In a small town just a few kilometres near Star Luo Capital City, a nearby bar was particularly loud that night.
"Hey, did you hear? The White Tiger Duke's Mansion was attacked!"
"What?! By who? Is it the Sun Moon Empire bastards? Did they use their advanced soul tools to bombard the estate? What happened?!"
"Slow down! Gosh. Ahem. From what I hear, some unknown assailants silently infiltrated into the mansion and killed or kidnapped several of the mansion's security members."
"Wait, kidnapped?"
"That's right. Although they were officially declared dead, I heard that the family members of the deceased haven't gotten hold of any body! So it's likely they were kidnapped. However, that's not the only shocking news!"
"The wife of the White Tiger Duke was murdered!"
Such words resounded throughout the entire Star Luo Empire in a matter of days, and in the following weeks the entire population of the continent learned about the terrible news concerning the White Tiger Duke's wife.
Obviously the news of a noble's spouse being found dead in their home wouldn't have gotten so much attention, but this was about the famous Marshall Dai Hao and the lineage of the Dai! Also known as the descendants of one of the seven heroes from ten thousand years ago.
Besides the Star Luo Empire, the Sun Moon Empire was keeping a close ear to the news.
Amongst the Three Douluo Empires, the Star Luo Empire is their greatest adversary because they were the closest and is known to be the strongest in terms of military strength and soul masters. Any sign of internal instability within the Star Luo Empire was a great opportunity for them.
"...Hey. Do you think this attack was orchestrated by that mysterious group?"
"Mysterious group?"
"You haven't heard? For around a year, there have been talks about several mysterious figures wearing black cloaks with red lotus symbols embroidered on their clothing. They also like to wear either face masks or bamboo veiled hats."
"They appear and disappear like ghosts. The first whispers of their existence was when a fairly large village, occupied by a group of evil soul masters, was liberated by this mysterious group. For context, the leader of the evil soul masters was a Soul Emperor with his left and right hands being Soul Kings!"
"Do you have any idea what kind of powerhouse is needed in order to deal with this group? At least a powerful Titled Douluo!"
"Huh? Couldn't a Soul Sage or Soul Douluo be enough to deal with them?"
"Fool! They were occupying a village, holding hostages. To save those villagers while simultaneously handling those evil soul masters means that a cultivator one or two big realms higher than those evil doers, who are known to be stronger than their peers in cultivation, couldn't handle that sort of situation."
"Damn! Well?! What happened? How did this mysterious group liberate that village?"
"....To be honest, I'm not quite sure myself."
His buddy stared at him incredulously. "What the fuck does that mean?"
He waved his hand frantically and said, "I know, I know. But listen. What I heard from this trusted source of mine, who even had trouble believing it, the mysterious group who saved the village... didn't use their martial souls and soul skills!"
"What?!" His buddy blinked. He looked around to see people staring at him, coughing into his fist, he slowly sat down.
"Sorry about that..."
He turned back towards him and said, in a low sharp tone. "Explain!"
"Here's the scoop. My reliable source was one of the soldiers who arrived first in the village after it was liberated. He got firsthand testimony from the rescued villagers about what happened — 10 figures wrapped in black cloaks out of nowhere and immediately killed two evil soul masters with their hands!"
"Their hands?! Could they be from that infamous Body Sect?"
"Eh, not likely. Some of the villagers said that they saw some hidden blades coming out of their wrists."
"That sounds awesome!"
"Anyways. The evil soul masters went into a disarray, completely confused because of the sudden attack and one more of them died. Ah right. Besides the three strong evil soul masters I've mentioned, they also recruited or turned? About 20 or so bandits in the area became their loyal followers with the weakest being a Soul Elder."
"As the mysterious group started their raid, the evil soul masters also began to move towards the villagers in order to take advantage of them — that's when something pierced through one of their heads!"
"From the description of it, it was revealed to be soul kills similar to a wind blade or wind bullet. However! As I had stated before, none of them used their martial souls! And it wasn't just wind! Fire, water, earth, and even lightning!"
"They used the power of the elements of the world, with seemingly perfect control that while attacking the villains they were simultaneously protecting the villagers without hurting them! Did I forget to mention that there were no casualties among the villagers during this whole situation?!"
"Also! This wasn't a one-time case. There have been several cases about that mysterious group hunting down evil soul masters and corrupted nobles that
Right now, several other people leaned in to listen and were shocked. The man tried to be low-key in gossiping, but who knows how many drinks he has by now so he couldn't control his voice.
Although most of the patrons are normal people, they knew some knowledge of soul masters and understood that the mysterious groups' prowess would
"W-Who are those people?" Someone near him asked.
The man who had been telling this story grinned, his eyes gleamed with excitement.
"They call themselves — Akatsuki."
While the Star Luo Empire was going through turbulent times, Huo Yuhao quietly appeared in the Mysterious Yin-Yang Valley where Jianxin had lived.
The pond with a small pavilion in the middle looked as peaceful and serene as ever, as if time itself had stopped in this place.
"Looks like no one decided on taking over my territory, that's good." Jianxin's spiritual human form appeared behind Huo Yuhao. She looked around her old home calmly, reminiscing about the time she spent.
When becoming a hundred thousand year old soul beast, they were given the opportunity to own a specific territory in the Great Star Dou Forest. Not only would it grant them a home and resources, but also subordinates that live in their territory.
If no other soul beast could contest their rule over that territory, then until they are usurped by another soul beast, they are to rule over it as long as they live.
Jianxin easily occupied this valley simply because there was no other hundred thousand year old soul beast interested in it. There was almost no one else in the forest that had the requirements in order to live, cultivate and rule the Mysterious Yin-Yang Valley aside from her.
