Chapter 51: Purple Bright Dragon Bone, Aftermath Actions
With the Long Family annihilated, the foundation they had accumulated over hundreds of years naturally fell into the hands of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Inside the Family's secret treasury, the lights were bright. Several experienced clan Elders were carefully identifying the Soul Bones extracted from the bodies of Long Xiao, Long Sha, and Long Ye. When their eyes fell upon that Right Leg Bone from Long Xiao, shimmering with a dark purple luster and faintly emitting an Aura of destruction, the expressions of the Elders became solemn yet excited.
"It can't be wrong! This texture, these energy fluctuations... they contain a trace of an extremely pure destructive Concept, yet it differs from the darkness attribute, being more domineering and direct!" An Elder specializing in Soul Beast studies stroked the naturally formed patterns on the surface of the Soul Bone, which looked like shattered stars, his voice carrying a hint of excitement. "This is a Purple Bright Dragon! And it's a Right Leg Bone produced by a Purple Bright Dragon with a cultivation level as high as eighty-seven thousand years!"
"Purple Bright Dragon?" Yu Yuanchen, standing to the side, showed an inquiring look. He did not have a deep understanding of this Soul Beast species.
"Yuanchen, there's something you don't know. Legend has it that one of the ancestors of the Dragon Clan, the Ancestor of Sub-dragons, the Bright Dragon King, is said to be the dark side of the Dragon God, the progenitor of the Dragon Clan. Among his direct descendants, there is an extremely powerful branch called the Purple Bright Heaven Destroying Dragon, a top-tier existence among sub-dragon species. Its strength and Bloodline are only slightly inferior to Elder-level pure-blooded true dragons like the Thunder Saint Dragon and the Radiant Saint Dragon." Another clan Elder explained:
"And the Purple Bright Dragon is a blood descendant of the Purple Bright Heaven Destroying Dragon. Although not as great as its ancestor, its Bloodline is still noble and powerful. Relying on its formidable destruction attribute, it can stand shoulder to shoulder with ordinary true dragons of water, fire, and wind, and is by no means inferior to our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon! Its attribute leans toward pure destruction, which has many similarities with your lightning attribute, especially the destructive side of Ultimate Lightning. The attributes are an extremely good match!"
Upon hearing this, a glint of interest flashed in Yu Yuanchen's eyes. A pure destruction attribute might provide a different perspective and supplement his pursuit of Ultimate Lightning and his exploration of the path between destruction and life. Furthermore, a lifespan of eighty-seven thousand years was certainly enough to be called a top-grade Soul Bone.
Yu Boxuan made a prompt decision: "Chener, this bone has a destiny with you and its attributes match yours, so you shall absorb it. The stronger your strength, the more stable the Family will be."
Yu Yuanchen did not decline. He took the Purple Bright Heaven Destroying Dragon Right Leg Bone, which felt cold to the touch yet faintly emitted destructive fluctuations, and found a quiet room to begin the absorption.
The process was smoother than expected. His current physique, Spiritual Power, and control over lightning (which contained destruction) far surpassed his peers. Although the destructive will contained within the Soul Bone was strong, it was difficult to shake his mind, which had undergone the tempering of the Heavenly Tribulation. The majestic energy merged into his right leg, not only greatly enhancing his leg strength, explosive power, and speed, but also granting him a powerful Soul Bone skill—[Purple Bright Heaven-Treading Step]! Once unleashed, it could draw destructive lightning to his feet; with one step, it combined extreme speed, fierce attack, and area-of-effect trampling, possessing astonishing power.
After finishing the absorption of the Soul Bone, Yu Yuanchen felt his own strength had improved slightly, and his Soul Power had also broken through from the Level 72 Peak to Level 73.
After emerging from seclusion, his grandfather Yu Boxuan found him, his expression serious with a hint of testing: "Chener, the Long Family is destroyed, but their remaining women, children, and collateral branches are numerous. How to deal with them is a problem. I will leave this matter for you to decide."
