Led by the middle-aged man, Yun Ming and Ya Li entered the living room of the Sect Leader's Mansion.
Upon entering, they saw Yu Yuanzhen sitting at the head of the room, eyes closed in meditation.
The middle-aged guide bowed and spoke up.
"Sect Leader, the guests have arrived."
"."
Yu Yuanzhen did not respond, as if he had not heard. The middle-aged man offered an awkward smile; seemingly sensing Yu Yuanzhen's intentions, he fell silent.
Yun Ming and Ya Li exchanged a glance, their eyes flickering slightly. However, they were not annoyed by the Thunder Douluo, who was merely putting on airs by pretending to meditate, and took the initiative to speak.
"Yun Ming of the Breaking Clan (Ya Li of Martial Soul Hall), greets Sect Leader Yu."
Hearing their voices, Yu Yuanzhen finally opened his eyes after a moment, greeting them with an expressionless face.
"Your Highness Saintess, Young Master Yun, your arrival is a great honor. I was just deep in meditation and failed to welcome you in time; please forgive me."
Afterward, he put on a show of criticizing the middle-aged man.
Yun Ming did not take Yu Yuanzhen's insincere "performance" to heart and chuckled lightly.
"Sect Leader Yu is too kind. You are our senior; there is no reason for you to apologize to us juniors. Besides, we soul masters should always prioritize cultivation."
Yu Yuanzhen looked at the calm and composed Yun Ming. His standard, stiff Yu Family expression remained unchanged, but inwardly, his estimation of Yun Ming rose by several points.
The last time he saw Yun Ming was over three years ago, at the start of the Soul Master Competition. Back then, facing the pressure of a Super Douluo like himself, Yun Ming had dared to propose abolishing Tang San's martial soul. He had assumed Yun Ming was an arrogant and headstrong genius. He hadn't expected that even after being given a cold shoulder upon entering, the young man would remain so composed. His temperament was better than anticipated.
Yu Yuanzhen nodded, invited them to sit, and continued.
"In that case, may I ask what important business brings Young Master Yun and the Saintess to visit my sect?"
Hearing Yu Yuanzhen's question, the Phoenix Cry Ring on Yun Ming's finger flashed, and an exquisite blood-ink invitation appeared in his hand. Yun Ming handed the invitation to the middle-aged man beside him and spoke.
"I have two matters for this visit. The first is to deliver an invitation to Sect Leader Yu."
"Oh?" Yu Yuanzhen sounded puzzled. His Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had no real connection with Yun Ming; in fact, due to his rebellious son, there might even be some friction. It was a rare event for Yun Ming to visit him with an invitation.
With this doubt, Yu Yuanzhen took the invitation from the middle-aged man and opened it. Upon seeing the contents, his pupils involuntarily constricted, for this was actually a Title Douluo Banquet Invitation!
Seeing the flicker of emotion on Yu Yuanzhen's face, Yun Ming continued.
"Our First Elder, Yang Wudi, successfully broke through to the Title rank a few days ago. In half a month, our clan will host a gathering for the heroes of the world in Heaven Dou City. We hope Sect Leader Yu will grace us with your presence."
After reading the invitation, Yu Yuanzhen looked up at Yun Ming again, his gaze now different, carrying more gravity. Although the Breaking Clan had previously pulled off the feat of destroying the Clear Sky Sect, most outside forces, including the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, believed it was because the Clear Sky Sect was weak and that Dugu Bo had intervened while Tang Xiao was away, allowing them to succeed through a sneak attack. It had little to do with the Breaking Clan's own strength.
Yet, he hadn't expected this clan to produce a Title Douluo. What did a Title Douluo mean nowadays? Excluding those in Martial Soul Hall, there were only four on the continent, three of whom were in the Upper Three Sects. This essentially meant that the Breaking Clan, a first-rate force under the Seven Great Sects, had leaped to become a hot candidate for the next Upper Three Sects—a direct rival to his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. How could he not take this seriously?
Only then did a stiff smile appear on Yu Yuanzhen's face as he offered his congratulations.
"I never expected Brother Yang to have broken through to the Title rank. Congratulations to your clan."
"Such a major event is indeed worth celebrating! I will certainly attend."
Yun Ming's expression remained unchanged as he said flatly.
"In that case, thank you, Sect Leader Yu."
Yu Yuanzhen waved his hand and spoke.
"The emergence of another Title Douluo is a major event for the soul master world; it is only right."
As expected! Upon hearing that the Breaking Clan's strength had surged, Yu Yuanzhen's attitude immediately softened, and he became more talkative. Seeing this, Yun Ming felt more confident about what was to come.
Having used the "throwing a brick to attract jade" tactic and "beating the grass to scare the snake," Yun Ming moved on to the main purpose of the day.
"Now that the first matter is settled, let us discuss the second."
Yun Ming gave Ya Li a look, signaling it was her turn to perform.
