At the thought, a cold glint flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes. She already had her answer.
"It seems that Lan Minghua is almost certainly the one who killed Ning Fengzhi."
She had originally planned to use Yue Guan and Gui Mei's deaths as an excuse to openly move against Lan Minghua.
Now that Ning Fengzhi was dead, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Heaven Dou Empire would undoubtedly be thrown into turmoil.
If the Upper Three Sects truly stood united, they would never sit idly by.
If they did nothing and simply looked after their own interests, that would prove their relationship was not as close as the rumors claimed.
That was unquestionably good news for Spirit Hall.
If they really stood united, then they would have to find a way to deal with Lan Minghua.
Was Lan Minghua strong?
Strong. Very strong. Incredibly strong.
Even Tang Hao, Yue Guan, Gui Mei, and Sword Douluo had been no match for him.
The price the Upper Three Sects would have to pay to deal with such a powerful enemy was easy to imagine.
Spirit Hall might be able to use this opportunity to watch from the sidelines and reap the rewards in the end.
Bibi Dong pondered for a moment, then gave a cold order.
"Pass down my orders: keep a close eye on the movements of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Heaven Dou Empire. Also, I want to know everything that has happened at Shrek Academy over the past few days!"
Suddenly, she thought of something and continued.
"Spread the news of Ning Fengzhi's death. Make absolutely sure that the Heaven Dou Empire and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan hear about it."
The Spirit Hall attendant looked as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He bowed respectfully. "Yes, Your Holiness the Pope!"
With that, he hurried out of the hall, unwilling to stay another second.
Before long, with Spirit Hall fanning the flames, news of Ning Fengzhi's death swept across the continent like a raging tide.
Heaven Dou Empire, Heaven Dou City, Imperial Palace.
A figure suddenly burst in and hurried forward in a panic.
"Your Majesty, terrible news! Sect Master Ning, he—he's dead!"
Xue Ye, who had been reviewing memorials, heard the news. The vermilion brush in his hand suddenly trembled, and ink spread across the paper.
He hurriedly looked up, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"How could this be? Sword Douluo was protecting Sect Master Ning. Who could have killed him?"
The messenger replied in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, this news came from Spirit Hall. It's absolutely reliable."
When Xue Ye heard that the news had come from Spirit Hall, he was struck as if by lightning.
"Could it be... Could Spirit Hall have killed Sect Master Ning?!"
As king of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Ye couldn't possibly be unaware of Spirit Hall's ambitions.
And it wasn't only Xue Ye who knew. Some people with foresight could guess as much, too.
The low-level Soul Hunting Forests alone offered a glimpse of the truth.
They were clearly the empire's Soul Hunting Forests, yet commoners needed a permit from Spirit Hall to enter and hunt for souls.
In the original story, Tang San had asked Yu Xiaogang whether the Soul Hunting Forests belonged to Spirit Hall or the state.
Yu Xiaogang hadn't answered. He had even warned Tang San not to discuss the matter in public.
This made it clear that Spirit Hall had considerable ambitions.
This arrangement allowed them not only to register information about commoner Soul Masters, but also to win their favor.
On top of that, Spirit Hall awakened Martial Souls for the children of commoner families free of charge.
All these signs pointed to Spirit Hall harboring great ambitions.
If it truly had no intention of conquering the continent, what would be the point of doing all this?
Xue Ye's expression darkened. "Notify the Crown Prince. Have him accompany me to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. After all, Sect Master Ning was his teacher."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Meanwhile, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe had also received the news of Ning Fengzhi's death.
But there was no sorrow on his face, only confusion.
"Spirit Hall is saying that old fox Ning Fengzhi is dead? Could that madwoman have done it?!"
As he pondered, a voice came from outside.
"Your Highness, His Majesty asks you to mourn, and requests that you accompany him to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
Xue Qinghe immediately adopted a sorrowful tone. "Understood. Tell His Majesty I'll be there shortly."
"Yes, Your Highness. This subordinate will take his leave."
After the messenger left, Xue Qinghe returned to his usual cold expression. "Madwoman, I hope you haven't ruined Spirit Hall's plans. Otherwise, Grandfather won't let you off."
Then he put on a grieving expression and walked out, accompanying Xue Ye to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
At the same time, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and even the reclusive Clear Sky Sect received news of Ning Fengzhi's death.
Since the news had come from Spirit Hall, they naturally assumed Spirit Hall had killed Ning Fengzhi.
But the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan made no response. What did the death of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Sect Master have to do with them?
As for the Clear Sky Sect, the matter split them into two factions.
One faction believed that the Upper Three Sects stood united: if Spirit Hall dared to move against the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect today, it would dare to move against the Clear Sky Sect tomorrow.
The other faction argued that the Clear Sky Sect had been forced into seclusion all those years ago, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect hadn't stood up for them. Now that their Sect Master was dead, what did that have to do with the Clear Sky Sect?
Listening to the elders argue, Tang Xiao felt utterly helpless.
Just as he was about to speak up and try to mediate, several Clear Sky Sect disciples returned from outside with a cripple who had lost one leg and one arm.
"Sect Master, while training outside, we found a cripple with the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul. We've brought him back for you to decide what to do with him."
"Oh? The Clear Sky Sect still has disciples living outside? Could he be that fellow's bastard?"
A tall, thin old man sneered. He was none other than the Clear Sky Sect's Seventh Elder.
Everyone present was sharp-witted and naturally understood whom the Seventh Elder meant.
He was, of course, referring to Tang Hao.
After all, many years ago, the Seventh Elder's son had died at the hands of Spirit Hall because of Tang Hao.
Could Revenge for a Deceased Son really be put aside so easily after just a decade or so?
Although Tang Xiao was the Clear Sky Sect's Sect Master, the sect wasn't his alone to command.
Among the Clear Sky Sect's five surviving elders of his generation, one had already become a Titled Douluo.
The Clear Sky Sect's former glory, when it had two Douluos in one generation, was already a thing of the past, more than ten years gone.
So even Tang Xiao had to yield somewhat to these elders.
But when it came to Tang Hao, Tang Xiao would never stand by and do nothing.
He immediately ordered the disciples, "Where is he? Bring him in at once."
"Yes, Sect Master."
Soon, two Clear Sky Sect disciples carried in a badly injured man, covered in wounds and barely clinging to life.
Tang Xiao and the elders immediately turned their gazes toward him.
His hair was a tangled mess, clotted with blood and dust and stuck to his forehead.
His black robe had been torn into strips, barely hanging from his body.
His body was covered in wounds, some still bleeding and others already scabbed over.
His skin was mottled with bruises and cuts, and in several gruesome wounds, bones shone a ghastly white.
As Tang Xiao looked at him, a strange sense of familiarity welled up inside him.
"Why does this aura feel so familiar?"
He hurried forward and narrowed his eyes, studying the wretched man closely.
The man's breathing was so faint it was almost inaudible, and his chest barely rose and fell.
His face was as pale as paper, his lips cracked and purplish, his gaze unfocused.
The two Clear Sky Sect disciples carrying him proceeded with extreme care, afraid that one wrong move might snuff out the last of his life.
The man vaguely made out Tang Xiao's figure. With great difficulty, he parted his lips and rasped, "B-Big Brother... save me..."
Before he could say anything else, he passed out completely.
Tang Xiao's pupils contracted sharply. "You're... Hao Di?!"
Before you continue