Dugu Bo Crippled, Be Careful or I'll Make You Drop Dead on the Spot

Ye Zhou brought Daoist Qian He to the palace. Unlike last time, Ning Fengzhi was here as well, but Qian Renxue was not.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness the Prince, Sect Master Ning." Ye Zhou and Qian He bowed to the two men.

"Rise. Marquis Ye, Elder Qian He, since the two of you have come together, could it be that Sect Master Shi has emerged from seclusion?" Xue Ye had wanted to give Ye Zhou a thorough scolding and ask why he had chosen this time to leave and hunt for a soul ring, wasting several days. But considering the bigger picture, he held it in and got straight to the point.

"Not yet. The Sect Master is still in seclusion. During this time, all affairs of Maoshan are being handled by Elder Qian He. I informed the Elder of Your Majesty's request, and he believes that Poison Douluo remaining alive would also benefit Maoshan, so he has agreed to accompany the royal family and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to the Martial Soul Holy Hall to demand Poison Douluo's release." Having returned to Heaven Dou City and headed straight for the palace, Ye Zhou clasped his fists as he spoke to Xue Ye.

Hearing this, Xue Ye finally let out the breath he had been holding in for several days.

"Good, good!"

Then, he looked toward Ning Fengzhi below and said to Ye Zhou, "Not only Mr. Dugu, but Sect Master Ning as well. Sect Master Ning has been sealed by that Sword Saint Douluo and cannot use Soul Power. The royal family has exhausted every possible means and invited many powerful soul masters, yet none could break the seal. On this trip, not only must we rescue Mr. Dugu, we must also make Spirit Hall lift Sect Master Ning's seal."

Ning Fengzhi rose and bowed to Xue Ye. "Thank you for Your Majesty's concern."

Then he also bowed to Daoist Qian He. "Elder Qian He, I must trouble you."

"You are too courteous, Sect Master Ning." Qian He returned the bow.

At the side, Ye Zhou wore a solemn expression, but inwardly rolled his eyes.

Saving Dugu Bo was one thing, but now he wanted Ning Fengzhi's seal removed too. Xue Ye, just how had you managed to rule this empire? By being greedy and indulging in fantasies?

Unaware that Ye Zhou was mocking him inwardly, Xue Ye stood up and gripped his scepter. "Since the Maoshan Sect has agreed, Sect Master Ning, Sword Douluo, Marquis Ye, and Elder Qian He, please accompany me to the Martial Soul Holy Hall."

"Yes." Everyone cupped their hands in acknowledgment.

Elsewhere, in the Maoshan Sect's reception hall.

Qian Renxue was still waiting for Ye Zhou to return. She had not expected that, after accepting the soul bone from the royal family, that brat would run off to hunt for a soul ring that very day.

She knew his Soul Power had reached level twenty and that he needed to absorb his second soul ring, but did he really need to be in such a hurry? Wouldn't it have been better to first handle what he had promised the royal family? As a result, she had been arranged by Xue Ye to wait here the whole time.

Still, while being ordered by Xue Ye to wait here was quite unpleasant, Ye Zhou's disregard for the Heaven Dou Royal Family's affairs was both good and bad for her. The good part was that Heaven Dou's alliance with him was not secure. The bad part was that, as Crown Prince, she had no good way to command him and, through him, command all of Maoshan.

"It seems I'll have to find a way to improve my relationship with that brat." Qian Renxue narrowed her eyes as she thought to herself.

"Report! Your Highness the Crown Prince, Marquis Lieyan has returned. He brought a Maoshan Elder to the palace, and His Majesty is now heading toward the Martial Soul Holy Hall with them, Sect Master Ning, and Sword Douluo," a guard suddenly came over to report.

"What? He came back? And went straight to the palace?" Qian Renxue asked in shock, rising to her feet.

"Yes."

Qian Renxue frowned, then said, "Let's go to the Martial Soul Holy Hall."

"Yes!"

At once, Qian Renxue left the Maoshan Sect Grounds with the guards from the Crown Prince's Mansion and hurried toward the Martial Soul Holy Hall as well.

At this moment, within the Martial Soul Holy Hall.

Inside a secret chamber.

Dugu Bo lay on the ground, covered in blood. Yue Guan had pierced both his clavicles with hooks, and his body was covered in whip marks. Worse still, several days ago, Yan Chixia had personally crippled his Soul Power.

That was right. That bearded bastard was a complete beast. He had used his Self-Created Soul Skill to forcibly shatter Dugu Bo's martial soul and cripple his Soul Power.

Now, he was nothing more than a cripple with the empty title of Titled Douluo!

