Among the Clear Sky Sect's affiliated clans, the Four Single-Attribute Clans had the closest ties to the Clear Sky Sect. Led by the Breaking Clan, the affiliated families outside the Four Single-Attribute Clans all chose to join Spirit Hall without the slightest hesitation.
Seeing that even the more peripheral affiliated clans had chosen to join, Niu Gao, who likewise had come to hate the Clear Sky Sect, spoke up. "I, Niu Gao, am willing to lead the Defense Clan into Spirit Hall! If Spirit Hall sincerely treats the Defense Clan well, then the Defense Clan is willing to give everything for Spirit Hall!"
Seeing that Bai He was still hesitating, Yang Wudi questioned him, "Old White Bird, what are you still being stupid about? The Clear Sky Sect wants to shove your Speed Clan out to die. Your Speed Clan is related by blood to the Clear Sky Sect leader's line, and you're the uncle of Tang Xiao and Tang Hao, the two young sect masters of the Clear Sky Sect. They're treating you and the entire Speed Clan so cruelly—haven't you seen clearly just how heartless and ungrateful those people from the Clear Sky Sect are? Do you still consider those things family?"
"If you're really that pathetic, then you don't deserve to be Yang Wudi's brother. You and your Speed Clan can all die alongside those dog bastards from the Clear Sky Sect who abandoned you!"
"Old Yang..."
Bai He did not blame Tang Hao, but the Clear Sky Sect's actions had indeed chilled his heart. Hearing Yang Wudi's words, then thinking of the Speed Clan members and his unborn grandson, he let out a deep sigh. "I, Bai He, will lead the Speed Clan into Spirit Hall."
Listening to the words of these sects and clans, Ning Fengzhi felt his heart tighten again and again until his mood completely sank to rock bottom.
The Clear Sky Sect had as many as five thousand disciples. Excluding the four hundred members of the Strength Clan, all the others had joined Spirit Hall. More than four thousand five hundred Soul Masters—this was roughly equal to the combined number of disciples currently held by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Without shedding a drop of blood, Spirit Hall had swallowed nearly all the Clear Sky Sect's disciples. Its overall strength had received no small boost, and the gains far exceeded the losses Tang Hao had caused in his battle against Spirit Hall, where he had crippled two Titled Douluo elders and an unknown number of Soul Masters.
Damn Clear Sky Sect!
Ning Fengzhi practically wanted to curse aloud. The Tang family had actually cowered to this extent, leaving only a bunch of useless scraps and old men with one foot in the grave to fool people. Tang Zhen, you old thing on the verge of death, why did you run? If Tang Zhen had been here, even if the Clear Sky Sect had suffered a crushing defeat after a great battle, some affiliated clans would still have ultimately chosen to join Spirit Hall to avoid destruction.
But Spirit Hall would not have gotten such a fat meal, nor devoured so many affiliated clans with such considerable loyalty!
If Tang Zhen knew what Ning Fengzhi was thinking, he would definitely have slapped Ning Fengzhi several times. It was no problem for him to die fighting Spirit Hall with his worthless life, but he still had several precious Soul Bones on him! If he died at Spirit Hall's hands, wouldn't those Soul Bones also be seized by Spirit Hall?
"Good. Very good. Yang Wudi, Niu Gao, Bai He, you are all truly impressive."
Tai Tan slowly rose to his feet, his eyes bloodshot and his mouth full of blood. His expression as he spoke was somewhat terrifying.
"A true man knows what he should and should not do. Better to shatter like jade than remain whole like tile. You joined Spirit Hall today, but when old sect master Tang Chen returns and Master's cultivation reaches fruition, you soft-spined traitors, pigs, and dogs can wait to be purged."
Yang Wudi said coldly, "Stop disgusting everyone here, Tai Tan. Do you really think I, Yang Wudi, can't see your true thoughts? You are truly loyal to Tang Hao, your master, but the Strength Clan chose destruction. Yet where is your loyal master Tang Hao now?"
Tai Tan burst into laughter and declared righteously, "As a servant, dying for one's master is one's duty! When Master returns after reaching the old sect master's realm, slaughters you pigs and dogs, and destroys Spirit Hall, history will record Tai Tan and the Strength Clan as a loyal clan that gave everything for its master, their name passed down through the ages! As for you, you will stink for ten thousand years and endure endless curses!"
