Spirit Hall Demanded Payment and Applied Pressure; the Blue Lightning Clan Paid a Painful Price

Qian Daoliu watched Yu Yuanzhen's pale face, rolling pale golden soul power between his fingertips. His tone was calm, yet carried an unquestionable pressure:

"Since Spirit Hall has already revised and released the texts, there is little point in recovering them."

"But Yu Xiaogang stayed in the Library Pavilion for two years. Only he knows how many books' contents he examined. Besides, what he stole was not merely knowledge, but the painstaking work of generations of Spirit Hall's predecessors-this 'tuition fee' must be paid."

Qian Daoliu watched Yu Yuanzhen's pale face, lightly tapping his fingertips against his palm. His tone was calm, yet carried an authority that brooked no argument:

"Sect Master Yu, you should know the consequences of being caught secretly learning another sect's confidential teachings."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan disciples peeking out from behind the mountain gate, and abruptly raised his voice:

"What Yu Xiaogang did in Spirit Hall has already been announced across the continent. He occupied our Library Pavilion for two years. What he stole was not merely our texts, but the painstaking work of generations of Spirit Hall's predecessors. Someone must pay this 'tuition fee.'"

The moment Qian Daoliu finished speaking, Golden Crocodile stepped forward. The pale golden soul power at his fingertips suddenly condensed into a blade of light as fine as a strand of hair, which he lightly swept through the air before him.

An invisible wave of force spread outward. The snow before the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's mountain gate parted evenly to either side, exposing the dark blue-black rock beneath, as though an invisible hand had split the ground open.

Qian Daoliu said nothing more, merely nodding to Golden Crocodile. Golden Crocodile understood these matters better than he did.

"How much do you think the texts Yu Xiaogang secretly studied over those two years are worth, Sect Master Yu?"

"How much do you want?"

"That depends on your clan's sincerity-for instance, three soul bones and half the resources in your clan's storehouses."

Golden Crocodile continued, his voice quiet, yet striking everyone's hearts like a heavy hammer.

Yu Yuanzhen looked as though lightning had struck him, while the elders behind him erupted into an uproar.

The elders behind Yu Yuanzhen immediately erupted into an uproar.

"Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones are the clan's supreme treasures, and half our resources are essential to keeping the clan running throughout the year. This is a lion opening its jaws to swallow everything!"

Jiang Mo stepped forward with the Coiling Dragon Staff over his shoulder, his black-gold soul power making the surrounding snow tremble:

"Supreme treasures? Compared to the mess Yu Xiaogang made, what do these trifles amount to? If my eldest brother weren't merciful, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's mountain gate would already have been flattened!"

Yu Yuanzhen's chest heaved violently. He knew Jiang Mo spoke the truth.

With the strength of the men before him, destroying the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would take no more than a flick of the hand.

"Don't push us too far!"

A white-bearded elder shouted angrily.

"Do you truly think the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has no one capable of standing against you?"

"Insolence!"

"Which of the texts in Spirit Hall's Library Pavilion did not cost generations their painstaking efforts?"

The grand elder behind Yu Yuanzhen could not restrain an angry shout:

"Do not bully us beyond endurance! Even if Yu Xiaogang was wrong, that does not give you the right to open your jaws like a lion and demand everything!"

"Bully you beyond endurance?"

Golden Crocodile slowly turned, his golden eyes sweeping over that elder as his soul power surged out like a tide. The elder instantly felt as though he had plunged into an icy abyss, and his legs gave way, sending him to his knees.

"When your father brought you to visit Spirit Hall all those years ago, did he teach you the meaning of 'proper conduct'?"

Golden Crocodile took a step forward. The pressure of his level 98 soul power bore down like dark clouds overhead, and even the wind and snow throughout the Icebound Mountains seemed to freeze for an instant.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan disciples turned deathly pale, many retreating despite themselves. Only Yu Yuanzhen forced himself to unleash his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul Avatar. Blue-violet lightning crackled across his body, colliding with Golden Crocodile's pressure in dazzling sparks.

"Qian Daoliu!"

Yu Yuanzhen's voice trembled with rage, his dragon-clawed hands clenched tightly.

"Three Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones! Half our resources! You want the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan to collapse completely!"

"Collapse?"

