While the competition in Mingdu was in full swing, Huo Yuhao brought the mermaid princess sisters to the coastal area of the Sun Moon Empire.
Huo Yuhao had some impression of this area. It was the location where he was hit by the Ninth Soul Skill of the Shrek City Defense Officer Time Douluo and forced into the small space-time turbulence in his early years, and also Juzi's former hometown.
"The King of Devil Spirit Great White Sharks is dead. Presumably, his clan can definitely detect Xiao Bai's cause of death. When you go back this time, give full play to your strengths, unite with the Devil Spirit Great White Shark clan, go to the major sea soul beast clans one by one, and expose Sea God Tang San's deeds." Huo Yuhao ordered the two mermaids.
What he wanted to do this time was simple: dismantle the faith in the Sea God in the Douluo Ocean in the shortest time.
"You signed a Soul Spirit Contract with Die Qiu, and Die Qiu's spiritual power has now reached the Divine Origin Realm, allowing your spiritual realm to transform as well. As long as Sea God Tang San doesn't descend personally, he won't be able to discover your actions in a short time."
These two mermaid princesses could be said to be pure Spiritual System Soul Spirits, and existences with hundred-thousand-year cultivation. The strength of their spiritual origin and soul power even exceeded Huo Yuhao's prediction. After signing the contract, Die Qiu's spiritual realm underwent a strong qualitative change.
From the mermaid princesses, Huo Yuhao also obtained various control methods for spiritual power of the mermaid clan, which was very important to Huo Yuhao.
"Sea God Tang San harmed my mother and intended to harm my sister. This hatred is irreconcilable!" Li Jing's beautiful eyes were red. After leaving Sea God Island, they had been absorbing dragon power in the Dragon Realm with Huo Yuhao, and both improved to two-hundred-thousand-year cultivation, even surpassing Xiao Bai.
"It's good to have this intention." Huo Yuhao patted her shoulder, "Remember, when denouncing Sea God Tang San, open your mermaid clan's spiritual barrier to the strongest state. Rashly insulting existing deities will incur divine punishment."
"In addition, remember, the sea is free, no need to believe in any god."
"Freedom..." Li Ya's beautiful eyes faintly showed a strange color, but soon dimmed again: "But if there is no Sea God's protection in the future, we sea soul beasts..."
"Yes, absolute freedom. You sea soul beasts just need to follow your own law of the jungle." Huo Yuhao smiled, "If an existence like the Deep Sea Demon Whale King appears again in the future, it's also the luck of their clan. Think about it differently. Now, other sea soul beast races are afraid of the mermaid lineage with two kings coexisting."
"It is this sea that gave Tang San power, but he doesn't intend to protect you. Therefore, you need to learn to protect yourselves. Relying on the protection of the believed deity is unrealistic."
"Benefactor makes sense. Sister, in the future, we can only rely on ourselves." Li Jing held Li Ya's hands and comforted.
Li Ya nodded seemingly understanding but not fully. Although she couldn't understand what Huo Yuhao said for a while, she at least listened.
"That's all. This is also the repayment I ask from you." Huo Yuhao finished instructing and turned to leave.
The two mermaid princesses trembled all over. Repayment? Originally, they needed to avenge their mother, the Sea Princess!
Looking at Huo Yuhao's figure going away, Li Jing unconsciously showed a trace of reluctance on her face. Although this guy acted arrogantly and domineeringly, unknown why, she unexpectedly found him pleasing to the eye.
Most importantly, this guy forcibly stripped off her... when they first met.
Oh my! Embarrassing the fish to death.
"Sister, what's wrong with you?" Li Ya looked at her sister with rich expressions and couldn't help asking curiously.
"Nothing, let's do business first!" Li Jing put away the flustered emotions and dived into the sea with Li Ya.
...
Returning to the border town, Huo Yuhao had thousands of thoughts in his mind, then called Juzi out from the Dragon Realm.
"This is..." Juzi breathed the fresh air of the outside world after a long time. The salty and wet sea breeze blew over. That familiar hometown aura made her eyes wet.
More than ten years. Their family had left their hometown for more than ten years...
Descending slowly from mid-air, Huo Yuhao stood at the entrance of the border town. Looking at this slightly familiar place with a trace of memory in his eyes, he could still clearly remember. That year, he met Huo Gua's white moonlight here.
