Douluo: My Clone Is Groudon

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Behind Yang Jingyun and the other two members of the Breaking Clan, two young girls were hiding. One was the thin girl who had flown in the sky earlier and thrown the medicinal pouches. She had purple hair and wore white clothes, her gaze stubborn and proud, exuding an unyielding strength.

The other girl was dressed in black, with long flowing hair. Despite her young age, her features were delicate, and her demeanor was cold and aloof. She curiously gazed at Gu La.

"This..."

Yang Jingyun hesitated, unsure whether to trust Gu La.

Gu La grew impatient. "If I wanted to harm you, could you even resist?"

The Breaking Clan pursued martial souls with extreme offensive capabilities, which were particularly vulnerable to elemental transformation skills. In front of Gu La, the three of them were no stronger than an ordinary Soul Master.

Yang Jingyun's expression shifted slightly as he realized the logic behind Gu La's words. He pointed to the girl in white and explained:

"She is Bai Chenxiang, the granddaughter of the leader of the Speed Clan. Our clan fared the best among the four major clans and often supported the Speed Clan, who lacked a stable income."

"Later, when the profits from the bone-strengthening ointment became significant, our clan leader decided to hire the entire flight-type soul master group of the Speed Clan to help us gather medicinal herbs from across the continent."

"When those noble soul masters attacked, Patriarch Bai happened to be delivering herbs to our clan. Afterwards, both leaders stayed behind to hold off the enemy. However, the attackers were well-prepared—three to four times our numbers. The two leaders were surrounded, and our clansmen scattered. In the chaos, we could only take Chenxiang with us."

Bai Chenxiang hid behind Yang Jingyun, her eyes darting under Gu La's gaze. She seemed afraid, but her pride forced her to lift her head despite her fear.

Gu La's expression was peculiar. Bai Chenxiang—wasn't she Tang San's cousin?

He hadn't expected that publishing a few papers would lead to Tang San meeting her more than a decade earlier than planned.

"And her?" 

Gu La turned his gaze to the other girl, already suspecting the answer.

Sure enough, Yang Ruyun introduced her: "This is Miss Zhu Zhuqing, the second daughter of a great general of the Star Luo Empire."

Yang Jingyun's eyes flickered with pity. "Master, you've probably heard of the brutal rules within the noble families of the Star Luo Empire."

"Miss Zhu Zhuqing was betrothed to the third prince of Star Luo, Dai Mubai, and was supposed to support him in competing for the throne against the eldest prince, who was five or six years older."

"But Prince Dai Mubai was cowardly and incompetent. Not long after Zhu Zhuqing awakened her martial soul, he fled the city, disappearing without a trace."

"This time, when the nobles of Star Luo attacked the Breaking Clan, the Zhu family was one of the main instigators. After all, the Star Luo Empire relies on military strength, and they've long coveted the Breaking Clan's abilities."

"On the battlefield, Elder Bai He, believing Zhu Zhuqing's status to be valuable, captured her using speed comparable to a Title Douluo. He intended to use her as leverage to force the nobles to back down."

Yang Jingyun paused, seemingly reluctant to continue, as if the next words were too cruel.

But Zhu Zhuqing suddenly spoke, her tone as cold and lifeless as a frozen winter day, her heart encased in ice.

"A daughter with only a few years left to live naturally cannot compare to the grand plans of strengthening the empire. My father said it was the fate of the Zhu family daughters. I was abandoned."

Yang Ruyun nodded and added, "On the battlefield, every second counts. Elder Bai He ultimately couldn't bring himself to harm Miss Zhu, but he also didn't have time to let her go. Thus, she escaped with us."

Xiao Wu frowned deeply, unable to help but empathize, feeling unsettled by the story.

"What kind of father is this? Even spirit beasts protect their children! A bunch of grown men who don't strive to cultivate and grow stronger, sacrificing their daughters—what kind of skill is that?!"

Tang San nodded in agreement. The order of loyalty to family, teacher, and ruler was the mainstream belief from his previous life. To him, the correct order was family, teacher, then ruler. Sacrificing loved ones for the empire made someone unworthy of being called a father.

In the shadows, Tang Hao crossed his arms, his perspective different from Tang San's. He saw nothing wrong with Zhu Zhuqing's father's choice. After all, Tang Hao had been taught since childhood that everything could be sacrificed for the sake of the sect.

For the greater cause, personal desires didn't matter.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have neglected Tang San until the boy awakened the Hao Tian Hammer and twin martial souls, giving him hope for revenge, before finally treating him as his son.

"As for the Breaking Clan, originally a vassal of the Hao Tian Sect, their alchemy provided significant aid to the sect's disciples. Now, to see them bullied by the nobles of Star Luo is truly infuriating."

Tang Hao inwardly condemned the Star Luo Empire, marking it down as an enemy, but he had no intention of intervening. It wasn't the right time for him to reveal himself—he could only leave the Breaking Clan to fend for themselves.

As for the fact that the Breaking Clan had been dragged into trouble because of him, abandoned by the Hao Tian Sect, and lost half of their mid-to-high-ranking members to the Spirit Hall, resulting in a drastic decline in power—Tang Hao conveniently forgot these details.

"So, what are your plans now?"

Gu La looked at the group, his focus mainly on Zhu Zhuqing.

He had always admired Zhu Zhuqing's calm and hardworking personality. Now that his preferred wife candidate had practically delivered herself to him, there was no way he'd let her leave.

Having a wife handed to him at the start—was this the treatment of a chosen one? He was loving it.

From now on, he would protect his loyal Douluo plane!

Yang Jingyun pondered for a moment, exchanging glances with Yang Shuang and Yang Feng. Naturally, they wouldn't reveal all their secrets.

Gu La suggested, "Why don't you come back with us to the Fasinuo Province? We're studying in a small city where the strongest are only four-ring Soul Ancestors—you won't have to worry about being found."

"Thank you for your kindness,"

Yang Jingyun replied, his expression troubled as he reluctantly declined. "We plan to head to Tian Dou City. The pursuers from Star Luo can't chase us into a foreign capital, and the clan leader has friends there who will provide us shelter."

Gu La didn't look at him but instead fixed his gaze on Zhu Zhuqing. "And you? These three have inconspicuous identities; Tian Dou might protect them because of the Breaking Clan's alchemy skills."

"But you're different. If Star Luo chooses to negotiate diplomatically, you'll likely be sent back."

Yang Jingyun was taken aback. He hadn't considered Zhu Zhuqing's situation. Taking her along had already been a gesture of goodwill—why risk further protection for her?

After all, the Breaking Clan and the Zhu family were essentially enemies. Protecting Zhu Zhuqing had been an act of fleeting compassion. Upon reflection, they had already regretted taking on such a burden.

Thus, he fell silent. If Zhu Zhuqing agreed to leave, they could happily rid themselves of this troublesome burden. Yang Jingyun was content with that outcome.

In less than a year in the Zhu household, Zhu Zhuqing had tasted the bitterness of human relationships. She keenly sensed the reason behind Yang Jingyun's silence.

Facing Gu La's invitation, Zhu Zhuqing took a deep breath and said, "I'll go with you."

She didn't know Gu La's identity, nor did she even know his name yet. But after a life of being controlled by others, this time, she wanted to make her own choice.

Looking at Yang Jingyun, Zhu Zhuqing didn't resent his decision to abandon her. She only hated how weak she was, unable to change anything.

"Brother Yang, Sister Yang, thank you for taking care of me along the way. I'll remember your kindness and repay you someday. Let's part ways here. I hope we'll meet again when everyone is doing well."

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