One Month Later

Boom!

A terrifying aura erupted from Tang Nian. The phantom of the Clear Sky Hammer solidified like a mountain, as though it would smash heaven and earth apart.

Yet the aura lasted only a moment. Tang Nian's body swayed slightly, and his face turned even paler.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei both took a step back, a trace of barely perceptible understanding flashing through their eyes.

"Sect Master Tang, please calm your anger." Yue Guan still wore a smile.

"You are advanced in years and in poor health. Why get so worked up? We only came today to deliver a message."

"You have ten days. If the Clear Sky Sect does not hand over Tang Hao after ten days, Spirit Hall will mobilize its entire force."

With that, the two transformed into streaks of light and vanished beyond the horizon.

Before the mountain gate, Tang Nian's face was livid, his body trembling faintly.

Tang Xiao stepped forward to support his father. "Father, you..."

Tang Nian waved a hand without saying anything more, then turned and walked back into the sect.

Seven days later, news came from the Clear Sky Sect.

Tang Nian was dead.

Gu Ci was cultivating when he received the news.

He opened his eyes and remained silent for a long while.

It was said that Tang Nian had already been in poor health and had relied on his cultivation to suppress an old ailment for years.

On the day Spirit Hall came to their door, he had forced himself to release his aura, severely damaging his vitality in the process.

After returning to the sect, he had sat alone in his room for an entire night. The next day, he fell gravely ill and never rose again.

Seven days later, the son of the Clear Sky Douluo left this world filled with indignation and unwillingness.

"He was already in poor health..." Gu Ci murmured.

He recalled the scattered details from the original work. Tang Nian had indeed died amid this turmoil, but few ever mentioned that he had always been frail.

Thinking about it now, that confrontation had merely been the final straw that broke the camel's back.

The news that followed was even bloodier.

The Four Attribute Lower Four Sects—the Strength Clan, Defense Clan, Speed Clan, and Breaking Clan—were slaughtered by Spirit Hall in this turmoil.

It was said that on that night, flames soared into the sky from the four clans' territories, while screams echoed through the darkness until dawn.

Tai Tan, chief of the Strength Clan, escaped with severe injuries and disappeared without a trace.

Niu Ben, chief of the Defense Clan, died on the spot. More than half his clansmen were killed or wounded, and the new clan leader departed with the survivors.

Bai He, chief of the Speed Clan, led some of his clansmen in breaking out of the encirclement. Their fate remained unknown.

Yang Wudi, chief of the Breaking Clan, carved a bloody path out, but nearly all of his clansmen had been wiped out.

"Spirit Hall is killing the chicken to scare the monkeys."

After learning the news, Dugu Bo said coldly, "The Four Attribute Lower Four Sects have always been attached to the Clear Sky Sect. Spirit Hall is cutting off the Clear Sky Sect's wings."

Gu Xiao's expression was grave. "Foster Father, then we..."

Dugu Bo waved his hand. "We have no connection to the Clear Sky Sect. Spirit Hall will not touch us."

"But we must be even more careful from now on. The strength Spirit Hall has revealed this time far exceeds imagination."

Gu Ci listened from the side and silently committed it all to memory.

The Strength Clan, Defense Clan, Speed Clan, and Breaking Clan.

These forces, which would play important roles in the later stages of the original work, had now been shattered beyond recognition.

And Tang Hao had vanished without a trace along with Tang San.

Reactions from every side of the continent soon followed.

The Heaven Dou Empire's royal family issued a proclamation stating that the matter had nothing to do with the empire and calling upon both sides to show restraint.

But everyone could see that it was merely empty rhetoric.

The Star Luo Empire remained silent, but secretly strengthened its border defenses.

Ning Fengzhi, sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, publicly expressed hope that both sides would resolve the matter peacefully and avoid bringing calamity upon the people.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had always remained neutral, so such a statement was expected.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, meanwhile, remained entirely silent. No news came out after Yu Tianheng returned.

It was said that the clan was deeply divided over the matter. Some advocated supporting Spirit Hall, while others wished to speak out for the Clear Sky Sect. In the end, nothing came of it.

