Yu Yuanzhen Bowed His Head

Everyone inside and outside the Soul Fighting Arena was stunned.

That was a Titled Douluo. Titled Douluo were the most powerful people in the world, standing at the very peak of the Soul Master World.

A rank-ninety-five Titled Douluo was among the best of them. What was more, Yu Yuanzhen had lived for nearly a hundred years, fought countless battles, and accumulated rich experience and terrifying strength.

How could someone of that caliber be injured so badly by a single move from a boy in his teens? His ribs were broken, his abdomen torn open, and he lay on the ground, unable to move.

But that was what had happened. There was no denying it.

Yu Yuanzhen lay on his back, waves of pain surging through his chest. At least three of his ribs were broken.

He had lived nearly a hundred years, and had never been in such a sorry state.

He'd landed a powerful blow on his opponent, but the other man was completely unharmed while he lay gravely injured on the ground.

He didn't even know how the boy had done it. There was something deeply strange about him!

When Ning Fengzhi ran out of the Soul Fighting Arena, his legs were weak.

When he'd seen Yu Tianheng pointing at Gu Qingshan and cursing him in the private box, he'd known something was going to happen. But he hadn't expected Yu Tianheng to die, much less that Yu Yuanzhen would be here too.

Ning Fengzhi came to Yu Yuanzhen's side and placed his right hand on his shoulder. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's light shone in his palm, and layers of seven-colored light spread over Yu Yuanzhen's body.

Healing wasn't the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's main specialty, but with Ning Fengzhi's rank and the quality of his Martial Soul, healing injuries of this severity wasn't too difficult. It would simply take time.

As he treated Yu Yuanzhen, Ning Fengzhi furtively glanced up at the shattered window on the second floor.

A black figure stood in the window, chewing on something, his expression perfectly calm.

Ning Fengzhi lowered his head, his heart racing even faster.

Yu Yuanzhen's wounds were slowly healing, but inwardly, he was still filled with terror.

Who was this strange boy?

"Who is that man?" the injured Yu Yuanzhen asked weakly.

"Gu Qingshan, the Martial Soul Hall Holy Son."

Ning Fengzhi hesitated, then continued, "He killed Uncle Gu and severed one of Uncle Jian's arms."

Yu Yuanzhen's pupils contracted sharply. Gu Rong was dead? Chen Xin had lost an arm?

One was a rank-ninety-five defensive Titled Douluo, the other a rank-ninety-six Power Attack System Titled Douluo.

Even working together, they couldn't defeat this boy?

He'd killed one and crippled the other.

Yu Yuanzhen silently raised Gu Qingshan's threat level from "extremely dangerous" to "not to be made an enemy."

After a moment of silence, Yu Yuanzhen closed his eyes, then opened them again.

For the sake of his clan, what was wrong with acting like a grandson for once?

Then he struggled to his feet, raised his head, and looked toward the shattered window on the second floor.

"This old man failed to recognize Mount Tai and offended His Highness the Holy Son. I offer my apologies here and now. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan supports Spirit Hall's reelection of the Seven Great Sects and will be sure to attend on time." He bent deeply at the waist.

The chief of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, a rank-ninety-five Titled Douluo, bowed his head and apologized before a boy.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was known for its fiery temper. Its members possessed the Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, and their personalities were just as domineering and hot-tempered, nursing every grudge.

You killed my grandson? I'll wipe out your whole family. That was the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's style.

But Yu Yuanzhen didn't fly into a rage or charge forward to fight to the death.

He backed down, swiftly and decisively, without the slightest hesitation, leaving everyone at a loss.

No one present had expected this. They'd thought the old dragon would fight the boy to the death to save face!

There was a reason these sects had endured for centuries.

When it was time to lower your head, lower it. When it was time to bend your back, bend it.

What did pride matter?

Seeing this, Ning Fengzhi hurriedly said, "The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will participate as well."

The entire Soul Fighting Arena fell silent in an instant. Everyone watched the shattered window.

Gu Qingshan chewed on the Blue Silver Leaf.

"Good."

The farce ended there, and Gu Qingshan and his group turned to leave.

When Ma Hongjun woke up, the Soul Fighting Arena was already empty.

He was lying on a wooden bed in the arena's back room. A thin mattress lay beneath him, soaked in blood.

His trousers had been taken off, and a white cloth covered him. It was stained with blood too.

He lifted the cloth for a look, then covered himself again.

His eyes reddened, and he burst into tears.

Flender stood by the bed, his face grim. He opened his mouth, then fell silent, unsure what to say. He placed the lump of mangled flesh on a tray by the bed and turned away.

"Teacher, is there any hope for... it?"

Flender's throat bobbed. "I'm afraid there's no saving it. By the time I found it, it had already been crushed."

Ma Hongjun was overcome with grief. "Aah! Damn that Gu Qingshan! What am I supposed to do when my Evil Fire flares up from now on?!"

Yu Xiaogang stood at the foot of the bed, arms folded across his chest. "Maybe this is a good thing. Perhaps once it's gone, the Evil Fire won't flare up anymore."

Ma Hongjun's wail caught in his throat. He turned his head and stared at Yu Xiaogang as if he were insane.

Yu Xiaogang looked completely serious. His theory was that the Evil Fire Phoenix's Evil Fire came from the yang energy in its body, and that an excess of yang energy caused the Evil Fire to run out of control.

If the thing that produced the yang energy was gone, then the yang energy naturally wouldn't be excessive, and the Evil Fire naturally wouldn't flare up.

In theory, it made sense.

In a while, he'd be able to test the theory on Ma Hongjun.

Zhu Zhuqing stood in the corner, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly.

"Serves you right. That's what you get for teasing every pretty girl you see."

Ma Hongjun's eyes reddened.

"Wasn't it Teacher who said that a man who didn't dare cause trouble was a good-for-nothing?"

Flender: "..."

There was nothing wrong with what I said. Blame Hongjun's bad luck!

Yu Xiaogang sighed. "Ah, the good old Shrek Seven Devils. Now there are only five and a half left."

Ma Hongjun: "...So he only counts as half?"

It took six or seven days to travel from Heaven Dou City to Longxing City by carriage, but only three hours by air.

Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo could fly far faster than he could, so he didn't need to worry about them.

Bai Chenxiang could fly, and she was fast, but her rank was too low for her to fly for long.

Gu Qingshan glanced at her. Bai Chenxiang was looking at him too, her purple eyes full of anticipation and nervousness.

Gu Qingshan reached out with his right hand and wrapped it around her slender waist. He pushed off the ground with his toes, and his body shot into the sky.

The instant Bai Chenxiang left the ground, her body stiffened. Her hands instinctively grabbed the front of Gu Qingshan's clothes.

Three hours later, the four of them descended from the sky and landed on the main street of Longxing City.

Longxing City was a border city in the Star Luo Empire, adjoining the Heaven Dou Empire. It was an important border stronghold.

There weren't many shops lining the streets, mostly small restaurants, inns, and general stores.

The people's clothes were plainer than those in Heaven Dou City: coarse cloth garments, with few people dressed in silk.

The four of them headed straight for the Defense Clan inside the city.