With the Long Family destroyed, the foundation they had accumulated over hundreds of years naturally fell into the hands of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family.
Inside the family's secret vault, the lights were bright. Several knowledgeable clan elders were carefully appraising the soul bones retrieved from the corpses of Long Xiao, Long Sha, and Long Ye. When their gazes fell upon the right leg bone from Long Xiao—which shimmered with a dark purple luster and faintly exuded an aura of destruction—the complexions of the elders became both solemn and excited.
"It cannot be wrong! This texture, this energy fluctuation... it contains a trace of an extremely pure artistic conception of destruction, yet it differs from the dark attribute; it is more overbearing and direct!" One elder, who specialized in soul beast studies, stroked the naturally formed, star-shattering patterns on the surface of the soul bone, his voice trembling with excitement. "This is a Purple Blazing Dragon! And it is a right leg bone produced by a Purple Blazing Dragon with a cultivation level as high as eighty-seven thousand years!"
"Purple Blazing Dragon?" Yu Yuanchen, standing to the side, revealed a look of inquiry. He did not have a deep understanding of this soul beast species.
"Chen'er, you may not know. It is said that one of the ancestors of the dragon race, the Sub-Dragon Ancestor Blazing Dragon King, was the dark side of the Dragon God. Among his direct descendants, there is an extremely powerful branch known as the Purple Blazing Sky-Destroying Dragon, which is a top-tier existence among sub-dragon species. Its strength and bloodline are only slightly inferior to elder-level pure-blooded true dragons like the Thunder Sacred Dragon and the Holy Light Dragon," another elder explained.
"The Purple Blazing Dragon is a bloodline descendant of the Purple Blazing Sky-Destroying Dragon. Although it is not as strong as its ancestor, its bloodline remains noble and powerful. Relying on its potent destruction attribute, it can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with ordinary true dragons of water, fire, or wind, and is by no means inferior to our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon! Its attribute leans toward pure destruction, which has quite a lot in common with your thunder attribute, especially the destructive side of your Ultimate Thunder. The attributes are an extremely good match!"
Upon hearing this, a trace of interest flashed in Yu Yuanchen's eyes. The pure destruction attribute might provide a different perspective and supplement for his pursuit of Ultimate Thunder and his exploration of the path of transformation between destruction and life force. Moreover, at eighty-seven thousand years, it could certainly be called a top-grade soul bone.
Yu Boxuan made a prompt decision: "Chen'er, this bone is destined for you. The attributes are compatible, so you shall absorb it. The stronger your strength, the more stable the family will be."
Yu Yuanchen did not decline. He took the Purple Blazing Sky-Destroying Dragon right leg bone, which felt cold to the touch yet faintly radiated destructive waves, and sought out a quiet room to begin the absorption.
The process was smoother than imagined. His current physique, Spiritual Power, and control over thunder (which contained destruction) were far superior to his peers. Although the destructive will contained within the soul bone was strong, it was difficult to shake his mind, which had been tempered by heavenly tribulations. The vast energy merged into his right leg, not only greatly enhancing his leg strength, explosive power, and speed, but also bestowing upon him a powerful soul bone skill—[Purple Blazing Step Heaven Step]! Once unleashed, it could draw destructive thunder to attach to his feet. With a single step, it combined extreme speed, fierce attacks, and area-of-effect stomping effects, with astonishing power.
After absorbing the soul bone, Yu Yuanchen felt his strength had improved once more, and his Soul Power had broken through from the peak of level 72 to level 73.
After coming out of seclusion, his grandfather Yu Boxuan found him, his expression serious with a hint of testing: "Chen'er, the Long Family has been destroyed, but there are still many remaining women, children, and collateral branches. How to deal with them is a problem. I will leave this matter for you to decide."
Yu Boxuan looked at his grandson, speaking earnestly: "Strength is the foundation of standing tall. But if you want to lead the family toward a further future, the means of controlling subordinates and the wisdom of weighing options are equally indispensable. This is also a training for you."
Yu Yuanchen nodded and agreed; he understood his grandfather's intention.
His expression was calm, as he had already pondered this matter in his heart. He knew well the atmosphere of the soul master world on the Douluo Continent. It appeared to be a place where the strong preyed on the weak, but between major forces, especially when dealing with the defeated, they often followed some unwritten, unspoken rules.
To put it nicely, it was preserving a trace of ancient heritage and adhering to a bottom line of "morality"; to put it bluntly, it was a bit stubborn and formalistic. Much like the Warring States period he knew of in his previous life, destroying states was common, but openly and completely wiping out a clan's ancestral temple and severing their bloodline was something most forces would not easily do unless there was deep hatred or a special reason.
This was because whoever set the precedent of "openly and honestly" completely exterminating a bloodline would be setting a terrible benchmark. In the future, when other forces did similar things, they would drag out the first person to do so as a shield and an object of criticism, which would be a huge blow to their reputation. It was much like the Sima Clan in the history of his previous life openly regiciding; although it was not the first act of regicide, their betrayal of the "Luo River Oath" caused the Sima family, and even the word "Luo River," to be nailed to the pillar of shame in history for countless years.
Although he did not care much about reputation, he did not want such a precedent to start with him.
Yu Yuanchen did not say much and walked straight to the place where the collateral members of the Long Family were being held.
It was a temporarily designated area guarded by family soul masters, mostly filled with women, children, the elderly, and some collateral soul masters with low cultivation who had chosen to surrender or were captured during the previous battle. Their faces were filled with panic, unease, and undisguised hatred and despair. Seeing Yu Yuanchen walk over, all eyes instantly focused on him, and fear spread like a plague. It was this young man who had personally killed their Titled Douluo and destroyed their family!
