Yu Luomian's Resolve

At the same time, Yu Luomian was sitting in the Sect Master Hall of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, happily daydreaming.

He imagined his elder brother returning from the Soul Hunting expedition with a Soul Bone, his strength greatly increased.

By then, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's standing would be even more secure.

But that beautiful dream was soon shattered.

"Second Master! This is bad! Something terrible has happened!"

A disciple came tumbling into the hall, his face deathly pale and his voice trembling.

Yu Luomian frowned, displeased.

"What are you panicking for? Has the sky fallen? What's so serious that you're making such a fuss?"

The disciple dropped to his knees and cried out,

"Second Master, the Sect Master and the elders' Soul Tablets... they've shattered. Every last one!"

"What!?"

Yu Luomian sprang to his feet, his expression changing drastically.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"Are you sure you saw clearly? By my calculations, they should have only just arrived!"

"It's absolutely true! Word came from the memorial tablets' shrine. The Sect Master's and all the elders' Soul Tablets have shattered! They've been reduced to powder!"

Yu Luomian's legs went weak, and he slumped back into his chair. His head buzzed, and his mind went blank.

The Soul Tablets had shattered!

That meant they were dead.

His elder brother was dead?

Several Soul Douluo elders were dead.

More than a dozen Soul Saint elders were dead!

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had lost almost ninety percent of its high-level fighting force in one fell swoop.

The news struck him like a bolt from the blue. He felt the sky collapse and the earth sink beneath him, plunging the whole world into darkness.

"No... Impossible... This can't be. My brother was a Rank 95 Titled Douluo, and he had so many elders with him. How could they all have died?"

"Even if they'd encountered a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, it wouldn't be possible for not one of them to escape!"

Yu Luomian muttered to himself, unable to believe it. But Soul Tablets didn't lie. Shattered meant dead, and he had to accept reality.

Yu Luomian's eyes were bloodshot as he roared his orders.

"Seal off the news! This information must never get out, even if you die! Anyone who leaks it will be killed without exception!"

He knew that if this news got out, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would truly be finished.

When the wall fell, everyone would push it over. By then, forget the sect—whether any of them could stay alive would be a question.

The disciple scrambled away to deliver the order.

Yu Luomian sat in his chair, ice-cold all over. Now he truly felt as if the sky had fallen.

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

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was already a sect in name only. Forget the Upper Three Sects—it couldn't even measure up to an ordinary sect.

And Xuan Qing would come knocking, too.

They had agreed to hunt a Soul Beast. Now their people were dead, and the task remained unfinished. Xuan Qing wouldn't let them off. When the one-month deadline arrived, it would be the end of them.

Yu Luomian's mind was in a mess. He had no idea what to do. He needed to think carefully about how to handle this enormous predicament.

Run?

Where could they run?

The Clear Sky Sect had sealed its gates. It wouldn't take them in.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?

Would they really offend Xuan Qing for the sake of one Soul Douluo like him?

With Demon Dragon Douluo's strength, he didn't think Sword and Bone Douluo could stop him.

Spirit Hall?

They'd be only too happy to see the clan wiped out. Going there would be suicide.

They had only one month. But where could they get to in a month?

The world was vast, yet it seemed there was nowhere they could call home.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had too many enemies. The moment they lost their power, those people would descend on them like a pack of starving wolves.

A thought suddenly occurred to Yu Luomian.

Could he find a Soul Beast and trick Xuan Qing into believing they'd completed the hunt?

But he quickly dismissed the idea.

Xuan Qing wasn't a fool. If he dared try to pass off a fake, Xuan Qing would wipe him out on the spot.

He spent the whole night thinking through countless options, but not one was workable. In the end, there were only two possible outcomes.

He could run away. As long as he ran fast enough and hid well enough, Xuan Qing might not be able to find him.

But then the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would truly be finished, its millennia-old foundation destroyed in an instant.

And where could he go alone? A Soul Douluo was powerful, but not invincible. In this vast world, there were plenty of people who could kill him.

Or he could swallow his pride.

He could beg Xuan Qing to show mercy.

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

With Xuan Qing's temperament, cutting down the roots to prevent regrowth was the usual course. There was little chance he'd spare them.

Still, Yu Luomian clung to a sliver of hope. Perhaps Xuan Qing would let them go because they'd already submitted.

After all, the mastermind, Yu Yuanzhen, was already dead. They could shift all the blame onto Yuyuan Town, claiming that it had all been Yu Yuanzhen's idea and that they'd been forced into it.

Now that Yu Yuanzhen was dead, they were willing to pay compensation and surrender. Maybe Xuan Qing would show mercy.

Yu Luomian thought it over for a long time and finally decided to pursue both paths at once.

First, he would send someone to Heaven Dou City to submit to Xuan Qing and sound him out.

If Xuan Qing refused, they would run at once.

He couldn't pin all his hopes on Xuan Qing. He had to leave himself a way out.

If Xuan Qing truly intended to wipe them out, he could only run. As long as the green hills remained, he wouldn't have to worry about firewood.

"Guards!"

Yu Luomian summoned his trusted subordinate.

"What are your orders, Second Master?"

Yu Luomian said gravely,

"Prepare generous gifts at once and send someone to Heaven Dou City to pay a visit to Young Master Xuan Qing. Remember to be respectful, and make the gifts valuable. Bring out everything of worth from the sect's treasury."

His trusted subordinate hesitated.

"Second Master, this... the Sect Master and the others just died. If we go pay a visit to our enemy right away, won't that be... a bit much?"

Yu Luomian glared at him.

"What do you know? If we don't bow our heads now, it'll be too late once Xuan Qing comes knocking! Hurry and prepare. We leave first thing tomorrow morning."

His trusted subordinate didn't dare say anything more and hurried off to make preparations.

Yu Luomian sat in his chair, his expression complicated. Truthfully, he had no confidence and didn't know if this was the right move.

But he had no choice. He could only take a gamble.

He would gamble that Xuan Qing wasn't bloodthirsty, and that he would spare the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

If he won, the sect could still be saved. If he lost, he would run at once.

As for everyone else in the sect...

A ruthless glint flashed through Yu Luomian's eyes.

They could be sacrificed if necessary. As long as he could protect himself, anyone could be sacrificed.

He was the Sect Master now. What he said went. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan belonged to him, even if it was a complete mess. That was still better than having nothing.

"Xuan Qing... I hope you won't wipe us out. Otherwise, even if it costs me my life, I'll bite off a piece of you."

His voice betrayed his lack of confidence. He knew he didn't have the strength to do that.

Inside Dugu Manor, two people were chatting.

"Do you think that old dragon will make it back alive?"

Xuan Qing's tone was utterly calm.

"If I'm not mistaken, I should already be dead by now. After all, what's in that cave isn't some seven-thousand-year-old Soul Beast."

"That fast?"

Xuan Qing sighed.

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

"If he lasted through two slaps, I'd consider him impressive. If he came back alive, I'd give him a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone."

Dugu Bo thought it over, then nodded.

"True. That fellow's stupid and greedy. He deserved to die. Who told him to target you and Yan Yan?"

Xuan Qing shook his head and said nothing more. Having them go look for Xiong Jun had only been a whim in the first place.