Chapter 106: The Trump Card of Madness, A Dead End on the Waters
"Father!"
The Eldest Son of the Yu Family's expression changed drastically, and he reached out to stop him, but it was already too late.
"The Elixir of Immortality! Haha, the Elixir of Immortality!"
The Patriarch of the Yu Family shouted hysterically, looking like the very last string inside him had snapped, yet these words were like a knife piercing straight into the heart of every Wizard present.
The first reaction was that this man had gone mad.
Looking at his appearance, it was indeed no different from being crazy.
However, the second reaction took on a different flavor; what turned over in their minds were all the things the Patriarch of the Yu Family had done before—why would he rather empty the clan treasury and lose everything than hand over that hidden bottle of blood?
Why, in front of so many Wizards, did he crazily cast the Killing Curse?
These matters were not without cause, only that they had never thought in that direction.
Given the identity of the Patriarch of the Yu Family, the Elixir of Immortality he recognized could surely not be a fake.
"Impossible, how could such a thing exist in this world?!"
A Wizard was startled and stood up, disbelief written all over his face, yet his eyeballs were glued tightly to the Potion bottle in Hodu's hand, unable to be pulled away.
"Who says there isn't? There is someone in France who has lived for hundreds of years relying on this gadget."
Another person suddenly stood up to refute, their gaze similarly piercing into that bottle.
"Haha, the kind of Elixir of Immortality you all speak of, does it even deserve to be compared with this?"
The Patriarch of the Yu Family cursed with a face full of disdain, and the more he acted like this, the brighter the eyes of the people below became.
"This is the real deal; drink it, and extending your life by a thousand years is a matter of course."
The Eldest Son of the Yu Family was so anxious that his mouth tasted bitter, wishing he could rush up and sew his own biological father's mouth shut.
To be honest, the way his father went mad was not within his calculations.
Previously, when deposing the patriarch, although he hadn't communicated in advance, he felt his father could understand that it was so the Yu Family could keep its last breath going; who could have imagined that the subsequent madness was not a bitter-part act coordinated with him, but true insanity.
Hodu was also staring at the Potion bottle in his hand at this moment, arousing a bit of interest.
He knew his blood indeed had this effect, and the Yu Family had actually managed to concoct it, which saved him quite a lot of trouble.
It was still an unknown whether this Potion was safe or effective after all, and he couldn't take this risk.
The safest route was to get hold of the formula, use his current blood as an ingredient to brew the Potion, and the resulting concoction would definitely be much better than the bottle in his hand.
"What is this? What's truly precious is that blood of unknown origin; with that blood, one can brew the Elixir of Immortality, and everyone can attain immortality!"
The Patriarch of the Yu Family spoke uninhibitedly, his greedy gaze sweeping toward Hodu.
If not for this person's absurdly unorthodox strength, he really wanted to get enough blood; what a pity, how hateful.
"If it really is the Elixir of Immortality, why didn't Patriarch Yu keep it to drink himself?"
The Secretary-General did not go crazy together with the people below, but instead had a trace of unconcealed interest hanging at the corner of his mouth as he followed up with a question.
As soon as these words came out, that crazed momentum which had just been brewing stagnated on the spot.
That's right, if it were the real deal, how could it possibly be kept?
Asking themselves honestly, if it were changed to themselves, even their closest family members wouldn't be trusted; they would only want to gulp it down as early as possible, how could it be hidden away?
The eyes of every Wizard below were full of vigilance as they stared at Patriarch Yu, waiting for him to give an explanation.
"This… this is because…"
Patriarch Yu's tongue seemed to be tied in a knot, unable to squeeze out a single word for a long time.
"I'm quite curious too."
Hodu spoke.
"Humph, give me a little more time, just a tiny bit, and I can make this Potion perfect!"
The Patriarch of the Yu Family became increasingly deranged, and his words were unclear, but most people understood that this so-called Elixir of Immortality had not been completely figured out at all.
Desire leaked out quite a bit all at once, yet looking at Hodu's eyes, there was still a bizarre and suppressed greed.
"The effects of this Potion are actually unclear; immortality and all that were entirely thought up by my father himself. The rabbit fed with the Potion exploded into pieces of flesh on the spot, and there was no immortality at all."
The Eldest Son of the Yu Family stepped forward and laid the cards on the table for everyone: this was not any Elixir of Immortality, it was poison.
"This time our Yu Family accepts our defeat, and we only ask Mr. Huo to show mercy. The Yu Family is willing to take out all the treasures in the clan treasury to make amends."
The Eldest Son of the Yu Family performed full courtesy to apologize to Hodu, wanting to use the clan treasury's inventory to tide over this catastrophe and preserve the vitality of the Yu Family. As for the wealth, as long as the Yu Family remained a great clan, they could earn it back sooner or later.
"I'm afraid it's not that simple."
Hodu only casually dropped a sentence, and the atmosphere on the scene pressed down again.
To be honest, Hodu didn't lack anything right now, but what the Yu Family did to him carried no small weight.
The Patriarch of the Yu Family first threw the Killing Curseat him, and then used the Elixir of Immortality as an excuse to incite the Wizards to attack him together; how could such a matter be let off lightly.
Hearing these words, the Eldest Son of the Yu Familyturned pale, and tilted his head to look at Zhongkang, only to see Zhongkang feigning the tasting of tea without even lifting his eyelids. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Then what does Mr. Huo want? Name your terms."
"Disband your Yu Family, let the whole clan change their surname, and the clan lands and clan treasury will belong to my private property."
Hodu spoke blandly, but as soon as these words landed, all the Wizards present exploded into an uproar. What an overbearing tone.
