You Misunderstood—This Wasn't a Declaration of War, but a Massacre! A One-Sided Massacre!

Yet when his gaze swept past Ye Xian and finally settled on the figure standing slightly ahead of him, the gravity on Tang Xiao's face was instantly replaced by utter shock.

Then, fury erupted from him like a tangible shockwave.

He stared fixedly at Bai He, his gaze seemingly intent on devouring him alive.

"Bai—He—!"

A heaven-shaking roar, filled with boundless hatred and incredulous rage, exploded like Divine Thunder from the nine heavens, instantly tearing apart the silence suppressed by the icy domain.

Tang Xiao's voice twisted from extreme fury. Every word seemed to be forcibly squeezed out through clenched teeth, carrying the stench of blood.

"Just as I thought—it was you, traitor!"

Tang Xiao's roar echoed through the valley, carrying bone-deep hatred and humiliation.

Behind him, the Second Elder, Third Elder, and Fifth Elder were also glaring furiously, the massive phantom Clear Sky Hammers in their hands trembling wildly.

Crimson lightning and heavy earthen-yellow light flickered across the hammerheads, as though they might break free from the icy domain's restraints at any moment and smash Bai He into dust.

The vassal they had discarded like worn-out shoes had actually led their mortal enemy to the sect that had hidden from the world for a hundred years.

"Impudent!"

Ye Xian spoke coldly.

By himself, he had completely suppressed the Soul Power of all four Titled Douluo from the Clear Sky Sect.

"Clan Leader Bai He has already pledged allegiance to Spirit Hall. It is not your Clear Sky Sect's place to lecture him!"

"Yue Guan, bring him out."

"As you command, Your Holiness!"

An almost morbid excitement instantly appeared on Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan's face.

He spread his fingers, his gaze falling on the golden storage Soul Tool ring on his index finger.

With a slight movement of his thoughts, he reached out and grabbed.

Everyone's eyes instantly focused there.

"Bang—!"

A creature of some unknown sort was dragged out of the Soul Tool.

It was none other than the Clear Sky Sect's Seventh Elder, Tang Lie!

His once-brawny body was now reduced to only a head and torso.

Yue Guan dragged Tang Lie like a dead dog, leaving a long trail behind him.

Only when he reached a spot several dozen feet in front of Ye Xian did Yue Guan casually kick him over, leaving him facing the Clear Sky Sect Mountain Gate.

"Thud!"

Tang Lie struck the frozen ground with a dull impact. Under the bleak moonlight and the eerie blue radiance of Ye Xian's domain, his dying form gave off an indescribable air of horror and misery.

"Seventh Brother!"

"Old Seventh—!!"

Tang Xiao and the three elders' pupils contracted to their limits.

Wasn't this the Seventh Elder Tang Lie, whom they had been unable to contact for so long?

He had actually already suffered such a cruel fate!

Their towering rage was instantly replaced by a bone-piercing chill.

As they looked at Tang Lie, whose aura was weak and who was on the verge of death, an indescribable grief, fury, and terror seized their hearts.

This was not merely Tang Lie. The dignity and pride of a Titled Douluo elder of the Clear Sky Sect had been so contemptuously trampled beneath their enemy's feet.

"Pope!"

Tang Xiao's voice was hoarse beyond measure, every word carrying a bloody stench.

He stared fixedly at Ye Xian and roared,

"How dare your Spirit Hall humiliate an elder of my Clear Sky Sect like this!"

"Humiliate?"

Ye Xian let out a cold laugh. His voice was not loud, yet it clearly drowned out Tang Xiao's roar and reached the ears of every Clear Sky Sect disciple.

"I merely allowed you to see clearly the consequences of attacking a clan under Spirit Hall's command."

The tip of the Frost King Sword in his hand casually pointed at Tang Lie, who lay on the ground like a dead dog. The cold gleam flowing over its edge made hearts tremble.

"Now, answer me."

Ye Xian's gaze was like two tangible ice spikes, piercing through space and pinning Tang Xiao's face with unquestionable judgment.

"Clear Sky Sect Master, Tang Xiao."

"Who gave you the nerve to send Tang Lie to launch a surprise attack on the Speed Clan's residence under Spirit Hall?"

His voice abruptly rose, carrying an icy pressure that seemed to pierce the soul.

"Who gave you the authority to raise the butcher's blade against Spirit Hall's subjects even after I declared my protection over the Three Clans?"

"Does your Clear Sky Sect truly take my decree for mere wind in your ears?"

"Or do you think this turtle shell you hide inside can block my blade?!"

The questions crashed into the hearts of the Clear Sky Sect members like thunderclaps.

Tang Xiao's face turned ashen. His lips trembled, but for a moment, he had no response.

Sending Tang Lie to execute the traitor Bai He and massacre the Speed Clan had originally been the unanimous decision of the sect elders, a necessary measure to preserve the Clear Sky Sect's prestige.

But now, beneath Ye Xian's absolute overwhelming strength and icy interrogation, and before Tang Lie's mangled body.

That justification seemed so pale and powerless, even carrying the stupidity of bringing humiliation upon themselves.

"Purging traitors is only right and proper!"

The Second Elder, Tang Ming, bristled with fury. Forcibly suppressing the alarm in his heart, he roared sharply, trying to drown out the bone-chilling cold with his voice.

"Bai He betrayed the sect and defected to the enemy, betraying his master for glory. He deserved to die!"

"Elder Tang Lie was enforcing sect law. What did he do wrong?"

"Your Spirit Hall, on the other hand, harbors a traitor from our sect, injures our elder, and now dares to set foot upon the Clear Sky Sect Mountain Gate. You have gone too far!"

"Do you really think the Clear Sky Sect has no one left?"

"Purging traitors?"

A faint curve appeared at the corner of Ye Xian's lips, filled with utmost mockery.

"What a high-sounding excuse!"

"When your Clear Sky Sect fled in panic and sealed off the mountain to avoid Spirit Hall's edge, abandoning the four clans outside like worn-out shoes and leaving them to fend for themselves, did you ever consider them part of your own household?"

"Now that I have given them new life and protection, they chose to follow a stronger power. What wrong is there in that?"

"Yet you remembered them when you needed cannon fodder, and when they sought a path to survival, you raised the butcher's blade against them..."

"So the Clear Sky Sect's household is decorated and whitewashed with the flesh and blood of its own comrades?"

The Third Elder trembled with rage, the massive phantom Clear Sky Hammer shaking wildly.

"Twisting words! A traitor is a traitor!"

"Since Spirit Hall dared to come today, if it is only the three of you, don't dream of leaving unscathed!"

The Soul Power around him surged again as he attempted to break free from the icy domain's restraints.

"Leave?"

Ye Xian's lips curved slightly upward.

"Today, Spirit Hall will level your Clear Sky Sect!"

"Whoosh—!"

The moment his words fell, a streak of sword light flashed and vanished!

"Slash—!"

Tang Lie, whose aura had weakened and who had already lost all value, was slain by Ye Xian's sword!

"Stop!"

Before Tang Xiao could finish speaking, Tang Lie had already lost all signs of life.

His eyes turned bloodshot as he nearly roared,

"Ye Xian, you are declaring war on my Clear Sky Sect!"

Ye Xian's Icebound King Sword pointed diagonally toward the Clear Sky Sect Mountain Gate as he said coldly,

"Declaring war?"

"Sect Master Tang Xiao, you misunderstood..."

"This is not a declaration of war..."

"This is a massacre!"

"A one-sided massacre!"

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!"

As his words fell, seven streams of light radiating powerful Soul Power fluctuations flashed into view without warning.

At this sight, Tang Xiao's expression turned horrified, and his face instantly drained of all color!