What's this voice?" Yue Guan was no stranger to it. It belonged to a formidable figure, one he couldn't have bested even in his prime.
From behind Jun Tianlin, a colossal blue dragon wreathed in thunder burst forth. Rather than confronting Yue Guan directly, it lashed its tail and sent the Soul Saint clashing against Liu Erlong flying away.
"This is the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's power, and the dragon transformation has nearly reached full embodiment. There is only one person in the world who can achieve this level of dragonization" Jun Tianlin remarked
"Yu Yuanzhen!" Yue Guan gasped, recognizing the newcomer instantly. It was none other than the patriarch of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Thunder Douluo Yu Yuanzhen
Yu Yuanzhen ceased his transformation, returning to his human form—a dignified middle-aged man
"Uncle!" Liu Erlong cried out in shock. How had her uncle come here? In the entire Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, he was the sole Titled Douluo. He rarely left unless it was of utmost importance. The last time he ventured out was for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's title-conferring ceremony and to propose a marriage alliance with Poison Douluo for his grandson.
Even though he deeply cared about Yu Tianheng's finals, no matter how much he wanted to witness his grandson's brilliance, he had refrained from leaving his clan for its security.
Standing not far away, Ning Fengzhi smiled knowingly. This was his doing. He had sent Yin Mengyang to temporarily guard the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan in Yu Yuanzhen's stead, allowing the latter the rare freedom to intervene here.
Such a luxury was only possible when Titled Douluo were abundant. If the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had been as powerful in the original timeline, they would never have had this option.
Ning Fengzhi had arranged for Yu Yuanzhen to meet them here today, but the Thunder Douluo arrived just in time to witness the disgraceful sight of Spirit Hall's Titled Douluo and Soul Douluo bullying ungraduated children.
A man of rigid morals, Yu Yuanzhen detested injustice. Without hesitation, he had intervened.
Yue Guan now understood the oppressive pressure he had sensed from Jun Tianlin earlier. It wasn't the boy—Yu Yuanzhen had been hiding just behind him! No matter how talented Jun Tianlin was, he alone shouldn't have been a threat to a Titled Douluo like himself.
Yet the chrysanthemum Douluo had miscalculated, completely misjudging the source of his unease.
Jun Tianlin, upon Yu Yuanzhen's arrival, quietly retracted his left hand, which had been poised to release the Holy Spirit Pearl. With Thunder Douluo here, was there any room left for Juhuaguan to act recklessly?
The other Titled Douluo of Spirit Hall, initially locked in combat, saw Yu Yuanzhen's entrance and quickly assessed the situation as hopeless. Without hesitation, they ended their battles and retreated to regroup.
Chen Xin and Dugu Bo joined Ning Fengzhi, forming ranks beside Yu Yuanzhen
Eight legendary figures now faced off. Yue Guan's expression darkened "Ning Fengzhi, Yu Yuanzhen, is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan truly prepared to stand against us?"
"The three great clans have always stood together. Yue Guan, surely you haven't forgotten that?" Ning Fengzhi's voice was calm yet resolute
Taking advantage of Spirit Hall's aggression, he intended to solidify that statement into undeniable truth.
Though the three great clans had always claimed unity, reality had been different. They had competed as much as they had cooperated, though the rivalry remained civil, never fostering deep-seated enmity.
In his youth, Ning Fengzhi had seen constant conflict across the continent. He, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo had faced danger daily, yet he had never feared it. However, over the past decade, wars had dwindled. While peace seemed like a blessing, Ning Fengzhi, ever cautious, viewed it as the calm before the storm. The quieter things became, the more violent the eventual eruption would be.
Thus, true unity among the three great clans was imperative. With the Haotian Clan in seclusion, he aimed to use Tang Hao and Tang San to lure them back into the world. Meanwhile, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, relatively isolated, needed a push—an opportunity Ning Fengzhi was determined to seize today.
"Hmph. We've lost this round. Old Ghost, Mad Lion, Sea Turtle—retreat!" Yue Guan commanded. A beam of moonlight shot skyward, signaling Spirit Hall's forces to withdraw.
At the sight of the retreat signal, the masked men in black swiftly complied, vanishing from the valley. Peace was restored.
With their soul power exhausted, the soul masters left the task of clearing boulders and making way to the Royal Knights.
"Xiaotian, are you alright?" Xue Qinghe approached. As the prince, he had been kept protected by the Royal Knights on Ning Fengzhi's orders, ensuring his safety throughout the crisis.
"Brother Xue, I'm fine. Uncle Ning and the others are here, and even Thunder Douluo himself arrived to aid us. Who could possibly harm me?" Jun Tianlin chuckled.
"That's good. But don't be reckless next time. I understand your concern for your teacher, but blind loyalty can be a double-edged sword. If you throw yourself into situations beyond your ability, good intentions will turn to disaster. You cannot yet contend with a Titled Douluo" Xue Qinghe sighed in relief.
Truthfully, she had nearly rushed in herself. Even with Jun Tianlin's strength, she knew he was no match for a Titled Douluo. Had he gone forward, he would have died, forcing her hand. If that had happened, she wouldn't have hesitated to spread her angel wings and unleash the Angel Holy Sword upon Ju Douluo—her relationship with his woman be damned.
"Hmph!" At that moment, Ning Rongrong, who had initially wanted to leap into Jun Tianlin's arms for comfort, found herself sulking. She wasn't sure why, but seeing her Brother Jian standing with the prince, they seemed more harmonious together than she did with him.
"Brother Jian is the worst. Rongrong just went through such a dangerous ordeal, and you didn't even come to comfort me! I won't talk to you anymore!" Ning Rongrong pouted, muttering under her breath.
"Perfect! Xiaotian, since Rongrong won't pay attention to you right now, come to my carriage. You've used up a lot of soul power, and Tianxue's energy can help you recover faster." Xue Qinghe seized the opportunity, ignoring Ning Rongrong's jealous protest and giving Jun Tianlin no chance to refuse, dragging him along.
Jun Tianlin realized he couldn't break free. His exhaustion played a part, but more than that, Xue Qinghe's own power had grown immensely. After refining himself through Tianxue's energy, she had likely reached the level of a seven-ringed Spirit Saint. With the innate advantage of her six-winged angel, her true combat strength was already near the Titled Douluo level.
Watching her Brother Jian walk off with Xue Qinghe, Ning Rongrong's face scrunched up in frustration. Meanwhile, Jun Tianlin felt wronged—he hadn't wanted to go, but he couldn't resist. It wasn't like he could ask Sword Douluo to rescue him with a blade!
It seemed he would need to make it up to the little princess later.