Even President Zhong cast a sidelong glance at Hodu, feeling that this move was too excessive. This was simply taking the Yu Family's life; even words like changing surnames could be uttered, thoroughly humiliating them from top to bottom.
"Impudent! Our Yu Family respects you to some degree, yet how dare you be so rude? Do you really think we dare not perish together with you?!"
Before the Eldest Son of the Yu Family could respond, an elder of the clan jumped out and cursed loudly, his face turning blood red. Hodu's words had evidently poked his fatal weakness.
Every Wizard surnamed Yu below the stage stood up, holding their wands in their hands, pointing them uniformly at Hodu.
Hodu chuckled lightly, completely unconcerned about the wands in their hands—they were merely things to fan him with—and shifted his gaze to this new patriarch.
"Does Your Excellency truly think our Yu Family has no backbone?!"
The Eldest Son of the Yu Family's eye sockets were blood red as he stared fixedly at him, spitting out words one by one.
"Backbone—that requires people to die. Being able to survive on borrowed time, isn't that also a good thing?"
Hodu retorted, his gaze shifting to look out the window. Outside, the torrential rain was pouring down, and the entire village had already been soaked underwater. The Wizards could only cower upstairs, as the first floor had long been flooded.
The reason why this ancestral hall didn't feel a thing was entirely because Hodu had isolated this area.
The Eldest Son of the Yu Family was still hesitating. Glancing at his father who had passed out at some point, a wave of desolation arose in his heart, and he was long unable to make up his mind.
"Patriarch, give the order!"
Some young Wizards surnamed Yu had already begun to urge him. They couldn't bear the Yu surname suffering such insults; even if there was the Bai Family's cautionary tale, so what? Maybe they could succeed. When all is said and done, he was just a wet-behind-the-ears Wizard.
"Patriarch, give the order."
This time, even several elders surnamed Yu urged in unison, their faces full of anxiety, and even somewhat hating them for failing to meet expectations, as if doubting whether deposing the patriarch just now was a mistake.
Looking at these faces, a trace of resolve finally appeared on the Eldest Son of the Yu Family's trance-like face.
Just as he wanted to say something, Hodu suddenly stood up, his body suspended in mid-air, and slowly drifted outward.
The Wizards in the ancestral hall were stunned, thinking Hodu had turned cowardly and was running away.
Who would have thought Hodu would speak as he walked.
"I'll be waiting outside, hoping your backbone can still hold up to see how heavy it is."
"Pass down my order, the whole clan prepares for battle!"
The Eldest Son of the Yu Family finally made up his mind, his expression resolute as he slowly spoke.
Seeing this, an elder of the Yu Family showed a look of joy on his face, carefully pulling a small wooden bird out of his sleeve.
He tapped the wooden bird with his wand, and it immediately came to life, deftly turning its head. Its eyeballs spun around a few times, and soon flapping its wings, it broke free from the old man's hand, shooting out like an arrow and disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.
Immediately afterwards, a crisp cry sounded in the sky outside, piercing through the torrential rain and spreading in all directions; no matter how loud the noise was, it couldn't cover up its movement.
A full nine long cries, every single one beating upon the heart.
The Wizards in the clan land stood up one by one, their expressions tightly pulled, and all pulled out their wands.
Nine long cries meant the clan had reached a life-or-death juncture.
Some Wizards steered peach wood swords or other flying alchemical artifacts, while those without even swam through the water to rush toward the village.
Hodu hovered above the village, watching the entire village turn into a river marsh, with little expression on his face.
This looked like the Yu Family's clan land, but in reality it was already his home court.
He really wanted to bring over some river water without needing the trouble of a torrential rain, but he just felt this was more stylish; otherwise, with a wave of his hand, river water or even seawater from all directions could be summoned.
When the Eldest Son of the Yu Family walked out of the ancestral hall, he discovered that the situation outside was far different from what he had anticipated. More than half of the village was flooded, resembling a marsh—where was this still their Yu Family's clan land.
Yet he had no time to think more as large numbers of Wizards were gathering toward this side. He looked up at the sky, raindrops smashing against his face, and through the haze he could see a figure standing high in the air, not leaving.
Seeing this scene, he couldn't tell whether he should rejoice or feel sad.
The Wizards in the ancestral hall also swarmed out, of course not to help fight, but to join in the excitement. Even Zhongkang walked out together, only this time without an umbrella, letting the rainwater pour onto his body.
"Aren't you going to stop them?" the young Secretary-General asked curiously.
"How to stop them? Which side should I help? Whichever side is weaker? Whichever side is in the right?"
Zhongkang asked a series of rhetorical questions, and the Secretary-General fell silent.
Indeed, even he couldn't tell which side was weaker: was it the Yu Family with tens of thousands of Wizards, or Hoduall by themselves?
Was Hodu, who had been ambushed and assassinated, in the right, or the Yu Family, who wanted to perish together, in the right?
"Eh, the rain has stopped."
The Secretary-General suddenly spoke up to break the silence, looking astonished as the torrential rain abruptly stopped, and even the dense clouds in the sky began to retreat and disperse.
The daylight returned, and the many Wizards only then remembered that it was actually mid-morning.
Chapter 107: Stop Fighting, If You Keep Fighting There Won't Be Anyone Left in Guangfabie
Not long after the sky cleared up, the battle drums began to beat.
Not a single Wizard from the Yu Family was idle; either they stood on half-submerged rooftops or stepped on flying alchemical gadgets to ascend into mid-air, and their opponent was only one person: Hodu, suspended in the sky.
The drumbeats suddenly rose in pitch, sounding as urgent as a death summons.
