I Traveled to Douluo and Split into Five People

Thinking of this, An Lan pondered. It probably wasn't likely. Bibi Dong had no trusted subordinates yet, and Heng Ha Er Jiang were still recovering from their injuries. She had no one she could command.

This trip should be quite safe. More than anyone else, the Clear Sky Sect would not want him dying on their territory.

Qian Daoliu's thought process was abnormal to begin with, allowing his granddaughter, an Innate Level 20 God-Candidate, to waste the Golden Twenty Years playing the Undercover Game. He simply agreed to An Lan's request.

"If you..."

Before leaving, Qian Daoliu seemed lost in thought. He started to speak, paused for a moment, then continued.

"Forget it. Take good care of Little Xue."

What a baffling old man. An Lan shook his head.

After confirming there was no one nearby, he quietly switched to the Blue Silver Grass martial soul and released gentle Soul Power, sending Qian Renxue into a deeper sleep. Her little hand quietly loosened. An Lan rose and let out a breath.

He headed for the Holy Maiden's residence.

When he entered the courtyard, he saw Bibi Dong sitting alone, blankly staring at the moon, with wine at her side.

After killing Qian Xunji, things had initially gone just as Qian Daoliu had expected. Much of the resentment in Bibi Dong's heart had faded. Before news of his death could spread, she left Spirit City to search for Yu Xiaogang.

Then, she witnessed a wedding.

The bride and groom were cousins. Seeing Yu Xiaogang's utterly irresponsible appearance as he fled in panic, her resentment suddenly multiplied.

"No, Xiao Gang wouldn't do this! This isn't my Xiao Gang!"

Her mind had been eroded by resentment, and she refused to believe what was before her eyes.

She rushed back to Spirit City. After calming down, she became the Bibi Dong An Lan now saw.

An Lan walked behind her. His footsteps did not draw any response. He slowly raised his hand, just about to place it on her shoulder, when Bibi Dong suddenly stood up and flashed to the other side. She glared viciously at him, raising a hand to wipe across the spot where his hand had been about to land.

Tsk. Her Misandry was quite severe.

"Our teacher was my Guiding Light, the person I respected and revered most. Yet he died at the hands of a mere Tang Hao. By both sentiment and reason, we, as senior and junior disciples, have the duty and responsibility to avenge our teacher. So much time has passed, yet the Clear Sky Sect has shown no response whatsoever. How does Senior Sister intend to deal with this?"

Bibi Dong's eyes flickered. After calming down, she had already made many calculations.

Her most urgent task was to seize the Pope's position. Then she could naturally place her own people throughout Spirit Hall, slowly devour the entire Spirit Hall, and finally burn it all down in one fire.

This junior brother had a good relationship with that bastard. If he could get that bastard to put in a few good words for her in the Worship Hall, the Pope's position should not fall into someone else's hands.

"Junior Brother, what are your thoughts?"

Using Qian Daoliu's name as a banner, An Lan "suggested" that Bibi Dong divide their forces into three groups. One would surround the Clear Sky Sect's affiliated sects. Another would hunt down the young "disciples" who had retreated ahead of time. Since they were already here, he might as well help Tang Yin fulfill a role-playing fantasy he had long desired.

The strongest group would march directly on the Clear Sky Sect.

After a moment of thought, Bibi Dong readily agreed. Everything An Lan said coincided with her own thoughts.

Only after he left did she suddenly realize.

Could an eight-year-old child really come up with all that?

Tang Hao's savage beating of Qian Xunji ushered the continent into a new era.

The first signs of chaos appeared.

Every major power was on edge. All it would take was a single spark to ignite a wildfire.

The movements of Spirit Hall's Palace Guard Knights as they set out drew the attention of countless people.

Clear Sky Sect, main hall.

"Where exactly is that brat Tang Hao?!"

The Seventh Elder slammed his hand on the chair, glaring at Tang Xiao with fury in his eyes. Tang Xiao looked deeply troubled and gently shook his head.

"I don't know."

The old man in the Sect Master Position coughed repeatedly.

"Everyone, calm down. Hao'er's matter can be handled later. Spirit Hall is coming at us fiercely. Father is currently missing, and if Qian Daoliu takes action, we will have no means of resistance. Think of a solution quickly."

Several elders spoke in turn.

"For now, the only option is to have the talented young disciples of the sect retreat first."

"But the White Tiger Knights have surrounded the foot of the mountain. Without someone leading them, how can the disciples break through?"

