Mingdu, Mingde Hall.
Since Jing Hongchen was ordered to be removed from the position of Hall Master, he had been living in a daze every day.
Looking at the high-hanging full moon outside through the window, Jing Hongchen couldn't help but sigh heavily, his fingers gripping the photo frame slightly harder.
A year, a full year had passed, and he didn't know how his grandson and granddaughter were doing now.
Letting them follow Demon King Huo Yuhao was the most impulsive decision he had made in his life. This decision was undoubtedly a huge gamble, and all the stakes were placed on Huo Yuhao.
If Huo Yuhao's future achievements could match that legend from ten thousand years ago, he believed that with his grandson and granddaughter's talents, under Huo Yuhao's shadow, they would definitely surpass himself, and even surpass Kong Deming, the father of soul tools.
It was late at night. Just as he was about to turn off the lights and rest, he suddenly heard a familiar voice.
"Grandpa—"
Before he could react, two figures quickly pounced into his arms.
The comers were exactly his grandson and granddaughter whom he had been thinking about day and night, the Hongchen siblings.
"You... why did you come back? When did you come back?" Jing Hongchen was instantly mixed with joy and anger. This was the interior of Mingde Hall. How did they break through the heavy blockade to enter?
"Hall Master Mingde, how have you been... uh, feel like you've gained another circle of fat." Huo Yuhao's figure also appeared in Jing Hongchen's room at the right time, teasing him in a beat-worthy manner.
"Huo Yuhao?"
Although Huo Yuhao's appearance had changed a bit, Jing Hongchen quickly recognized his identity.
Seeing that it was Huo Yuhao who personally brought his grandson and granddaughter back, the big stone in Jing Hongchen's heart finally fell. With Huo Yuhao's various strange abilities, entering and exiting his Mingde Hall was like child's play?
"Hmph, you brat, you didn't disappoint this old man!"
Jing Hongchen was surprised to find that he couldn't see through Huo Yuhao at all. Although he stood there, it felt like there was no one in that position.
Moreover, his pair of descendants had also broken through the Soul Emperor realm successively and became genuine Soul Sage powerhouses.
You know, they had only been out with Huo Yuhao for a year.
"Grandpa, we missed you to death!" Meng Hongchen acted coquettishly.
"Grandpa, look, I am already a Soul Sage!" Xiao Hongchen couldn't help showing off in front of Jing Hongchen.
"You two little guys!" Jing Hongchen scolded laughingly, but his old eyes were full of gratification.
Xiao Hongchen was now a level 72 Soul Sage, and Meng Hongchen was already a level 78 Soul Sage because of the soul spirit.
If they could still represent the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy in the competition, they would definitely lead the academy to achieve an excellent ranking.
You know, the two of them possessed a very powerful Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
"When you two can have half of Huo Yuhao's strength, come show off to this old man again, hmph!" Although Jing Hongchen was relentless with his words, his old face bloomed into a chrysanthemum with a smile.
The corners of the Hongchen siblings' mouths twitched wildly. Half of Huo Yuhao? That would be enough to walk sideways on the continent, oh no, walking backwards wouldn't be a problem!
They knew Huo Yuhao's record during this period too well. He even dared to confront the projection of a God King!
Jokes aside, being able to see his excellent juniors again, Jing Hongchen was happy and gratified from the bottom of his heart.
Facts proved that he didn't misjudge people. Demon King Huo Yuhao was definitely not a thing in the pool. Following him was far better for his grandson and granddaughter than staying by his side to grow.
"Do you have any plans for coming back this time?" Jing Hongchen briefly enjoyed the family happiness, then quickly got to the point. He knew Huo Yuhao's return this time was definitely not that simple.
"Hall Master Hongchen, to be honest, I came back this time for this competition." Huo Yuhao said with a smile.
"Competition?" Jing Hongchen's gaze suddenly became very strange, "What, you want to go down and abuse all the participating teams?"
In his view, with Huo Yuhao's current strength, participating in such small skirmishes was really a bit unworthy of his reputation. How can an adult fight with children?
If it were really so, Jing Hongchen would have to look down on Huo Yuhao a bit.
"You must be joking." Huo Yuhao had a head full of black lines. Even if the competition begged him to appear, he would absolutely not participate.
That would be too degrading.
