Chapter 120 Huo Yuhao Scolds the God King.
Ten seconds later, Huo Yuhao, along with Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, Tang San, and Xiao Wu, headed towards Soto City.
Meanwhile, Ma Hongjun was hanging from a nearby tree by Huo Yuhao, crying out for help with a face full of grief and indignation. Ma Hongjun's face was filled with helplessness and anger, and his body swayed precariously on the tree, as if he might fall at any moment.
It has to be said that one minute is really too kind to Ma Hongjun. In Huo Yuhao's hands, Ma Hongjun was hung on the tree in 10 seconds.
...
Meanwhile, Soto was bustling with activity. The streets were teeming with people, brimming with the vibrant energy of daily life.
It was around eight or nine in the morning, the time when the residents of Soto were having breakfast. The street vendors were busy, some stir-frying steaming dishes, others steaming all kinds of pastries in steamers.
The tender tofu sizzled on the hot plate, making one's mouth water. Steam rose from the steamer, spreading across the street and carrying the fresh scent of wheat.
The unique pungent smell of stinky tofu blends with the sweet aroma of bread, creating a unique and delightful culinary experience.
Ning Rongrong was already holding a large pile of snacks, her eyes sparkling with satisfaction. She was like a little hamster, constantly stuffing food into her mouth and occasionally feeding Huo Yuhao.
However, her fingers would occasionally lightly touch Huo Yuhao's tongue. Whether she did it intentionally or unintentionally, this small action added a subtle ambiguity to the entire dining atmosphere.
Zhu Zhuqing, on the other hand, formed a stark contrast to Ning Rongrong. Her eating manners were exceptionally refined and elegant. The young girl was shy and would never, like Ning Rongrong, brazenly force food into Huo Yuhao's mouth.
Xiao Wu was completely absorbed in her own world, intently munching on the carrot in her hand, seemingly uninterested in any other food.
As for Tang San and Huo Yuhao, the two were still engaged in an invisible war of words using their divine senses. Tang San was clearly no match for Huo Yuhao in verbal sparring. In a short period of time, Tang San was forced to "die" dozens of times, along with his parents and ancestors for eighteen generations, leaving him furious and helpless.
Just then, a little girl came running up, looking no more than seven or eight years old, with an innocent smile on her face. She tugged at Huo Yuhao's sleeve and asked in her childish voice, "Big brother, do you want to buy a newspaper? The latest newspaper is only one copper coin."
Huo Yuhao looked at the little girl with a warm smile. He casually pulled out a few newspapers, and then, under the little girl's expectant gaze, put a gold soul coin into her pocket.
"Little guy, hurry home, don't let anyone else see the gold soul coins in your pocket," Huo Yuhao gently reminded him.
The little girl immediately smiled sweetly, then skipped and hopped towards the front of the street, forgetting all about selling the newspaper. For her, that one gold soul coin represented a month's expenses for her family.
Huo Yuhao casually handed the newspapers in his hand to the people around him, and said in a relaxed manner, "Since we're just killing time anyway, let's read the newspapers and eat breakfast together."
Xiao Wu was the first to take the newspaper from Huo Yuhao, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. However, as she began to read, her brows quickly furrowed, and she appeared somewhat troubled. The words on the newspaper seemed difficult for her to understand; she didn't recognize many of them, which made her feel rather frustrated.
Of course, Xiao Wu couldn't read the words in the newspaper, but Huo Yuhao didn't need to worry about that. Sure enough, the God King immediately leaned over and patiently read the contents of the newspaper to Xiao Wu. His voice was gentle and patient, and he pronounced every word clearly.
When Tang San finished reading about how the Spirit Hall had wiped out the evil spirit masters' lair and rescued many innocent villagers, he stopped. His brows furrowed, as if he were deep in thought. Xiao Wu asked curiously, "What's wrong? Tang San, why did you stop reading?"
Huo Yuhao glanced lazily at Tang San, then continued reading to Xiao Wu what the Spirit Hall had done next.
Seeing Huo Yuhao read the newspaper to her with such a pain, Xiao Wu felt a little embarrassed. She secretly resolved to brush up on her cultural knowledge. If she really couldn't learn it herself, she would go home and ask her mother, because her mother knew far more human characters than she did.
