As soon as Dugu Feng stepped off the stairs and reached the uppermost floor, he felt it. It was an aura of madness and malice.
His head snapped up.
A tall, burly man in black stood at the balcony, grinning wickedly as he watched the battles raging below in the Great Spirit Arena.
Suddenly, the man turned his head. His face shifted instantly, breaking into loud, hearty laughter.
"Clan Head Dugu! Black Demon has awaited you here for some time.
The Great Spirit Arena has always been managed by the Seven Great Families. Now that the Yu Clan has withdrawn, my Black Tiger Sect—backed by the Sacred Dragon Clan—wishes to join. When the time comes for duels, I hope Clan Head Dugu will show mercy!"
"Black Tiger Sect? A sect not even counted among the Lower Four Sects, daring to stir up the waters?" Dugu Shuo's tone dripped with disdain.
The man calling himself Black Demon stiffened but kept his smile. "Perhaps not yet… but in the future, who can say? Should the Dugu Clan spare us in the duels, Black Demon will remember the favor."
His clasped fists and measured words carried a hint of sincerity.
"Do you even know what prestige means?" Old Snake's cold voice cut across the air. "Prestige comes from strength. Without strength, what prestige do you have? The duels concern a clan's honor. The stage will decide." (T/N : I have not been able to translate this para correctly. I am missing something which would connect both paras.)
He all but spat in Black Demon's face. No strength, no share of the pie. Pathetic.
Black Demon's smile finally faltered. He clasped his hands once more and left, cursing silently. The Dugu Clan is impossible to sway. Were it not for their poison, I'd have cursed them out on the spot!
"Humph." Dugu Shuo sneered coldly, leading Dugu Feng inside their private chamber.
The chamber was lavish, bright crystal lamps dangling from the ceiling, its design foreign and ornate.
Dugu Shuo settled on the sofa, face icy. "Feng'er, do you recall the records on the Black Tiger Sect?"
"Of course," Feng answered at once. "They're based in the Star Luo Empire. Their strongest used to be a Soul Sage, martial spirit the Black Demon Tiger, with dual attributes of wind and evil. Supposedly, the Black Demon Tiger carries a trace of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's bloodline.
The Black Tiger Sect has always been suppressed by the Dai Clan and White Tiger Sect, enemies of the Star Luo royals. For them to dare appear here, they must have sided with Spirit Hall. Otherwise, they wouldn't have the guts to contend for the Clear Sky Clan's abandoned share."
He knew the Black Tiger Sect would indeed rise later as one of the new Lower Four Sects—a reward for bending the knee to Spirit Hall.
"You're wrong about one thing," Dugu Shuo corrected coldly. "That Black Demon has already broken through to Soul Douluo. His rise in strength has given him ambition."
Soul Douluo!
Feng was startled. For the Black Tiger Sect to survive long-term suppression in Star Luo territory proved they had some bite. An evil, wind-attribute spirit like the Black Demon Tiger, now at the Douluo level—he'd be no ordinary foe.
Bibi Dong really knows how to stir the pot, Feng sighed inwardly.
On Heaven Dou's side, she'd lured the Elephant Armored Sect to betray. On Star Luo's, she'd raised the Black Tiger Sect to seize the Yu Clan's abandoned stake.
Though seated far away in Spirit City, her hand stretched everywhere.
"The new Pope of Spirit Hall is no simple woman," Dugu Shuo said coldly. "To poison Emperor Xue Ye, to rally scattered powers in the soul master world, to eye the Great Spirit Arena's profits… her ambition is vast."
He had already pieced together most of the truth, all except for one detail: that Crown Prince Xue Qinghe was none other than Qian Renxue in disguise.
"Feng'er," Dugu Shuo continued, "once this tournament is over, you and Old Scorpion will leave the clan for a while. Head north. Train, and absorb your second spirit ring there."
"Yes, Father!"
Feng bowed. He knew this was the Dugu family's way of survival. They never put all their eggs in one basket.
Poison's true strength lay in deterrence. As long as hidden fangs remained in the shadows, the clan would endure.
Spirit Hall was too strong, and now the Dugu stood in their way. They had to act with caution.
Bibi Dong, that madwoman… one day, I'll let her taste my Tyrant Poison. We'll see whose venom reigns supreme—her spider or my serpents.
After his talk with his father, Feng walked out to the balcony.
The white marble railings overlooked the entire arena below.
From here, the vast coliseum spread open—twenty-five rings, sixty thousand spectators roaring. The atmosphere rivaled the grandest sports arenas back on Blue Star.
But before he could enjoy the matches, something else caught his eye.
Two young women sat together at a round viewing platform not far away. And they were talking about his clan.
Feng pricked up his ears.
"Zhuqing, the Dugu clan has arrived," said the older one, a tall, voluptuous girl clad in tight violet leather, a black belt cinching her narrow waist. Her beauty carried warmth like spring. "According to Sacred Dragon Clan's intel, their heir is only a one-ring spirit master. If you face him, you'll be the one fighting.
But it doesn't matter if you lose. The tournament between the Six Families uses a defense system. As long as our clan wins one realm outright, we keep our share. In the Spirit Elder bracket, no one can match me."
Beside her sat a younger girl, dressed similarly but with a colder face. Though younger, her cold beauty rivaled her sister's and her budding figure held a sharper allure.
"I won't lose, Sister," Zhu Zhuqing said flatly. "So what if his poison is strong? If I strike first, he won't even have the chance to release it."
Feng's eyes widened.
The Zhu sisters!
Judging from their figures, who else could they be? Even young Zhu Zhuqing already showed signs of development. Paired with her frosty expression, she was somehow more seductive than her older sister, Zhu Zhuyun.
The "defense system" Zhu Zhuyun mentioned was indeed the Six Families' duel format.
It was more like a friendly competition than a true battle to the death.
From Spirit Master up to Douluo, eight tiers in total. Each family only needed to dominate one tier to maintain their claim to the Spirit Arena's profits.
And new challengers, like the Black Tiger Sect, would also need to prove themselves by seizing a tier.
Plenty of room for maneuvering, of course.
Unless there were deeper interests at play, these bouts were often little more than tests of strength.