All the Wizards with the surname Yu raised their magic fans in unison and lunged toward Kern.
That bunch of Wizards in the sky circled around Hodu like a flock of hovering birds, firing spells one after another.
Those on the ground were far away and their accuracy was utter trash, but they didn't care at all, pouring spells down on Hodu like stray arrows.
The people from the Wizards Federation all craned their necks to watch; they had truly never seen such a spectacle: ten thousand Wizards from a single village just to deal with one person.
Colorful magical lights wrapped tightly around Hodu; even if only ten percent of them hit, it would be enough for him to die several times over.
A flash of disdain crossed Patriarch Bai's eyes as he shook his head. If this move worked, why would they have lowered their heads in the first place?
Thinking this, a trace of resentment unexpectedly welled up in his heart—not directed at Hodu, but at this world. How could such a monster exist?
Click.
The strange sound made the Wizards Federation Wizards turn their heads in unison, and after seeing the source, each and every one of them wanted to roll their eyes.
That young Muggles Secretary-General did not know where he had fished out a camera from again, and was frantically snapping pictures facing the sky.
Hope was standing right beside him, and no one dared to make a sound.
Pulling the line of sight back to the sky, Hodu was still suspended there, neither dodging nor evading.
Countless spells passed right through him, and quite a few Wizards' expressions lit up with joy.
They hit him.
But their wave of joy didn't last even half a second before they saw the spells pass through Hodu and continue flying backward.
Hodu suddenly opened his arms, as if bathing in the magical light, actively welcoming those messy spells.
Everyone was dumbfounded. He was clearly hit, so why was he completely fine? Even a Dragon would be blasted into slag by this sky-full of spells.
The drumbeats had all stopped, and the Yu Family estate was eerily quiet.
I do not know how long passed before the battle drums sounded once more. The Wizards of the Yu Familysnapped back to their senses and continued flinging spells at Hodu.
The more urgent the drumbeats, the colder their hearts became, and they could only watch helplessly as that person looked down on them from high above.
The Federation side was also stunned to numbness, leaving only the sound of clicking coming endlessly from beside Hope.
After about three rounds of attacks, the drumbeats completely died out, and the drummers had mostly collapsed mentally.
Hodu's lips curled up. Since they were tired, it was his turn now.
Earlier, he had used his Phantom Concealment trait to conceal all magical power, rendering no matter how many spells useless.
As for whether there was an upper limit to the concealment, he didn't know, nor did he care.
He even wanted to cancel Phantom Concealment and test the strength of his Indestructible Dragon Body.
With a ten-thousand-fold Indestructible Dragon Body trait, even a True Dragon coming here would be as dazed as this group of Wizards.
As for how to send a grand gift to this bunch of Wizards, Hodu looked at the water surface below and got an idea.
Since there was water, he would pull out his Water Control Ability.
He lifted his right hand slightly, and everyone stared fixedly at him.
Countless water whirlpools suddenly emerged from the pooled water in the Yu Family estate. All the Wizards' hearts tightened, and they vigilantly aimed their magic fans at those whirlpools.
"This is an original magic of mine, named The Whole World is an Army."
Hodu spoke with a hint of mischievousness, his voice carrying across the entire Yu Family estate under the enhancement of magic.
He looked toward the direction of the Yu Family ancestral hall, seeming to lock eyes with Hope from afar.
That small handful of people over there represented the Magical World of the old homeland, so he prepared to take this opportunity to tell the entire Magical World that the era of magic had turned a new page.
The current Guangfabie belonged to the Huo family.
Streams of water suddenly surged out of the water whirlpools, gathering without dispersing, and in a moment condensed into a humanoid figure—not of flesh and blood, but entirely of water.
"Their... their appearance!"
A Wizard's fingers trembled as he pointed at the water figure, his scream changing pitch because the water figure's face was identical to his own.
Soon, all the Wizards discovered that they could find their own shadows on the water figures, as if they had been duplicated.
Hodu smiled slightly; the number of water figures was neither more nor less, exactly equaling the number of Wizards with the surname Yu.
Some water figures directly ascended into the air, their feet seemingly stepping on a peach wood sword transformed from water.
This was the Water Control Ability, which didn't bother discussing scientific logic with you.
The water figures each found their opponents, and Hoduthen manipulated them to attack.
Thousands of water figures pointed their water-shaped magic fans toward their targets, and water balls appeared out of thin air, bombarding outward like cannonballs. The speed was so fast that even those veterans riding peach wood swords didn't have time to react.
In the blink of an eye, Wizards in the sky fell down in patches.
Those on the ground had it even worse, blasted away by water cannons and plunging from the rooftops into the pooled water.
Of course, not all the Yu Family Wizards were wiped out in one go; some had activated defensive spells in advance, blocking the water balls.
The people from the Federation were dumbfounded one by one. Was this considered magic?
Over ten thousand Wizards were wiped out by nearly half in an instant. Could magic even be played like this?
Just how many combat-capable Wizards were there in the entire Magical World? If this happened a few more times, wouldn't a single person be able to flatten Guangfabie?
These high-ranking Wizards had their worldviews shattered to pieces and began doubting life itself. Looking at Patriarch Bai again, they finally understood why the Bai Family swallowed their pride and conceded even after their eldest son died.
Even Hope's expression was grave at this moment, his palms faintly sweating.
He had been keeping a very close eye on Hodu's affairs, and had investigated the Bai Family's matters clearly. He thought he understood enough, but now it seemed he had still underestimated him far too much.
The young Secretary-General's hand pressing the shutter never stopped, but his face behind the camera was pulled taut.
