At that moment, the Second Elder, who had been silent all along, suddenly stepped forward and blocked Tang Xiao's path.
"Second Uncle! What do you mean by this?!" Tang Xiao glared at the highly respected elder. "That's my uncle! My uncle, who got dragged into this because of us! Are you telling me to stand by and let him die?!"
"Sect Master, calm down!"
The Second Elder's face was as dark as still water. "I know you're anxious, and I know he's family. But you're the Sect Master now! Every move you make affects whether the entire Clear Sky Sect survives!"
"Since Spirit Hall dared to attack the Speed Clan so brazenly, and even sent two Titled Douluo, yet still let these people escape to send word and ask for help, what does that tell us?"
"It tells us this is a trap!"
"They're waiting for you to come out! Waiting for you to lead the Clear Sky Sect's elite straight into their encirclement!"
"That unfilial son Tang Hao has already brought disaster down upon us. Spirit Hall is now bent on revenge, its morale soaring. If we rashly launch an attack now, and Spirit Hall throws everything it has at us..."
The Second Elder took a deep breath, his voice heavy.
"Then forget saving the Speed Clan. We'll lose what little the Clear Sky Sect has left!"
"So we're just supposed to watch?!"
Tang Xiao clenched both fists, his nails digging deep into his flesh. "Just watch while they kill my uncle? Kill my people? How will the Clear Sky Sect ever be able to stand tall in the Soul Master World again?!"
"We're not watching. We're taking the time to plan!"
The Second Elder spoke gravely. "The most urgent thing is to notify the other three clans at once, tell them to strengthen their defenses or come to the sect immediately. The Speed Clan has been attacked. The other three clans are probably in danger too."
"Besides, we should send people to contact the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan right away."
"The Upper Three Sects stand together. Spirit Hall's outrageous actions, its attempt to wipe out the Clear Sky Sect's affiliated clans, are a blow to the balance of the Soul Master World! To protect themselves, and because they know that when the lips are gone the teeth grow cold, those two might..."
"Bullshit!!"
Before the Second Elder could finish, the short-tempered Seventh Elder leaped to his feet and pointed at the Second Elder's nose.
"Second Brother, have you lost your mind?!"
"Ask those two clans for help? When did the Clear Sky Sect sink so low that we have to look to them for approval?!"
"We're the greatest sect under heaven! We wield the Clear Sky Hammer! Ask Ning Fengzhi, that businessman from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, for help? Bow our heads to those showboating loaches of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?"
"I won't suffer that humiliation!!"
"Little Seventh is right."
The Great Elder, who had said nothing until now, finally spoke. A trace of helplessness flickered in his cloudy eyes. "Second Brother, that won't work."
"The Clear Sky Sect has always looked down its nose at others. We have little to do with those two clans, and we've even had our share of friction. Now we're in trouble, having provoked Spirit Hall, that towering behemoth."
"You think they'll help if you ask? We'll be lucky if they don't kick us while we're down!"
"If we go and get turned away, or have them mock us before sending us packing, then the last shred of dignity the Clear Sky Sect has will be torn off and used as a foot rag!"
"Then what do we do?!"
Tang Xiao watched the elders argue back and forth. His head felt ready to split, his heart cut to ribbons. "This won't work, that won't work! Are we just going to stand by and watch the Speed Clan be wiped out?!"
"Sect Master..."
The Great Elder sighed, his gaze complicated as he looked at Tang Xiao.
"The only thing we can do now is..."
"Do what?" Tang Xiao asked urgently.
"Endure." The Great Elder closed his eyes. "Weather the storm, and the waters will calm. As long as we hold Clear Sky Peak, its natural defenses will keep even Spirit Hall from daring to attack us lightly."
"As for the Speed Clan..."
"That is the sin Tang Hao brought upon them. They... were just out of luck."
"You..."
Tang Xiao stared at the most revered elder of the Clear Sky Sect, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Endure?!"
"They're about to slaughter my uncle and his people, and you're telling me to endure?!"
"If we don't, the entire sect will be buried with them!" The Great Elder's eyes snapped open, and he barked, "Tang Xiao! Do you want to become the Clear Sky Sect's greatest sinner?!"
Dead silence filled the hall.
Tang Xiao slumped into a chair, clutching his head in both hands. A groan of unbearable anguish tore from his throat.
He knew the Great Elder was right.
But he couldn't accept it!
He truly couldn't accept it!
Just then, another disciple came rushing into the hall in a panic.
"Rep—!!!"
"Sect Master! Elders! Something terrible has happened!"
"The Strength Clan, the Defense Clan, and the Breaking Clan... have all been attacked by Spirit Hall at the same time!!"
"What?!"
The entire hall was stunned!