Seeing that Ya Li had something to say, Yu Yuanzhen's expression remained steady as he listened intently.
Ya Li spoke.
"The second matter is that I would like to invite the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan to join Martial Soul Hall."
Shock!
Ya Li's words were like a heavy snowfall, instantly returning the room's warming atmosphere to the depths of winter. The middle-aged guide opened his mouth in astonishment, unable to speak.
The room remained cold for a long time before Yu Yuanzhen burst into laughter.
"Your Highness Saintess, that is a very funny joke. It certainly livens up the atmosphere, but let us talk about serious matters now!"
Yu Yuanzhen simply treated it as a joke. His Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had been fighting Martial Soul Hall in the shadows for so many years; the idea that the Saintess of Martial Soul Hall wanted to subjugate them was, to him, nothing more than a joke!
Ya Li looked straight at Yu Yuanzhen and spoke seriously once more.
"This is the serious matter, and it is the purpose of my visit."
Seeing Ya Li so earnest, and with Yun Ming also maintaining a look of absolute sincerity, Yu Yuanzhen's smile faded. He looked at Ya Li and said sternly.
"Saintess, are you serious?!"
Ya Li: "Serious, absolutely certain."
Indeed, the most important goal of Yun Ming and Ya Li's visit was to bring the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan into Martial Soul Hall. Although the people of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan were currently arrogant, conceited, and not particularly fond of them, Yun Ming and Ya Li had decided to proceed with this plan after much deliberation.
As for the reason, it wasn't because Ya Li needed the power of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan to ascend to her position. If they were truly lacking in manpower, they already knew of a powerful hidden family in Star Luo, the Star Crown Xu Family, whom Yun Ming considered far superior to the Yu Family. Nor was it because they couldn't bear to see the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan eventually wiped out in a bloodbath; their plan was primarily to pave the way for the future landscape they envisioned.
After witnessing the state of this era and combining it with the subsequent historical trajectory, Yun Ming and Ya Li decided to leverage the upcoming actions of Martial Soul Hall to push the tide of the era and complete the unification of the continent. But what would happen after the continent was unified?
Yun Ming was certain he would take out Bibi Dong, and neither he nor Ya Li intended to cling to power. So, what would happen next? Would the top-tier power of the future Empire be held alternately by the Angel Lineage and the Breaking Clan, with the two families acting as sole arbiters?
This seemed fine for the future of the Breaking Clan, but for the entire continent, Yun Ming and Ya Li didn't think it was a good thing. Therefore, they decided to arrange for a force that would not merge with the two clans to enter the top tier of the future Empire's power structure, leading a third-party faction to provide a layer of insurance for the stability of the future continent.
Such a force required two basic conditions: sufficient prestige and strength. Currently, the only ones on the continent who barely met these criteria were the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Yu Family. The prestige of the Upper Three Sects and the potential of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Spirit, combined with the remnants under Bibi Dong, would give them the ability to survive under the pressure of the two major families in the future.
As long as the signal that a third party was permitted was released, even if the Yu Family couldn't hold onto this position, someone new would come to take it; the two of them didn't care who it specifically was.
As for the inherent flaws of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, those were minor issues. If they joined, the environment they faced in the future would make them realize their own insignificance.
So now, they had to deal with Yu Yuanzhen, who seemed ready to fly into a rage.
When Yu Yuanzhen heard Ya Li's words, his anger surged, but out of respect for her status as a Saintess, he ultimately didn't explode, merely refusing coldly.
"If that is the case, then there is nothing more to say."
"Show them out!"
With that, he turned and headed toward the back courtyard. Seeing this, Yun Ming spoke up.
"Sect Leader Ning may have misunderstood. We only want the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon to enter Martial Soul Hall; we do not intend for your clan to fully submit to anyone. The Yu Family will still be the Yu Family."
Hearing Yun Ming speak, Yu Yuanzhen didn't stop his pace. To him, there was no difference at all. Yu Yuanzhen said coldly.
"A dragon can only be a dragon! Forever a dragon! It is impossible to be a dog for others!"
"If your Breaking Clan wants to go, go yourselves. My sect will not accompany you."
Yun Ming watched Yu Yuanzhen's back, his eyes narrowing slightly as he said leisurely.
"As expected. I was wondering how the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan could have developed for so many years and yet still be regressing! With a Sect Leader so short-sighted, it would be a miracle if it could develop."
"Ya Li, let's go! It seems the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is not the target we are looking for."
However, despite talking about leaving, he didn't move an inch, clearly using a provocation. After all, there really didn't seem to be a backup option for the Yu Family on the continent right now.
Hearing Yun Ming's words, Yu Yuanzhen stopped in his tracks. Fine, dense lightning began to crawl across his entire body, and the Soul Power pressure belonging to a Super Douluo radiated outward.
