Ye Qingxin's healing light flowed continuously, incredibly potent.
Yet, the more powerful it was, the graver Dugu Feng's expression became.
Even with Ye Qingxin's strength as a Soul Saint, the treatment was this strenuous.
Just how severe were Old Scorpion's injuries?
From the outside, Old Scorpion merely looked pale, with no visible external wounds.
It must be internal injuries.
"Old Scorpion's Fifth Soul Skill is Earth Tunneling. This time, he must have suffered a shockwave attack from the enemy underground.
Though he survived, the enemy's attack penetrated the earth and reverberated through his organs, causing internal damage.
This shows the vast gap between them—the opponent's strength must at least be at the Soul Saint level!"
Dugu Feng heard Old Snake's voice in his ear.
His mind was already racing through the current state of affairs on the continent.
Tang Hao severely injuring Qian Xunji happened six years ago, around the time he was born.
In other words, he was about the same age as Tang San.
After that, Bibi Dong succeeded as the Pope of the Spirit Hall, and the Clear Sky Sect went into seclusion.
The turmoil had gradually subsided.
But with the balance of power disrupted, factions were surely maneuvering in the shadows, vying for position in the new power structure.
Moreover, Bibi Dong was ambitious and strategic in expanding the Spirit Hall's influence. After all these years, she must have begun infiltrating the two great empires and major sects.
Under these circumstances, the Dugu family couldn't remain uninvolved.
The question was—was Old Scorpion's severe injury related to any of this?
A moment later, Ye Qingxin withdrew his Nine Heart Begonia Spirit and said, "Brother Dugu, his condition is stable now, but for his organs to fully recover, he'll need at least three more treatments!"
Exhaustion was evident on his face—this treatment had nearly drained him. Ye Lingling stepped forward to support him.
"Brother Ye, thank you for your efforts," Dugu Shuo said solemnly.
"Between us, is there any need for such formalities?" He waved his hand and turned to Dugu Feng, his expression shifting to surprise. "This must be Feng'er, right? It's been years—he's grown so much!"
"Greetings, Clan Leader Ye," Dugu Feng said with a proper bow.
"No need for such formality, Feng'er. Just call me Uncle Ye."
Dugu Feng froze for a moment—this would make him a generation above Ye Lingling?
"Nephew pays respects to Uncle Ye," he obediently addressed him as Uncle Ye.
Ye Qingxin smiled. "You'll soon be enrolling at Heaven Dou Junior Soul Master Academy. Lingling still has a year left there—you two can look out for each other."
"Yes, Uncle Ye!" Dugu Feng replied, glancing at Ye Lingling, who remained expressionless.
Ye Qingxin then turned back to Dugu Shuo. "I won't impose any longer. The situation is tense everywhere—Brother Dugu, be cautious."
"I understand!"
Dugu Shuo acknowledged, then escorted Ye Qingxin and Ye Lingling out.
Dugu Feng and Old Snake moved closer to Old Scorpion.
After a while, Old Scorpion regained consciousness and opened his eyes. "It was definitely Huyan Lie!"
Huyan Lie—an unfamiliar name. But the Elephant Armor Sect had a Huyan Zhen. Could he be from the Elephant Armor Sect?
"Huyan Zhen is only a Soul Douluo. Would Huyan Lie dare to attack you so brazenly?" Old Snake said coldly.
"Then we must ask whether the Elephant Armor Sect has some ulterior motive!"
"Old Scorpion, did the Elephant Armor Sect show any unusual behavior during this Six Great Families meeting?"
After sending Ye Qingxin and his companion away, Dugu Shuo returned and posed this question.
He then turned to enlighten Dugu Feng: "Feng'er, now that your Martial Soul has awakened, you must begin participating in the family's affairs—both major and minor. There are things you should know.
The Great Soul Arena, as a venue for Soul Master duels and a means for various factions to resolve disputes, is the primary system maintaining peace within the Soul Master world.
It is jointly controlled by seven great families—or rather, seven major factions—and we are one of them.
You already know what happened six years ago. When the Clear Sky Sect withdrew, the Defense Clan, representing the Clear Sky Sect among these seven families, was expelled by the decision of the other six factions.
But this share of benefits—every one of the six factions covets it.
The Great Soul Arena is a place of immense wealth, capable of rivaling nations, with profits flowing in daily. Even a single share is staggeringly lucrative.
With endless disputes among the factions, the temporary decision was to divide the share equally among the six, distributed biannually. This time, Old Scorpion went under my orders to retrieve our half-year's earnings!"
Dugu Feng was stunned. The Great Soul Arena existed in every city, where Soul Masters could duel one another. Of course, the most important aspect was the revenue from ticket sales and gambling.
The Dugu Family was actually one of the seven great families controlling the Great Soul Arena.
Moreover, from Dugu Shuo's words, he realized that the Great Soul Arena was defined not just as a place for profit but for duels and dispute resolution.
In other words, the Great Soul Arena wasn't merely about wealth—it carried the weight of decisive combat, replacing the role of law in settling all conflicts.
"Then, who are the other six factions?" Dugu Feng asked curiously.
"The Ge Family of the Heaven Dou Empire, the Five Element Alliance, the Zhu Family of the Star Luo Empire, the Tuoba Family, the Dai Family, and the original Defense Clan," Dugu Shuo patiently explained.
Dugu Feng immediately sensed something amiss. After a moment of thought, he asked, "The Great Soul Arena doesn't belong to the two empires or the Spirit Hall. Why is the Dai Family among them?"
"Let me clarify," Old Snake interjected with a smile. "The Star Luo Empire has two Dais—one is the imperial family, and the other is the White Tiger Sect. Though the two are intricately connected, they remain separate forces.
Our Heaven Dou's Ge Family is wholly loyal to the Heaven Dou imperial family. While the two empires and the Spirit Hall appear uninvolved in the Great Soul Arena, they each have factions they support behind the scenes.
As for the Upper Three Sects—they, too, are players moving pieces from the shadows."
Dugu Feng understood at once.
The Tuoba Family was clearly backed by the Spirit Hall, having established the Sacred Dragon Sect—only stopping short of openly pledging allegiance.
In the end, the Douluo Continent was governed by the Upper Three Sects, the Spirit Hall, and the two empires.
As for who supported the Dugu Family—it went without saying. At the very least, they had ties to the Heaven Dou imperial family.
Seeing Dugu Feng's comprehension, Old Scorpion added, "This time, the representative of the Five Element Alliance at the meeting was Huyan Lie of the Huyan Family. During the meeting, he showed no unusual behavior.
However, on the return journey, I encountered him again. Instead of heading straight back to his family, he ventured near the Sunset Forest. I suspected he might be plotting something, so I secretly followed him using my Earth Tunneling Soul Skill.
Turns out, Huyan Lie had received news—they had discovered a Soul Bone and were pursuing the person who possessed it."
I quickly followed, but just as we were about to enter the Sunset Forest, I was suddenly ambushed! The attacker used a powerful and fierce Soul Skill to strike the ground, leaving me severely injured!"
Old Scorpion still seemed shaken as he spoke.
"A Soul Bone?!" Old Snake exclaimed in shock.
Dugu Shuo's expression also darkened, shifting between emotions.
This news was truly astonishing.
Even though their family possessed wealth rivaling nations, they didn't own a single Soul Bone.
These items were far too precious. Those who had them would quietly absorb them immediately—there was simply no place to buy them.
The Dugu family's foundation couldn't compare to the Top Three Sects or the Spirit Hall after all.
(End of Chapter)