Jiang Mo suddenly burst into wild laughter and slammed the Coiling Dragon Staff against the ground. Its black-gold shadow instantly swelled into the phantom of a giant dragon, opening its blood-red maw toward the mountain gate.

"If my eldest brother hadn't stopped me, I'd tear down your damned mountain gate right now! Why didn't your son consider the consequences when he stole those texts from Spirit Hall?"

Golden Crocodile took a step forward, the pressure of his level 98 soul power descending like dark clouds overhead.

"When this first happened, if my eldest brother hadn't held us back, you would never have been able to bear the consequences."

At some point, Guang Ling had already nocked an arrow. Ice-blue soul power condensed into its arrowhead as he aimed toward the council hall:

"I hear the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's inheritance stele is inside that hall. Would you like this old man to help you 'clean it up'?"

Yu Yuanzhen's pupils abruptly contracted.

The inheritance stele was the clan's foundation. If it were destroyed, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's legacy would be severed completely.

Looking at Qian Daoliu's utterly unruffled face, he finally understood that the man had not merely come to negotiate-he had come to grind the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's pride into dust.

Yu Yuanzhen abruptly spat out a mouthful of blood. His blue-violet Martial Soul Avatar instantly collapsed, and he staggered back two steps, taking two soul bones from his Storage Soul Tool.

Yu Yuanzhen looked at the three Enshrinements before him, their auras unfathomably deep, then at the furious yet helpless elders behind him. His heart sank little by little.

He gritted his teeth, his voice hoarse.

"I'll pay."

"But Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones are rare. There is only one in the clan's storehouses. I can't produce-"

"As I see it, don't you have another two soul bones yourself, Sect Master Yu?"

Qian Daoliu interrupted him, his gaze drifting almost imperceptibly over Yu Yuanzhen's Storage Soul Tool.

Yu Yuanzhen shuddered, staring at Qian Daoliu in disbelief-the man even knew about the few soul bones he had privately hoarded!

One of them was a lightning soul bone he had obtained by hunting a ten-thousand-year lightning dragon in his younger days. He had always cherished it as a priceless treasure.

Things had come to this, and there was no retreat. With trembling hands, he took out two soul bones radiating powerful fluctuations of soul power.

One lightning-attribute soul bone still bore traces of his own soul power, clearly a private treasure he had nurtured for years.

"But I have one condition."

Yu Yuanzhen fixed his gaze on Qian Daoliu.

"I can give you the soul bones and the resources, but you must guarantee that, after this, Spirit Hall will no longer trouble the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!"

Golden Crocodile accepted the soul bones, lightly sweeping his soul power over them with his fingertips to confirm that everything was in order.

Looking at Yu Yuanzhen's paper-white face, he suddenly smiled-a smile devoid of warmth, containing only absolute control:

"A condition? You seem to have forgotten, Sect Master Yu. Right now, I am the only one entitled to set conditions."

With that, he turned and lifted his chin toward Guang Ling.

Guang Ling understood. The ice-blue arrow abruptly shot forth, brushing past Yu Yuanzhen's ear and embedding itself precisely in the plaque above the mountain gate.

Frost patterns spread from the arrow's tail, freezing the six large characters reading "Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan" into an ice sculpture.

Afterward, Yu Yuanzhen had someone fetch the clan’s Resource List and crossed out half of it in front of everyone present.

"Deliver the resources to the Spirit Hall Branch in Heaven Dou City within three days."

Golden Crocodile's voice echoed through the wind and snow.

"If so much as a fraction is missing, the next time I come, it will not be as simple as freezing your plaque."

Qian Daoliu patted Golden Crocodile's shoulder and addressed Yu Yuanzhen:

"Sect Master Yu, this concludes the matter of Yu Xiaogang."

With that, he turned and led the others away. As Golden Crocodile passed Yu Yuanzhen, he left behind a casual remark:

"Sect Master Yu, conduct yourself wisely."

Yu Yuanzhen stood there, his expression colder than the snow covering the Icebound Mountains.

Only when Qian Daoliu and his companions disappeared beyond the snowy peaks did Yu Yuanzhen, after watching their departing figures and glancing at the ice arrow in the plaque, suddenly let out a stifled roar and smash his fist into his own chest.

Blood splashed onto the snow like flowers of despair.

"Summon all the elders and core disciples. Convene a clan assembly!"