"I was born in darkness, and I also devour those who consume darkness!"
The sound was not loud, but it echoed through the empty forest, constantly reaching the bandits' ears and stimulating their tense and fragile nerves.
In the darkness, a boy appeared eerily atop a tree. He wore a black robe, and beneath the hood, his eyes flashed with a dark purple, demonic light. A smirk played on his lips as he stared at the person in the forest.
Huo Yuhao stood atop the tree, the black sword in his hand melting and merging into his black robe.
Countless threads shot out from his right hand, instantly covering the area like a giant net.
"Damn it! Damn it, it's Shadow! It's him, it's definitely him!"
"Activate your Martial Soul! Quickly activate your Martial Soul!" someone shouted.
The bandits instantly grew hair and claws, and their spirit rings surrounded them in twos and threes; they were generally at the level of Great Spirit Masters.
The leader of the bandits revealed two yellow and two purple soul rings, clearly indicating that he was a Soul Master.
The leader shouted, "Don't panic! What are you afraid of? I'm right here..."
call--
The wind swept through the forest, carrying with it the stench of blood.
"Splash! Splash!"
Suddenly, the sound of gold soul coins colliding rang out behind me, crisp yet startling.
"Who's there!" The leader of the bandits suddenly turned around.
Their pupils trembled, and countless rays of light shot out from the forest. Before they could even utter a word, they were tightly bound to the spot by the silk threads.
Those sharp threads instantly bound them! They couldn't move!
What's most terrifying is that he hasn't even activated his Martial Soul!
"Shadows are where light is hidden; you are not worthy of them."
Suddenly, Huo Yuhao appeared in front of them, leisurely tossing gold soul coins.
"Gold coins... let me see..." Huo Yuhao lowered his voice and excitedly opened the box on the carriage.
The gleaming gold soul coins filled him with excitement in an instant!
The silk thread in his hand slowly tightened, and the bandits were hoisted into the air. Bloodstains immediately appeared on their hands and feet, staining their clothes red in the blink of an eye.
"Shadow, spare us... I'm willing to give you all my treasures..." the leader pleaded, his eyes filled with fear.
"Hmm? But even if you die, the treasure will still be mine!" Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes, grinned, and suddenly tightened his right hand!
Countless blossoms of blood!
Blood splattered onto the surrounding trees, staining them crimson!
These bandits didn't even have a chance to resist before they were killed on the spot!
At this moment, Huo Yuhao's black robe began to slowly writhe, as if it were alive, and began to cover the gold soul coins.
Swish, swish, swish!
Three dark figures darted out from the side and came directly in front of Huo Yuhao, crouching down.
"Lord Shadow!" the three said in unison, their voices full of respect.
Huo Yuhao coughed lightly, composed himself, straightened his posture, and turned around.
Taking advantage of the moment, the slime's robes secretly hooked up a gold soul coin, which immediately returned to his body.
The person in the middle of the three stood up, lowered his hood, and let his long black hair fall down, instantly revealing his stunningly beautiful face to Huo Yuhao.
"Lord Shadow! The surrounding bandits have been cleared out. These three were found inside the bandits' car."
Si pointed to the three girls behind his subordinates and asked Huo Yuhao for instructions.
"Um?"
Huo Yuhao looked at the three girls. Their eyes were filled with fear and apprehension, and their little hands were tightly gripping the hems of their two subordinates' clothes.
The dark purple light in Huo Yuhao's eyes intensified. "Taking them back for nurturing means they can survive in the shadows. Entering the courtyard is their best option!"
The girls looked at the tall figure in front of them, and the deep voice seemed to have a magical power that they could not resist.
At this moment, they shared the same faith!
Shadows!!!
Si nodded and instructed his two subordinates, "'0001' and '0002', take them back to the courtyard and train them slowly. Also, notify the other members to start the retrieval work as soon as possible."
"Yes, Lord Si!"
0001 and 0002, the two women immediately disappeared with the three children.
Huo Yuhao stood there expressionless.
More dark figures flew in from afar. Huo Yuhao watched as boxes of gold soul coins were carried away behind him, feeling immense pain in his heart.
"Shadow, is there anything else we need to do?" 'Thought' stepped forward and asked with concern.
Huo Yuhao immediately snapped out of his daze, slowly raised his head, stared at the full moon overhead, and said in a low voice, "The millennia-old situation is about to collapse, when the Shadow is born..."
"The situation remains unchanged for millennia..."
Si murmured, repeating Huo Yuhao's words. By the time she came to her senses, the shadow had already disappeared.
Si slapped his forehead, quickly pulled up his hood, and exclaimed in sudden realization, "Shadow, it was a reminder! Looks like it's time to start Project Sun and Moon!"
