Douluo Continent: Long Live the Spirit Hall

What do you mean by saying that no matter what kind of person they are, as long as they awaken the Qilin bloodline and become its inheritor, they will definitely have a strong sense of self-esteem? You need to think carefully before making a choice, so you don't suffer the consequences. This is pure bloodline supremacy theory, what utter nonsense!

Qi Yue's tone turned cold, full of warning, "Descendants of the Sheep zodiac bloodline, watch your attitude. The Qilin is the leader of the zodiac guardian deities, and you sheep descendants are merely vassals of the Qilin clan."

"If I remember correctly, not every generation of Qilin bloodline played a role in protecting the East. Those generations of guardians still managed to protect the East."

Yan showed no mercy to this damned Qilin King, coldly saying, "The Qilin bloodline has never been the one that plays an absolute role. If he's really too useless, why bother with him or even keep him around?"

Side Story: Zodiac Guardian Deities (Part 7) - The Four Great Families

"Kid, you know what you're saying! The Qilin is the true master of the zodiac guardian deities."

Qi Yue became extremely angry at this moment. The Qilin King felt betrayed. The twelve zodiac animals had always protected the Qilin, but unexpectedly, a traitor had emerged in this generation, uttering such rebellious words.

Yan said slowly, "I'm saying, there have been useless Qilin in the past, so one more won't make a difference. Considering the fate of those useless ones, it would actually be better to cripple him in advance."

"You are betraying the Qilin, betraying the Zodiac Guardian God, betraying the entire Eastern Land... Ah..."

Before the Qilin King could finish speaking through Qi Yue, its powerful divine soul swept over him in an instant, silencing the noisy words and obliterating the wisp of divine thought that had descended upon him.

"You're not worthy to spout such nonsense to me!"

Yan glanced disdainfully at Qi Yue, who was lying unconscious on the ground, and then looked at Xie Zhi. "Do you choose to follow this piece of trash or come with me? If you come with me, I can also help you purify your bloodline."

After a long silence, the Xie Zhi shook its head and said, "The Xie Zhi clan are partners of the Qilin, and share the same bloodline with the Qilin."

"Alright! Since this is your choice, I hope you won't regret it later. As for you two, if you still think you can salvage something from nothing, then continue. As for you, you can come with me too. I'm not asking for your opinion."

Yan shifted his gaze from the Xie Zhi and spoke to Zagru and Hai Ruyue. The two reacted differently, and Zagru let out a long sigh.

Hai Ruyue stared at Yan, her eyes filled with distrust. "Yan Xiaoyi, if—and I mean if—you become the leader of the Zodiac Guardians, how do you plan to unify the power of the Eastern Guardian Realm, and how should you deal with the provocations from the West?"

"You're testing me, that's interesting."

Yan looked at Hai Ruyue, a slight smile playing on his lips. "If you want to know, then do me a favor. First, send a message to the so-called four major families and tell them that this exchange meeting has been moved up."

"Three days. I'm only giving them three days. If they don't come after three days, we'll visit the four major families one by one."

"Are you that confident in your abilities?"

Hai Ruyue understood the meaning behind Yan's words: he intended to suppress the four major families with force and resolve all problems at once. She also understood that this might be a good method, but she still had doubts about Yan.

"You can wait and see, or you can choose not to cooperate with me and choose to believe that good-for-nothing."

Yan shrugged, indicating that he didn't care about these things. His involvement with matters of zodiac guardian deities was merely a matter of interest.

"I understand."

Hai Ruyue nodded, then greeted Zagru and Ji Mingming before turning and leaving the villa to deliver a message and carry out her mission.

……

The Eastern Land Guardian Realm, or the Eastern Land Guardian System, includes not only the Zodiac Guardian Gods of all generations, but also countless ancient martial artists and superhumans. Among the superhumans, the four great families are the most respected.

