"So it was you, senior!"
Yu Tianheng also clasped his hands in a salute.
He thought to himself: Pei Han looks to be only about thirty years old, but he is already a Five-Ring Soul King. He must have been a prominent figure at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
It seems that not all the noble children of the Heaven Dou Empire are good-for-nothings who just loaf around and wait to die; there are quite a few talented individuals among them.
Pei Han smiled and continued, "In that case, I would like to ask you, junior, to give me, your senior, some face and hand over the woman behind you. She severely injured my brother with poison, and this matter will not be left unresolved!"
Upon hearing this, Yu Tianheng decisively refused. "No, don't even think about it. As long as I, Yu Tianheng, am standing, you won't be able to touch a hair on her head!"
"So you mean you're not going to give me any face?" Pei Han narrowed his eyes, a bloodthirsty glint appearing in them.
"Your face?"
Yu Tianheng sneered, "Let me tell you the truth, the woman standing behind me is my woman. You want me to hand over my woman, especially in front of so many people? Where does that leave my dignity?!"
"Besides, we both know the truth of the matter. It was clearly your younger brother who harassed my woman first, and he deserved to be poisoned and punished. If I hadn't been away earlier, I would have personally taught him a lesson!"
Yu Tianheng's attitude was firm, and he refused verbally.
"You!" Pei Han's expression turned cold, and his Soul Power surged forth, his aura increasing dramatically as he directly confronted Yu Tianheng.
Yu Tianheng was equally unwilling to be outdone, his body crackling with Thunder and his Soul Power surging as he clashed with Pei Han's Soul Power.
Just as tensions were about to rise, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe arrived with his entourage and looked at the two men, asking, "Both of you are guests at this palace banquet. Please give me some face and refrain from making a move here."
Seeing Xue Qinghe speak, Yu Tianheng and Pei Han then withdrew their imposing manner.
Seeing his son in such a miserable state, Pei Ye wanted to say something, but Xue Qinghe stopped him with a look.
Pei Ye, mindful of Xue Qinghe's status as Crown Prince, dared not say more and could only grit his teeth and retreat.
Seeing this, Xue Qinghe nodded slightly, then looked at Pei Xiu, who was lying on the ground, poisoned and unable to get up. After glancing at him, he ordered the guards, "Find a physician to treat Young Master Pei!"
Before long, a court physician serving the Heaven Dou royal family rushed over.
He knelt down beneath Pei Xiu and began to examine him.
As time went on, the doctor's expression became extremely grim.
"How is it? Can it be cured?" Xue Qinghe asked.
The physician replied, "Your Highness, the poison that Young Master Pei has been afflicted with, according to my diagnosis, is a type of snake venom. Its toxicity is extremely potent and unusually rare. Unless the person who administered the poison intervenes, it will be difficult to neutralize. Please forgive my inability to help."
Upon hearing this, Pei Ye and his son Pei Han's expressions changed.
Pei Ye then turned his gaze to Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan behind him, and angrily shouted, "Hand over the antidote now! If anything happens to my son, I will wipe out your entire family!"
If an ordinary person were to face the threat of a duke from the Heaven Dou Empire, they would surely tremble with fear.
But Yu Tianheng showed no fear upon hearing this, staring directly at Pei Ye: "Old man, what a big mouth you have! You dare to exterminate my entire family? Who gave you the audacity?"
"I might as well tell you, my family is called the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, one of the Upper Three Sects the Soul Master World. My name is Yu Tianheng, and my grandfather is Yu Yuanzhen, the current patriarch of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, with the title Thunder Douluo. If you have the guts, go and wipe out my entire family!"
Pei Ye was startled.
Before he could speak, Yu Tianheng pointed at Dugu Yan beside him and continued, "This woman beside me is named Dugu Yan, her Martial Soul Jade Phosphorus Snake. Her grandfather is named Dugu Bo, also a Titled Douluo, the Poison Douluo. If you have the guts, you can go and wipe out her entire family!"
Under the dazzling light of the crystal chandelier, Yu Tianheng stood with his hands behind his back, his expression arrogant, while Dugu Yan's face was cold, and the snake-shaped silver bracelet on her wrist gleamed with a chilling silver light. This subtle movement, however, was like a boulder thrown into a deep pool, instantly shattering the elegant atmosphere of the banquet hall.
"The young sect master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?" Crown Prince Xue Qinghe raised an eyebrow, a rare look of surprise appearing on his usually gentle and refined face.
The whispers among the surrounding nobles grew louder and louder, and someone knocked over a plate, the sound of shattering porcelain particularly jarring in the silence.
"The woman beside her is actually the granddaughter of the Poison Douluo."
A noble Soul Master covered his mouth in disbelief.
The white-haired marquis abruptly stood up, his chair scraping against the floor with a harsh sound, "No wonder these two juniors are so calm, showing no fear of the Blood Moon Duke's threat; it turns out they have two Titled Douluo behind them!"
Xue Qinghe's gaze shifted back and forth between Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.
As the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, he knew what these two identities meant—the powerful and domineering Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, coupled with the Poison Douluo's terrifying poison, the combination of these two forces was enough to change the landscape of half of the Soul Master World.
The air in the banquet hall seemed to freeze. Everyone watched as Yu Tianheng put his arm around Dugu Yan's waist. In that instant, everyone understood that this seemingly ordinary aristocratic banquet was actually a silent declaration from two top powers to the Heaven Dou Empire.
Blood Moon Duke Pei Ye of Blood Moon's face turned extremely ugly. He looked at his eldest son and asked what exactly happened.
Pei Han quickly went to his father's side and whispered what had happened.
Upon learning the truth, Pei Ye's expression darkened further, even his gaze towards his youngest son was filled with resentment. "That damned brat, of all people to mess with, he had to provoke these two! The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the Poison Douluo lineage—are they people he can afford to offend?"
Let alone him, even the Heaven Dou Imperial Family wouldn't dare to provoke two Titled Douluo without good reason.
This is absolutely suicidal!
At the same time, Pei Ye was also glad that Yu Tianheng had intervened and blocked Pei Han's attack on Dugu Yan. If Dugu Yan, the only granddaughter of the Poison Douluo, had really been injured, the Poison Douluo would have gone mad with his temper and could have easily wiped out her entire family with some poisonous techniques.
When that time comes, even if the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family intervenes, there will be nothing they can do.
The thought sent a chill down Pei Xiu's spine.
Realizing he couldn't afford to offend the two, Pei Xiu decided to back down and submit. That's how the noble class of the Heaven Dou Empire is; they'll ruthlessly suppress and bully those they can't afford to offend, but they'll immediately bow down when they encounter someone they can't.
"I am already aware of this matter. Indeed, my son was at fault first. I apologize to you both on his behalf." With that, Pei Xiu cupped his hands in apology to Dugu Yan and Yu Tianheng.
He then added, "My son has already learned his lesson and will never dare to do it again. I beg Miss Dugu Yan to hand over the antidote and save his life!"