The memory of sitting on the coast with the young girl under the starry sky that night and the asked dream flashed through his mind.
"Juzi, we're back." Huo Yuhao held her small hand and smiled gently.
Tears could not stop bursting the dam long ago. Juzi staggered forward a few steps. The border town was still the scene of that year, but people and things had changed long ago.
The Sun Moon Empire was certainly leading in soul tools, but they also had problems. That was, in terms of soul master quality, there was a world of difference from the three empires originally belonging to the Douluo Continent. If not for forcibly recruiting a batch of new troops from the empire's border, they probably couldn't gather an army to prepare for war on the continent. Moreover, many soldiers were ordinary people with poor foundations relying on drugs to improve to one ring.
But for the empire, whether the soul master's strength was strong or not was not important. Being able to use soul tools was enough. Because of this, the Sun Moon Empire went all out to make soul tools, striving to equip several more Soul Engineer Legions as soon as possible. With Soul Engineer Legions, plus soul guide positions, that would be powerful combat power anywhere.
Therefore, the young labor force in the border town was almost exhausted by conscription. Those remaining in the villages along the coastal border of the empire were basically old people, young children, and women who were of no use.
Juzi's hometown was the same. If she hadn't been recruited by Jing Hongchen into the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy as an exception back then, allowing her parents to follow to work in Mingdu, they would probably be serving in the millions of empire troops now.
"Let's go, let's go home and see." Huo Yuhao stepped forward, held her tender hand, and chuckled.
Looking around, the scale of this town was obviously much more dilapidated than back then. Even the population was sparse. At the entrance of this small town, occasionally passers-by and some women and children preparing to go to the seaside to pick up ingredients passed by. When these people passed by Huo Yuhao and Juzi, they would involuntarily stop or slow down. Of course, the main reason for slowing down. Naturally not because of Huo Yuhao, but because of Juzi beside him.
Juzi's beautiful delicate face, fair and tender skin had a crystal clear texture. That moist beauty was something even Huo Yuhao had never seen on other women.
Perhaps among them were neighbors Juzi had seen back then, but due to time, too many changes had occurred to them and Juzi, so much so that they couldn't be recognized at all.
Walking into the small town all the way, the road paved with crushed bluestone made Huo Yuhao's mood quietly relax. He hadn't felt this feeling for a long time. After leaving the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, he had been spending time racing against time, cultivating day and night or seeking survival.
Walking slowly through a street, the two came to the familiar restaurant.
However, surprisingly, the restaurant seemed to have been renovated from beginning to end. From the outside, the interior seemed very tidy, and the door was slightly open. Only because it wasn't mealtime, no one was seated inside.
Could someone have occupied the magpie's nest? Huo Yuhao and Juzi looked at each other, then walked into the restaurant together.
Seeming to hear the undisguised footsteps of Huo Yuhao and Juzi, a thick voice immediately came from inside.
"Who comes so early? There's still more than an hour before opening..." A man walked out from inside, grumbling dissatisfiedly. His bearded appearance looked very lazy.
Seeing this person, Juzi's nose soured. Unable to suppress the excitement at this moment anymore, she pounced on him fiercely.
"Dad."
Huo Yuhao smiled knowingly. Wasn't the comer exactly his father-in-law Huang Bin who was almost killed by Dai Hao?
Hearing his daughter's voice suddenly, Huang Bin hadn't reacted yet. In the next moment, he felt softness in his arms, and crying was endless.
"Ju, Juzi? Is it really you..." Huang Bin held his daughter's face in disbelief, tears streaming down his old face instantly.
At this time, a sound of porcelain breaking on the ground seemed to come from inside. A slightly vicissitudinous woman also ran out.
Seeing the embracing father and daughter, Li Hua showed a look of joy through tears on her slightly haggard face. She also ran over quickly and hugged her daughter.
"Juzi... my daughter."
Huo Yuhao knew that after asking Mu Jin to take Juzi and Yun'er's parents away from Mingdu back then, he and his partners killed their way to Sunrise City. After an unprecedented chaotic battle broke out, all of them were forced to transfer to the Dragon Realm. These years, they also seized the time to cultivate non-stop, having no time to return to the outside world to find their relatives.
In the hearts of Huang Bin and Li Hua, their daughter Juzi might have died in Sunrise City with him, Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao didn't make a sound to disturb the warm moment of this family. Instead, he walked towards the back door of the restaurant.