The four great families guarding the Eastern Lands are the Shen family of the capital, the Xu family of Jiangsu, the Zhou family of Guangdong, and the Luo family of the Northwest. Unlike the Zodiac Guardians who are passed down through generations every hundred years, the superpowered individuals led by these four families have become increasingly ambitious and have gradually developed other intentions.

Hai Ruyue, who had previously served as the temporary leader of the Zodiac Guardians, encountered numerous difficulties and realized that she was not actually suited to be that leader. If Yan can successfully resolve these issues, she is willing to step down and give way.

……

Three days later, inside the villa in the capital, Hai Ruyue, dressed in a white training uniform, brought a man to Yan's presence.

"This is Xu Dong, the heir of the Xu family in Jiangsu. He is 21 years old and has earned dual master's degrees in finance and foreign trade abroad."

Hai Ruyue introduced the person behind her, her words tinged with emotion, "After completing his studies, he didn't return to work for the family, but instead traveled all over the world. He accomplished nothing; three simple words are enough to describe him: a spendthrift."

"Ruyue, even if you hate me, you don't have to insult me ​​like that. I'm a handsome guy, you know!"

Yin Hu Xu Dong's voice was not as loud or deep as one would expect from a tiger; instead, it was soft and somewhat languid.

Yan glanced up briefly and then lost interest. Yin Hu was a handsome man in his late twenties with thick eyebrows, looking very energetic. He had long sideburns that added to his refined and scholarly air.

Wearing a sharp suit and sporting an innocent smile, anyone who saw his handsome face would likely make a very good first impression. He extended his right hand to Yan and said, "Hello, I'm Xu Dong."

Yan leaned back and said coldly, "Xu Dong, the Xu family of Jiangsu. I'm too lazy to say anything more. As long as you guarantee that your family members won't cause trouble, I won't bother with you too much. Get ready, we'll set off in an hour."

After saying this, Yan didn't say anything more. He stood up and left the living room, heading towards the second floor. He didn't seem to want to talk to Xu Dong much, or rather, he had no interest in talking to Xu Dong.

"Ruyue, can she really handle this?!"

Xu Dong's smile faded as he looked at Hai Ruyue, his eyes filled with deep doubt. Despite his effeminate appearance, as the heir of one of the four great families and one of the Four Sacred Beasts, his abilities were certainly not weak. Giving way to Hai Ruyue was simply a way of wanting to stay out of things.

"You can give it a try."

Hai Ruyue didn't say much. These past few days, she had personally tried to challenge Yan, and the result was that her dragon buttocks suffered a great disaster. Of course, she wouldn't tell anyone about such an embarrassing thing.

"Okay, I'll do as you say."

Xu Dong made a gesture of surrender, as if he had just admitted defeat, but only he himself knew what he was really thinking.

"Sigh! I wonder how things will turn out."

After walking to a secluded corner, Hai Ruyue sighed, filled with uncertainty about the future of the Zodiac Guardians. Ever since Zagru found her and helped her become a Zodiac Dragon Warrior, Hai Ruyue had always been the strongest among all the Zodiac Warriors.

She was the first among the Zodiac Warriors to reach the Six Clouds stage, enabling her to undergo the second stage of her zodiac's transformation. As time passed, she became almost certain that a change was about to occur in the East.

The Zodiac Warriors are born to face calamities, and under such circumstances, a strong leader is essential, but Qi Yue is clearly unqualified.

Deep down, Hai Ruyue didn't want to continue like this, worrying about so many trivial things, because it was making her feel very tired.

But her sense of responsibility made it hard for her to let go of those things, and Yan's appearance seemed to offer a way out, but was Yan really suitable?

Hai Ruyue could clearly sense that Yan seemed indifferent to everything, which was not good news. However, for now, she could only wait and see before making a decision.

……

Just as the Zodiac Warriors began to meet, the four major families of the Guardian Realm also reacted one after another.

Tianxiang Mountain, the highest peak in the western mountains of Beijing, is known as the "Ghost's Sorrow Mountain" because of its summit. Although its actual altitude is not very high, it is one of the highest mountains around Beijing.