In an instant, 'thought' also vanished from the spot.
...
The next day.
Within the territory of the Duke's mansion, in a small town, lies Yun'er's Tailor Shop.
"Hey, have you heard? Another group of bandits has disappeared recently. They say the forest was covered in blood, it's terrifying!"
A group of people surrounded Liu Laosan, speaking mysteriously.
Huo Yuhao propped his head up with one hand, while the other hand, out of sight of others, was constantly squeezing the black hand gripper in his hand.
The noise outside made him very bored.
"Third Young Master, why aren't you practicing your sword today?"
Someone greeted him, but seeing no response, they had no choice but to continue listening to Liu Laosan's story.
"Liu Laosan, have you actually seen it or what? All I hear from you is your fabricated stories, pshaw!" one person said dismissively, clearly not believing it.
"Do you know what 'Third Young Master' means? I only believe what you say," another person shouted at Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao shook his head, and the man didn't ask any more questions.
"Don't you believe me? I know who did it!" Old Liu said defiantly, raising his voice.
He must have felt so proud to reveal something that even the "Third Young Master" didn't know!
"Then tell me!"
"That's right, that's right!"
Old Liu was about to speak, feeling smug, but then stopped. "Well then, I'll tell you, this is Shadow..."
Following his gaze, a well-equipped squad, each with a tiger head tattoo on their chest, ran quickly and in unison, stopping directly in front of Yun'er's tailor shop.
"Hurry, hurry..."
Upon seeing this scene, the crowd scattered, and Liu Laosan had long since disappeared.
The squad lined up in two rows at the entrance, and a middle-aged man stepped out from one of them; he was the leader of the squad.
"Third Young Master, we've come to take Second Madam back to the manor," Uncle Sha said respectfully.
Huo Yuhao nodded, got up, opened the door, and called out to his back, "Mom, Father sent Shabo to pick you up and take you home."
Huo Yun'er answered softly, slightly lifting her skirt as she slowly walked out. "I understand, Yuhao. Let's go back now."
"Shab, let's go."
Led by Sha Bo, Huo Yun'er gracefully stepped onto the carriage.
"Yuhao, get in the car, we're going home." Huo Yun'er smiled with joy in her heart.
She was naturally happy to see her husband soon.
Shaber interrupted, "Madam, the Third Young Master should set off for Shrek Academy on his own. I'm afraid he won't be able to return with us."
Huo Yun'er frowned, somewhat displeased, and was about to ask a question.
"Madam, this is what Master said. Please don't put me in a difficult position," Shabo pleaded, looking troubled and bowing his head.
"Mom, it's okay, don't worry. I was planning to go to the academy anyway, so this is perfect. You can rest assured."
Huo Yuhao immediately offered words of comfort.
Hearing that her son felt the same way, Huo Yun'er had no choice but to give up, saying with heartache, "Yuhao, why don't we go back first, and I'll discuss it with Brother Hao again..."
Shaber was also quite helpless. His young master had not inherited the Duke's powerful White Tiger Martial Soul. Instead, his Martial Soul had mutated into the Spirit Eye, and he had only just reached level ten.
Even more regrettable is that if the young master had mutated into a sword-type martial soul, his swordsmanship talent would have been absolutely genius among geniuses.
What a pity!
Huo Yuhao comforted her, "It's okay, Mom. This is also a test from Father for me. Just trust me." Then he reached out his hand to Shabo, "Shabo, give me the letter of recommendation."
Shabo felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly took out his soul guide ring from his pocket and handed it to Huo Yuhao.
"By the way, young master, you can go to Shrek City first and find the owner of this shop. He is an old acquaintance of mine."
"If you need anything, you can ask him for help. As for obtaining the Soul Ring, when you arrive in Shrek City, the White Tiger Guards arranged by the Master will take you there. You need to hurry!"
Shabo stuffed an address into Huo Yuhao's arms, gave him a few more instructions, and then stopped.
Seeing her son's insistence, Huo Yun'er had no choice but to say goodbye.
The team members were very efficient; they closed the tailor shop and shut it down before the two said goodbye.
"Young Master, this is all I can do. Please wait a moment. I will take Madam back to the manor first," said Uncle Sha, clasping his hands in a fist salute.
Huo Yuhao nodded and watched the convoy gradually disappear into the distance. At his signal, two dark figures quickly followed the convoy.
He weighed the Soul Guiding Ring in his hand, and through his spiritual power, he saw that it contained a hundred gold soul coins and a letter of recommendation. He was overjoyed.
"Gold coins, they really bring joy!"