhao’s eyes that she had never seen before.
It was confidence, certainty, and absolute control over the future.
Looking at the warm smile on Huo Yuhao’s face, he asked, “Don’t want to help me?”
That smile seemed to possess a magical charm, leaving Tang Ya momentarily dazed.
She felt her heart skip a beat, and her cheeks flushed warm for no apparent reason.
“Okay!” she blurted out, nodding vigorously.
“I’ll do it!
I’m willing to do anything!”
The way she looked at Huo Yuhao carried gratitude, admiration, and a certain unspoken emotion that was quietly beginning to sprout.
Just then, a cold voice drifted down from the second-floor staircase.
“You brought back a human cub?”
Gu Yuena stood there in her pajamas, her arms crossed as she looked down at the three people in the living room.
Her gaze lingered on Tang Ya for a moment.
“Human cubs really are everywhere, aren’t they?”
Huo Yuhao’s expression instantly became rather awkward.
“…Uh, Gu Yuena, let me introduce you.
This is Tang Ya.
She…
she is my friend.”
“Oh?”
Gu Yuena arched an eyebrow and slowly walked down the stairs.
“You certainly have a lot of ‘friends’.”
Her tone was flat, revealing neither anger nor joy, but Huo Yuhao somehow read a subtle trace of displeasure from those purple eyes.
Sitting to the side, Huo Yun’er took in the entire scene.
She raised her teacup, took a gentle sip, and wore the exact same meaningful smile she had displayed days ago.
“Oh my, look at that.
My little Yuhao brought home yet another little girlfriend~”
Huo Yuhao felt a massive headache coming on.
“Mom!
It’s not what you think!”
Upon hearing those words, the color that had just barely returned to Tang Ya’s face flushed bright red in an instant.
She instinctively lowered her head, not daring to look at anyone.