Among the Upper Three Sects, the Clear Sky Sect had secluded itself from the world, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had no ties to me. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, however, was different.
Yu Tianheng was the young sect master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect. He and my granddaughter were in love, and the two of them might even have... well, done that. When he heard that Yan Yan had been injured, he'd rushed over immediately to care for her. After learning who had hurt her, he hadn't backed down. He was just as furious as I was and wanted revenge. He would definitely help me.
Of course, I was the mighty Poison Douluo. I didn't need a Soul Elder like him to team up with me against Xue Hen. The one I truly needed was this brat's grandfather—Thunder Douluo, Yu Yuanzhen!
Yu Yuanzhen was a level ninety-five Power Attack System Titled Douluo, with the world's greatest Beast Martial Soul, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. At the sect tournament held across the continent years ago, he had defeated Gu Rong in the arena. His formidable strength had been enough to make anyone stare.
If he joined forces with me, perhaps we could take on that damned villain, Xue Hen.
Come to think of it, Xue Hen had caused a huge stir at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect not long ago. He was also at odds with Ning Fengzhi's cousin, that Balaque Princess Consort named Ning Pianpian. Maybe I could get in touch with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect too, and we could help one another.
Yes. With me, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect joining forces, taking down Xue Hen would be no problem.
Then Yan Yan's vengeance would be served!
The thought filled Dugu Bo with excitement. Suddenly, he felt that... perhaps things weren't as grim as he'd thought. There was still hope of getting revenge.
He turned to Yu Tianheng and began, "Young Master Yu, you..."
"Tianheng!"
He had barely gotten the word "you" out when a shout came from outside the room.
Everyone turned to look. A burly, middle-aged man in a blue outfit stood in the doorway.
"Second Granduncle?" Yu Tianheng rose to his feet, surprise flashing in his eyes.
"Vice Sect Master." The student who had come to inform Yu Tianheng hurriedly bowed when he saw the newcomer.
The man was none other than Yu Yuanzhen's younger brother, Yu Luomian, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's second-in-command.
"Tianheng, come outside. I need to speak with you." Yu Luomian didn't greet Dugu Bo. He ignored him completely, clasped his hands behind his back, and addressed Yu Tianheng sternly.
"Yes, Second Granduncle." Yu Tianheng agreed without hesitation, then walked toward the door. The student who had brought the message followed close behind.
Watching them leave, Dugu Bo furrowed his brows. For some reason, a bad feeling had come over him.
Time trickled by, but Yu Tianheng never returned.
"Strange. Why hasn't the boss come back yet? What are he and his grandfather talking about out there? I'll go take a look," Osler said, puzzled, and headed outside to see what was happening.
A little while later, Osler came running back and shouted to everyone, "This is bad! I couldn't find the boss outside. I asked around, and someone saw Vice Sect Master Yu knock him out and carry him away. He said he was taking him home and locking him up so he wouldn't do anything foolish."
"Bang!" At that, Dugu Bo kicked over the table beside him.
Now he understood.
He understood why Yu Luomian had come.
The old man knew about Yu Tianheng's relationship with Yan Yan. When he heard she'd been injured by Xue Hen, he must have worried that Yu Tianheng would offend Xue Hen for her sake. So he'd rushed over to knock him out and take him home.
At the same time, he'd made the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's position clear: they wouldn't offend a Super Douluo for the sake of Yan Yan, the girlfriend of their young sect master!
"Bastard!" Dugu Bo cursed furiously.
The hope that had just appeared had vanished in the blink of an eye.
"No, it hasn't vanished yet. Even if the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect won't get involved, there's still hope if the old man can join forces with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect." Dugu Bo took a deep breath and told himself this.
"Fengzhi, how about leaving them here?" In an alley beside the Four Seasons Inn in the south of Heaven Dou City, Chen Xin held two people who had been tied up like bundles and asked Ning Fengzhi beside him.
Just as Xue Hen had told Xue Ye, his scheme of restoring Queen Wang's honor and opening the Imperial Ancestral Temple to lure him out was hardly subtle. Plenty of people could see through his intentions, including Ning Fengzhi, who had long suspected that Xue Hen might be in Heaven Dou City.
After deciding to abandon Ning Pianpian and her son and end his conflict with Xue Hen, Ning Fengzhi had brought Chen Xin with him that very day and taken Ning Pianpian and her son here.
Then he heard about Emperor Xue Ye's decree and guessed that the other party was trying to draw Xue Hen out.
So he sent some disciples from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to visit the Imperial Ancestral Temple and dispatched numerous spies throughout the city. They learned that Xue Hen had appeared at the Imperial Ancestral Temple and that Emperor Xue Ye had repeatedly tried to claim kinship with him and recruit him. They also discovered that Xue Hen was staying at the Four Seasons Inn right next door. So Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin brought Ning Pianpian and her son here.
Ning Fengzhi looked over the alley and nodded. "Here will do, Uncle Jian."
"Fine." At his answer, Chen Xin swept both arms out, throwing the mother and son he had been holding. They tumbled to the ground in a heap.
"Cousin, you can't treat us this way! We're family, flesh and blood!" Just days ago, Ning Pianpian had been protected by everyone in the sect. Now the very people who had protected her were abandoning her—not merely leaving her behind, but dumping her right beside her enemy. She couldn't accept it. Ignoring the pain from her fall, she looked up at Ning Fengzhi and cried, hoping to awaken his family affection at this final moment.
But...
"Those who gave birth to me and those born of me are my flesh and blood." Ning Fengzhi looked down at Ning Pianpian, sprawled on the ground, and spoke calmly.
"Pianpian, the sect has done more than enough for you. For years, you relied on Kundera's favor to meddle in the sect's business in the Balak Kingdom. You know exactly how many kickbacks you took. When some ministers in the Balak Kingdom opposed your son becoming heir, you asked the sect to get rid of them, and the sect did it. We helped you with plenty of other shady business, too. There's nothing the sect can do about the mess we're in now. If anyone's to blame, it's you for not finishing the job cleanly back then. If you hadn't let Xue Hen escape and had eliminated him early, he wouldn't have become a Super Douluo and turned on you for revenge."
"For your sake, Uncle Bone was injured by him. You're a member of the Ning family. You don't want to see the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect slaughtered by that monster until the streets run red with blood, do you?"
"I... Cousin, I was wrong. I shouldn't have taken kickbacks. I'll reflect on it—I really will. Tian'er, hurry and beg your uncle for mercy! Tian'er!"
Hearing his mother, Xue Tian, who had been sprawled nearby and crying out from the pain of his fall, looked toward Ning Fengzhi. "Uncle, I..."
"Tian'er, be good. In your next life, your uncle will treat you well." Meeting Xue Tian's eyes, Ning Fengzhi smiled at him before he could finish speaking.
Then he wiped the smile from his face and said to Chen Xin, "Uncle Jian, cut out their tongues, so they can't spout nonsense when Xue Hen sees them."
"Mm." Chen Xin nodded. Then he opened his right hand. Whoosh! The Seven Kill Sword appeared in his grasp.
Inside the Four Seasons Inn.
The instant Chen Xin awakened his Seven Kill Sword Martial Soul, Xue Hen's eyes snapped open in his guest room. He had been meditating with his eyes closed.
He turned toward the east, his gaze deep, and murmured, "What a fine sword!"
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