Completely ignoring Tang San's expression, Huo Yuhao asked, "Xiao Wu, Rongrong, Zhu Qing, how much do you know about evil soul masters?"
Upon hearing Huo Yuhao's question, Rongrong immediately raised her hand to answer: "I know, the so-called evil soul masters are the worst group of soul masters on the entire continent. They do all sorts of evil things and I heard they kill people in sight."
"That's right, so-called evil soul masters are such a group. They devour people's flesh, blood, soul power, and even souls to cultivate. They are hated by everyone on the continent. However, only the Spirit Hall has truly put the extermination of evil soul masters into practice." Huo Yuhao's tone revealed a hint of seriousness.
"No way! Our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School has also tried to eliminate evil soul masters," Ning Rongrong retorted from the side. She puffed out her little purse, her face full of pride.
Huo Yuhao smiled and patted Ning Rongrong's head: "Alright, Rongrong, although the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School has also exterminated evil soul masters, they usually only take action when the evil soul masters appear near the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, right? Strictly speaking, this can only be considered a passive extermination."
"Hmm...it seems that's true." Ning Rongrong lowered her head, somewhat embarrassed, and admitted Huo Yuhao's words.
"If these evil soul masters are so despicable, why don't the two great empires and sects send troops to wipe them out?" Xiao Wu looked at Huo Yuhao with a face full of doubt.
Tang San, standing to the side, frowned, a hint of displeasure on his face. He wanted to refute Huo Yuhao's words, but for a moment he couldn't find the right words to express his point of view.
Huo Yuhao slowly turned his gaze to Xiao Wu and said seriously, "Good question. Since you have a question, I will tell you in detail."
"Let's talk about sects first. Almost all sects on the Douluo Continent are based on family power. The biggest characteristic of family power is that family interests come first. Therefore, they would naturally not do things like eradicating evil soul masters, which might harm the family's interests."
Huo Yuhao continued to explain, "The elders of the sect only care about the glory and power of their families. They will not risk the interests of their families for the sake of so-called justice."
"What about the two great empires? Why don't they take the initiative to eradicate the evil soul masters?" Xiao Wu was still puzzled, her eyes sparkling with a thirst for knowledge.
Huo Yuhao sighed softly and continued, "The situation of the two great empires is even more complicated. In my opinion, the two great empires are now completely corrupt to the extreme. The nobility is in control, the people are living in misery, and social injustice and corruption have permeated every corner. The two great empires may seem to be militarily strong and well-equipped, but in reality, they are terminally ill. In my view, the two great empires will perish within twenty years at most."
Huo Yuhao continued, "The rulers of the two great empires only have power and wealth in their eyes. They will not risk losing power for the sake of the people's well-being. They would rather spend a lot of resources to maintain their rule than to eradicate those evil soul masters who harm the people."
"Huo Yuhao, watch your words! You are also a citizen of the Star Luo Empire, how dare you curse your own country!"
Tang San could no longer hold back and was the first to reprimand Huo Yuhao. As a person from the feudal era, Tang San still highly admired the theory of ruler-subject, father-son relationship, and naturally couldn't help but speak up after hearing Huo Yuhao's words.
In Tang San's eyes, as a citizen of the Star Luo Empire, cursing the Star Luo Empire was utterly outrageous and an injustice!
"Huo Yuhao, you keep praising the Spirit Hall and belittling the two great empires. Could it be that you've sided with the Spirit Hall?" Tang San's voice carried a hint of accusation as he tried to find the answer in Huo Yuhao's reaction.
"What do you mean by 'joining forces with the Spirit Hall'?" Huo Yuhao sneered and asked in return.
"I was originally a member of the Spirit Hall, so how can you say I've defected?"
"Huo Yuhao, you, you actually!" Tang San's eyes widened, almost unable to believe his ears. He simply couldn't believe that Huo Yuhao would actually betray him and join the Spirit Hall! His voice was filled with shock and anger, as if Huo Yuhao's betrayal was a great insult to him.