Hodu high up in the sky glanced at the people below—there were still dense heads packed together, and he was not satisfied.
He originally thought this move could wipe out seventy to eighty percent, but it turned out to be less than half.
Defensive spells could block his water cannons, but water control was also magic.
Being blocked came down to the power simply not being enough.
Hodu's eyes narrowed slightly, and with a wave of his right hand, the water figures waved their water fans once more.
This time it wasn't water cannons; the pooled water on the ground was drawn up by the water figures, transforming into Dragons of water swimming in the air.
With a point from the water figures, the water Dragons violently swung their bodies and lunged forward, moving at a terrifying speed.
Some Wizards steering peach wood swords wanted to dodge, but the water Dragons weren't pushovers either, directly changing direction to closely pursue and crash into them.
Chapter 108 A Thousand Years of Glory, Scattered in a Single Word
All those Wizards in the sky crashed down.
Some smashed through roofs, others fell into the water, in all sorts of bizarre postures.
The situation on the ground was even more miserable; the water dragon directly burst the bearing limit of the defensive magic spells, knocking the Wizards flying one by one.
Throughout the Yu Family's ancestral grounds, not a single Wizard surnamed Yu could still stand.
The people from the Wizards Federation were dumbfounded, their eyeballs practically popping out.
Such a thousand-year-old influential clan was beaten to the ground just like that?
Most of the people present came from the five major influential families, and staring at the scene before them, cold sweat began to break out on their backs.
If their own family, which they took pride in, fell into this person's hands, the outcome would probably be the same wretched state.
There was no need to think about it; it was a nailed-down certainty.
Could that still be called a Wizard?
It was clearly a god.
With a shift of Hodu's thoughts, the water figures moved again, flying out respectively to pursue and kill their targets.
magic fans made of water pressed against the heads of those Wizards surnamed Yu, ready to fire the next strike at any moment.
"Still want to fight?"
Hodu's voice was very soft, yet it seemed to have grown legs, drilling back and forth into everyone's hearts.
The water dragon he released never intended to take lives, at most knocking people flying.
When all was said and done, he wasn't crazy enough to casually slaughter tens of thousands of lives.
But that didn't mean he couldn't do it.
The Eldest Son of the Yu Family slumped on someone's unknown roof, staring at the water figure in front of him that looked much like him, and listening to Hodu's words, a bitter smile pulled at the corner of his mouth.
He was unwilling to accept this.
Clenching his fists until his knuckles turned pale, could he really be the one to send the millennium-old Yu Family into the coffin?
The character Yu was not just a surname; it was glory.
Passed down from generation to generation, why should it be thrown away today just because of an unbeatable enemy?
The Eldest Son of the Yu Family stared fixedly at the blurred figure in the sky, squeezing a sentence through his teeth.
"The Yu Family can abandon this ancestral ground and go wander outside, but wanting us to throw away our surname is out of the question! Not a single person in the Yu Family clings to life and fears death; we would rather die standing than live kneeling!"
These words spread throughout the entire Yu Familyancestral grounds.
"We are willing to follow the new Patriarch to the death in battle!"
Someone roared out, without using an Amplifying Charm, yet the voice shook the ancestral grounds with a buzzing sound.
As soon as the words fell, that Wizard violently swung a magic fan, striking a magic spell at the water figure in front of him.
Before the incantation could be finished, the water figure shot out another water dragon, interrupting his spellcasting, and his entire body flew out five or six meters as if hit by a car.
"We are willing to follow the new Patriarch to the death in battle!"
This wasn't the only one.
Once someone took the lead, more Wizards followed and roared in unison, fighting back in the same way, with the same result as figures flew out one by one.
Listening to those voices, tears streamed down uncontrollably from the Eldest Son of the Yu Family.
Hodu quietly watched the drama below, his head aching a little.
Hope seized the timing and took a step forward.
"Mr. Huo, your demand is indeed a bit forcing someone to do the impossible. How about changing the condition?"
He finally spoke.
To be honest, Hope felt quite pleased looking at this situation.
He hadn't wanted to cut down these influential families for just a day or two, but unfortunately, he had never been able to make a move.
On the surface, he had forced the influential families to bow their heads and sat in the position of the president of the Wizards Federation, and over the years, he had also built up the Hope faction forces capable of wrestling with the major families.
But that was as far as it went; once the bottom line of the influential families was touched, this bunch immediately huddled together.
He raised his knife for a long time, but stubbornly couldn't chop down; pulling back and forth, it got stuck right there.
Today, however, he had seized the opportunity.
If these Wizards could be made to drop their surname, it would definitely be a tremendously good thing for him.
But looking at this posture, he could only think about it.
These people regarded their surname as heavier than their lives. If things continued to make a fuss like this, the entire Magical World would suffer along with it, and it would only make the other influential families huddle even closer together.
Therefore, he stood out.
Hodu looked at Hope, his heart relaxing a bit; this ladder was handed over at just the right time.
If he were really asked to slaughter tens of thousands of Wizards, he truly couldn't do it, after all, he wasn't some lunatic.
Turning it over in his mind a few times, he came up with an idea.
"Not changing the surname is fine, but this new Patriarch must be recognized. From now on, there will be no such thing as main branches and branch lineages, or direct and collateral lines in the Yu Family."
Hodu offered his condition, which coincided with what Hope had in mind.
Previously demanding the Yu Family to change their surname was to scatter the soul of the Yu clan, so as to avoid leaving future troubles.
It was the same now; once the main family was gone, these tens of thousands of Wizards could no longer be twisted into a single rope, scattering into countless fragmented families, which meant the Yu Family effectively ceased to exist.
