Killing the clan master was one thing, but if he truly went alone to slaughter every last member of an Upper Three Sects clan with a ten-thousand-year legacy,
the entire continent's balance of power would be torn to shreds, plunging all its foremost powers into unprecedented panic and a united counterattack.
"Wipe them out?"
An Jing couldn't help laughing. He waved a hand casually.
"I'm not that bloodthirsty. Who would want to take over that stretch of barren wilderness on Nine Dragon Mountain?
With Yu Yuanzhen dead, the forces left in their clan are nothing but loose sand. They won't stir up any waves.
All I want are the resources they've accumulated in their treasury over ten thousand years."
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had stood on the Douluo Continent for thousands of years. Its reserves ran unfathomably deep, and there was no telling how many rare, top-grade ores and treasures of heaven and earth filled its storehouses.
An Jing's soul power foundation was already as robust as it could possibly be, and his breakthrough to Soul Douluo was within reach.
But forging "Three-Word Battle Armor" suited to cultivation above level 80 would consume an astronomical quantity of rare metals and supreme spiritual materials,
Searching for them alone would be like fishing for a needle in the ocean. Emptying the treasury of a great clan with an ancient legacy was undoubtedly the fastest shortcut.
Hearing this, Dugu Bo let out a long breath and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, still shaken.
"So you're only going to raid their treasury... I honestly thought you meant to slaughter all several thousand of them. In that case, things will be much simpler."
With the old dragon dead, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was a flight of dragons without a head. Its protective formation was practically nonexistent before An Jing's elusive spatial abilities. Taking its treasury would be no different from reaching into a pouch.
"Lead the way. Let's collect everything before those spies' reports reach Nine Dragon Mountain, so we don't invite unnecessary complications," An Jing said succinctly.
"All right, follow me!"
Dugu Bo dared not delay. Emerald light abruptly rippled out beneath his feet, and he shot into the air.
Space rippled faintly around An Jing. Wrapped in a platinum halo, the two tore through the currents high above, becoming twin streaks of brilliant light as they raced toward the Nine Dragon Mountain Range with the speed of wind and lightning.
While An Jing and Dugu Bo were on their way to the Nine Dragon Mountain Range, the shocking aftermath of the battle in Heaven Dou City swept wildly across the entire Douluo Continent like a world-ending tsunami.
Spirit City, the Pope's Palace.
On the towering, majestic papal throne, Bibi Dong leaned against her scepter, her slender, delicate fingers lightly turning the pages of an urgent confidential report. A rare glimmer of astonishment and cold severity appeared in her deep violet eyes.
"Level 95 Thunder Douluo Yu Yuanzhen... destroyed in body and soul, killed by a Seven-Ring Soul Sage."
"He slew a Titled Douluo despite his lower rank, and all seven of his soul rings were pitch-black, at least ten thousand years old. When did a monster like this silently emerge on this continent?"
An intriguing smile appeared on Bibi Dong's exquisite face.
Slaying a Super Douluo with only seven rings was something even she, proud as she was, could never have accomplished back then.
There was only one plausible explanation for a soul ring configuration and combat strength that defied the laws of heaven and earth.
A Deity Inheritor.
Bibi Dong tapped the throne's armrest with her fingertips, reasoning silently:
That youth's abilities border on miracles. Killing a level 95 opponent with seven rings most likely involved a specific challenge within a divine trial. Coupled with Yu Yuanzhen's habitual arrogance and extreme underestimation of his enemy, that allowed the youth to succeed in a single strike.
If not to fulfill the harsh conditions of a divine trial, who would so brazenly erase the master of an Upper Three Sects clan in public, placing himself at the very crest of the continent's storm?
"If he truly is chosen by a deity..." A sharp gleam flashed through Bibi Dong's eyes. "Bringing him under my command may not be impossible."
A Soul Saint was still only a Soul Saint. Before reaching level 100 and becoming a god, he could make no waves against truly overwhelming power.
But if Spirit Hall could bring a pawn with such potential under its control early, he would provide immeasurable support for its future grand designs.