"The Star Luo Empire is despicable! Our Clear Sky Sect has supported each other with them for many years, yet at such a critical moment, they broke faith and kicked us while we were down! That emperor is unworthy of being called a son!"

The hall erupted into noisy argument, but no conclusion was reached.

The old Sect Master hardened his expression and endured his pain as his Soul Power burst forth in intimidation.

"Enough! Do as I say. Immediately compile a list of the sect's young disciples. Arrange them in batches and have them descend the mountain through the Secret Passage. I will draw Spirit Hall's attention. That settles it! Ahem, cough... pfft..."

A mouthful of dark red blood dripped through his fingers. Tang Xiao hurried forward to support him, only to hear his father's voice, faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"Xiao'er. At this moment of life and death for the sect, I know you have remained in contact with Hao'er. Quickly tell him to return to the sect. Explain everything clearly. If the fault is not his, the sect will never allow Spirit Hall to falsely accuse him."

The Red Face and the Black Face ### Before Spirit Hall's army arrived, the Star Luo Empire's White Tiger Knights withdrew in force, making room for Spirit Hall. However, they dispersed into smaller units and did not go far, waiting for the outcome between the two sides.

Bibi Dong seemed extremely impatient. With a wave of her hand, she was about to attack directly.

"Senior Sister, why the rush? Even a condemned prisoner gets one last meal before execution. Let us first hear what the Clear Sky Sect has to say."

Bibi Dong dearly wanted to pretend she had not heard him, incite the others to attack directly, and let An Lan be drowned beneath the Clear Sky Sect's hammers. But before the group set out, Qian Daoliu had actually appeared.

And his intention had been obvious: he was backing An Lan. Now, no one in the entire force dared disregard An Lan's opinion.

Her foundation was unstable. Rather, she had no foundation at all. During her "romance" with Yu Xiaogang, she had not drawn many people to her side. Openly opposing An Lan—no, opposing Qian Daoliu—would make her grand plan exceedingly difficult to accomplish.

"What does Junior Brother wish to do?"

Using borrowed authority, An Lan "suggested" that Bibi Dong divide the force into three groups. One group would surround the Clear Sky Sect's affiliated sects, another would pursue and intercept those young "disciples" who had retreated early. Since they had come all this way, he might as well help Tang Yin fulfill the role-playing fantasy he had wanted for so long.

The strongest group marched straight up to the Clear Sky Sect.

The two sides faced each other in the Clear Sky Sect's plaza.

The surrounding mountaintops were packed with spectators. Every sect and clan had sent people, and even the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, barely counted as one of the continent's three major powers, had sent people to gather intelligence.

The moment Bibi Dong spoke, she gave the Clear Sky Sect a signal: Spirit Hall had no intention of negotiating peacefully.

"Hand over Tang Hao!"

Her furious shout made those unaware of the situation feel that her relationship with Qian Xunji had been exceptionally "deep."

"So this is Bibi Dong, the Pope's disciple?"

"I heard she has Twin Martial Souls."

"An extraordinary beauty."

Tang Hao's father felt bitter. He had told Tang Xiao to contact that unfilial son, Tang Hao, and have him return to the sect, but the message had vanished like a stone sinking into the sea. He did not know whether Tang Xiao had failed to send it, or whether Tang Hao had simply ignored it.

Glancing at Yue Guan and Gui Mei, Old Tang felt even more sorrowful. But as the Sect Master of the world's number one sect, having personally witnessed his father Tang Chen's domineering and invincible splendor, he could not show weakness before Spirit Hall no matter what.

If Qian Daoliu still honored the agreement, then the Clear Sky Sect might yet have a way out today.

He could only gamble.

"Tang Hao is not in the sect."

His attitude did not show weakness, but the moment he spoke, he had already placed the Clear Sky Sect in a disadvantaged position.

This old man wasn't up to it.

An Lan shook his head inwardly. If it had been him, he would have spoken boldly, shifted all blame onto Spirit Hall and Qian Xunji, and portrayed Tang Hao as an upright and righteous figure as much as possible.

Though it would be useless before absolute strength, at least they could save face. Of course, the Clear Sky Sect's face had already been shattered beyond recognition when Spirit Hall climbed the mountain.

"Not in the sect?"

Bibi Dong sneered and stoked the flames with all her might.

"The son of the Sect Master? Does he have so little sense of responsibility? I heard he was considered your sect's rising star, yet he doesn't even have the courage to stand before us? Is this the Clear Sky Hammer? Is this the world's number one sect?"

She flicked out a burst of Soul Power, shattering the stone stele at the entrance of the plaza bearing the words "Clear Sky Sect."

