Ch. 965Eve of the Great Battle

Tang Lan and the others reviewed their operations as the Tang Sect prepared for an expected assault from the three factions. Yuan Yan presented dozens of pages of prospective recruits, including several Soul Douluo, and Tang Lan identified the Food-Type Soul Douluo Gao Qiao as especially valuable.

  • Red Lotus reported that she had dealt with the Green Snake Gang’s upper ranks, secured its remaining elder with a poison pill, and resumed the Tang Sect’s supply convoys under Soul Master escort.
  • Tang Lan warned that the three factions would likely launch a final assault within seven days, while Hou Li and Zhuo Er reported their successful missions and Zhuo Er revealed that he had captured a top-grade Unicorn Horse from the Black Tiger Merchant Guild.
  • Yuan Yan presented the Tang Sect’s register of Soul Masters seeking to join, which contained dozens of pages and four Soul Douluo on its first page.
  • Tang Lan examined Gao Qiao’s profile and recognized the value of his Sweet orange Martial Soul, especially its Earth Vein Yellow Orange skill, which let Soul Masters burrow underground for a limited time.

Ch. 966Tang Lan's Assessment

Tang Lan reviewed the applicants to the Tang Sect and summoned four Soul Douluos for a personal assessment. They formed a hastily arranged team and prepared to attack him together, leaving the assessment about to begin.

  • Yuan Yan explained that the Dark Tortoise Clan had split from the Qi Family two hundred years earlier over their mutated martial souls.
  • Tang Lan ordered the four Soul Douluos to meet him in the rear courtyard and assigned Fang Zi and Yuan Yan to assess the Soul Saints.
  • Fang Zi assured Tang Lan she would handle the remaining applicants, while Tang Lan left the meeting to oversee the assessment.
  • The four applicants—Gao Qiao, the Qi brothers, and Lin Qiaoqiao—arrived and bowed to Tang Lan.
  • Tang Lan told the four Soul Douluos to attack him together without holding back, and they formed up before the Qi brothers announced the start.

Ch. 967Tang Lan's Assessment (II)

Tang Lan defeated Qi Huang, Qi Yuan, Lin Qiaoqiao, and Gao Qiao during their assessment battle. He left the group beaten, with Gao Qiao surrendering first.

  • Qi Huang and Qi Yuan charged Tang Lan, but he dodged their attacks and knocked them down with punches.
  • Lin Qiaoqiao attacked Tang Lan with her tails, but he evaded her and hurled her into Gao Qiao.
  • The Qi brothers trapped Tang Lan in a water prison, but his Ancient Dragon Guardian blocked their attacks.
  • Lin Qiaoqiao's Soul Breaking skill left claw marks on the Ancient Dragon Guardian, but she could not break through it.
  • Tang Lan rushed past the others, caught Gao Qiao, and forced him to surrender.
  • Tang Lan defeated the remaining fighters, leaving Qi Huang and Qi Yuan battered and Lin Qiaoqiao clutching her calf.

Ch. 968A Gift for Fang Zi

Tang Lan announced that the four candidates had passed their test and gave them improved Tang Sect cultivation manuals. He checked Fang Zi for lingering damage, gave her a powerful jade amulet, and she urged him to keep it because of the dangerous enemies he faced.

  • Tang Lan declared that the four candidates had passed despite defeating them in the test.
  • Tang Lan gave the four improved cultivation manuals, including a Hidden Weapons Encyclopedia combining hidden weapons with Soul Tools.
  • Tang Lan met Fang Zi privately, checked her meridians, and repaired lingering damage from her rapid Soul Power advancement.
  • Tang Lan presented Fang Zi with a Luan Feng Red Jade Amulet that could strengthen her cultivation and protect her from powerful attacks.
  • Fang Zi called the amulet too precious and told Tang Lan to keep it because he faced powerful enemies.

Ch. 969The Calm Before the Storm

Tang Lan learned that the Mad Lion Sect and two allied factions planned to attack the Tang Sect’s strongholds, and he organized an ambush to destroy them. The chapter ended with Luyuan City calm on the day before the planned assault.

