"Yu Yuanzhen, oh Yu Yuanzhen… you sure raised a fine son~"
After listening to Yu Yuanzhen's confession, Dugu Bo couldn't help but throw in a sarcastic jab.
It would've been one thing if his son had just been a lunatic waste of space—but no, fate had to be cruel enough to give him the power to take revenge on everything.
And as expected, not even his own home had been spared. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had already been brought to ruin by the very hands of the son he raised.
"Heh… just give this old man a quick death, will you…?"
Recalling all that had happened, Yu Yuanzhen was left utterly despondent.
Dugu Bo said nothing more. He simply turned to Fire Meow Meow and gave her a slight nod.
No hesitation. Fire Meow Meow stepped forward and crushed Yu Yuanzhen's head with one swift, painless stomp.
Just like that, the once-mighty Clan Master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the man known as the Thunder Douluo, died within the halls of the Heaven Dou Palace.
At least he didn't die alone—his son joined him soon enough.
Back when Fire Meow Meow first arrived and casually cleared out the surrounding small fry, she had already crushed the lurking Yu Xiaogang into dust hundreds of times over. He never even had a chance to show his face.
"Come on. Let's go find Yanyan and the others."
With no other enemies left standing—save for the one Title Douluo who'd already fled—Dugu Bo and Fire Meow Meow headed off in pursuit of the others.
…
Meanwhile, in another part of the palace, a group of nobles stood trembling under the watchful eyes of palace guards dressed in ceremonial garb.
Gone was their usual noble grace and airs. All that remained was fear of death and a resigned submission to overwhelming power.
"…The fighting outside seems to have stopped?"
One of the guards muttered, glancing toward the distant echo of silence.
The battle between Title Douluo-level powerhouses had been nothing short of earthshaking. Even from a great distance, they could feel the turbulent waves of spirit power crashing through the air.
Now, with the fighting sounds gone and the intense spirit pressure dissipated, everyone couldn't help but let out a small sigh of relief.
"Our Sect Master and the two other elders went to deal with a single Dugu Bo. That's more than enough—they'll make short work of him," another guard said confidently.
"You didn't sense it? There was another powerful wave of energy earlier. Maybe Dugu Bo brought a helper."
"So what if he did?"
"You said it yourself—it was only one. You really think one person can take on three Title Douluo?"
"..."
The conversation between the guards wasn't missed by the surrounding nobles.
Among them stood a strikingly young man, his brows furrowed as he glanced toward the royal uncle beside him, his face full of concern.
These two were none other than Prince Xue Beng and Xue Xing of the Heaven Dou imperial family.
And gathered around them were the most influential nobles in the entire empire—yet here they stood like prisoners, confined within the palace hall, not even daring to speak out loud.
Tap, tap, tap—
Hurried footsteps echoed in from outside, drawing everyone's attention toward the door.
"You there! Who—ugh!"
The moment a gatekeeper tried to question the new arrivals, he was effortlessly knocked out.
Inside the hall, the guards tensed instantly, activating their martial spirits as they took battle-ready stances, eyes fixed on the entrance.
Creak—
Four figures appeared at the doorway. The guards' expressions grew even more tense.
Because these newcomers weren't Yu Xiaogang and the others who had left earlier.
"Second Brother?!"
"Qinghe?!"
Several voices cried out in surprise. The one who called "Second Brother" was Xue Beng, while "Qinghe" was spoken by Xue Xing and a few of the elder nobles.
All eyes widened in shock as they laid eyes on the man leading the group—it was none other than Xue Qinghe, the former Crown Prince who had once been banished from Heaven Dou by Emperor Xue Ye himself.
"Qinghe, where is Lord Dugu?"
Xue Xing's sharp eyes immediately spotted Dugu Yan behind Xue Qinghe.
And where Dugu Yan was, his close friend and her grandfather—Dugu Bo—was surely not far. Though he had felt the fierce power clashing outside earlier, not seeing Dugu Bo now still left him a bit uneasy.
"No need to worry, Royal Uncle. Lord Dugu is currently finishing up with the enemy. He'll be here to help soon enough."
Xue Qinghe threw a casual glance at his dear uncle—a sly old fox who bent to strength and bullied the weak as easily as breathing.
But what surprised him more was Xue Beng.
In his memories, Xue Beng had always been the classic spoiled royal—arrogant, pompous, a playboy through and through. Every insult in the book applied to him perfectly.
Yet now, though visibly tense, there was no fear in Xue Beng's eyes. That familiar air of streetwise arrogance had vanished entirely.
Looking closer, there was something almost dignified about his bearing… something that oddly resembled the late Emperor Xue Ye himself.
Could it be… he'd been acting all along?
Had his so-called younger brother deliberately played the part of a useless good-for-nothing, just to avoid drawing suspicion from him?
Xue Qinghe, ever sharp-minded, quickly pieced together most of the truth just from a glance.
But none of that mattered anymore.
He hadn't returned to play this farce with them. He'd come to flip the table—and flip it he would.
"Yanyan, Zhuqing, Keke. Will you please clean up the trash, would you?"
With a casual wave, Xue Qinghe gave the signal.
At once, the girls behind him leapt toward the guards in the hall.
Seeing this, the guards bared their teeth, grim determination flashing in their eyes.
"Attack!"
One shouted, and the others unleashed their spirit power in full… and charged—out of the hall.
…?
Zhu Zhuqing and the others froze mid-motion, stunned.
Weren't they just getting ready to fight to the death?
There were six guards in total, and not only did they all run—they ran with alarming speed!
And without a single word between them. Was this… some kind of unspoken bond?
In truth, their behavior wasn't all that strange. These so-called "guards" were actually ruthless killers from Slaughter City.
Each one had lived a life of blood and blades, used to fighting with death hanging over their shoulders.
The moment they realized the new arrivals weren't Yu Yuanzhen's crew, they knew something had gone terribly wrong.
No matter the reward—what good was it if you didn't live to enjoy it?
And so, without the need for words, they ran.
Survival first. Everything else came second.
Let the slowest ones cover the retreat—if even one of them made it out alive, it was still a win.
"Aaargh—!"
But just then, several cries of agony rang out—man and beast had arrived.
"Keke, are you alright?"
Shrinking down to her smaller form, Fire Meow Meow landed beside Yu Keke, her voice laced with concern.
"Mhm, I'm fine! They didn't even try to fight us."
"Your Highness,"
Dugu Bo stepped forward, standing before Xue Qinghe.
"Yu Yuanzhen, Yu Xiaogang, and one other Title Douluo have been dealt with. One escaped—we didn't give chase."
"You've both done me a great service."
Xue Qinghe offered a hearty thanks, then turned his gaze toward the still-shaken nobles—the very same men who once wielded enormous power.
Hearing the enemy had been vanquished, many looked as though a great weight had been lifted. A few even returned to their seats.
"Qinghe, not bad, not bad at all."
One of the fattest nobles casually lifted a teacup—ironically, the same one he had poured for Yu Yuanzhen earlier.
Taking a long, indulgent sip, he looked at Xue Qinghe with a lofty expression.
"Cough, cough—"
Seeing this, Xue Xing awkwardly coughed and discreetly pulled Xue Beng aside.
Both of them shuffled toward Dugu Bo's side, smiling sheepishly as they nodded at Xue Qinghe.
Their expressions said it all:
"We're not with those idiots."
_
(CAUGHT UP WITH THE RAWS IN MY PATREON)
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