Puni VS Clear Sky Sect!!

"Hmph, so what if they are?"

Seventh Elder snorted coldly, looking unconvinced.

"Our Clear Sky Sect has the sect-protecting formation and treacherous natural barriers to defend us. Even if he is powerful, does he really think he can level our ten-thousand-foot-tall Xuankong Mountain?"

Just as the words left Seventh Elder's lips.

Suddenly.

"BOOM!"

A violent tremor erupted from outside the main hall without any warning.

The magnitude of the vibration was immense; the entire sturdy council hall began to shake violently, and countless shards of stone and dust rained down from the ceiling.

Immediately following, a shrill alarm pierced through the long-standing tranquility of the Clear Sky Sect.

"Enemy attack--!!"

The voice was filled with extreme terror, as if they had encountered some horrific existence.

"What is happening?!"

Tang Xiao's expression changed drastically. He stood up abruptly and, with a flicker of his figure, transformed into a streak of light, rushing out of the hall.

The five elders exchanged glances, their faces filled with shock, and hurriedly followed behind him.

When they arrived at the plaza outside the council hall and saw the scene before them, everyone could not help but gasp in cold air.

In the distant void, the originally white, misty clouds had been torn apart, revealing the azure sky.

However, that sky was now filled with dense, black specks.

It was three thousand fully armed Heaven Dou Empire royal cavalry. They had somehow crossed the treacherous natural barriers and completely surrounded the mountain range where the Clear Sky Sect resided.

Their heavy armor refracted cold light under the sun, and the overwhelming killing intent gathered together, causing even the wind and clouds in the sky to change color.

In the void ahead, over a dozen experts at the Titled Douluo and Soul Douluo levels stood in mid-air.

Leading them was Gu Sheng, dressed in white with a calm expression.

"The Heaven Dou Empire's army... how could they arrive so quickly?!"

Second Elder's voice trembled, the shock in his eyes impossible to conceal.

The Clear Sky Sect's place of seclusion was hidden, and the mountain paths were perilous; the fact that the enemy could bring three thousand heavy cavalry here without anyone noticing was simply inconceivable.

"Look at those two!"

Third Elder pointed at the two people beside Gu Sheng, his face turning so dark it was as if water could drip from it.

"That is Snake Lance and Pufferfish from the Martial Soul Hall! The Heaven Dou Empire has truly colluded with the Martial Soul Hall!"

Seeing these two familiar figures, everyone in the Clear Sky Sect realized this was clearly a premeditated siege.

In an instant, the entire Clear Sky Sect fell into chaos. Countless young disciples ran about in a panic, their eyes filled with fear as they looked at the dark, oppressive army outside.

Ever since the sect retreated from the world, these younger generations had never seen such a formation.

Tang Xiao forcibly suppressed the shock in his heart, took a deep breath, and channeled his soul power, his voice exploding in the void like a tolling bell.

"Is that the Saint Spirit King of the Heaven Dou Empire ahead? I do not know why Your Highness has brought troops to surround my Clear Sky Sect?"

"My Clear Sky Sect has been in seclusion for twenty years and has never participated in the disputes between the empire and the outside world. Is this move by Your Highness not a bit unreasonable?"

Tang Xiao's voice, wrapped in soul power, rolled out into the distance.

Gu Sheng, standing in the void, slowly lowered his head, looking down at the Clear Sky Sect members below who were facing a formidable enemy.

His black eyes were deep and indifferent, as if he were looking at a group of lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

"Seclusion?"

Gu Sheng's voice was soft, yet it carried an irresistible majesty that clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Tang Hao injured my princess; that is the first reason. Tang San colluded with foreign enemies, intending to overthrow the Heaven Dou Empire; that is the second."

"You, the Clear Sky Sect, harbor imperial fugitives, yet you talk to me about seclusion? Isn't that a bit ridiculous?"

Gu Sheng's words carried no warmth, yet every syllable was like a blade, striking at the heart of the matter.

Tang Xiao's expression stiffened, and for a moment, he was speechless.

"Bullshit!"

Just then, Seventh Elder, who was standing to the side, could no longer hold back.

He was naturally hot-tempered, and coupled with the pain of losing his son years ago, he hated the Martial Soul Hall and those self-righteous experts to the bone.

"Tang Hao was expelled from the sect long ago! Why should his actions be blamed on our Clear Sky Sect?!"

"You brat, you are just relying on your numbers to spout nonsense here! You want to destroy my Clear Sky Sect? Do you think you are worthy?!"

Seventh Elder pointed at Gu Sheng in the sky and cursed loudly.

In his view, Gu Sheng was merely a young man with some peculiar methods. As long as they utilized the sect-protecting formation and combined the power of the five elders and Tang Xiao, they were not without a chance to fight.

Hearing Seventh Elder's loud cursing, Tang Xiao felt a jolt in his heart and secretly thought, This is bad.

Before he could even voice his protest, Gu Sheng, suspended in mid-air, suddenly began to laugh.

The laughter was chilling, devoid of even a trace of human emotion.

"Whether I am worthy or not, you shall soon find out."

The moment Gu Sheng's voice fell, he moved.

No dazzling spirit rings lit up, nor was there even the slightest ripple of spirit power; Gu Sheng simply took a step through the void as if it were nothing.

Yet, it was this seemingly simple step.

"BOOM--!!"

An indescribable, terrifying pressure descended instantly from the heavens.

It was the true power of a god; even a mere sliver of it was something no mortal could hope to contend with.

The entire sky seemed to be imprisoned in that moment; the previously violent mountain winds stilled instantly, and even the disciples of the sect below found it difficult to breathe.

That pressure descended with pinpoint accuracy upon the Seventh Elder alone.

"Crack, crack..."

The crisp sound of shattering bones rang out, piercingly sharp in the silent plaza.

The Seventh Elder did not even have the chance to react before his entire body was forced to buckle; his legs trembled, and he let out a groan of agony under the unbearable weight.

"What... what kind of power is this?!"

The Seventh Elder's face flushed red, and a flicker of horror finally surfaced in his eyes.

He wanted to resist, wanted to summon his Clear Sky Hammer, only to find that the spirit power within him felt as if it had solidified, unable to circulate even the slightest bit.

The sensation was as if he were not facing a man, but the will of an entire world.

"Seventh!"

Tang Xiao and the other four elders turned pale, crying out in shock.

They wanted to intervene, but were stunned to discover that under the subtle, pervasive pressure of Gu Sheng's lock, even moving an inch had become a struggle.

This was the absolute gap in strength.

"Twenty years ago, you were allowed to linger on in your wretched existence; you should have felt fortunate to have lived for so long."

Gu Sheng's figure drifted slowly through the void, landing upon a massive iron chain that spanned the cliffside.

His white robes fluttered, untainted by the dust of the mortal world.

"Unfortunately, it seems you did not cherish that opportunity."

Watching the Seventh Elder struggle under the pressure with a twisted expression, a flash of disgust crossed Gu Sheng's eyes.

"Noisy thing. Since you are so eager to stand up for Tang Hao, then go wait for him in the underworld."

Gu Sheng raised his right hand with a look of disdain, pressing his index and middle fingers together, and pointed vaguely in the direction of the Seventh Elder.

"Overestimating yourself."

He spat these two words out.

In an instant, a golden light, pure and devoid of any impurity, bloomed at his fingertips.

The golden light was not blinding, yet it carried a sanctity and absoluteness capable of purifying all things.

"Boom!"

Accompanied by a roar that was not particularly loud, the golden light transformed into a thin beam of flowing light, crossing the hundred-meter distance in an instant, heading straight for the Seventh Elder.

"Sect Master, save me!!"

At this moment, the Seventh Elder finally felt the approach of death; his bloodshot eyes were filled with despair and terror.

He tried his best to dodge, even attempting to detonate the spirit rings within his body, but under the suppression of that absolute domain, he could not even lift a finger.

Tang Xiao's eyes were split with rage; he drove his spirit power to the limit, risking damage to his own meridians to forcibly break free from a sliver of the restraint.

"Clear Sky True Body--!!"

Tang Xiao roared, and a massive Clear Sky Hammer, radiating a pitch-black light, suddenly appeared in his hand. He swung the hammer, intending to block the strike for the Seventh Elder.

However, his speed was far too slow in the face of Gu Sheng's absolute power.

"Pfft--!"

A soft sound.

The pure golden beam of light, moving at a speed that transcended the limitations of space, passed directly through Tang Xiao's unformed spirit power defense and pierced precisely through the center of the Seventh Elder's brow.

The Seventh Elder's body froze instantly in place.

The fear, rage, and unwillingness in his eyes locked in that single moment.

His withered frame began to turn into golden dust, bit by bit, under the radiance of the light, scattering with the wind.

Not a drop of blood remained, nor was there any painful struggle.

The Seventh Elder of the Clear Sky Sect, a man renowned across the continent with the strength of a Titled Douluo, had not even managed to withstand a single finger from Gu Sheng, meeting his end in ashes before the eyes of all.

This scene shocked everyone present.

The originally noisy plaza instantly fell into a deathly silence.

All the Clear Sky Sect disciples watched the golden dust gradually dissipate in the air, their eyes filled with nothing but endless terror.

Tang Xiao's massive Clear Sky Hammer hung powerlessly at his side; his chest heaved violently as he stared blankly at the empty space.

"Seventh..."

The bodies of the Second Elder and the others were trembling violently from extreme fear.

One strike, merely a flick of a finger, had obliterated a Titled Douluo.

Such strength had completely surpassed their entire understanding of the world's powerful soul masters.

Gu Sheng slowly retracted his finger, flicked his sleeve lightly, and looked at the pale-faced high-ranking members of the Clear Sky Sect, saying indifferently:

"Who is next?"

His voice was very soft, yet it sounded like the whisper of the Grim Reaper, striking heavily at the heart of everyone present.

Standing to the side, She Long and Ci Xue watched this scene and could not help but swallow hard, the look of awe in their eyes growing even more intense.

The might of the Saint Spirit King was truly terrifying to this extent.

The golden powder in the sky swirled in the wind before finally vanishing into the air.

Silence.

A deathly silence.

Even the warhorses pulling the heavy chariots seemed to sense some great terror at this moment, each lowering their heads, not daring to even snort.

Tang Xiao looked at his empty side; the Seventh Elder, who should have been standing there, had not even left a scrap of clothing behind.

"Seventh Brother..."

The Second Elder's voice was trembling.

He was the strongest person in the Clear Sky Sect besides Tang Xiao, yet he hadn't even seen how Gu Sheng had made his move just now.

No soul rings, no fluctuations of soul skills, only that pure light.

Tang Xiao slowly raised his head, his haggard face now covered in bloodshot veins.

His eyes no longer held the previous wariness, leaving only a grief and indignation that bordered on madness.

"Gu Sheng..."

Tang Xiao gritted his teeth, his voice sounding as if it were squeezed from the depths of his throat.

"Do you truly intend to fight the Clear Sky Sect until one of us is dead?"

Gu Sheng, standing on the iron chain, did not change his expression.

He did not even look directly at Tang Xiao, merely brushing some non-existent dust off his white robes.

"Until one of us is dead?"

Gu Sheng chuckled softly, a hint of disdain in his eyes.

"Do you even deserve to use that term?"

He spoke very calmly, as if he were discussing a matter of course.

But it was precisely this calmness that made the Clear Sky Sect disciples present feel a fear that seeped into their very bones.

"Gu Sheng! Everything started because of me, come at me!"

Just then, a hoarse roar came from the front of the hall.

Tang Hao struggled to stand up from his chair, his broken body trembling.

His only remaining right arm gripped the door frame, his fingernails digging into the wood until blood seeped out.

"What happened back then was my doing; it has nothing to do with the sect, and nothing to do with Little San!"

"If you want revenge, take my life now and spare the Clear Sky Sect!"

Tang Hao's voice echoed through the valley, carrying the desolation of a hero at the end of his road.

Gu Sheng tilted his head slightly, his gaze finally landing on Tang Hao.

"Spare?"

Gu Sheng's voice was light, yet it carried a high and mighty indifference.

"Do you think you have any qualifications to negotiate with me right now?"

"You hurt my Xue'er; do you think your death alone can appease my fury?"

Hearing Gu Sheng mention Qian Renxue, the expressions of Tang Xiao and the elders changed once again.

They finally understood that this catastrophe was simply unavoidable.

The new Empress of Heaven Dou City was this man's taboo.

"Sect Master, stop wasting words with him."

Second Elder gritted his teeth and stepped to Tang Xiao's side.

"There is no peaceful resolution to today's events. Our Clear Sky Sect has been passed down for centuries; how could we sit idly by and wait for death!"

"Indeed, at worst we die, but we must never lose the backbone of the Clear Sky Sect!"

The other three elders stepped forward one after another, their faces etched with resolve.

Nine spirit rings rose from their feet in sequence, their black radiance dimming the entire sky.

Tang Xiao looked at his brothers beside him and took a deep breath.

He knew that today was the moment of life and death for the Clear Sky Sect.

"Ah Hao, stand back."

Tang Xiao said in a deep voice, his tone carrying the authority of a sect master.

"Today, I am the master of the Clear Sky Sect, and I cannot watch the sect be destroyed."

He took a step forward, and the spirit power in his body began to surge wildly.

Two yellow, two purple, five black.

Nine spirit rings with the optimal configuration circled Tang Xiao, and that tyrannical aura instantly dispersed a portion of the pressure Gu Sheng had previously exerted.

A massive Clear Sky Hammer, radiating a pitch-black glow, suddenly appeared in his hand.

On the body of the hammer, mysterious inscriptions flickered with a faint blue light.