Tianlin and Yinyang approached openly without concealing themselves. With the Dragon Duke's Soul Douluo-level hearing, he had already detected their footsteps.
The Dragon Staff pointed toward the dark depths of the forest as he shouted, "Who's there, sneaking around? Show yourself!"
"I am Tianlin, here to pay my respects to the legendary Dragon and Snake Seniors." Tianlin stepped out from the shadows and bowed to the two of them.
"It's you, the Sword Prince of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan." The Snake Granny, who had met Tianlin earlier that day, immediately recognized him. However, this time, a man she hadn't seen earlier accompanied him.
That man was someone the couple knew well: the third elder of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, Thunderhawk Douluo Yinyang.
Yinyang greeted them, "Honorable Dragon and Snake couple, it has been a long time. How have you been?"
"So it's the distinguished Thunderhawk Douluo. The Dragon Duke greets you." The Dragon Duke bowed to Yinyang. Facing a Title Douluo, his position as a Soul Douluo was insignificant. "Thunderhawk Douluo, it's rare to meet you. I would love to have a long conversation, but my granddaughter is in critical condition. Please forgive me for not leaving her side."
"Is Miss Meng absorbing a soul ring?" Tianlin examined the corpse of the Man-Faced Demon Spider with a feigned seriousness. Suddenly, he turned back in alarm. "Grandpa Eagle, this is bad! Look at the spider's leg length—it's over two meters long. This is a two-thousand-year-old Man-Faced Demon Spider!"
"Really? Oh no! Brother Meng, how could you be so careless? How can she absorb such a high-level soul ring for her third ring? Your granddaughter isn't even a beast soul master. Her body might not be able to handle it!" Yinyang played along with Tianlin, loudly scolding in feigned anger.
"Grandpa, it hurts so much. I can't hold on anymore!"
At this moment, Meng Yiran's pained voice came through. She was already at her limit. In her desperation, she turned to the one she trusted and felt safest with: her grandfather.
But in this situation, even the Dragon Duke was helpless. The Snake Granny was already in tears. Meng Yiran was their only granddaughter. Their son had died young, and all their love had been poured into her. If she were to die today, what would their strength matter? Life would lose its meaning.
"Yiran, Grandpa is sorry. I can't save you today. If that's the case, then I'll follow you to the underworld to protect you there." Saying this, the Dragon Duke raised his staff, about to strike his head.
Was he planning to pave the way for his granddaughter in the afterlife? His love for her as a grandfather was evident.
"Brother Meng, what are you doing? Your granddaughter isn't dead yet! I have a way to save her. If you leave first, who will protect her? And what about the Snake Granny?" Yinyang quickly stopped the Dragon Duke's staff and consoled him.
"What? You have a way?" The Dragon Duke's eyes lit up with hope. If there was a chance to live, who would choose death?
"There is a way, but…" Yinyang hesitated.
This made the Dragon Duke anxious. "But what? Tell me! As long as you can save my granddaughter, I'll do anything. I may only be an eighty-eighth-level Soul Douluo, but even though I can't compare to the four Title Douluos of your clan, I can still be of some use."
"It's not about doing something. This involves the greatest secret of my clan. The clan leader has strictly forbidden anyone outside the four guardian Douluos from knowing it," Yinyang replied with difficulty.
"Her life is at stake, Your Grace. Rules are dead, but people are alive. At worst, I will bring my family under the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan as a subsidiary clan. Our martial soul fusion skill is powerful enough to rival an ordinary Title Douluo. As long as you save my granddaughter, the rest of my life belongs to your clan!"
As the head of the Dragon Snake Clan, the Dragon Duke could see through Yinyang's intentions. He was pretending to have a solution but used the clan's rules to force the Dragon Duke into submission.
Yet, this was a blatant strategy. Even knowing the truth, the Dragon Duke had no choice. All that mattered was saving his granddaughter.
Hearing this, Yinyang was overjoyed. Their plan had succeeded. However, his expression remained conflicted, and he reluctantly said, "Fine, Brother Meng, for our friendship, I'll make an exception today."
"Xiao Tian, since Brother Dragon has agreed to join our clan, hurry and save her!"
With Yinyang's command, both the Dragon Duke and Snake Granny turned to Tianlin. Only then did they realize Yinyang wasn't the one who could save her—it was the Sword Prince, Tianlin.
"Yes, Elder!" Tianlin accepted the order and walked to Meng Yiran's side. Activating his second martial soul, the Holy Spirit Pearl, he unleashed the Holy Breath Domain.
As Meng Yiran received the domain's healing, her expression visibly relaxed.
"A twin martial soul!" The Dragon Duke and Snake Granny were shocked. No wonder Yinyang insisted on secrecy. Such a thing couldn't be revealed lightly; otherwise, it would provoke the jealousy and even hostility of other clans.
Even more terrifying was that Tianlin's second martial soul could interfere with someone else's soul ring absorption. This completely broke the rules of the Douluo Continent.
"Alas, when I return, I'll surely be punished by the clan leader," Yinyang sighed heavily, looking helpless.
The Dragon Duke quickly said, "Your Grace, I am deeply grateful. Once Yiran finishes absorbing her soul ring, I will personally visit the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan to explain everything to Clan Leader Ning. I will also uphold my promise to join your clan."
Hearing this, Yinyang rejoiced. "That's perfect. Even though I revealed the clan's secret, I brought back a Soul Douluo. I believe the clan leader won't punish me too harshly—at most, I'll be confined for a while."
Tianlin glanced at Yinyang with admiration. They came from the same village, and his acting skills were no worse than the top actors of Tianlin's previous world.
The Dragon Duke's potential was immense, comparable to Yinyang's in his earlier years. Tianlin was confident that, with the support of the Medicine Hall, the Dragon Duke could become another Title Douluo for their clan within five to seven years. Although the Snake Granny couldn't reach the Title Douluo level, she could break through to Soul Sage.
Currently, their martial soul fusion skill was already strong enough to rival an ordinary Title Douluo. Once the Dragon Duke achieved his title and the Snake Granny gained her Martial Soul Avatar, their combined attack would be unstoppable without at least a level ninety-five expert.
Thus, Tianlin had been planning this from the moment he arrived at Shrek Academy. Not only did he trap Tang San, but he also secured such a powerful pair for his clan. If Oscar could later join the Dragon Snake Clan, the future Food God would still belong to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
Half an hour later, with the help of Tianlin's Holy Breath Domain, Meng Yiran successfully absorbed the two-thousand-year-old soul ring. However, unlike Tang San, she didn't acquire an external soul bone like the Eight Spider Lances. After all, she didn't have the same protagonist-level luck.
Meng Yiran, though successfully advanced, didn't celebrate. Instead, she threw herself into her grandfather's arms and cried uncontrollably. She had been terrified, believing she was close to death today.