In the banquet hall, Tang Yuehua and Titan exchanged glances.
After muttering a few words to each other, Tang Yuehua hastily left.
Lin Rong knew that Tang Yuehua was heading to her brother to ask for the "Explosion Ring," so he didn't stop her and allowed her to leave.
Afterward, in the banquet hall, aside from the large pool of venom sizzling on the ground, there was no other movement. The atmosphere around the three Elders of Tang Sect was even more uncertain.
Several hours later, as dusk fell, the sky was stained dark.
Dugu Bo, who had been gone for a while, walked in under the shadows of the setting sun.
"I keep my promises. The entire Min clan has been wiped out, not a single survivor left," Dugu Bo said, walking straight to his granddaughter's side and looking at Lin Rong.
"Sir, as agreed, you should release my granddaughter."
Release Dugu Yan?
Lin Rong was speechless. He said, "You're already one of my people. Why would I harm your granddaughter?"
After speaking, Lin Rong tossed a jade vial to Dugu Bo, sending a voice transmission.
"There are three Dragon Essence Immortal Pills in this vial. Taking them will enhance one's aptitude and soul power."
"At the same time, this pill has a special effect that aids in the evolution of Dragon-type martial souls. You don't need me to say more—once you open the vial, the desire from your martial soul will make it clear."
"This pill works best when taken by someone younger to improve their aptitude, and when the soul power doesn't exceed level fifty for boosting soul strength."
"As for the evolution of Dragon-type martial souls, there's no limit to that."
"There are three pills in total. The effect of each one is halved with every additional dose. It's up to you whether you take them yourself or give them to your granddaughter."
After hearing this, Dugu Bo gently opened the vial and carefully smelled the contents.
The sweet scent of the pills poured out of the vial, carrying with it the subtle medicinal power of the Nine-Tier Dragon Ginseng, which stirred the desire of his martial soul, the Azure Phosphor Snake King.
Dugu Bo quickly sealed the vial again, thinking to himself, So it really does cause a reaction in my martial soul. This brat wasn't lying after all.
Such a sweet fragrance... this pill should be safe to consume.
But to be cautious, I'll scrape a little bit of powder from it once I return and test it for poison. If it's safe, I'll give it to Yan Yan.
Afterward, Dugu Bo put the vial away and bowed, thanking Lin Rong.
"Thank you, Your Excellency, Duke."
Lin Rong didn't respond, simply standing up and leaving the Tang Sect with the old butler.
Seeing this, Dugu Bo was eager to return and test whether the pills were truly safe, so he quickly left with his granddaughter.
Once the four of them exited Tang Sect, the bustling Tang Sect finally quieted down.
Under the setting sun, the shadows of the trees stretched long.
Niu Gao broke the tense atmosphere first, speaking stiffly to Titan.
"Old gorilla, I'm done with this damn Tang Sect. I'm leaving with the Yu clan and heading back to Longxing City to continue living."
"If you want to continue working for the Haotian Sect like a slave, everyone has their own ambitions. I have no objections."
"But from now on, I'll pretend I never had a brother like you!"
With that, Niu Gao didn't wait for Titan to respond and stormed out of the banquet hall.
"Old rhinoceros! Wait, wait!"
Titan placed Tang San down and was about to chase after him to stop Niu Gao from leaving, but as he took a step forward, Lou Gao, who was standing by, grabbed his arm.
"Titan, it's useless," Lou Gao said.
"You've been friends with Niu Gao for many years. If he weren't completely disheartened, he wouldn't have said what he just did."
"To be honest, what that woman said was really too much."
"The master is strong, but the ministers are weak. What a line!"
"In my opinion, Tang Sect has its secret weapons. If developed properly, it could become the world's strongest force in the future."
"I've spent my life obsessed with forging. My only wish has been to improve the status of our blacksmiths. Until Tang Sect's secret weapons appeared, I never saw any hope."
"But if, as that woman said, Tang Sect will always be a subordinate of the Haotian Sect, then the blacksmiths will forever remain in their humble position on the continent."
"After hearing those words, I was greatly disheartened. If not for my obsession with secret weapons, I might have made the same choice as Niu Gao."
"Put yourself in his shoes. Anyone who doesn't have a grudge against the Haotian Sect would feel the same. So, what about Niu Gao, who has a great grudge against Haotian Sect? How much resentment and disappointment do you think he's feeling?"
Lou Gao's words made Titan pause, and he began reflecting.
"Haotian Sect, always the Haotian Sect."
"Back then, the master's battle with the former Pope made the Haotian Hammer renowned across the continent."
"But that damn Haotian Sect, they put on the front of being the world's strongest sect. But when it really matters, they run faster than anyone else."
"They abandoned our single-attribute four sects, and even worse, Haotian Sect removed the master from the sect because they feared the Spirit Hall."
"After all these years, we've finally found a young master. Under his brilliant leadership, Tang Sect was formed, and we old brothers could reunite."
"But now, all the efforts the young master made are destroyed by that woman, Tang Yuehua."
"Clearly, the young master has repeatedly stated that Tang Sect is an independent sect."
"But that woman keeps calling it Haotian Sect, making that old rhinoceros think that Tang Sect is a subsidiary of Haotian Sect. Because of this, I lost my best brother."
"If it weren't for the fact that the master is a disciple of Haotian Sect, if he didn't care about Haotian Sect, I would have marched straight to Haotian Sect's mountain gate to vent my anger!"
"Right, and that old white bird."
"If it weren't for him bringing up that damn ginseng, how could today's events have happened?"
"If it weren't for today, Niu Gao and I would still be the best of brothers. The young master wouldn't have suffered such humiliation, and he wouldn't be in a situation where his life or death is in someone else's hands."
"Yes, that's right, it's all that old white bird's fault!"
Meanwhile, Lou Gao, seeing Titan's changing expressions, mistakenly thought that Titan was thinking from his and Niu Gao's perspective, which was why his mood fluctuated.
However, Lou Gao didn't understand Titan's deep faith in Tang Hao.
In Titan's heart, his master, Tang Hao, could do no wrong. Similarly, the young master, Tang San, could never be wrong. Whatever they did had its reasons.
As a loyal servant, Titan believed that whatever his masters ordered was right, and so he could not be wrong.
If his masters were not wrong, neither was he. The only ones who could be wrong were others, especially Haotian Sect.
If Lou Gao had the ability to read minds, he would have reconsidered whether he should take Tang Sect's secret weapon blueprints and run.
Lou Gao patted Titan on the shoulder and left to return to the forge and study the weapon blueprints.
As the sun set, the last sliver of light disappeared below the horizon.
The vast banquet hall was left in complete darkness, without even the smallest light source.