  • Tang Lan gave Fang Zi a jade talisman, and she demonstrated the illusion ability she gained from the Bewitching Eye soul bone before embracing him.
  • Tang Lan received a letter warning that the three factions planned to attack Lingbo Town and other Tang Sect strongholds, while Fang Zi declared that the Tang Sect’s four Titled Douluo could face them.
  • Tang Lan revealed a pale-blue triangular object and summoned more than two hundred Tang Sect experts to plan the defense and counterattack.
  • Tang Lan assigned teams to ambush the enemy across the area around Luyuan City, intending to eliminate the three factions’ Soul Masters in one night.
  • The next day, Luyuan City remained unusually peaceful as people continued discussing the Tang Sect.

Ch. 970Transaction

Tang Lan negotiated with Qu Heng for Crimson Blood Dragon Horses and Soul Guidance Crossbows to support the Tang Sect’s mission against the three Mad Lion Sect sects. After arranging a secret delivery and securing Qu Heng’s promise to protect the Tang Sect’s Luyuan City branch, Tang Lan waited in Green Yellow Forest at sunset.

  • Tang Sect disciples disguised themselves and spread out toward towns in all directions, carrying concealed Soul Tools.
  • Tang Lan asked Qu Heng to lend the Tang Sect Crimson Blood Dragon Horses, and they agreed on 150 horses in exchange for 50 Soul Guidance Crossbows.
  • Qu Heng promised to protect the Tang Sect’s Luyuan City branch and said the city’s factions were still mostly observing.
  • Tang Lan arranged for Qu Heng’s deputy to deliver the horses to Green Yellow Forest, then left the City Lord’s Mansion.
  • At sunset, Tang Lan stood on a branch in Green Yellow Forest and watched the setting sun.

Ch. 971Battle, Begin!

Tang Lan and Tang Ya led a force of powerful Soul Masters to Lingbo Town, where they surrounded a Mad Lion Sect attack on the Tang Sect outpost. As Ou He fought Can Mian, Tang Lan chose to watch rather than intervene.

  • Tang Ya reported that one hundred and fifty Soul Masters were ready, and Tang Lan led them toward Lingbo Town on Crimson Blood Dragon Horses.
  • Can Mian's men attacked the Tang Sect outpost, but dozens of Mad Lion Sect disciples were found unconscious inside.
  • Can Mian ordered his remaining forces to search the outpost, then learned that powerful Soul Masters had surrounded them.
  • Ou He confronted Can Mian and ordered the Tang Sect disciples to eliminate the Mad Lion Sect remnants without letting anyone escape.
  • Can Mian attacked Ou He with his twin-gun martial soul, while Tang Ya asked Tang Lan whether they should intervene; Tang Lan said Ou He could handle the minor opponent.

Ch. 972Hunting

Tang Lan’s Tang Sect forces ambushed the Mad Lion Sect soul masters in Lingbo Town and overwhelmed them with a far larger force. After wiping out the enemy, Tang Lan led his hundred riders into the night toward the next target.

  • A Tang Sect elder used his Shadow Spirit to restrain Can Mian, giving Ou He a chance to attack.
  • Can Mian broke free with his soul bone, but twenty-six Tang Sect Soul Saints surrounded and overpowered him and the other six Soul Saints.
  • Two Mad Lion Sect Soul Douluos arrived, only to find themselves facing six Tang Sect Soul Douluos and a hidden force of twelve Soul Douluos in total.
  • Tang Lan activated the Ancient Dragon Domain, boosting his allies’ strength, speed, and defense by fifty percent.
  • The Tang Sect forces defeated the Mad Lion Sect soul masters in thirty breaths, and Ma Xiaotao burned the corpses away.
  • Tang Lan mounted his Crimson Blood Dragon Horse and led the hundred riders toward the next target.

Ch. 973All Sides Settled

Tang Lan’s forces swept through the three factions’ outposts around Luyuan City while Yuan Yan and Fang Zi led attacks in the north and west. At the city gates, the three factions’ leaders confronted Qu Heng, who refused to let them enter.

