After the meeting ended, everyone gradually left. Only Yu Yuanzhen and his son, Yu Xiaogang, remained in the Council Hall.
Yu Xiaogang wiped the "tears" from his face and let out a long breath. A smug smile appeared on his face. "Father, how was my performance just now?"
"Not bad. You didn't embarrass me." Yu Yuanzhen rarely offered him a word of praise, then changed the subject. "You said your Luo Sanpao seemed different after it came back. What happened?"
"Oh, right!" Yu Xiaogang hurriedly summoned his Luo Sanpao.
Golden light flashed, and the pale-golden chubby dog appeared on the ground.
But this time, it really did look a little different than before.
Its body was a size larger, its fur had grown thicker, and its color had changed from pale gold to a deeper golden yellow.
Most importantly, its eyes were no longer timid and shrinking. Instead, they held a hint of ferocity and sharpness, as if it were a beast that had just awakened.
"Roo!" Luo Sanpao barked. Its voice was louder than before, carrying a faint air of intimidation.
Yu Xiaogang was both surprised and delighted. "Father, look! It really has changed! Ever since it bit Yu Tianlong's Luo Sanpao that day and absorbed a little of its blood, it's become like this! And over the past two days, I've been feeding it Soul Beast meat. It devours it several times faster than before!"
Yu Yuanzhen's eyes lit up. He stepped forward and carefully examined Luo Sanpao, placing a hand on its head to sense the changes within its body.
A moment later, he withdrew his hand, barely able to contain his excitement.
"Good! Excellent! Though it's only a trace of bloodline, it really has raised its quality by a whole level! If it can keep devouring more, it might truly evolve into a True Dragon!"
He looked at Yu Xiaogang, his gaze filled with an unprecedented fervor.
"Xiao Gang, from today onward, all the family's resources will be devoted to you. You must improve your strength as quickly as possible. Once your Luo Sanpao is strong enough, we can search for other Soul Beasts or Martial Souls with powerful bloodlines, and let you keep devouring and evolving!"
"One day, you'll become a true dragon! A True Dragon a hundred times stronger than that fake dragon, Yu Tianlong!"
As Yu Xiaogang listened to his father, the flames of ambition blazed in his eyes as well.
"Yes, Father! I won't let you down!"
He, Yu Xiaogang, was the True Dragon of the Yu Family!
Thousands of miles away, in Heaven Dou City, Dugu Manor.
Dugu Bo was tending to his precious poisonous herbs in the back garden when a Message Soul Guidance Butterfly suddenly flew over and landed on the back of his hand.
He casually read the information it carried, and then—
His expression changed drastically!
"Clatter!"
The flower hoe fell from his hand. He froze in place as if struck by lightning.
"Yu Tianlong... betrayed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and devoured his own clan?"
He repeated the message under his breath, his eyes full of disbelief.
"Suppressed by Yu Yuanzhen himself... went berserk and tried to devour his own clan... fled into the Star Dou Forest Core Area, whereabouts unknown..."
Dugu Bo's breathing grew ragged, and uncontrollable fury churned in his chest.
"Bullshit!"
He kicked over a nearby flowerpot, scattering dirt and broken porcelain everywhere. Like a furious lion, he paced back and forth across the garden, cursing under his breath.
"Yu Tianlong went berserk? Devoured his own clan? I've known that kid for two years. Don't I know what kind of person he is?! This is obviously that old fox Yu Yuanzhen's doing!"
He stopped, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "No. I have to go to the Star Dou Forest. I'll see him alive or find his corpse!"
Just as he was about to leave, a hand caught hold of him.
"Father, please calm down!" Dugu Ce came out of the house and stopped him.
"The Star Dou Forest Core Area is a place even Titled Douluo don't dare enter lightly! What if you run into a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?"
"So we're just supposed to let that kid die there for nothing?!" Dugu Bo roared.
"That's not what I mean..." Dugu Ce sighed.
"How about this? I'll send people to gather information first. If Yu Tianlong is still alive, with his abilities, he'll surely find a way to contact us. If... if something really has happened to him, then we can work out what to do next. All right?"
Dugu Bo's chest heaved violently. After a long while, he finally calmed down and nodded through gritted teeth.
"...All right. Send people to gather information first. But if I find out that old bastard Yu Yuanzhen is behind this, I, Dugu Bo, swear I'll make him pay!"
His fists clenched with a creak, and dangerous light flickered in his eyes.
While his son went to investigate, Dugu Bo hardened his heart and left anyway.
His destination: the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
A jade-green figure surged away like a furious gale, heading straight for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's residence.
Dugu Bo's dark-green robe snapped in the wind. His green hair whipped wildly in the rushing air, and his face was so gloomy it seemed water might drip from it.
He gave no notice and barged straight through the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's gates. The guards recognized Poison Douluo and didn't dare stop him; they could only hurry off to report his arrival.
"Yu Yuanzhen! Get out here!"
Dugu Bo stood in the plaza before the Council Hall, his voice crashing like thunder. The surrounding clan members turned to look, but none dared approach.
A faint layer of jade-green poisonous mist swirled around him. As he passed, the bluestone paving beneath his feet sizzled softly, leaving faint marks of corrosion.
Before long, Yu Yuanzhen appeared at the entrance to the Council Hall. He had changed into the formal purple-and-gold robe of the clan head. His expression was calm and revealed no joy or anger, as if he had long expected Dugu Bo to come demanding an explanation.
"Brother Dugu, what has you so angry?" Yu Yuanzhen descended the steps, his tone unruffled. "Let's talk this out. There's no need to lose your composure in front of the younger generation."
"Don't give me that!" Dugu Bo pointed at his nose without the slightest courtesy, fury in his eyes. "Tell me, where's Yu Tianlong?!"
"Yu Tianlong?" Yu Yuanzhen raised an eyebrow, then sighed and put on a look of regret.
"Brother Dugu, haven't you heard? The boy went berserk and tried to devour his own clan. I wounded him, but he fled into the Star Dou Forest Core Area. I'm afraid he's already..."
"Bullshit!" Dugu Bo cut him off, his voice trembling with anger.
"I know Yu Tianlong better than you do! He'd never do anything like devouring his own clan! Yu Yuanzhen, what did you do to him?!"
Yu Yuanzhen's expression darkened. "Brother Dugu, this is a private matter of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. You're an outsider. Aren't you overstepping by interfering?"
"A private matter?" Dugu Bo sneered. "That boy called me 'Senior' for two years. His life is my business! You'll give me an explanation today!"
Their gazes collided, sparks flaring invisibly between them. The clan members nearby sensed the tension, with tempers ready to explode, and hurriedly backed away, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.