Every elder sprang to their feet, shock written across their faces.
All four clans attacked at once?!
Spirit Hall really meant to wipe them all out!
"And...!"
The disciple swallowed, his voice trembling. "According to the reports, the force surrounding the Speed Clan is led by Spirit Hall's new Pope, Bibi Dong, in person!"
"She sent word that she would... would..."
"What did she say? Speak!!" Tang Xiao roared.
"She said... she's waiting at the Speed Clan for the Clear Sky Sect to come rescue them."
"If we don't dare..."
The disciple lowered his head, his voice barely a whisper.
"Then we should prepare the coffins and collect the bodies of the Four Great Clans."
"..."
"Outrageous!!"
Tang Xiao flew into a rage.
"First my younger brother, now the Four Great Clans! Does Spirit Hall think the Clear Sky Sect has no one left?!"
As he spoke, Tang Xiao sprang to his feet and headed for the sect's central plaza to gather his people.
"Wait!"
Just as Tang Xiao was about to step out of the hall, the Second Elder's grim voice rang out again. Its unshakable calm stopped Tang Xiao in his tracks.
"What do you want to say now?!" Tang Xiao whipped around, his eyes bloodshot, like a furious lion. "Second Uncle, I've already given in once. If you dare stop me from saving my uncle again, don't blame me for forgetting my elders' rank!"
"Sect Master, you're being foolish!"
Pointing at the scouts from the Speed Clan on the ground, the Second Elder analyzed the situation sharply. "The Speed Clan was attacked, and their report got back quickly. That makes sense. Their Martial Soul is flight, after all, and their speed is unmatched. These scouts were also deliberately allowed to escape by Spirit Hall."
"But what about the other three clans?"
The Second Elder suddenly turned and pointed at the disciple who had just rushed in, his voice icy.
"The Strength Clan, the Defense Clan, and the Breaking Clan are scattered across different parts of the Heaven Dou Empire, far from the Clear Sky Sect. They don't have the Sharp-Tailed Rain Swallow's extreme speed. Even if they broke through immediately to send word, how could their reports have arrived on the mountain just a little after the Speed Clan's?"
At this, the elders, who had been in an uproar, fell silent. Tang Xiao's bloodshot eyes narrowed slightly.
That was true.
Too fast.
The reports had come at an awfully convenient time, as if someone had deliberately timed it, then shoved all four "battle reports" into their hands at once, forcing them to act immediately.
"This is obviously false information spread by Bibi Dong to throw us into confusion!"
Seeing the others waver, the Second Elder pressed his advantage. "She wants us in disarray, wants us to panic! She wants us to believe all four affiliated clans have been attacked at once, forcing us to split our forces to rescue them or send the whole sect rushing straight into her trap!"
"I'll stake my word on it! Other than the Speed Clan, which really is under attack by Spirit Hall's main force, the reports about the other three clans are most likely false! Or grossly exaggerated!"
"They might not have been attacked at all. They could just be smoke screens put out by Spirit Hall!"
"There's only one purpose—lure the snake out of its hole!"
"The Clear Sky Sect occupies a natural stronghold, easy to defend and difficult to attack. That's our greatest advantage. If we abandon it over several reports whose truth we can't verify, and send our entire force to save the already-encircled Speed Clan..."
The Second Elder drew a deep breath, his voice unbearably heavy.
"Then we'll be walking straight into the trap! We'll be playing right into Bibi Dong's hands!"
Tang Xiao's clenched fists trembled. His knuckles crackled. Reason told him that the Second Elder's analysis made perfect sense. This could very well be a deadly trap aimed at the Clear Sky Sect's main force.
But...
"So what if it's a trap?!"
Tang Xiao lifted his head, his eyes even more bloodshot than before. Pride and responsibility as the sect master blazed within them. "The Speed Clan's plight is a settled fact! My uncle is in their hands! Their people are waiting for me to save them!"
"Second Uncle, your reasoning makes sense. But tell me, what if... I mean, what if the other three clans really have been attacked too? What if Spirit Hall has gone completely mad and intends to wipe out every force that depends on us?!"
"Can we afford to gamble?!"
"I can't gamble with my uncle's life. And I can't gamble away the last shred of the Clear Sky Sect's honor!"
Tang Xiao swept his sleeve. The phantom of a Clear Sky Hammer flashed into view behind him, and the fierce resolve in his bearing sent a shudder through every elder present.
"My mind is made up!"
"No matter what, I'm going down the mountain! I'm saving the Speed Clan, no matter what! Even if I have to cross a mountain of blades and a sea of flames, I'll fight my way through!"
"If you elders are afraid of dying, afraid this is a trap, I won't force you!"
"I, Tang Xiao, will go alone with my hammer and save them!"