Yun Ming's words had poked at the sore spot in Yu Yuanzhen's heart. It wasn't just because Yun Ming was insulting him—that was at most a minor annoyance—but because he felt powerless as he watched his sect decline day by day. Now that Yun Ming had directly poked at his lungs, the proud Yu Yuanzhen couldn't hold back anymore, gritting his teeth as he said.
"Junior, what did you say?!"
Watching Yu Yuanzhen, who could explode at any moment, Yun Ming said calmly.
"Just the current state of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
"If your clan does not change, I fear the title of the Upper Three Sects won't last much longer."
"BOOM--"
Hearing Yun Ming insult the sect to his face, Yu Yuanzhen was completely enraged, growling.
"Junior, even if Yang Wudi has become a Titled Douluo, the status of my Upper Three Sects is not something you can judge at will."
Yun Ming shook his head and sighed.
"That is why I said you are short-sighted."
"Even if your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon became the Number One Sect Under Heaven, so what? The nature of a family-based sect determines its upper limit."
"Unless your family can produce another Tang Chen, in the eyes of Martial Soul Hall, you are no different from the Lower Four Sects—you can be wiped out with a flip of the hand."
This was Yun Ming's view of the sects in this era; the ruling power of Martial Soul Hall in this era was too strong, far stronger than any force in later generations. Ten thousand years later, Shrek Academy had the Body Sect and Mingde Hall to check it, and twenty thousand years later, there was a four-way balance between the War God Hall, the Spirit Transfer Pagoda, Shrek Academy, and the Tang Sect. But Martial Soul Hall? In the original timeline, once the variable of Tang San was excluded, all the forces in the world combined were not enough to fight Martial Soul Hall.
Yun Ming felt that after Tang Chen disappeared, the reason these Upper Three Sects could exist for so long while opposing Martial Soul Hall was purely because Qian Daoliu had transcended base interests and, aside from faith, love, and family, no longer cared about anything else in the Human World.
When Yu Yuanzhen saw the expression in Yun Ming's eyes and realized that not only was he saying this, but he truly believed it, he became even more annoyed.
For Yun Ming, who had belittled their Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan again and again, Yu Yuanzhen could no longer hold back, shouting angrily.
"Junior, you are courting death!"
As he spoke, lightning surged on his hand, and he threw a punch at Yun Ming.
Was what Yun Ming said wrong? It was correct. Even if Yu Yuanzhen wasn't entirely clear on the specific strength of Martial Soul Hall, the power of Martial Soul Hall he did know of—eight Titled Douluo—was far beyond what their Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan could contend with.
Lies don't hurt people, but the truth is a sharp blade. Yun Ming had been so blunt that even knowing Yang Wudi had broken through to become a Titled Douluo, Yu Yuanzhen was bound to strike; otherwise, he wouldn't be Yu Yuanzhen.
Facing Yu Yuanzhen's sudden attack, Yun Ming stood up, shielding Ya Li with his left hand while clenching his right fist. Surging golden Soul Power condensed on his fist, and after locking onto the opponent's trajectory, he also threw a fierce punch.
"BOOM--"
Yu Yuanzhen's Lightning Dragon fist was intercepted head-on by Yun Ming's fist, producing a heaven-shaking roar. The force of the punch surged toward the surroundings of the room, causing the entire building to tremble violently and teeter on the verge of collapse.
The middle-aged man who had led them in was knocked back by the wind of the punch. Seeing that Yun Ming could actually take a punch from their Sect Leader, a level 95 Super Douluo, head-on, he was left dumbfounded.
Are the young people in the Soul Master World this formidable now? No, that's not right, their own two Young Masters aren't like this!
Yu Yuanzhen had no time to be shocked. He could block Yun Ming's punch, but the powerful will contained within Yun Ming's fist made him feel very uncomfortable.
As a Super Douluo with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Spirit, he had always been the one to suppress others with his dragon might. But what was the deal with this kid in front of him? Not only could he block his attack, but he also possessed such an indomitable, world-dominating spirit when facing him. How did Yun Ming manage to create an aura that made even the pride in his bloodline, derived from the True Dragon, seem to tremble and be suppressed?!
Yu Yuanzhen exerted more force, his entire body's Soul Power and lightning venting wantonly, attempting to overwhelm the opponent. But he couldn't do it. No matter to what degree he increased his power, Yun Ming could keep up.
Feeling Yu Yuanzhen's punch force growing stronger, Yun Ming's expression became somewhat grave. He couldn't continue like this; this kind of contest of strength consumed too much.
He let out a thunderous roar.
"Break for me!"
With both Soul Cores fully activated, a surge of power far exceeding his previous output erupted from the fist of Yun Ming. Caught off guard by this sudden overclocked burst from Yun Ming, Yu Yuanzhen failed to hold his ground and was sent flying.
"Bang—"
Yu Yuanzhen was knocked backward, crashing through the wall behind him and sending dust billowing into the air.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader