Chapter 140: Father
Eastern border of the Star Luo Empire.
It was already so deep into the night that you couldn't see the stars or the moon anymore. In fact, it was so dark that, in the wilderness, you couldn't even see your hand if you were to hold it up in front of your face. But at that instant, a white light cut through the sky, leaving behind a magnificent glowing tail; it seemed as if the sky had suddenly been cleaved in two.
This white light looked like a meteor that was descending towards the earth. However, it seemed to be slowing down as it fell, and the white light transformed into a huge platform that was dozens of meters in diameter. Afterwards, several black forms slowly descended to the earth from the platform.
"Aaaah!"
"Ooof!"
"Augh, I think I'm gonna hurl..."
Several voices of complaints were heard, followed by the sounds of retching echoing in the night. Once the white light had disappeared, the dozen-or-so figures that had appeared were either staggering, squatting on the ground, or leaning against tree trunks. Furthermore, over half of them were in the process of vomiting.
'W-What the fuck...' Huo Yuhao's face was pale and a little green after the harrowing fast transportation of Elder Xuan. The only reason he hasn't started vomiting out the content of his stomach was that he was used to circulating his soul power to stabilize himself during intense physical stress and spacial displacement. Even so, the rapid transit had left him disoriented and queasy.
"Hm. All of you handled that pretty well, not bad." Elder Xuan took a large swig of his gourd and looked around at the group with a mixture of amusement and approval. "But we don't have time to waste. Compose yourselves quickly. Little miss Zhu!" he lazily called out.
Zhu Mei Lan's face twitched, her chest still heaving after that whole experience, but she still stepped forward and respectfully saluted, "Yes, Elder Xuan?"
Elder Xuan said, "When I descended to the ground just now, it created a large ruckus. The army should've discovered us by now. We're currently only about 25 kilometers away from the Eastern army of the Star Luo Empire. They'll probably send someone over here in soon. Go and take care of it while I take a nap. Your body will become weak when your old like me! Little Yuhao, be sure to prepare a great feast for us when arrive at the military camp." Once he'd finished speaking, his muttering figure disappeared without a trace.
Huo Yuhao's lips twitched and thought, 'Just what is with old people and their eccentric behavior?'
Zhu Mei Lan let out a sigh as several figures descended from the sky not long afterwards. They were headed towards them.
Zhu Mei Lan took out a stick-like device with blue lines all over its surface from her storage ring and pointed it towards the sky. Immediately afterwards, a ball of white light shot out of the device and exploded in the air, casting a brilliant light over the area. The approaching figures halted their advance, clearly recognizing the signal.
The figures that were descending from the sky immediately locked onto their position, and a total of thirty men clad in tight-fitting black leather armor landed on the ground. The flying-type soul tools they wearing were also black, although they were slightly different from the ones that Shrek's group had previously received from the army. Their quality seemed comparable to Huo Yuhao and He Caitou.
When they'd reached the ground, they quickly encircled Shrek's group and Zhu Mei Lan. Their leader, an old man with a cold expression, then stepped forward.
"That was a military border camp signal flare," the old man said sternly, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized the group. "Identify yourselves immediately and state your purpose."
After he said that, the old man and the soldiers all released their martial souls. The surrounding area was instantly lit up from the dazzling radiance of their soul rings: The old man in front was a Soul Sage; he had three yellow soul rings, two purple, and two black. Even though it wasn't the best combination, it was still quite incredible.
All of the soul masters he'd brought along all had at least four soul rings as well. Furthermore, there were also several Soul Kings among them. The youngest of them appeared to be in their thirties.
The white tiger's head engraved on their leather armor gave off a pale white glow beneath the radiance of their soul rings. It's head was very large, and covered the majority of the leather armor. It looked lifelike and was quite awe-inspiring.
Huo Yuhao's eyes turned cold and he lowered his head, hiding his killing intent.
'These soldiers...they're the subordinates under the Duke.'
"Old Du, you don't recognize me?" Zhu Mei Lan smiled as she stepped forward, giving a salute.
Although she didn't have much interaction with anyone in the mansion, that didn't apply to her father's subordinates. During her first few months of assignment in the military, the old man in front of Zhu Mei Lan, a member of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion known as Du Leisi, was one of the people who guided and trained her. He had accompanied the White Tiger Duke through several different fronts, and had obtained outstanding achievements. Besides his great power, he also possessed the title of Viscount in the Star Luo Empire.
