Butterfly Effect Stirs the Waters

"Young Master."

After spending nearly half a month persuading Xue Ye to replace the members of the Imperial Fighting Team Two with the substitutes of the Imperial Fighting Team One, Xue Qinghe Xue Qinghe just returned to his study when he saw the Snake Lance Douluo emerge from the nearby secret chamber.

"Has the matter been investigated thoroughly?"

"The battle between the Star Luo Royal Family Hell White Tiger continues," Snake Lance Douluo reported truthfully. "Other matters remain largely unchanged, except that the Star Luo Royal Academy Team seems to have changed course halfway through their exchange trip to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, passing through a small city called Nuoding City."

Although Nuoding City is located in the Fasinuo Province of the Heaven Dou Empire, there are countless small cities like it, so Xue Qinghe naturally didn't have much of an impression of it. "Is there anything special about it?"

"According to the records of the Spirit Hall, more than two hundred years ago, a Soul Saint emerged from a small village near Nuoding City," said Snake Lance Douluo.

That's it?

Xue Qinghe naturally didn't think that a mere Soul Saint Soul Saint, especially one from over two hundred years ago, was the main reason why the Star Luo Royal Academy Team changed course to that side.

"What is the geographical location of Nuoding City?" Xue Qinghe guessed that Nuoding City might be a strategically important location that the high-ranking officials and generals of Heaven Dou had not noticed, and that the Star Luo Empire might be planning another route to invade the Heaven Dou Empire.

"Located at the border of Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empire, it is surrounded by hills and basins. It is not a strategic location. Even if the Two Great Empires go to war, the flames of war will hardly reach there." Snake Lance Douluo, who knew a little about military strategy, shook his head and denied Xue Qinghe's guess.

"That's strange. Why would the Star Luo Royal Academy Team change their route and go through that area?" Xue Qinghe couldn't figure it out.

"Rumors have it that Soul Bone has appeared in Nuoding City, which may be related to this."

Snake Lance said, "Besides, Xiao Lang, the city lord of Nuoding City, has a good personal relationship with Dales, the city lord of Falling Star City in the Star Luo Empire. Perhaps there is some kind of scheme between them."

"Dales?"

Speaking of this person, Xue Qinghe did have some impression of him.

After all, he was once a nobleman in Star Luo City, but due to being ostracized, he came to a small town near the border of Heaven Dou to serve as the city lord.

The higher-ups of the Heaven Dou Empire had sent people to collect information on him in case of any secret plots by the Star Luo Empire... but later they discovered that he seemed to be a truly destitute and ostracized nobleman.

"That guy with the twisted fetish of sharing wives and daughters with other men?"

Xue Qinghe recalled some information he had seen about Dales, his face turning frosty. "And he was extremely domineering. It is said that when he first took office, in order to deal with the vendors who set up stalls at will in the city, he directly beheaded a rural couple who had just transported grain into the city gate in the street as a warning to others?"

The story of Dales beheading a rural couple who had just arrived in the city was widely circulated six years ago, so much so that spies recorded it and passed it on to the higher-ups of Heaven Dou City.

Xue Qinghe usually wouldn't make a conscious effort to remember such minor characters, but the ruthless methods Dales displayed when he first took office were far more impressive than those of many powerful figures in Heaven Dou City.

But she had absolutely no liking for that kind of person...

"It's him."

Snake Lance Douluo affirmed, "That guy is definitely unwilling to stay in Falling Star City and has been secretly looking for an opportunity. This time, he may be using Xiao Lang in Nuoding City, and when the Star Luo Royal Academy Team comes, they will change their route to go there. There is a chance that it is just Zhong Dingxiu's next move, in order to make the Heaven Dou border unstable, create conflicts, and then accumulate reasons to invade Heaven Dou."

The Star Luo Empire has always harbored ambitions to unify the continent, and even possesses corresponding military strength.

If the Spirit Hall hadn't secretly created trouble within the Star Luo Empire, keeping the Star Luo Empire's leadership busy dealing with domestic affairs, the Star Luo Empire would probably have already set its sights on the Heaven Dou Imperial City six years ago.

Xue Qinghe knew this all too well.

As for the competition for princes that the Star Luo Empire was about to launch, the Spirit Hall actually wanted to obstruct it at first, so as to prevent the Star Luo Empire from having a true "Hell White Tiger".

However, after discovering Dai Mubai's incompetence, the Spirit Hall decided not to waste its efforts on him.

