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After giving his orders, Lan Minghua's life quickly returned to a calm routine.
The afterglow of the setting sun cast its golden light across his face, reflecting his unconcerned expression. He stood by the window, his gaze deep and penetrating, as though it could pierce the distant mountains and see straight to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was, after all, one of the three upper sects, with deep roots. In addition to the renowned Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, the clan naturally had no shortage of Contra-level Soul Masters.
Lan Minghua knew that even though Executioner and the other four were all Titled Douluo, brute strength alone wouldn't ensure a flawless victory in this "hunt." What they truly needed was precise intelligence and a carefully laid plan. The five assassins were elites, and their style was always cautious and hidden. They wouldn't act recklessly like brutes; instead, they would scout first, searching for the perfect moment and strategy to annihilate the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan in one strike.
Lan Minghua was in no hurry. While they gathered information, he wanted to observe the reactions of other factions.
Suddenly, a soft breeze pulled him from his thoughts. He remembered that Dugu Yan had already left to visit her boyfriend, Yu Tianheng. At that thought, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing a faint, meaningful smile.
"Interesting," he muttered to himself, amusement flickering in his eyes. He wondered how the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would react when they learned he had killed a Titled Douluo from Spirit Hall. Would they continue to stand united with the other upper sects? Stay neutral? Or perhaps defect to me?
All three possibilities existed, as the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was the weakest of the three upper sects on paper. Although they possessed the continent's strongest beast spirit—the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon—the sect only had a single Titled Douluo, whose Soul Power was stalled at rank ninety-five. That level wasn't considered top-tier among Titled Douluo and could even be seen as somewhat awkward.
Still, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan retained its position among the three upper sects not solely because of the strength of its martial spirit. Their true trump card lay in the fallen Ancient Dragon King ruins that the sect guarded. By drawing upon fragments of the Dragon King's soul bone, Sect Master Yu Yuanzhen could temporarily elevate his body to a half-god level.
It was thanks to this trump card that, in the original story, Yu Yuanzhen once held his ground within the sect against multiple Spirit Hall Titled Douluo, even including the rank ninety-six Qianjun Douluo and Xianglong Douluo from the Worship Hall. Although Yu Yuanzhen did not manage to kill them, he still dragged down Spirit Hall's Ninth Elder before his death, winning the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan its final dignity.
However, all of that applied only within the bounds of his sect. Once outside, Yu Yuanzhen's strength would fall sharply. Even with the strongest beast spirit, he was nothing more than a slightly stronger rank ninety-five Titled Douluo.
Lan Minghua understood this thoroughly. He knew the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan chose to ally with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan simply to avoid becoming Spirit Hall's primary target. They had no wish to be entangled in this conflict, but circumstances forced their hand.
"I recall Yu Yuanzhen is someone who places the interests of his sect above all else," Lan Minghua murmured coldly. "Hopefully, he won't be foolish enough to get further involved. Otherwise, I won't mind erasing your clan as well."
This was no idle threat. Lan Minghua's current strength had already reached an unfathomable height. In his eyes, even the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was nothing more than an insect. Whether it was him alone or his brazen brother, Cangkuang, either of them could wipe out the entire clan. Thus, he paid little heed to the choices of other factions. He merely wanted to see which fools would dare test him.
Lan Minghua let the thought drift away and chose a scenic spot where he could continue lazing about. Since Oscar and the others had just broken through to the Soul Ancestor realm, he wouldn't be too busy for quite some time. As for taking on new disciples, he would leave that to fate. After all, with the Tianlong Gang's strength already formidable, the rest would be left to chance.
Meanwhile, Dugu Yan arrived at the Emperor Team's quarters, VIP Room No. 3 of the Great Spirit Arena in Soto City.
Inside were seven people: six youths around twenty years old, and one man in his thirties. They were the members of the Emperor Team and their instructor, Qin Ming.
On a large leather sofa sat a young man with long black hair, clad in a blue martial outfit. He turned to Qin Ming with a questioning look. "Teacher Qin Ming, why hasn't Yan Yan returned yet?"
Qin Ming frowned and shook his head. "I don't know either. Since it was Poison Douluo himself who summoned her, I have no idea what it was about." As a mere Soul Emperor, Qin Ming had little standing. Even though Dugu Yan was his student, Dugu Bo would never bother explaining things to him.
Just as everyone was feeling puzzled, the door to the VIP room suddenly opened.
"Who's there?!" Yu Tianheng sensed a soul power stronger than his own and immediately stood up. But before he could react, a green figure shot forward like lightning and collided with his chest.
"Tianheng, I missed you so much!"
Hearing that familiar voice, the Emperor Team finally snapped out of their surprise. Yu Tianheng looked down at the familiar figure in his arms, stunned. "Yan Zi... it's you?"
Dugu Yan tilted her head, sticking out her tongue mischievously. "If it's not me, then who else would throw themselves into your arms?"
Yu Tianheng's expression turned awkward. After all, dragons were known for their lustful nature. Even though the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon only carried a trace of true dragon bloodline, it still carried that instinct. Without Dugu Yan around, Yu Tianheng had endured quite a bit of loneliness. Not long ago, word had come from the clan advising him not to grow too close to Dugu Yan. After all, Dugu Bo's open allegiance to Lan Minghua's side was no secret to either Spirit Hall or the upper sects.
At that moment, a handsome young man chimed in to defuse the awkwardness. "Yan Zi, could you maybe not start making out with our boss the moment you get back? We're all a bunch of virgins here—it won't end well if you trigger something."
Though it sounded like harmless teasing, this time Dugu Yan sensed something off. The handsome youth's name was Yufeng, whose martial spirit was the Wind Chime Bird. His words seemed playful, but the undertone of covering for Yu Tianheng was far too obvious. Being a young girl in her twenties, with her heart sensitive and full of budding emotions, Dugu Yan quickly grew suspicious.
She immediately pressed her face against Yu Tianheng's chest, sniffing intently, searching for any trace of evidence. After all, if the two brats from Shrek Academy could be so wild, it wasn't impossible that Yu Tianheng had fooled around in her absence.
Seeing her sudden behavior, Yufeng's forehead beaded with sweat, and his heart gave a sharp jolt. But Yu Tianheng remained calm. He had already changed his clothes earlier, leaving not even a trace for a dog's nose to pick up.
Still unconvinced, Dugu Yan raised her head and turned to Qin Ming. "Teacher Qin Ming, did Tianheng mess around with other women while I was gone?"
Qin Ming shook his head—not to deny it, but simply because he truly didn't know. He never interfered in the private lives of his students, so he had no idea what Yu Tianheng had done. But in Dugu Yan's eyes, that shake of the head meant Yu Tianheng had been faithful. As a hopeless romantic, she was immediately placated.
Then Qin Ming suddenly sensed the change in her aura. His pupils shrank sharply as he asked in shock, "Yan... Yan Zi, you've broken through to the Soul Ancestor realm?!"
(End of Chatper)