Douluo Continent: The Book of Witness and Peerless Tang Sect

Chapter 263: The Official Chapter-by-Chapter Discussion Begins

Under Long You's control, the courtyard gate opened precisely at the appointed time, as if it had opened automatically, without arousing any vigilance from Bei Bei and the others, who were already exhausted from their battle of wits and courage.

"Hehe, the little mice are going into their cages."

As Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi stepped across the threshold first, Long You, disregarding the presence of He Caitou and Zhang Lexuan, two audience members beside him, let out a villainous laugh.

In the soul-guided trap at the entrance, Long You adopted a method of gradually increasing the weight to trigger it (if there is an identification token, then the entire trigger mechanism will not be activated). So after Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi, the two guys with strong defense, walked past, the control trio of Little Fatty Song He, Huo Yuhao, and Tang Ya followed closely behind. Perhaps Little Fatty's weight was too much to Long You's liking, because the trio directly triggered the welcoming ceremony.

The first wave of activated soul tools can be divided into four parts: the ground, the courtyard gate, the area in front of and behind the courtyard wall, and the area not far from the courtyard gate.

First, let's talk about the ground. The ground that Beibei and the others are standing on is actually a soul tool carefully disguised by Long You and He Caitou. Because they are their own people, this disguised soul tool is not operating at full power. It is only releasing infrasound waves and violently shaking the ground, with the main purpose of disrupting their formation. The goal is not to kill, but to interfere with the opponent's reaction speed, so that the opponent will not have time to make the most appropriate reaction when faced with a real attack.

Regarding the courtyard gate, the soul-guided device installed there is specifically designed to target those who haven't yet stepped outside its boundaries. According to Long You's plan, this device would be best suited for use on a barbican, but since there isn't one, its use at the courtyard gate is somewhat appropriate. This soul-guided mechanism is a true lethal one. According to Long You's plan, this section of the mechanism integrates a series of lethal methods, including high-energy soul-guided rays, high-voltage current, and a strong anti-human magnetic field. If the opponent's defenses are even slightly inadequate, it can definitely cause considerable damage.

As for the layout in front of and behind the courtyard wall, it's actually similar to that at the courtyard gate. It's a compensatory measure set up by Long You to bridge the gap between the courtyard gate and the actual barbican. The soul tools set up in these two places are generally the same as those at the courtyard gate. The only difference is the addition of an electromagnetic barrier-generating soul tool. This thing doesn't have much destructive power, but it can serve to separate the battlefield.

Not far from the remaining courtyard gate, Long You had set up a diversionary barrier. After all, this was within the city of Dilong. He only wanted to give Bei Bei and the others a heads-up and enjoy the spectacle, not to cause trouble or disrupt normal life in the city. Therefore, it was absolutely necessary to envelop the entire courtyard in a protective mimicry barrier. Otherwise, Long You would not want anyone to fly into the sky or stray bullets to injure pedestrians on the street.

So the current situation is that Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi are locked in the courtyard by Long You, Huo Yuhao, Song He, and Tang Ya are blocked at the courtyard gate by Long You, leaving only Wang Dong'er, who is least familiar with soul tools, outside the courtyard gate.

High-energy rays crisscrossed, and high-voltage electric light filled the eyes. There was no stable place to stand underfoot, and no safe and stable ground to look up at. It was only because Long You had Huo Gua around that he would have added ultra-low temperature lethal or anesthetic fog between the various barriers.

In a short span of time, Beibei and the others went from feeling relieved to finally arriving at their destination and being able to rest to feeling bewildered and anxious. They were exhausted, both physically and mentally. However, no matter how tired they were, they couldn't afford to rest. Their immediate priority was to pull themselves together and break through the encirclement, or at the very least, gather everyone together.

Fortunately, Long You and He Caitou only did this to warn Bei Bei and the others and play a prank. The actual attack strength was not great. After Bei Bei and the others woke up from their confusion, they quickly broke through the barriers between the teams and reunited. They also rescued Wang Dong'er, who knew nothing about soul tools.

Driven by some dark motive, Long You immediately activated the soul-guiding mechanism to its maximum intensity upon discovering Wang Dong'er standing at the very back of the formation. Wang Dong'er, who wasn't carrying a trigger-activated defensive soul-guiding device, was completely unable to effectively defend against the high-energy soul-guiding ray attacks under the influence of the pervasive ultra-low temperature paralyzing mist. By the time Huo Yuhao broke through the barrier and cleared the ultra-low temperature paralyzing mist from the entire space, Wang Dong'er was already badly injured.

