Chapter 71.1: White Tiger Duke's Mansion
Chapter 71.1: White Tiger Duke's Mansion
Western 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. This time of night was the darkest part of the night, as it was right before the sun would rise in the faraway east, and a new day would begin.
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.
Suddenly, it grew larger, 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.
“Ou…”
“Ou—”
The sound of people retching continuously echoed in the night air. 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.
“You all have some skills after all.” A hoarse voice echoed. An old man with greasy clothes came forwards, a large calabash in hand. Afterwards, he took a large swig of alcohol. This man was one of the elders of the sacred Sea God’s Pavilion of Shrek Academy, and was also the commander of the Shrek Guardians, Elder Xuan.
All of the pale-faced figures who were currently puking were obviously the students he’d brought along.
Even the likes of Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng were in a sorry state; they were having a hard time suppressing their gastric fluids.
He Caitou and Xu Sanshi were in the worst state of those with a higher level of cultivation; they were almost unable to suppress their bile. Who told them to have the largest bodies amongst the disciples of the outer courtyard?
Xiao Xiao, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong all threw up several times. Luckily, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had the protection of the latter’s Golden Light Left Arm Bone, which had sustained itself with their Haodong Power that they had continuously circulated during their turbulent journey. As such, they were slightly better off than the others.
Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and the others on the preparatory team had thought that their schoolmates were extremely strong. Yet, compared to Elder Xuan, everyone from the official team were nothing.
Elder Xuan had carried the fifteen of them here by himself; he’d maintained that incredible speed for over four hours, crossing what appeared to be over 1500 miles. Furthermore, if you were to compare his current appearance to that of before he’d begun, you wouldn’t find any differences. This might have something to do with his flying-type soul tool, but the main reason was due to Elder Xuan’s boundless soul power! Of course, his soul tool had been an important factor too; even if it was Elder Xuan, he wouldn’t have been able to fly whilst carrying more than ten people for so long with just his power alone. From this, it should be seen just how important soul tools were for the Douluo Continent.
“Little Dai!” Elder Xuan lazily called out.
Dai Yueheng’s face twitched, but he still stepped forward and respectfully said, “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 western 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! Luckily, today’s food was quite good.” Once he’d finished speaking, his muttering figure disappeared without a trace.
As expected, several figures descended from the sky not long afterwards. They were headed towards them.
Dai Yueheng raised his hand towards the sky, then punched the air. Immediately afterwards, a ball of white light appeared around three meters above his head, then slowly spread upwards and morphed into a white halo.
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 the one manufactured by He Caitou.
When they’d reached the ground, they quickly encircled Shrek’s group. Their leader, an old man with a cold expression, then stepped forward.
“Who are you and why did you use a flying-type soul tool to approach our army?” After he’d said this, 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. What was surprising was that 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. However, 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.
Thirty men, all of which were at least Soul Ancestors… this was quite the display of power. It wasn’t surprising that they’d been able to arrive so quickly using flying-type soul tools.
“Old Du, you don’t recognize me?” Dai Yueheng smiled as he stepped forward.
The old man was immediately taken aback. He shone his soul ring’s light on Dai Yueheng’s face and carefully scrutinized it. When he confirmed who it was, he was slightly surprised. “Ah! It’s the young master! What are you doing here? And who are these people…?”
“They’re also students of Shrek Academy,” Dai Yueheng replied with a faint smile, “I sent a letter to father earlier. Is he here right now?”
The old man in front of Dai Yueheng’s was a member of the White Tiger Duke’s Mansion known as Du Leisi. He’d 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. The reason he’d called Dai Yueheng ‘young master’ rather than ‘young duke’ was due to the Dai Family’s strict rules. For one to inherit the duke’s title, they needed to be the most outstanding out of all of the the Duke’s consanguineous sons. Therefore, even though he’d already grown up, Dai Yueheng still needed to rely on his own ability to inherit the title. This was also why the other two sons of the Dai Family were trying so hard to become stronger, as they were the only two sons of the Duke’s main wife. As for the sons of concubines, only Huo Yuhao existed. However, at this point, even the White Tiger Duke himself must’ve forgotten about him.
Du Leisi raised his hand, after which all of the soldiers withdrew their martial souls. “I see. 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.”
Dai Yueheng smiled bitterly. “Just look at us, do you really think that we can travel as we are? Let us rest a bit; we’ll see father once we’ve recovered.”
Du Leisi said, “Fine. I’ll send someone to make a report to the Duke,” then called over a Soul King-ranked subordinate and told him a few things to relay. The Soul King jumped up after Du Leisi had finished and used his flying-type soul tool to return to the military camp.
Even though his insides were currently a mess, when Huo Yuhao heard the discussion between Dai Yueheng and Du Leisi, Huo Yuhao’s mood changed drastically. His pale face had become red due to the excitement he felt.
He hadn’t imagined that he’d be able to meet that person whilst participating in the Elite Continental Soul Master Academy Tournament. Would he really be able to see him?
Half of his life had come from this man. 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 picture: It was the picture 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 he really such a great person? Huo Yuhao clenched his fist so tightly that his nails left deep marks in his palms.
“Will he recognize you?” Wang Dong gently whispered into Huo Yuhao’s ear. Only he was privy to Huo Yuhao’s background. As such, he was a little anxious right now; he was worried for Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao shook his head lightly. 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.
Wang Dong could see that Huo Yuhao’s body was as taut as a wire. Thus, he reminded him in a low voice, “Waiting ten years to take revenge isn’t too long for a wise man. Yuhao, try to calm down a bit.”
“I know.” Huo Yuhao nodded. He knew that he had to stay calm. However, doing so was easier said than done!
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. Currently, even if a true delicacy were placed front of them, they wouldn’t even be able to touch it.
Dai Yueheng informed everyone of Du Leisi and the other soul masters’ background. They were all soldiers who’d been personally chosen by the White Tiger Duke, the White Tiger Bodyguards. They only followed the Duke’s orders, and also resided in the Duke’s Mansion.
Of those in the White Tiger bodyguards, everyone was at least a Soul Elder. Moreover, one’s families needed to have held a position inside the Duke’s Mansion for at least three generation before one was eligible to become one of the White Tiger Bodyguards. Therefore, besides them being very strong, they were also extremely loyal.
The White Tiger Bodyguards had a total of five hundred members and were the White Tiger Duke’s biggest trump card. They had several different types of soul tools, and they were always present at the Duke’s side. Wherever he went, they went. Of course, the treatment they received was also the best. Every single one of them had their own residences inside of the Duke’s Mansion. As such, it was obvious how important they were to the Duke.
When he’d lived inside of the Duke’s Mansion, Huo Yuhao had also seen the White Tiger bodyguards a few times. But because of his status at the time, it had been impossible for him to even approach them.