Douluo Continent, I, Huo Yuhao, defy fate with my spiritual eyes.

The Duke's mansion stood majestically, its red bricks and green tiles exuding endless luxury. Servants thronged the area, and hundreds or even thousands of people came and went in a grand procession.

Beneath this seemingly prosperous ducal mansion lies the blood and tears of countless lowly servants.

Looking at the mansion where he had lived for decades, Huo Yuhao felt a pang of sadness.

The tragedy is not that I was unable to enjoy power, but that my mother dedicated her whole life to that man, yet she could not even have peace in death.

After learning of the Duchess's sinister intentions, Huo Yuhao and Elder Xuan rushed back to the Duke's mansion overnight.

The speed was so fast that even Dai Huarong didn't have time to transmit Huo Yuhao's changes back.

Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and smiled at the disheveled Elder Xuan behind him.

"Thank you for your help, Elder Xuan!"

Old Xuan, tearing into the greasy chicken leg, glanced at Huo Yuhao with a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, looking utterly miserable.

"Hurry up and finish this, I need to go back to sleep! That wretched martial uncle, all he does is order me around, and he even tried to blackmail me with my fine wine!"

Hearing Elder Xuan's dissatisfied complaints, Huo Yuhao quickly made a promise to Elder Xuan.

"Don't worry, it won't take up too much of your time, and I'll even make you a barbecue afterwards!"

Hearing that there would be barbecue made by Huo Yuhao after everything was over, and recalling the delicious taste and delicate texture of Huo Yuhao's grilled fish, Elder Xuan was visibly pleased.

After calming down the amulet, Huo Yuhao strode towards the gate of the Duke's mansion.

Several security guards at the gate were dozing off, drool dripping all over the ground; their duties were quite leisurely.

Anyway, no one dares to lay a hand on the Duke's mansion. He usually just sleeps around and occasionally makes things difficult for poor outsiders who want to enter the mansion in order to earn some extra money.

One of the gatekeepers heard the commotion, raised his eyelids, and saw an ordinary-looking young man with a slovenly old man. He naturally smiled contemptuously.

A mischievous thought arose in the guard's mind. He got up and looked at the two of them with a mean expression.

"Hey, you two poor wretches, what are you doing at the Duke's mansion?"

Huo Yuhao paused, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"Didn't the Duchess send me?"

The Duchess sent you? You think you're so clever? You think you can fool me? I'm the infamous Wild Bear Gatekeeper of the Duke's mansion, here to stop you poor, sycophantic relatives who try to curry favor with the powerful!

Wild Bear Gatekeeper puffed out his chest, already considering Huo Yuhao and his companion as the Duchess's poor relatives who had come to her door eagerly because of the Duchess's polite words.

Huo Yuhao frowned, really not wanting to waste words with this nobody. He focused his energy in his dantian and circulated it in his throat.

"You old hag surnamed Xu, you sent me here, so why are you stopping me now?"

The sound was deafening, and everyone in the Duke's mansion heard it clearly, causing everyone's expression to change drastically.

The first person that came to their minds when they thought of someone surnamed Xu was naturally the Duchess, the sister of the current Xingluo Emperor, and a descendant of the Zhu family, Xu Ruowei.

But who is so bold as to provoke the Duchess outside the Duke's mansion?

Sure enough, the voice could be heard deep within the Duke's mansion. A lady dressed in luxurious and elegant clothes, with a charming face, appeared with a pair of triangular eyes that revealed a sudden meanness.

At that moment, her triangular eyes narrowed slightly, and a few wrinkles appeared on her forehead. With an angry flick of her hand, she smashed a vase next to her, which was clearly very valuable, to pieces.

The maidservant serving nearby immediately prostrated herself, trembling all over, but still mustered up the courage to persuade her.

"Madam, please calm down. Anger is bad for your health; you've even developed wrinkles."

The Duchess quickly composed herself, picked up a bronze mirror, and carefully applied makeup. Then, she glanced at the maid who had spoken and smiled meaningfully.

"You are quite observant and quick-witted."

The girl who spoke lowered her head, her lips hidden beneath her skin, and subtly curled into a smile.

Who could have predicted that the Duchess would then sneer?

"But why do I have wrinkles? My eyesight isn't very good either. Well then, let's go!"

After saying that, he didn't care that the maid was being dragged away while she was still in shock and kowtowing. He calmly got up and looked towards the door.

"Guards, help me out here. I want to meet that bastard!"

At the entrance of the Duke's mansion, the bear-like guard's pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints as he stared blankly at Huo Yuhao and his companion.

"You...you...are you out of your mind? How dare you insult the Duchess?"

Soon, the security guard realized that this was not something he could get involved in, and quietly took a few steps back.

Huo Yuhao wasn't in a hurry. After a few days of reflection, he was able to deal with the matter calmly.

Before long, the Duchess appeared in front of Huo Yuhao, not even giving him a proper look, completely adopting the attitude of a superior looking down on him.

However, she didn't seem as calm as she appeared; her anger was immediately revealed when she spoke.

"So you're that bastard? It was wise of you to leave the Duke's mansion, but how dare you kill my Bin'er?"

Hearing the questioning tone, Huo Yuhao sneered and spat.

"Stop talking nonsense. I'm here today to take my mother to a peaceful place, so she can stop suffering in this filthy place!"

Duchess Xu Ruowei trembled all over, her eyes blazing with fury, and shouted angrily.

"You beast! If you know what's good for you, cripple your cultivation, kowtow three times before Bin'er's grave, and I might spare your life because you carry Dai Hao's bloodline! Otherwise, you're not leaving today!"

Huo Yuhao did not back down, staring directly at the Duchess and rebuking her sharply.

"You want to kill me? I'm a student of Shrek Academy! Do you know what the consequences of killing me will be?"

The Duchess laughed as if she had heard a hilarious joke, making Huo Yuhao's skin crawl.

Huo Yuhao retorted dismissively.

"You're just a shrew trying to look young, like an old cucumber painted green. What are you laughing at?"

These words seemed to strike at the Duchess's most sensitive spot. Her expression darkened, and she spoke through gritted teeth, enunciating each word clearly.

"Fine, fine! You're foul-mouthed, aren't you? Wait till I catch you, I'll knock your teeth out one by one, and see if you dare to be so foul-mouthed again! As for Shrek Academy's pursuit of justice? Heh, once you're dead, do you think they'd turn against my Duke's mansion for a mere outer court disciple like you?"

"Aren't you afraid I'll go back alive?"

Huo Yuhao didn't rush to get Elder Xuan to make a move. Instead, he continued to probe the Duchess for information, providing Elder Xuan with more favorable conditions to take action.

You have to understand that a super Douluo like Elder Xuan can cause the entire continent to tremble every time he makes a move. Without a suitable reason, it can easily cause panic, which is not what Shrek Academy wants to see.

A hint of disdain crept across the Duchess's brow, like a feather carrying a casual mockery.

His fingertips casually traced the dark patterns on his sleeves. When his gaze swept over the thin boy and the disheveled old man in front of him, it was as if he were examining a piece of worthless trash, full of undisguised contempt and disdain.

"What makes you think you're still alive? Is it because of your pathetic talent? You're probably only good for the second ring road now! Or is it because of that beggar next to you?"

Her gaze settled on Elder Xuan, and seeing the greasy stains on his body, she made a standard nausea gesture.

"You disgusting, filthy beggar! You were absolutely right to leave the Duke's mansion. Your mother's bloodline is inferior, and you are a bastard with inferior blood. You only deserve to be with such lowly scum!"