Of course, because he possessed a Head Soul Bone, his Soul Power had not been completely destroyed, but...

A level twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster—how was that any different from being crippled?

That was right. Dugu Bo had now been crippled until only level twenty-nine Soul Power remained!

"Old Yan, are we really letting him go?" Yue Guan asked Yan Chixia, still somewhat unwilling.

"Yes." Yan Chixia nodded. "He is a Guest Elder of the Heaven Dou Royal Family. If we kill him outright, it will give others something to criticize. Besides, he has already paid the price. Heaven cherishes life, so spare him."

Dugu Bo closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

Heaven cherishes life? You bastard, after ruining me so thoroughly, you still had the nerve to say that?

Where was your shame?!

"I just think it's a pity. If we cut off his head, we could still obtain a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone. Wouldn't that be better?" Yue Guan said.

He was not that petty. Dugu Bo had already become useless, so whether he lived or died did not matter. But was the soul bone that had practically fallen into their hands really just going to be lost? He was unwilling to accept that.

After all, he did not even have a single soul bone yet!

"If it were a soul bone from any other part of his body, cutting him down would be fine. But it's a Head Soul Bone. Cut it off, and he'll die. Send him back. There will be other chances to obtain soul bones in the future," Yan Chixia comforted Yue Guan.

"Fine, I'll listen to you." Yue Guan said helplessly.

"Three Elders, Xue Ye has arrived with his people," Salas came over and reported.

"See? They've come to demand him back. Come, bring Dugu Bo along and return him to them," Yan Chixia said.

"Yes, Elder Yan." Salas bowed.

Afterward, the group left the secret chamber and went to the main hall to receive Xue Ye.

When the two sides met, Xue Ye saw Dugu Bo behind Yan Chixia being dragged like a dead dog by a knight of the Martial Soul Holy Hall. His brows furrowed tightly as he opened his mouth to rebuke Yan Chixia, Ghostly, and Yue Guan for daring to inflict private punishment on a Guest Elder of the royal family.

Yan Chixia replied directly, "We're giving the man back to you. You can leave now!"

As he spoke, he waved his hand. A Temple Knight stepped forward and tossed Dugu Bo before Xue Ye.

"You..."

"Your Majesty, you know the full story well enough. Let us leave each other some dignity. Please return," Yan Chixia said, making a gesture of invitation.

Xue Ye had not expected them to release Dugu Bo so easily. He glanced back at Ning Fengzhi and Qian He behind him. Yes, it must be because I brought both the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Maoshan Sect here. Spirit Hall is afraid of provoking public outrage.

With that thought, Xue Ye said to Yan Chixia, "Fine. Mr. Dugu was indeed at fault first, but Sect Master Ning..."

"I will not undo his seal. Your Majesty, do not force the issue," Yan Chixia refused outright.

"Does Spirit Hall truly intend to become enemies with my Heaven Dou Empire?" Xue Ye gripped his scepter tightly and demanded sternly.

"That depends on Your Majesty. You should know that Sect Master Ning and Sword Douluo attacked two of Spirit Hall's Elders. After Spirit Hall won, we merely gave Sect Master Ning a minor punishment as a warning. We have already been very lenient."

"Being unable to use Soul Power for ten years is called lenient?"

"Compared to losing his life, is that not lenient?"

"You!"

"Enough. I do not want to argue with Your Majesty. I am afraid that if we keep arguing, I might scold you the way I scolded the Pope. Your Majesty, please leave," Yan Chixia said impatiently, waving Xue Ye away.

He had repeatedly interrupted him and was now waving him off like this. Such disrespect!

"Impudent!" As the ruler of a nation, Xue Ye could no longer endure it. He slammed his scepter heavily against the ground and roared.

That roar finally pushed Yan Chixia past his limit as well.

"Impudent my ass! You old bastard, have I been giving you too much face? Listen carefully: I am an Elder of Spirit Hall, not a subject of your Heaven Dou Empire. I call you 'Your Majesty' only because I am giving you face. If I do not, I can call you an old turtle bastard. What can you do about it? You foolish ruler, all you see is your petty schemes and attempts to win people over. You have no concern for the people whatsoever. Over this period, I have seen the true faces of you imperial clans and nobles clearly enough. Get the hell out! If you do not leave now, be careful, or I will make you drop dead on the spot!" Yan Chixia drew the Xuanyuan Sword, pointed it at Xue Ye, and shouted.

Seeing this, Xue Ye's heart trembled violently. He hurriedly retreated, placing Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, Qian He, and Ye Zhou in front of himself as shields.