章 187: Chapter 179: Ghost of the Uchiha

An hour ago earlier.

'Their soul tools are certainly more advanced than the academy,' Huo Yuhao thought as he eyed an old man with a walking stick having a casual stroll down the bustling street.

No one would've known that this seemingly ordinary old man was Elder Ma, the leading instructor of the Sun Moon Imperial Academy's team. Even an average Titled Douluo wouldn't have noticed something was off about this old man.

With Sharingan however, Huo Yuhao easily saw through the disguise Elder Ma had put on. After analyzing the cane in the man's hand briefly, he focused his spiritual power and sensed the embryo in his storage-type soul tool—specifically in his right hand index finger.

'Well, this is certainly troublesome.' Huo Yuhao was confident he could take the embryo away from Elder Ma, the latter's spiritual power was weaker than his so he could hypnotize him to just hand over the storage-type soul tool, but that would raise suspicions.

Even if he were to manipulate Elder Ma's memories, other people who already know of the embryo's existence and was being sent back to the Sun Moon Empire would undoubtedly investigate the sudden disappearance of such a valuable item.

The political and military repercussions would be severe, and not just the Sun Moon Empire, but all parties in this scheme would launch a thorough inquiry into the matter.

This would complicate things for Shrek Academy and thus risk exposing Huo Yuhao's involvement.

'I need a scapegoat,' Huo Yuhao mused, he had already planned this since the beginning.

It was the reason why he wore dark clothes and the mask, and why he had spread out his shadow clones around the area—though there are some hidden "elites" in the shadows, after shifting though the memories of one of their people, Huo Yuhao now had a complete plan on how succeed in this heist of his.

The Sun Moon Empire, Star Luo Empire, and anyone else that would take notice of this 'secret' operation would need someone to blame. Huo Yuhao intended to ensure that none of the suspicion fell on Shrek Academy.

Instead, he would become the "ghost" who interfered in the mission, leaving no trace of his true identity or affiliation.

As for his eyes.....people know that his martial soul(s), as he revealed in the tournament, was that he can summon a giant spectral avatar and control ice. He surmised that since the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy didn't bring a lot of people, mostly students, there was no way they could gather much of Huo Yuhao's abilities.

Plus, he was a Soul King(Ancestor) to the public. Who would actually think to connect him to the person who stopped and stole from a Soul Douluo and his subordinates? Even the most monstrous genius couldn't possibly jump across three realms in cultivation and beat them.

It's just that they didn't know just how powerful the Sharingan, now Manegkyou Sharingan, could do.

As Elder Ma approached the traditional building, Huo Yuhao moved into position.

His shadow clones were already spread out, ready to execute their part in the plan. Each clone had been tasked with creating confusion and chaos at key moments, giving Huo Yuhao the cover he needed to complete his mission.

And the best way to do that was to mess up Elder Ma's plan of distraction, quickly catching all of Elder Ma's decoys and the stationary soul cannon shells, the latter was especially useful to create chaos. Then, the clones went after the "shadows" Elder Ma had positioned as his backup.

These hidden elites were supposed to intervene in case anything went wrong during the operation, but Huo Yuhao's shadow clones had already identified their positions and were quietly neutralizing them one by one. Each clone acted with precision, killing them all with one strike without raising any alarms.

'Clear.'

'....'

His shadow clones swiftly reported in, one after another, as they eliminated the hidden elites without a hitch. The entire area surrounding Elder Ma's operation was now under Huo Yuhao's control, with no one left who could interfere with his heist.

This was done in a matter of minutes, completely undetected, and just before Elder Ma entered the traditional building.

'Perfect,' Huo Yuhao thought as the last of the "shadows" was taken out. Now, all that remained was taking the embryo.

As Elder Ma entered the building, oblivious to the unfolding chaos outside, Huo Yuhao's real body remained hidden in the shadows, silently following him from a safe distance.

His Sharingan gave him a distinct advantage, allowing him to see not only illusions but also soul and spiritual power, ensuring that he could avoid any traps or detection mechanisms Elder Ma might have in place in the secret passageway.