At that thought, Bibi Dong gave a cool command. "Summon Yue Guan and Gui Mei."
"Yes!"
A moment later, two dark, swift streaks of light swept into the hall like phantoms, and the men bowed.
"Your subordinates greet Your Holiness!"
Bibi Dong waved her hand, and a scroll floated lightly before them.
"Leave for Heaven Dou City immediately and invite the person named here back to Spirit City.
Remember, treat him courteously. Until we have established his background, you must not come into conflict with him."
"We obey!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei accepted the scroll, their expressions tightening slightly.
The people on the entire continent who could prompt Her Holiness to specifically warn them against conflict could be counted on their fingers.
After withdrawing, they unrolled the secret document. There, in black ink on white paper, stood only a name written in two bold characters, their strokes dancing like dragons and phoenixes.
An Jing.
Meanwhile, deep within the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's territory in the Nine Dragon Mountain Range.
The sacred land of lightning that had once shaken the world with its might was now shrouded in deathly silence and panic.
Blood stained the grounds before the clan's forbidden area and treasury, yet this earth-shattering plunder had concluded with unbelievable ease.
The moment he learned that Yu Yuanzhen and all the elite members accompanying him had been annihilated, the second-in-command, Yu Luomian, had not chosen to burn jade and stone alike. Even when An Jing and Dugu Bo swaggered into the clan, he had not so much as released his martial soul.
Not only had he forcibly suppressed the clan's fury and anguished cries, he had even voluntarily produced specially crafted keys and personally guided An Jing inside, opening the deep vaults containing the clan's ten-thousand-year accumulation,
With a smiling face, he had helped tally every variety of rare ore and treasure of heaven and earth. In the end, he had even bowed with utmost deference and politely escorted the two gods of slaughter out of their territory.
His ruthless restraint and calculating ability to read the situation sent chills down the spine.
High in the sky, two streaks of light tore through the clouds, leaving Nine Dragon Mountain behind.
Dugu Bo glanced back at the leaderless mountains and couldn't help clicking his tongue in wonder.
"Tsk, tsk. Boy, after this affair, your fearsome reputation will probably be more than a hundred times worse than mine.
You just blasted their clan master to death, then turned around and made their second-in-command hand over their entire clan's reserves with both hands and a smile.
Under all heaven, there's no one but you who could pull off something so outrageous and overbearing."
"Yu Luomian is a smart man."
An Jing calmly counted the mountains of top-grade adamantine and mithril piled inside his soul tool.
"If you hadn't stood guard while I refined the immortal herbs, Old Poison, allowing me to perfect my foundation completely, today's visit wouldn't have gone so smoothly."
"Oh, spare me. Stop gilding this old man's face," Dugu Bo said with a wry laugh, a flicker of lingering fear passing through his eyes.
Thankfully, he hadn't done anything foolish back at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Otherwise, the one reduced to blood mist now would not have been that old tyrant dragon Yu Yuanzhen, but his own old bones.
Shaking off those stray thoughts, Dugu Bo composed himself and asked seriously:
"Enough about that. How do you intend to wrap things up next?
Once word has fully spread, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the two great empires, and even Spirit Hall will wear your doorstep down in their mad scramble for a prodigy like you."
"Whether they want to recruit me or sound me out, those trifles can wait."
An Jing gazed toward the southern horizon, a deep ripple passing through his eyes. "Right now, there's something truly important I need to attend to in person."
"Something important?" Seeing someone as nonchalant as An Jing suddenly turn serious immediately piqued Dugu Bo's interest,
"Destroying a clan and slaughtering a dragon are just casual errands to you. What in this world could be more important than dealing with the two great empires and Spirit Hall?"
The corners of An Jing's lips lifted slightly as he calmly uttered a few words:
"I'm going to Suotuo City in the Balak Kingdom to meet someone."
"Suotuo City?" Dugu Bo frowned, his face full of bewilderment. "What towering figure could a little remote border city possibly hold that's worth a personal visit from you?"
Before you continue