"That's right."
Huo Yuhao nodded slightly, but then changed the tone.
"But I'm back, and I'm standing here once again."
He was given a second chance, and this time, everything would be different.
Huo Yuhao calmly met his gaze, studying Yu Ming's hysterical expression, as if he were merely observing an evil soul master who, having discovered a hidden power, arrogantly believed himself superior. No matter how grand the facade, it could never hide his inherent inferiority.
"You are different from Dai Huabin. After seeing your memories, I still don't understand where your sense of superiority, trying to judge me, comes from."
"Even if I hadn't been reborn, you would never have been able to follow the path I once walked. Your will is weak, and your end would have been death during your fusion with the Ice Empress. Even your soul would have been devoured by the pain."
At this, Huo Yuhao's lips twitched slightly before his smile vanished.
"But thanks to you, I've found the first meaning of my rebirth—"
His expression turned cold and as solid as iron as he looked down at Yu Ming, as if declaring his return, speaking each word clearly.
"And that is to get rid of scum like you who act recklessly!"
A flash of cold light, and the White Tiger Dagger silently pierced Yu Ming's left shoulder. Still, not a single drop of blood flowed, but as if triggering a chain reaction, Yu Ming's body and even his soul began disintegrating at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Feeling the life force slipping away from his body, terror flashed in Yu Ming's eyes, and he howled in pain. Yet, no matter how he struggled, he could not slow the process in the slightest.
"You executioner, you've killed so many people. You'll definitely go to hell."
Huo Yuhao pursed his lips and nodded in agreement.
"Perhaps, just as you said, one day someone will come to judge me and send me to hell. But that person won't be you."
He slowly leaned closer, staring at the now nearly disintegrated Yu Ming, his lips moving as he whispered into Yu Ming's ear in his final moments.
"Because you are not worthy."
Plop—
As Yu Ming disintegrated into ashes and disappeared into the wind, a fist-sized, ice-blue orb fell to the ground, making a crisp sound.
"Is this a drop from a defeated enemy?" Huo Yuhao's expression turned somewhat strange. Through Yu Ming's memories, he naturally recognized that this orb was the evolving ice-attribute spirit, so he bent down and picked it up. The orb felt cold in his hand, but not piercingly so, and within it swirled a deep vortex.
Huo Yuhao tucked it into his robes, thinking about finding a time to absorb it. After all, it was a trophy, and he might as well take it. Although the fusion with Tianmeng Iceworm could provide him with a half-finished spirit, this evolving one was clearly stronger.
The half-finished spirit from before couldn't be used until it fused with the Ice Empress, but with this orb, when he fused with Tianmeng, it should allow him to activate his ice-attribute spirit directly. After all, this thing could evolve just by absorbing ice-attribute power, without needing to absorb spirit rings.
And wasn't the energy used by Brother Tianmeng to create the half-finished spirit also ice-attribute?
As for what the spirit would become after fusing with Brother Tianmeng, that remained unknown. It could turn into an Iceworm, or it could become an ice element like Ling Luochen's. Either way, it could continue evolving by absorbing the Ice Empress's power. Though this spirit wouldn't be as strong as in his previous life before fusing with the Ice Empress, at least it would give him more ways to fight.
After handling all of this, Huo Yuhao glanced at the unconscious Dai Huabin on the ground. The dark blue light around him gradually faded, and a sharp pain surged through his limbs. A wave of intense weakness caused him to sway slightly.
This ability came from the Pride Source he had unlocked just in time. As the source of one of the seven sins of the Divine Realm, Huo Yuhao had already roughly understood its effects.
There were two effects, and both could be summed up by one phrase—breaking limits.
The ability he had just used, similar to the Pride God's power in the Divine Realm, allowed him to temporarily enhance his soul power and physical attributes to a great extent.
This was the key reason he could defeat four guards with only Level 1 soul power. Especially with the later use of "Monarch Over the World," without soul power as the medium for fusion, spiritual power alone wouldn't have been enough to cast it.