He remained completely silent, making sure his presence didn't leaked out, biding his time as Elder Ma entered a chamber where he meet up with a group of soul engineers to support him in his trip back to the Sun Moon Empire.

Fortunately, none of the soul engineers managed to sense him either. Elder Ma and the group of soul engineers quickly departed after some final checks, ready to transport the embryo back to the Sun Moon Empire. The entire operation was supposed to be discreet, with no one the wiser about the precious cargo.

Time passed and Huo Yuhao, having followed closely behind without being detected, took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself for the next stage of his heist. The chamber had narrow passageways, limited visibility and small space—perfect for him to execute his plan.

He activated his Spiritual Sharing and communicated with one of his shadow clones on the surface, who would transmit it to the rest.

'Do it.'

There was a beat of silence and Elder Ma paused and took out his soul communicator.

"S-Sir! There's trouble!"

"What happened?"

"The decoys.... most of them had been neutralized far too quickly! Plus, the stationary soul cannon shells haven't activated as well!"

"What?! Which scums decided to scheme against us? Star Luo? Heavenly Soul? Dou Ling? Or is it Shrek Academy?!"

Huo Yuhao heard their conversation clearly from his hiding spot and a grin spread across his face. The confusion and panic among Elder Ma and the soul engineers were palpable, and Huo Yuhao's plan was falling into place perfectly.

The heist has finally began.

As the group moved further along the passage, with swift motion, Huo Yuhao began to form hand signs and then placed them onto the ground.

"Earth Release: Impenetrable Rock Wall!"

The entire passage trembled as a thick wall of solid earth rose swiftly before the group, cutting off Elder Ma and his group from their planned escape route. The sudden appearance of the rock wall startled the soul engineers, who frantically tried to figure out what had just happened.

Elder Ma turned around sharply, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Who's there! Come out now, and I'll promise to give you a peaceful death!" He took a step forward and activated his martial soul; Huo Yuhao recognized it as the Devil Snow Wolf—he encountered a lot of those soul beasts back in the Extreme North.

He inwardly smiled, he would've had some problems if he had just dealt with them using his spiritual power(he could deal with a Soul Douluo, but a group of them with Soul Sages? it was going to be tough) but with Elder Ma's martial soul, the danger was going to be lessened.

His Ice God's Legacy tattoo seal shone underneath his black sleeve and robe, the seal tattoo seemed to have gotten larger—covering his whole left arm.

Huo Yuhao didn't understand why, but the Ice God's Bone seemed to have been triggered by either the Life Gold or the close presence of the Snow Empress trapped in the Godsealing Alter.

The result was that he could access more of the Ice God's Legacy power without any repercussions, by his estimation, he could use 50% of its power without his lifespan shortening.

'Alright, time to get started.' Huo Yuhao massaged his throat for a moment and then let out a deep, mocking laughter, his voice had changed.

"You dare use the power of ice, before this emperor?" He said, deactivating his camouflage jutsu, a C-rank Earth Release Jutsu that lets him blend with the earth around and move freely through earth surfaces undetected.

"Who are you?" Elder Ma demanded, tensed. "What do you want?"

Huo Yuhao tilted his head, looking amused from his eyes. "....I have no name, I have long since discarded my past for the sake of my mission." he said in a deep and indifferent voice.

"Though, if you wish to call me something by—I am a ghost, of a long forgotten clan that had once dominated the world."

"I am, the Ghost of the Uchiha."

Whenever he had time to rest, Huo Yuhao would ask his Ancestor about his world and his previous lives.

Ancestor thought it was too bothersome and simply "showed" him the memories of his previous lives.

In one of those lives, was a infamous man who had brought changes and devastation in the land. One of the strongest man in the world.

A man who would do anything for the sake of his goal, that he would even let his clan be massacred and plunged the world into chaos.

All for the sake of his own ideal "peace".

Madara Uchiha, the Ghost of the Uchiha Clan.

Elder Ma and his group looked surprised and confused, how could they not? In this world, no one has ever heard of the name "Uchiha".

This was the perfect cover for Huo Yuhao. By using a name and identity that didn't exist in their world, he could create a sense of fear and mystery, while ensuring that no one could trace him back to Shrek Academy.

