When they heard Huo Yuhao's words, everyone's first reaction wasn't to mourn their fallen comrade, but rather to think:
This guy is actually a teenager!?
The first to recover from the shock was Uncle Jiang, who suddenly turned his head to the gloomy man, his expression turning visibly ferocious.
"Third Brother, you actually betrayed us!?"
However, the gloomy man paid no attention to him, standing silently behind Huo Yuhao like a loyal guard. From the moment he signed the master-servant contract, even his soul no longer belonged to him.
Seeing this, Uncle Jiang's gaze flickered and finally fell on Huo Yuhao. Just as Huo Yuhao thought the other man was about to attack, Uncle Jiang's expression abruptly softened, as if nothing had happened at all.
"Young man, how about we end this here?"
Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow but didn't speak.
"Third Brother ended up like this because of his own greed, and it has nothing to do with us. I assume he wanted something from you and got what he deserved."
"On the other hand, we haven't provoked you, and the person who attacked you is already dead."
After clarifying the situation between the two sides with just a few words, Uncle Jiang spoke again, offering his suggestion.
"So, I believe it's best to leave things as they are. No one else needs to get hurt. What do you say?"
As expected, it takes more than strength to be the boss.
Huo Yuhao chuckled, as if he had really agreed to the suggestion, and turned to walk toward the door.
Just as Huo Yuhao turned his back, a sharp glint flashed in Uncle Jiang's eyes. As two yellow, three purple, and five spirit rings appeared beneath him, his skin turned even paler, and the once murky amber of his eyes took on a blood-red hue.
In the next instant, his figure became a blur as he lunged toward Huo Yuhao.
He wasn't going to let the person who killed his comrade off so easily. His earlier words were just a probe to figure out Huo Yuhao's strength.
That Huo Yuhao had agreed so quickly, coupled with his overly young appearance, made it clear that his earlier confidence was just an act.
Seeing Huo Yuhao starting to realize something was wrong and beginning to turn back, a cruel smile appeared on Uncle Jiang's face. Then, he saw something that shattered his understanding—two purple spirit rings slowly rose from beneath Huo Yuhao's feet.
How is this possible!? His first and second spirit rings are purple!?
Suppressing the unease in his heart, Uncle Jiang tried to reassure himself. Even if he has purple rings, he's still just a Spirit Grandmaster. I'm a Spirit King—taking care of him should be easy.
"I thought you'd at least wait a bit longer."
As Huo Yuhao's calm voice sounded, his first spirit ring lit up, and Uncle Jiang felt his vision blur, causing him to halt in his tracks.
What a strong effect. What kind of spirit skill is this?
Just as he became more alert, a dark blue light erupted from Huo Yuhao's body, and his aura surged dramatically.
The effect of Pride's Sin was fully displayed to everyone present at that moment.
Then Uncle Jiang locked eyes with Huo Yuhao's deep blue pupils. As the first spirit ring lit up again, Uncle Jiang saw a flash of golden light in Huo Yuhao's eyes.
How can he use his first spirit skill twice?
Just as this thought crossed his mind, it felt like a heavy blow had struck his head, causing it to snap backward.
Spiritual Shock.
It felt like a sharp knife was drilling into his skull and stirring, sending searing pain through his brain. Uncle Jiang let out a horrific scream as blood gushed from his nose and mouth.
Yet, this alone wasn't enough to incapacitate Uncle Jiang, who was rich in combat experience. Realizing something was wrong, he forcibly halted his advance and retreated, roaring as he moved back.
"Why aren't you all attacking!? Do you want to die!?"
After that brief clash, Uncle Jiang no longer wanted to continue the fight—he just wanted to escape in the chaos.
However, the three Soul Elders in the room were already incapacitated: one had been killed, the young man who had spoken on Huo Yuhao's behalf clearly wasn't going to intervene, and the last Spirit Elder had already been entangled by the gloomy man.
As for the remaining Soul Grandmasters, they were so terrified by the sight of their boss being bloodied by just a glance from Huo Yuhao that they didn't dare move.
Seeing this, Uncle Jiang felt a surge of fury. "You idiots! Do you think he'll spare you if I die!?"
His words snapped the others back to their senses. Just as they were about to charge, a nearly invisible thread shot from Huo Yuhao's hand and wrapped around Uncle Jiang's arm.
A faint sensation, like a mosquito bite, was followed by a wave of dizziness, slowing Uncle Jiang's retreat.
The next second, a powerful force traveled along the thread, pulling him toward Huo Yuhao.
Life Thread.
Aside from the Simulation ability, this was another skill granted by the second spirit ring from the Ice Jade Scorpion.
The thread, composed of spiritual power, was extremely resilient. When it touched an opponent, it caused a disorienting effect similar to Spiritual Shock. However, it only served as a control skill and didn't cause direct damage. Its strength was that it could be used against multiple enemies at once.
"Do you really think I'm afraid of you!?"
Realizing he couldn't escape, a crazed look flashed in Uncle Jiang's eyes. His fourth and fifth spirit rings lit up as his body turned into a streak of blood-red light, using the pull from the thread to accelerate toward Huo Yuhao.
At the same time, the remaining Soul Grandmasters had closed in, ready to attack. A brilliant emerald glow flared from Huo Yuhao's torso, and another Life Thread shot from his hand, but this time, its target was the young man who had spoken for him earlier.
The thread caught the young man, and with a sudden pull, Huo Yuhao flung him into a nearby room with five civilians.
As the thread detached from the young man, Huo Yuhao sealed the door with it. With a loud bang, the door slammed shut.
In that instant, a terrifying cold radiated from Huo Yuhao, enveloping the entire room. With a crash, the soul lamp on the ceiling exploded.
Ice spread across the floor, walls, and windows, covering everything in thick frost.
Soul Bone Skill: Eternal Frost Domain.
Empowered by Pride's Sin, the two-ring Soul Grandmasters couldn't even put up a fight and were instantly frozen into statues.
The only ones still able to move were Uncle Jiang and the other Soul Elder who was still engaged in battle.
The blood-red light vanished as Uncle Jiang's figure reappeared before Huo Yuhao. Although his body was covered in a layer of white frost, the domain skill clearly hadn't caused him much damage.
A blood-colored sphere formed in his right hand, emitting a foul stench, as he struck at Huo Yuhao with unprecedented ferocity.
At that moment, he saw something terrifying—Huo Yuhao's spirit rings had changed.
(End of chapter)