Qian Daoliu thought about it. If the Strength Clan perished here and the Clear Sky Sect won, perhaps the historical judgment really would be as Tai Tan said. After all, which of those nobles would not want a loyal clan like the Strength Clan?
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Qian Daoliu clapped, smiling faintly. "Good. The Strength Clan is truly loyal. I heard the Strength Clan loves forging, and a considerable portion of the Clear Sky Sect's annual income comes from the Strength Clan's tribute. Then the losses Tang Hao caused the Clear Sky Sect will be repaid by the Strength Clan."
"Breaking Clan, Defense Clan, Speed Clan, and Spirit Hall's affiliated clans, heed my command. Kill these Clear Sky Sect people. Every member of the Strength Clan will lose one arm. One arm is enough for forging iron."
"Tang Niu, you old bastard, die!"
Yang Wudi immediately attacked. Two yellow, two purple, and four black Soul Rings lit up beneath his feet. The Soul Breaking Spear appeared in his hand, and he instantly completed his charge, thrusting its tip viciously toward those old rat Soul Saints.
At the Clear Sky Sect's mountain gate, yellow, purple, and black Soul Ring lights flared up all at once. Black, red, cyan, yellow, earth-yellow... all sorts of Martial Soul and Soul Ring lights shone, accompanied by the roars of countless Martial Souls.
Other than the Speed Clan, the affiliated clans that had joined Spirit Hall could be said to hate the Clear Sky Sect to the extreme. Now that they were going to kill these rats, every one of them showed no mercy and acted with great enthusiasm. Mixed into the pleasure of venting their resentment was also the exhilaration of inferiors killing superiors and overstepping their station.
When those little rats tried to surrender, the Soul Masters surrounding them turned to look at Qian Daoliu. Seeing no reaction from him, they immediately ended the little rats' lives.
Qian Renxue could not help asking, "Grandfather, the Clear Sky Hammer is the number one tool Martial Soul in the world. Why don't we accept them if they want to join us?"
Qian Daoliu said quietly, "Xue'er, remember this. Every member of the Clear Sky Sect's Tang family line, from Tang Chen down to unborn babies still in the womb, is selfish, bullies the weak while fearing the strong, petty, extremely self-centered, and without any bottom line. Their bloodline is filthy by nature. Put simply, they are wolf bandits wearing human skin. There is no need to absorb them. The best course is to send every last one of them to the afterlife."
"If this Martial Soul comes to Spirit Hall, it will only dirty Spirit Hall's floors."
Qian Renxue froze. "Ah, Grandfather, wasn't Tang Chen your opponent and friend?"
Qian Daoliu said, "Before suspecting that Tang Hao slaughtered Soul Beasts to obtain Soul Bones, Grandfather indeed thought so. But now it seems Tang Hao slaughtered Soul Beasts for Soul Bones not because Tang Chen failed to teach him properly, but because this grandfather and grandson are birds of a feather."
"Tang Chen also has six Soul Bones on his body."
Tang Hao was explicitly stated to possess six Soul Bones. Tang Chen was not explicitly stated to have them, but Tang Chen had nearly become the Asura God. The Asura Eight Trials were unlike Tang San's Sea God Eight Trials, which required gathering the Sea God Divine Armor. This showed that Tang Chen also had six Soul Bones.
The disparity in Soul Bone reserves displayed by the Upper Three Sects was truly enormous.
Look at the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Yu Yuanzhen, the sect master, had three Soul Bones, while Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect did not have a single Soul Bone between them.
They were all among the Upper Three Sects. Even if the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan could not compare to the Clear Sky Sect, the gap in their Soul Bone reserves should not have been this great.
Judging by what had been shown, the Clear Sky Sect's Soul Bone reserves were practically greater than Spirit Hall's. Bibi Dong, Spirit Hall's Pope in the original work, had seven Soul Bones, four of which had dropped after she killed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.
The Hundred-Thousand-Year Death Spider Emperor had dropped left and right arm bones; the Purple Winged Spider Emperor had dropped the Six-Winged Purple Light Wings; Rabbit Mom had dropped another one.
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