  • Tang Lan divided his forces to clear the outposts in the south, east, north, and west, assigning the strongest members to the areas under greatest pressure.
  • Yuan Yan killed the enemy forces north of Luyuan City and, acting on his own convictions, experienced a breakthrough in his state of mind.
  • Fang Zi used her One Eye Illusory World to weaken and kill the invaders west of the city, then killed two Soul Douluo with her sword.
  • Chu Xiong, Hong Zhi, and Liu Yan demanded entry to Luyuan City, but Qu Heng refused, citing the suspicious size of their force.
  • The three faction leaders rejected Qu Heng’s refusal and remained intent on eradicating the Tang Sect and establishing their prestige.

Ch. 974Troops at the City Gates

Qu Heng defended Luyuan City and the Tang Sect against Chu Xiong, Hong Zhi, Liu Yan, and their forces using Tang Lan’s Soul Guidance Crossbows and protective barrier. The attackers were wounded as Chu Xiong failed to break through, and Qu Heng realized Tang Lan’s prediction that they could not get in had come true.

  • Chu Xiong tried to persuade Qu Heng to let the three factions pass, but Qu Heng refused and ordered the archers to aim at them.
  • Qu Heng deployed fifty Soul Guidance Crossbows and activated a gray barrier around Luyuan City with a device Tang Lan had lent him.
  • Chu Xiong struck the barrier but was forced back, while Hong Zhi used his flute to stop a rain of arrows before one explosive Soul Power Arrow broke through his control.
  • Chu Xiong and Liu Yan defended themselves against successive waves of Soul Power Arrows, but members of their forces were injured and killed.
  • Enraged, Chu Xiong attacked the barrier repeatedly, but it held, and Qu Heng recognized the strength of Tang Lan’s weapons and barrier.

Ch. 975Caught in the Trap, Surrounded on All Sides!

Qu Heng relied on the Tang Sect’s formation disc to keep the three factions from entering Luyuan City while Tang Lan and the others prepared to surround them. The Tang Sect forces arrived from multiple directions, and Chu Xiong charged Tang Lan to begin a fight.

  • Qu Heng ordered most of the defenders to stop firing because the formation could hold off the attackers, then celebrated on the wall as Chu Xiong cursed and failed to break through.
  • A red flare appeared east of the city, and Liu Yan discovered that the three factions had lost contact with their scouts and intelligence Disciples in every direction.
  • Tang Lan arrived on an Ancient Dragon with Tang Sect elites, while Yuan Yan and Fang Zi brought troops from other directions, surrounding the three factions from three sides.
  • Tang Lan explained that the Tang Sect had not waited inside the city but had gone out to defeat the enemy forces.
  • Chu Xiong transformed into his Violet Lightning Mad Ape form, activated his nine soul rings, and rushed toward Tang Lan for a fight.

Ch. 976Strong Suppression

Tang Lan overwhelmed Chu Xiong in battle and demanded his surrender, but Hong Zhi and Liu Yan arrived to support him. Yuan Yan and Fang Zi then joined Tang Lan, and Fang Zi’s illusion domains plunged everyone into darkness.

  • Tang Lan destroyed Chu Xiong’s Earth Vein Rock Dragon and pierced the Purple Lightning Magic Ape’s defenses with his Overlord Spear.
  • Tang Lan injured Chu Xiong’s arms, defeated his attacks, and offered to spare him if he surrendered.
  • Hong Zhi and Liu Yan arrived, and Chu Xiong urged them to join forces against Tang Lan.
  • Yuan Yan and Fang Zi appeared to surround the three opponents alongside Tang Lan.
  • Fang Zi activated her illusion abilities, replacing the surroundings with a dark domain and alarming Liu Yan.

Ch. 977Fang Zi Shows Her Might

Fang Zi used her illusions and swordsmanship to defeat Liu Yan in their battle, leaving her at swordpoint. Chu Xiong remained locked in combat with Tang Lan while Hong Zhi was suppressed by Yuan Yan.

