Heaven and Earth Turned Upside Down: Yu Tianlong Betrays the Clan and Wants to Devour Yu Xiaogang

Yu Tianlong followed Bi Ji along the shore of the Lake of Life, heading toward the towering ancient tree.

The ground beneath his feet was soft and damp. It felt like walking on a thick velvet carpet, and with every step, tiny green lights rose from the earth and circled his ankles, as if welcoming his arrival.

Bi Ji walked ahead of him, light on her feet, her white robes fluttering like a woodland spirit. She didn't hurry him along, but slowed her pace to give Yu Tianlong time to adjust to his surroundings.

"Your name is Yu Tianlong, right?" Bi Ji turned her head slightly, her voice as gentle as a spring breeze.

"Yes, Senior Bi Ji."

"No need to call me senior. Just call me Bi Ji." She smiled faintly, her smile like the warm spring sun, putting him at ease without him even realizing it.

"You said earlier that your family was hunting you?"

At the mention of it, Yu Tianlong's expression darkened at once.

"Yes." His voice carried barely restrained fury. "Yu Yuanzhen, the head of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. He seemed to care for me deeply, giving me all kinds of cultivation resources, but in truth, he was raising me like livestock, fattening me up before slaughter so his son, Yu Xiaogang, could devour my Luo Sanpao and steal my talent."

He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. "If I hadn't kept my wits about me and let Little Silver absorb a Space-type Soul Ring, then used Space Jump to escape at the critical moment, I'd be a corpse by now."

Bi Ji's brow furrowed slightly, and a flicker of pity and heartache crossed her eyes. Looking at the boy before her, no more than eight or nine years old, she could hardly imagine the betrayal and pursuit he had endured.

"The human world can indeed be more ruthless than the world of Soul Beasts."

She spoke softly, with a hint of wistfulness in her voice. "Soul Beasts mostly fight over survival and territory. They're straightforward and never hide their intentions. But humans... can hide a knife behind a smile, and stab you in the back when you least expect it—even if you're the closest of kin."

She stopped and turned to face Yu Tianlong, looking at him earnestly.

"You made the right choice in staying in the Star Dou Forest. You won't be betrayed here. Soul Beasts may be savage, but they're never hypocritical."

Yu Tianlong raised his head and met Bi Ji's clear, limpid eyes. The anger in his heart eased a little. He nodded.

"Thank you, Bi Ji. I know that with my current strength, I'm not yet powerful enough to take revenge. I'll cultivate hard here. Once I'm strong enough, I'll settle the score with them."

"It's good that you can think that way." Bi Ji nodded in approval and continued walking.

"Since Lord Di Tian agreed to let you stay, it means he recognizes you. You should treasure this opportunity. Not just anyone can enter the core area of the Star Dou Forest."

They reached the base of the ancient tree, where a doorway had formed naturally from vines and branches. Bi Ji gently pushed it, and the vines parted on their own, revealing a spacious hollow in the tree.

The hollow was unexpectedly roomy, spanning dozens of square meters. Its walls were made of smooth wood and gave off a faint, pleasant fragrance.

A few fist-sized night pearls hung from the ceiling, casting a soft glow that illuminated the entire space.

In one corner stood a bed woven from supple vines and covered with a thick layer of snow-white fur—the hide of some kind of Soul Beast, wonderfully soft to the touch.

"You can stay here for now," Bi Ji said. "If you need anything, come find me anytime. I live beneath the Silver Leaf Tree across the lake."

"Thank you, Bi Ji," Yu Tianlong said sincerely.

Bi Ji smiled faintly and turned to leave the hollow. Before she went, she added, "Get some good rest. Lord Di Tian will come see you tomorrow to talk about your two Luo Sanpao."

After watching Bi Ji leave, Yu Tianlong finally let out a long breath and slumped onto the soft bed.

Little Gold and Little Silver hopped onto the bed as well, one on either side of him.

Little Gold rubbed its head against his arm, while Little Silver flopped right onto his stomach, eyes half-closed as it let out a contented purr.

"We're safe for now." Yu Tianlong rubbed the heads of the two little ones and spoke softly.

"But we can't let our guard down. Yu Yuanzhen won't let this go. Once he gets back, he'll surely smear my name and brand me a traitor to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. My reputation must already be in tatters."

He paused, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"But it doesn't matter. Once I find the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well and absorb those Immortal Herbs, my strength will soar. Then I'll show them that offending me, Yu Tianlong, was the stupidest decision they ever made."

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, the atmosphere at the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's stronghold was grim.

Yu Yuanzhen had returned to the clan with Yu Xiaogang. But sharp-eyed observers noticed that three people had left together, while only two had come back.

Yu Tianlong was missing.

A clan elder stopped Yu Yuanzhen outside the council hall and asked in confusion, "Clan Head, where's Tianlong? Why didn't he come back with you?"

Yu Xiaogang's face instantly paled, and he lowered his head, not daring to speak.

Yu Yuanzhen glanced at the elder impassively and said flatly, "Call a clan meeting at once. I have something important to announce."

Seeing his expression, the elder didn't dare ask anything more. He hurried off to inform the clan's other senior members.

Half an hour later, the council hall of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan blazed with lamplight.

All the clan's core members had gathered—the elders, the heads of the various branches, and the direct descendants who held some standing in the clan.

They murmured among themselves, trying to guess why the Clan Head had suddenly called a meeting.

Yu Yuanzhen stood before the seat of honor, his expression grave as he surveyed everyone present. Yu Xiaogang stood half a step behind him, head bowed, hands nervously clutching the hem of his clothes.

"Everyone," Yu Yuanzhen began, his voice low and stern. "I called you all here today to announce something very important."

The murmur in the hall gradually died away, and everyone focused their attention on Yu Yuanzhen.

"It concerns Yu Tianlong."

He paused, his face taking on an expression of profound grief.

"I always thought he was a once-in-a-century genius for our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the clan's hope for the future. So I invested heavily in him, personally guided his cultivation, and even took him to the Star Dou Forest myself to hunt for a Soul Ring. But I never imagined... he would let me down."

Whispers broke out beneath the hall's roof. Several elders exchanged baffled looks.

"What happened to him?" asked First Elder Yu Yuankun with a frown.

Yu Yuanzhen drew a deep breath, as if steeling himself to reveal a heartbreaking truth. "He's gone mad from cultivation deviation."

"What?!"

"Cultivation deviation?"

"How could that be?"

The hall erupted at once.

Yu Yuanzhen raised a hand to quiet everyone, then continued.

"His Luo Sanpao Martial Soul can devour and evolve. That should have been a good thing. But he became obsessed with this power and gradually went down the wrong path. He was no longer content with devouring Soul Beasts. He turned his sights on his own kind—he wanted to devour other Soul Masters' Martial Souls to strengthen himself."

His voice grew heavy with grief. "This time, in the Star Dou Forest, he even went after Xiaogang. He wanted to devour Xiaogang's Luo Sanpao! Fortunately, I caught him in time and stopped him. But he'd already gone completely mad. Not only did he refuse to repent, he attacked me and then fled deep into the Star Dou Forest."