Douluo Unrivaled: The Beginning Materializes the Black Abyss and White Flowers

But now, with the White Tiger Dagger here, the connection to the Spirit Eye Martial Soul, and the other party bringing him to Yun'er's grave... all the clues connect to a truth he had never thought of, or rather, dared not think of.

Dai Hao's body began to tremble uncontrollably. He pointed at Huo Yuhao, his voice filled with disbelief and horror, and a hint of expectation that even he himself didn't realize:

"You...you are...Yun'er's child? She...she gave birth to my child?!"

"You only recognize me now? My 'great' father, Duke White Tiger, Lord Dai Hao?"

Huo Yuhao's voice was as cold as ancient ice, and every word was filled with deep-seated hatred.

Upon confirming his identity, Dai Hao felt a mix of emotions. There was a moment of excitement, but more than that, he felt boundless confusion and a tremendous shock.

He actually had a son who had been living away from home, but he himself knew nothing about it.

“Yuhao…you…” Dai Hao opened his mouth, but didn’t know what to say.

"Shut up, you're not worthy to call me by my name."

Huo Yuhao abruptly interrupted him, his anger and grievances, which had been building up for over a decade, erupting like a volcano.

"Do you know how my mother and I lived? In the Duke's mansion, we were treated worse than servants. My mother longed for you to see her day and night, but what about you? Where are you? You are guarding your empire."

He approached Dai Hao step by step, his eyes filled with malice:
"Do you know how your mother died? She died from overwork, she was completely drained of her life force, all because of you, because of you, her irresponsible father and husband."

Dai Hao was intimidated by his imposing presence, staggered backward, his face drained of color, his lips trembling, but he couldn't utter a sound.

Every word Huo Yuhao spoke was like a sharp knife, cutting deep into his heart.

"besides."

A cruel sense of satisfaction appeared on Huo Yuhao's face.

Do you know how your son, Dai Huabin, died?

Dai Hao looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with astonishment and disbelief.

"I killed him."

Huo Yuhao declared clearly, word by word.

"In Mingdu, I personally killed him, and Dai Yueheng as well..."

He pointed at Dai Hao and laughed maniacally.

"I was right there watching when he took the knife for you. I could have saved him, but I didn't. I watched him die right in front of you, hahaha!"

"you you……"

Dai Hao felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His body shook violently, and he pointed at Huo Yuhao, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Shock, anger, grief, disbelief... a whole host of emotions overwhelmed him in an instant.

Hua Bin... he also died at the hands of this child. Yao Heng... he could have been saved.

After the boundless anger, what surged into my heart was a deeper and heavier sense of dejection and guilt.

Looking at Huo Yuhao, who seemed to have gone mad, he felt as if he were seeing a microcosm of his own life's failures.

Yes... If it weren't for my neglect back then, Yun'er wouldn't have died in despair.

If it weren't for my negligence, this child wouldn't have been left to wander outside, suffering so much, and ultimately becoming so extreme and so full of hatred for everything.

The root of everything lies with Dai Hao.

He gave a bitter laugh, his voice hoarse and broken, filled with endless regret:
"Retribution...this is all retribution...I've let Yun'er down, and I've let you down even more...I haven't fulfilled my responsibilities as a father...I didn't even know you existed...I'm probably the only one in the entire White Tiger Duke's mansion who was kept in the dark..."

His gaze became vacant, slowly sweeping over Huo Yun'er's tombstone before landing on Huo Yuhao's hate-filled face.

"I was wrong...it's all my fault..."

He murmured, a resolute glint in his eyes.

"Since it's my fault... then I'll have to pay for it..."

Before he could finish speaking and before Huo Yuhao could react, Dai Hao suddenly raised his palm, gathered the last remaining soul power in his body, and slammed it into his heart meridian without hesitation.

"puff--!"

With a muffled thud, Dai Hao's body stiffened abruptly, and his pupils dilated instantly.

He looked at Huo Yuhao one last time, his gaze complex and unfathomable, filled with guilt, relief, and perhaps a trace of unspoken regret. Then, his imposing body slowly fell backward, crashing heavily before Huo Yun'er's grave, his breath fading away instantly.

Blood seeped from his chest, staining the wild grass in front of his grave red.

The madness and hatred on Huo Yuhao's face froze instantly, replaced by extreme astonishment and... bewilderment.