The idea of the "Ghost of the Uchiha" would serve as a perfect smokescreen for his true identity.

Elder Ma narrowed his eyes. "Ghost of the Uchiha, may I ask what your intentions for getting in our way?"

"Is it not obvious?" Huo Yuhao placed his hand over his mask, his eyes gleamed with a sinister light. "I'm here for the embryo. Hand it over, and I might let you and your people leave alive."

Elder Ma's face darkened. "Do you think you can just walk in here and take what you want? Do you have any idea who you're dealing with?!"

Huo Yuhao's eyes narrowed, his crimson gaze surged with killing intent. "I know exactly what I'm dealing with. The real question is whether you can defend what's precious to you."

Before Elder Ma and his group could react, Huo Yuhao made a handseal.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique"

The mask around Huo Yuhao's mouth shifted opened and a massive fireball erupted from his mouth, the flames surged out lime a tsunami, hurtling down the passageway toward Elder Ma and the soul engineers.

"Activate your Invincible Barriers!" Elder Ma yelled urgently, the soul engineers hastily activated their Invincible Barriers, a golden dome covered each person. The Great Fireball Technique slammed into the barriers with immense force, the searing heat pushing them back.

Invincible Barrier is a common soul tool used to protect the user from harm. They can be sustained by pouring in soul power continuously, but if the force is too great, it will shatter and disappear. Of course, invincibility was relative.

The lowest class of the Invincible Barrier was a Class 5 soul tool. This also meant that at least a soul king was needed to use it. A Class 5 Invincible Barrier could resist any soul master below an eight-ringed Soul Douluo for 3 seconds. A Class 6 Invincible Barrier could even defend against a Titled Douluo for more than 3 seconds. Class 7 Invincible Barriers were extremely rare.

Elder Ma was lucky enough to have a Class 6 Invincible Barrier due to his status, but the rest only had Class 5's. That meant that he had a higher chance of not getting roasted alive.

Huo Yuhao knew that, so he didn't let up and continued on with the onslaught.

The searing flames of the Great Fireball Technique pushed against the barriers relentlessly, the heat intensifying the pressure on Elder Ma and his team. Huo Yuhao's Sharingan scanned each soul engineer, calculating how long their defenses would last under the continuous barrage.

Elder Ma gritted his teeth, sweat dripping down his face, feeling himself short of breath. 'Even if we don't die from this fire, the lack of oxygen in this confined space will be our end,' Elder Ma thought grimly. He could feel the immense pressure of the flames and knew they were on borrowed time.

He wasn't going to die in here! His fighting instincts took over, his fourth and fifth soul rings shone, and with a burst of soul power, the temperature around him suddenly dropped as the surrounding air crystallized into icy shards, pushing back against the inferno. His Devil Snow Wolf's power surged forth, turning the narrow passageway into a battlefield of ice and fire.

'I'm not gonna die here!' Elder Ma thought and pumped out more of his soul power, using a soul tool to enhance his soul skill.

Huo Yuhao immediately felt the temperature shift and smirked behind his mask.

To the surprise to Elder Ma and his group, the flames quickly dissipated.

"I-It's gone? Elder Ma did it!"

"We're alive!"

"Long live Elder Ma!!"

"Push forward! Don't give the Ghost a chance to attack again!" Elder Ma commanded with a fierce cry, bringing out his Concentrated Soul Cannon. He typically used explosive-type soul tools, but he couldn't risk a cave-in.

The other soul engineers prepared their respective soul tools, ready to fire.

"As I had said, you dare use the power of Ice before this emperor?" Huo Yuhao's eyes shifted into strange symbols and eight dazzling soul rings of purple, black and red appeared.

'W-Who is this monster?!' Elder Ma and the rest trembled upon seeing his soul rings.

Purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black, red soul rings surrounded him like divine rings that brought a terrifying pressure upon the Class 7 Soul Engineers and some of the Class 8 Soul Engineers.

Huo Yuhao's fourth soul ring shone and his left eye's pupil revolved.

"Kuraokami!"

The entire passage was immediately enveloped with intense dark-blue flames, quickly followed by blood curdling screams.

...

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