Yu Luomian's Resolve

At the same time, inside the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Yu Luomian was sitting in the Sect Master's hall, happily indulging in a sweet dream.

He was imagining his elder brother successfully hunting the soul beast and returning with a soul bone, his strength skyrocketing.

By then, the status of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would be absolutely rock solid.

But this sweet dream was soon shattered.

"Second Master! It's bad! Something terrible has happened!"

A disciple scrambled into the hall, his face deathly pale, his voice trembling.

Yu Luomian frowned, displeased.

"What are you panicking about? Has the sky fallen? Why are you making such a fuss?"

The disciple fell to his knees with a thud and cried out.

"Second Master, the Soul Tablet of the Sect Master and the elders... they shattered, all of them shattered!"

"What!?"

Yu Luomian stood up abruptly, his expression changing drastically.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"Are you sure you saw it clearly? According to the timeline, they should have just arrived!"

"It is absolutely true! The message came from the shrine where the tablets are kept; the Soul Tablet of the Sect Master and all the elders have shattered! They turned into powder!"

Yu Luomian's legs went weak, and he collapsed back into his chair, his mind buzzing and turning blank.

The Soul Tablet shattered!

This meant that the people were already dead.

His elder brother was dead?

Several Soul Douluo elders were dead.

More than a dozen Soul Saint elders were dead!

The high-level combat power of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had been wiped out by ninety percent in one fell swoop.

This news struck him like a bolt of lightning; he felt as if the sky had collapsed, the earth had caved in, and the entire world had gone dark.

"No... impossible... impossible, my brother is a level 95 Title Douluo, along with so many elders, how could they all be dead?"

"Even if they encountered a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, it's impossible that not a single one could escape!"

Yu Luomian muttered to himself, unable to believe it, but the Soul Tablet could not be faked; shattered meant dead, and he had to accept the reality.

Yu Luomian's eyes turned bloodshot as he roared out an order.

"Seal the news! This information must not get out, even if it kills you! Anyone who dares to leak this will be executed without mercy!"

He knew that once this news leaked, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would truly be finished.

When a wall is about to collapse, everyone gives it a push; by then, let alone the sect, whether they could even survive would be a question.

The disciple scrambled away to pass on the order.

Yu Luomian sat in his chair, his whole body icy cold; he truly felt as if the sky had collapsed.

His elder brother was gone, and a large number of Soul Douluo and Soul Saint elders were gone.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan existed in name only; let alone the Upper Three Sects, they couldn't even compare to an ordinary sect.

Moreover, Xuan Qing would come knocking.

They had agreed to hunt the soul beast, but now the people were dead and the mission was unfinished. Xuan Qing would not let them off; when the one-month deadline arrived, it would be their death day.

Yu Luomian's mind was in a mess, and he didn't know what to do; he needed to think carefully about how to handle this massive trouble.

Run away?

Where could they run to?

The Clear Sky Sect had closed its mountain and would not take them in.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?

Would they dare to offend Xuan Qing for the sake of a mere Soul Douluo?

With the strength of Demon Dragon Douluo, he didn't believe that Sword and Bone Douluo could stop him.

Martial Soul Hall?

They would be eager for them to be wiped out; going there would be seeking death.

They only had one month, but where could they run in one month?

The world was vast, yet it seemed there was no place for them to hide.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had too many enemies; once they lost their power, those people would pounce like hungry wolves.

Yu Luomian suddenly had an idea.

Should he get a soul beast and trick Xuan Qing into believing the hunt was successful?

But he quickly dismissed the thought.

Xuan Qing was no fool; if he dared to try and fool him with fakes, Xuan Qing would absolutely wipe him out on the spot.

He had spent the entire night agonizing over it, cycling through countless ideas in his mind, but not a single one was viable. Ultimately, it boiled down to two outcomes.

Either he ran for it immediately; as long as he ran fast enough and hid well enough, Xuan Qing might not be able to find him.

But the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would truly be finished, their thousands of years of foundation destroyed in a single stroke.

Besides, where could he run to alone? Although a Soul Douluo was very strong, he was not invincible. The world was vast, and there were many who could kill him.

Or, he could go and beg for mercy.

He could plead with Xuan Qing to show some leniency.

But would Xuan Qing agree? Yu Luomian had no confidence at all.

Given Xuan Qing's temperament, cutting weeds and eliminating the roots was the norm; the possibility of him letting them off was slim.

Yet, he still held onto a sliver of hope. Perhaps Xuan Qing would spare them on the account that they had already submitted.

After all, the mastermind Yu Yuanzhen was already dead. They could completely shift the blame, claiming everything was Yu Yuanzhen's idea and that they had been coerced.

Now that Yu Yuanzhen was dead, they were willing to offer compensation and submit; perhaps Xuan Qing would soften his heart.

Yu Luomian thought for a long time and finally decided to pursue both paths simultaneously.

He would first send people to Heaven Dou City to submit to Xuan Qing and test the waters.

If Xuan Qing did not agree, he would run immediately.

He could not pin all his hopes on Xuan Qing; he had to leave himself a way out.

If Xuan Qing truly intended to kill them all, he would have no choice but to run. As long as the green hills remained, there would be no shortage of firewood.

"Someone, come here!"

Yu Luomian summoned his trusted aide.

"What are your orders, Second Master?"

Yu Luomian said in a deep voice.

"Prepare generous gifts immediately and send men to Heaven Dou City to pay a visit to Young Master Xuan Qing. Remember, the attitude must be respectful and the gifts must be valuable. Take everything of worth from the sect treasury."

The aide was slightly stunned.

"Second Master, this... the Sect Master and the others have just died, and we are going to pay respects to our enemy. Wouldn't that be... a bit too much?"

Yu Luomian glared at him.

"What do you know! If we don't bow our heads now, it will be too late once Xuan Qing comes knocking at our door! Go and prepare, we leave early tomorrow morning."

The aide dared not say more and hurried off to make preparations.

Yu Luomian sat in his chair with a complex look in his eyes. In truth, he had no confidence and didn't know if this move was right.

But there was no other way; he had to take the gamble.

He was betting that Xuan Qing was not a bloodthirsty person and that he would spare the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

If he won the bet, the sect could be preserved; if he lost, he would run immediately.

As for the others in the sect...

A ruthless glint flashed in Yu Luomian's eyes.

They could be sacrificed when necessary. As long as he could save himself, anyone could be sacrificed.

He was the Sect Master now, and what he said went. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was his; although it was a mess, it was better than having nothing at all.

"Xuan Qing... I hope you don't drive us to extinction, otherwise, even if it costs me my life, I will tear a piece of flesh off you."

His voice was laced with insecurity; he knew he didn't have the strength for that.

Inside Dugu Manor, the two were chatting idly.

"Do you think that old dragon can still come back alive?"

Xuan Qing's tone was incredibly indifferent.

"If I hadn't guessed wrong, he should be dead by now. After all, what's in that cave is certainly not some seventy-thousand-year soul beast."

"So fast?"

Xuan Qing sighed.

"That old dragon might not even be able to beat a Titan Giant Ape, and you expect him to fight the king of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear clan?"

"If he can last two swipes, I'll consider him impressive. If he can come back alive, I'll give him a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone."

Dugu Bo thought for a moment and nodded.

"That's true. That guy has no brains and is greedy to boot. Dying is what he deserves; who told him to target you and Yan Yan?"

Xuan Qing shook his head and said nothing more. Sending them to find Lord Bear had just been a whim anyway.