Thunder Dragon Valley—once called Thunder Gorge—was a place perennially filled with abundant, active lightning energy, an invaluable natural training ground for lightning-attributed soul masters.
Centuries ago, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had moved into this treasure trove, gradually developing it into their unassailable homeland.
In the past, Thunder Gorge was forever shrouded in thick, low-lying thunderclouds. Lightning frequently split the sky, thunder quaking the valley, filling the air with power and danger. Now, looking down over the ravine brought only a scene of horror.
Although the thunder clouds and lightning had not fully vanished, the entire outer valley—and even the sky above—were wreathed in heavy, dark green mist.
The mists swirled and writhed, pale green phosphorescent light occasionally flickering within. Whenever a stray bolt of lightning pierced the mist, illuminating the whorls of poisonous vapor, a sinister, ominous atmosphere grew even stronger—a chill running down the spine.
Boom—!
From the depths of the poisonous haze, a deep and muffled roar sounded, mingling with the eruptive thunder and the ground-shaking charge of some behemoth. A moment later, a rough, low voice tore through the toxic mist:
"Yu Yuan, save your strength! The way is blocked. Hurry back and stand down—you'll at least get a few more chances to catch your breath."
Amidst the churning poison, the vague forms of four colossal specters battled violently.
Among them, two massive spear shadows emanated an aura of destruction. A third, mountain-sized shadow was that of an ancient giant rhinoceros.
Against these three, a dragon shadow clad in dazzling lightning zigged and zagged maniacally, attempting to break the encirclement. Every time its claws tried to shatter the barrier, they were met squarely by the domineering spear shadow. The mountain-like phantom rhino battered it back with brute force, while yet another nimble spear shadow attacked from clever angles, intercepting and deflecting with ease.
"Yang Wudi! Yang Wushuang! Niu Gao! You—you all have gone too far!" roared a voice of mingled shock and fury from within the dragon lightning. The voice was jagged with gasps, revealing just how battered he was.
"Hmph!" Yang Wushuang's cold voice rang out. His spear shadow struck the rampaging lightning dragon like the tongue of a snake.
"Yu Yuanzhen, as the old saying goes: what goes around comes around. Have you forgotten even such a basic principle as 'debts must be paid; murderers must pay with their lives'—which noble clans have ruled the continent for millennia?"
"You—!" Yu Yuanzhen was furious, but left speechless. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan had always lorded over others, making countless enemies; only, none had truly dared challenge their might before.
"Yu Yuanzhen—" Yang Wudi's voice echoed forth, colder than his brother's and completely devoid of feeling. "Blame your 'good son', Yu Xiaogang, if you must. Now go home. Otherwise..."
The overwhelming aura of his soul-crushing spear jaws locked firmly onto the dragon shadow's vital points.
"I don't mind... killing you first."
The killing intent in his words seemed to form an icy spear piercing through the poisonous haze, striking directly at Yu Yuanzhen's heart.
"You… all of you…" Yu Yuanzhen's eyes were bloodshot, anger on the verge of eruption. But sensing the formidable presences encircling him, and the omnipresent toxic mist, he understood: no matter what he did, there was no breaking out today.
"Good! Good! Good!" Yu Yuanzhen repeated "good" three times, his voice trembling. "Breaking Clan! Defense Clan! You two... remember this—this is not over!"
After that severe warning, the lightning-clad dragon shrank, spun, and retreated back into the deeper mists toward the heart of Thunder Dragon Valley.
From the edge of the poison fog came Niu Gao's wild, cold laugh: "Not over? Hah—not for long!"
…
Within the Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect's council hall.
Once grand, the hall was now suffocating with terror. The elders, faces full of anxiety and dread, clustered together like ants on a hot pan.
When Yu Yuanzhen staggered back through the main doors, all eyes snapped to him.
"Sect Master…"
"Brother…"
Seeing the resentful eyes upon him, Yu Yuanzhen felt a chill run through his spine, momentarily lost for words.
"Elders, I—" he started, voice dry, but was cut off by a cold voice from the head of the left seats.
"Failed again?" It was an old man, resemblance to Yu Yuanzhen but with a more sinister air—his younger brother and deputy sect master, Yu Luomian.
"…Yes." Yu Yuanzhen nodded in defeat, his face burning as if slapped before the others.
"Heh heh…" Yu Luomian gave a cold, mocking laugh, rising abruptly and walking into the center of the hall to face his brother, who'd inspired both respect and awe since their youth.
"Watch as your choices led our entire Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan to the brink, all for your useless son and his ambitions. Back then, when you insisted on interfering in the Heaven Dou royal and Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect matters, didn't I warn you against getting mixed up in such trouble?"
"Did you ever consider whom we should fear more—Spirit Hall, or the Body Sect? Instead, you even pushed that useless son up to become the Heaven Dou Marquis—what was your wisdom worth, except dragging us all into the abyss, adorning yourself with stolen plumes, and shaming our clan?"
"And that wasn't enough. Later, you promoted that weakling—level 29!—to such a high elder position in the sect."
"Did you do it out of guilt, or as a father's love? Fine. Can't stop you now, but look around—what has it brought us? Through this farce, our entire clan is entangled with him and cannot even cut ties to escape!"
"Brother, whose fault is this? Tell me!"
"That's right!" Another elderly elder stood, pointing accusingly. "Sect leader! That useless trash left us long ago—he's not us anymore!"
"But you brought him back, reinstated him in high position. Now look! He's dragged the whole sect to the grave with him!"
"At the time, you were too hasty, Sect master! How could we ever have objected?"
"Is risking the lives of thousands of clan members for one level-29 trash worth it?"
Other elders echoed with voices full of rage and impotence. They'd opposed Yu Yuanzhen's insistence on promoting Yu Xiaogang, but facing the only titled Douluo and sect master in the clan, felt powerless.
Yu Yuanzhen bowed his head, unable to meet the gazes of his brother and the other elders. Regret gnawed at his heart like a venomous snake.
Right then, watching his father unable to raise his head amidst this barrage of blame, Yu Xiaoqiang—the young sect master—stepped forward.
"Father… Father only hesitated a moment. He was deceived by Xiaogang… by Yu Xiaogang. Besides, didn't everyone's businesses prosper for a while, thanks to Xiaogang's ideas at the time?"
He turned to bolster his father's dignity. "Father already did his best! Dugu Bo's poison mist is now renowned across the land, but after breaking through the Douluo peak, its power is even greater than before."
"No other Lightning Master can break through—you alone can barely manage, father. You alone can still fight!"
"Hmph!" The initial elder snorted in contempt for the young sect master's naivety. "Benefits? Any gain I got then, I'd repay now with interest! But, Yu Xiaoqiang, can you get us out of this hellhole alive?"
Another elder cut in curtly, "Yu Xiaoqiang, young master! Have you no sense of the gravity here? How many of the sect's most precious resources were wasted to help that useless Yu Xiaogang?"
"And what of it? Level 29! An entire lifetime stuck at the Soul Master rank—mocked by the whole soul master world! Our Blue Lightning clan... entirely a laughing stock!"
"And you!" Another elder glared at Yu Xiaoqiang. "Broke through to Soul Douluo level? Sure, some talent… but how much in resources was invested in you, just the same?"
"If all those resources had gone to other promising disciples, why do we now have only one titled Douluo? Why, when surrounded, can't we even find a second person to attempt a breakout?"
Their words left Yu Xiaoqiang red-faced. He opened his mouth to defend himself, but no argument came; all explanations seemed hollow.
He could not deny the truth of his family's extravagant support, and Yu Xiaogang's uselessness was an undeniable humiliation.
"That's enough!" Yu Luomian's low shout finally quelled the noise. He turned back to his brother, his expression more complex than ever—a voice gentler than his earlier scolding, but all the more chilling.
"Brother… I'm truly, utterly disappointed."
"The sect is staring at ruin; thousands of kin face death. Tell me—what should we do?"
"I—I…" Yu Yuanzhen finally lifted his head, lips trembling, eyes unfocused. His face showed shame, regret, and confusion.
In this instant, only one thought remained: why—why hadn't he destroyed that evil while he still could? Regret gnawed at him like a poisonous viper, suffocating him. A moment's folly, blind indulgence for that worthless son, had dragged down a clan with thousands of years of legacy, never to recover.
As Yu Luomian watched his brother's broken despair, the last glimmer of hope faded from his own eyes. He slowly shook his head.
"You... better take care."
With that, he turned, waved the elders out, and left the hall without a backward glance. The other elders, faces grim, followed him out in turn.
"Father…"
Yu Xiaoqiang watched his father, who had seemingly aged decades in a moment, intending to step up to comfort him.
"Xiaoqiang…"
Yu Yuanzhen's cracked voice came at last. "You... go first."
"Father, I—"
"Go!"
Suddenly, Yu Yuanzhen exploded—not in tears, but in fury. His surging soul power leaked, sending Yu Xiaoqiang staggering backward, escaping the main hall in haste.
Inside, only Yu Yuanzhen remained—alone, standing before the throne that was the very symbol of the sect master.
Slowly, he lifted his head to gaze at the domed ceiling, at the relief carving of the living, blue lightning dragon.
"Yu Xiaogang… Yu Xiaogang… hahahahaha…"
Suddenly, Yu Yuanzhen burst into hysterical laughter, the sound echoing hollowly through the empty hall, filling it with endless regret.
"I—I really… am hopeless… hahahaha…"
He once took great pride in this theory master son, eagerly striving to repay his debts to him.
Now… he hated him—the useless one—just as much as he hated himself for his own fatal mistakes.