Meanwhile, in the imperial palace, Emperor Xue Ye's expression grew darker and darker as he listened to Xue Qinghe's report.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had seized people inside the Royal Academy. It was practically a slap in the empire's face.
They dared to do such a thing, which meant they didn't take the empire seriously at all.
But Xue Ye was more concerned about something else.
"A Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear King with cultivation exceeding a hundred thousand years? Xuan Qing really said that? Does such a thing actually exist?"
Xue Qinghe nodded.
"Father, Xuan Qing said back in Suotuo City that the Star Dou Forest has existed for so many years. How could there possibly be only two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts?"
"Now it seems he must have already confirmed it. The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear King is probably real."
Emperor Xue Ye's face turned pale. If that was true, going there this time would mean certain death for almost everyone.
Hunt the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear King? Don't be ridiculous. That was just asking to die.
In the end, Xue Ye merely issued a token imperial edict condemning the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan for causing trouble at the academy.
But he didn't take any real action. After all, Yu Yuanzhen was still around.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was, at any rate, within the borders of the Heaven Dou Empire. Although they had always remained neutral, their strength spoke for itself.
Xuan Qing wasn't afraid of their retaliation, but that didn't mean the empire wasn't.
"Qinghe, keep in close contact with Xuan Qing from now on. As far as you safely can, try to get the method for absorbing Soul Rings beyond the usual limit. This is far too important to the empire."
Xue Qinghe could only give a wry smile.
"Father, Xuan Qing already told me about that. For a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, aside from physical fitness, the only other requirement is spiritual power."
"But it's not easy to overcome the shortcomings of one's spiritual power or find treasures that can raise it. He listed three methods—"
"First: if you don't push yourself to the limit, you'll never know what you're capable of. In other words, life-or-death trials."
"Second: Mermaid's Tears, as well as the treasures that might be in the possession of Soul Beasts exceeding a hundred thousand years."
"Third: a high-quality Head Spirit Bone."
Xue Ye listened with a deep frown.
"Then how did he manage to absorb a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring for his third ring? Did he really use Mermaid's Tears?"
Xue Qinghe nodded, confirming the guess.
"Very likely. Otherwise, why would he be able to describe in such detail the effects and how to obtain something we've never even heard of? It doesn't make sense."
Xue Ye's eyes narrowed at that.
"What level of strength would it take to hunt a Hundred-Thousand-Year Mermaid that could use the sea to its advantage?"
Xue Qinghe analyzed the situation.
"Think about it. On the Douluo Continent, only Tang Hao has a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring, and even that came from his wife's sacrifice."
"And the one beside Xuan Qing? Two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings."
"That means she hunted two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts and obtained two Soul Bones. That alone proves just how terrifyingly powerful the force behind her must be."
Xue Ye drew in a sharp breath. He had only been focused on Xuan Qing before and hadn't considered so much.
Only now, after his son pointed it out, did he realize how serious the situation was.
Just how powerful would a force have to be to hunt Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts and raise a monster like her? Could it be even stronger than Spirit Hall?
At least, as far as anyone knew, Spirit Hall had only Qian Daoliu, an Ultimate Douluo—and even his life or death was unknown.
As for the force behind Xuan Qing, the fact that they could hunt Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts meant they had experts capable of contending with them. There had to be more than one, or a failed hunt would mean total annihilation.
The more Xue Ye thought about it, the more alarmed he became.
"Qinghe, do you think... the force behind Xuan Qing might be able to unify the continent?"
Xue Qinghe shook his head.
"Not very likely. Of the two, Xuan Qing is the real heart of the group, but his temperament..."
Remembering Xuan Qing's temperament, both of them breathed a sigh of relief.
That boy might be strong and sharp-tongued, but he had no ambition. He only did what he believed was right and had no interest in power.
Inside the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
After reading the report sent back by the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Ning Fengzhi's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He took several deep breaths before finally managing to calm himself.
Chen Xin also drew a deep breath.
"Considering that boy's third ring was already ten thousand years old, it's not impossible to accept that Demon Dragon Douluo had a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring for his fourth and a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring for his eighth."
Gu Rong added something.
"That boy's third Soul Ring wasn't just ten thousand years old. Judging by its aura, it was clearly over twenty thousand years old. The fluctuations in his Soul Power couldn't possibly come from a Soul Ring that had only just passed the ten-thousand-year mark."
Ning Fengzhi's face was grave.
"This time, things have gotten serious. Xuan Qing is digging a pit for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan—and it's a pit they won't escape alive."
Ning Rongrong was confused.
"Dad, you mean... Xuan Qing was lying to them? That bear-type Soul Beast wasn't seven thousand years old?"
Ning Fengzhi nodded.
"Exactly. Knowing Xuan Qing's temperament, how could he possibly let them off so easily?"
"That bear-type Soul Beast was definitely more than seven thousand years old. And he didn't say what kind it was. That's far too big a loophole."
Gu Rong wore a rather odd expression.
"Then there's a very good chance it's an extremely powerful Soul Beast. That boy really went for the throat with this trick of borrowing someone else's knife to kill. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is in for a calamity this time."
Ning Fengzhi sighed.
"If that happens, we'll have one less ally against Spirit Hall. If the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is wiped out, only we and the Clear Sky Sect will remain of the Upper Three Sects."
"The Clear Sky Sect has shut its gates and withdrawn from the world. That leaves only our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. The pressure... is too great."
Chen Xin, however, said, "They brought this on themselves. Who told them to get greedy and try to capture Xuan Qing and Dugu Yan? They kicked an iron plate. Who else can they blame?"
Ning Rongrong asked in a quiet voice, "Then what should we do? Warn the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?"
Ning Fengzhi shook his head.
"We can't warn them. If we do, we'll offend Xuan Qing. We can't afford to provoke that boy, so let's keep our heads down and protect ourselves."
Meanwhile, inside Dugu Manor, Xuan Qing was leisurely sipping tea. Zi JI stood beside him, looking as if she wanted to say something but couldn't bring herself to.
Xuan Qing glanced at her, amusement in his voice.
"If you want to say something, just say it. You don't have to hold it in."
Zi JI hesitated for a moment, then spoke.
"Senior, was it really a good idea to just toss that group to Xiong Jun? With his temper, he won't know when to hold back."
Xuan Qing set down his teacup, his tone calm.
"You know what I'm like. A gentleman's revenge may take ten years, but he never forgets. That fellow made trouble for me last time, and I haven't gotten even with him yet. This can serve as his apology."
"If they really make it back alive, then Xiong Jun should go spar with Di Tian. If he can't even deal with a bunch of useless fools, what kind of Ferocious Beast is he?"
Zi JI thought it over and agreed.
"That's true enough. As long as that stupid bear doesn't start playing around, given Xiong Jun's strength, only if Yu Yuanzhen breaks through to level ninety-seven might a few of them survive."
"A twenty-thousand-year-old Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear can tear apart a weaker Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast with its bare claws. Xiong Jun has over four hundred thousand years of cultivation, while Yu Yuanzhen is only level ninety-five. Going there is just going to feed him."
Xuan Qing nodded.
"That's why I sent them. If they survive, they earned it. If they don't, that's fate. Anyway, I gave them their chance. Who can they blame for not cherishing it?"
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