He crouched slightly, rubbing Gu Yuena's head with a light chuckle:
"Your heart's in the right place, but hurry back. This isn't a place for you to stay."
"I can help you too, brother."
Gu Yuena's tone was firm, almost like an adult's.
As she spoke, she stretched out her slightly childish hand toward the battlefield, pushing forward as if trying to unleash a skill.
Yet after straining for a full half-minute, her little face flushed red, but no skill materialized.
The sight of it struck Ye Tian as rather amusing.
He scooped Gu Yuena into his arms, playfully tapping her delicate nose:
"Alright, I know you're very powerful. But you'll need to grow up a bit more before you can show it off."
"For now, focus on eating more."
"Mm." Gu Yuena puffed her cheeks, looking dejected that she couldn't help Ye Tian.
"Ye Tian, since you've chosen to stand against the Elder Hall, don't even think about leaving today!"
Just as Ye Tian was about to carry Gu Yuena away from the battlefield, Jiang Long Douluo's icy voice suddenly rang out.
A surge of black dragon-soul energy followed, striking toward them.
"Young master, be careful!" Zhou Long, still engaged in battle, shouted in alarm.
Qianjun Douluo's mocking laughter followed: "Hmph, don't even dream of breaking away to save Ye Tian!"
Yet, contrary to expectations, Ye Tian showed no panic. Facing Jiang Long Douluo's full-force attack, his expression remained calm and composed.
Slowly, he retrieved a round, lustrous Dragon Pearl from his storage space—a treasure personally gifted to him by Bo Saixi, capable of effortlessly blocking Jiang Long Douluo's strike.
But the moment the Dragon Pearl appeared, something unexpected happened.
It floated into the air as if drawn by an invisible force.
At first, Ye Tian thought it was the pearl's defensive mechanism activating.
But to his surprise, the Dragon Pearl drifted toward Gu Yuena in his arms—and merged into her body.
The abrupt change caused Gu Yuena's delicate face to twist in pain.
However, the agony didn't last long.
Under Ye Tian's watchful gaze, Gu Yuena's half-lidded eyes suddenly snapped open.
Her azure-blue pupils radiated an endless chill, and even her youthful face seemed veiled in frost.
At this sight, Ye Tian blurted out: "Silver Dragon King!"
Expressionless, Gu Yuena wriggled free from Ye Tian's embrace and examined her small hands.
"I never expected you to possess an artifact infused with divine power."
"I can feel this body's strength has greatly increased."
"Even my divine consciousness can briefly reside within it."
"But this state won't last long."
Gu Yuena's icy blue eyes turned back to Ye Tian, her lips curling slightly.
"Let me help you this once."
With that, she lightly raised her small hand, her delicate fingers curling gently.
Instantly, violent winds swirled around them, forming an elemental vortex that ensnared Jiang Long Douluo's attack.
When the winds settled, the attack had vanished without a trace.
"Impossible!"
Jiang Long Douluo, who had been observing the situation with his spiritual sense, let out a roar of disbelief.
He never imagined that the little girl beside Ye Tian was the real trump card—capable of nullifying his attack with a mere flick of her fingers.
"Stall for time! That girl won't last long!"
Qianjun Douluo, sensing the truth, quickly warned his brother.
He understood that the girl's sudden surge in power was entirely due to the strange pearl Ye Tian had produced.
Once the pearl's energy was exhausted, her strength would vanish—and victory would inevitably belong to the Elder Hall.
"Won't last long?"
Gu Yuena narrowed her eyes, letting out a laugh utterly incongruous with her childish appearance.
"My luck is truly exceptional—to encounter two Super Douluos whose powers are infused with draconic energy."
For her, this was a rare feast.
She stretched out her hand once more, her voice icy:
"Elemental Stripping."
The moment the words left her lips, a cacophony of cracking sounds erupted across the courtyard.
The stone-paved ground was instantly encased in frost, the slabs shattering like bursting beans under the extreme cold.
The freezing effect didn't stop at the ground—snowflakes even materialized in the air as moisture froze solid.
But these were merely surface phenomena.
The moment Gu Yuena made her move, the battle between the seven Title Douluos came to an abrupt halt.
