Chapter 80: But I Refuse
Having finally woken up from his earlier arrogance, Yu Tianlin fell silent.
Yang Wudi did not urge him. He simply sat in the chief seat of the council hall, calmly sipping tea as time quietly slipped by.
After a long while, Yu Tianlin finally spoke.
"Senior Yang, I can only give you the Fragrant Silk Immortal Herb after I return to the clan."
After waiting so long, this was the answer he received.
Yang Wudi's face instantly darkened. His voice sank.
"Impossible. You still don't understand me?"
"If I let you go back, and you go back on your word, who will guarantee my interests?"
"Senior Yang, this has to be done." Yu Tianlin's tone was firm. "It's inconvenient to explain the details to you, but there is a cause-and-effect involved. If I don't go back, I won't be able to obtain the Fragrant Silk Immortal Herb at all."
"You never said that before."
Yang Wudi's gaze turned cold.
In the next instant, a powerful aura exploded from his body, surging straight toward Yu Tianlin. The air between them twisted and distorted under the pressure.
Yu Tianlin's expression changed sharply. The chair beneath him shattered with a bang.
A heavy pressure bore down from all directions.
Spirit Douluo-level Spirit Power pressure.
Although he had seen such power from afar before, this was his first time experiencing it head-on.
He had never expected Spirit Douluo-level pressure to be so terrifying. With just this aura, he could barely stand.
Yang Wudi's Spirit Power pressure was extremely sharp. Yu Tianlin felt as if countless invisible needles were stabbing into every inch of his body. His bones creaked under the strain.
With no other choice, Yu Tianlin could only release his Martial Soul.
Lightning flashed, and a thunderbolt-shaped pattern appeared between his brows. At the same time, 3 purple Spirit Rings rose slowly around him.
"Impossible. You're not even 11 yet, and you've already broken through to over level 30?!"
Yang Wudi could not help but cry out in shock. His Spirit Power pressure vanished on the spot.
"And all 3 Spirit Rings are at the thousand-year level."
Yu Tianlin, who had been suppressed to his limit, suddenly felt the pressure disappear. His body swayed, and he almost fell.
Panting heavily, Yu Tianlin was puzzled.
Strange. How did Yang Wudi know that I'm not yet 11 years old?
Then he suddenly understood.
When he had first visited Yang Wudi 2 months ago, Yang Wudi had "casually" taken his wrist while they were talking. It was probably then that he had judged Yu Tianlin's age through bone assessment.
That seemingly friendly gesture back then had actually been him checking Tianlin's bones.
Just like this Spirit Power pressure now.
It looked like it was unleashed in anger, but in truth, he had used it as a pretext to force Yu Tianlin to release his Martial Soul so he could see his Spirit Rings and judge his true cultivation.
Every move from these old foxes had a deeper meaning hidden under the surface.
Once Yu Tianlin caught his breath, the room fell into silence for a while.
When he had fully calmed down, he finally spoke.
"Senior Yang, my Spirit Power level isn't a secret. Many people know about it."
"But the ages of my Spirit Rings are a core secret of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. I must ask Senior Yang to keep this confidential."
Yang Wudi did not immediately respond, but judging from his attitude, he was tacitly agreeing.
After all, he only wanted the Fragrant Silk Immortal Herb. He had no interest in stirring up unnecessary trouble with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Yu Tianlin continued,
"As for the Fragrant Silk Immortal Herb, as I said before, I can only give it to you after I return to the clan."
"You really intend to go back?"
Yang Wudi seemed to have made up his mind.
"I can let you go back."
Yu Tianlin was a little surprised by this sudden change of tone, but he did not think Yang Wudi would compromise so easily.
"What are the conditions?" he asked.
"It's very simple."
Yang Wudi flipped his palm. A black pill appeared out of nowhere, resting quietly in his hand.
"As long as you eat this, I will let you leave."
Yu Tianlin's mind immediately cursed.
There was no need to think about it. This thing was definitely the same type as those infamous controlling poisons like the Leopard Taiyi Strengthening Pill or the Three Corpses Brain God Pill. Once you swallowed it, your life would no longer be your own.
Sure enough, Yang Wudi calmly explained,
"This is a poison I developed with great care. After you take it, it won't have any effect for a while. It will only activate 1 year later."
"If you don't take the special antidote, once that year passes, the poison will erupt and you will undoubtedly die."
