The Glory of the Sun and Moon in the Peerless Tang Sect

Unlike Qianling City in the north of the Douling Empire, Dragon City is surrounded by several towering mountain ranges, which effectively block the cold air from the far north ice plains.

Although the temperature is still very low, the biting cold wind is no longer a problem.

Dragon City's history can be traced back to the Heavenly Dou Empire ten thousand years ago, making it the undisputed largest city in the northeast of the Heavenly Soul Empire. Within the entire Heavenly Soul Empire, Dragon City's scale is also among the largest.

The reason people chose to build their city here is because the geographical environment of Dragon City is relatively better than that of the barren northern part of the continent.

In the northern part of the mainland during autumn and winter, darkness falls exceptionally early. But Dragon City is bustling with activity. Adorned with lights, it shines as brightly as day. The streets are filled with ice lanterns, a local specialty, their dazzling glow reflecting on the faces of passersby.

It's just getting dark, and there are still several hours before the temperature drops to its lowest point. This is also the busiest time of day in Longcheng.

After a long day's work, many people in Dragon City choose to relax and warm up by having a few drinks at a tavern.

In this frigid northern city, taverns are plentiful. A glance around reveals several taverns lining both sides of the street. The taverns vary in size, and each time a passerby enters, they bring with them a wave of heat.

Among the crowds on the street, two figures stood out. The black-haired boy was tall and upright, and the blonde girl was also tall and slender. Both of them were exceptionally beautiful and had outstanding bearing. The blonde girl was holding the boy's arm, her cool and elegant face beaming with a smile, appearing very close.

The black-haired boy and the blonde woman were none other than Xu Zihuang and Ye Guyi, who had arrived in Dragon City.

The two traveled north along the border between the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Sun Moon Empire, before turning east towards Dragon City. At Ye Guyi's insistence, they slowed their pace, enjoying the scenery of various regions within the Heavenly Soul Empire along the way.

The originally scheduled time was delayed by half a month.

Today is Xu Zihuang's seventeenth birthday. On his birthday, he visited the city where his mother was born for the first time.

Xu Zihuang changed back into his close-fitting thousand-year-old sable fur coat, while Ye Guyi wore a white thousand-year-old ferret fur coat. This further accentuated their ethereal气质 (qi zhi - inherent quality/temperament), making them appear exceptionally well-matched.

As they walked, Ye Guyi pulled Xu Zihuang to a stop in front of a shop selling ice lanterns. She picked up a fist-sized ice lantern that emitted a luxurious purple light.

Xu Zihuang glanced at it casually and immediately understood the structure of the ice lantern.

The exquisite ice sculpture shell serves only a decorative purpose; the core lies within a soul-guiding lamp. This soul-guiding lamp should be categorized as an illumination soul-guiding device, barely qualifying as a level-one soul-guiding device.

This kind of soul tool can be made from ordinary metals, and the cost is very low.

The shop owner was a kind-faced, thin old man, wrapped in a thick cotton coat, carving an ice sculpture with a carving knife. Noticing Xu Zihuang and Ye Guyi stopped in front of his shop, he quickly stopped what he was doing, looked up, and greeted them with a smile.

But looking at Xu Zihuang and Ye Guyi's faces, he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

The two were clearly from prominent aristocratic families. Meanwhile, the native noblemen and young ladies of Dragon City would likely not be curious about this ice lantern.

"Young masters and young ladies, you must be from out of town."

Ye Guyi, whose gaze was completely fixed on the ice lantern, came back to her senses and nodded slightly.

"How much are these ice lanterns?"

"They're all five gold soul coins, you can choose whichever you like." The old man said with a polite smile, "The soul guide lamps inside were all bought from the Dragon City Soul Master Association. I'm just earning a little extra for the labor."

The Soul Master Association exists in almost every city and serves as a platform for Soul Masters to exchange experiences, certify their Soul Master levels, or exchange resources such as rare metals.

In the Sun Moon Empire, the Soul Master Association might have more say, but in the three original empires of the Douluo Continent, the Soul Master Association has little influence.

Of course, there are still many commoner Soul Masters with poor cultivation talent who are willing to try every means to go to the Soul Master Association and learn how to make Soul Tools from senior Soul Masters. After all, as long as you become a Soul Master, even the lowest level one Soul Master, you can get a good job anywhere on the continent.

The soul-guiding lamp the old man bought was made by those soul-guiding apprentices. There's no such thing as a free lunch. If you want to learn something, you're bound to be exploited.

