But now, the White Tiger Dagger was here, the connection of the Spiritual Eye spirit, the way the other party brought him to Yun'er's grave... all the clues linked together, pointing to a truth he had never thought of, or rather, dared not to think of.
Dai Hao's body began to tremble uncontrollably. He pointed at Huo Yuhao, his voice filled with unbelievable shock and a trace of hope that even he hadn't noticed:
"You... are you... Yun'er's child? She... she gave birth to a child for me?!"
"Only recognizing me now? My 'great' father, Duke White Tiger, Lord Dai Hao?"
Huo Yuhao's voice was as cold as ten thousand years of profound ice, every word carrying bone-deep hatred.
With the identity confirmed, Dai Hao was filled with mixed emotions—a momentary excitement, but more so an endless confusion and immense shock.
He actually had a son living outside, and he himself was completely unaware of it.
"Yuhao... you..." Dai Hao opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
"Shut up, you don't deserve to speak my name."
Huo Yuhao abruptly interrupted him, the anger and grievance accumulated for more than a decade erupting like a volcano.
"Do you know how Mother and I lived? In the Duke's Mansion, we were worse than servants. Mother waited day and night, hoping you would look at her just once, but where were you? You were guarding your empire."
He advanced on Dai Hao step by step, his eyes ferocious:
"Do you know how Mother died? She died of overwork, she drained her lifeblood, and it was because of you, because of you, this irresponsible father and husband."
Dai Hao was intimidated by his imposing manner, staggering backward, his face drained of color, his lips trembling, yet unable to utter a sound.
Every word Huo Yuhao spoke was like a sharp knife, fiercely carving into his heart.
"And,"
A cruel look of gratification appeared on Huo Yuhao's face.
"Do you know how your son, Dai Huabin, died?"
Dai Hao suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with astonishment and disbelief.
"I killed him."
Huo Yuhao declared clearly, word for word.
"In Mingdu, I personally ended his life, and also Dai Yueheng..."
He pointed at Dai Hao and laughed maniacally.
"Just now, when he was blocking the blade for you, I was watching nearby. I clearly 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 five thunderbolts, his body shaking violently. Pointing at Huo Yuhao, a mouthful of clotted blood suddenly sprayed out.
Shock, rage, sorrow, disbelief... all emotions instantly engulfed him.
Huabin... was actually killed by this child, and Yueheng... he could have been saved.
Following the boundless fury, a deeper, heavier sense of dejection and guilt surged up.
He looked at Huo Yuhao, who was acting like a lunatic, as if he saw the epitome of his life's failure.
It was true... If not for his negligence back then, Yun'er would not have died of melancholy.
If not for his dereliction of duty, this child would not have been left to wander, suffering all the hardships, and eventually becoming so extreme and hateful of everything.
The root of everything lay with him, Dai Hao.
He let out a miserable laugh, his voice hoarse and broken, filled with endless regret:
"Retribution... this is all retribution... I failed Yun'er, and even more so, I failed you... I didn't fulfill my responsibility as a father... I didn't even... know of your existence... throughout the entire Duke White Tiger's Mansion, I was probably the only one kept in the dark..."
His gaze became hollow. It slowly swept over Huo Yun'er's tombstone and then settled on Huo Yuhao's hate-filled face.
"Wrong... it's all my fault..."
He mumbled, a flicker of resolve crossing his eyes.
"Since I created the sin... then let me pay for it..."
Before his voice faded, and before Huo Yuhao could even react, Dai Hao suddenly raised his palm, gathered the last remaining spirit power in his body, and mercilessly struck his own heart meridian.
"Pfft—!"
With a muffled sound, Dai Hao's body suddenly stiffened, his pupils instantly dilating.
He took one last deep look at Huo Yuhao, a gaze complicated and hard to decipher—there was guilt, relief, and perhaps a touch of unsaid regret. Immediately after, his imposing figure slowly fell backward, heavily collapsing in front of Huo Yun'er's grave, his breath instantly cut off.
Blood seeped from his chest, staining the wild grass in front of the tomb.
The frenzy and hatred on Huo Yuhao's face instantly solidified, replaced by an extreme astonishment and... confusion.
He... he just died just like that?
This man he had hated for more than a decade, the man he swore to utterly disgrace and make suffer every agony, just cleanly committed suicide? Died in front of his mother's grave?