Yu Boxuan looked at his grandson and spoke with earnest words: "Strength is the foundation of standing firm. But if you want to lead the Family toward a further future, methods of management and the wisdom of balance are equally indispensable. This is also a trial for you."
Yu Yuanchen nodded and agreed, understanding his grandfather's intentions.
His expression was calm, as he had already considered this matter in his heart. He was well aware of the current atmosphere in the Spirit Master's world of the Douluo Continent. While it seemed like the weak were prey to the strong, among the major powers—especially when dealing with the defeated—they often followed some unwritten rules.
To put it nicely, they preserved a trace of ancient legacy, emphasizing a baseline of "righteousness"; to put it bluntly, they were somewhat stubborn and formalistic. Much like the Warring States period he knew from his past life, destroying a state was common, but publicly and completely destroying a person's ancestral temple and ending their Bloodline was generally not something a power would easily do unless there was deep-seated hatred or special reasons.
This was because whoever set this "open and aboveboard" precedent of completely exterminating a Bloodline would be like setting a terrible benchmark. In the future, when other powers did similar things, they would pull out the first person who did it as a shield and an object of criticism, which would be a great blow to their reputation. It was just like the Sima clan publicly assassinating the emperor in his past life's history; although it wasn't the first act of regicide, the treachery of the "Oath of the Luo River" caused the Sima Family and even the term "Luo River" to be nailed to the pillar of historical shame for countless years.
Although he didn't care much about reputation, he didn't want such a precedent to start with him.
Yu Yuanchen said no more and walked straight toward the place where the collateral members of the Long Family were being held.
It was a temporarily designated area guarded by the Family's Soul Masters. Inside were mostly women, children, the elderly, and some collateral Soul Masters with low cultivation who had chosen to surrender or were captured during the previous battle. Their Faces were filled with panic, unease, and an irrepressible hatred and despair. Seeing Yu Yuanchen approaching, all eyes instantly focused on him, and fear spread like a plague. It was this young man who had personally killed their Titled Douluo and destroyed their Family!
Yu Yuanchen's gaze calmly swept across these former enemies. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears, carrying an unquestionable indifference:
"I, Yu Yuanchen, actually don't like killing people very much."
The very first sentence caused many Long Family members who were prepared to die to be stunned for a moment.
"However," Yu Yuanchen's tone shifted, and his eyes suddenly became as sharp as a knife. Although the terrifying Aura from his battles and the Fusion of heavenly power was not fully released, it already made everyone present feel difficulty breathing and their Souls tremble, "I will certainly kill those who meet the following three conditions."
He slowly extended three fingers:
"One, you have annoyed me."
"Two, I can beat you."
"Three, you are of no use to me, or to the people and things I care about."
His gaze was like a cold blade, and a sneer crossed the corners of his mouth as it swept over every pale Face: "Unfortunately, right now, you meet at least two of those."
A cold killing intent felt almost physical as it enveloped the field. Some children were so scared they wailed, only to be held tightly by adults who covered their mouths. Everyone felt a chill rush from the soles of their feet to the crown of their heads, as if they saw the Grim Reaper beckoning to them.
"Annoyed me"—the Long Family had repeatedly attempted assassinations and colluded with the Elephant Armored Academy; they were already in a fight to the death.
"I can beat you"—now that the Long Family was destroyed, they were all prisoners, their lives and deaths hanging on the other party's single thought.
The atmosphere of despair almost condensed into ice.
Yu Yuanchen took in everyone's reactions, paused for a moment to let the fear fully ferment, and then continued to speak. His voice was still flat, yet it carried the absolute power to decide the lives of others:
"The direct line of the Long Family shares the Bloodline and the enmity is deep; leaving them will surely result in future troubles, so they must be eliminated. This point is not up for discussion."
These words were like a final judgment, causing the Faces of some collateral members who had direct blood flowing in them to turn ashen.