After all, Dai Mubai is a prince and resides in the palace. For the Spirit Hall to intervene in the internal affairs of the Star Luo Royal Family is several times more difficult than intervening in the Heaven Dou Royal Family.

"Should I send someone to Nuoding City to investigate the specific situation?" Seeing Xue Qinghe fall into a relatively long silence, Snake Lance Douluo suggested.

"Alright, send someone to investigate, just in case," Xue Qinghe said.

"Yes, ma'am."

Snake Lance Douluo stepped down.

From the shadows, another middle-aged man, slightly stout, stepped out and said to Xue Qinghe, "Young Master, Xue Xing secretly took Dugu Bo to examine Xue Ye's body. She has probably already sensed something."

"Xue Ye, even though that old fellow is old, his insight is still so sharp. But he will never have imagined that my son is not his biological son."

Xue Qinghe didn't seem to care, and simply said, "This matter can't be rushed. We don't need to give him the drug for now. We'll deal with it later, and the dosage will need to be diluted again then."

"As for Dugu Bo, is he capable of creating an antidote?"

The middle-aged man shook his head. "I heard from Chrysanthemum Douluo that Dugu Bo's most potent poison is his own Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison. Although he is also proficient in various herbs and medicine, his greatest skill is in treating snake venom. He pales in comparison to ordinary lead and mercury poisons, let alone the mixed poisons called Seven-Colored Splendor that incorporate various plant poisons, metal poisons, and insect poisons?"

"The Clear Sky Sect has grand ambitions."

Xue Qinghe sighed Youyou.

This mixed poison originated from Yang Wushuang, who came from one of the four former affiliated families of the Clear Sky Sect: the Breaking Clan.

However, due to Tang Hao's matter, the Clear Sky Sect closed its mountain and had to remove these four single-attribute affiliated families from the sect.

Strength, agility, defense, and breaking.

Each family has its own specialized skills:

The Strength Clan possesses great strength and excels in forging.

The Speed Clan is fast, can fly, and has reconnaissance abilities;

The defensive power of the Plated Armored Giant Rhinoceros Martial Soul of the Defense Clan is comparable to that of the Diamond Mammoth, one of the Lower Four Sects, and they excel at construction.

The last of the Breaking Clan possesses the Martial Soul- Soul Breaking Spear, the most suitable long weapon for conquering the battlefield. Moreover, the members of this clan are skilled in medicine making, especially Yang Wudi and Yang Wushuang, who surpass Dugu Bo in their expertise in medicine and poison.

This shows that the Clear Sky Sect had grand ambitions back then.

The Clear Sky Sect supports the Star Luo Empire.

If it weren't for Tang Hao, even if the Spirit Hall were secretly interfering in the Star Luo Empire, Dai Tianran would probably have forcibly contacted the Clear Sky Sect and launched an attack on Heaven Dou together, aiming directly at the goal of unifying the continent.

"Pity--"

"Life is unpredictable..."

At this point, a slight look of confusion appeared in Xue Qinghe's eyes. If Tang Hao hadn't severely injured the Former Pope of the Spirit Hall, leading to his death, war Two Great Empires would likely have broken out within the last six years, and he wouldn't have been able to control the current situation. But the Former Pope was his...

Thinking of this, Xue Qinghe immediately cut off the thought, his eyes regained their clarity, and said to the middle-aged man behind him, "Pufferfish, go down, and while you're at it, contact Chrysanthemum Douluo. They are old rivals, but they shouldn't be mortal enemies, right? Have him talk to Dugu Bo and see if he can persuade him."

"Yes."

The Porcupine Fish Douluo agreed, but deep down he didn't have any expectations.

Even if there was no mortal enmity between the two, Poison Douluo was constantly being suppressed by Chrysanthemum Douluo without using poison. Even without a grudge, they would have to fight each other to create one.

There's no way Poison Douluo could join the Spirit Hall!

The Spirit Hall secretly maintains a "if you can't use me, then kill me" attitude towards Titled Douluo like Poison Douluo who lacks the strength and background of a sect or family.

The same applies to other sects and families.

Dugu Bo is still alive only because the threat posed by his own Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison is too great. Once it spreads, it will be a natural disaster similar to a plague. If he cannot be killed in one blow, he will escape and sneak into Spirit City to release the Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison. No one can bear the consequences.

Nowadays, on this Douluo Continent, all the Titled Douluo belong to certain forces. However, Titled Douluo who are relatively independent and do not truly join any force, such as Dugu Bo, may not necessarily have extremely strong combat power, but they certainly possess abilities that are feared by others.