"No...!!"
Huo Yuhao suddenly let out a heart-wrenching roar, charging forward, grabbing Dai Hao's now lifeless collar, and shaking him frantically.
"Who allowed you to die?! Who allowed you to die so easily?! I haven't had enough revenge yet, I haven't made you see the complete collapse of the Duke White Tiger's Mansion! Get up, get up!!"
However, the only response was Dai Hao's gradually cooling body and a deadly silence.
Just then, the long-brewing dark clouds finally could no longer hold their moisture. Large raindrops began to fall with a clattering sound, instantly turning into a torrential downpour.
The icy rain washed away the bloodstains on Dai Hao's body, washed over Huo Yun'er's solitary tombstone, and also washed over Huo Yuhao's face, making it impossible to distinguish between the rainwater and his tears.
Amidst the pouring rain and flashing lightning, Huo Yuhao knelt before his mother's grave, facing the corpse of his biological father, letting out a desperate and angry howl like a lone wolf. It was as if he was questioning this cruel fate, and yet, also mourning the twisted family bond that he had never received and had now lost forever.
In his Sea of Consciousness, the Skydream Iceworm shrank its neck, muttering in a low voice:
"This... this is... Yuhao now..."
It didn't know how to console him and could only choose silence.
Electrolux's aged sigh echoed softly:
"Foolish child... a karmic debt... alas..."
Even with his extensive experience, facing such complex emotional entanglement and tragic life-and-death drama, he could only offer a helpless sigh.
The rain grew heavier, as if trying to wash away all the sorrow and sin in the world, yet it only left behind a colder and emptier silence.
Star Luo Empire, Imperial Palace.
The palace, once solemn and dignified, was now enveloped by an invisible, heavy pressure.
Servants held their breath, their footsteps hushed, afraid to disturb the Emperor who sat motionless on the sofa.
Xu Jiawei held an urgent battle report stained with the scent of war, his fingertips white from gripping it tightly.
The words on the report were like a red-hot iron brand, searing his soul—the Northwest Army Group was almost completely annihilated... several Titled Douluo, including Xuanji and Lieyang, had fallen... the Young Marshal Dai Yueheng died fighting to save his father... Duke Dai Hao... fought bravely but ultimately... committed suicide for the nation... the Mingdou Mountain Range defense line was completely lost.
"Clatter..."
The exquisite white jade teacup slipped from his powerless hand, shattering on the glossy golden nanmu floor. The boiling tea splashed onto the hem of his dragon robe, but he was completely oblivious.
He just sat there blankly, his gaze hollow, as if looking through the cold walls and seeing the forest years ago, filled with adventure and passion.
Back then, he was not the Emperor of Star Luo, and Dai Hao was not the awe-inspiring Duke White Tiger guarding the frontier.
They were comrades fighting side-by-side, brothers who could entrust their backs to each other.
Hunting spirit beasts together, talking about their ideals by the campfire, swearing under the starry sky to protect the glory of Star Luo... Dai Hao's hearty laugh, his resolute and reliable eyes, seemed like only yesterday.
Xu Jiawei suddenly leaned back against the soft cushion of the sofa, closing his eyes exhaustedly, tilting his head back high, and taking deep breaths, trying to force back the hot, sour sensation welling up in his eyes.
As the Emperor, he could not shed tears, especially at this moment that determined the fate of the empire.
Although all this was part of a plan that he had tacitly approved, and could even be said to be jointly promoted by him, Xu Jiujiu, and Lu Jingming.
Yet, when the news of Dai Hao's death truly arrived, the bone-deep sorrow and guilt still gnawed at his heart like a poisonous snake.
Dai Hao had to die.
This cold thought had lingered in his mind for a long time.
Not just because Lu Jingming needed a "clean" Star Luo Empire unconstrained by powerful old forces, but also because of the deep-seated malaise within Star Luo.
The lineage of the Duke White Tiger was not just a military pillar, but the core of a massive, conservative, deeply entrenched political interest group.
This group, along with the self-satisfied old nobility, had long become the biggest obstacle to Star Luo's advancement.
Xu Jiawei himself deeply understood this. Back when he and Xu Jiujiu strongly advocated for the development of soul tools, trying to keep up with the times, the biggest resistance they faced did not come from the outside, but from the vested interests within the empire.
