The Forces Behind the Great Soul Arena

Ye Qingxin's Healing Light flowed without end, immensely powerful.

Yet the more this was so, the graver Dugu Feng's expression became.

Even with Ye Qingxin's strength as a Soul Sage, the treatment was this strenuous.

Just how severe were Old Scorpion's injuries?

From the outside, Old Scorpion merely looked pale, without the slightest external wound.

It had to be internal injuries.

"Old Scorpion's Fifth Spirit Ability is Earth Escape. This time, he must have been struck by the enemy while underground. Although he preserved his life, the enemy's attack passed through the earth and shook his internal organs, resulting in internal injuries instead. It was clear that the gap between them was enormous. The opponent was at least a Soul Sage!"

Old Snake's voice reached Dugu Feng's ears.

He was already contemplating the current situation on the continent.

Tang DaChui severely injured Qian Xunji six years ago, around the time he himself had just been born.

That meant he was roughly the same age as Tang San.

What followed was Bibi Dong succeeding as the Pope of Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky Sect withdrawing into seclusion.

The turmoil had gradually subsided.

But with the balance of power broken, the various factions were surely making choices and competing in secret, seeking their place in the new power structure.

Moreover, Bibi Dong was both capable and ambitious when it came to expanding Spirit Hall. After all these years, she had surely begun infiltrating the Two Great Empires and the major sects.

Under such circumstances, the Dugu Family could not remain uninvolved.

He just did not know whether Old Scorpion's severe injuries had anything to do with this.

A moment later, Ye Qingxin withdrew his Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul and said, "Brother Dugu, his injuries have stabilized, but if his internal organs are to fully recover, he will need at least three more treatments!"

Fatigue showed on his face. This time, he had nearly exhausted all his strength. Ye Lingling walked over and supported him.

"Brother Ye, thank you for your hard work," Dugu Shuo said solemnly.

"Do we need such words between us?" He waved a hand, then looked at Dugu Feng with surprise. "This is Feng'er, right? I haven't seen you in years, and you're already this grown!"

"Greetings, Clan Leader Ye." Dugu Feng gave a proper, formal bow.

"No need to be so courteous, Feng'er. Just call me Uncle Ye."

Dugu Feng froze for a moment. Didn't that make him a generation above Ye Lingling?

"Greetings, Uncle Ye," he obediently called out.

Ye Qingxin smiled. "You'll soon be enrolling at Heaven Dou Junior Soul Master Academy. Lingling still has one year of studies there, so you can look after one another in the future."

"Yes, Uncle Ye!" Dugu Feng replied, glancing at Ye Lingling. She remained quite calm.

Ye Qingxin then said to Dugu Shuo, "I won't impose any longer. None of the factions are at peace, Brother Dugu. You must be careful!"

"I understand!"

Dugu Shuo answered and accompanied Ye Qingxin and Ye Lingling outside.

Dugu Feng and Old Snake approached Old Scorpion.

After a while, Old Scorpion finally recovered somewhat and opened his eyes. "It was definitely Hu Yanlie!"

Hu Yanlie was an unfamiliar name, but the Elephant Armor Sect had a Hu Yan Zhen. Could he be from the Elephant Armor Sect?

"Hu Yan Zhen is only a Soul Douluo. Does Hu Yanlie really have the nerve to attack you?" Old Snake asked coldly.

"Then it depends on whether the Elephant Armor Sect is plotting something unspeakable! Old Scorpion, was there anything unusual about the Elephant Armor Sect at this Six Families Meeting?"

After seeing Ye Qingxin and the others off, Dugu Shuo returned.

Then he explained to Dugu Feng, "Feng'er, your Martial Soul has already awakened. From now on, you must participate in the family's affairs, great and small. There are some things you should know. The Great Soul Arena, as a place for Spirit Masters to duel and for various powers to settle disputes, is the main system ensuring peace in the Spirit Master World. It is jointly controlled by the Seven Great Families, or rather, the Seven Great Powers. We are one of them. You also know what happened six years ago. After Clear Sky School withdrew into seclusion, the Defense Clan, which represented the Clear Sky Sect among the Seven Great Families, was voted out by the other six powers. But all six powers wanted that share of the benefits. This was the Great Soul Arena—rich enough to rival a nation, bringing in mountains of gold every day. Even one share of its profits was enormous. The various sides argued without end, and the temporary decision was for the six powers to split it evenly. Twice a year, Old Scorpion was sent on my orders to retrieve Half Year's Revenue this time!"

Dugu Feng was stunned. The Great Soul Arena existed in every city. Spirit Masters could duel one another there, but more importantly, it sold tickets and allowed gambling.

The Dugu Family was actually one of the Seven Great Families that controlled the Great Soul Arena.

Moreover, from Dugu Shuo's words, he realized that Dugu Shuo defined the Great Soul Arena as a place for Spirit Masters to duel and settle disputes.

That was to say, the Great Soul Arena was far more than just a place to make money.

It was more like a dueling ground, where duels were used to settle all disputes, taking the place of law.

"Then what are the other Six Great Powers?" Dugu Feng asked curiously.

"The Ge Family of the Heaven Dou Empire, the Five Element Alliance, the Zhu Family of the Star Luo Empire, the Tuoba Family, the Dai Family, and the former Defense Clan!"

Dugu Shuo patiently explained.

After hearing this, Dugu Feng immediately sensed something was off. He pondered for a moment before asking, "The Great Soul Arena does not belong to either of the Two Great Empires or Spirit Hall. Why is the Dai Family among them?"

"Let me clear that up for you. The Star Luo Empire has two Dai families. One is the Star Luo Imperial Family, while the other is the White Tiger Sect. The two Dais are inextricably linked, but they are ultimately two separate powers.

Our Heaven Dou Ge Family is utterly loyal to the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. The Two Great Empires and Spirit Hall may appear uninvolved with the Great Soul Arena, but in truth, each has powers they support.

As for the Upper Three Sects, they are also the ones moving pieces behind the scenes!" Old Snake said with a smile.

Dugu Feng understood at once.

Wasn't the Tuoba Family supported by Spirit Hall? They had established the Holy Dragon Sect and were practically one step away from openly pledging allegiance to Spirit Hall.

On Douluo Continent, when all was said and done, the Upper Three Sects, Spirit Hall, and the Two Great Empires still had the final say.

As for who supported the Dugu Family, that went without saying. At the very least, they had ties to the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.

Seeing that Dugu Feng had understood, Old Scorpion said, "This time, the representative attending the meeting on behalf of the Five Element Alliance was Hu Yanlie of the Huyan Family. He showed nothing unusual during the meeting.

But on the way back, I ran into him again. Rather than returning to his family immediately, he headed toward Sunset Forest. I guessed that he might be plotting something.

So I secretly followed him using my Earth Evasion Spirit Ability.

It turned out that Hu Yanlie had received news that they had discovered a Soul Bone and were going to hunt down the person who possessed it.

I hurried after them, but just as I was about to enter Sunset Forest, I was suddenly attacked. The attacker used a fierce, overwhelmingly powerful Spirit Ability to strike the ground, seriously wounding me underground!"

Even as Old Scorpion spoke, lingering fear remained in his voice.

"A Soul Bone?" Old Snake cried out.

Dugu Shuo's expression also shifted uncertainly.

This news was too shocking.

Even though their family was rich enough to rival a nation, they did not possess a single Soul Bone.

Such things were far too precious. Anyone who obtained one would quietly absorb it, and there was nowhere to buy one even if you wanted to.

The Dugu Family's foundation ultimately could not compare to that of the Upper Three Sects and Spirit Hall.