The corners of Hope's mouth curled up, but he quickly suppressed it, turning his head to look at the Eldest Son of the Yu Family, waiting for him to make a decision.
No one wanted to die, and the Eldest Son of the Yu Familyfell silent.
With a path to survival placed before him, he couldn't drag everyone surnamed Yu to be buried with him. The price was also very clear: he was the last Patriarch of the Yu Family.
"As long as we don't change our surname, the Yu Familyaccepts this."
The Eldest Son of the Yu Family raised his face, closed his eyes, and spat out words one by one, his whole person seeming hollowed out.
Quite a few clan elders cried out on the spot, yet they couldn't blame this new Patriarch; this was all he could do.
It was all brought upon themselves by the old Patriarch; for that bit of greed, he pushed the Yu Family to the edge of the cliff.
Those of the collateral line weren't feeling quite as miserable, as they originally lived outside the Yu FamilyVillage.
The dark clouds in the sky completely dispersed, and the accumulated water in the village slowly receded.
The group returned to the Yu Family ancestral hall.
Hodu sat steadily on the grand master's chair, standing before him were the sorrowful Eldest Son of the Yu Familyand the clan elders.
Sitting in the back were the people from the Wizards Federation, each keeping their mouths shut and not uttering a sound, giving the Yu Family a bit of face.
On the ground nearby, the Patriarch of the Yu Family was still unconscious, but neither the Eldest Son of the Yu Family nor the clan elders went to support him.
For these people not to go up and spit on him was already considered quite restrained.
"Starting from today, all Wizards of our Yu Family shall move out of the Yu Family ancestral grounds. Everyone surnamed Yu shall make their own homes and no longer uphold family obligations."
The Eldest Son of the Yu Family finished speaking word by word, his voice spreading throughout the entire ancestral grounds.
After finishing this sentence, his vigor and spirit seemed to be sucked dry, and he collapsed directly onto the ground.
Chapter 109: Stone Statue, Toad, and the Millennium Family Vault
Hodu's gaze fell back to the ground.
The Patriarch of the Yu Family was still unconscious, not moving at all.
This person was the chief culprit, having cast the Killing Curse at him; Hodu would not forget this score.
"He wanted eternal life, and I gave it to him."
Hodu's voice wasn't loud, but everyone present was drawn in, each pondering what was hidden in these words.
He raised his hand and pointed at the person on the ground.
The body of the Patriarch of the Yu Family began to harden, turning gray, and slowly transformed into a kneeling stone statue.
His eyes were closed, and the trace of madness on his face still remained there.
Hodu called this move the Permanent Transfiguration Curse, except that he added magic solidification inside it.
Right now, the magic solidification hadn't been stacked to ten thousand times yet, but maintaining it for a long time was not a problem.
He calculated that after the exclusive quest was completed, he would come back to cast it again; that would be foolproof.
The subsequent matters went smoothly.
The new Patriarch of the Yu Family handed over the keys to the family vaults—two places in total, holding their millennium-old family fortune.
Those people from the Wizards Federation watched the excitement and slipped away very quickly.
No one wanted to get involved with Hodu, this baneful star, fearing that their own family would end up in the same plight.
The meeting on the Federation's side wasn't finished yet, but it didn't matter anymore; what kind of turmoil would break out next could be guessed with eyes closed.
The Yu Family had collapsed, so what about their shops everywhere?
They didn't dare to touch these things; strictly speaking, they belonged to Hodu, but helping to seal them up was definitely not a problem, lest some daring Yu FamilyWizards still wanted to grab a profit and leave someone else to take the blame.
There were also the seats of the Federation and the important positions in various departments.
Even though they were all shedding tears for the fallen now, when it really came to dividing the benefits, it would be strange if their hands went soft.
The ancestral land was gone, and the ability to command tens of thousands of family Wizards was also lost; why should the Yu Family Wizards still occupy those positions?
It wouldn't take long before these people would desperately fight for those seats and positions, stuffing their own people in.
President Zhongkang walked up to Hodu at this moment, wearing a gentle smile on his face.
"President Hodu, feel free to drop by the United Academywhen you have time; there is plenty we can chat about. As for the president position promised to you, this old man will handle it as soon as possible, so you don't need to worry."
Hodu didn't expect him to bring this matter up again, and it didn't look like he was joking.
Before Hodu could reply, Zhongkang nodded slightly and took his leave directly.
The Secretary-General followed him, and the two of them used Apparition, disappearing on the spot.
The Anti-Apparition Charm of the village had been lifted right at the beginning when dodging the "meteorite".
The Yu Family Wizards began to leave one by one, carrying their belongings, their faces full of reluctance.
As for Hodu, he went to the two family vaults of the Yu Family to tally his gains.
To find the family vaults, having the keys alone wasn't enough; he also had to use the bloodline of a Yu FamilyWizard as a catalyst to activate the magic hidden inside the keys, which would point him to the location.
What he didn't know was that there was also a hidden condition inside—the willingness of the bloodline owner.
If the person providing the blood wasn't willing, the keys would activate trap magic, leading the person to a dangerous place specially set up by the Yu Family.
The Wizard who stepped in would have his life taken by the fallback plan inside.
The Eldest Son of the Yu Family didn't dare to gamble and honestly handed over his blood.
That trap was meant to deal with Wizards, and Hodu was clearly not in that category.
In case Hodu came out alive, the Yu Family would truly have no way out.
Holding the silver key, Hodu flew swiftly through the air, splitting the wind blowing against his face, and arrived at the place guided by the key.
He was a bit surprised; this was a Muggles city.
He concealed his figure, directly passing through layers of buildings to avoid being seen by ordinary people.
The town wasn't big, with no tall buildings.
The location of the family vault was actually right in the middle of a crossroads.
Hodu landed on the ground, and a bus crashed straight toward him.
He didn't move.
The car passed right through him.
Hodu surveyed ahead; the family vault couldn't be seen with the naked eye, but his magic instincts allowed him to perceive the magic fluctuations flowing in the air.
He thrust the silver key into the air and gave it a gentle twist.
A door appeared out of thin air and opened silently.
The surrounding cars spontaneously bypassed this area at this instant, and the people in the cars didn't notice any abnormalities.
Muggle-Repelling Charm.
Hodu recognized this magic, didn't study it much, and stepped directly through the open door.
The moment he crossed the door, he appeared on a path leading only forward.
At first it was pitch black, and as he stood still, torches lit up on both sides.
This was a sealed tunnel, and when he looked back, behind him was a blocked stone wall with no door to go out.
Cautiously using his Stealth Trait, Hodu concealed his magical power before walking forward with peace of mind.
The passage initially could only accommodate one person, and the further back it went, the wider it became.
Finally, it opened up like a small square, and he could only discern directions by the torches stuck in the ground.
Poof!
With a sound, more firelight lit up ahead, illuminating three fork roads, each facing three vault doors.
In the middle of the fork, a behemoth was entrenched.
Hodu stopped in his tracks, looking at that figure with a calm expression.
He wasn't surprised; the Yu Family had long said that there were magical creatures guarding this place, and as long as one held the key, they wouldn't be attacked.
That thing was as big as a room, a toad with an extremely ugly appearance, lying there sleeping.
The firelight lit up, the toad was startled awake, its eyes snapped open, staring quietly at Hodu.
It smelled the aura of the key, then lazily closed its eyes and continued to sleep.
It seemed that as long as it wasn't disturbed, it wouldn't pay attention to people.
However, Hodu became interested in this big toad and wanted to see what kind of abilities it had.
With a thought, a mass of water condensed in the air, instantly transforming into a water arrow, shooting fiercely toward the toad.
Chapter 110: The President's Chips and the Truth Beneath Artillery Fire
That toad opened its mouth, and its fleshy tongue shot out, whipping against the water arrow like a lash.
So fast that only a blur was seen, and the water arrow shattered.
It did not continue attacking Hodu; its tongue retracted, and it stared with bulging eyes in a daze.
Hodu's eyes lit up slightly; just from this single move, quite a few insights could be seen.
If they really fought, before a Wizard could even snap out of it, they would be swept away by that long tongue and swallowed into its belly like a mosquito.
He also noticed that the liquid drooling from the toad's mouth carried a special venomous strength; getting stained with even a little bit would probably be quite miserable.
Of course, because he carried the key on him, this beast did not make a move against him.
Hodu grew interested in this toad and raised his hand to cast a Transfiguration at it.
The creature's size suddenly collapsed, shrinking into a fist-sized stone carving, with the lingering look of fear still hanging on the stone statue's face.
He pocketed the stone statue and began taking stock of the things he had fished out this time.
Three storehouses, each containing a different category of goods.
The first one was piled with gold mixed with some magicmaterials; judging by their form, they looked like ancient coins, which were different from ordinary gold.
The second one was crammed with old pamphlets and magic books hidden by the Yu Family, recording many ancient incantations. By today, they weren't of much use anymore, having probably been handed over around the time United Academy opened.
The last one displayed some magic materials and objects, all looking quite precious.
Hodu waved his hand, pocketing everything from the storehouses. Anyway, this place would be abandoned sooner or later.
After gathering the things, he didn't stay long, Apparating back to that villa in Kyoto.
Then he changed the toad back, casting a Shrinking Charm to make it the size of an ordinary toad.
Xuanwu curiously leaned over.
"I have an impression of this toad! Its spit is extremely corrosive!"
As soon as the words left its mouth, the toad opened its mouth and spat a glob of saliva straight at Xuanwu's face.
With Xuanwu's defense, this bit of saliva naturally couldn't melt it.
The saliva flowed down Xuanwu's face onto the floor, which immediately burned out holes with a sizzling sound, emitting white smoke and a foul stench.
Xuanwu unhappily glared at the toad. This bit of poison was nothing to it, but to be spat on by a toad—how could it swallow this anger?
Its body flickered, and in the blink of an eye, it landed in front of the toad, raising its foot to stamp down.
The toad's body instantly softened into a puddle of mud, its tongue drooping out. It wasn't an attack; it directly passed out, and saliva dripped down the corner of its mouth drop by drop.
"Don't play it to death, and also, keep a close eye on it!"
Hodu instructed with a warning. With Xuanwu around, there was no fear that this toad could run away.
He raised his hand slightly, and the corrosive traces on the ground vanished in the blink of an eye.
During this period, the Magical World had already exploded into chaos.
Unlike the British Magical World, the media here had long evolved televisions. Of course, at its core, it was still to let Wizards have more contact with Muggle society.
It was just modifying household televisions to automatically switch to the Magical World's news channel at a fixed time.
There were also magic radios.
The Yu Family's affair couldn't be kept under wraps. After so many years, it was the first time such big news broke out.
Everyone was discussing it everywhere, and no one could believe that a long-established Wizard family had just disbanded like that.
Even if the Wizards Federation wanted to suppress it, they couldn't. Wizards of the Yu Family accounted for at least ten percent of the total population of the Magical World.
Wizards from minority families inevitably felt panicked in their hearts, but more Wizards scattered across society were extremely excited. Seeing a behemoth that monopolized the Magical World and held the lion's share in all walks of life collapse, besides joy, there was only joy.