"As for you..." Yu Yuanchen's gaze once again swept over those collateral members, women, and children. "Whether you live or die depends on whether you can go from being 'of no use' to being 'of some use'."
He gave them two paths:
"The first path: join my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan as servants. Your structure will be broken up, and you will perform the lowest level of labor or serve as death soldiers. Your descendants will be slaves forever to atone for your sins and to serve as a warning to the world of the consequences of being an enemy of my Yu Family. But, you can stay alive."
"The second path," he paused, a light that made one's skin crawl flashing in his eyes, "if anyone considers themselves tough and is unwilling to kneel, or is secretly harboring ill intentions... I wouldn't mind making the Black Flame Flood Dragon Martial Soul completely disappear from the continent, except for the specimens in my Family's collection."
A naked threat, unconcealed killing intent!
He didn't mention anything about being magnanimous, nor did he hypocritically grant them equal status. In this Spirit Master's world with an atmosphere similar to the Warring States, the victor had absolute power over the defeated. The so-called "not ending a Bloodline" was more of a hidden rule and a Face-saving project, with huge room for manipulation. Whether to leave behind some "living specimens" who had their Bloodlines broken and were slaves forever, or to secretly perform the act of "pulling up weeds by the roots" later, all depended on the victor's mood and considerations.
Yu Yuanchen chose the former, not out of mercy, but because it better suited their interests. On one hand, keeping these collateral members as slaves could demonstrate the "victor's majesty" and "inviolability" of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, while also to some extent silencing the public—see, we did not completely exterminate their Bloodline. On the other hand, these Soul Masters with the Black Flame Flood Dragon Martial Soul, even if they were collateral, their Martial Souls themselves were a resource. Whether used for research or as death soldiers, they were more valuable than a pile of withered bones.
Of course, the premise was that they were "obedient" enough and "useless" enough (meaning they could not form a threat).
The collateral members of the Long Family present were not fools; they understood the meaning behind Yu Yuanchen's words. Either give up their dignity and future to live like livestock, continuing that already dimmed Bloodline, or die right now and let the Black Flame Flood Dragon Martial Soul be cut off here.
In the Face of an absolute threat of death, so-called backbone and hatred appeared so pale and weak.
After a brief, dead silence, there was the sound of suppressed sobbing, and finally, figures kneeling down like a tide.
"We... are willing to be servants..." An old man who seemed to have some prestige among the collateral branches led the way in kneeling tremulously, his voice hoarse and filled with humiliation and helplessness.
The instinct to survive ultimately outweighed everything else.
Yu Yuanchen looked at the crowd kneeling before him, his expression not changing at all. He turned and calmly instructed the Family deacon in charge of guarding: "Register them, break up their groups, and settle them. If there is any unusual movement, or if any direct Bloodline is hidden and not reported, once discovered, everyone involved will be executed without exception."
"Yes! Young Master Yuanchen!" The deacon respectfully accepted the order, his gaze toward Yu Yuanchen filled with awe. This young master not only had heavenly strength, but his methods of management were also so seasoned and decisive!
After dealing with the Long Family's collateral branches, Yu Yuanchen returned to his grandfather's side to report.
After hearing his method of handling the situation, Yu Boxuan stroked his beard for a long time and finally nodded slowly, his eyes full of gratification: "Using both kindness and severity, being decisive in killing yet leaving a way out so as not to give others a handle against you... Chener, you have done very well."
Through this incident, Yu Yuanchen's prestige within the Family was no longer limited to his terrifying strength; it now added a layer of composure and decisiveness belonging to a superior.
The matters of Dragon City had basically settled by now. But Yu Yuanchen's heart had already flown toward the battlefield agreed upon with his two close friends.
Only seven months remained of the five-year promise. He looked forward to meeting Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu again.
Want To Read More Chapters? Check Out 80+Advanced Chapters At PA Treon
patreon.com/SloppyGuy