The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's main hall.
Ning Fengzhi tapped the table lightly with his slender fingers as he listened to his subordinate's urgent report, his brow furrowing.
A solemn expression had settled over his gentle, jade-like face.
"Sect Master, urgent news! Spirit Hall is making a major move! Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei have each taken a team of elite Soul Masters and are rushing toward Heaven Dou City at full speed!"
"Their exact objective is unknown, but they're moving with extreme speed and secrecy. If not for the vigilance of our informants along the route, we might not have noticed them at all!" A Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Soul Master in charge of intelligence knelt on one knee and delivered the report rapidly.
"Toward Heaven Dou City?" A glint flashed in Ning Fengzhi's eyes as he instantly thought of countless possibilities.
Heaven Dou City had just been rocked by the deaths of a prince and a prince regent, as well as Poison Douluo's severe injuries and escape. The situation was already delicate.
Spirit Hall was deploying its elite forces at this moment, with Heaven Dou City as its target... A name flashed through his mind like lightning—Holy Wing King Yu!
"That's it! Spirit Hall must have learned about that Soul Beast and its value through some channel. They may even know what it did in Heaven Dou City. Now they're going to make their move!" Ning Fengzhi quickly pieced things together.
Bibi Dong would never let a powerful Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast with top-tier Soul Rings and Soul Bones slip away. Especially after it had shown hostility toward the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, Spirit Hall would be even more likely to strike under the pretext of "ridding the empire of a threat," killing two birds with one stone.
"Spirit Hall's target must be Yu!" Ning Fengzhi declared firmly.
He immediately turned to Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong, who stood nearby. "Uncle Gu, Uncle Jian!"
"Go ahead, Fengzhi." Chen Xin's voice was cold, like a sword drawn from its sheath.
"Hmph. Those Spirit Hall fellows certainly have sharp noses!" Gu Rong snorted, impatience and dislike for Spirit Hall in his eyes.
"Spirit Hall's target this time is very likely the Soul Beast we made a deal with—the Holy Wing King, Yu," Ning Fengzhi said quickly.
"One of the conditions it proposed was that we interfere if Spirit Hall made a move against it. Now it's time to honor our agreement."
Gu Rong raised an eyebrow, remembering his frustration at failing to stop Xiao Yu from escaping back then, as well as his lingering resentment over the pain of that bone claw. "Tsk, that beast sure got lucky! But a promise is a promise. So how do we interfere?"
"Spirit Hall's main force is led by Yue Guan and Gui Mei. They're the key figures carrying out the operation," Ning Fengzhi said, his thoughts clear.
"We need to keep their operation from proceeding smoothly. At the very least, we have to delay them and create confusion. But clashing head-on with Spirit Hall's army would be unwise and against our interests. So..."
Ning Fengzhi turned to Chen Xin and Gu Rong, his decision leaving no room for objection. "Uncle Gu, Uncle Jian, please make a trip. Intercept Yue Guan and Gui Mei. You don't need to kill them—just hold them up for a while."
"Make as much of a commotion as you like, but keep it within what we can manage. Remember, all we need to do is disrupt their operation."
Chen Xin nodded slightly. His sword energy remained concealed, yet the temperature in the hall had already plunged. "Understood. Yue Guan and Gui Mei are both juniors below level ninety-five. It won't be difficult to hold them up for a while."
"Heh, just the thing to loosen up these old bones!" Gu Rong grinned, a glint of eagerness for battle in his eyes. The frustration he'd felt when Xiao Yu had escaped by using his own momentum seemed to have found an outlet. "I'd like to see how much Chrysanthemum Guan and Old Ghost have improved over the years!"
"Thank you, Uncles! Be careful! Spirit Hall must have a plan beyond this. If things become untenable, withdraw at once. Don't get caught up in a prolonged fight!" Ning Fengzhi warned them gravely.
He knew Bibi Dong was determined to obtain that Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone. If Yue Guan and Gui Mei were held up, even stronger forces would inevitably join the fray—perhaps Bibi Dong herself.
But for now, all he had to do was keep his promise to Xiao Yu and delay this first, most immediate threat.
"Don't worry." Chen Xin was brief.
"Leave it to us!" Before Gu Rong had even finished speaking, his figure blurred. He and Chen Xin vanished from the hall in an instant, like two invisible gusts of wind.
Ning Fengzhi watched the direction they had disappeared in and let out a soft breath, but the worry between his brows remained.
"Spirit Hall has already made its move, and Uncle Gu and Uncle Jian have gone to interfere... Yu, this is all I can do for now. I hope you can get through this safely... Or have you already anticipated this and made your preparations?"
Ning Fengzhi murmured to himself, his wariness toward that exceptionally intelligent Soul Beast deepening.
As for Xiao Yu's exact whereabouts, at this moment neither the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect nor the Spirit Hall elites rushing toward Heaven Dou City had any idea.
Above a remote valley near the border of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Two figures were flying through the air at tremendous speed. They were Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei, dispatched by the Pope to search the Heaven Dou City area for Xiao Yu.
Not far behind them, two teams of Spirit Hall's elite Soul Masters kept pace at high speed.
Yue Guan wore fine clothes and seemed at ease, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's as he constantly scanned the vast forests and towns below.
Gui Mei was shrouded in a faint veil of black mist. His aura was cold and elusive, like a true ghost.
"Old Ghost, why do you think His Holiness the Pope is in such a hurry? That Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast may be troublesome, but surely it doesn't warrant sending both of us out at once?" Yue Guan asked as he searched, his distinctive, soft voice lilting.
Gui Mei's voice sounded as if it came from the depths of the underworld, hoarse like metal scraping against metal. "How could either of us presume to guess what His Holiness is thinking? Xue Beng and Xue Xing are dead, and Dugu Bo is badly wounded. That Soul Beast's power is no ordinary thing."
Yue Guan nodded slightly and was about to speak again when both he and Gui Mei suddenly changed expressions!
A terrifying sword intent, sharp enough to cleave through anything, and a mighty presence as heavy as a mountain, rippling with distortions in space, erupted without warning in front of them. They blocked the way like two invisible mountains, halting their advance by sheer force!
The space ahead seemed to be locked down by an invisible force. Even the wind fell still!
"Who's there?!" Yue Guan shouted. The Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum in his hand blazed with light, and nine Soul Rings shot up around him: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black! A powerful surge of Soul Power burst forth.
Gui Mei's figure rapidly took shape within the black mist. His nine optimally matched Soul Rings appeared as well, and his cold aura spread like a tide, trying to withstand the sudden, terrifying pressure.
But when their gazes pierced the radiance of their Soul Power and they saw the two figures hovering ahead, their pupils shrank to pinpoints!
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