"He was using the little authority and strength he had to brazenly abduct the Star Luo Empire's crown princess. He even went after our Shrek students."
"He even humiliated Erlong!"
"If such a villain is allowed to keep growing stronger, will there be any justice left on the Douluo Continent?"
"As a model of righteousness and the face of the Upper Three Sects, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan should step forward now, join forces with every person of principle in the world, and put down this traitor!"
Yu Yuanzhen laughed in fury and slammed his hand onto the armrest.
"Bang!"
The sturdy century-old lightning-struck wood armrest instantly crumbled to dust.
"You useless wretch!"
Yu Yuanzhen pointed at Yu Xiaogang's nose and cursed him out.
"You've been disgracing yourself out there for years, and the moment you come back, you want to drag the entire clan down with you?"
"Put Tang Yu down? What are you going to use to do that?"
"He went alone and beat those two old monsters from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect into the ground!"
"Chen Xin and Gu Rong fought together, and even I have to avoid their edge. Yet they couldn't last the time it takes an incense stick to burn against Tang Yu!"
"You want me to send the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's disciples to their deaths? All for your ridiculous personal grudge?"
Yu Xiaogang's face turned pale, then red under the scolding, but he still refused to back down.
"This isn't just a personal grudge. It's about what's right!"
"Does Father not understand the principle that when the lips are gone, the teeth will feel the cold?"
"Today he can bring the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to heel. Tomorrow, he'll be at the gates of our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!"
"If we don't strike now, before he's firmly established, we truly won't have another chance!"
Just as the two were locked in argument,
a clan elder hurried into the hall, his face panicked.
He held a red invitation embossed with gold in both hands, passed Yu Xiaogang, and knelt beneath the steps of the throne.
"Clan Master, an urgent invitation has arrived from the Northwest Three Provinces."
"The Blue Silver King Mansion is hosting a grand banquet and asks that you honor them with your presence."
The great hall fell silent in an instant.
Yu Xiaogang shut his mouth and stared at the invitation.
Yu Yuanzhen's eyelid twitched violently a few times. He raised his hand, and the invitation flew into his palm.
He opened it and read a few lines. Yu Yuanzhen's face darkened until it was blacker than the storm clouds outside.
"'Asks that you honor them with your presence.'"
Yu Yuanzhen gritted his teeth as he read the words aloud.
"This is his final warning."
The elder swallowed and reported in a low voice,
"Clan Master, word from outside says that the major powers across the world have already set out for the northwest."
"This banquet is probably..."
"I know."
Yu Yuanzhen cut the elder off and hurled the invitation onto the desk.
"This is a test!"
"Whoever doesn't go becomes his enemy, and the next thorn he'll pull out."
"This brat Tang Yu is certainly ambitious. Does he really think he can swallow the whole world in one bite?"
Seeing this, Yu Xiaogang immediately stepped forward.
"Father, look!"
"He's making it perfectly clear that he doesn't take our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan seriously."
"We absolutely can't attend this banquet. What would become of our clan's dignity?"
"Shut your mouth!"
Yu Yuanzhen glared at Yu Xiaogang, wishing he could slap this good-for-nothing son to death.
"Dignity? Can dignity put food on the table? Can it stop the killing strike of a ninety-fourth-level Titled Douluo?"
"The tide of the world is on his side now. The Heaven Dou Imperial Family is playing dead, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has become his dog."
"If I dare not go, the Black Horse Iron Cavalry could flatten this main peak by tomorrow!"
"Carry out my orders!"
Yu Yuanzhen sprang to his feet, his voice thundering through the hall.
"Choose the three finest treasures from the treasury as congratulatory gifts."
"Gather the accompanying guards. I'll make the trip to the Northwest Three Provinces myself!"
"I want to see with my own eyes just how many heads this monster—who's turned Heaven Dou and Star Luo upside down—has!"
Yu Xiaogang stood where he was, his fingernails digging deep into the flesh of his palm.
Although his plan had failed and he hadn't persuaded his father to send troops against Tang Yu,
he had to go to this banquet.
He wanted to see whether Liu Erlong had really sided with that bastard.
He wanted to find an opportunity to ruin Tang Yu's reputation.
"Father, I'm going too."
Yu Xiaogang raised his head, his tone firm.
Yu Yuanzhen had been about to refuse, but when he saw the stubborn look in Yu Xiaogang's eyes, he merely snorted.
"You can go if you want."
"But you'll stay quietly in the back."
"If you cause even the slightest trouble at the banquet and bring the clan down with you, I'll skin you alive myself!"
Ten days later.
The capital of the Northwest Three Provinces, the Blue Silver King Mansion.
The entire estate was decked out in festive decorations, with bright red lanterns hanging along every covered walkway.
The streets around the mansion were guarded at every third pace, with sentries stationed at every fifth.
Thousands of Black Horse Iron Cavalry soldiers stood fully armed, their black heavy armor glinting with a cold sheen in the sunlight.
Their heavy breathing mingled with the occasional snort of a warhorse, forming a defense line that sent chills down one's spine.
Inside the mansion, the open-air plaza was lined with more than a hundred banquet tables.
They were laden with delicacies and fine wines flown in from all across the continent.
The rich aroma of food and wine filled the air.
The leaders of all the major powers had gathered.
The clan masters, family heads, and city lords who usually threw their weight around in their own territories
had all put away their lofty airs. When they met, they wore cautious, ingratiating smiles.
They spoke in hushed voices, exchanging intelligence.
No one dared raise their voice, afraid of offending their host.
On the raised platform at the front of the plaza,
a broad, luxurious rosewood chair stood in the center.
Tang Yu wore a black robe edged in gold, embroidered with a python, and lounged casually against the backrest.
He toyed with his wine cup in one hand, his languid gaze sweeping over the crowd below like a mass of ants.
His innate air of authority weighed on everyone present, so heavily that no one dared even breathe too loudly.
Not far from Tang Yu, a slightly smaller seat had been set aside.
Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, sat upright there.
She held a cup of tea and smiled warmly at Tang Yu.
"Prince Wuyang, this banquet is truly grander than any before it."
"Even I, the Heaven Dou Crown Prince, feel outdone."
"Under your governance, these Northwest Three Provinces will surely see unprecedented prosperity."
Qian Renxue tried to use flattery to draw closer to Tang Yu.
Tang Yu didn't even turn his head. He merely took a small sip of wine.
"You flatter me, Your Highness."
"I only called everyone here to put faces to names, so no one forgets the rules on my turf."
His words were blunt, showing the crown prince no consideration at all.
The expression on Qian Renxue's face stiffened for a moment.
But she quickly recovered and covered her mouth with a light laugh.
"Your Highness is certainly frank. Qinghe admires that."
"But the situation in the world changes in the blink of an eye. With such a powerful army at your command, what are your plans for the future?"
She was still probing Tang Yu's limits.