After Ice Dragon King and Earth Dragon King gave Fire Dragon King one last look, they began to swear their oaths.
"I, (Earth Dragon King/Ice Dragon King), swear in the name of the Dragon God that from this day forth, I will serve Lord Yu Tianshuo. I will be his slave and his dog, go through fire and water for him, and climb mountains of swords for him. Should I ever break this oath, may the Dragon God bring down divine punishment upon me!"
As soon as the words fell, wisps of golden light appeared in Yu Tianshuo's space. No one knew where the light had come from, but it all streamed into Earth Dragon King and Ice Dragon King.
The instant the golden light vanished, Yu Tianshuo and Erlong both sensed a connection formed by some sort of contract.
They were both stunned and looked at each other, each assuming the other had done it.
But Yu Tianshuo felt no restrictions from the contract, so he stopped dwelling on its strange origins.
Instead, he formed two three-colored spirals in his palms and flicked them toward Ice Dragon King and Earth Dragon King.
Neither resisted. But the instant the spirals entered their bodies, they both fell to their knees, crying out in pain.
Watching them kneel like a pair of dying dogs, Yu Tianshuo calmly explained what the spirals did.
"The spirals I just planted in your bodies carry my absolute understanding of my own power. They won't shatter your souls outright, but every second, they'll slowly grind your souls to pieces, then restore them, making you feel the agony of having your souls torn apart every moment."
Watching Earth Dragon King and Ice Dragon King kneel on the ground like dying dogs, Yu Tianshuo remained calm.
Did that mean he understood and forgave them?
No. Of course not. On the contrary, the contract and the torment were meant to humiliate them utterly.
Just imagine it: someone who once commanded the palace, lofty and untouchable, now kneeling and saying he would become your slave. The blow to his pride would hurt far more than any physical pain.
Why not just kill them?
Their information was still useful, and keeping them alive would also keep Fire Dragon King in check, so he wouldn't turn against Yu Tianshuo when his loved ones were gone.
If Fire Dragon King really did turn against him, all Yu Tianshuo had to do was say:
"You wouldn't want your brothers to lose their lives because of you, would you?"
He would calm down at once and get back to work without complaint.
With a casual wave, Yu Tianshuo opened a rift above the sea of consciousness.
On the other side of the rift lay Yu Tianshuo's Soul Core.
After tossing the two dragon kings through, Yu Tianshuo prepared to return and check on his master.
He had no idea whether the Firm Investment Device had revived his master or was merely keeping him alive. He needed to check as soon as possible.
But just then, Fire Dragon King spoke from where he lay on the ground.
"Please, I'm begging you! Give our brothers a chance. Please!"
Fire Dragon King pushed himself up from his prone position and knelt before Yu Tianshuo, kowtowing again and again, smashing his head heavily against the ground.
Yu Tianshuo didn't answer. He simply faded away from the sea of consciousness.
Just as Fire Dragon King was about to sink into utter despair, Yu Tianshuo's voice reached his ears.
"We'll see how you behave."
With that, Yu Tianshuo returned to reality, a cold smile on his lips.
But when he saw Dugu Bo standing in the distance, the cold smile vanished, replaced by deep delight!
He shot toward Dugu Bo and, in an instant, wrapped his arms around him.
He hit him with such force that he carried Dugu Bo flying dozens of meters, until they slammed into a mountain and finally came to a stop.
Yu Tianshuo kept hugging him, while Dugu Bo sucked in breath after breath of cold air.
This kid's gotten even stronger.
As he thought this, he first patted Yu Tianshuo twice.
Then he punched Yu Tianshuo squarely in the head, putting so much force into it that even Yu Tianshuo was knocked flat on the ground.
He stared up at Dugu Bo in a daze, with no idea what his master was playing at.
Dugu Bo flicked the dust off his newly changed clothes, then rubbed his aching lower back. Looking at Yu Tianshuo, he said in exasperation,
"Let's see if you'll be so reckless next time. You had no strength to back it up, yet you barged straight into such a dangerous place. You got lucky this time, but what about next time? I'm telling you..."
Seeing his master start lecturing him, Yu Tianshuo didn't dare talk back. He could only sit there obediently and take it.
But he was still overjoyed inside, thinking how wonderful it was to have a master.
Fifteen minutes passed.
Thirty minutes passed.
By the forty-fifth minute, Yu Tianshuo couldn't take it anymore. How could his master talk so much—and never repeat himself?
He hurriedly changed the subject.
"Master, let me interrupt you for a second. Where's my senior brother? Is he waiting for us outside the space?"
At that question, Dugu Bo froze. Seeing him freeze, Yu Tianshuo froze too.
They stared at each other, both seeing the same bewilderment in the other's eyes.
Before Yu Tianshuo could say anything, Dugu Bo vanished from the spot. It seemed he had gone to look for his senior brother along the same route they had taken before.
Yu Tianshuo brushed the dust off his pants and took one last look at the battlefield where he had fought Earth Dragon King.
Then he followed his master to find his good senior brother.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
"Dad! Junior Brother!"
"Where are you?! Help!!!"
Watching Dugu Yuan dart around as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast chased him, Yu Tianshuo and Dugu Bo both fell silent.
"Master, why don't I..."
Yu Tianshuo was about to offer to deal with it himself, but Dugu Bo waved him off, signaling that there was no need to intervene.
Then the two of them sat on a tree branch and watched Dugu Yuan get chased.
They hadn't watched for long when Dugu Bo asked Yu Tianshuo,
"Have you dealt with the thing inside you?"
Yu Tianshuo wasn't surprised that Dugu Bo knew something. After all, he had never tried to hide it.
He answered jokingly,
"How can you be sure I'm not one of the things inside him? Maybe the person standing in front of you has already been possessed."
Dugu Bo looked at Yu Tianshuo with utter exasperation, his eyes full of pity for a fool.
Yu Tianshuo couldn't endure that look for long. It was far too insulting. He raised his hands in surrender and said,
"All right, all right, I'll stop joking. It's been dealt with. I've locked up the masterminds and the culprits. They'll be punished, and their shattered souls will become nourishment for me."
"So everything's been taken care of. Master, you can absorb this Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast without worrying."
Seeing his disciple once again acting all carefree and silly, Dugu Bo smiled helplessly. Still, he punched Yu Tianshuo in the head.
Afterward, he started ruffling Yu Tianshuo's hair again and said quietly,
"Tian Shuo, do you ever think your master is useless? I'm supposed to be your master, yet you have to handle so many things yourself."
Yu Tianshuo gazed at Dugu Bo. Just as Dugu Bo was about to say more, Yu Tianshuo patted him on the shoulder.
Then, under Dugu Bo's puzzled gaze, he said in a maddeningly smug tone,
"You'll understand when you're my age."
Before you continue