However, Ning Rongrong, standing to the side, wasn't overly surprised. She calmly observed everything, already having a premonition. After all, it wasn't strange that the most talented soul masters in the world came from the most powerful organizations. Ning Rongrong knew Huo Yuhao's talent and abilities; if he really chose to join the Spirit Hall, it would be perfectly reasonable. If Huo Yuhao was truly a free soul master, that would be truly astonishing.
"Huo Yuhao, I really didn't expect that you would actually stoop so low as to join the Spirit Hall. Don't you know that the Spirit Hall is the most evil organization on the entire continent? Even those evil spirit masters are not as evil as the Spirit Hall!"
Tang San's voice was filled with pain and indignation, and the atmosphere between the two became extremely tense as they continued to fiercely exchange blows using their divine senses.
Even when Huo Yuhao betrayed him, Tang San had never felt such anger. Huo Yuhao had once been his daughter's husband, yet now he was willing to become a lackey of the Spirit Hall; it was simply shocking and unbelievable.
"Tang San, you keep saying that the Spirit Hall is an evil organization. You're so high and mighty, so why don't you let the Spirit Hall awaken your spirit? And don't take the Spirit Hall's money."
Huo Yuhao's tone was sarcastic and disdainful, his eyes flashing with provocation. He continued, "What I despise most is someone like you, who eats the food and then curses the cook. You keep claiming to be on the side of justice, constantly spouting benevolence and morality, but in the end, you're nothing but a hypocritical scoundrel who eats someone else's food and then bites their hand. For Shrek Academy to be proud of you ten thousand years from now is a disgrace, and for the Sea God Pavilion to be proud of you is a shame!"
Huo Yuhao was completely enraged today, and his words made Tang San furious. His face turned ashen, and his fists clenched as if he was about to explode.
"Huo Yuhao, you are completely turning black into white. On the entire continent, which force is unaware of the Spirit Hall's wolfish ambitions and its intention to annex the two great empires? You knew full well that the Spirit Hall wanted to unify the continent, yet you still joined the Spirit Hall. Are you going to aid and abet evil?"
Tang San's voice boomed in Huo Yuhao's ears like thunder. His words were full of accusation and dissatisfaction, as if he had transformed back into the aloof Sea God, rebuking Huo Yuhao through telepathy.
Upon hearing Tang San's words, Huo Yuhao smiled coldly, his eyes flashing with a firm and ruthless light: "Tang San, I think you've misunderstood something." His voice was deep and powerful, each word seeming to have been uttered after careful consideration.
Huo Yuhao stared intently into Tang San's eyes, his gaze unwavering: "It's not that I want to help the Spirit Hall annex the two great empires, but rather, I want to lead the Spirit Hall to completely destroy them." Huo Yuhao's voice carried an undeniable resolve.
"Huo Yuhao, are you crazy? You actually want to start a war! You keep saying you're doing this for the civilians, but do you know how many civilians will die if you start a war!"
"Hehe, you don't need to worry about that. In this life, whether it's you or the two great empires, I, Huo Yuhao, am determined to destroy them."
Huo Yuhao naturally had his own plans. He intended to assassinate Emperor Xueye and the Emperor of the Dai family when the time was right, carrying out a decapitation plan, just like he had assassinated Xu Tianran in his previous life. After all, Huo Yuhao was a professional when it came to assassination. However, Huo Yuhao would naturally not tell Tang San about this, otherwise, given Tang San's personality, he would definitely go to the palace to protect the emperor again.
"You... fine, Huo Yuhao, you're very good," Tang San's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible anger, and his eyes turned cold.
"Since you're so determined to do things your own way, I have nothing more to say. From now on, let's settle things with our skills."
Tang San's words were filled with determination. He glared fiercely at Huo Yuhao, then turned and walked away with Xiao Wu towards Shrek Academy without looking back.
Because Tang San had just communicated with Huo Yuhao using their divine senses, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing all felt a bit confused.
They exchanged a puzzled look, as if silently asking what had happened. They didn't know what argument had taken place between the two, only that Tang San and Huo Yuhao's relationship seemed to have suddenly deteriorated.
However, since neither Tang San nor Huo Yuhao offered an explanation, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing didn't press the matter. Since they had already eaten breakfast, the group decided to return to Shrek Academy together.
(End of chapter)