As for whether that Zhao fellow would begin targeting their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan once his fiancée becomes the Pope in the future—
Clan Master Ning felt there was no need to worry about that for now. He could tell that this Demon Suppressing Doulou was, in fact, a person of good character.
As long as they treated him sincerely on behalf of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, he believed that man wouldn't stoop to betrayal.
Yu Yuanzhen hadn't expected that his old friend would say such cold and heartless things with his usual warm voice. Was this still the friend he knew?
What did he mean by "you made a mistake, don't drag others down with you"? How had he made a mistake? Wasn't it always that Zhao guy colluding with the Spirit Hall to persecute his two sons?
He just wanted revenge for his poor children—how was that wrong?
Besides, if his sons weren't members of one of the Upper Three Clans, would that Zhao guy and Spirit Hall have persecuted them like that? Zhao's actions were clearly a deliberate targeting of Upper Three Clan members.
Perhaps his two sons were only the beginning. In the future, anyone from the Upper Three Clans who crossed paths with Zhao might be brutally attacked by him.
Now he came to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan to strengthen their alliance, so they could face the impending persecution together. Was that so unreasonable?
Why wouldn't his old friend listen to him? Must he wait until that Zhao guy and the Spirit Hall harmed members of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan before realizing it was time to resist?
At this point, Yu Yuanzhen had perhaps already forgotten that the one who actually disciplined Yu Xiaogang back then was a group from Spirit Hall.
Zhao Ling had, at most, used some pain-transference techniques to teach Yu Xiaogang a lesson twice.
In truth, Zhao Ling had been mostly wronged. If he had really wanted to kill Yu Xiaogang, even a hundred or a thousand of him would be long dead.
It was only when Yu Xiaogang and Yu Xiaolong came to Zhao Ling seeking vengeance that Zhao struck back and taught the brothers a painful lesson.
Yet now, in the eyes of Yu Yuanzhen and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan members, Zhao Ling had become the unforgivable villain and the ringleader behind the Spirit Hall's persecution of their clan.
Of course, it's also possible Yu Yuanzhen hadn't forgotten at all. Maybe he knew perfectly well that Zhao Ling wasn't the mastermind behind his sons' suffering. But did that matter?
What mattered was that the Spirit Hall was truly powerful. The vast number of Titled Douluo they possessed was not something the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan could afford to offend.
To avenge his sons and preserve the fragile dignity and glory of the clan, he had deliberately shifted all the blame onto Zhao Ling.
After all, Zhao Ling was the fiancé of the current Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall. That already made him half a Spirit Hall person, and he had no other strong background.
Yu Yuanzhen figured—if not Zhao guy, who else could he blame? After all, that guy had made his eldest son mentally disabled!
That Zhao guy should bear the fury of the entire Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan—of all the Upper Three Clans!
But now, the current Clan Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan wasn't siding with him at all and refused to hold Zhao accountable. How could he be like this?
Yu Yuanzhen expression darkened, his eyes ablaze with fury.
"Old friend, that Zhao guy has already bullied us to our doorsteps, and you still won't join me in dealing with him?
Are you really going to wait until he costs lives within your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan before realizing how important it is to oppose him?"
Sword Doulou and Bone Doulou exchanged glances, both seeing the amusement in each other's eyes.
How ridiculous. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's patriarch was trying to sow discord?
They had met the Demon Suppressing Doulou themselves. He seemed like a decent person—definitely not someone who would threaten the lives of Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan members.
Take that recent sparring match with Bone Doulou, for example. The Demon Suppressing Doulou didn't use his Spirit or spirit power at all. He fought entirely barehanded.
The only reason Bone Doulou got hurt was that the Demon Suppressing Doulou hadn't restrained his strength and accidentally smashed him into the wall. And he even politely apologized afterwards.
If he were really the ruthless type who hunted down members of the Upper Three Clans without mercy, would he have apologized? Not a chance.
With such a good temperament, the Demon Suppressing Doulou was being slandered as the brutal villain responsible for persecuting the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. It was absurd.
Bone Doulou paused for a moment before turning toward Yu Yuanzhen and advising:
"Clan Master Yu, allow me to offer a piece of advice: your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would do well not to offend the Demon Suppressing Doulou. While he may not have strong backing—he himself is the greatest backing."
With that, Bone Doulou said no more.
Due to the recent sparring match between him and Zhao Ling at the royal training grounds, both Emperor Xue Ye and the Demon Suppressing Doulou had issued a gag order—no one was to speak a word of it.
Bone Doulou didn't care much for Emperor Xue Ye's commands, but he did take the Demon Suppressing Doulou's warning seriously.
Therefore, he couldn't speak openly about what had happened.
But this seemingly cryptic warning still made Yu Yuanzhen and the three elders feel humiliated.
What did he mean, "don't offend the Demon Suppressing Worshiper"? That Zhao fellow had trampled the entire Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's dignity underfoot—and they weren't allowed to fight back?
So what if he was a Titled Douluo? As if they didn't have any of their own? Yu Yuanzhen simply didn't believe that, even with the full strength of their clan, they couldn't take down that Zhao guy.
He abruptly rose from his seat, glaring fiercely at the current Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan master.
"Clan Master Ning, are you saying this conversation is over? You Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan have no intention of advancing or retreating together with us?"
Clan Master Ning nodded slightly, replying without hesitation.
"Clan Master Yu, I hope you'll heed Bone Doulou's advice. Don't let a moment of impulsiveness destroy your entire clan."
Sword Doulou also nodded gravely in agreement. "Thunder Doulou, I too believe it's better to make peace than to make enemies. Your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would be wise to reconcile with the Demon Suppressing Doulou. Don't sacrifice the greater for the lesser."
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible! That Zhao guy has humiliated our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan far too deeply. If I bow my head to him, how will our clan face the continent again?"
Yu Yuanzhen snorted coldly, his eyes blazing with rage. If not for the fact that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had two Titled Doulou and he had no chance at victory one-on-two, he would've already caused a scene in their territory.