"And don't even think about detoxifying it. It's useless. My poison is extremely sensitive. As long as it's stimulated by any detoxification, it will explode early. Once that happens, you will die on the spot with no hope of rescue."
"Senior Yang, are you insane?"
After listening to Yang Wudi's explanation, Yu Tianlin was completely speechless.
"Didn't you see just now? I broke through to over level 30 before I even turned 11, and all 3 of my Spirit Rings are thousand-year rings."
"From that alone, you should understand my status within the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
"And yet you still want me to swallow something like that? If you hold back the antidote in the future, aren't you afraid my clan will treat it as a threat to the Breaking Clan and erase you?"
"Erase me? Destroy my clan?"
Yang Wudi seemed to have anticipated this line of argument. He spoke calmly, without the slightest panic.
"Yu Tianlin, you've forgotten something very important."
"Your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is in the Heaven Dou Empire. Our Breaking Clan is in the Star Luo Empire."
"Because of our medicine trade, my Breaking Clan has a vast web of connections within the Star Luo Empire and a deep relationship with the royal family. If the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan really sends its experts to attack us, our Breaking Clan can simply declare that we fully pledge ourselves to the Star Luo Empire."
"With the protection of the Star Luo Empire, even your grandfather would not be able to destroy the Breaking Clan."
Yu Tianlin could not help but argue,
"Will the Star Luo Empire really offend our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan just to protect your Breaking Clan?"
"Yu Tianlin, you really don't understand at all."
Yang Wudi gave a sneer.
"The Star Luo Empire is not like your Heaven Dou Empire. The royal authority is highly concentrated. Power is twisted into a single rope. In terms of overall strength, the royal family far surpasses your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
"As long as our Breaking Clan publicly declares that we fall completely under the Star Luo Empire, the royal family will definitely choose to protect us. As for offending your clan, so what? At most they offend you."
"You won't dare go to war with the Star Luo Empire over a single Breaking Clan, would you?"
"From the Star Luo Empire's perspective, this is an easy decision."
"If they choose to protect us, they gain a loyal Breaking Clan and strengthen their control over the Star Luo Empire's medicine network. Even if they offend your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, it's acceptable. You won't go all-out against Star Luo for this alone."
"If they abandon us, what do they get? The so-called 'friendship' of your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?"
"The Star Luo Empire's national strength is not weaker than your clan's. Why would they sacrifice a loyal vassal just for that?"
"In short, your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan cannot wipe out my Breaking Clan. At most, we end up negotiating at the table."
"And my bottom line is very simple. You must give me the Fragrant Silk Immortal Herb you promised."
"Such a request is perfectly reasonable, isn't it?"
"Besides, I don't actually intend to poison you to death. What good would that do me?"
"I just want a guarantee that you will keep your promise."
In the end, the problem boiled down to one thing.
There was no trust between them.
Yang Wudi could not possibly let Yu Tianlin leave without leaving something in his hands. He had to secure leverage.
What a headache.
Yu Tianlin stared at the pill in Yang Wudi's hand and felt his temples throb.
This kind of threat could not be countered with simple intimidation.
With the Star Luo Empire backing them, the Breaking Clan truly had no fear of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's anger.
Thinking back to the plot of the original story, Yu Tianlin could not help recalling how Spirit Hall's Spirit Hunting operation had annihilated the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and heavily injured the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, both of which were towering powers on the continent.
If history did not change, Spirit Hall would later try to recruit the Breaking, Strength, Defense, and Speed Clans, then lean on the Star Luo Empire to stir up a huge storm.
Under such circumstances, it was completely unrealistic to think that he could subdue the Breaking Clan just by relying on the name of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
But no matter what calculations Yang Wudi had made, Yu Tianlin knew one thing very clearly.
He, Yu Tianlin, would never swallow poison.
Are you joking?
Once he took that pill, he wouldn't even be able to detoxify himself. His life and death would be entirely in Yang Wudi's hands.
That was absolutely impossible.
Taking a deep breath, Yu Tianlin straightened his back and said in a deep voice,
"Senior Yang, perhaps everything you said is perfectly reasonable."
"But my answer is still the same."
"I refuse."
<><><><><>
[P@treon Discount: 20% OFF]
[Check Out My Patreon For +40 Advance Chapters On All My Fanfics!]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]
[Join Our Discord Community For Updates & Events]
[https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9]