Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): Shadow Monarch

Sensing that something was wrong, Liu Erlong quickly pushed Grandmaster away, jumped out of bed after dressing, and stood in front of Yu Xiaogang. She then stubbornly faced Yu Luomian with a pleading expression, saying, "Father, I won't let you hurt Xiaogang."

Seeing Liu Erlong standing protectively in front of him, Grandmaster's heart trembled. He wanted to look Yu Luomian in the eye, to prove that he loved Liu Erlong. But the more he tried to muster up courage, the faster fear grew in his heart. He couldn't even look Yu Luomian in the eye, let alone show any responsibility as a man.

Yu Luomian, suppressing the murderous intent in his heart, slowly walked toward Liu Erlong. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he said in a deep voice, "Erlong, I know you hate me, but you can't degrade yourself like this."

"It's been over twenty years. You should have seen this man for who he really is by now. You once told me you wanted to create an academy, and I went to great lengths to help you make connections so you could do what you wanted and forget about this unfortunate past. Start a new life."

"But what are you doing now? After all these years, you're still thinking about this useless man. What makes him worthy of your love and affection? And even worse, he's your cousin. Even if you don't care about public opinion, does he? Does he have the courage to take responsibility?"

As he finished speaking, Yu Luomian glanced coldly at Grandmaster, causing him to retreat in terror. Seeing this, Yu Luomian grew even angrier. This man was still as cowardly as ever. If his daughter were entrusted to him, who knows what would happen?

"Yu Xiaogang, you've been running for over twenty years, so why did you come back to find Erlong? What kind of man were you back then? If you had the courage to take Erlong away with you, I, as her father, would have supported you even if it meant facing the scorn of the world. But what did you do?"

"Upon finding out she was your cousin, you ran away in a panic, abandoning her. You disappeared for more than twenty years. Now, what are you here for?"

"You made her waste over twenty years of her life for you. And now, how dare you show your face in front of her? If I were you, I'd be too ashamed to live. How can there be such a useless man like you, who dares to come back to my daughter with no sense of responsibility?"

Yu Luomian's merciless words completely shattered Grandmaster's composure. The thing he hated most was being called useless. He didn't want to resist, but he had no way to. What could a Spirit Master of only Rank 29 do? "I'm not useless, Uncle. I'm now a master of Spirit theory. The entire world of Spirit Masters knows my name. One day, all Spirit Masters will take pride in my theories!" Grandmaster shouted indignantly.

"Master of theory? Do you really think anyone cares about your broken theories? Don't forget where you got those Spirit theories from. Do you think being called 'Master' by some people makes you one?"

"And tell me, have you lost your mind reading all those theories? What were you thinking when you sent that letter to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan? As Yu Tianheng's uncle, you don't care about him, but you still want him to train his Spirit with you and join that so-called Shrek Academy, a place I've never even heard of."

"I might as well tell you, when your father heard about this, he was so angry he almost spat blood. Do you think the family doesn't know what you've been up to all these years? Do you think anyone respects you because of your theories?"

"Wrong, completely wrong! If your father hadn't stood up for you as Clan Leader, covering up your mess and letting you freeload at Nuoding Academy for over twenty years, and if not for your status as the son of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's leader, you would have been kicked out long ago. Do you really think your theories are worth anything?"

Yu Luomian's outburst of rage left Grandmaster trembling on the ground, his face pale and his body shaking uncontrollably.

Seeing how weak-minded Grandmaster was, Yu Luomian's anger flared even more. His elder brother was a great man—how could he have such a useless son? He might as well have been left on the wall instead of being born.

Yu Luomian had unleashed all his pent-up rage, accumulated over the years. He had been observing Yu Xiaogang from the shadows, hoping that his stubborn nephew would return to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. But the more he observed, the more disappointed he became. Despite his age, every action Yu Xiaogang took was more foolish than the last. He even wanted Yu Tianheng to train under him—how could he shamelessly suggest such a thing? What a disgrace to the clan!

After a moment of silence, seeing Grandmaster trembling and speechless, Yu Luomian's last bit of patience disappeared. He turned his gaze toward Liu Erlong, who was pale and trembling. Coldly, he asked, "Erlong, tell me, if I hadn't come here today, what were you planning to do? Should I be expecting a grandson soon?"

"Father, it's not like that." Liu Erlong fell to her knees with a thud, clutching Yu Luomian's leg and pleading, "Father, why are you so determined to separate Xiaogang and me? Can't you take pity on the fact that I've waited over twenty years for him and let us be together?"

"Let you be together? And who will take pity on me?" Yu Luomian roared in anger. He pointed at Liu Erlong, his lips trembling as he said, "You should be thankful your mother isn't alive to see this disgraceful scene. If she were, she'd probably be so furious she'd vomit blood!"

"Father, I swear Xiaogang and I won't affect the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. We'll just be spiritual companions, nothing more, for the rest of our lives. Please, I beg you, let us be together." Liu Erlong tearfully pleaded.

Hearing this, Yu Luomian almost spat blood in fury. What kind of spell had his daughter fallen under? How could she be so fixated on this useless man? "Ha, spiritual companions, is it? Then prove it to me. Prove to me that your spiritual bond is genuine."

Yu Luomian's eyes sharpened as he looked at the dazed and trembling Yu Xiaogang. He extended one finger, and a streak of blue lightning flashed through the air, striking Yu Xiaogang's abdomen.

Zzzzz—

The lightning shot into Yu Xiaogang's abdomen, and a pig-like scream of agony burst from his mouth.

In the next moment, Grandmaster's body began to twitch violently as blue arcs of electricity surged through him, causing him to convulse uncontrollably.

"Xiaogang!"

Seeing this, Liu Erlong screamed in desperation, rapidly summoning her spirit power. Seven spirit rings shone brightly around her, and she instantly moved to Grandmaster's side to expel the lightning from his body.

However, just as Liu Erlong reached him, Yu Luomian moved. As an eight-ringed Spirit Douluo, he easily grabbed her by the neck and slammed her onto the bed.

With one hand gripping Liu Erlong's throat, Yu Luomian's eyes were cold as he said, "Didn't you say you wanted to be spiritual companions? As your father, I should help you make that happen, right?"