  • Fang Zi isolated Liu Yan in an illusion and blocked her tri-colored beasts with a nine-colored light curtain.
  • Fang Zi attacked Liu Yan from behind, then created multiple copies of herself to overwhelm her.
  • Liu Yan unleashed her eighth Soul Skill, Glass Storm, but Fang Zi sealed her and the storm inside a nine-colored cage.
  • After the clash annihilated the surrounding area, Fang Zi held her sword to Liu Yan's neck and declared her defeated.
  • Chu Xiong continued fighting Tang Lan, while Yuan Yan suppressed Hong Zhi with the Ice Profound Sword.

Ch. 978Fang Zi Shows Her Might (2)

Fang Zi defeated Liu Yan and sealed her Soul Power while Tang Lan and the Tang Sect disciples overcame the other forces. After the battle, Qu Heng learned that Princess Vina had joined the Tang Sect, raising questions about the sect’s connection to the imperial struggle.

  • Liu Yan transformed into mist to attack Fang Zi from behind, but Fang Zi evaded her strike and sealed her Soul Power with the Tang Sect’s Soul Sealing Pulse Severance.
  • Fang Zi bound Liu Yan with a Soul Restricting Rope and kept her One Eye Illusory World active over the battlefield.
  • Fang Zi saw that Tang Lan had defeated Chu Xiong and that Tang Sect disciples were subduing the Soul Masters of the three factions.
  • Yuan Yan defeated Hong Zhi, severed his left arm, and brought him back after catching him as he fled.
  • Qu Heng and his deputy discussed the Tang Sect’s position in the imperial conflict, and Qu Heng revealed that Princess Vina had joined the sect.

Ch. 979Far-Reaching Renown

After Tang Lan defeated Chu Xiong and the Tang Sect crushed three rival factions, the city spread the news and watched the sect with fear and curiosity. Tang Lan met with Hunter’s Alliance branch leader Ye Jin and formation master Chen Gong, then asked who had supplied the factions with intelligence about Cloud Top Abode.

  • Qu Heng hoped the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy would protect Princess Vina from the new imperial rulers.
  • Tang Sect experts imprisoned the defeated leaders and eighteen Soul Douluo, while other captives were held in Luyuan City's main jail.
  • Residents in taverns discussed Tang Lan's defeat of Chu Xiong and the Tang Sect's victory over the three factions.
  • Tang Lan brought Tang Ya and the Tang Sect's upper echelon to a private room with Ye Jin and Chen Gong.
  • Tang Lan asked Ye Jin who had provided intelligence to the three factions when they targeted Cloud Top Abode.

Ch. 980Grace and Severity Combined

Tang Lan pressured Ye Jin over the Hunter's Alliance's role in attacks on Cloud Top Abode, then proposed placing the Luyuan City alliance under Tang Sect jurisdiction. Ye Jin agreed to negotiate rather than resist, and Tang Lan laid out demands for the alliance's cooperation and leadership.

  • Tang Lan confronted Ye Jin with confessions that someone from the Hunter's Alliance had supplied intelligence to the Tang Sect's enemies.
  • Tang Lan said the Tang Sect would not hold Ye Jin accountable, but demanded that Luyuan City's Hunter's Alliance operate under Tang Sect rules and hand its missions to Tang Sect disciples.
  • Ye Jin accused Tang Lan of trying to seize the alliance's rights and resources, but Tang Lan clarified that the alliance could retain its identity while becoming dependent on the Tang Sect.
  • Ye Jin recognized that he could not defeat the Tang Sect and asked what conditions Tang Lan would offer, saying the alliance did not want to become its enemy.
  • Tang Lan demanded that the alliance reject cooperation with the three sects, restrict their mission and forest access, and appoint his friends as vice presidents; he offered to make Ye Jin an external elder of the Tang Sect.

Ch. 981Grace and Authority, Part Two

Tang Lan persuaded Ye Jin to bring the Hunter's Alliance of Luyuan City under the Tang Sect by offering rare treasures and a place in the sect. Ye Jin accepted the role of outer sect elder and swore loyalty to the Tang Sect.

