Ning Fengzhi, Yu Yuanzhen, and Heaven Dou Crown Prince, under the gaze of countless eyes, calmly walked to the reserved seats at the front, and nodded slightly to Qian Xunji on the high platform.
"Sect Master Ning, Chief Jade, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Prince Xue Xing, if you are not welcome from afar, please take a seat." Qian Xunji said politely without changing his smile.
The four returned the courtesy and took their seats.
At this point, the audience that should come has basically arrived.
The entire square is divided into several distinct areas: in the center is the remnant of the Clear Sky Sect that is awaiting trial.
On the periphery was a dark crowd of forces watching the ceremony.
On the high platform are today's judges and core audience.
A suffocating and depressing feeling of impending rain permeated the air.
Everyone knows that the main show is about to begin.
Qian Xunji's gaze slowly swept across the densely packed representatives of all parties below, and the first real and solemn smile of the day appeared on his face.
He slowly stood up from his seat.
This action made the whispers in the audience disappear instantly and became audible.
Everyone's eyes were focused on the pope.
Qian Xunji cleared his throat and spoke clearly with a voice imbued with Soul Power:
"Thank you all for taking the time out of your busy schedule to come to the Clear Sky Sect to witness what happened today."
His voice was calm, but it carried an unquestionable power:
"Perhaps you still have doubts in your mind, wondering why I, Spirit Hall, want to go to war today and invite colleagues from all over the world to gather here."
He paused, glanced at the ashen-faced Clear Sky Sect disciples in the center, and his tone turned cold:
"To be honest, I invite you all to come here today just for one thing - to be a fair witness!"
"My friend Spirit Hall, a few days ago, an extremely important treasure was forcibly taken away by the Clear Sky Sect's young master Tang Hao in despicable ways, and the person who was protecting it was injured."
"Afterwards, we remembered Senior Clear Sky Sect Tang Chen's reputation in the past and did not immediately pursue the case. Instead, we gave him a chance to change his ways, return his treasures, and apologize."
Qian Xunji's voice suddenly rose, with anger:
"However! Tang Hao This son, instead of not repenting, actually got worse! When the incident was revealed and we came to ask for an explanation, he went crazy and ignored the sect's justice. He abandoned his seriously injured father, his brother who had a broken arm, and all his comrades, and fled alone with the stolen goods!"
"The despicable behavior and cold nature of his behavior are really a shame to Soul Master World!"
He looked around the audience, his eyes like lightning:
"Now, Tang Hao is absconding with the treasure and is missing. Although our pursuit has yielded no results, we must not let this matter go!"
"Of course, I, Spirit Hall, have always acted openly and above all, and have a reputation for being a teacher. Although what happened today is Tang Hao's personal fault, he was born in the Clear Sky Sect and was trained by the Clear Sky Sect. Clear Sky Sect cannot escape the blame for this!"
"To prevent anyone from criticizing me in the future, saying that I, Spirit Hall, am bullying others and launching a sect war for no reason..."
Qian Xunji's voice slowed down, his eyes swept across the audience, and his tone was sincere:
"Therefore, today I invite all my colleagues from all over the world to gather here and bear witness!"
"Today, I, Spirit Hall, hereby announce that only Clear Sky Sect will hand over Tang Hao immediately within today and return the stolen treasure! Otherwise..."
His voice became cold and decisive again:
"I will treat it as Clear Sky Sect, harboring criminals, and officially declare war with me, Spirit Hall! All consequences will be borne by the Clear Sky Sect!"
After saying that, he sat down again and looked calmly down at Tang Zhen, who was pale and trembling, as if waiting for his answer, and as if waiting for a son who might never appear.
And after a brief silence, the whole place erupted into a suppressed buzz of discussion.
All the audience's eyes were complexly looking at the center of the field, the once glorious but now precarious No. 1 sect in the world.
Witnessing has already begun.
And the storm is about to really come.
After Gu Rong listened to Qian Xunji's righteous accusation and declaration, he couldn't help but lean into Ning Fengzhi's ear and asked in a very low voice that only two people could hear:
"Fengzhi, who is that friend that Qian Xunji keeps talking about? Also, what kind of treasure did that boy Tang Hao steal? How could Spirit Hall not hesitate to put on such a big show, and even invite two of the Worship Hall's worshippers, just to stand up for him and seek justice?"
He was full of doubts.
Spirit Hall has always been strong. Although he has allies, he really can't think of any force on the mainland that is worthy of him being so aggressive, and even having friends who are vaguely led by the Spirit Hall and act as helpers.
Ning Fengzhi frowned when he heard this, also lowered his voice and shook his head slowly:
"I don't know. As far as I know, on this Douluo Continent, there seems to be no force that is qualified and powerful enough to be brothers and friends with the Spirit Hall. Perhaps, only Clear Sky Sect, the predecessor of Tang Chen, is still alive, is barely qualified to talk to him on an equal footing."
What he said was not modesty.
Spirit Hall has been inherited for thousands of years, and its foundation is unfathomable. It is also blessed by the faith of Angel God, and its status is transcendent.
Even behemoths like Heaven Dou Empire and Star Luo Empire are dwarfed by the Spirit Hall.
It can be seen from the fact that Platinum Bishop Salas is just Soul Douluo but not Xue Ye.
Therefore, the weight of a friend who can make Spirit Hall take things so solemnly and even not hesitate to completely break up with the Clear Sky Sect is probably very important.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin, who was on the side, heard the two people talking in low voices, and turned his head slightly, with a look of deep understanding on his stern face.
His voice was calm, but it carried a kind of insight that had gone through many vicissitudes of life:
"What Old Bones said does make sense. With the temperament of the Spirit Hall, especially Qian Daoliu, I'm afraid... there are only those of the same level who can really take him seriously as a friend and be willing to stand up for him."
He paused, as if remembering something old. A complicated and unexplainable light flashed across his eyes, and his voice became a little lower:
"Back then, my father broke through the ninety-seventh level and considered himself a master of swordsmanship. He originally wanted to find Tang Chen to confirm what he had learned. Unfortunately, that Tang Chen had left the sect and was missing. So, my father went to the Spirit Hall to challenge Qian Daoliu."
Chen Xin's tone was calm, but both Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong could hear the heaviness hidden in it.
"The result of that battle... you also know. Qian Daoliu didn't even use Angel Holy Sword. With just a pair of fleshy palms, he took the Killing Word Nine Swords that my father put all his strength into and counterattacked it. After my father returned home, he was seriously injured and died..."
Chen Xin closed his eyes and opened them again after a moment. His eyes were already as calm as ever:
"Since then, I have understood that in the eyes of the Spirit Hall and Qian Daoliu, among all living beings in this world, perhaps only those who have set foot on the ninety-ninth level of the ultimate realm are qualified to sit on an equal footing with him and call him a Daoist friend or friend."
"The rest are just ants."
Chen Xin's words were spoken calmly, but with a cold reality that penetrated deep into his bones.
It also made Gu Rong and Ning Fengzhi feel shocked.
"But... but the problem is..."
Gu Rong's old face showed an expression of disbelief, and even his voice was a little dry. "Aside from the missing Tang Chen, and Qian Daoliu himself, where is the third level 99 Peerless Douluo on this Douluo Continent?"
"If it really exists, with its strength, it will definitely be famous all over the world and powerful. How is it possible that we haven't heard about it at all?"