Yu Yuanchen's gaze swept over these former enemies calmly. His voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears, carrying an unquestionable indifference:
"I, Yu Yuanchen, actually don't really like killing."
The opening sentence made many Long Family members who were resigned to death pause.
"However," Yu Yuanchen's tone shifted, his eyes suddenly becoming as sharp as knives. The terrifying aura that had experienced slaughter and merged with Heavenly Might, though not fully released, already made everyone present feel difficulty breathing and their souls trembling, "I will definitely kill those who meet the following three conditions."
He slowly held up three fingers:
"First, you have annoyed me."
"Second, I can beat you."
"Third, you are of no use to me, or to the people and things I care about."
His gaze was like a cold blade, and a sneer crossed the corner of his mouth as it swept over every pale face: "Unfortunately, you already meet at least two of these."
The cold killing intent was like substance, enveloping the entire scene. Some children were scared into wailing loudly, only to have their mouths tightly covered by adults. Everyone felt a chill rush from the soles of their feet to their scalps, as if they saw the god of death beckoning to them.
"Annoyed me"—the Long Family had repeatedly attempted assassinations and colluded with the Elephant Armored Sect; it was already a life-and-death feud.
"I can beat you"—now that the Long Family was destroyed, they were all prisoners, their lives hanging on his whim.
The atmosphere of despair was almost freezing.
Yu Yuanchen took in everyone's reactions, pausing for a moment to let the fear fully ferment before continuing, his voice still flat but carrying the absolute power to decide life and death:
"The direct descendants of the Long Family, with their bloodline ties and deep-seated grudges, will surely be a future threat if left alive. They must be eliminated. This point is not up for discussion."
These words were like a final judgment, making the collateral members who carried direct bloodline in their bodies turn ashen.
"As for you all..." Yu Yuanchen's gaze swept over the collateral members and women and children again, "Whether you live or die depends on whether you can change from being 'useless' to being 'somewhat useful'."
He offered two paths:
"The first path is to be incorporated into my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family as servants. You will be broken up, assigned to the lowest level of labor or as death soldiers, and your descendants will be slaves forever. This is to atone for your sins and to warn the world of the consequences of being an enemy of my Yu Family. But, you can live."
"The second path," he paused, a chilling light flashing in his eyes, "if anyone thinks they are tough, unwilling to kneel, or harbors hidden malice... I don't mind letting the Black Flame Flood Dragon Martial Soul disappear from this continent forever, except for the specimens collected by my family."
A naked threat, an undisguised killing intent!
He did not mention any magnanimity, nor did he hypocritically offer equal status. In this soul master world with its Warring States-like atmosphere, the victor had absolute power over the defeated. The so-called "not severing a bloodline" was more of an unwritten rule and a matter of saving face, with plenty of room for maneuvering. Whether to leave some "living specimens" with broken bloodlines to be slaves forever, or to secretly "cut the weeds and dig up the roots" later, all depended on the victor's mood and considerations.
Yu Yuanchen chose the former, not out of kindness, but because it was more in line with his interests. On one hand, keeping these collateral members as slaves could both demonstrate the "victor's majesty" and "inviolability" of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family, and to a certain extent, stop the mouths of the public—look, we did not completely exterminate their bloodline. On the other hand, these soul masters with the Black Flame Flood Dragon Martial Soul, even if they were collateral, were a resource in themselves. Whether used for research or as death soldiers, they were more valuable than a pile of dry bones.
Of course, the premise was that they were "obedient" enough and "useless" enough (meaning they could not pose a threat).
The Long Family collateral members present were not fools; they understood what Yu Yuanchen meant. Either give up their dignity and future to live like livestock and continue that already dimmed bloodline, or die now and let the Black Flame Flood Dragon Martial Soul be cut off here.
In the face of absolute death, so-called backbone and hatred seemed so pale and weak.
After a brief, dead silence, there were suppressed sobs, and finally, figures kneeling down like a tide.
"We... are willing to be servants..." An old man who seemed to have some prestige among the collateral members took the lead in kneeling tremblingly, his voice hoarse and filled with humiliation and helplessness.
The instinct for survival ultimately overcame everything else.
Yu Yuanchen looked at the kneeling crowd before him, his expression unchanged. He turned and spoke faintly to the family deacon in charge of guarding: "Register them, break them up, and settle them. If there is any unusual movement, or if anyone hides the existence of direct bloodline members, once discovered, the whole group will be implicated and executed without exception."
"Yes! Young Master Yuanchen!" The Deacon respectfully acknowledged the order, his gaze filled with awe as he looked at Yu Yuanchen. This young master not only possessed heaven-defying strength, but his methods of managing subordinates were also incredibly seasoned and decisive!
After dealing with the collateral branch of the Long Family, Yu Yuanchen returned to his Grandfather to report.
Yu Boxuan stroked his beard for a long time after hearing how he had handled the matter, finally nodding slowly with eyes full of comfort: "Combining kindness with severity, being decisive in killing, yet leaving room for maneuver so as not to give others a handle... Chen'er, you have done very well."
Following this incident, Yu Yuanchen's prestige within the family was no longer limited to his terrifying strength; it now included the composure and decisiveness that belonged to a leader.
The matter in Dragon City had basically settled. Yet, Yu Yuanchen's heart had long since flown toward the battlefield he had agreed upon with his two best friends.
There were only seven months left until the Five Year Agreement. He looked forward to meeting Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu once again.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan