Douluo: Emerald Poison Emperor-Chapter 369: Douluo: Emerald Poison Emperor []

After Yu Yuanzhen returned to the camp, he first had a private conversation with Yu Luomian to check if anything significant had happened recently within the sect or at the camp. Once he fulfilled his responsibilities as the sect leader and head of the family, he finally brought up the matter concerning Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Luomian candidly explained why he had slapped Yu Xiaogang and the reason Yu Xiaogang was still unable to stand up properly.

When Yu Yuanzhen heard that his disgraceful son had mistaken both him and Yu Luomian for someone else, he sighed deeply in exasperation. After some time, he patted Yu Luomian on the shoulder, comforting him by saying that Yu Xiaogang had brought this upon himself.

To put it bluntly, if the roles were reversed—if Yu Xiaogang were Yu Luomian's son, and Liu Erlong were Yu Yuanzhen's most beloved daughter—and Yu Xiaogang had pulled Liu Erlong forward while addressing Yu Yuanzhen as "father," Yu Yuanzhen admitted he would have slapped Yu Xiaogang too.

Yu Yuanzhen thought it was already quite merciful that Yu Xiaogang's head hadn't exploded like a watermelon on the spot.

Yu Luomian's actions were entirely reasonable. If there was a problem, it was entirely Yu Xiaogang's fault.

The two brothers drank a few cups of wine together, lamenting their family's misfortune.

After drinking for more than an hour, the pair put their cups aside, tidied their appearances, and changed into fresh clothes. Using their thunder-attribute soul power, they masked the scent of alcohol on themselves, regaining the dignified aura of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's sect master and second-in-command. They then ordered soul masters to bring Liu Erlong and Yu Xiaogang to them.

By the time they entered the tent, Yu Xiaogang could barely walk with the help of the soul masters supporting him. Liu Erlong, on the other hand, seemed to be glowing with vitality. Aside from the conflicted anger, frustration, and grievance faintly visible between her brows, her overall state didn't appear to reflect someone who had just suffered a severe injury.

There was no need to ask—the hard work of the healing-type soul masters had been at play, silently pouring numerous healing soul skills into the two of them.

When Yu Xiaogang saw his father seated at the head and his uncle sitting to the side, his usually stern face immediately crumpled into an expression of grievance.

Even though he was already around fifty years old—old enough to be a grandfather—at this moment, facing his imposing father, Yu Xiaogang was like a child again. Tears streamed down his face, and he began sobbing quietly.

As Yu Yuanzhen gazed at his aging son, a pang of pity stirred in his heart. He reminisced about the days when Yu Xiaogang had been by his side before awakening his martial soul. However, just as these sentiments arose, Yu Xiaogang suddenly dropped to his knees before him, his legs buckling.

"Father, after so many years, you've lost weight..." Yu Xiaogang said in a quivering voice.

The middle-aged man sitting at the head of the table remained silent, offering no response.

"In your absence, Second Uncle has taken your place and even attacked me! He harbors ulterior motives!" Yu Xiaogang's emotional intelligence was practically nonexistent. Hurt by the physical pain and the blow to his pride, he began spouting his thoughts recklessly.

The man seated at the head remained silent. The man sitting to the side also said nothing. They merely listened quietly as Yu Xiaogang knelt on the ground, crying and accusing Yu Luomian of rebellion.

At this point, Liu Erlong, standing behind Yu Xiaogang, could no longer bear to listen. She wanted nothing more than to pull Yu Xiaogang to his feet or kneel beside him—anything to make him stop talking.

However, at this moment, Liu Erlong was being suppressed by the combined auras of two Titled Douluos. Though her expression remained composed on the surface, it took nearly all her strength just to blink. Moving, let alone speaking, was utterly impossible.

After Yu Xiaogang rambled on for a while, his words becoming increasingly incoherent, the middle-aged man at the head of the table finally turned to the side and spoke for the first time.

However, what he said made Yu Xiaogang feel as if his brain was about to explode.

This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.

"Big Brother, didn't I say that this useless trash, Yu Xiaogang, hasn't cared about you or the family all these years? Even after all this time—and even though I slapped him just yesterday—he still can't tell us apart. What do you have to say about that?" Yu Luomian, sitting in Yu Yuanzhen's assumed position, sighed helplessly and asked his elder brother.

Yu Yuanzhen, seated in Yu Luomian's assumed position, shook his head as he looked at the frozen Yu Xiaogang. Whatever lingering affection or pity he once felt for his son vanished completely. Now, the way he looked at Yu Xiaogang was no different from how he would regard a stranger.

This entire scenario had been Yu Yuanzhen's idea. The two brothers had swapped places and deliberately donned attire that concealed their identities to see if Yu Xiaogang could distinguish between them.

In truth, though Yu Yuanzhen and Yu Luomian bore some resemblance to each other, their temperaments were vastly different. Yu Luomian's demeanor was sharp and aggressive, while Yu Yuanzhen exuded the domineering aura of a dragon and thunder. Anyone familiar with the two could easily tell them apart.

Even Liu Erlong, who had not seen Yu Yuanzhen many times, was able to discern who was who based on their differences in temperament alone.

Yu Yuanzhen had once thought that if Yu Xiaogang could recognize him, he might forgive his son for old times' sake and allow him to live out his remaining years peacefully as a wealthy commoner under house arrest in a city.

But given Yu Xiaogang's pathetic performance, Yu Yuanzhen could only bitterly regret ever having fathered such a child.

"F-Father..." Yu Xiaogang stammered as he looked up at Yu Yuanzhen, who rose from his seat. Sensing something terrifying, Yu Xiaogang curled into himself, even struggling to form coherent speech.

However, instead of lashing out, Yu Yuanzhen crouched down, gently helped Yu Xiaogang to his feet, and even patted his shoulder.

"Xiaogang, it's been decades since we last saw each other. I never imagined you'd turn out like this."

Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up. Thinking his father still cared for him, he was about to say something, but Yu Yuanzhen cut him off mercilessly.

"Enough. Enough. If I had known you'd end up like this, I might never have let you leave the sect in the first place."

"People must pay the price for the choices they make. When you were young and foolish, I bore the consequences of your actions as your father. But now, you've long since reached the age where you should bear responsibility for yourself."

Yu Yuanzhen placed his palm on Yu Xiaogang's dantian and sighed deeply.

"Xiaogang, this is the path you chose. Don't blame me."

With a slight surge of thunder-attribute soul power, Yu Yuanzhen destroyed Yu Xiaogang's dantian, obliterating his martial soul and soul power. Under his precise control, he also paralyzed Yu Xiaogang's lower body.

From that moment on, Yu Xiaogang was no longer a soul master. He was no longer a man, either. Due to the thunder-attribute soul power's lingering effects, he would be unable to control his lower body for the rest of his life, leaving him incapable of even managing his basic bodily functions.

PS: Eh?