Chapter 41: Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuqing
As soon as Dugu Feng stepped off the staircase and reached the top floor, he felt a wave of evil, frenzied energy.
Looking up, he saw a tall, powerful man dressed in black, standing there with a wicked smirk as he watched the battles below in the Grand Soul Arena.
Suddenly, the man turned toward Dugu Feng's group and broke into hearty laughter. "Clan Chief Dugu, Black Demon has been waiting for you.
The Grand Soul Arena has always been controlled by the seven most prestigious clans. Now that the Yu Clan has withdrawn, our Black Tiger Sect, with the Holy Dragon Sect's recommendation, seeks to join. I hope you'll go easy on us when we battle."
"The Black Tiger Sect? A clan not even ranked among the Lower Four Sects wants to muddy the waters?" Dugu Shuo replied with a trace of mockery, clearly disdainful.
The man calling himself Black Demon paused awkwardly but kept his smile. "We're not in the ranks now, but who knows about the future? If your clan could show some mercy in the arena, I'd never forget it!"
Black Demon bowed sincerely with both fists.
"Does the Black Demon Sect Master understand the meaning of 'prestige'?" Old Snake sneered. "Prestige is power. Without it, you have nothing.
Honor in the arena is earned, not given. Show your true colors in the ring!"
He nearly jabbed his finger at Black Demon's nose. No strength, yet dreaming of sharing the profits—delusional.
Black Demon's smile could no longer hold; bowing briefly, he left in silence, cursing the Dugu Clan for their total lack of tact.
If it weren't for their poison, he would have fired back on the spot.
"Hmph." Dugu Shuo snorted coldly, then led Dugu Feng directly into a private VIP chamber.
The room was lavish and gleamed with colorful luxury. A glass lamp hung overhead, bathing the space in light. The décor was thoroughly Western in style.
Wearing a chilly expression, Dugu Shuo sat upon the velvet sofa. "Feng'er, do you remember the Black Tiger Sect's background?"
Dugu Feng responded instantly, "The Black Tiger Sect is based within the Star Luo Empire. Their strongest is a Soul Saint with the Black Demon Tiger Martial Soul, which possesses both wind and evil attributes. That bloodline is distantly descended from the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.
They are sworn rivals of the White Tiger Sect and the Star Luo royal family, always suppressed by the Dai clan.
Given that, they must have just submitted to Spirit Hall. Otherwise, they'd never dare compete for the profits left behind by the Clear Sky Sect!"
He knew from later events that the Black Tiger Sect really would become one of the Lower Four Sects—all thanks to their allegiance with Spirit Hall.
"You missed something," Dugu Shuo said coolly. "Black Demon has advanced to Soul Douluo. With his newfound power, he's become far more ambitious."
Soul Douluo!
Dugu Feng was surprised. For the Black Tiger Sect to survive constant suppression by the Dai and Bai clans in Star Luo, they had to have unique strengths. The Black Demon Tiger's wind and evil attributes, and the rise to Soul Douluo—these gave Black Demon real confidence.
Bibi Dong was certainly stirring things up, Dugu Feng thought. Heaven Dou was drawing in the Elephant Armored Sect for a surprise strike; Star Luo was absorbing the Black Tiger Sect for their own advantage.
Though Bibi Dong ruled far from Wuhun City, her influence was everywhere.
"The new Pope of Spirit Hall is not simple at all," Dugu Shuo said. "Daring to poison Emperor Xue Ye while scheming behind the scenes to grab the Grand Soul Arena… her ambition is vast."
The poisons afflicting Xue Ye and Ge Ying were identical, and added to the incident with the Holy Dragon Sect on the road. Dugu Shuo had worked out almost everything—except, perhaps, that Xue Qinghe was truly Qian Renxue in disguise.
"Feng'er, after this soul battle, you and Old Scorpion will leave the clan for a while, go north and train, and seize your second soul ring while you're at it."
"Yes, Father!"
Dugu Feng understood instantly—this was family strategy.
Never keep all your eggs in one basket.
With poison, the key was deterrence: as long as a hidden threat remained, the clan would be secure. With Spirit Hall growing ever more powerful, it would be reckless not to take precautions.
Bibi Dong's madness must be answered with a taste of Overlord's Poison—let the Spider Empress's venom test itself against the might of his own art.
He left the private chamber and strolled toward the marble balustrade. Beyond the railing, the entire arena came into view.
He could see the brutal combats, the riotous gambling, and the dizzying luxury of being above it all. The noise was deafening—no less thrilling than the greatest sports stadiums of his past world.
Yet Dugu Feng's attention was drawn not to the fighting, but to two girls not far away. They sat at a rounded viewing platform, obviously discussing the Dugu Clan.
He pricked up his ears.
"Zhuqing, the Dugu Clan's group is here—one of them is only a single-ring soul master. Spirit Hall's informants say that's the clan's young master. If you end up on the field, you'll face him.
But don't worry if you lose—the clan battles are conducted king-of-the-hill style. We only need to dominate a single rank among the six families, and no one's better than me at the Soul Elder level!"
The speaker was a tall, voluptuous girl in a tight violet outfit—her curves so pronounced even she couldn't see her own feet when she looked down. A black belt highlighted her figure, and her warm, gentle smile was as radiant as spring sunlight.
Beside her sat a younger girl in similar attire but with a far colder expression. Her icy beauty, if anything, possessed even more allure.
"Sister, I won't give in. No matter how poisonous he is, let's see if he can attack before I strike!" Zhu Zhuqing replied coolly.
Dugu Feng started in recognition—so these were the Zhu sisters.
Judging by their figures alone, who else could they be? Even Zhu Zhuqing, though young, already showed promise, while her coldness hinted at a deeper allure than her elder sister, Zhu Zhuyun.
The arena's 'king-of-the-hill' format, as Zhu Zhuyun described, was the typical pattern for clan battles.
It was closer to a friendly competition than a ruthless fight—rules were flexible.
From Soul Master to Contra, there were eight tiers; each clan only needed to dominate one rank to maintain their stake in the Grand Soul Arena's profits.
Similarly, any new clan hoping to join—like the Black Tiger Sect—had to best the six old guard in one rank.
In practice, there was plenty of room for maneuvering.
Unless major interests were at stake, most matches were friendly sparring and a chance to gauge each other's strength.
(END CHAPTER)
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