Heading to Slaughter City

The commotion subsided, and tranquility returned to the Prince's mansion.

Tang Chen led Tang Hao, Tang Xiao, and several older people to a side hall to reminisce.

Tang San and Dugu Yan arrived at the sleeping quarters in the backyard.

After everyone was seated in the tea room, Tang San, who had been composed just moments before, frowned deeply.

Seeing that Tang San's expression was off, Dugu Yan asked, "Third Brother, what's wrong?"

After thinking for a moment, Tang San said, "I find it very unusual that Qian Daoliu brought people to force the surrender of Heaven Dou City."

"Where is the anomaly? Bibi Dong established the Spirit Hall Empire, intending to annex Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empire. Isn't it normal for her to send the Worship Hall to force a surrender?"

Dugu Yan looked puzzled.

Tang San shook his head. "This is abnormal. The emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire is Xue Qinghe, and we all know that Xue Qinghe is actually Xue'er. According to the original plan, the Heaven Dou Empire should have been the possession of the Worship Hall of Offerings. Xue'er spent more than ten years infiltrating and laying the groundwork, all for the purpose of bringing the Heaven Dou Empire under her control peacefully at the right time. But now Qian Daoliu has brought people to 'force a surrender,' isn't this tantamount to stealing from himself?"

"Moreover, Qian Daoliu said before he left that he also had his own unavoidable difficulties. With his strength and status, what on the entire continent could possibly make him 'unavoidable'?"

After Tang San finished speaking, the hall fell silent for a moment.

Dugu Yan, Shui Bing'er, and Ye Lingling also frowned.

Xiao Wu tilted her head and thought for a moment, then made a bold guess. "Could it be that something happened to Sister Xue?"

Tang San's heart skipped a beat. He looked sharply at Xiao Wu: "You mean... Bibi Dong controlled her?"

A glint flashed in Shui Bing'er's eyes as she continued, "Very likely. Bibi Dong and Sister Xue have always been at odds. If Bibi Dong controls Sister Xue and forces her to hand over the power of the Heaven Dou Empire, and Sister Xue refuses, then Bibi Dong can use her to coerce Qian Daoliu. That would make all the sense."

Qian Daoliu had no choice but to bring his men to force Heaven Dou to surrender, not because Heaven Dou needed to be conquered, but because if he didn't, Sister Xue would be in danger.

His parting remark, "I had no choice," might have referred to this.

It has to be said that Shui Bing'er, who is usually calm and collected, is the most quick-witted among them.

Dugu Yan suddenly realized, "Bing'er's guess is very reasonable. I've heard Sister Xue say that Bibi Dong... is capable of anything."

Tang San suddenly stood up and paced anxiously back and forth in the tea room. "We have to go save her! She's all alone in Spirit City, being controlled by Bibi Dong, and I don't know how much she's suffering right now. And I wonder if her Divine Examination has been affected as well."

Seeing Tang San's extreme anxiety, Ye Lingling immediately comforted him, saying, "Third Brother, don't panic. Spirit City is teeming with experts, and Sister Xue is definitely under tight guard. With our current strength, if we rashly infiltrate Spirit City, not only will we fail to rescue her, but we might also alert the enemy, and it might even provoke Bibi Dong to do something even more extreme."

Tang San stopped in his tracks. He stood there, his chest heaving a few times, then slowly sat back down in his chair, bowing his head in silence for a long while.

Ye Lingling is absolutely right. We can't be reckless. Forcing our way in will definitely not work, otherwise Qian Daoliu wouldn't have been coerced.

There are at least a dozen Titled Douluos in the Pope's Palace who are under Bibi Dong's command. With his current strength, it would be difficult for him to evade layers of surveillance. Once exposed, forget about rescuing people; he would be like a lamb entering a tiger's den, with no chance of escape.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in his chest. "Lingling is right, I can't act impulsively. Xue'er should be out of immediate danger, but we must improve our strength as soon as possible to rescue her."

Tang San's gaze swept over the four girls. "Lingling and I must complete our Third Trial; this can't be delayed any longer. Only by speeding up the completion of the Divine Examination can our strength continue to improve."

Ye Lingling nodded. "Shall we set off now?"

Tang San was about to answer when he suddenly remembered something, "Wait a minute, I need to go ask my great-grandfather something first."

He stood up and walked towards the side hall.

The four girls remained in the main hall, exchanged glances, and did not follow.

In the side hall, Tang Chen was talking to Tang Hao and Tang Xiao.

Seeing Tang San push the door open and come in, Tang Chen looked up at him with a questioning look in his eyes.

Tang San cut to the chase. "Great-grandfather, what's the situation there now after you left the Slaughter City? Have all the Fallen Soul Masters escaped?"

Tang Chen's expression darkened slightly, his tone carrying a rare hint of complexity. "At the time, I felt my days were numbered. After waking up, my only thought was to rush to Sea God Island to see Bo Saixi one last time. I had no energy left to deal with the Slaughter City. Without the King of Slaughter, I'm afraid no one could keep that place in check. In my estimation, those Fallen Soul Masters should have already escaped."

He paused and asked doubtfully, "Why do you ask this?"

"My Third Trial requires me to personally harvest the souls of one hundred heinous villains, whose hands are stained with blood. Those Fallen Soul Masters who escaped from the Slaughter City perfectly fit the bill."

"Moreover, if they scatter throughout the mainland, they will inevitably cause trouble sooner or later. It's a good opportunity to clean them up, killing two birds with one stone."

Tang San revealed his purpose and thoughts without reservation.

Tang Chen was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded. "You're right. The Slaughter City was originally a place to imprison Evil Soul Masters. The escape of those Fallen Soul Masters is indeed a disaster for the common people on the continent."

He stood up. "I'll go with you. I need to make arrangements for the Slaughter City."

Tang San was slightly taken aback. "Great-grandfather, you're going too?"

Tang Chen glanced at him. "What, you think I'm in the way again? Don't deny it, on the way back from Sea God Island, you looked at me with resentment in your eyes. Did you think I disturbed your intimate moments with your little wives?"

Yes, yes, you figured it out a long time ago, and you still had the nerve to keep following us. Shameless.

Tang San inwardly scoffed, but naturally dared not say it aloud, quickly waving his hands. "No, no, no, that's not what I meant. It's just that you've only just returned..."

Tang Chen interrupted him, "Precisely because we've just returned, we need to do this. Who knows how much bloodshed awaits us in the future? While we still have time, let's quickly restore order to the Slaughter City."

He walked up to Tang San, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Alright, it's settled then. We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning."

Tang San nodded.

"We'll set off tomorrow. We'll head towards the vicinity of the Slaughter City; there should be a lot of criminals there right now. Great-grandfather will come along too." Tang San returned to his bedchamber and said directly.

He looked at Dugu Yan and continued, "Yan Yan, with your current strength, you are ready to undergo the Evil God Nine Trials. So you stay here, and during our absence, you can go into seclusion to undergo the trials."

Dugu Yan showed a hint of reluctance, but she knew that the Divine Examination could not be delayed any longer, so she nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I'll stay. You all must be careful."

Tang San finally looked at Shui Bing'er and the others. "Alright, let's get some rest tonight and set off early tomorrow morning."

Nothing more was said that night.

Early the next morning, Tang San and his companions, along with Tang Chen, bid farewell to Dugu Yan, Tang Xiao, Tang Hao, Dugu Bo, and Tai Tan, and immediately embarked on their journey to the Slaughter City.