Unfortunately, she had come across the Dark Devilgod Tiger ten thousand years ago when she went out to try and help Da Ming and Er Ming.
"Jianxin... are you sure it's okay?" Huo Yuhao slowly asked as he stepped on the water and walked towards the pavilion.
Jianxin nodded. "Of course. The pavilion there is just a decoration to be honest, I mostly sleep in the water. Actually, I would even feel honored that you would create a tomb for your dear mother to rest here."
"Many humans have been buried in the forest with unmarked graves. But this would be the first time that a human would receive a proper tomb inside a great soul beast territory," Jianxin finished with a gentle smile, her translucent form gliding above the water as naturally as a breeze.
Huo Yuhao paused in front of the pavilion, his gaze sweeping over the calm waters that reflected the sky and the faint spiritual mist hovering just above the surface.
With a deep breath, he performed handseals and said,
"Earth Style — Stone Platform."
The pavilion before him trembled and crumbled as the water rippled around it. From the depths of the pond, stones began to rise and formed a solid square platform above the water's surface. It was wide enough that it could handle a dozen people on it.
Huo Yuhao stepped onto the platform, made a handseal, and said, "Stone coffin."
In the middle of the platform, stone slabs formed and gently assembled themselves into the shape of a coffin — smooth, seamless, and dignified. It had no harsh edges, only soft curves and an elegant simplicity that radiated respect rather than sorrow.
Jianxin stood quietly at the edge of the pond, watching.
Huo Yuhao walked to the center and waved at his storage belt, taking out something large wrapped in ragged white cloth and held it in his arms.
It was the body of his mother, Huo Yun'er.
Because he was poor and didn't have any other means at the time, Huo Yuhao could only wrap his dead mother with their blanket and bury her in the White Tiger Mansion.
Now, a few years later, he retrieved his mother's corpse and finally give her a proper burial.
Huo Yuhao unwrapped the white cloth.
"M-Mom..." His eyes teared up, his heart breaking as he sees her decaying corpse.
Ignoring the smell, he quickly began wrapping her up with a new and clean white funeral shroud he had prepared. The fabric was soft, pristine, and embroidered with Yin-Yang patterns — a quiet tribute to the place he had chosen for her eternal rest.
His hands trembled as he carefully straightened her body, every movement gentle, reverent. Though the years had worn her mortal shell, his memories of her warmth and kindness remained untouched.
"Sorry it took me so long..." he whispered hoarsely, brushing a stray lock of her graying hair from her forehead. "I should've...I should've done this earlier. I'm sorry...!"
His voice cracked as he gently placed his hand on her, his fingers trembling as he did so.
Tears streamed down his cheeks, silently falling onto the shroud that now wrapped her. "You suffered so much.... and I—" His throat tightened. "I wasn't strong enough! I, back then! I couldn't protect you... Mom!"
He bit his lip, trying to hold back the sob that threatened to burst from his chest.
"But now... now I can give you the peace you deserve."
He leaned down, pressing his forehead gently against her covered head, staying like that for a long moment. The quiet ripples of the pond and the soft rustle of wind were the only sounds around them — a silence that carried more weight than any words could.
Jianxin respectfully stood beside him, her hand on his shoulder.
'Don't worry, miss. I swear, I will protect Huo Yuhao for as long as this spirit of mine remains.' She quietly vowed in her mind.
When Huo Yuhao finally pulled back, he quietly opened up the lid of the coffin and gently placed his mother within it.
"Rest now, Mom. I love you."
The lid of the stone coffin slowly slid into place, closing with a soft thud that echoed faintly across the valley.
"With the concentration of Yin-Yang Qi in this area, it would reconstruct her body back to its peak form. If she had been brought here when she was recently deceased, she would've likely..." Jianxin muttered and shook her head.
Huo Yuhao bitterly smiled. "What's the use of thinking about "what ifs?" Even if I had brought her here at the time, I would've likely died just from the outer region of the forest."
"Honestly, I would've liked to bury her at either in the Sea God Island or near the Lake of Life, but those areas are prone to getting attacked. Her rest would be constantly interrupted, I don't want that for her."
Jianxin turned to him and asked, "I thought you were going to create a tomb for, I even expected you to create a complex tomb by burying her under the pond. But having thought about it... She had lived most of her life within the mansion, having her rest beneath open skies, with the sun and moon watching over her, might be more fitting."
Huo Yuhao nodded silently. "Although she stayed in the mansion to hopefully be with the duke, she was always curious about the outside world. If she wasn't so lovesick..."
He shook his head. He shouldn't think badly about his mother right now.
Right now, all he needs to do right now is to make sure her slumber isn't interrupted.
He executed several handseals and gently placed his hand over the coffin lid, creating a complex black seal consisting of numerous kanjis and symbols that gradually spread across the entire platform.
"That is..?"
"A sealing barrier. It utilizes the space around to form a closed dimension, isolating this tomb from the outside world. Unless someone is specifically guided here by me or possesses spatial authority equal to or greater than mine, they won't be able to find or disturb her."
Jianxin raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed. "I don't think Di Tian is even capable of this. Well, I don't know how capable he is with space."
Huo Yuhao slightly smiled. "He taught me well enough that my spatial prowess could match my creativity."
He looked back down at the coffin and softly smiled.
"I will be visiting you as much as possible, mom. So have a peaceful rest. I'll be back, mom."
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AN: I wanted to edit this, cuz I made some mistakes when making this tired, but I'm super dead tired rn. I'll edit it later on when I'm wide awake.