Putting on airs is also a skill

Strength Clan encampment.

The air remained thick with a pungent, charred stench and the metallic tang of blood. Although the battle had concluded, the harrowing atmosphere lingered, refusing to dissipate.

Bibi Dong sat upon her portable gilded throne, clutching the casualty report she had just received. Her expression was as grim as it could possibly be.

"Clap!"

She slammed the report onto the table with a fierce force, glaring at Demon Bear Douluo, who stood below.

"Elder Demon Bear, can you explain this battle report to This Seat?"

Demon Bear had led one thousand spirit masters, including three hundred elites at the Spirit King level or higher.

In last night's chaotic melee, two hundred and thirty-six had been killed in action, and two hundred and eighteen were severely wounded!

Meanwhile, the number of corpses left behind by the Strength Clan and the Clear Sky Sect did not even reach two hundred.

Furthermore, the majority of the Clear Sky Sect casualties had been caused by her own Death Domain and Samsara Death Realm!

"I would like to ask, did you bring these one thousand elites to the battlefield to serve as an honor guard? Or were they there to test the hardness of the enemy's Clear Sky Hammers?" Bibi Dong asked, speechless.

"Your Holiness... you do not understand!" Demon Bear Douluo wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, defending himself. "Those savages from the Strength Clan are one thing; they are just thick-skinned. But those reinforcements from the Clear Sky Sect..."

"That is the Clear Sky Hammer!"

"Most of our spirit masters possess only mid-tier martial souls, with very few high-tier ones. Facing spirit masters with a top-tier martial soul like the Clear Sky Hammer, they shatter at the slightest touch and go flying at the slightest strike!"

"And..."

Demon Bear Douluo cast a resentful glance at Bibi Dong. "And that gray mist domain of yours later on... although it was immensely powerful, it terrified our own men, threw our formation into complete chaos, and that is why..."

"Shut your mouth!"

Bibi Dong snorted coldly. "Incompetent yourself, yet you blame my domain for being too strong?"

"If not for that domain, would you still be standing here talking to me right now?"

Demon Bear Douluo shrank his neck, not daring to make another sound.

Having witnessed Bibi Dong's strength last night, he no longer dared to act tough in front of her.

Within the Sea of Consciousness.

Nan Feng was also speechless and felt a dull ache in his gut.

"I took a look during the chaos. Our spirit masters, even the Spirit Kings, unleashed a flashy mess of spirit skills—fire here, ice there—looking quite intimidating. And what about the Clear Sky Sect disciples?"

"No frills at all, just one move—the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer!"

"They swing the hammer, and they smash!"

"Usually, they can bully rogue cultivators by relying on sheer numbers, but the moment they encounter a hard nut like the Clear Sky Sect, even if the enemy is outnumbered, these guys crumble at the first touch."

"One hammer strike, and not only is the shield broken and the person sent flying, but their very courage is smashed to pieces."

"Cannon fodder like this is just serving themselves up on a platter, no matter how many you bring."

Bibi Dong sighed, her tone carrying a trace of deep exhaustion.

"Do you see now? I told you long ago not to overestimate this bunch of trash. Otherwise, I wouldn't be so wary of the Elder Hall."

"Only Titled Douluo are the key to determining the course of a war. The rest... are merely consumables used to wave flags and shout."

The true foundation of the Martial Soul Hall lies in the Titled Douluo of the Elder Hall, the Holy Emperor Warrior Regiment of the Pope Palace, the Douluo Warrior Regiment of the Douluo Hall, and the Angel Legion hidden deep within the Martial Soul Hall!

Yet now, both the Holy Emperor Warrior Regiment and the Douluo Warrior Regiment are controlled by Golden Crocodile!

The Angel Legion only obeys the commands of Qian Daoliu!

This bunch of cannon fodder below is fine for intimidating small sects, but against a top-tier sect like the Clear Sky Sect, they are purely serving themselves up as fodder!

If not for the fact that Nan Feng was still holding that perverted self-contained Martial Soul Fusion Skill last night, she wouldn't have been here to support Demon Bear; she would have been walking straight into a trap.

"Nan Feng, let's talk business." Bibi Dong asked in her heart. "What is the plan for the next step? Support the Defense Clan and the Breaking Clan?"

"Support my foot." Nan Feng lazily rolled over. "Rest."

"Rest?" Bibi Dong frowned slightly.

"Big sister, look at our current record." Nan Feng counted on his fingers. "You, a dignified Pope, personally led the team to suppress the Speed Clan with thunderous momentum, and with brilliant foresight, you predicted Tang Xiao's movements to support Demon Bear in attacking the Strength Clan."

"Not only did you severely damage the Strength Clan, but you also went head-to-head with the main force of the Clear Sky Sect, taking out two elders and forcing one Great Elder to his death."

"With a record like this, looking across the history of the Martial Soul Hall, how many Popes could achieve it?"

"For a violent institution like the Martial Soul Hall, war is the fastest and simplest way to establish prestige."

"After this battle, your prestige as the new Pope within the Martial Soul Hall has reached its peak."

"With this record thrown out there, if those three old slippery eels—Ghost Leopard, Snake Lance, and Pufferfish—still dare to slack off, you will have sufficient moral justification to skin them alive afterward."

"Furthermore, that Twin Emperors Annihilate the World move from last night will soon spread through the Elder Hall via that loudmouth Demon Bear."

"By then, everyone will know that the Pope is neither a vase in Qian Daoliu's hands nor a soft persimmon to be squeezed at will. When you go crazy, you are truly capable of killing them."

"From now on, even if Golden Crocodile wants to keep tripping you up, these people will have to weigh the consequences for the sake of their own lives."

"After all, Qian Daoliu could kill them, and you... you can too!"

"I am well aware of the political dividends," Bibi Dong interrupted Nan Feng, her expression remaining solemn. "I am asking about the war ahead."

"The Clear Sky Sect supported the Strength Clan this time, sending over three hundred soul masters—all elites above the Soul King level. Over a hundred died in last night's battle. For the Clear Sky Sect, this is a bone-deep injury."

"But while they fled, their main force remains, and Tang Xiao remains. The Defense Clan and the Breaking Clan are still in a standoff."

"Moving forward, do we pursue our victory, or do we quit while we're ahead?"

"Quit while we're ahead?" Nan Feng looked puzzled.

"What do you mean by quitting while we're ahead? We were nearly dragged into a gutter by that old fossil last night; you call this 'ahead'?"

"Of course we must keep fighting!"

"Are you insane?" Bibi Dong said, speechless.

"You know my physical condition better than anyone! That self-Martial Soul Fusion Skill from last night was powerful, but the overdraft was too severe! Both of my Martial Souls have fallen into extreme weakness; I cannot trigger that move again in the short term!"

"Furthermore, my soul power recovery is extremely slow. I am nothing but an empty shell right now!"

"If we continue the pursuit and truly push Tang Xiao to the edge, or if the Clear Sky Sect uses some kind of mutually destructive tactic, the losses for Martial Soul Hall will be immense. I might even be exposed!"

"Once I am exposed, the deterrence I built up will have been for nothing!"

"Exposed?" Nan Feng chuckled. "Little Dongdong, are you being too honest?"

"The self-Martial Soul Fusion Skill from last night certainly cannot be triggered again in the short term, but, aside from the two of us..."

"Who else knows?"

Bibi Dong froze.

"Does the Clear Sky Sect know you are drained? Or do those trash soul masters in Martial Soul Hall know?"

Nan Feng spread his hands, his face full of cunning:

"They don't know!"

"They only saw you break the Clear Sky Battle Formation in one strike and instantly kill two elders. They only saw you take a point-blank self-detonation from a peak Soul Douluo and walk out unscathed!"

"In their eyes, you are an invincible god of death! An unconquerable monster!"

"Do you remember when you first broke into the Death Canyon and entered my lair?"

"I was a dying, empty shell back then too, but I bluffed just a little, and I had you so confused you didn't know which way was up."

Bibi Dong's face darkened. "Try bringing that up again, I dare you."

"Ahem." Nan Feng felt a bit guilty.

"My point is, we can play it the same way now."

"The Clear Sky Sect doesn't know you're drained; they only know you are terrifyingly fierce."

"And precisely because you are weak now, you absolutely cannot retreat! You cannot show even the slightest hint of hesitation!"

"You must continue to be fierce! You must act even more arrogant and overbearing than you were last night!"

"You were so impressive last night; if you choose to 'quit while you're ahead' and rest today..."

"Then, as long as Tang Xiao hasn't lost his mind, or that cunning Second Elder thinks it over, they will guess that your ferocity came at a price."

"Those old foxes in the Elder Hall will also guess that you cannot stay that fierce forever."

"Once they see through your bluff, the invincible image you worked so hard to build will collapse!"

"Therefore..."

Nan Feng leaned close to Bibi Dong's consciousness, his eyes flashing with a crazed purple light:

"Bluffing is a skill in itself."

"We will use this empty shell to scare the Clear Sky Sect out of their wits! We will scare the Defense Clan and the Breaking Clan into surrendering directly!"

"Then what do you intend to do?" Bibi Dong took a deep breath, forced to admit that Nan Feng made sense.

"It's simple."

Nan Feng snapped his fingers. "We don't need to risk the entire army in a life-or-death struggle."

"Issue orders to Snake Lance, Pufferfish, and Ghost Leopard!"

"Tell them that This Seat has already dealt with the Speed Clan and the Strength Clan. If there is still no movement on their end, This Seat will go over personally to loosen their bones!"

"At the same time, issue an ultimatum to the Defense Clan and the Breaking Clan!"

"Tell Yang Wudi and Niu Gao that the Speed Clan has been captured, the Strength Clan has suffered heavy casualties, and the main force of the Clear Sky Sect has been driven away by This Seat."

"Give them three days."

"Either surrender honestly and submit to Martial Soul Hall."

"Or..."

"This Seat will bring that gray mist from last night and pay a visit to their clan grounds!"