"If you fail to hand over Tang Hao today, everyone in your Clear Sky Sect will be buried alongside the Pope of my Hall."

As her words fell, Chrysanthemum Ghost cooperatively released their Soul Power pressure. On both sides, several Spirit Douluo and Soul Saints acted in unison, their pressure bearing down on the Clear Sky Sect.

It seemed there would be no peaceful end today. Xiao'er, I hope you can all get far enough away.

It was time for me to step in.

He could not give Bibi Dong more time to perform. If she truly fanned the flames high enough, he might really die here once.

"Senior Sister, calm down."

Hearing his voice, Bibi Dong gritted her teeth as if she had swallowed a stinking bug. Her expression shifted repeatedly before quickly settling. An Lan stepped out from beside her.

"Sect Master Tang, I am unworthy, but I serve as the Pope's second disciple."

He had spent an entire night practicing a Soul Power amplification technique, allowing his voice to carry across the Clear Sky Sect's plaza and let everyone present know his identity.

"Your sect's Tang Hao injured two Soul Saints from my Hall who were merely passing through for no reason. The Pope of my Hall went to demand an explanation, and out of consideration for the friendship between your sect's former Sect Master and my Hall's Great Enshriner, he questioned him politely. Yet Tang Hao took advantage of the Pope's lack of vigilance and launched a sneak attack, seriously wounding him. Numerous deacons from the branch hall also suffered grievous casualties. If you do not give my Hall an explanation today, Sect Master Tang, then do not blame us for disregarding old ties!"

Other than Chrysanthemum Ghost, no one present knew what had actually happened. An Lan's words were somewhat exaggerated, but close enough. As for the truth, wise people would see it differently.

"Bullshit! Those two Soul Saints from your Spirit Hall were merely passing through? I'd sooner believe a sow could climb a tree! Spirit Hall is full of wolfish ambition..."

"Seventh!"

Seeing An Lan's attitude, Old Tang thought there might still be a chance for a peaceful resolution. He had been pondering his next move when someone behind him suddenly erupted, and he turned to stop him with a shout.

"You two, Tang Hao has not returned for many years. The sect knows nothing of what he has done. As for the reasons he seriously injured the Pope, Spirit Hall's one-sided account is inevitably biased and cannot represent the whole truth."

Bibi Dong interrupted An Lan, released killing intent, and ended the relatively peaceful atmosphere with a single sentence.

"The Pope of my Hall is dead, while Tang Hao of your sect is still alive."

Was there some conflict between these senior and junior disciples?

Old Tang keenly sensed that something was wrong, but the situation did not allow him to think deeply. The Second Elder behind him sighed and stepped forward.

"If that is the case, then we hereby declare that Tang Hao is no longer a member of our sect and expel him from the Clear Sky Sect! Whatever Spirit Hall does to him, the Clear Sky Sect will not interfere. Are you two satisfied?"

Just like that?

Of course not.

But An Lan did not intend to speak. He would leave it to Bibi Dong, the one playing the villain.

"Hehe, you think you can brush this aside with such a casual statement? Must I tell you how one truly expels someone from a sect?"

In the Soul Master world, expelling someone from a sect required taking back everything the sect had bestowed upon them. First and foremost were their martial soul and bloodline. Their martial soul had to be crippled. If they could still walk out of the sect alive afterward, they would become a completely new person with no further connection to their original sect.

If their descendants were fortunate enough to awaken the sect's martial soul again, that would be another matter.

However, anyone whose martial soul was crippled would be half-crippled even if they survived. Whether they could even have descendants was uncertain. The fate of the losing side in the Star Luo Imperial Family's succession struggles was proof enough.

The Second Elder was at a loss for words. Rumor had it that Tang Hao had already broken through to become a Title Douluo in his battle with Qian Xunji. How could such a talent truly be expelled from the sect? He could only evade the issue, saying that Tang Hao's whereabouts were currently unknown, and even if the Clear Sky Sect wanted to do that, they could not find him.

"So your Clear Sky Sect intends to deny everything to the death?"

Bibi Dong raised her hand.

The Spirit Hall forces behind her began releasing their martial souls. The Clear Sky Sect's side also revealed their great hammers.

The atmosphere was grave, ready to explode at any moment.

Old Tang spoke up, interrupting the dangerous tension. He absolutely could not allow the sect to go to war with Spirit Hall. He repeated the Second Elder's words, then added,

"Other than that, what else does Spirit Hall want? Say it plainly!"

Bibi Dong glanced at An Lan, then immediately spoke.