After carelessly tossing a stone into the already uncalm waters of the Huo Family, Xu Luo swaggered back to his manor with his five powerful followers, acting as if nothing was amiss.
As soon as he returned, the middle-aged beauty Bai Jie immediately came forward, grabbing Xu Luo's hand with a nervous look on her face. She asked, "How did it go? Mother heard you had a conflict with Huo Lin and the others. Are you alright?"
Ordinarily, everyone in the Huo Family could be considered Xu Luo's mortal enemy. From top to bottom, every single person in the Huo Family was dead set on obtaining Beidou's Eighth Star.
From the real Huo Feng back then to Huo Wanzhang and the others later on... every one of them was filled with malice and greed when they faced Xu Luo.
Therefore, Xu Luo had not an ounce of goodwill for the Huo Family. One could say that even if the entire Huo clan on the Ancient Race Continent was wiped out, he wouldn't feel the slightest regret.
However, at this moment, his identity was Huo Feng... and the real Huo Feng had already died by his hand. Because of this, Xu Luo felt more than a little uncomfortable facing Huo Feng's mother.
A hint of this emotion even showed on his face, but it only made Bai Jie more convinced that her son had been wronged by Huo Lin and his group. She released her son's hand and turned to face Huo Wanchong and the others. Her gaze was chilling, but she said nothing, simply watching them.
Huo Wanchong, Huo Jinshan, and the other three felt their skin crawl under Bai Jie's stare. Despite their cultivation in the Divine Power Realm, they found it somewhat difficult to bear her gaze. This shocked them, and they immediately discarded any thoughts of underestimating this woman.
Although Bai Jie had harbored various ambitions, she was, in the end, just a woman. In the patriarchal Huo Family, she had never revealed the extent of her abilities. Huo Fengyan was a low-key man who disliked vying for power, so despite being from the direct line of descent, few people paid their branch of the family any mind.
Today, thanks to "Huo Feng," Huo Wanchong and the others finally realized this family was far from simple. They thought to themselves, 'So it's not just Huo Feng who's impressive... His mother is no ordinary person either!'
"I won't waste any more words. I trust that since you've followed Feng'er here, you already understand the situation." Bai Jie was silent for a long moment before speaking coolly. "The Patriarch and the Ancestor chose you for your exceptional talents. Perhaps you feel some resentment, but I hope you all remember one thingâwhat has happened can never be undone! So... accept your fate! You now have only one path forward: to assist Feng'er. As long as he rises to power, so will you!"
"Please rest assured, Matriarch. We have all decided to follow the Young Master and will absolutely not be disloyal," Huo Wanchong said in a deep voice.
Huo Jinshan's mouth twitched slightly, but he nodded in agreement. Inwardly, however, he sneered, 'I never realized what an ambitious woman she is. I'm sure Young Master Lin... will be very interested in this news!'
All the way here, Huo Jinshan had been pondering one question: 'Why did the Patriarch send us to serve a good-for-nothing like Huo Feng? The man hasn't even reached the Divine Power Realm, so how could he possibly have a great future?'
'The only possibility is that Huo Feng has had contact with Beidou's Eighth Star and knows a great deal about it!'
'That must be why the Patriarch is so intent on winning him over at this critical time!'
'As for the Ancestor... with his status, how could he possibly concern himself personally with a descendant like Huo Feng?'
'So, many of the rumors are probably false!'
'In that case, once this business with Beidou's Eighth Star concludes, Huo Feng is certain to fall out of favor!'
'And when that happens, the five of usâDivine Power Realm experts who originally had bright futures in the Huo Familyâwill fall from grace right alongside him!'
Huo Jinshan couldn't resign himself to this fate. He decided he had to make preparations and plan for a rainy day. 'If I show my goodwill and sincerity to Young Master Lin now,' he thought, 'I'm sure he will accept me!'
And so, having decided to become a spy, Huo Jinshan put on a show of absolute obedience toward "Young Master Feng." This actually made Huo Wanchong and the others sigh in relief, as they had been worried he might do something foolish in front of everyone again.
Bai Jie was naturally pleased to see them all pledge loyalty to her son. Although she knew their pledges might not be entirely genuine, it was a good start, wasn't it?
'The first step is taken. Now, it all depends on my son's performance. As long as he can find Beidou's Eighth Star, or even just information about it, he'll surely build considerable prestige within the Huo Family. It will be the perfect foundation for his future ascent!'
It had to be said that this woman, Bai Jie, was not only ambitious but also quite clever. She then offered some comforting words to Huo Wanchong and the others and made them numerous promises before leaving with a satisfied expression.
Seeing her leave, Xu Luo finally breathed a sigh of relief. 'Regardless of her character, there's a saying that rings true: the things parents do for their children... This Bai Jie has really sacrificed a lot for her son. A pity it's all in vain. The real Huo Feng has long since vanished from this world.'
"I'm going for a walk," Xu Luo said, glancing at Huo Wanchong and the others. "You all can stay here and get familiar with the surroundings."