He... he just died like that?
The man he had hated for over a decade, the man he had vowed to ruin and make suffer, had simply and decisively taken his own life? He died at his mother's grave?
"No……!!"

Huo Yuhao let out a heart-wrenching roar, rushed forward, grabbed Dai Hao's lifeless collar, and shook him frantically.

"Who gave you permission to die?! Who allowed you to die so easily?! I haven't had enough revenge yet, I haven't let you see the complete collapse of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, get up, get up!!"

However, all that answered him was Dai Hao's gradually cooling body and a deathly silence.

Just then, the long-brewing dark clouds could no longer hold back the moisture, and large raindrops pelted down, instantly turning into a torrential downpour.

The cold rain washed away the bloodstains on Dai Hao's body, washed away Huo Yun'er's lonely tombstone, and also washed away Huo Yuhao's face, making it impossible to tell whether it was rain or tears.

Amidst torrential rain and thunder, Huo Yuhao knelt before his mother's grave, letting out a desperate and furious howl like a lone wolf before his father's corpse. It was as if he were questioning this cruel fate, or mourning the twisted family affection he had never received and had lost forever.

Within his spiritual sea, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm shrank its neck and muttered softly:

"This...this is messed up...Yuhao is in trouble now..."

It didn't know how to comfort her, so it could only remain silent.

Electrolux's aged sigh echoed softly:
"Foolish child... What a tragedy... Alas..."

Even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes. With his rich experience, he could only sigh helplessly when faced with such complex emotional entanglements and life-and-death tragedies.

The rain fell harder and harder, as if trying to wash away all the sorrow and sins in the world, but leaving only a colder and emptier silence.

The Star Luo Empire, Imperial Palace. The once solemn and majestic palace is now shrouded in an invisible, heavy pressure.

The servants held their breath and made their footsteps extremely quiet, for fear of disturbing the emperor who sat motionless on the sofa.

Xu Jiawei held an urgent battle report, tinged with the scent of war, in his hand, his fingertips turning white from the force of his grip.

The words on the battle report were like a red-hot branding iron, burning his very soul—the Northwest Army Group was almost completely wiped out… several titled Douluo, including Xuanji and Lieyang, perished… young marshal Dai Yueheng died in battle to save his father… Duke Dai Hao… fought bravely and unyieldingly, and finally… committed suicide for his country… the entire Mingdou Mountain Range was lost.

"pat..."

The exquisite white jade teacup slipped from his weak hands and shattered on the smooth golden nanmu wood floor. The scalding tea splashed onto the hem of his dragon robe, but he was completely unaware.

He just sat there blankly, staring ahead, as if he could see through the cold walls the forest full of adventure and passion from many years ago.

At that time, he was not yet the Emperor of Xingluo, and Dai Hao was not yet the White Tiger Duke who commanded respect on the frontier.

They are partners who fight side by side, brothers who can entrust their backs to each other.

Hunting soul beasts together, talking about ideals around the campfire, swearing to protect the glory of Xingluo under the starry sky... Dai Hao's hearty laughter and his resolute and reliable eyes seem like they were just yesterday.

Xu Jiawei leaned back against the soft back of the sofa, closed his eyes wearily, tilted his head back, and took a deep breath, trying to force back the sour and hot feeling welling up in his eyes.

As an emperor, he could not shed tears, especially at this moment that would determine the fate of the empire.

Although all of this was tacitly approved by him, and could even be considered part of a plan he jointly promoted with Xu Jiujiu and Lu Jingming.

But when the news of Dai Hao's death actually arrived, the deep sorrow and guilt still gnawed at his heart like a venomous snake.

Dai Hao must die.

This cold-blooded thought had been lingering in his mind for a long time.

It wasn't just because Lu Jingming needed a "clean" Star Luo Empire, free from the constraints of powerful old forces, but also because of the deep-rooted problems within Star Luo.

The lineage of the White Tiger Duke is not only a military pillar, but also the core of a vast, conservative, and deeply entrenched political interest group.

This group, along with those conservative old nobles, has long been the biggest obstacle to Xingluo's progress.

Xu Jiawei himself has a deep understanding of this. Back then, he and Xu Jiujiu strongly advocated for the vigorous development of soul tools in an attempt to keep up with the times. The biggest obstacle they encountered did not come from the outside, but from the vested interests within the empire.