Huo Yuhao couldn't help but feel a bit relieved. Fortunately, because the guards were only near the Duke's manor, they weren't particularly powerful. If they had been Soul Ancestors or Soul Kings, even with the power of Pride, he likely wouldn't have been able to resist.
After all, his soul power was only Level 1, and his physical condition, weakened by malnutrition, was at the bottom among children his age. No matter how rich his battle experience, he couldn't stand against overwhelming physical strength.
If the first effect was explosive, then the second effect was more subtle and gradual.
Simply put, the moment the Pride Source was unlocked, it began improving Huo Yuhao's body, permanently pushing his soul power quality and quantity beyond their limits.
This kind of enhancement was similar to how, in his previous life, Huo Yuhao had condensed a soul core at the Soul Sage level, something other Title Douluos could only form much later. It meant that in every major stage to come, his soul power quality and total amount would far surpass those of his peers.
At lower levels, this difference might not be obvious, but as his level increased, the gap between him and others would become terrifying.
The benefits of improved soul power quality didn't stop there. On the Douluo Continent, there were no effective body-strengthening methods. From one-ring soul masters to nine-ring Title Douluos, all relied on their soul power to nourish and enhance their physical bodies. With Huo Yuhao's superior soul power quality, his body would naturally be stronger as well. His bone and muscle density, as well as the strength of his internal organs and meridians, would all surpass those of others.
Of course, there were downsides too. First, this power could make a person more arrogant in daily life. But for Huo Yuhao, this wasn't much of an issue. In his previous life, as the God of Emotions, he was naturally immune to such feelings. Although he didn't know how things would change as he unlocked more of the original sins, for now, it didn't affect him.
Secondly, as his soul power capacity increased, his cultivation would naturally take longer. However, compared to the advantages brought by the Pride Source, this issue was almost negligible. He could always find methods to increase his cultivation speed later.
Huo Yuhao's smile faded, and he turned his head toward the forest behind him.
"Had enough watching? Come out."
There was a sudden rustling sound from behind a tree. A moment later, a figure with black hair emerged, head lowered, hands nervously gripping the hem of her dress. Although she looked somewhat different from how she did when she first entered the academy in his previous life, Huo Yuhao recognized her at a glance.
Who else could it be but Zhu Lu?
Even though she was trying to appear calm, the tears welling up in her eyes and her trembling body betrayed her true feelings.
Watching Zhu Lu step out so naively without even testing whether he was bluffing, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but twitch his eyelid. After all, she was only six years old. No matter how precocious children in this world were, at this age, they were still in a state of innocence.
As for why she was here, it was likely that an elder from her clan had brought her to meet Dai Huabin. Huo Yuhao was well aware of the relationship between the Duke's Mansion and the Zhu Clan. With many factions within the Zhu family, and given Dai Huabin's talent and naturally high innate soul power, it was only natural that some would want to invest in him early.
"Alright, stop crying."
Huo Yuhao reined in some of his aura, rubbing his temples to ease the headache brought on by excessive spiritual power consumption. Since Zhu Lu hadn't provoked him, he had no intention of harming her.
"Stay here quietly until someone comes for you. Can you do that?"
Zhu Lu, realizing that Huo Yuhao didn't intend to kill her, was momentarily stunned. Then, the fear on her face lessened, and she nodded slightly, her voice soft as she asked.
"Are… are you leaving the Duke's Mansion?"
Given the situation, she naturally guessed that Huo Yuhao was trying to delay the Duke's people from discovering what had happened here, giving himself a chance to escape.
Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow, his tone suddenly turning cold.
"What are you trying to do?"
"N-nothing."
Zhu Lu hurriedly waved her hands in denial, then carefully removed the storage bracelet from her wrist and handed it to Huo Yuhao.
"There's some money in here. It might help you."