Douluo Continent: I Can Summon Heroic Spirits

Chapter 107 Huo Yuhao's Transformation

Fifty miles northwest of Xingluo City, the capital of the Xingluo Empire.

A palace-like building sits here, its golden glazed tiles gleaming dazzlingly in the sunlight.

The palace's golden roof and red gates, with their antique style, evoke a sense of solemnity.

From a distance, the area appears shrouded in mist, with scattered brick kilns that look as if they were carved from a single brick. The area is so vast that it seems to stretch endlessly. Above the five-zhang-high (approximately 10 meters) main gate, the three large characters "Duke's Mansion" are inscribed.

At midday, the bright sunlight poured down on the gleaming glazed tiles of the Duke's mansion, reflecting a dazzling golden halo. Its opulent grandeur was clearly visible even from atop Xingluo City.

The back door on the north side of the Duke's mansion opened silently.

However, the one who stepped out of the shadows was not the frail boy destined to leave the path of fate, but a woman dressed in extremely luxurious clothes. Her black hair was neatly styled, and her condescending eyes revealed an icy chill.

With a soft creak as the door hinges turned, a jet-black afterimage appeared like a ghost at her feet, kneeling on one knee, its voice hoarse yet respectful: "Master."

The Duchess frowned slightly and coldly uttered a few words: "Is the matter settled?"

"Reporting to the master, that woman has no chance of survival. I personally eliminated her, but she is another target—"

"How about the other one?" The woman's eyes instantly sharpened like knives.

"It's gone."

"Gone?!"

"After dealing with that woman, I immediately went into hiding as you instructed, preparing to silence that little beast when he left the Duke's mansion. However, when I arrived, the woodshed was already empty!" The shadowy figure suddenly lowered his head, speaking rapidly, "Last night, a torrential downpour washed away all the scents and footprints, completely cutting off the trail."

"waste!"

The woman flew into a rage, her once dignified face twisted into a venomous rage as she gritted her teeth and said, "That vixen's little bastard is really tough! Search! Send out all the manpower, even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, find him! Absolutely, absolutely not, can he see Dai Hao alive!"

"Yes!" The dark figure instantly vanished into the shadows.

Outside Xingluo City, the wilderness stretches endlessly.

A thin figure was huddled in the dense bushes, panting heavily.

He was a boy of eleven or twelve, his body still developing. His rough gray clothes were soaked through with mud and clung tightly to his body. He carried a shrunken little bundle on his back, and his face, covered in mud, revealed a grief that could not be concealed.

The boy stared intently in the direction of the White Tiger Duke's mansion. The sadness deep in his pupils gradually faded, replaced by a boundless hatred that would send chills down the spines of even adult Soul Masters.

The fingernails dug deep into the soil, oozing bright red blood.

"Mother, watch over me from heaven. No matter the cost, even if I fall into the abyss—" The boy's voice was hoarse but as hard as steel, "One day I will return honorably, one day—I will make you all pay for your crimes in blood! From now on, I have no father, I take your surname, my name is Huo Yuhao!"

That's right, this person is Huo Yuhao, who just escaped death.

The cause of all these changes can be traced back to a year ago.

Before that, the trajectory of fate seemed to have remained unchanged. Huo Yun'er, the personal maid of the White Tiger Duke, who had grown up with the Duke since childhood, had Huo Yuhao secretly appear in her womb because of the Duke's accidental favor twelve years ago.

Then, everything unfolded as planned.

With the Duke of White Tiger away on campaigns year after year, Huo Yun'er, having lost his protection, naturally became the target of the Duchess's jealousy.

The mother and son, who had no cultivation or background, were ruthlessly driven to live in a cold and damp woodshed.

Young Huo Yuhao was powerless to change anything, as was his mother. If everything continued to develop naturally, Huo Yun'er's already weak body would gradually collapse under the heavy labor and mental torment.

The Duchess's opportunistic servants and their men relentlessly suppressed and humiliated the mother and son.

Until Huo Yuhao turned ten, which was a year ago.

Originally, during this dark and agonizing time, his mother's frail body would have completely collapsed, she would have fallen ill and never recovered, and she would have passed away that year, leaving him with endless grief and an unquenchable hatred.