"Grandpa, Yuhao has his plans for coming back this time!" Meng Hongchen mumbled dissatisfiedly.
"What, my precious granddaughter is unwilling to reveal this kid's intentions to Grandpa?" Jing Hongchen couldn't help teasing.
"Grandpa!" Meng Hongchen rebuked.
"Hall Master Hongchen, don't ask Little Meng. What exactly I plan to do this time will be revealed when the time comes." Huo Yuhao said calmly.
"Sigh—" Jing Hongchen sighed, "Whatever, this old man won't ask more. Please take care of these two siblings in the future. Following you is also their blessing."
"You brought them to find this old man late at night. Presumably, it shouldn't be just for us grandfather and grandchildren to meet. Speak, what do you want to know?"
"Hall Master Hongchen is really a smart person." Huo Yuhao couldn't help clapping his hands, "I hope to get information about the movements of the Sun Moon Empire in the past year, as well as various major events that happened."
"You brat don't want to plot against the Sun Moon Empire, do you?" Jing Hongchen instantly blew his beard in anger.
"Grandpa~" Meng Hongchen continued to act coquettishly and cute.
Jing Hongchen obviously fell for this, and immediately said impatiently: "Alright, alright, this girl always sides with outsiders. This old man will tell you!"
Huo Yuhao didn't speak again, just smiling and putting on a posture of listening attentively...
When the sky just turned bright, Huo Yuhao had already left Mingde Hall with the Hongchen siblings.
Because of the successive deaths of the old emperor and Crown Prince Xu Tianran of the Sun Moon Empire, all developments had completely deviated from the original timeline. Even though Huo Yuhao was mentally prepared, he still smelled an unusual aura from Jing Hongchen's intelligence.
The Star Luo Empire actually wanted to cooperate with the Sun Moon Empire to dominate the continent together?
Star Luo Emperor Xu Jiawei acted like a capitulationist, fully allowing the army of the Sun Moon Empire to station in the territory, confronting the Heavenly Soul and Dou Ling countries in the north from afar.
With the current strength of the Heavenly Soul and Dou Ling countries, it would probably be only a matter of time before they were defeated by the joint forces of Sun Moon and Star Luo.
Especially the current Heavenly Soul Republic where warlords were divided, it was like a sheet of loose sand, collapsing at the first blow.
What exactly caused that Xu Jiawei in Huo Yuhao's memory to be so cowardly made Huo Yuhao somewhat puzzled.
Anyway, after this competition, a full-scale war on the continent was probably coming.
Huo Yuhao actually didn't have much interest in the outcome of this war. He wasn't originally from this world. As the continent was unified by the Sun Moon Empire, the normal situation would become the federal system in the Legend of the Dragon King period.
But in that way, the entire federation would still be dominated by the forces of princes and nobles, and the common people of this continent would still have no day of emergence.
Poor families like the original Huo Yuhao's would continue to suffer. Even Tang Wulin and his foster parents ten thousand years later in the original timeline would be heavily in debt and lose their fortune because of awakening martial souls and buying soul spirits.
The thought of freedom had not yet been thoroughly conveyed to every corner of this world. Huo Yuhao would have to play a bigger game with Xian Lin'er later.
Returning to the hotel with the Hongchen siblings, Huo Yuhao took Zhongli Yu out non-stop, and didn't return until the evening of that day.
Zhang Lexuan, who lived in the same room with Zhongli Yu, saw them return travel-worn and became curious for a moment.
"Where did you go?"
Huo Yuhao chuckled, "Understood the layout of Mingdu and the Mingdu Soul Engineer Elite Competition jointly held by the underground black market."
In this life, he hadn't poached that little maid named Nana from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy yet. Many investigations had to be done by himself, which was indeed laborious.
The reason for taking Zhongli Yu out was also for the remaining Holy Spirit Cult strongholds here in Mingdu, and he quickly locked onto that small character Nana.
Different from the original timeline, Nana's parents' souls were still suffering in that stronghold, while she herself remained in the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
Huo Yuhao now needed a guide. As a local, Nana was naturally more suitable for this task than Zhongli Yu. Even Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan wouldn't do because those two had left Mingdu for several years and didn't know much about the changes in Mingdu now.
Plus the characteristics of Nana's martial soul, she was most suitable as a scout.
