Chapter Forty-Nine: The Price of Stirring Trouble

“Old Dragon, look around you. Do you still want to keep fighting?” Dugu Bo’s voice rang out, tinged with schadenfreude. Yu Yuanzhen, who was fully focused on dealing with Aeolia, was startled. He quickly retreated several steps, putting distance between himself and Aeolia. Only then, looking around, did he realize that all eight Soul Douluo he had brought had lost their ability to fight.

At this moment, Milo and Dugu Bo slowly rose into the air, flanking Aeolia on either side, their eyes fixed on Yu Yuanzhen like tigers stalking prey.

Faced with the situation, cold sweat beaded on Yu Yuanzhen’s forehead. A suffocating sense of mortal danger pressed upon him; if he pressed on, he could very well meet his end here. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Yu Yuanzhen turned to flee.

“Patriarch Yu, you may escape, but your clan cannot.”

At that moment, Xiao Yu’s cold voice cut through the air: “The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is a powerful one. Before long, I will personally pay a visit to True Dragon Mountain with my followers!”

“You brat, how dare you!”

Yu Yuanzhen halted, turning to glare at Xiao Yu with murderous intent blazing in his eyes.

“Why so dramatic, Patriarch Yu?” Xiao Yu sneered, curling his lip in disdain. “We’re both intelligent men. You and I both know exactly why you brought so many Soul Douluo to confront me today. What, is it only fair when you try to kill me, but not when I seek retribution? Don’t be so hypocritical!”

A flicker of embarrassment flashed across Yu Yuanzhen’s face, but he steeled himself and said, “Boy, I admit I underestimated you. But don’t get cocky. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has stood tall on this continent for a millennium, with countless allies. If you dare to lay a hand on us, you’ll become the enemy of the entire continent!”

There was truth and falsehood in Yu Yuanzhen’s words. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, famed for centuries, indeed had many allies. Not least among them was Ning Fengzhi, who had always claimed that the three upper sects were as close as kin; he would surely step forward. But to claim they would become the continent’s enemy was clearly an exaggeration. The disciples of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, emboldened by their status as one of the three great sects, had run roughshod across the land, earning plenty of resentment. Moreover, since Yu Yuanzhen had attacked Xiao Yu first, even if Xiao Yu were to bathe True Dragon Mountain in blood, he’d still have some justification.

At present, Xiao Yu had no intention of exterminating the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. For one thing, he was unsure of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect’s stance. If they sided completely with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, with Sword and Bone Douluo joining Yu Yuanzhen, and with Ning Fengzhi’s support, three Titled Douluo could fight like six—he truly couldn’t handle that, though Ning Fengzhi’s temperament made it unlikely. Secondly, Xiao Yu didn’t want to squander his foresight advantage just yet. If he wiped out the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan now, the entire power structure of the Douluo Continent would shift, and the Spirit Hall’s critical spirit-hunting operations would also undergo major changes, severely disrupting his future plans.

Still, Yu Yuanzhen had brought a band of men intending to rob him of his fortune and take his life. If Xiao Yu let him off without consequence, he’d be taken for an easy mark.

“Yu Yuanzhen, for the sake of your clan’s thousand-year legacy, I’ll let you go today!” Xiao Yu said coldly. “But you came here with a group to deal with me. If I let you all go without consequence, am I not telling the world that attacking me is risk-free?”

“What do you want?” Yu Yuanzhen asked in a low voice. He understood at once—Xiao Yu wanted to extort something from him.

Xiao Yu pointed at the three Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Soul Douluo still writhing on the ground in pain. “You have three Soul Douluo from your clan here. I’ll trade each one for a ten-thousand-year spirit bone. That’s three spirit bones in total. And they must be over thirty-thousand years old!”

“Three spirit bones over thirty-thousand years old!” Yu Yuanzhen’s face darkened. As a Titled Douluo himself, he only possessed three ten-thousand-year spirit bones. He gritted his teeth in fury. “You’re asking for the moon! No matter how powerful our clan is, we can’t simply produce three spirit bones of that age at once!”

“That’s your problem,” Xiao Yu replied, his face impassive. “I’ll give you one month—steal or rob as you please. In one month, I expect to see what I want. Otherwise, I’ll pay a visit to True Dragon Mountain myself!”

“Since you dared to attack me, be prepared to pay the price. Anything less and you won’t remember this lesson!”

“Fine. In one month, I’ll deliver the spirit bones!”

Overwhelmed by circumstances, Yu Yuanzhen could only grit his teeth, agree, and fly off.

Watching Yu Yuanzhen’s departure, Aeolia, Milo, and Dugu Bo slowly descended to the ground. Xiao Yu glanced at Meng Shenji and his two colleagues, who were still half-petrified, and spoke calmly, “Dean Meng, I have no quarrel with the Heaven Dou Empire. How do you explain yourselves today?”

Meng Shenji’s face was filled with regret. Like Yu Yuanzhen, he hadn’t expected such a fearsome force to stand behind an obscure young man. Now, with their fate in Xiao Yu’s hands, for the sake of the Heaven Dou Empire and the lives of himself and his old companions, he could only shift all blame onto Yu Yuanzhen. “The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is formidable. With Yu Yuanzhen himself coming to the Academy, we old men had no choice but to follow under his threat. Now we’re at your mercy, Young Palace Master. Do as you wish, but I beg you not to implicate the royal family!”

A faint smile played at the corner of Xiao Yu’s lips. Meng Shenji truly was a loyal servant of the Heaven Dou royal house, still trying to shield them even now. But Xiao Yu couldn’t be bothered to expose him. He’d let Yu Yuanzhen go—there was no need to make things difficult for a few Soul Douluo who were far weaker. The Nine Stars Hall would have to develop in the Heaven Dou Empire for a long time to come.

“I don’t care whether the royal family was involved. The fact remains that you followed Yu Yuanzhen here with ill intent toward me. Actions have consequences. I’ll let you go for now, but deliver this message to the royal family: you have one month. Five Soul Douluo in exchange for five ten-thousand-year spirit bones. Otherwise, I won’t hesitate to visit Emperor Xue Ye’s palace myself.”

“In consideration of your roles as Lingling and Yanzi’s teachers, I’ll give you a discount—the spirit bones only need to be over ten-thousand years old.”

“Five ten-thousand-year spirit bones—the royal family can’t produce that!”

Meng Shenji was on the verge of tears. If the Heaven Dou royal family could produce five ten-thousand-year spirit bones so easily, they wouldn’t be struggling to win even a single Titled Douluo to their side.

“Then find something of equivalent value—rare herbs, precious metals, soul tools, gold soul coins, anything.” Xiao Yu was well aware of the kingdom’s situation. “A ten-thousand-year spirit bone fetches five million gold soul coins on the black market. In one month, I expect to see items worth a total of twenty-five million. Otherwise, you’ll bear the consequences!”