Feint to the East, Attack the West

Facing Ghost Leopard's resentment, Snake Lance and Pufferfish looked back with expressions of pure innocence.

They really couldn't be blamed for this!

They had wanted to slack off too, but with two Title Douluo leading the team, how were they supposed to answer to Bibi Dong if they returned with zero results?

Besides, they had genuinely given the Breaking Clan a chance; there was no sneak attack, just a blatant show of overwhelming force. But that hot-tempered Yang Wudi had charged at them with his Soul-Breaking Spear the moment they met, looking to fight to the death. What were they supposed to do?

Were they supposed to just run away?

Two Title Douluo, chased off by a single Soul Douluo?

Did they have no pride left?

"Snake Lance, Pufferfish."

Bibi Dong's voice shattered the silence. She glanced at the two of them indifferently. "You have done well. Since the Breaking Clan does not know what is good for them, they have brought this destruction upon themselves. Being able to capture Yang Wushuang can be considered removing a future threat for Martial Soul Hall."

"Record one major merit."

"Thank you, Your Eminence!" Snake Lance and Pufferfish felt a surge of joy and hurriedly expressed their gratitude.

Following this, Bibi Dong's gaze shifted to Ghost Leopard Douluo, her eyes turning slightly cold.

"As for Elder Ghost Leopard..."

"Sub... subordinate is here!" Cold sweat streamed down Ghost Leopard Douluo's face.

"I have certainly witnessed your benevolence," Bibi Dong said in a flat tone, yet it sent a chill straight to the top of Ghost Leopard Douluo's skull. "I hope that next time, you can distinguish the proper occasion for your benevolence. Behave yourself."

"Yes! Yes! This subordinate acknowledges his crime!" Ghost Leopard Douluo felt as if he had been granted a reprieve, the cold sweat on his back nearly soaking through his clothes.

"Your Eminence the Pope..."

Snake Lance Douluo hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to ask, "Now that the Clear Sky Sect has sealed its mountain, Tang Hao has been expelled from the sect, and the four affiliated clans have fallen apart, the strategic objectives of Martial Soul Hall have been achieved."

"Furthermore... we no longer have a righteous justification to attack the Clear Sky Sect. If we continue to deploy troops, I fear it will incite criticism from soul masters across the world and perhaps even provoke a desperate counterattack from the Clear Sky Sect."

"As the saying goes, drive a dog into a deep alley, and it will surely bite back."

"This subordinate dares to suggest... is it time to withdraw the troops and return to the capital?"

Inside the grand tent, a heavy silence fell.

Everyone's gaze was fixed on Bibi Dong.

Indeed, as the battle stood, Martial Soul Hall could be considered to have won a landslide victory.

They had killed two elders, forced the Great Elder to his death, severely crippled the elite forces of the Clear Sky Sect, captured the Speed Clan, decimated the Breaking Clan, forced the Strength Clan and Defense Clan to flee, and ultimately compelled the world's number one sect to seal its mountain and hide from the world.

This record was enough to boast about for a hundred years.

Stopping while ahead was the most rational choice.

Moreover, everyone was exhausted and afraid.

Especially those who had witnessed the Great Elder's self-detonation; now, whenever the Clear Sky Hammer was mentioned, their legs would tremble.

Bibi Dong sighed in her heart.

"Nan Feng, you heard him too. War requires a righteous cause. We came here to seek revenge, not to exterminate the sect. If we continue to attack now, it would be naked aggression. How would that make the soul masters of the world view Martial Soul Hall?"

"And..."

Bibi Dong sighed, "The most critical point is that the men below can no longer fight."

"That explosion from the Clear Sky Sect's Great Elder, while it didn't hurt me, shattered the courage of the Martial Soul Hall soul masters. Even Chrysanthemum, Ghost, and Demon Bear feel a sense of dread whenever the Clear Sky Hammer is mentioned now."

"Attack Clear Sky Peak? That is a natural fortress, easy to defend and hard to attack; those below the Soul Saint level are useless there. Do you expect me to send several Title Douluo to throw their lives away against that natural chasm?"

"Stopping while ahead now, and returning with Yang Wushuang and the captives of the Speed Clan, gives us both face and substance. It is the most cost-effective deal."

"To keep fighting is not only unjustifiable, but it would also come at a massive cost. The risks far outweigh the rewards."

"Stop while ahead? Impossible," Nan Feng said indifferently.

"If you don't finish eating the meat that has reached your lips, you will face divine retribution. We must keep fighting!"

"Fight?" Bibi Dong's brows locked together as she retorted in her heart. "What value is there left? If we continue to fight, not only will the losses far outweigh the gains, but we might even capsize."

"Martial Soul Hall no longer has a righteous justification. If we force an assault on Clear Sky Peak, we are just throwing lives away. By then, not only will the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan refuse to sit still, but the two great empires will also be on guard against us."

"Is it worth offending the entire world for a few remnants?"

"Who said anything about a forced assault on Clear Sky Peak?" Nan Feng countered.

"We only need to bring the army to the foot of the mountain, have the remaining thousand-plus men camp out below Clear Sky Peak, and shout slogans every day to intimidate them."

"Put pressure on them, and while we're at it... attract the attention of the entire world."

Bibi Dong was even more confused. "If we aren't attacking the mountain, what are we staying here for? To enjoy the scenery?"

"We are going hunting, of course," Nan Feng said.

"Little Dongdong, think about it. After witnessing the power of the Samsara Death Realm, do you think those terrified Clear Sky Sect elders will dare to truly hide in that death trap of a Clear Sky Peak?"