They feared change, feared new technologies that would shake their power and status, and feared everything unknown.
Even Dai Hao himself, who had somewhat understood and supported his ideas in the later stages, was powerless under the massive wave of conservative forces; reform was difficult to advance.
Xu Jiawei had once chosen to compromise, trying to achieve their goals gradually through gentle means, but the result was severe internal friction and missed opportunities.
Lu Jingming's approach was simpler, more direct, and far more ruthless—since you are unwilling to embrace the tide of the new era, then be thoroughly washed away with the old era you cling to.
Juzi and the Sun Moon Empire army under her command were the sharpest "scalpel" in Lu Jingming's hand, precisely cutting and excising the most stubborn "rotten flesh" from the body of the Star Luo Empire.
The annihilation of the White Tiger lineage and its affiliated military and political forces, while painful, also cleared the greatest obstacle.
"Brother Hao... I am sorry..."
Xu Jiawei silently recited in his heart, filled with bitterness and helplessness.
For the future of Star Luo, and to find a sliver of hope for his people in the dramatic continental shifts, he had to sacrifice this brother, who was like kin, and sacrifice this pillar of the empire.
This imperial throne had always been so cold and lonely.
As the battle subsided in the Mingdou Mountain Range, and with the complete collapse of the core power of the White Tiger lineage, Sea Abyss City, which had been quietly observing, seemingly transcendent, finally made its move.
Lu Jingming's first command was concise and powerful.
Dan Heng, the nameless passenger from the Astral Express, carrying the Cloud-Piercing Spear, led the mysterious, elementally-charged Fatui and the disciplined, murderous Night Army. They descended like divine soldiers onto the most important gateway in the western part of the Star Luo Empire—Yuming City.
Their arrival was not merely for reinforcement; it was to outright "take over" the defense line.
With absolute power and an unquestionable attitude, Dan Heng assumed command of Yuming City. All remaining Star Luo defenders were orderly integrated into the new defense system.
Facing this mysterious force, whose morale was entirely different from any previous army, and their exhibition of coordinated combat capabilities far beyond comprehension, the remaining Star Luo generals couldn't even muster a thought of resistance.
Following this, under the full operation of Xu Jiawei and Xu Jiujiu, an "Imperial Edict" was swiftly proclaimed throughout the empire.
It specifically appointed Lu Jingming, the Lord of Sea Abyss City, as the Marshal of the Star Luo Empire's Three Armies, granting him overall control of all military affairs to resist foreign enemies.
This command caused quite a stir among the empire's high-ranking officials, but with the unconcealed support of the royal family and the current precarious situation, all objections were forcefully suppressed.
Lu Jingming rightfully took over the Star Luo Empire's reserve forces along all border defenses, as well as the remaining military strength that hadn't been swept up in the vortex of the White Tiger lineage's demise.
And the real thunderous measures unfolded soon after.
Firefly personally led her Molten Knights to the battlefield.
The Molten Knights were the crystallization of Sea Abyss City's technology. Every knight was equipped with Molten Mechas, designed by Herta with reference to Firefly's "Sam" mecha technology.
These mechas not only provided terrifying defensive power and mobility but were also armed with various destructive energy weapons.
A fully activated Molten Knight's combat power was enough to contend head-on with an ordinary Titled Douluo.
Five hundred Molten Knights, like a scorching torrent of steel, swept across the front line with astonishing efficiency under Firefly's command.
They disregarded terrain, moved at high speed, often cutting into the core of the Sun Moon Empire's formation before the enemy could even react.
Scorching energy blades tore through mechas, heavy artillery destroyed soul tool arrays. Wherever they went, the Sun Moon Empire's army melted like ice and snow, crumbling into defeat.
In just a few days, the long defense line, which the Sun Moon Empire had broken through, was forcibly pushed back.
All Sun Moon Empire forces that had invaded Star Luo territory were either annihilated or fled back in panic to the west of the Mingdou Mountain Range.
And this was not the end.
Lu Jingming personally led the new army, a mixed force composed of Star Luo reserves and some of Sea Abyss City's elite, to launch a counterattack.
He didn't employ many fancy tactics, simply advancing honorably with overwhelming technology and power.
The advanced soul tools that the Sun Moon Empire relied on for its fame seemed so outdated in the face of Sea Abyss City.
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