"This one will do." Ye Guyi put away the purple ice lantern and turned to look at Xu Zihuang.

Xu Zihuang understood and took out five gold soul coins from his storage soul tool, handing them to the old man. He had put away the storage ring from before. Wearing it in private was fine, but it was too conspicuous in a big city like Dragon City.

Although few people have actually seen the Purple Radiance Annihilation Dragon Martial Soul, which was inherited from the royal family of the Sun Moon Empire, there's no guarantee that someone might recognize it.

Ye Guyi smiled again and left hand in hand with Xu Zihuang.

However, her smile didn't last long, and she murmured softly with a dazed look in her eyes.

"Zihuang, do you think Aunt Qing might have played with these ice lanterns when she was little?"

"Probably," Xu Zihuang sighed wistfully.

Twelve years have passed since that palace coup. His memories of his parents are also stuck twelve years ago.

Ye Guyi could sense Xu Zihuang's dejected mood, so she reached out and hugged Xu Zihuang's waist and back, leaning her whole body against him.

"Zihuang, let's explore the city where Aunt Qing grew up together."

"Okay." Xu Zihuang composed himself and responded softly, naturally placing his right hand on Ye Guyi's shoulder.

The two arrived at a place south of the center of Dragon City, and then stopped in front of a mansion without prior agreement.

From the outside, the mansion appears to occupy a very large area, with thick and tall walls that are at least four meters high.

The gate tower of the mansion is over ten meters high. The Heavenly Soul Empire has clear regulations that ordinary nobles are not allowed to build such tall walls. This demonstrates just how high a position the owner of this mansion holds in Dragon City.

Two stone sculptures stand in front of the gate, and these two stone sculptures are clearly the imposing Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex.

A huge plaque hangs high above the gate of the mansion, with three large gilded characters engraved on it: Tianlong Gate.

Two burly middle-aged men stood guard at the entrance. Both were over 1.8 meters tall, and their black cotton-padded coats did little to conceal their powerful muscles. Their auras were solid, and their eyes were resolute. These mere gatekeepers possessed a soul power cultivation level exceeding fifty.

Ye Guyi looked up at the three gilded characters on the plaque, then looked away and turned to Xu Zihuang beside her.

Xu Zihuang, who was also gazing at the plaque, glanced sideways at Ye Guyi, sensing something.

Just then, their gazes simultaneously converged on the direction behind them.

On their way here, eight young men approached. These eight young men shared a similar aura with the two middle-aged gatekeepers.

The young man at the very front was the tallest, nearly two meters in height. He had short, dark blue hair like steel needles and exuded a terrifyingly fierce aura.

When the two middle-aged security guards saw the young man, they bowed respectfully, their eyes revealing heartfelt reverence.

"Young Master."

"Hmm." The young man nodded calmly, but his gaze was fixed on the blue-purple ring on Ye Guyi's right middle finger. More precisely, it was the blue lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex pattern engraved on the ring.

His cold expression finally changed; his pupils contracted slightly as he carefully examined Xu Zihuang and Ye Guyi.

Half a step behind him was a red-haired youth. The red-haired youth was broad and sturdy, but he was almost a head shorter than the youth in front.

In Xu Zihuang's perception, these two youths were the strongest among the group, with their soul power cultivation exceeding level sixty.

Through his memories of his past life, coupled with the faintly stirred power of his bloodline, he recognized the identities of the two young men.

The young man at the very front, several sizes larger than him, was none other than Yu Tianlong, the strongest of the younger generation of the Heavenly Dragon Sect. In terms of blood relation, Yu Tianlong was his cousin.

The young man with short, reddish-brown hair was Xingyan, whose strength was second only to Yu Tianlong. His martial spirit was the Crimson Dragon.

The people present exchanged glances, and even the two middle-aged security guards at the door sensed the slightly awkward atmosphere.

Xingyan followed Yu Tianlong's gaze, his expression even more interesting than Yu Tianlong's.

Is that a Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex?!

The other six people behind them also reacted one after another.

Xingyan cast an inquiring glance at Yu Tianlong and whispered, "Big Brother?"

Yu Tianlong took immediate action, walking step by step towards Xu Zihuang and Ye Guyi. His pace was not fast at all, but he exuded an aura as imposing as a mountain.

If it were any other Soul Master with the cultivation level of Soul Emperor, they would probably feel suffocated under the pressure of Yu Tianlong's aura.

However, Xu Zihuang and Ye Guyi's martial spirits and foundations are only above Yu Tianlong's, so they will not be affected by Yu Tianlong's imposing aura.