But what shocked everyone most was the Clear Sky Sect. On the third day after Tang Nian's death, the newly appointed sect master, Tang Xiao, announced:

The Clear Sky Sect would seal its mountain. Tang Hao was expelled from the sect. For a hundred years, the Clear Sky Sect would no longer involve itself in worldly affairs.

When the news spread, the world was thrown into an uproar.

The Clear Sky Sect, the number one sect beneath heaven, had sealed itself away just like that.

In the days that followed, Spirit Hall's influence expanded rapidly.

Territories that had once belonged to the Clear Sky Sect were taken over one by one. The destruction of the Four Attribute Lower Four Sects left countless small and mid-sized factions trembling in fear, and they all rushed to curry favor with Spirit Hall.

In a single month, the continent's landscape was completely overturned.

A month later, the holiday ended.

Gu Ci and Dugu Yan stood before the gates of the Marquis Mansion, preparing to return to the Academy.

Gu Xiao patted his son on the shoulder but said nothing more.

With reddened eyes, Li Wanyue gave them a long string of reminders, while Dugu Yan nodded again and again.

Dugu Bo stood with his hands behind his back and said blandly, "Go. Remember, no matter how the outside world changes, proper cultivation is what matters most for you two."

"Strength is everything."

Gu Ci nodded, took Dugu Yan's hand, and boarded the carriage. Ye Lingling was beside them as well.

The carriage rumbled forward toward Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Beyond the carriage window, the streets of Heaven Dou City had returned to their usual bustle. Pedestrians hurried by, and vendors called out their wares.

It was as though the turmoil of the past month had been nothing more than a distant dream.

But Gu Ci knew that dream had only just begun.

Time returned to one month earlier.

"Grandpa Dugu, Spirit Hall is overwhelmingly powerful. The Clear Sky Sect has sealed its mountain, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is silent, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect remains neutral."

"The Heaven Dou Empire and Star Luo Empire each have their own schemes. No one on this continent can balance Spirit Hall anymore."

When the child spoke, his tone was so calm that he did not seem like a six-year-old at all.

"We may be safe for now, but who knows what the future holds? You are a Titled Douluo, Grandpa Dugu, but Spirit Hall has several Titled Douluo."

"When that day truly comes, you alone will not be able to protect everyone."

Dugu Bo had remained silent for a long time.

He thought of Gu Ci's golden Heavenly Eye, the three books left behind by deities, and Soul Spirits, Soul Cores, Soul Tools...

This child always seemed able to see farther than others.

"What do you mean?"

"Rather than wait for others to protect us, why not build our own force?" Gu Ci said.

"It does not need to be large, but it must have enough strength that others will not dare touch us lightly."

"The Nine-Heart Begonia lineage passes down through a single heir each generation and does not contend with the world, but they need the protection of a Titled Douluo."

"And your old friends from back then—over the years, some have scattered, while others have gone into hiding. If they can be brought together..."

Of course, Gu Ci had even greater plans. Soul Tools definitely had to be sold, and without a powerful force behind them, that would be impossible.

Dugu Bo had not agreed at the time. He had merely said he would think it over.

But over the past month, Spirit Hall's actions had become increasingly unrestrained.

The Four Attribute Lower Four Sects were wiped out just because Spirit Hall wished it. The Clear Sky Sect sealed its mountain just because Spirit Hall wished it. The entire continent had fallen silent in terror.

Though he was a Titled Douluo, what could he truly do when that day came?

He could protect Gu Xiao and Li Wanyue, protect Gu Ci and Yanyan, and perhaps protect a few of the mansion's elderly servants as well.

But then what?

Would he take them into hiding everywhere, like homeless dogs?

He remembered the days when he had roamed the world with Gu Ci's grandfather. Though they had not been strong then, he had brothers and friends at his side, and they feared neither heaven nor earth.

But over the years, his old friends had left one by one. Some scattered, some died, and in the end, only he remained—a solitary old man.

Perhaps Gu Ci was right.

It was time to bring those old friends back.

Standing in the courtyard and gazing at the distant sky, Dugu Bo finally made up his mind.

"It is time to pay the Nine-Heart Begonia Ye Family a visit as well."