"Uh... Young Master, is that really appropriate?" Huo Wanchong said hesitantly. "The Patriarch ordered us to accompany you at all times. Especially now, I feel it would be better for us to stay by your side."
Huo Wanchong was subtly reminding Xu Luo that it could be dangerous if they weren't by his side.
But Xu Luo couldn't wait for them all to get lost. 'As for danger... Didn't I come to the Huo Family precisely to stir up trouble? Why would I be afraid of a little danger?'
"Don't worry. They just learned their lesson. As long as they have a brain, I doubt they'll come looking for trouble with me again so soon." Xu Luo smiled confidently, cutting off Huo Wanchong before he could say more. "I'm just going out for a stroll nearby. I won't go far. There's no need for you to worry!"
Huo Wanchong and the others exchanged glances. They all felt that Young Master Feng was unlikely to encounter any danger in the immediate vicinity. If they insisted further, they were afraid he might get angry...
Unconsciously, with the exception of Huo Jinshan, who was already nursing dissent, the other four had started to see things from Huo Feng's point of view.
Xu Luo left the manor, ignoring the flirtatious glances from the beautiful women inside, and ambled toward a small hill outside.
Xu Luo didn't have many ideas about how to sow chaos within the Huo Family and make the ancient, massive, and profoundly powerful clan tear itself apart.
The Huo Family was too powerful! Their heritage ran incredibly deep!
In just a short time, Xu Luo had come to realize this profoundly. They could casually assign five experts at the Fourth Layer of the Divine Power Realm to be his escort, and all five were merely from the family's branch lineages.
According to Huo Feng's memories, the Huo Family also had many powerful descendants from the direct lineage. From the Wan generation and the Jin generation down to Huo Feng's own, each was teeming with talent. As for the elders from the generations above the Wan generation, it went without sayingâevery era produced its own stunning, peerless prodigies!
'Just how terrifying must the foundation of a family that has existed for hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of years be?'
Xu Luo even suspected that besides the Ancestor, Huo Tongtian, the Huo Family likely had other supreme experts at the Saint Realm!
For now, this was all just his speculation, but it was enough to prove just how formidable the Huo Family was.
To subvert such a formidable family all by himself was a near-impossible task. Thus, his top priority was to make "Huo Feng," the young master who had won the Ancestor's favor, become stronger!
'At the very least, I need to reach the Divine Power Realm!'
'Only by entering the Divine Power Realm and becoming a true powerhouse will I have any real say in the Huo Family. Otherwise, relying on the Ancestor's fleeting favor won't last long!'
'As for the Patriarch...' Xu Luo saw it with perfect clarity. 'The Huo Family Patriarch is a true smiling tiger, a man who hides a dagger behind his smile. After meeting Huo Lin, I'm even more certain that the Patriarch will never truly support me.'
'The reason I was so aggressive toward Huo Lin is that I know, deep down, that no matter how I act, the Huo Family Patriarch will never truly like me... no, I mean *Huo Feng*!'
'The fragments of insight I obtained when my big brother Song Chengfeng killed that Huo Family expert can be put to use now. With their help, I'm sure I can rapidly improve my strength.'
'No matter where you are, absolute strength is the only true path to success!'
Xu Luo didn't go asking Bai Jie for various Heavenly and Earthly Treasures. He planned on giving Huo Feng's mother... a surprise.
The small hill was quiet and serene, with incredibly dense Spiritual Qi. All sorts of Spirit Trees and Spirit Medicines grew there, and some Spirit Medicines that were over a thousand years old were a common sight.
Xu Luo couldn't help but marvel inwardly. 'As expected of an ancient family with a legacy stretching back countless years. In any ordinary sect, these Spirit Medicines would be enshrined as sect-defining treasures, guarded with the utmost care. They'd be terrified of anything happening to them.'
'But here in the Huo Family, they're treated like weeds, left to grow in silence on a Nameless hill, completely ignored.'
Halfway up the mountain, Xu Luo found a flat, green stone, sat down cross-legged, and began to circulate the Huo Family Heart Method.
An ancient Heart Method passed down for countless years certainly had its merits. As Xu Luo circulated the Huo Family Heart Method, he could clearly feel the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi gathering toward him at an incredible speed!
It wasn't even that much inferior to his Shadow Shaking Heart Method!
However, it was far inferior in terms of the purity of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi it absorbed. After all, the Shadow Shaking Heart Method was a technique from the Shaking Light Star Soul; it didn't belong to this world.
Even so, this was enough to demonstrate just how high-level the Huo Family's Heart Method was.
Next, Xu Luo began to analyze the fragments of insight. Huo Wannian had been a top-tier expert among the Huo Family's Wan generation, so his insights were naturally extraordinary. For someone like "Huo Feng," who was only at the Transformation Realm, they were of infinite benefit.
Thus, after Xu Luo had been cultivating quietly for four hours, a powerful aura suddenly erupted from his body... his strength had increased!