Nighttime.
Huo Yuhao lay upon the woodshed pile, gazing at the stars in the sky as a golden luminescence flowed deep within his eyes.
He was organizing his thoughts.
In his previous life, shortly after ascending to the God Realm, he had sensed the deeds of that "good father-in-law" of his.
Whether it was that "stitched monster" possessing the memories of Dong'er and Qiu'er, or the restriction placed deep within his own mother's soul—all of it was the handiwork of that "good father-in-law."
Everyone had placed high expectations on him, so many people believed in him, but what about himself? He had been led by the nose, slowly failing everyone's expectations until, in the end, he became a dog.
Ha. A flash of ruthlessness flickered in Huo Yuhao's eyes, but he quickly buried it deep down once more.
Hatred and anger were of little use to him at this moment; they would only cause him to lose his sanity.
"However... some debts can be collected right now."
Feeling the White Tiger Dagger his mother had given him for self-defense tucked in his shirt, Huo Yuhao's eyes were filled with ice.
"...Madam, that's the situation with that wench's son."
After listening to the maid's report, the Grand Madam let out a disdainful laugh.
"As expected of the lowborn seed birthed by that wench. A level one innate soul power—he truly is trash!"
A mutated Martial Soul and level one innate soul power—such garbage aptitude meant that the wench's son posed no threat whatsoever to her own son!
The actual controller of the Duke's Mansion was, after all, Dai Hao, who was stationed at the border. Dai Hao still knew a bit about everything that happened within the mansion.
It was precisely because of this—not wanting her husband to find out and grow to loathe her—that she had never dealt a fatal blow to that wench and her brat.
But now... Emotions of anger, loathing, and contempt were stirred.
A thought emerged naturally and began to spread uncontrollably: Why not just kill them?
A wench and a piece of trash with level one innate soul power—even if they were killed, her husband probably wouldn't say anything, right?
She looked at the maid kneeling before her, a trace of chilliness surfacing in her eyes, though it was quickly masked.
She rubbed her brow and then waved her hand.
"Dismissed."
"Yes, Grand Madam!"
Hearing the sound of the door closing, the Grand Madam felt an odd sense that something was wrong. Why was her killing intent so heavy today?
Creak.
The sound of a door being pushed open suddenly rang out.
The Grand Madam frowned slightly, impatience growing in her eyes.
"Have you no manners?! Who allowed you back in?!"
She looked up toward the door, thinking the maid from earlier had returned and intending to scold her further. However, what she saw was a thin, frail figure.
"You are... that brat?!"
The Grand Madam was stunned but quickly recognized Huo Yuhao. "How can you be here, you little wretch?! Someone! Guards! Quickly—"
"No need."
Huo Yuhao spoke softly, tossing over several blood-dripping heads he was carrying—these were the people who were usually ordered to bully his mother. Huo Yuhao would not let them go.
His gaze was calm as he looked at the Grand Madam before him.
In his previous life, he had spared her. This time, he would not hesitate.
His meager remaining mental power touched the Eye of Destiny within his Sea of Consciousness. In the next instant, a phantom of a golden vertical pupil bloomed from Huo Yuhao's brow! Instantly, the profound and mysterious power of destiny was mobilized, masking everything in this place!
At this moment, Destiny briefly forgot the existence of the Grand Madam. Since no one remembered her, naturally, no one would come to save her.
Within the Sea of Consciousness, the Seed of Emotion mobilized what remained of the Power of Emotion, enchanting the White Tiger Dagger in his hand. The Eye of Destiny at his brow opened slightly; in this moment, Huo Yuhao saw the "threads" of all things in the world.
Having experienced death once, the Eye of Destiny seemed to have undergone an evolution. Now, he could not only see the threads of destiny of all things but also sever them!
He looked at the Grand Madam, looking at the dense network of threads upon her body, and then, without hesitation... he severed the Grand Madam's control over her body.
The White Tiger Dagger, empowered by the Power of Emotion, followed Huo Yuhao's will, easily severing two threads near the Grand Madam's brain and spine.
In a mere instant, the Grand Madam's body suddenly went limp, and she collapsed directly to the ground.
At this moment, the original resentment and anger vanished. Now, only horror remained in the Grand Madam's eyes!
"Wha—what are you doing?! I'm telling you, I am the Grand Madam of the Duke's Mansion! If you kill me, my husband will never let you off!"
Paralyzed on the floor, the Grand Madam was like a lamb to the slaughter. She no longer possessed her former arrogance and could only use words to threaten Huo Yuhao.
However, it was clear that Huo Yuhao did not care.
The emotion of terror, accompanied by the pleasure of revenge, was absorbed by the Seed of Emotion in his Sea of Consciousness, filling its vacancies. Simultaneously, it fed back into Huo Yuhao's thin body and restored his soul power.
His gaze remained calm. He looked at the Grand Madam and spoke softly:
"I won't kill you. But I will make you stay like this forever. I will make you lose all control over your body.
"You will be able to see, to hear, and to feel everything in the outside world, but you will not be able to speak, and you will not be able to move.
"This is my punishment for you, and it will last until I come to end your life."
He would not kill the Grand Madam before she had experienced enough pain.
—In the previous life, his mother suffered through illness and pain before dying. What right did you have to die so easily?
As his mental power recovered slightly, Huo Yuhao operated this bit of energy without hesitation and suddenly lunged toward the Grand Madam!
Monarch Descends to the World!
The weak but precisely aimed mental power, bolstered by the Eye of Destiny, easily crashed into the Grand Madam's Sea of Consciousness, frantically destroying what remained of her sanity.
The extreme intensity of the pain acted upon both her spirit and her body, causing her frame to convulse and tremble involuntarily. In this moment, having completely lost the dignified posture of a Grand Madam, she appeared utterly hideous.
Huo Yuhao listened quietly, his eyes still devoid of much emotion, as if all of this were only natural.
Living a second life, what Huo Yuhao wanted to do was to make amends, to repay debts, and to make those who deserved to pay the price suffer a hundredfold!
And this was only the beginning.
The Grand Madam before him had already fallen unconscious due to the intense pain, and the emotions she could provide to Huo Yuhao were nearly s
queezed dry.
Feeling the soul power restored within his body, the Eye of Destiny at his brow appeared once more. Huo Yuhao looked up, the White Tiger Dagger in his hand lightly touching the threads of destiny before he gently flicked it, severing them.
At this moment, the Grand Madam's control over her body had "died" completely. Unless a God King intervened, she would endure this pain forever... until Huo Yuhao came to end her life.
Huo Yuhao did not know that the moment he used the Eye of Destiny, that unique power of destiny was instantly captured and noticed by the world.
The butterfly had flapped its wings at this very moment.