Upon realizing that the outer barrier surrounding them had become even stronger, and that Wang Dong'er had lost her fighting ability (temporarily) in such a short time, Bei Bei and the others frowned even more deeply.

"Damn it, these two guys have kept us on edge the whole way, and now they've tricked us here. It's just too much."

Because the rhythm of the soul tool attack was too familiar, Bei Bei and the others were not worried about Long You and He Caitou being attacked by the thieves. Xu Sanshi, who was straightforward, naturally cursed without any scruples.

Just as Xu Sanshi finished speaking, Long You's shrewd voice echoed throughout the space: "That's not right. I'm just trying to raise everyone's awareness of preventing telecom fraud, to give everyone a heads-up."

"Now that you've finished reminding your mother of her, can you remove this damn barrier?"

Seeing that the high-energy soul-guided rays around him had stopped working and the ground beneath his feet had stabilized, Xu Sanshi immediately realized that the entire "welcome ceremony" was over. He didn't bother to attack anymore and instead ordered Long You to release the surrounding soul-guided barriers.

Upon hearing Xu Sanshi's shout, Long You's lips curled into a meaningful smile once more, and with a light tap of his fingers, he dispelled the surrounding soul guidance barrier.

Seeing the scene at the courtyard gate reappear before them, Beibei and the others breathed a sigh of relief. Hearing He Caitou's slightly naive voice urging them to hurry into the courtyard, Beibei and the others stepped forward without suspicion.

The warm sunlight shone unreservedly onto the open space behind the screen wall in the courtyard. Beibei and the others could already see Long You and He Caitou standing at the entrance of their residence to greet them. Just as they were planning how to give these two cunning fellows a memorable welcome gift in return, shadows once again enveloped the "weary army" that had traveled from afar.

Here, Long You set up the second wave of the soul tool welcome ceremony. There were no lethal weapons, only a bubble machine that kept spewing bubbles. The bubbles flying in the air were a sticky substance with Long You's special properties. Only by circulating soul power could the stickiness of the bubbles be neutralized and allowed to move freely. It was a training tool that Long You specially made to improve his soul power control.

Since it was a training tool, everyone present had actually used it many times. So after the initial panic, Bei Bei and the others cursed Long You and He Caitou for being unethical, while desperately attaching their soul power to the soles of their feet so that they could continue moving forward.

As for why Beibei and the others didn't continue to do anything like "I'll fight you to the death," it was entirely because Zhang Lexuan walked out from behind Long You and He Caitou, waved to Beibei and the others, and said, "Alright, this is the last hurdle. Hot water has been prepared in the room. Go and soak in it to wash off your clothes."

If it were just Long You and He Caitou, Bei Bei and the others would have taught those two a lesson, even if it restricted their movements. But now that Zhang Lexuan was also there, they couldn't cause any trouble. They should hurry up and wash off the sticky substance on their bodies.

With a smile, Long You watched the group separate into men and women and enter the room where hot water had already been prepared. His eyes narrowed slightly. If he wasn't mistaken, Wang Dong'er, who was standing next to Huo Yuhao, looked at him with a somewhat strange gaze.

It wasn't resentment, but rather a scrutinizing gaze that Long You had never imagined—a gaze with a "unique meaning."

"Ha, really... this is your own daughter."

Long You was originally watching the spectacle with a very relaxed attitude, and theoretically he shouldn't have noticed Wang Dong'er's subtle scrutinizing gaze. But now that he had noticed it, Long You could only assume that the "pearl of imagination" in his mind was at work.

For a being of the rank of the Pearl of Imagination to take the initiative to remind someone, it must at least be a being of the divine rank watching over them. So it is quite obvious that a certain god-king is once again using his "tool" daughter to spy on the lower realm.

However, that doesn't matter. Long You is now very certain that the Pearl of Imagination in his mind is very effective in dealing with this kind of spying. Unless a certain god-king directly confronts him, Long You doesn't believe that his situation will be exposed.