They fear change, fear that new technologies will shake their power and status, and fear the unknown.

Even Dai Hao himself, who later understood and supported his ideas to some extent, found it difficult to make any progress under the influence of the massive conservative forces, and the reforms were extremely difficult to implement.

Xu Jiawei once chose to compromise and tried to gradually achieve his goal through gentle means, but the result was serious internal strife and missed opportunities.

Lu Jingming's approach was simpler, more direct, and far more ruthless—since you're unwilling to accept the tide of the new era, then let your beloved old era be completely swept away.

Ju Zi and the Sun Moon Empire army she led were the sharpest "scalpel" in Lu Jingming's hands, precisely cutting and removing the most stubborn "rotten flesh" from the body of the Star Luo Empire.

The destruction of the White Tiger lineage and its affiliated military and political forces, while bringing pain, also cleared away the biggest obstacle.

"Brother Hao...I'm sorry..."

Xu Jiawei silently murmured to himself, his voice filled with bitterness and helplessness.

For the future of Xingluo, and to find a glimmer of hope for his people in this drastically changing continent, he had no choice but to sacrifice this brother he was as close as a sworn brother, and this pillar of the empire.

The emperor's throne has always been so cold and lonely.

With the war in the Mingdou Mountains temporarily extinguished and the core power of the White Tiger lineage completely collapsed, Haiyuan City, which had been silently observing as if detached from the world, finally made its move.

Lu Jingming's first command was concise and powerful.

Dan Heng, this nameless guest from the Starry Sky Train, wielding the Cloud-Striking Spear, led the strangely equipped and elementally powerful Fools and the disciplined and murderous Night Return Army, appearing like a divine army descending from the heavens at Yuming City, the most important gateway in the western part of the Star Luo Empire.

Their arrival was not simply a reinforcement; they directly "took over" the defensive line.

With absolute strength and an unquestionable attitude, Dan Heng took over command of Yuming City, and all the remaining Xingluo garrison troops were systematically reorganized and incorporated into the new defense system.

Faced with this mysterious force whose aura was completely different from any army before, and their cooperative combat capabilities that far exceeded their comprehension, the surviving Star Luo generals did not even have the slightest thought of resistance.

Immediately afterwards, with the full efforts of Xu Jiawei and Xu Jiujiu, an "imperial edict" spread throughout the empire at the fastest speed.

Lu Jingming, the Lord of Haiyuan City, was specially appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Star Luo Empire's three armies, in charge of all military affairs and to defend against foreign enemies.

This order caused quite a stir among the imperial high command, but with the royal family's undisguised support and the current precarious situation, all dissent was forcibly suppressed.

Lu Jingming rightfully took over the reserve forces of all the border defense lines of the Star Luo Empire, as well as the remaining military forces that had not been caught up in the vortex of the White Tiger faction's destruction.

And then the truly ruthless methods were unleashed.

Firefly personally led her Molten Knights to the battlefield.

The Molten Knights are the culmination of technology from Abyss City. Each knight is equipped with a Molten Mech designed by the Black Tower based on the "Sam" mech technology of the Firefly.

These mechs not only offer terrifying defense and mobility, but are also equipped with a variety of devastating energy weapons.

A fully activated Molten Knight possesses enough combat power to directly contend with an ordinary Title Douluo.

Five hundred Molten Knights, like a scorching torrent of steel, swept across the battle line with astonishing efficiency under the command of Firefly.

Ignoring the terrain, they maneuver at high speed, often penetrating the core of the Sun Moon Empire's formation before the army can react.

Scorching energy blades tore through mechs, heavy cannons roared and destroyed soul-guided positions. Wherever they passed, the army of the Sun Moon Empire melted away like ice and snow, utterly routed.

Within just a few days, the long defensive line that had been breached by the Sun Moon Empire was forcibly pushed back.

All the Sun Moon Empire's armies that invaded Xingluo territory were either annihilated or fled back to the west of the Mingdou Mountains in panic.

This is not the end.

Lu Jingming personally led a new army composed of the Star Luo reserve army and some elite troops from Haiyuan City to launch a counterattack.

He didn't use many fancy tactics; he simply advanced with overwhelming skill and strength in a fair and square manner.

The advanced soul tools that the Sun Moon Empire relied on for its fame seemed so backward in the face of the Sea Abyss City.

(End of this chapter)