Du Leisi raised his hand, after which all of the soldiers withdrew their martial souls. He warmly smiled and returned the salute. "I see. It's great to see you, lass! Ah, at ease. The commander should be in the military camp. He should already be up for his morning exercise. I'll lead you and your friends to him."
Zhu Mei Lan scratched her cheek. "Old Du, look at us. Do you really think that we can travel as we are? Let us rest a bit; we'll see fa- the commander once we've recovered."
Du Leisi nodded, "Very well. I'll send someone to make a report to the Duke." he then called over a Soul King-ranked subordinate and told him a few things to relay.
Huo Yuhao pretended that he didn't hear anything as he went to help out his friends from their disheveled state. His friends, still recovering from the abrupt transportation, gratefully accepted his assistance. He moved from person to person, checking on them and offering a supportive hand where needed.
He tried hard not to dwell in his emotions right now, as he knew that he would most likely snap.
The Duke. He wasn't to be completely blamed for his misery and the death of his mother, even so, he just can't help but resent the man.
Half of his life had come from man the. Yet, ever since the day he'd been born, he'd never once seen this 'father' of his.
Huo Yuhao's memory regarding him consisted of a single image: It was the crude depiction of him that his mother used to draw on the ground with a tree branch. When she had, his mother's eyes would become full of gentleness and devotion.
Huo Yuhao remembered his mother say that the fact that she'd been able to stay together with him and bear his son were the best things that had happened in her life. She wouldn't regret her actions, even if she wasn't ever able to see him again.
Was it really all worth it? Was the love that she held for him worth sacrificing her own life and happiness? Huo Yuhao emotions were thrusted into a vicious hurricane.
The part of him that said to assassinate him now was growing louder and louder, the killing intent that he contained in his heart began to seep out, but his logical mind fought against it fiercely. This was not the perfect time to do it, nor will go down that path.
That intent was left for the Duchess and Dai Huabin, they were the true perpetrators, they are the killers behind his mother's death, they are the ones to be blamed and served justice. Huo Yuhao closed his eyes, repeating those words in his mind, calming his urges.
"....Yuhao, are you alright?" When he went to check up on Wang Dong'er, she saw through his facade and noticed the lingering coldness in his eyes.
Huo Yuhao forced a smile and nodded. "I'm fine, Dong'er. Just a bit disoriented from the journey, like everyone else."
Wang Dong'er placed a comforting hand on his arm and gently whispered into his ear. "Will he recognize you?"
"....So you know?"
"You weren't really hiding it, and I think the girls even know."
Huo Yuhao snorted, shaking his head. "No, he wouldn't. How would he? If he doesn't even know I exist?"
"What?!" Wang Dong'er's eyes widened.
A bitter smile tugged at the corners of Huo Yuhao's lips. How could he possibly recognize him if he hadn't ever seen him? Inside of the Duke's Mansion, he was nothing more than a small handyman inferior to even the domestic servants. Moreover, his appearance had gone through an earth-shaking transformation over the last year.
Also, when his mother got pregnant, the Duke went on a five year long campaign to lead an army out to fight against the Sun Moon Empire. So by the time he returned, he and his mother were already banished by the Duchess at the far back of the mansion, never to be seen and heard from ever again.
Huo Yuhao doubts that anyone even mentioned to the Duke that he had another son with his childhood maid.
"It's a pretty long story. I'll...tell you everything after the tournament, I promise. But for now, let's focus on the task at hand."
Wang Dong'er nodded, her expression serious and gentle as she grabbed a hold of his hand and activated their martial soul fusion. "Alright. Just know that I'm here for you, Yuhao. Whatever you need, I'll be right by your side."
"Thank you." Huo Yuhao smiled, feeling the calming effect of their ability.
"C'mon you lovebirds, sit down and enter a meditative position." Tang Ya said, coming up from behind them and latching an arm on each of them. Her chin resting subtly on Huo Yuhao's shoulder.
"T-Teacher Ya!" Wang Dong'er went beet red, and Tang Ya giggled.
After two hours of rest, they'd more or less recovered from the aftereffects of their flight. Their complexions were still ugly, but they'd recovered most of their soul power and physical strength.
