Continental Situation

The situation that could have once rivaled Martial Soul Hall had already suffered a severe imbalance in high-end combat power, and following that, the Clear Sky Sect acted with the cowardice of a mouse, easily abandoning over ten thousand spirit masters of outside surnames.

Except for a few, such as the Four Single-Attribute Clans, these ten thousand spirit masters were all absorbed and reorganized by Martial Soul Hall.

After Bibi Dong took power, she utilized the soaring momentum of Martial Soul Hall to secretly recruit a large number of spirit masters, and even the lower four sects of the Seven Great Sects chose to secretly pledge their allegiance.

That aside, beyond the power of spirit masters, Martial Soul Hall also controlled the various kingdoms and duchies under the jurisdiction of Heaven Dou and Star Luo; it could be said that the situation had developed to the point where Martial Soul Hall was riding a dragon into the faces of their enemies—how could they possibly lose?

"The elders of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had always opposed my union with Fengzhi. After the conflict between Tang Hao and Martial Soul Hall, a voice emerged within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect: the elders hoped to form a marriage alliance with the Clear Sky Sect to strengthen mutual trust and thereby maintain the stability of the continent's situation."

A sneer curled the corner of Su Yun Tao's mouth. The elders of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect overestimated the Clear Sky Sect; forming a marriage alliance with that bunch was completely useless. Was Bai He not Tang San's grand-uncle? Yet, was he not abandoned all the same? The Four Single-Attribute Clans worked like beasts of burden their entire lives, only for the Clear Sky Sect to push them out as meat shields in the end. Forming an alliance with such a faction was truly futile.

"Fengzhi was very disdainful at the time. He told the elders of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect that the Clear Sky Sect was no longer the Clear Sky Sect of the past. Tang Chen had built a massive foundation, but the disciples of the Clear Sky Sect who grew up under his protection were nothing but a bunch of trash."

"After Tang Chen left, the elders of the Clear Sky Sect seized power, treating the sect's rules as if they were nothing. They were overbearing internally and cowardly externally! They had no heart for external warfare, only a tendency for internal strife. The interior of the Clear Sky Sect had become foul and murky; those elders were all people who were brave in internal fighting but timid in external battles."

"If the Clear Sky Sect still possessed even a fraction of Tang Chen's courage and mettle, then an alliance would be feasible. But as things stand, even if an alliance were formed, it would bring no benefit to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

Su Yun Tao nodded, acknowledging Ning Fengzhi's conclusion. "Senior Ye, Sect Master Ning's assessment is indeed correct, but why then did he have Ning Rongrong with another woman?"

Ye Lingrong sighed softly. "That was because the Clear Sky Sect, in seeking allies, took the initiative to propose the marriage."

"Oh?" Su Yun Tao said dismissively, "So Sect Master Ning compromised under the pressure from both sides?"

Ye Lingrong smiled. "He did not. From beginning to end, Fengzhi never yielded. He and I continued to spend every day together, working hard on our cultivation while attempting to reach the Spirit Douluo realm, all while he began handling the various affairs of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

"This life continued for three years, until that incident occurred."

Su Yun Tao calculated the timeline. "Senior Ye, could it be when Tang Hao broke through to become a Titled Douluo and defeated the three Titled Douluos of Martial Soul Hall, led by the former Pope Qian Xunji?"

"Exactly." Ye Lingrong sighed. "After that battle, the situation on the continent took a sharp turn for the worse. Both the elders of the Clear Sky Sect and the elders of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect were pressuring Fengzhi. Even I was unwilling to watch him face such pressure; I would rather have no name or status if it meant I could hope for him to live a better life."

A sense of respect welled up in Su Yun Tao's heart. Perhaps this was what they called love.

"Facing immense pressure, Fengzhi displayed astonishing perseverance. Both the Clear Sky Sect and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect exhausted every means, yet they could not force him to submit."

"Senior Ye, if that is the case, why is Ning Rongrong not your daughter?"

Ye Lingrong sneered. "That is because we all underestimated the shamelessness of those elders in the Clear Sky Sect!"

"Their so-called alliance was not about two factions working together; they wanted the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to take the heat for them! The marriage was merely a means for them to control the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"

"Although Fengzhi firmly refused the marriage, to achieve their ulterior motives, they used every possible method until they finally forced Fengzhi to conceive a child with the daughter of the Clear Sky Sect's Second Elder. That innocent child is Rongrong!"

Su Yun Tao's eyes widened, clearly stunned by the machinations of the Clear Sky Sect's elders.

"Heh, after Rongrong was born, those people in the Clear Sky Sect beat their chests and stomped their feet because the child was not a boy. Even so, Rongrong's mother used the child to leverage her own position! She used Rongrong as a bargaining chip to point fingers within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, attempting to turn the sect into a puppet for the Clear Sky Sect!"

"Fengzhi was unwilling to harm Rongrong's mother because he felt she was also a victim. However, Rongrong's mother had been brainwashed by the Clear Sky Sect since childhood; she was a complete 'sect slave.' In her eyes, there was no longer any concept of good or evil, and she had even lost her humanity. To her, those elders of the Clear Sky Sect were heaven itself! Her actions had completely lost all rationality."

"Under these circumstances, Fengzhi acted decisively, taking two Supreme Elders to personally end the life of Rongrong's mother, and with lightning speed, he quickly quelled the chaos within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

Su Yun Tao sighed. In truth, what he despised most were 'sect slaves.' Their behavior was entirely a manifestation of their own servility rather than any genuine love for their sect; they were merely slaves in their thinking. Moreover, the most heinous part was that they mistook obedience for filial piety and viewed humiliation as natural.

"Senior Ye, if that is so, why has Sect Master Ning still not given you a formal status?"

Ye Lingrong said slowly, "Because the situation on the continent is not like it used to be. On the surface, the continent appears calm, but in reality, undercurrents are surging! Even Fengzhi has been walking on thin ice for these past years. He does not want us, mother and daughter, to be dragged into the grievances and grudges of this continent."

"He hopes that Lingling and I can live our lives in peace, which is why he had me disappear from the eyes of the world many years ago."

In Su Yun Tao's view, Ning Fengzhi's actions indeed contained great wisdom. He had even left behind contingencies many years ago, having Ye Lingrong—who was only a Soul Sage at the time—go into seclusion. In every respect, this was a brilliant move.

Ye Lingrong looked at Su Yun Tao, whose expression had shifted several times, and a smile appeared on her face. She knew that Su Yun Tao had been moved by Ning Fengzhi's story.

"Yun Tao, since that is the case, why don't I find a time for Fengzhi to meet you?" Ye Lingrong struck while the iron was hot.

"Oh?" Su Yun Tao smiled. "Sect Master Ning is the esteemed master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect; does he have the spare time?"

"Yun Tao, Fengzhi's reputation for respecting the virtuous and lowering himself to the talented is known throughout the world. I will notify him immediately; I hope you do not mind."

Su Yun Tao laughed. "That would be fine. I also look forward to the scene when I meet Sect Master Ning."

Upon hearing this, Ye Lingrong was overjoyed and immediately said, "Thank you, Yun Tao. If you ever suffer any injuries in the future, do not hesitate to come and find me."