All elemental energy in the air had been stripped away.
This was especially true for Qianjun and Jiang Long Douluo.
Their Coiling Dragon Staffs were ripped from their hands, frozen midair, and shattered into pieces.
A yellow and a black dragon soul were forcibly expelled from the broken weapons, writhing as they drifted toward Gu Yuena.
"Pfft—!"
"Ugh—!"
The destruction of their martial souls caused both Douluos to vomit blood before collapsing to the ground.
Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined that even their martial souls would fall victim to the little girl's elemental stripping.
Qianjun Douluo stared at Ye Tian in disbelief, weakly raising a finger:
"I… underestimated you after all."
Yet even Ye Tian was stunned.
Frankly, he hadn't anticipated things unfolding this way either.
Just as he was processing the shock, Gu Yuena—now having absorbed the dragon souls—suddenly swayed and fell backward.
Ye Tian swiftly caught her.
There was no denying that Gu Yuena had done him a tremendous favor this time.
Without her, he would've been forced to reveal one of his few remaining trump cards.
Holding Gu Yuena, Ye Tian walked over to Qianjun Douluo, looking down at him with pity.
The elder's luck was truly abysmal—even teaming up with Jiang Long Douluo hadn't spared him defeat.
"Don't look at me like that!"
"I may be defeated, but I am still one of the top twenty powerhouses on the continent! I won't tolerate your mockery!"
"If you're going to kill me, just get it over with!"
Qianjun Douluo snorted angrily, clutching his injured chest as he glared disdainfully at Ye Tian.
Though his expression was defiant, his heart was filled with shock.
For the first time, he felt that he couldn't see through Ye Tian.
This youth, not even twenty years old, was overwhelmingly strong—so much so that Qianjun Douluo felt an insurmountable pressure.
"Young Master Ye Tian, let me cut down these two old fools!"
Ghost Douluo stepped forward, gnashing his teeth as he glared at the battered Qianjun and Jiang Long Douluos.
As a elder of the Pope's Hall, he had long endured the disdain and mockery of the Elder Hall's.
Today, finally being able to personally settle years of grudges was the most satisfying moment of his life.
Yet Ye Tian merely shook his head.
Raising a hand, he said calmly, "These two have contributed to the Spirit Hall. They are meritorious figures."
Hearing this, Qianjun Douluo cut him off with a furious roar:
"I will never serve that bitch Bibi Dong!"
"Just give me a quick death!"
"A defeated dog still dares to bark." Ghost Douluo spat to the side.
"I understand, Elder Qianjun. You have your pride."
Ye Tian's expression was unusually gentle.
"That's why, from the start, I never intended to recruit you."
"But you can't remain on the continent either."
Leaving Qianjun Douluo on the mainland would be like keeping a ticking time bomb.
Ye Tian's voice was steady and cold as he met Qianjun Douluo's gaze.
"The principle of 'to the victor go the spoils' needs no elaboration."
"Now, in the name of the Spirit Hall, I sentence you to exile on a remote island for three years!"
With that, he waved his hand coldly, signaling the Polaris Squad to drag Qianjun and Jiang Long Douluo away.
The destruction of their martial souls was a severe injury—one that would take at least a year or two to recover from.
And with no rare herbs or treasures on a desolate island, their recovery would be even slower.
Within three years, Qianjun and Jiang Long Douluo would pose no threat.
Not to mention the sheer difficulty of returning to the mainland from such an exile.
Hearing Ye Tian's merciless verdict, Qianjun Douluo let out a bitter laugh.
He knew this was already Ye Tian showing mercy.
Though he valued honor more than life, that didn't mean he wanted to die.
Survival, for him, was still an acceptable outcome.
Shaking off the Polaris Squad trying to bind him, Qianjun Douluo struggled to his feet.
He took a deep breath and met Ye Tian's gaze squarely:
"Perhaps… in the near future, you'll prove to me that everything you've done was right."
"I… hope that day will come."
His teeth clenched as he forced out the last words.
"Thank you. You will see that day." Ye Tian nodded slightly, his expression serene.
(End of Chapter)