Destruction of Clear Sky Sect

Clear Sky Sect.

All the disciples' gazes were fixed upon Tang Xiao and the Seventh Elder, Tang Lie. Tang Lie's cultivation was on par with Tang Xiao's; among the elders of the Clear Sky Sect, each was stronger than the last, both in cultivation and raw power.

With the position of Sect Master determined by strength, the competition between the elders had a foregone conclusion: the next Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect was to be the Second Elder.

If Tang Xiao wished to inherit the position of the next Sect Master, he had to defeat every single elder, one by one.

Tang Xiao and Tang Lie both had eight soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and four black—circling beneath their feet. Their pitch-black and crimson Clear Sky Hammers collided, sending waves of tyrannical soul power rippling outward as they unleashed the profound arts of their sect, such as the Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique and the Nine Absolute Techniques of Clear Sky.

Cries of excitement rose and fell among the disciples. The Second Elder watched Tang Xiao, who had gained the upper hand against Tang Lie in just a few short exchanges, and felt a heavy weight in his heart.

At this moment, a faint green Jade Phosphorous Serpent poison finally drifted into the Clear Sky Main Hall, entering the bodies of every Clear Sky Sect disciple with each breath they took.

"Where is this green mist coming from?"

The disciples of the Clear Sky Sect quickly noticed the increasingly dense green fog, and looks of confusion appeared on their faces. Logically, the Clear Sky Sect was situated atop a thousand-meter peak where there was only snow, light snow, heavy snow, and blizzards; there was no such thing as fog, let alone green fog.

The elders of the Clear Sky Sect, having not yet considered that possibility, also looked puzzled. But after inhaling a breath, they reacted, roaring, "Not good! This mist is poisonous!"

"All disciples, hold your breath! Do not inhale this toxic gas!"

Unfortunately, it was already too late. Those disciples with lower cultivation who had inhaled a few breaths of the poison saw their bodies turn green at a speed visible to the naked eye. Immediately, these disciples began to scream in agony, feeling as if their bodies and internal organs were burning and melting away.

In the original work, Dugu Yan's third soul skill, Jade Phosphorous Purple Poison, was described by Qin Ming as incomparably lethal. Inhaling just a few breaths would turn one into a puddle of pus within moments. He had been extremely worried about the safety of the Shrek Seven Devils, even though they were all high-level Soul Grand Masters or Soul Elders at the time, and Dai Mubai's cultivation was similar to Dugu Yan's.

It was clear that Dugu Yan's poison was terrifyingly lethal even to soul masters of similar cultivation levels.

Dugu Bo's cultivation had reached the level of an 89th-rank Soul Douluo. Although he had yet to break through to become a Titled Douluo, he could still claim that while he might not be able to defeat a Titled Douluo, he could certainly leave them with nothing but their title.

"Ah—"

"Ah—"

"Ah—"

The Clear Sky Sect echoed with horrific, soul-piercing screams. Under the horrified gaze of the entire sect, the lowest-level disciples saw their bodies turn from green to black, and finally, like hollow ice sculptures in a desert, they dissolved into puddles of foul-smelling pus.

Those disciples with higher cultivation managed to temporarily delay the corrosion of the poison using their soul power, but the speed at which their bodies were turning green was not slowing down.

"Quickly, leave the sect!"

Perceiving through his spiritual sense that most of the sect's area was shrouded in toxic mist, the Second Elder immediately gave the order.

As the strongest, Tang Xiao and the Six Elders of Clear Sky had just rushed out of the sect's main gate when their expressions went blank. Outside the sect, there was no blue sky or white clouds—only a green barrier of poison that had enveloped the entire summit of the Clear Sky Mountain Range. The barrier continued to climb upward, forming a giant egg that sealed off the last glimpses of the outside world, trapping the Clear Sky Sect within.

At this altitude, the Clear Sky Hammer martial soul possessed no flight capabilities, and with no one having broken through to the Titled Douluo realm, the only way to break through the barrier was to charge through it. However, the Clear Sky Sect was surrounded by thousand-meter-high cliffs; charging blindly was impossible, as no one knew if they would step into thin air and fall to their deaths.

They searched cautiously for a way out within the toxic barrier, but the Jade Phosphorous Serpent poison would not grant them such time. It was either die by poison or die by falling.

"This is Jade Phosphorous Serpent poison. Could it be Dugu Bo?"

"What is going on? Why would Dugu Bo poison our Clear Sky Sect?"

The members of the Clear Sky Sect had bloodshot eyes and were gasping for air like oxen, their faces twisted in madness. They could not understand why, having never provoked Dugu Bo, he would be so vicious as to try and wipe out their entire lineage.

"Qian Xunji! It must be Qian Xunji's poisonous scheme! He drove the old Sect Master to his death, leaving the Clear Sky Sect immersed in grief and distracted from the outside world, then sent Dugu Bo to poison us in secret!"

"Qian Daoliu, that despicable, shameless, and heartless wretch! He fears the majesty of Ancestor Tang Chen and dares not ascend the mountain, so he sends others to destroy our Clear Sky Sect! That sinister beast!"

The wily Six Elders of Clear Sky quickly deduced the answer.

"Is this the end of the Clear Sky Sect?"

"No, I don't want to die here! Elders, please, think of something!"

The disciples of the Clear Sky Sect were on the verge of total collapse and despair. In their eyes, they could die heroically and gloriously on the battlefield for the sect, but to be poisoned to death—to die so ignobly and without knowing why—how could they accept this?

"Tang Hao! It's all Tang Hao's fault! If he hadn't fallen in love with a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast and provoked the Martial Soul Hall, how could we have been poisoned? Damn Tang Hao!"

"Clear Sky Douluo? 'Day-after-day' Douluo? Does that bastard Tang Hao even deserve such a title? That son of a bitch is nothing but a 'Grass-Eating' Douluo, a white-eyed wolf, a heartless wretch! The Clear Sky Sect truly wasted its efforts raising him!"

"That dog Tang Hao brought trouble to the sect and then just up and left. If I survive this, I will personally tear your head off!"

The desperate disciples, the vast majority of them, turned their rage toward Tang Hao, cursing him with manic fury.

"Wuwuwu, I don't want to die! I still have so much of my life left to live!"

Seeing his brothers and sisters collapsing and cursing Tang Hao, Tang Xiao felt a surge of anger, but now was not the time to dwell on it. Feeling the toxic barrier gradually covering the entire mountain range, he hurriedly asked, "Elders, what should we do?"

The Second Elder was trembling with rage, his eyes bloodshot and shimmering with tears.

"Dugu Bo has been a Soul Douluo for many years. The Jade Phosphorous Serpent poison is devastating to soul masters of the same level and catastrophic to those of lower levels. It is possible that only the seven of us will survive this!"

His chest heaving, the Second Elder endured the immense grief and said, "We must escape through the secret passage immediately! If we are any later, even we might not survive! Move!"

"Martial Soul Hall! Martial Soul Hall! Martial Soul Hall!"

Tang Xiao and the Six Elders of Clear Sky roared in their hearts, tears streaming down their faces as they burst into their fastest speed, rushing toward the entrance of the secret passage within the sect, not daring to look at the expressions of the disciples they were leaving behind.

"Elders, where are you going!"

"Father!"

"Brother Xiao!"