"Clear Sky Peak is easy to defend and hard to attack, but that only applies to large armies and low-level soul masters. But for Title Douluo-level powerhouses, what are those few iron chains? What are those cliffs and precipices?"

"As long as you are willing, you could fly up there at any moment, unleash a domain upon their sect hall, and wipe them all out."

"Right now, you are the one they fear the most!"

"Therefore..."

Nan Feng stated with certainty, "A cunning rabbit has three burrows. A great sect like the Clear Sky Sect, which has been passed down for a thousand years, has certainly left itself more than one way out. They would never dare to put all their eggs in the single basket that is Clear Sky Peak."

"They are likely carrying out a secret evacuation as we speak!"

"Evacuation?" Bibi Dong's heart stirred. "You mean... they will flee?"

"They will definitely flee! At the very least, they will send away the old, the weak, the women, and the young geniuses, leaving behind only a few old bones on the mountain as bait."

"Then where would they go?" Bibi Dong quickly began to deduce. "The Star Luo Empire? Although the people there are fierce, the journey is long, and it is separated by layers of Martial Soul Hall checkpoints. The risk is too great."

"Then there is only one direction..."

The voices of Bibi Dong and Nan Feng overlapped at this moment:

"North! To Heaven Dou City!!"

"Bingo!"

Nan Feng snapped his fingers. "The Clear Sky Sect's base is already in the heart of the Heaven Dou Empire. Heading north to Heaven Dou City is the shortest and safest route."

"That is the territory of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. The Imperial Guard is stationed in the capital, and even Martial Soul Hall cannot brazenly lead a legion of spirit masters through there to commit murder."

"More importantly, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan are both in that vicinity."

"Previously, we had the moral high ground because we were avenging the death of the former Pope, so they dared not speak and could only watch."

"But now, the Clear Sky Sect has already conceded and sealed their mountain, even casting Tang Hao out. If we show a stance of exterminating them completely, those two sects will inevitably feel the crisis of 'when the lips are gone, the teeth are cold'."

"At that point, they will definitely step in to protect the remnants of the Clear Sky Sect. Even the Heaven Dou Imperial Family might intervene to win over hearts, playing the hero who provides help in the snow."

"Therefore, for the current Clear Sky Sect, Heaven Dou City is their only safe haven—a sanctuary they would crawl to if they had to!"

"Since that is the case, we shall split our forces into two paths. First, we will make a grand show of surrounding Clear Sky Peak to attract everyone's attention, letting that fool Tang Xiao believe we are going to have a decisive battle head-on."

"Then, we dispatch our elites to wait on their only path of retreat!"

"A feint to the east, an attack in the west!"

"The Clear Sky Sect needs to relocate their old, weak, women, and young geniuses; their procession will surely be massive and their movement slow. This is the perfect target!"

Bibi Dong hesitated. "But... there is no justification for this. The Clear Sky Sect has already yielded. If we intercept and slaughter the retreating women and children..."

"Justification?" Nan Feng thought for a moment. "Isn't the justification already ready-made?"

"You just say that according to reliable intelligence, while the Clear Sky Sect publicly expelled Tang Hao, they are actually engaging in a secret transfer!"

"That wanted criminal, Tang Hao, is hiding within the evacuating group!"

"We are only pursuing the remnants of the Clear Sky Sect who are attempting to resist because we are trying to capture Tang Hao."

"As for whether or not we find Tang Hao in the end..."

"As long as we have all the retreating members of the Clear Sky Sect in our hands, doesn't the power of discourse lie with us?"

"As long as the people of the Clear Sky Sect themselves admit that Tang Hao was in that group, but that the fellow ran away when Martial Soul Hall attacked, who could say otherwise?"

"Besides, I don't intend to destroy the Clear Sky Sect; I intend to incorporate them."

"Incorporate them?" Bibi Dong was stunned.

"Nan Feng, have you been blinded by victory? Do you not know the character of those people in the Clear Sky Sect? Have you not seen enough of the Great Elder's self-detonation? That kind of madness where they would rather be shattered than remain whole—do you think that can be incorporated just by scaring them?"

"Want them to submit? Only if the sun rises in the west."

"Pride? Honor?" Nan Feng chuckled.

"Little Dongdong, do you have some misunderstanding of these two words?"

"Back at the Speed Clan, Tang Xiao was willing to offend the Elder Council to save his uncle; that was pride."

"Later at the Strength Clan, the Great Elder was willing to detonate himself to cover their retreat for the sake of the sect's continuation; that was honor."

"But what about now?"

"They threw Tang Hao out like trash, sold off their affiliated clans like abandoned pawns, and then sealed their mountain like cowardly turtles."

"What is this called? This is called living in disgrace! This is called doing whatever it takes to survive!"

"The moment they made those decisions, their so-called pride was already broken, and their so-called honor was already trampled into the mud."

"There are no absolutely hard bones, only fantasies that haven't been shattered yet."

"We will give them despair first."

"Intercept their group heading to Heaven Dou City, and capture all those old, weak, women, children, and those young genius seeds."

"This is seizing them by their lifeline!"

"Then... we give them a glimmer of hope."

"Tell Tang Xiao and those old immortals that as long as they are willing to bow their heads and submit, we will release these people."

"We can even promise that as long as they submit, not only will we not kill them, but we will help them rebuild the Clear Sky Sect and even allow them to retain the inheritance of the Clear Sky Hammer."

"On one side is the extermination of their sect and the severance of their descendants."

"On the other side is enduring humiliation to preserve their spark."

"You tell me, how will those old things, who have already had their courage shattered and have already abandoned their principles once to save their lives, choose?"

"..."