The Thunder Spirit inside the soul tool was already withered beyond recognition, completely skin and bones. If one didn't sense carefully, they couldn't detect any life aura at all; it was clear it had suffered inhuman torment for a long time.
As an expert in the path of qi and blood, the Grand Elder could tell at a glance that this Thunder Spirit had probably been drained of blood every few days for decades, its origin long withered. Its cultivation seemed to have reached over two thousand years, but it was obviously piled up with drugs, utterly unstable.
He looked coldly at the Rich Family patriarch, his voice devoid of any warmth.
"You've got quite the guts, daring to nourish yourself with this method. Aren't you afraid the people from the Spirit Hall will discover it and reduce you to ashes?"
As a spirit born from heaven and earth, the Thunder Spirit's blood contained pure heaven and earth vital energy, which could delay aging and enhance qi and blood. The Grand Elder had known this long ago; in the dark era ten thousand years ago, it wasn't uncommon.
But such actions ultimately violated human decency, so after the Angel God swept away the world's degenerates, this behavior was classified as a fallen act, a key target for the Spirit Hall, especially the Angel lineage.
The Rich Family patriarch smiled ingratiatingly. "It's just capturing a small Thunder Spirit. With Your Excellency's experience, you must know this isn't rare. The Spirit Hall's attention is on those rampant degenerates. Even if they knew, they wouldn't go after my clan for one Thunder Spirit."
In the past century, friction between the Spirit Hall and the two great empires had intensified, making them like fire and water. If not for Qian Daoliu, who served as the Spirit Hall's Judgment Elder and made a fearsome name on the continent, terrifying the two great empires, a war would have been inevitable.
Since the new Pope Bibi Dong took office, the authoritarian wind has grown stronger, and disputes between the empires and the Spirit Hall have almost come to the forefront, just one layer of window paper away from being pierced.
Even if the Spirit Hall knew about this, they were powerless. The noble forces were even less likely to accept it—after all, which noble family didn't have some dirty secrets?
And as the other said, the Spirit Hall might not make a big fuss over one Thunder Spirit. After all, they hadn't killed for cultivation or massacred soul beasts. If that counted, all soul masters on Douluo Continent would be degenerates. Not to mention, for whale glue, the Body Sect had committed plenty of slaughter in the oceans.
"Take care of yourselves."
With a faint warning, the Grand Elder's figure vanished from the hall.
"Whew—"
Seeing that this ancestor had finally left, everyone's hearts finally settled back into place. As a top noble in the Osway Kingdom, even a major power in the Heaven Dou Imperial City, when had they ever felt like a knife was at their throats?
Looking at the empty seat, the Rich Family patriarch's eldest son said unwillingly, "Father, are we just letting him take the Thunder Spirit like that? That Thunder Spirit could still be used for at least two more years!"
"Slap!"
The Rich Family patriarch, whose face had been calm, immediately turned and slapped his eldest son across the face, the piercing sound echoing through the hall.
"Father, you..."
The eldest son clutched his face in disbelief, not understanding why his father had hit him. He was thinking of the family's dignity and his father's health.
"You what?" Seeing the disbelief in his eldest son's eyes, the increasingly angry Rich Family patriarch kicked him flying over ten meters, roaring, "That's a Titled Douluo. If we don't let him take it, what can we do? Are you going to snatch it back?"
"Cough cough."
The eldest son got up, coughing painfully a few times, blood trickling from his mouth, and said angrily, "So what if he's a Titled Douluo? Back then, Thunder Douluo Yu Yuanzhen couldn't take the Thunder Spirit from us either. No matter how strong he is, can he be stronger than Yu Yuanzhen?"
Hearing his eldest son's childish words, a trace of helplessness flashed in the Rich Family patriarch's eyes as he painfully closed them. The second son beside him said to his big brother:
"Big Brother, Thunder Douluo has the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family behind him and naturally wouldn't dare act rashly against the entire Osway Kingdom. But do you know the background of that Titled Douluo just now? Is he alone or from some major force?"
"With just a glance, he knocked out Elder Dai. To do that, he must be a mental-type Titled Douluo."
Hearing his younger brother, whom he'd suppressed for years, dare to reprimand him, the Rich eldest son flew into a rage. "So what?"
The Rich Family patriarch said coldly, "So what? In the past century on Douluo Continent, no mental-type Titled Douluo has appeared publicly. He's either a hidden expert or a high-level figure from a hidden sect. How can you deal with someone whose traces you can't even find?"
"Moreover, mental-type Titled Douluo are far more mysterious and threatening than ordinary ones. Do you think the kingdom would offend him for one Thunder Spirit?"
The Rich eldest son still felt unwilling. For years, he'd been high and mighty, turning clouds with a flip of his hand and rain with the other. Today, someone had barged in like this, and he had to bow and scrape—how could he swallow this?
"What if he's just an ordinary Titled Douluo, only with stronger mental power..."
Before he could finish, the Rich third son interrupted from the other side.
"Does it make a difference? Mental power comparable to a specialized mental-type Titled Douluo—what level of cultivation is that? Do you think we can afford to provoke it?"
A powerhouse with mental power comparable to a mental-type Titled Douluo starts at Super Douluo at least. Hoping he's a Super Douluo is worse than him being a mental-type one. The latter they might have a chance to confront; the former, no chance to resist. The royal family wouldn't offend a Super Douluo for the Rich Family.
The Rich eldest son finally understood, his eyes full of unwillingness. At that moment, his father's voice came again.
"Eldest, there have been some issues from the branch family recently. Go handle them."
The eldest son had been his key cultivated heir for years, diligent and qualified. But today's performance was too disappointing—ignorant of advance and retreat, disrespectful to the strong; this was a path to death!
Upon hearing this, the Rich eldest son's face turned ashen; his father's words sounded nice, but they meant he'd been abandoned.
The second and third sons' eyes flashed with ecstasy, looking at their big brother with mocking smiles. Don't blame us; clan leader disputes are always like this.
Soon, only the eldest son remained in the hall. His body trembled, despair and unwillingness gnawing at his heart like venomous snakes, nearly bursting from his throat in a roar.
"No Super Douluo has appeared for decades, yet now they pop up! One outside Clear Sky City, rumors of Sword Douluo from Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect breaking through, and now this suspected Super Douluo..."
He stared fixedly at the empty seat, grinding his teeth in resentment, full of malice:
"When Qian Daoliu the killer and Tang Chen were around, why didn't you come out and strut? Now, one by one, you're all showing off!"