Huo Yuhao ran for a day. Even though the soul power recovery speed far exceeded the consumption speed, the consumption of mental energy had to be replenished through sleep or meditation. He lay down on the bed without saying a word and slept directly.
"Hey, that's my bed!" Zhang Lexuan was instantly made not knowing whether to laugh or cry by his move, in a dilemma for a moment. When they booked the room, Huo Yuhao said not to consider him. Xiao Hongchen, also a male, had to live with members of the Earth Dragon Gate.
Are you kidding? How could he, Huo Yuhao, go live with Xiao Hongchen! Zhongli Yu and Die Qiu were both there, plus Nan Shuishui, half his woman. Why would he need to do that unnecessary thing?
"You sleep on my side." Zhongli Yu narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly, then crept onto Huo Yuhao, hugged his body firmly with both hands, pressed against his chest, and closed her eyes.
How could she not see Huo Yuhao's little thoughts? Hmph! As long as she was there, Huo Yuhao could only be hers!
Zhang Lexuan looked at them strangely and had to lie down on Zhongli Yu's bed.
Huo Yuhao couldn't bear the heavy woman and opened his eyes quickly. Zhongli Yu's yandere attribute was undoubtedly what he couldn't withstand the most. He hurriedly persuaded: "Yu'er, you are also tired. Why don't you rest alone, and I'll change beds?"
Change beds? Zhongli Yu smiled, "Are you planning to switch to Lexuan's bed or Autumn's bed? Oh, that Earth Dragon Gate master's bed is also not bad."
Huo Yuhao was a bit embarrassed, "No, no, I'm really afraid Yu'er you'll be tired. How about I squeeze with Eldest Senior Sister?"
Hearing his words, Zhang Lexuan's face instantly turned red like a ripe apple, not knowing what to say.
How could Zhongli Yu give him a chance? She touched Huo Yuhao's face with a smile, "My dear husband, do you know an old saying?"
"What old saying?" Huo Yuhao's hair stood on end.
"There are no plowed-out fields, only exhausted bulls, hehehe!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Huo Yuhao was suppressed by a great force, unable to move. Zhongli Yu inadvertently tore open his clothes.
Zhang Lexuan turned her head away immediately.
See no evil, hear no evil!
As that strange sound rang out, Zhang Lexuan had to rush out of the quilt, "You guys continue, I'll go for a walk!" Saying that, she was about to open the door and flee outside.
But little did she know, the moment Huo Yuhao entered the door, he had already set up a spiritual restriction. With her ability, how could she get out?
A speechless night...
Until the next morning, Huo Yuhao woke up leisurely holding Zhongli Yu's delicate body. Time has changed, he was no longer the Little Huo back then. The big knife could fight both the old and young, as well as women and children.
Then, he saw Eldest Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan with two panda eyes.
She was completely numb.
Live broadcast!
Huo Yuhao smiled playfully at her, then put on his clothes as if no one was around.
"I'll entrust Yu'er to Eldest Senior Sister's care. I have things to do out today."
Watching him go out slowly, Zhang Lexuan's body finally relaxed, feeling bad all over.
That scene was too impactful.
Huo Yuhao went directly to Yu Mengdi's room and woke up the angel who was taking a beauty sleep.
Girls never go out fast. This is almost common knowledge in any world.
Seeing Huo Yuhao finally come to find her, Yu Mengdi was overjoyed. After spending a year in the Dragon Realm, she gradually understood Huo Yuhao's character.
If her Angel family could have such a son-in-law with unprecedented talent...
She believed any force would have this mentality.
Rather than being enemies with him, it's better to take him for one's own use.
It was just a pity that she didn't know Huo Yuhao had no emotional foundation with her. If she approached Huo Yuhao for the family, the latter would definitely not start this relationship.
Yu Mengdi dressed up beautifully to go out, determined to take down Huo Yuhao in one fell swoop while being alone.
However, as soon as Huo Yuhao saw her, he grabbed her arm directly and took her for spatial shifting.
There weren't many days left before the competition started. Besides those two things, Huo Yuhao also wanted to get as many rare metals as possible from the Sun Moon Empire.
He could certainly rob openly or use his ability to steal, but that would undoubtedly make major forces transfer all rare metals away, and would make him stand at the forefront again.
That would be more loss than gain.