Hearing the gatekeeper address Yu Tianlong, Ye Guyi guessed what was going on.

The two were getting closer and closer. Xu Zihuang took the initiative to step forward and stand in front of Ye Guyi, their eyes meeting in the air.

Yu Tianlong stared coldly at Xu Zihuang. He could sense the faint but dangerous aura emanating from Xu Zihuang, and frowned.

"Where did you get that ring?"

Hearing Yu Tianlong's questioning tone, Xu Zihuang opened and closed his eyes, but did not respond.

Yu Tianlong's gaze sharpened slightly, and he suddenly raised his right arm at his side. It wasn't that he was arrogant, but rather that he had been intending to test Xu Zihuang.

Among the younger generation of Soul Masters in Dragon City, he is undoubtedly the number one. He hasn't encountered a worthy opponent in countless years.

Seeing that Xu Zihuang remained unmoved in the face of his imposing aura, his fighting spirit had long been growing.

Ye Guyi remained an observer behind Xu Zihuang. She didn't believe any of the younger generation in the Soul Master world could threaten Xu Zihuang. Moreover, Xu Zihuang's relationship with Yu Tianlong was special, so she couldn't interfere.

Like a sound of air exploding, Yu Tianlong's swinging right arm came to an abrupt halt. Xu Zihuang gripped his broad wrist tightly.

Xu Zihuang remained motionless, while Yu Tianlong's right arm trembled slightly.

Yu Tianlong's eyes were filled with surprise and uncertainty, and the same emotion was also seen in the eyes of Xingyan and the other six young disciples of the Tianlong Sect.

"Big brother actually lost in the strength contest?!"

"Very good!" Yu Tianlong shouted, and streaks of blue lightning spread from his body. Blue-purple scales quietly appeared, and his body instantly swelled, reaching a height of two and a half meters, with shoulders exceeding one and a half meters in width. His terrifyingly powerful arms were covered in the thickest dragon scales, completely transforming into the shape of dragon arms. The swirling blue lightning made him look like a humanoid soul beast, even his eyes turning blue-purple.

Half of his face was also covered with a layer of blue-purple dragon scales, which showed that his cultivation level was not far from the Martial Soul True Body that he could use when he was a Seventh Ring Soul Saint.

"Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex? Just as I thought." Ye Guyi understood, her eyes flashing.

Under the oppressive aura of Yu Tianlong, Xingyan and the others subconsciously took a few steps back. But as they retreated, they witnessed an even more astonishing scene.

Xu Zihuang still controlled Yu Tianlong's wrist, letting the violent blue-purple lightning flow through his body, seemingly unaffected.

Yu Tianlong's expression hardened, his thick arms suddenly tensed, and the lightning swirling around his body abruptly subsided.

The next instant, the previously extinguished lightning suddenly erupted, surging out from his body in all directions.

Even Ye Guyi had to retreat a distance.

Yu Tianlong also broke free from Xu Zihuang's right hand, and made an embracing motion with his dragon claws in front of him. Countless bolts of lightning surged out wildly, and within his embracing arms, a huge lightning ball with a diameter of more than one meter condensed.

Yu Tianlong's control over lightning is even greater than Bei Bei's. He truly lives up to his reputation as a pure-blooded Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex martial soul master.

Unfortunately, he ran into Xu Zihuang.

Xu Zihuang's right hand hung naturally, and lightning also surged forth, but this time it was a suffocating dark purple. The constantly leaping dark purple lightning enveloped his right hand, emitting a sharp, shrill sound. Wherever the lightning passed, even space itself distorted.

As a Soul Master with the ultimate lightning attribute, his control over lightning is unmatched in the current Soul Master world.

His decision to confront Yu Tianlong head-on at the entrance of the Tianlong Sect had another reason: he wanted to see how his maternal grandfather, the previous sect leader of the Tianlong Sect, would treat him.

Yu Tianlong stared intently at the dark purple lightning crackling on Xu Zihuang's right hand, now sensing it with even greater detail.

Xu Zihuang was clearly using the same martial soul power as him, and his control over the lightning element far surpassed his.

Who exactly is he?

Before Yu Tianlong could think further, both of them moved simultaneously, each with their own thoughts.

Xu Zihuang's body seemed to transform into a blackish-purple afterimage, and in a flash, he appeared in front of Yu Tianlong. His right hand reached forward, and his palm pierced into the lightning ball that Yu Tianlong had condensed.