The walk from the residential courtyards to the Grand Convocation Hall was a journey through the clan's hidden history. The walls here were not made of simple stone but of Soul-Suppressing Obsidian, etched with silver runes that glowed with a faint, rhythmic pulse—the heartbeat of the Unmoving Mountain.
Yu Chen walked at the front, his expression calm, though his mind was racing. Beside him, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling were wide-eyed, taking in the sight of the Six Hidden Streams—the specialized divisions of the clan—moving with silent, deadly efficiency. Dugu Bo walked with his hands behind his back, his sharp eyes scanning the defensive formations. He leaned in toward Yu Chen and whispered, "I've seen the palaces of Heaven Dou and the halls of Spirit Hall, brat. But this... this place feels like it wasn't built to house men. It was built to endure a god's tantrum."
"That's the point, Senior," Yu Chen replied softly.
The massive obsidian doors of the hall slid open. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of ancient incense and the heavy pressure of high-level spirit power. At the head of a crescent-shaped table sat Great Elder Yu Kun, a man whose presence felt as solid and immovable as the mountain itself. Surrounding him were the heads of the Six Streams and Yu Feng, Yu Chen's eldest brother, who stood with a vigilant, protective air.
As Yu Chen entered, the room fell into a silence so heavy it felt physical. The Elders weren't looking at a child; they were looking at the "Anomaly" that had caused the clan's ancestral seals to resonate for the first time in a century.
"Yu Chen," Great Elder Yu Kun spoke, his voice deep and vibrating. "Your father tells us you didn't just survive the Sunset Forest—you conquered it."
Yu Chen stepped into the center of the hall. He didn't bow as a subordinate would. He offered a respectful nod, his Void-Heart Star spirit manifesting naturally, causing the starlight in the domed ceiling to shimmer in response. "I did what was necessary for the clan's future, Great Elder. And I haven't come back alone."
He gestured to Dugu Bo. The Poison Douluo stepped forward, no longer the "Old Freak" of the forest, but a Rank 92 Titled Douluo whose aura was as sharp as a blade. "I am Dugu Bo," he announced, his voice echoing. "I have pledged my jade-phosphor scales to the service of this boy. His path is now my path."
A murmur rippled through the council. To have a Titled Douluo—especially one as notoriously difficult as Dugu Bo—offer unconditional loyalty to a nine-year-old was unprecedented.
"We know of your reputation, Poison Douluo," Yu Kun said, his eyes narrowing. "But the Unmoving Mountain does not take 'guests' lightly. What did this boy do to earn the service of a man like you?"
"He saved my soul," Dugu Bo said simply, looking at Yu Chen with genuine respect. "He did what the greatest healers in the Empire couldn't. He turned my family's curse into a divine blessing. If that isn't enough to earn my loyalty, then the title of 'Great Elder' has made you go deaf."
The atmosphere shifted from curiosity to grim reality as Yu Feng stepped forward. "Brother, we don't have time for long introductions. While you were away, the world changed. The Spirit Hall has stopped hiding its teeth."
Yu Feng waved his hand, and a spiritual map of the continent projected into the air. "They are using something called the God-Observation Tool. It's an ancient artifact, recently empowered by their Supreme Pontiff. It scans for 'deviations' in the world's spiritual laws. Every time you use that Void power of yours, Yu Chen, you show up on their map like a sun in the middle of a dark room."
The Great Elder leaned forward. "Our concealment arrays are straining. The ancestors in the Hall of Eternal Rest are pouring their life force into the mountain's shields just to keep us hidden. But the Tool is getting stronger. They are sacrificing Spirit Master legions to fuel its 'Divine Gaze.' They are looking for the 'Anomaly'—they are looking for you."
Yu Chen looked at the map. He could see the red markers of Spirit Hall's "Judgment Squads" surrounding the borders of the mountain range. They were like wolves circling a fortress, waiting for a single crack in the wall.
"They won't find a crack," Yu Chen said, his voice dropping an octave, carrying a resonance that made the tea in the Elders' cups ripple. "Because we aren't going to hide anymore."
The Elders gasped. To the Yu Clan, isolation was life. Suggesting they stop hiding was like suggesting they stop breathing.
"Hide and you eventually get cornered," Yu Chen continued, stepping toward the Great Elder. "My Void-Heart Star isn't just a martial spirit. It's a gateway. I've realized that the God-Observation Tool works on the laws of this world. But the Void? The Void is what exists between laws. I can't just hide from the Tool—I can jam it. I can feed it false information until it burns itself out."
He turned to the council, his eyes glowing with a silver-black light that seemed to swallow the torches' flames.
"I need three things," Yu Chen commanded. "First, I need the Ancient Records of the first ancestors—anything regarding the 'Primordial Void.' Second, I need Dugu Bo to act as our eyes outside the mountain, coordinating with our Shadow Constellations to find the Tool's energy conduits. Third..."
He looked at Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, who stood firm behind him.
"...I need the Trial of the Unmoving Core to be opened for my partners. If we are going to fight a god's tool, I need them to break through their limits. We don't just need a clan; we need a Sovereign's Guard."
Great Elder Yu Kun looked at Yu Ming (the father), then at the council. He saw the fire in Yu Chen's eyes—a fire that hadn't been seen in the Yu Clan for a thousand years. It wasn't the arrogance of a child; it was the vision of a king.
"The Sovereign has spoken," Yu Kun whispered, more to himself than anyone else. He stood up, and for the first time, he bowed his head slightly to his great-nephew. "The archives are yours. The mountain is yours. May the stars have mercy on Spirit Hall, for the Void certainly won't."