Now that they'd recovered, everyone once again ascended into the air. After being tormented by Elder Xuan, they all began to enjoy the feeling of flying slowly. At that moment, the sky had already begun to brighten; the sun had risen from the east and bathed their bodies in a faint golden glow.
A large military camp slowly appeared in front of them. This camp was set up right next to the mountains, while a few more camps were visible in the Ming Dou Mountain Range itself.
The words "military camp" was somewhat inaccurate; the undulating cotton walls to the west of the camp were over thirty meters tall and nearly fifty meters wide. This just shows the magnitude of the forces stationed here. Numerous soldiers patrolled the area, their vigilant gazes sweeping over the surroundings.
At that moment, Zhu Mei Lan was flying relatively close to Huo Yuhao. Their relationship had deepened slightly after their previous talks. She curled her up from her ear and smiled, "Yuhao, is this your first time visiting an army camp? Sure beats a border camp, right?"
Huo Yuhao nodded.
Seemingly familiar with the matter, Zhu Mei Lan explained, "The southern, eastern, and southeastern regions of our Star Luo Empire borders the ocean. We're second only to the Sun Moon Empire in size. Our army consists of two sub-armies: the Eastern Army and the Northern Army. Of these, the Eastern Army is the most important, as it has to guard against the Sun Moon Empire. Its total military strength numbers around five hundred thousand."
She then began to explain the origins of the Ming Dou Mountain Range, being an ever-changing terrain, it was formed when the Sun Moon Continent collided with the Douluo Continent. The initial collision was devastating, causing irreparable damages to both lands and it took several hundred years before the landmasses stabilized into their current form.
The mountain range itself spreads towards the south, and takes up almost two-thirds of the border; the other third is a soul beast-containing forest that's around half the size of the Great Star Dou Forest. This forest is known as the Great Ming Dou Forest, and is an area populated by a variety of soul beasts.
"Oh, right. Yuhao, I haven't asked you this yet, but where are you from?"
Huo Yuhao casually replied, "I'm also a citizen of the Star Luo Empire."
"Oh? Which part of the Star Luo Empire? I didn't think that we'd be fellow citizens!" Zhu Mei Lan eyes sparkled with great interest. She noticed just how talented this Shrek student was, as someone who wants to rise in the ranks in both the military and nobility, she needed people at her side to support her, talented people.
Students has to graduate one day. If she can recruit Huo Yuhao at her side, then it would be a great boon for her future endeavors.
"A small village near Star Luo City," Huo Yuhao replied, "I'm sure that you wouldn't have heard of it."
Zhu Mei Lan blinked, "No kidding? I also lived near Star Luo City! Well, in two different places to be exact. My family's...pretty complicated."
'Yeah, I bet.' Huo Yuhao inwardly snorted.
"But can you tell me the name of your village? I'm sure I might've heard of it. Not to toot my horn or anything, but I've done a pretty good research on the Star Luo Empire's territories, especially its capital. So I might have heard about it."
Huo Yuhao shook his head, a hint of amusement flickered across his eyes. "No, I'm sure you wouldn't. Trust me, my village is pretty isolated from the outside world. To the point we only call it...the village hidden in the leaves, or the Hidden Leaf for short."
"Hidden Leaf..." Zhu Mei Lan frowned, she tried to recall any mention of such a village in her research, but she couldn't. Huh. Looks there were some hidden villages in the world, she thought to herself.
As the two conversed with each other, they arrived at the army camp. However, the soldiers who were leading the way didn't descend. Du Leisi, who'd led the group, raised his right hand and released something similar to a flare that released a multicoloured array of light. Afterwards they continued forwards unobstructed.
However, Huo Yuhao was able to tell with his visual acuity that a large number of defensive soul tools had immediately reacted the moment they'd approached the barracks. A somber atmosphere seemed to have pervaded the entire camp. Even though it was still early in the morning, a large number of soldiers had already begun their training drills. Not only were they orderly, but they also released an awe-inspiringly murderous air; they seemed like a pack of iron-blooded lions.
"The Eastern Army has the most elite troops within the Star Luo Empire," Zhu Mei Lan softly muttered, a glint flickered across her eyes. "The hundred thousand men from the Central Legion you see in front of us are elites amongst elites."