Some people even began to look forward to who the next one would be, just like watching a spectacle.
The next day, Hodu appeared at United Academy, responding to the old man's invitation.
This was his first time officially stepping into United Academy.
As soon as he entered the door, students were everywhere, standing far away with eyes full of curiosity, presumably having heard the news that Hodu was coming and running over specially.
Huo Yunqi was also in the crowd, looking somewhat enviously at Hodu, who was being personally accompanied by Dean Hope. Domestically, the only ones who could get this kind of treatment were the patriarchs of those few families.
Hope led him around all the facilities of the academy, and finally brought him to the second floor of the Library, which was actually the Dean's office.
The room was antique-style, with all wooden furniture. Judging by the material, it would probably be worth a fortune in Muggle society.
However, for a Wizard like Hope who had already stood at the pinnacle, this was nothing.
The two sat face to face, with a thick wooden table between them.
Originally an office desk, Hope clapped his hands, and the sundries on top dissipated like smoke, revealing a tea set.
The two brewed tea around the stove. The tea leaves were a certain kind of magic herb containing some magic power.
Pouring the boiling hot tea down, Hodu felt refreshed. There was a refreshing effect, but it was very gentle, not dragging you awake forcefully like coffee, but rather feeling as comfortable as waking up after a full night's sleep.
With the tea entering their stomachs, the two began to talk about serious matters.
"I want to push you to take the seat of the president of the Wizards Federation."
Hope was the same as he said before, actually wanting to cede the position, which left Hodu somewhat baffled.
"What are the conditions?"
Hodu didn't believe there were no conditions attached to this, and asked straightforwardly.
"It doesn't quite count as a condition; it's just that some necessary information needs to be explained clearly to you in advance."
Hope slowly opened his mouth, with a trace of emotion in the depths of his eyes.
"Do you know why I want to cede this presidency to you?"
Hodu was waiting for him to continue, but didn't expect the other party to throw out a question first.
"I don't know."
He was unwilling to waste energy guessing, and simply answered.
"Because I saw infinite possibilities in you.
You have probably heard about me, but I can guarantee that the version you heard has definitely been exaggerated.
Outside, they all say I am the Light of Wizards, suppressing the Five Great Families with my own strength, forcefully seizing the presidency of the Wizards Federationfrom their hands, and even forcing the Five Great Familiesto hand over their clan's book collections to run United Academy.
But the fact is not like that; how could I have the ability to suppress the Five Great Families by myself?
Their control over the Magical World has long taken root; how could it be so easily shaken?"
Hope showed a trace of a wry smile. Outsiders only saw his glory, how could they know his hardships?
Otherwise, he wouldn't be trapped in the academy acting as a Dean today; he should have long used tough means to force the Five Great Families to retreat further.
Only, the truth in the eyes of outsiders was not truly the truth.
"As you can see, I am just a Wizard, and my magic level is indeed a little bit higher than theirs, but it's of no use.
After all, I am only one person, while those Five Great Families, as you saw before, can mobilize nearly ten thousand Wizards in an entire village with a single command.
The Five Great Families combined can command around fifty thousand Wizards. No matter how strong I am alone, how can I rival them?"
Hope shook his head and continued to explain.
"So, it's Muggles?"
Hodu had already some conjectures and asked.
"That's right, just like some rumors spread, I owe everything I have today entirely to Muggles.
Yet success comes from Muggles, and failure also comes from Muggles.
I used to follow a high-ranking official on the Muggle side, revealing the existence of Wizards and helping him with wizardly power.
At that time, there was the scourge of the Japanese pirates, and there were even Japanese pirate Wizards mixed in.
I was young that year and couldn't bear to watch it, especially unable to stand the Wizards of the Five Great Families refusing to go to war while issuing an order to the entire Magical World forbidding Wizards from interfering in Muggle wars, so I sneaked into Muggle society.
At first, I wasn't exposed, until I ran into a Japanese pirate who was also a Wizard, and rashly made a move, saving a high-ranking official from that Wizard's hands.
Although I was discovered, the high-ranking official didn't treat me as a monster, and afterward, I followed him into that war.
As days passed, I found that I was not the only Wizardwho didn't take the Five Great Families' orders seriously; there were quite a few like-minded people. We gradually gathered together and formed a special team specifically to deal with the Japanese pirate Wizards.
With national and familial hatred, naturally we didn't leave any room for mercy when we made a move.
To be honest, the Killing Curse, which is regarded as one of the Unforgivable Curses in the international magical society, is the one I use most proficiently among all my magics. There's no other reason, just hand practice.
In the end, the war was won, and that high-ranking official had already stood at the pinnacle of Muggle society, becoming one of the few.
At that time, under his recommendation, I also earned a share of the credit, but it was hidden away.
Because of the experiences of those years, I explained the existence of the Wizarding World to him, not expecting that they actually had the Magical World at their fingertips.
They knew about the Magical World and felt that if Wizards could join, it would definitely bring them no small assistance.
Of course, even if they couldn't, they shouldn't become Muggles' enemies.
Holding this thought, I returned to the Magical Worldunder his command. At that time, as the number of Japanese pirates I killed increased, my magic power actually grew stronger and stronger, so I quickly made a name for myself in the magical society.
And because of a group of fellow Wizards who had killed the enemy together and could entrust their backs to each other, we quickly made a reputation in the Magical World.
Yet even so, it was impossible to achieve the mission objective, because back then the Wizard families held the entire magical society tightly in their grasp.
Therefore, I knew that if we really wanted to accomplish something, we could only first break the Five Great Families' monopoly on the Magical World.