Inside the room, steam filled the air. In the outer room, Long You composed himself and began to discuss business with Zhang Lexuan: "Senior Sister, now that everyone is here, shouldn't we send a name card to the Earth Dragon Sect and arrange a time? Although we're here to take advantage, we're not here to rob anyone. The Earth Dragon Sect can also get their share of benefits, so there's no need for a surprise attack."

"Alright, Xiao You, go and deliver a visiting card. The academy's reputation isn't something to be ashamed of, and my strength is enough to ensure that Nan Shui Shui won't have any ulterior motives."

However, wouldn't it be a bit illogical to write "meet alone" on the calling card? If it's not written, what if Nan Shui Shui invites an elder from the Earth Dragon Gate? Wouldn't that create unnecessary complications?

"It's alright, just write on the name card that it's a private matter. This Earth Dragon Gate may look like a sect, but it's actually a family. Nan Shuishui is the family head. As long as it's a private matter, the family elders won't get involved."

"Okay, you can make the arrangements."

With Zhang Lexuan's approval, Long You conscientiously began drafting the name card. Although it was in Zhang Lexuan's name, it was something he wanted, so he had to do most of the trivial things himself.

The next morning, Long You got up early. Today's tasks didn't require many people; himself, Zhang Lexuan, and Huo Yuhao were enough. The Earth Dragon Gate clearly held a very important position in Earth Dragon City, its gatehouse looking quite imposing. Seeing Zhang Lexuan leading Long You and Huo Yuhao over from afar, the gatekeeper, who had already received instructions, came out to greet them and led the three directly into the Earth Dragon Gate.

"Sect Master Nan, Le Xuan's sudden visit is actually due to a business deal concerning your sect's Cold Well, which she hopes Sect Master Nan will grant."

Although Long You and his group seem to be using their power to intimidate others, they are not trying to seize by trickery or force, so there is no need to beat around the bush. Speaking the truth is the most time-efficient way.

However, speaking frankly also has a problem. This way of speaking, which exposes someone's wealth without any prior knowledge, immediately stunned the leader of the Earth Dragon Sect.

After a full five seconds, Nan Shuishui finally spoke, saying, "The Cold Well is the ancestral property of our Dragon Gate. I had high hopes for your visit because I remember Shrek Academy's contributions to the continent. I never imagined that you would come here today to seize other people's property."

"Although I know my own strength is limited, this is my Dragon Gate sect, and I have my own help. I am not necessarily afraid of you."

Nan Shuishui spoke sharply from the start, and seeing that she had already stood up, it seemed she was really going to do something. Long You naturally couldn't just stand by and watch, so he quickly stood up and said with a forced smile, "Sect Master Nan, please don't be impatient. We have come here with sincerity to try to establish a business relationship with you, and we have absolutely no intention of forcibly taking anything from you."

"Master Nan, please listen to me. If you still refuse to agree after I finish, then we will turn around and leave, and we guarantee that we will never speak of the matter of the Earth Dragon Gate's Cold Well to anyone."

Whether intentional or not, Long You's words, especially the phrase "speak to outsiders," carried a heavier weight than his previous statements. As the head of a sect, Nan Shui Shui was quick-witted; the moment Long You finished speaking, the Southern Sect Master's expression changed repeatedly. However, in the end, the Southern Sect Master took a step back, sat down in the main chair again, and said in a deep voice, "I apologize for making this young man laugh; please speak."

"As the South Sect Master said, the Cold Well is a treasured heirloom of the Earth Dragon Sect. Even if Shrek Academy is curious, it would never seize it without cause. But has the South Sect Master considered that the Cold Well should be a secret matter within your sect? Why is Shrek Academy, which is thousands of miles away, able to know about it and come to us?"

Incidentally, on our way here, we killed two evil spirit masters of the Holy Spirit Cult who could control puppets in a small mountain village only a few dozen miles from Earth Dragon City.

Theoretically, Long You knew that the Cold Well within the Earth Dragon Gate had absolutely nothing to do with the Holy Spirit Cult. However, since the Cold Well was a secret within the Earth Dragon Gate, and Long You had so rashly approached them bearing the Shrek Academy's name, he needed an explanation. But no matter what explanation he gave, it was unlikely to eliminate the possibility that Shrek Academy had been spying on others' property. Therefore, Long You had to find another scapegoat.

In any case, the Holy Spirit Cult couldn't refute Long You's statement, and when Long You and He Caitou came, they did indeed kill two beasts from the Holy Spirit Cult.