Huo Yuhao had done enough research and information gathering be somewhat aware of the inner workings of the White Tiger Dukedom.
As the marshal of the empire, the White Tiger Duke commanded the Eastern Army. At the same time, he was also the Legion Commander of the Eastern Army's Central Legion. The amount of trust that the Star Luo Empire's imperial family had in him could be seen from this. Supposedly, the hundred thousand men in the Central Legion were enough to rival the combined fighting strength of all of the other soldiers in the Star Luo Empire. It was a bit of an exaggeration, but no one could refute it.
While the Sun Moon Empire is known for their technological advancement, the Star Luo Empire is known for their powerful martial prowess in their armies.
They flew past one barrack after another. Once they'd flown for nearly fifteen minutes more, a large, leather tent appeared in their field of vision. This leather tent was much larger than the other army tents. Furthermore, it was hexagonal in shape, and was made entirely of dark-brown leather. There weren't too many guards around it. Only two squads of the White Tiger Bodyguards patrolled the perimeter.
Huo Yuhao's gaze quickly landed on a single person who was standing in front of the large tent, his eyes trembled as he clenched both of his hands.
Although their figure was somewhat unclear, he was still able to sense a startling pressure from them; it was the sort of tyrannical pressure that came from the combination of a powerful cultivation and an aura of a trained killer. That person seemed to be shadow-boxing, his movements were simple and succinct, yet a muffled explosion of air would appear whenever he punched outwards.
Du Leisi, who'd been flying in front, slowed down, then descended along with everyone behind him. They began to sense the violent fluctuations in the air when they were a hundred or meters in the air.
Huo Yuhao focused his gaze and was able to clearly see the man in front of them. He was currently facing towards them, his golden hair fluttering freely about in the wind. His upper body was naked, which revealed his rugged, copper-colored muscles. His tall figure was almost two meters in height, and one could see just how stalwart his chiseled face was from the side.
His seemingly slow movements had a very natural and flowing tempo to them. Every step he took and every punch he released were followed by a muffled explosion of air. The valiant undulations of qi and blood he was releasing had reached the very pinnacle, which in turn caused Huo Yuhao to feel his blood roil about somewhat as he continued to stare, as his own aura of blood and killing intent subconsciously surged out of his body.
Du Leisi, his group, Zhu Mei Lan, Wang Yan, Wang Dong'er and the Shrek group turned towards Huo Yuhao in shock. The smell of death and blood surrounding him was completely unexpected, a complete contrast to his usual calm and honest composition.
Du Leisi and his group looked at each other, not knowing what to do. Should they attack the boy? The feeling of killing intent exuding his body eclipsed even some of them, trained and well-experienced soldiers!
They glanced towards their commander to see his reaction, as they felt certain that he could sense the boy's aura. They visibly relaxed when they saw his reaction.
That man slowly pulled back his fist, then stood up straight as he turned towards their direction. He exhaled, inhaled deeply, then released a lion-like roar. A gale instantly erupted in the several hundred meters surrounding the leather tent; it truly resembled the descent of an actual lion. The stern aura coming from him caused almost every single disciple of Shrek Academy to feel their hair stand on end.
His attention however, was trained solely on Huo Yuhao, his eyes sparkled and his lips peeled back to reveal a wide excited grin, almost like a tiger's look when they see a prey.
'That boy, he shows a lot of potential.... I wonder if I can train him.' he thought.
Dai Hao, the White Tiger Duke, didn't know at that moment that he was staring at his son.
.....
❄️Shout out to the great Cultivators of my patreon, may you reach the peak of the heavens and conquer the earth! Pursue immortality and receive enlightenment!
•Julien
•Nicholas Berenguer
•Swift Arrow
•SpamSubi
•AR
❄️A bigger shout out to the ones who ascended to become a One Above All!! The GOATS! THE MAJESTIES!!
•Adrian Durand
•Banphot Chada
•Jonathan
Wanna read advanced chapters, stock-piled stories, photos of the characters and support me all at the same time so I can pump out more chapters, and possibly dish out extra chaps? Well then, head on over to my patreon and become enlightened cultivators!
p.a.t.r.e.o.n.com/FroztDouluo
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
FroztDouluo
FroztDouluo Creation is hard, cheer me up! VOTE for me!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone