Who Agrees, Who Opposes?

The next stop: the Breaking Clan.

The Strength Clan and the Defense Clan had already been wiped out, and the Speed Clan had submitted.

Of the Four Single-Attribute Clans, only the Breaking Clan remained.

If he were to destroy the Breaking Clan as well, this entire trip would have yielded only the Speed Clan.

The Speed Clan, which was the weakest, lived the most miserable existence, and had been suppressed by the Martial Soul Hall to the point of near-starvation.

Why would he, the Holy Son, need to make a personal trip for that?

Gu Qingshan still hoped to bring them into the fold; after all, the Breaking Clan was quite useful.

The Breaking Clan's pharmaceutical and alchemy techniques were top-tier in the world of spirit masters. The Healing Medicine, Detoxification Pill, and Soul Gathering Pill they produced were perennial best-sellers on the procurement lists of every major power.

With the Breaking Clan, the Martial Soul Hall's pharmaceutical capabilities would reach a new level.

In future wars, healing medicine and antidotes would be hard currency with massive consumption rates.

He held the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well in his hands, providing an endless supply of high-quality medicinal herbs, but ordinary pharmacists simply could not unlock the full potential of these herbs.

The Breaking Clan, however, could. They possessed the formulas, the technology, the experience, and the heritage of pharmaceutical and alchemy traditions accumulated over hundreds of years.

The herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well combined with the Breaking Clan's alchemy was a perfect match.

If he could subdue the Breaking Clan, the Martial Soul Hall's logistics would be secured.

However, Yang Wudi was a man with a stiff spine and a foul temper; his hatred for the Martial Soul Hall was not a matter of a day or two.

Back when the Martial Soul Hall suppressed the Four Single-Attribute Clans, although the Breaking Clan hadn't suffered the worst losses, Yang Wudi's only son had died in that very conflict.

Furthermore, Yang Wudi's own younger brother, Yang Wushuang, had been abducted by the Martial Soul Hall during that same battle and had been missing ever since.

He hated the Martial Soul Hall to the very marrow of his bones.

Trying to make such a man submit to the Martial Soul Hall was even harder than making Niu Gao submit.

Niu Gao was merely angry, but Yang Wudi was consumed by hatred.

If it truly came to it, he would just kill Yang Wudi and cultivate a more obedient clan leader.

As long as the Breaking Clan's heritage remained, the clan would still be useful.

The clansmen needed to eat, to cultivate, and to develop; who sat as the clan leader was not of great importance to them.

If the position of clan leader changed hands, the Breaking Clan would still be the Breaking Clan.

Yang Wudi's bones were hard, but the others might not be.

The group of four arrived at Soul Breaking City, a small city where the Breaking Clan reigned like local emperors.

It was said that the city hadn't originally been called by this name, but had been renamed by the Breaking Clan later on.

The ability to rename a city showed that the Breaking Clan's status here was exceptionally secure.

Among the Four Single-Attribute Clans, the Breaking Clan was the best off and the wealthiest.

Bai Chenxiang walked to the gates of the Breaking Clan's estate to call for entry; her pace was much more composed than it had been in Heaven Dou City.

Having followed Gu Qingshan recently, she had seen plenty of blood and experienced much of the world.

She had seen killings, the annihilation of clans, and even a Title Douluo bowing his head to apologize.

The simple act of calling at a gate was no longer a challenge.

The process remained much the same: calling out, negotiating, reporting, and meeting the clan leader.

Soon, the four of them met Yang Wudi and several elders in the main hall.

Yang Wudi was an old man nearing seventy. Although he had entered his twilight years, his physique was sturdy and brawny. Unlike the ethereal, sage-like air of Sword Douluo Chen Xin, he exuded the hardened, murderous aura of a veteran of countless battlefields.

Yang Wudi recognized at a glance that these people were from the Martial Soul Hall and spoke first: "People from the Martial Soul Hall?"

Gu Qingshan sat down on the chair opposite the main seat.

"Martial Soul Hall, Gu Qingshan."

The air in the hall stagnated slightly, and the elders exchanged glances.

The things Gu Qingshan had done previously had basically spread everywhere.

He had killed Bone Douluo, severed an arm from Sword Douluo, and forced Yu Yuanzhen to bow his head and admit his faults.

He had wiped out the Strength Clan, destroyed the Defense Clan, and subdued the Speed Clan.

In less than a month, half of the Four Single-Attribute Clans had been extinguished.

Was it now the turn of their Breaking Clan?

Those who come are not well-intentioned; those who are well-intentioned do not come.

Yang Wudi's expression did not change, but his fingers tapped rhythmically against the armrest of his chair.

That conflict from years ago was enough for him to hold a grudge for a lifetime.

Now that someone from the Martial Soul Hall was sitting in his hall, the fact that he could remain calm and not flip the table on the spot was a testament to the progress he had made in self-cultivation over the years.

"The Breaking Clan has nothing to discuss with the Martial Soul Hall." Yang Wudi's voice turned cold.

Gu Qingshan acted as if he were deliberately trying to provoke him.

"From this day forth, the Breaking Clan shall submit to Martial Soul Hall. Who is in favor, and who is opposed?"

Yang Wudi could finally take no more. He stood up abruptly, his face flushed crimson, veins bulging on his forehead as he pointed a finger at Gu Qingshan.

"Go to hell!"

His voice exploded in the hall like a thunderclap, making the windows hum and rattle.

"Submit to Martial Soul Hall? You lot killed my son, abducted my own brother, and slaughtered my clansmen! And now you want me to submit to you? Keep dreaming! Even if I die, I will never bow my head to Martial Soul Hall!"

An elder rose from his seat.

"Clan Master, calm down!"

Yang Wudi whipped his head around.

"Shut your mouth! Who gave you permission to interrupt?"

The elder's expression flickered, and he sat back down, looking deeply troubled.

The other elders lowered their heads, none daring to speak again.

That was the kind of man Yang Wudi was; he could not tolerate the opinions of others.

His temper was foul and stubborn; once he had set his mind on something, not even nine oxen could pull him back.

His hatred for Martial Soul Hall was carved into his bones and fused into his blood.

Asking him to submit to Martial Soul Hall was no different than asking him to die.

Gu Qingshan's expression remained unchanged as he took out a Blue Silver Leaf and chewed on it.

"So, there is nothing to discuss?"

Yang Wudi's knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists.

"Discuss my ass!"

Gu Qingshan nodded.

"Fine then, let's have a duel."

"A duel?"

Yang Wudi had studied Gu Qingshan; although his combat record looked terrifyingly impressive, he believed that it relied primarily on defensive counter-damage, and that his active offensive power was negligible.

His Soul Breaking Spear, however, was the perfect bane for such defensive soul masters. As long as he broke that shield, there would be nothing to fear.

One-on-one, the advantage was his!

"Don't think that having a tortoise shell makes you invincible. Witness the power of my Soul Breaking Spear!"

With that, he activated his martial soul. The Soul Breaking Spear appeared in his hand, and eight soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black—pulsed into existence.

"Martial Soul Avatar."

"Combo Skill: Shatter, Pierce, Break, Annihilate."

Yang Wudi unleashed his full firepower. A ring of black flames surged around his body, and even the Soul Breaking Spear transformed into a black-flame state, pushing penetration and destruction to their absolute limits. This strike was enough to wound a Title Douluo.

However, Yang Wudi had overestimated both his strength and his intelligence.

Gu Qingshan's counter-damage did not care whether the shield was broken or not; as long as he was attacked, he would reflect it.

Gu Qingshan raised his shield to meet the Soul Breaking Spear.

"Screech!"

The Thorn Shield was indeed broken, but it only lost half its health bar—it was neither painful nor itchy.

With a "Wildfire cannot burn it out, the spring breeze brings it back to life!"

He was back to full health!