As night falls, the setting sun drifts down from afar, and layers of red clouds overlap, creating a unique and ethereal beauty when viewed from the mountaintop.

Normally, Tianxiang Mountain should have become very quiet, but with the departure of tourists, the once peaceful Guijianchou (Ghost's Sorrow) is now bustling with activity. Tonight, Tianxiang Mountain is unusually lively, and the management staff have completely disappeared.

"President Shen, I have sent all the management personnel of Tianxiang Mountain home to rest tonight. No matter what happens, I hope there won't be any major changes at Tianxiang Mountain by tomorrow morning."

At the foot of Tianxiang Mountain, a middle-aged man in a suit spoke respectfully to a middle-aged man in a blue Tang suit.

The middle-aged man in the Tang suit, whom President Shen had nodded to, said, "Thank you for your help this time."

"Yes."

As Mr. Shen watched the departing figure of the middle-aged man in the suit, he smiled calmly and muttered to himself, "The opportunity I've been waiting for for so many years has finally arrived. The capital is my Shen family's territory. Zodiac Guardians, the Four Great Families are waiting for you."

As he spoke, he waved his hand slightly, and dozens of figures flashed out from all around. Due to their speed, it was impossible to see their appearance clearly. They disappeared like wisps of smoke at the foot of Tianxiang Mountain in an instant.

At the summit of Tianxiang Mountain, on Incense Burner Peak, stands a stone tablet about five meters high on one side of the mountaintop, with the three large characters "Ghost's Sorrow" carved on it.

The sky had completely darkened, and around the stone tablet, black figures darted and crisscrossed rapidly. When the figures fell silent, the previously ethereal atmosphere on the mountaintop changed, replaced by a heavy feeling, and even the air became much more oppressive.

There were no lights on Incense Burner Peak, and the sky was overcast tonight, but the mountaintop was still extremely bright.

Four faint lights—cyan, white, yellow, and blue—appeared around the stone tablet, their ethereal glow shimmering and emanating a misty aura.

Four groups of people appeared in the dim light, each group consisting of thirteen people. Each group was led by an elderly man, followed by twelve men and twelve women of different ages. Mr. Shen, who had been at the foot of the mountain, was now the second person in blue robes standing to the east of the stone tablet.

Standing before him was Shen Zhuo, the patriarch of the Shen family of the capital. On the other three sides of the stone tablet, dressed in different colored robes, were the other three of the four oldest families of the Eastern Guardians.

Among all the Eastern Guardians, there are quite a few people with superpowers. As time went by, four powerful families, similar to aristocratic clans, developed into monsters.

The four major families have used various strategies, such as intermarriage and courtship, to integrate ordinary superhumans into their own community of interests. Now, the overall strength of these four families occupies a decisive position among the Eastern Guardians.

Therefore, today's exchange between the Eastern Guardians and the Zodiac Guardians can be described as an exchange between the four major families and the Zodiac Guardians.

The four major families each possess different abilities. The Shen family of the capital represents the wood element of the East, and regardless of their special abilities, they all possess the aura of wood-attribute abilities.

The Xu family of Jiangsu represents the fire element of the South (丙丁火), the Zhou family of Guangdong represents the metal element of the West (庚辛金), and the Luo family of the Northwest represents the water element of the North (壬癸水). These four families have long histories and profound cultural heritages.

When the four major families first appeared, they were merely subordinates of the zodiac guardian gods. However, as they gradually grew in power, they were no longer satisfied with this subordinate status.

Over the years, the four major families have gradually become stronger and stronger, while the Zodiac Guardian Gods need to undergo a long period of cultivation to acquire powerful combat strength each time they appear.

Under these circumstances, before the Zodiac Guardian Warriors have cultivated themselves to become powerful, they are unlikely to be a match for the four major families.

When the previous Zodiac Guardian God was born, the four major families chose to rebel. Instead of siding with them, they tried every means to restrain them, leading to extremely serious consequences. From that time on, the Zodiac Guardian God practically broke with the four major families.

After the elites of the four major families arrived at this place called Ghost's Sorrow, they naturally began to communicate, and the result was that they unanimously agreed not to take the initiative to attach themselves to it.

In his concluding remarks, Shen Zhuo, the patriarch of the Shen family in the capital, said, "Gentlemen, times have changed. Things are completely different now than they were a hundred years ago."

The relationship between our four major families and the Zodiac Guardian Gods should have become equal long ago; in fact, our four major families should have become the leaders of the Eastern Guardians.

Over the years, the development of the four great families far surpasses that of the Zodiac Guardian Gods, who need to cultivate anew with each generation. We possess immense human, material, and financial resources. As long as our four families unite, we are capable of confronting any enemy.

Shen Zhuo's words resonated with the other three family heads, who all nodded in agreement.

Although a consensus had been reached, the patriarchs of the four major families were still somewhat worried. Although they were reluctant to admit that they were vassals of the Zodiac Guardian God, the ancient rules passed down from heaven remained a heavy burden on their hearts.

Only when the Zodiac Guardians acknowledge their status will they feel relieved. Their true purpose in holding this exchange meeting is simple: to use the strength of the four major families to intimidate the Zodiac Guardian warriors, whose power is not yet sufficient.

Whether through coercion or enticement, various methods should be used to subdue the Zodiac Guardian Warriors, or at least to secure their equal status among the Eastern Guardians.

"You speak very well. What do you think about sending you on an expedition to the West to bring back some of the cultural relics and ancient treasures that have been stolen?"

A sneer came from the darkness, and some of the young people from the four major families were immediately filled with fear, because they hadn't seen anyone before or after the sound, which was terrifying.

The sky remained dark; before anyone knew it, vast expanses of dark clouds had filled the horizon. A resounding dragon's roar echoed through the air, its distant sound carrying a powerful aura of royalty.

The roar of the dragon covered the entire summit of Ghost Sorrow Mountain, and the sound waves drove the clouds to roll in without any sign of stopping.

Side Story: Zodiac Guardian Deities (8) - Powerful Intimidation

When the dragon's roar resounded, the expressions of the four clan leaders changed simultaneously. With their strength, they could naturally tell how powerful the dragon's roar was.

"Who goes there!"

Xu Chengyuan, the head of the Xu family, snorted coldly, stepped forward, and raised his head to let out a long howl. His voice was clearly provocative, the howl was deep and loud, and under the binding of fiery red energy, the sound wave rushed towards the clouds directly above Guijianchou.

The moment the dragon's roar and Xu Zhiyuan's voice clashed, both completely different sounds trembled slightly. The dragon's roar remained clear and resonant, while Xu Zhiyuan's howl paused for a moment. In just one collision, Xu Zhiyuan suffered a minor setback.

The other three family heads' expressions changed simultaneously. They exchanged glances, and Shen Zhuo said, "The dragon is indeed the most powerful of the zodiac guardians. But a single dragon warrior is not enough to contend with our four great families."

The three family heads, their minds in sync, simultaneously looked up at the sky, and three deep, resonant roars rang out one after the other, echoing through the air in sync with Xu Zhiyuan's voice.

However, at the same moment, a deep tiger's roar arose, and as the tiger's roar appeared, the dragon's roar suddenly became stronger. The dragon's roar and the tiger's roar came out together, and they actually resisted the sound waves of the four clan leaders without being at a disadvantage.

The two merging sonic waves collided repeatedly in the air, each collision causing Tianxiang Mountain to tremble. The two sides had already begun their battle before they even met.

Although the sounds of dragons roaring and tigers howling had weakened considerably, the sky and clouds changed color. The already dim sky became even more gloomy, and strong gusts of wind swept in, causing the temperature on the mountaintop to drop. The wind follows the dragon, the clouds follow the tiger; the dragon's roar and tiger's howl change the weather.