  • Ye Jin concluded that the weakened Hunter's Alliance could not withstand the Tang Sect and agreed to submit to its decisions.
  • Tang Lan gave Ye Jin a Soul Gathering Pearl for the Hunter's Alliance, explaining that the two groups would now share resources as family.
  • Ye Jin found a cultivation method for the Nine Aperture Exquisite Heart in the second box, which Tang Lan allowed him alone to cultivate as a reward for joining.
  • Ye Jin accepted the method's restrictions, knelt before Tang Lan, and pledged to join the Tang Sect as an outer sect elder.
  • Tang Lan helped Ye Jin to his feet and welcomed him as family.

Ch. 982An Irrefusable Meeting Gift

Tang Lan recruited Ye Jin and Chen Gong into the Tang Sect, persuading Chen Gong with a Heart of the Earth and asking him to build a sect-protecting formation for the Luyuan City branch. After assigning Chen Gong and Fang Zi to prepare the formation, Tang Lan ordered the Tang Sect to eliminate the remaining hostile factions, while reserving the Mad Lion Sect for himself.

  • Tang Lan gave Chen Gong a Heart of the Earth in exchange for his help building a sect-protecting formation, and Chen Gong joined the Tang Sect as an outer sect elder.
  • Tang Lan handed Chen Gong the materials for the branch formation, and Chen Gong requested a Titled Douluo and four Soul Douluos to help establish its foundations.
  • Tang Ya promised to take Chen Gong to the Tang Sect headquarters to see its divine formation, and Tang Lan assigned Fang Zi to accompany and assist him.
  • Red Lotus raised the need to purge the three remaining hostile factions, and Tang Lan said he would meet the Mad Lion Sect Master himself.
  • Tang Lan ordered Yuan Yan and Zhuo Er to destroy Purple Bamboo Pavilion first and Wind Moon Tower afterward, dealing with any Titled Douluos who resisted.

Ch. 983Setting Sail

Tang Lan sailed alone for the Sun Moon Empire, where he planned to study while secretly searching for a powerful soul ring. During the voyage, he met the captain Bauer and the Sun Moon scholar Kevin, who described the empires’ tensions and the limits of Soul Masters’ cultivation methods.

  • Tang Lan left the Tang Sect and boarded a ship bound for the Sun Moon Continent, while Tang Ya and the others wished him a safe journey.
  • Kevin invited Tang Lan to drink with him and captain Bauer, and they discussed the brewing conflict between the Dou Ling Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire.
  • Bauer told Kevin he came from Zhen Prefecture in the Star Luo Empire and considered the ship his home.
  • Tang Lan told Kevin he was traveling to the Sun Moon Empire as an exchange student, and Kevin warned him about differences in customs and values.
  • Kevin explained that he was a Level 89 Soul Douluo from Sage Academy and described how Sun Moon Empire cultivation methods failed to help Soul Masters break through to Level 90.
  • The three men spent the rest of their time on deck drinking quietly and watching the passengers.

Ch. 984Masters Everywhere

Bauer explained the Beggar Sect after Chang Chunli, an elder-level Soul Douluo, caused a disturbance aboard the passenger ship. After Bauer dispersed the crowd, Kevin and Bauer questioned Tang Lan about his unfathomable strength.

  • Tang Lan and his companions noticed powerful Soul Masters escorting several distinguished women aboard the crowded ship.
  • A blonde woman accused the filthy old beggar Chang Chunli of staring at her, and Bauer recognized him as an eighty-first-rank Soul Douluo and Beggar Sect elder.
  • Bauer arrived to control the crowd, but Chang Chunli calmly left after explaining that he had only been admiring the woman.
  • Bauer dispersed the onlookers and told Kevin and Tang Lan that the passengers’ secrets were not their concern.
  • Kevin asked Tang Lan whether he was a Soul Douluo after he and Bauer failed to sense any Soul Power from him.
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