However, the appearance of an unexpected organization prevented all these tragedies from happening.

Star Tower.

A mysterious organization that emerged in the Sun Moon Empire has crossed national borders with astonishing boldness, establishing a branch in the capital of the Star Luo Empire.

Despite the deep-seated hatred between the Sun Moon Empire and the Star Luo Empire, and the extremely hostile relationship between the two countries, the Star Tower's public nature is that of a perfectly normal commercial organization. With its unimaginable resources, despite facing numerous obstacles from the Star Luo government and local forces in the early stages, they successfully established themselves in Star Luo City and built an astonishing business empire.

Most importantly, the Star Tower not only ventures into commerce, but also carries out extensive services to help ordinary people and lower-level Soul Masters.

It was this business that inadvertently helped Huo Yun'er.

Huo Yuhao was only ten years old at the time. Faced with his mother's increasingly heavy breathing and pale face, he racked his brains, but desperately found that he had no way to save his mother's life.

Just as he was about to fall into the abyss, the appearance of the Star Tower was like a ray of sunshine breaking through the gloom in his dark life.

Huo Yun'er's serious illness, caused by years of hard work, malnutrition, and long-term repression, miraculously began to improve with the resources and assistance provided by the Star Tower.

Seeing the long-lost color return to his mother's face, Huo Yuhao felt real warmth in his cold heart for the first time. He felt an overwhelming sense of goodwill and gratitude towards the Star Tower organization.

"Star Tower————"

Young Huo Yuhao secretly vowed in his heart, his eyes shining with an unprecedented determination. When he grew up, he would definitely join this organization and become someone like them, someone who could protect the weak and help ordinary soul masters.

Everything should have continued as it was.

If they were just an ordinary family, with the Star Tower providing covert medical assistance, and the mother and son's health improving day by day, they might truly be able to live out the rest of their lives in peace.

They had even begun to dream about their future life, planning to leave this suffocating duke's mansion once Huo Yuhao became a true Soul Master.

But fate clearly wasn't going to let this chosen one off easily.

A piece of news that came the day before caused Huo Yuhao's fate, which should have been reversed, to slide into the abyss of tragedy in an even more tragic way.

Duke Baihu, Dai Hao, is about to return to the Duke's mansion.

Moreover, this is not like before, which is just a simple, short trip home during a lull in the fighting on the front lines.

This is a long-term stay.

The reason is simple: an invisible butterfly has already flapped its wings in this world.

Because of Ye Chenxing's arrival, the strategic focus of the Sun Moon Empire shifted dramatically, with the doves among the high-ranking officials gaining the upper hand in an unprecedented manner.

The previously frequent border conflicts were significantly reduced, and the vast Sun Moon Empire, like a giant beast that had voluntarily withdrawn its claws, fell into a state of hibernation.

Duke White Tiger, as the frontline commander of the Star Luo Empire, observed the border for a full year.

After confirming that the Sun Moon Empire had no intention of harassment or war, the commander, who was always on edge, finally decided to temporarily lower the highest level of vigilance on the border.

He handed over the frontline defense duties and embarked on his long journey home, preparing for a long rest in Xingluo City.

With the Duke about to return to his residence, the entire White Tiger Duke's mansion was naturally decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers. From the steward to the servants, everyone's face was filled with a festive atmosphere.

However, amidst this jubilation and commotion, the one least willing to see Dai Hao return was actually his closest bedmate, the Duchess.

She knows Dai Hao too well.

If Dai Hao had simply returned home for a few days as usual, busy with military affairs and a full schedule, he might not have even remembered that there was a woman named Huo Yun'er.

But if he stays in the Duke's mansion for a long time, in the place where he grew up, looking at those familiar sights, he will inevitably be moved by the scenery.

What if one day, while strolling leisurely, he remembers the gentle and kind maid who accompanied him as he grew up?

If Dai Hao were to show even the slightest pity, or even just have a sudden urge to see Huo Yun'er—the Duchess knew perfectly well that all the oppression and mistreatment she had inflicted on them over the years would be completely exposed.

Given Dai Hao's personality, he would absolutely not tolerate his bloodline being trampled on like this.

Therefore, the tragedy was already destined at that moment.

To cover up a decade-long lie, she had to use even more ruthless methods to nip all the potential threats in the bud.

Yesterday, the sky over Xingluo City was terribly gloomy, and a continuous drizzle began to fall.

As usual, Huo Yun'er went to the Star Tower branch for treatment. In the past year, this should have been an ordinary trip.

However, even as darkness fell completely and the rain intensified, with cold raindrops pounding on the dilapidated roof tiles of the woodshed, producing a dull and oppressive sound, that slender and gentle figure still did not appear.

"Mom, why haven't you come back yet...? Are you stuck in the rain?"

In the dimly lit woodshed, the ten-year-old boy stood quietly for a while, listening to the howling wind and rain outside the window.

Finally, he turned around, picked up the tattered oil-paper umbrella in the corner, and pushed open the drafty wooden door. His thin figure walked alone into the rainy night, heading towards the Star Tower.

The Star Tower in Star Luo City was located in the same remote and sparsely populated area as the branch in Heaven Dou City.

The White Tiger Duke's Mansion is also located outside Star Luo City. The shortest route from the Duke's Mansion to the Star Tower is to cross the outskirts, without having to step into the bustling city.

Huo Yun'er had walked this muddy suburban path many times, and it was also the dead end she couldn't avoid today.

The Duchess was naturally well aware of Huo Yun'er's trip to the Star Tower.

However, no matter how powerful she was, she would never dare to commit such a heinous act openly within the strictly regulated Duke's mansion. Originally, she had great patience; since Huo Yun'er was terminally ill, she could simply suppress her and let her fend for herself in this dilapidated woodshed.

However, things changed. The appearance of the Star Tower gradually improved Huo Yun'er's health, and Duke Dai Hao of the White Tiger was about to return home. Under this double pressure, the Duchess completely tore off her mask.

Since we can't wait for her to die of illness, let's send her to her death.

On this inevitable suburban road, the Duchess secretly mobilized the assassins of the Netherworld Zhu family, the most skilled assassins in the Star Luo Empire. Huo Yun'er was just one of the names on the list of cold-blooded killers. The next target was Huo Yuhao, a ten-year-old child who also had the blood of the Dai family.

Logically speaking, Huo Yuhao, who had been waiting at home for a long time without seeing his mother, should have naturally taken this shortest and most dangerous road when he went out with an umbrella to look for her, and bumped into the assassin who was returning after completing his mission.

Whether it was the Chosen One exerting his power once again or pure coincidence, Huo Yuhao inexplicably changed his route, choosing to take a longer path and enter Xingluo City.

My mother has not returned for a long time, and with the continuous rain, she may be taking shelter from the rain at the pastry shop that she loved most in the city.

It was this tiny thought that allowed Huo Yuhao to escape a certain death by sheer coincidence.

When Huo Yuhao, having found nothing in the city, rushed anxiously to the Star Tower, only to be told that his mother had already left, a surge of emotion...

A strong sense of palpitation surged through Huo Yuhao, and he ran back to the Duke's mansion.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier. At a secluded fork in the road, Huo Yuhao suddenly stopped.

The tattered oil-paper umbrella in his hand slipped silently, fell into a muddy puddle, and was tossed about by the strong wind.

He saw it.

That was Huo Yun'er. She lay quietly in the cold mud. Her coarse cloth clothes, which were usually worn but always washed clean, were now completely stained with dark red blood.

There was a fatal penetrating wound in her chest, the most swift killing method of the Netherworld Cat lineage—no struggle, one fatal blow.

Compared to the original story where he passed away on his sickbed, the impact of his mother's murder on Huo Yuhao was much greater. He felt a violent roar in his brain, and the intense emotional fluctuations caused his Spirit Eye Martial Soul to activate involuntarily. Huo Yuhao felt as if something deep within his soul had completely collapsed.

He moved step by step to the gradually cooling corpse and knelt down heavily.

Mud splashed on my face, mixed with the silent tears that slid down my face, icy cold and biting.

He stretched out his trembling hands, trying to cover the hideous bloody hole in his mother's chest, trying to stuff the lost warmth back into her body, but he could grasp nothing but sticky, lifeless flesh.

"mom----"

At this moment, the seeds of hatred, accompanied by the sudden downpour of fate, took root completely.

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