The hall fell deathly silent.
Everyone had been frightened by the scene the Second Elder had described.
He was right. That domain had been terrifying. It was no plague mere human strength could withstand!
"Since Spirit Hall has already torn off the mask this time, even resorting to that kind of evil power, it means they have no intention of letting this go."
The Second Elder took a deep breath and made his final decision:
"We can't just sit here and wait to die."
"We must immediately organize the elderly, women, and children within the sect, along with the promising young generation, and evacuate Clear Sky Peak in secret, in batches. They'll head to our backup base near Heaven Dou City and hide themselves completely."
"If Spirit Hall really attacks us without restraint..."
"Then we'll destroy the sect and abandon this place for good!"
"No matter what, the Core Flame of the Clear Sky Sect... must not be extinguished!"
To abandon their ancestral home—what a terrible humiliation.
For the Clear Sky Sect, which valued glory as dearly as life itself, this was almost worse than being killed.
But as they looked at the defeated remnants before them, and at their clansmen weeping over lost family members, everyone fell silent.
They knew the Second Elder was right.
Against Bibi Dong, terrifying as a demon god, and Spirit Hall, which could kill peak experts in an instant, they no longer had the strength to fight head-on.
Survive.
Survive like rats.
That was the only hope left to the sect that had once been the greatest under heaven.
"Tai Tan."
The Second Elder suddenly turned to the silent Tai Tan.
"Here." Tai Tan's voice was low.
"Your Strength Clan... should evacuate with us too." The Second Elder's tone was complicated. "Now that the Speed Clan has fallen, your Strength Clan is too conspicuous. It won't be safe for you to stay outside. Go to Heaven Dou City with our families. At least you'll have someone to look after you there."
Tai Tan raised his head and looked at the elders, who had once stood so high above everyone else but were now scared out of their wits.
He thought of Tang Hao's former bold confidence. He thought of the Great Elder, who had just died for the sect's dignity. Then he looked at these "leaders," who kept backing down just to cling to life, even going so far as to sell Tang Hao out.
Tai Tan's heart turned cold.
"There's no need."
Tai Tan suddenly straightened his back. A bitter, utterly disillusioned smile appeared on his rugged face.
"Though the Strength Clan is an affiliated clan, we have our own backbone."
"Since the Clear Sky Sect has sealed its gates, and since you've expelled Master Tang Hao from the sect..."
"Then you elders needn't trouble yourselves over the Strength Clan."
"What do you mean?" The Second Elder frowned.
"I mean..."
Tai Tan turned and cupped his fist toward Tang Xiao, who sat dejectedly on the throne, as a final gesture of their former master-and-servant bond. Then he turned and strode toward the hall's exit, his voice ringing out, resolute:
"From this day on, the Strength Clan leaves the Clear Sky Sect!"
"The world is vast. We'll make our own way!"
"Even if we die at Spirit Hall's hands, I'd never sell out my master to save my own life like a coward hiding his head in his shell!"
"Let's go!!"
At Tai Tan's furious shout, the few remaining members of the Strength Clan followed their patriarch without hesitation, striding out of the Clear Sky Sect's hall, steeped in decay and cowardice.
"You... You've rebelled! This is outrageous!!" The Seventh Elder trembled with rage.
But no one tried to stop them.
They knew that with the Strength Clan gone, the Clear Sky Sect, which had once commanded its four affiliated clans and shaken the world...
Had fallen apart completely.
The Pope's traveling quarters, at the Strength Clan's base.
The brazier burned brightly in the tent, but Bibi Dong's face was still pallid with a sickly tinge. She lounged against the soft couch, gently rubbing her temples as she tried to ease the tearing pain deep in her soul.
"You bastard..."
Bibi Dong gritted her teeth inwardly. "You call this a side effect? I feel like my Martial Souls are about to fall apart!"
Though that Self-Martial Soul Fusion Skill was formidable, granting her strength close to level ninety-nine for a short time, the price had been immense. Her two Martial Souls were not merely weakened—they had also been damaged.
It felt like two spiders with completely different temperaments, each hating the other, had been crammed into the same cage and forced to devour and fuse with each other. The power they unleashed had been world-shattering, but the aftereffects were enough to drive anyone mad.
That lunatic Nan Feng had used the point where their souls fused as a foundation, forcibly blending the two conflicting streams of Spider Emperor Soul Power. The heart of this technique wasn't Martial Soul Fusion, but soul fusion.
The price of that fusion was that the two Spider Emperor Martial Souls, colliding at their peak, had both ended up battered and bruised.
"One month..."
Bibi Dong gritted her teeth inwardly. "I won't be able to use my full strength for an entire month. I might not even be able to maintain the level of an ordinary Titled Douluo. Nan Feng, is this what you call a 'small price'?"
"Easy, easy," Nan Feng said, still sounding carefree. "You're just a little weak, not crippled. Besides, you just soloed the Clear Sky Sect dungeon. You're an absolute monster now. Who'd dare test how strong you are?"
"Even if you're slumped in a chair picking your toes, those people outside will think it's profound and mysterious, that you've returned to simplicity."
"Get lost!" Bibi Dong was utterly speechless.
She was a cautious person. Being strong on the outside but weak within left her feeling terribly insecure!
Just then, the tent flap lifted, and Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan came in with quick, mincing steps, his expression respectful.
"Your Holiness, Ghost Leopard, Snake Lance, and Porcupinefish have returned. They're waiting outside for your summons."
"Let them in." Bibi Dong sat up straight and forcibly roused a trace of Soul Power, making her face look a little rosier. Her eyes instantly regained their haughty, world-dominating coldness.
A moment later, three figures filed in.
Ghost Leopard Douluo walked at the front. His eyes darted about, and his steps were unsteady; he was clearly feeling guilty.
Snake Lance and Porcupinefish behind him were injured, but their expressions were fairly composed. They simply looked at Ghost Leopard with a hint of bemusement.
"Greetings, Your Holiness!" The three bowed in unison.
"Rise."
Bibi Dong leaned back in her chair, her slender fingers tapping lightly on the armrest.
"Report. How did the battle go?"
Bibi Dong's gaze swept over the three of them. "Did the Defense Clan and the Breaking Clan surrender?"
"This..."
Ghost Leopard Douluo shuddered. He braced himself, stepped forward, and cupped his fist.
"I-I report to Your Holiness."
"When my men and I reached the Defense Clan, we had already surrounded them. But... just as we were about to attack, news suddenly came from the Clear Sky Sect."
Ghost Leopard Douluo swallowed, sneaking a glance at Bibi Dong's expression before continuing.
"The Clear Sky Sect announced that it was sealing its gates, expelling Tang Hao, revoking his Clear Sky title, and declaring to the world that it was severing all ties with him."
"After learning this, the Defense Clan immediately announced that it was leaving the Clear Sky Sect. Old Rhino Niu Gao said that since the Clear Sky Sect had abandoned them, they would no longer fight for it."
At this point, Ghost Leopard Douluo's voice grew a little more confident.
"I figured... since they'd already left the Clear Sky Sect, Spirit Hall no longer had a just cause to act against them. And besides... ahem, besides, to show Your Holiness's benevolence, I didn't pursue them and let them go."
After speaking, Ghost Leopard Douluo sneaked a glance at Bibi Dong, his heart in turmoil.
"Benevolence?"
A mocking curve formed at the corner of Bibi Dong's mouth. "Elder Ghost Leopard, since when did you become so kind? If I recall correctly, you used to be the one who enjoyed killing the most."
"I... I was thinking of the greater picture! I didn't want to bring Your Holiness the accusation of slaughtering innocents!" Ghost Leopard Douluo hurriedly defended himself.
"..."
Bibi Dong said nothing. She only looked at Ghost Leopard with a faintly amused smile until cold sweat streamed down his face. Then she slowly turned to the other two.
"And what about you?"
"The Breaking Clan is famous for its powerful offense. They even dare challenge Titled Douluo. Don't tell me you were touched by benevolence too?"
Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo exchanged a glance. Their expressions were strange, even a little helpless.
"Reporting to Your Holiness."
Snake Lance Douluo stepped forward and cupped his fist. "The Breaking Clan was indeed stubborn. Yang Wudi's Soul Breaking Spear had tremendous offensive power. I exchanged several blows with him. I managed to suppress him, but he injured me as well."
"However..."
Snake Lance Douluo glanced at Ghost Leopard, who looked completely relaxed beside him, and said helplessly, "The two of us didn't dare neglect Your Holiness's orders. Before news from the Clear Sky Sect arrived, Porcupinefish and I joined forces and grievously wounded Yang Wudi, crippling most of the Breaking Clan's elite."
"Not long after, news arrived that the Clear Sky Sect had expelled Tang Hao and sealed its gates to withdraw from the world. The Breaking Clan then announced that it was leaving the Clear Sky Sect. Porcupinefish and I figured that, without a just cause, continuing to wipe them out might tarnish Your Holiness's reputation for benevolence. So after the Breaking Clan abandoned its base and fled, we didn't pursue them."
At this point, Porcupinefish Douluo added:
"Still, we didn't come away empty-handed."
"Yang Wudi escaped, but his younger brother, Yang Wushuang, who was in charge of refining medicines, wasn't strong enough to get away. We captured him alive."
"He's being held just outside camp."
"..."
The atmosphere in the tent instantly turned a little strange.
Ghost Leopard Douluo whipped around and glared at Snake Lance and Porcupinefish, his eyes full of reproach.
What?! Weren't we all supposed to slack off together?!
Why'd you take it seriously?!
You crippled the Breaking Clan and even captured the man's own younger brother?!
Doesn't that make me, the one who "let the Defense Clan escape," look useless and completely unjustified?!
You're throwing me straight into the fire!