Outside the door, he sensed a familiar aura.
So Huo Yuhao walked over quickly. It seemed the other party also heard the news of Juzi's return, standing on the spot with an uneasy mood waiting for someone's appearance.
After a year, she seemed to have become more charming. There seemed to be no traces left by time on her charming face.
"Teacher Mu Jin." Huo Yuhao strode towards her, with a signature evil charming smile on his face, just like the bad boy back then.
"Huo Yuhao?" Mu Jin's red lips trembled slightly. Her beautiful eyes were crystal clear, seeming to want to confirm if the person in front of her was that boy she missed incomparably these years.
"Do you still remember me, this, this..." She wanted to call herself his teacher, but back then, due to an impulse after drinking, they crossed that line between normal teacher and student.
"How could I forget my beautiful teacher?" Huo Yuhao hugged her apologetically, pressing his forehead against hers, "My favorite teacher still owes me a dance."
Mu Jin stared at his eyes firmly. Her red lips pursed tightly, seemingly smiling yet aggrieved. She had waited for the boy for too, too long.
She raised her hands fiercely, hugged the young man's neck tightly, blocking the words he wanted to pour out next.
No need to say anything more, this is enough!
...
Unknown how long passed, Mu Jin looked at this young man who was a head taller than her, and recounted the things over the past year or so in detail.
Back then, she took the two pairs of parents to the coastal area under strict search, and had been inquiring about news of Huo Yuhao and others.
Returning to the border town was also Huang Bin's proposal, because if their daughter was still alive, she would definitely come here to find them.
Nanmen Yun'er's parents were also in the border town, opening a fruit shop not far from the restaurant run by the Huang Bin couple. Only due to the impending war, not many tourists passed through the border town.
In Mu Jin's view, compared to going to Heaven Dou City, staying in the Sun Moon Empire was undoubtedly a better choice, because the Sun Moon Empire was about to send troops to conquer the other two empires. Living in seclusion at the Sun Moon border was safer instead.
It had to be said she was smart. Juzi and Yun'er's parents were not suitable to go to Heaven Dou City at this time. Even if they arrived safely, they couldn't help Marshal Evil Dragon and Xian Lin'er much, and were easily used by spies, putting their personal safety at risk.
In this place at the Sun Moon border, with Mu Jin's current Soul Sage strength, it was enough to protect the safety of the two families.
Mu Jin's talent wasn't excellent. Including Xian Lin'er, they had passed the best cultivation age. Rather than taking them into the Dragon Realm to cultivate, it was better to let them stay on the continent to do something within their power.
Subsequently, Huo Yuhao also brought Nanmen Yun'er out and found her parents, who were also sobbing uncontrollably.
Being able to see Mu Jin and the parents of the two families in the border town was also a surprise for Huo Yuhao. Originally, he just came to the town on a whim to take a look.
Over the past year, even though Juzi and Yun'er didn't say it, Huo Yuhao knew they cared about their families' safety.
"Take these." Huo Yuhao handed some daily-use soul tools and a set of soul bones to Mu Jin. He wouldn't stay here too long. Before he left here, he had to consider the safety of the parents of the two families and Mu Jin properly.
"When are you leaving?" Mu Jin took those invaluable things. Learning that Huo Yuhao was leaving soon, she reached out and grabbed his sleeve, looking inevitably somewhat lost, "I want..."
Huo Yuhao was stunned, then patted the back of her hand apologetically. The competition in Mingdu was in full swing, and there were still many matters needing him to complete personally. Now wasn't the time for romance.
"Forgive me, next time." Huo Yuhao suddenly reached out and poked gently on her forehead.
After speaking, he turned to Juzi and Nanmen Yun'er who had been waiting for a long time, with his back to Mu Jin.
"Bon voyage..." Mu Jin stared at his back blankly, saying these words for the first time.
"Wait for my return." Huo Yuhao also left four words, then took the two girls who had cried into tears and escaped into the Dragon Realm again.
The three seemed to have come in a hurry, yet seemed never to have appeared.
"That child Yuhao is good in everything, just a bit philandering." Huang Bin mumbled in a low voice as a prospective father-in-law. Of course, confirming the news of his daughter's survival again today, the two elders were actually very happy in their hearts.
"Do you think Juzi alone can tie that child down?" Li Hua rolled her eyes at him and curled her lips.
"Then how about I also..."
"You dare?"