He was still counting on making the Tang Sect the public enemy of the continent with this competition.
Yu Mengdi, whose arm was being pulled, hadn't reacted yet. She only felt a bizarre flashing in front of her eyes. After just a few breaths, the two were already in the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
It had to be said that the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy was much more magnificent than the former Shrek Academy. Just those soul tool decorations made of various rare metals were far ahead of the three empires of the original Douluo Continent.
Huo Yuhao wasn't in the mood to observe this academy. The priority was still to find Nana.
Under the effect of Spiritual Simulation, the figures of the two wouldn't attract any attention at all. Huo Yuhao took Yu Mengdi openly through the main gate, constantly controlling students along the way through the spiritual link, searching for news of Nana from their memories.
Not every student knew Nana. After searching the memories of several people repeatedly, Huo Yuhao learned the location of Nana's dormitory and the places she usually went to.
"Yuhao, are we here to find someone?" Yu Mengdi was instantly somewhat listless. She thought she could have a good stroll in this number one city on the continent with Huo Yuhao, but didn't expect the latter was actually looking for a girl all the time.
"Mmm, this person is of great use to me. Her ability is very convenient for doing some reconnaissance." Huo Yuhao had nothing to hide from her, nor was he afraid that these partners who joined later would turn against him one day. Except for those initial sincere partners, he was confident in tying this group of people with benefits.
There are no eternal enemies in this world, only eternal benefits.
The cultivation resources he gave to Yu Mengdi, Long Aotian, and others were something no sect or academy on the continent could give.
"Oh..." Yu Mengdi responded in a low voice. She dressed up so beautifully, but didn't expect Huo Yuhao's gaze to hardly linger on her.
Huo Yuhao ignored her mood, grabbed her, and continued spatial shifting. Soon they arrived at a dormitory area.
From the memories of students along the way, he learned that Nana should have gone out to test newly developed soul tools in the past two days. With luck, she should be back today.
Undoubtedly, the area in front of them was the female dormitory area of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
"Are we going in?" Yu Mengdi looked at Huo Yuhao strangely. She didn't care, just wondering if Huo Yuhao would take this opportunity to peep everywhere.
What she didn't know was that Huo Yuhao could already see people through clothes with Spiritual Insight. Peeping was too low-level for him.
If he wanted to look, he would look openly! And he could make you unaware!
"Find her dormitory and just sit inside and wait for her." Huo Yuhao nodded. Since they were here, rather than searching like headless flies, it was better to wait for the rabbit by the tree in her residence.
Finding Nana's dormitory room was even simpler. The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy equipped excellent soul engineers like Nana with single rooms, which was many times better than Shrek Academy where many people lived together.
Huo Yuhao used spatial ability to take Yu Mengdi directly into the door without encountering any obstacles.
Nana's room was tidied very cleanly. On the desk shelf, there was a family photo she once took.
From the photo, it could be seen that Nana wasn't particularly beautiful. Her wheat-colored skin looked very healthy. Her dark red long hair was tied up high into a ponytail, looking very neat. Her figure was slender. At that time, her height was already over 1.6 meters. Plus a yellow school uniform, it set off her somewhat valiant and heroic flavor.
Huo Yuhao remembered that Nana was a student of the Practical Control Soul Tool Department, which meant special battle soul masters who enhanced their own strength through soul tools. They wouldn't make soul tools, but could skillfully use various soul tools to enhance their combat power and survival ability.
Practical Control Soul Tool Department meant that the soul engineer's combat power was definitely not limited to soul tools, and the martial soul must also have characteristics. Although there were fewer powerful martial souls in the Sun Moon Empire, it didn't mean there were none.
Huo Yuhao stared at Nana's photo. This little girl should be almost twenty years old now. When she was seventeen, she successfully broke through to the Soul King level with her own efforts and was established as a seeded player for this competition.
Seeing Huo Yuhao staring at Nana's photo all the time, Yu Mengdi pouted instantly. This girl wasn't even half as beautiful as herself, yet this guy looked so entranced.
"Let's wait." Huo Yuhao finally put down that photo, turned his head to smile at her, then took out some snacks and drinks from the storage soul tool and placed them on the table.
Wait?
Yu Mengdi reacted immediately. This was a chance to be alone with Huo Yuhao. A lone man and a lone woman in a room, th-th-this...