Yet back then I was just a Wizard with a slight reputation, totally unable to support this matter.
So I made a decision: just like how I helped Muggles back then, this time it was their turn to help us."
Hope spoke with emotion, and Hodu listened carefully.
"To be honest, no matter who looked at it, my actions back then were betraying the Magical World, a matter I still cannot refute to this day.
Yet done is done. I originally planned to make all this public before I died, but the older I got, the smaller my courage became.
Although Wizards' abilities are bizarre and powerful, compared to modern Muggle society, they are truly not invulnerable.
Just the emergence of things like firearms and artillery has already made the Magical World somewhat fearful.
This is also why the Statute of Secrecy can prevail internationally.
No matter how fast a Wizard's magic is, it is still not faster than a bullet, let alone a bullet shot from a thousand meters away.
Once the Wizards' secrets are exposed, they will definitely suffer heavy blows.
So back then I personally went to the Five Great Familiesand visited their patriarchs one by one.
Of course, at the beginning, I was given the cold shoulder. The patriarchs of these great families held high positions and great power; how would they be willing to see a minor Wizard like me?
After grinding for a long time, I finally had the honor to meet the patriarch of the Bai Family at that time.
As soon as I came up, I stated my purpose, hoping that the Five Great Families would form a Wizards Federation with me, and that I would be the president."
Hearing this, Hodu couldn't help being somewhat stunned; this was indeed direct enough.
Hope saw his expression and couldn't help laughing.
"That's right, the patriarch of the Bai Family back then had the exact same expression as you, thinking I was crazy! Haha!
However, I asked him to look at the hill next to Bai Family Village, and privately contacted Muggles using special telecommunications. At that time, Wizards didn't have much understanding of this, so they didn't know either.
He didn't know what I wanted him to look at back then, until one minute later, countless artillery shells smashed down from the sky, and the entire mountain was washed over, leaving not a blade of grass."
Hope shook his head at this. Thinking about it now, the methods back then were indeed somewhat crude.
"I told him that if he didn't agree to this condition, the next round to be washed would be Bai Family Village. Could their magic really withstand countless artillery fire?
In fact, it couldn't withstand it; I had verified it in advance. The Shield Charm could indeed block most bullets, but high-intensity shells couldn't really be defended against.
Besides artillery fire, the Muggle army had already surrounded the place and would rush in at any moment.
I admit that this method was indeed despicable, but it worked.
I was gambling, gambling that he wouldn't dare to stake the family's millennial heritage.
As a result, I naturally won the gamble.
Afterwards, I persuaded the other four families, and finally the Wizards Federation was truly established, and I also became the president.
It was just a title without any actual power, and no orders could be pushed into the territories controlled by the various great families.
I naturally knew why, and felt especially helpless.
The second time I visited the Five Great Families was for the matter of United Academy. I needed them to hand over the book collections passed down by their families for how many generations, for everyone to study together, breaking the monopoly of the Five Great Families.
Because of this monopoly, ordinary Wizards simply couldn't reach profound magic knowledge, so they were destined never to rise above and could only remain at the bottom for a lifetime.
Yet wanting to break this monopoly was undoubtedly touching a reverse scale, so that time I truly pulled a Muggle army over.
At that time, Muggles' weapons were even more advanced, and they even brought out missiles.
I knew this matter was much harder than forcing them to establish the Federation and let me be president, so that time I truly intended to use one family to make an example, if they really didn't agree."
Hodu heard strong deterrence and murderous intent from Hope's words. At this moment, Hope was no longer that polite gentleman, but an overlord.
"The first place I went to was still the Bai Family, but it was different from the first visit. I didn't have to wait bitterly outside the village entrance; as soon as I arrived, I was invited into Bai Family Village.
They treated me respectfully, with no shortage of tea and refreshments, but whenever I asked about their patriarch, he was always busy.
I knew it all too well: the patriarch of the Bai Family naturally didn't want to see me, but it didn't matter, I could wait.
I waited for a whole morning, only for the news I waited for to still be that their patriarch was busy.
So I directly used telecommunication equipment to make the Muggle army launch missiles, hitting the same mountain next door as last time.
Yet the power was completely different. Back then it was simply like heaven collapsing and earth shattering; the entire mountain was bombed out of existence, and countless fragments flew into the village. All the Wizards panicked, thinking it was an earthquake.
Sure enough, in less than a minute, that patriarch of the Bai Family finally had time, his face as black as the bottom of a wok."
At this, the corners of Hope's mouth hooked into a sneer.
Hodu also shook his head, mourning for that patriarch of the Bai Family in his heart. This really was running into a ruthless person; he could completely imagine the scene at that time.
"As soon as he came up, he questioned me about what on earth I wanted to do, and I told him my purpose.
This time the other party thought for a long time, and I wasn't in a hurry at all, drinking tea. Finally, he looked at the blown-up mountain and still agreed.
Only, when I left, he warned me that if I ever did it again, they would perish together with us.
Unless they had a way to stop Apparition, the Wizards who escaped would be our lifelong enemies, and the other four families would be the same.
I naturally knew what he said was heartfelt, and I kept it in mind.
Without accident, the other four families were also negotiated with, and United Academy was finally established.
Afterwards, I maintained a tacit understanding with them; they would give me, the president of the Federation, a bit of face, and I would no longer visit them at their doors.
Gradually they found that the existence of the Wizards Federation was also beneficial to them, so they successively joined of their own accord, arranging their own people to enter other institutions of the Federation and taking some important positions.
I didn't stop them, because only in this way could the Federation truly operate. This was an inescapable compromise, and only in this way could the Federation live up to its name."