The Clear Sky Sect's Downfall

"Clear Sky Sect disciples, hear my command!"

Tang Xiao's voice rang out like a great bell, echoing across all of Xuankong Mountain.

"Here!"

Countless Clear Sky Sect disciples answered in unison. Though their voices trembled, all they could do now was tighten their grips on their hammers.

"Form the array!"

Tang Xiao shouted, slamming the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand into the ground.

"Boom!"

The entire mountain seemed to tremble as a wave of black energy spread rapidly outward from Tang Xiao.

The iron chains strewn across the ground began to shake violently. Countless phantoms of the Clear Sky Hammer crisscrossed in the sky, forming a massive black barrier.

"Not bad."

Gu Sheng watched the scene, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Is this your last struggle?"

He slowly raised his right hand, palm facing upward.

A wisp of golden light gathered in his palm, gradually forming a tiny golden orb.

The orb was only the size of a palm, but the energy it contained made She Long and Ci Xue, standing not far away, feel their hearts pound with fear.

"Elder, should we step in and help?"

Ci Xue looked at the black barrier and quietly asked She Long beside him.

She Long shook his head, his eyes full of reverence.

"No need. Saint Spirit King's strength is beyond our ability to fathom. We just need to guard the perimeter and make sure no one escapes."

At the center of the battlefield.

Tang Xiao stared at the golden orb in Gu Sheng's hand. His sense of impending danger had reached its peak.

"Great Sumeru Hammer, Ring Detonation!"

Without the slightest hesitation, he unleashed the Clear Sky Sect's most powerful life-or-death technique.

The first Soul Ring shattered!

Then the second, the third...

As the Soul Rings shattered, the Soul Power fluctuations around Tang Xiao surged exponentially.

The Clear Sky Hammer in his hand grew larger and larger, until it nearly blotted out half the sky. Its immense, violent power caused fine cracks to appear in the surrounding space.

"Gu Sheng, take this hammer!"

Tang Xiao roared. His entire body merged with the colossal Clear Sky Hammer, transforming into a black bolt of lightning as he hurtled toward Gu Sheng.

It was a peak strike, infused with all of Tang Xiao's Soul Power and the explosive force of several shattered Soul Rings.

The savage wind pressure flattened buildings across the mountaintop, while countless rocks were ground to dust in the sky.

Faced with this near-apocalyptic strike, Gu Sheng's expression didn't change in the slightest.

"Flashy nonsense."

Gu Sheng uttered the words calmly.

With the golden orb resting in his right hand, he casually pushed it forward.

"Go."

The golden orb turned into a streak of light and shot straight toward the enormous black hammer phantom.

The two forces met in midair.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, nor any wild burst of energy as expected.

The instant the golden orb touched the black hammer phantom, it merged into it.

Then golden light began to glow from within the massive black hammer phantom.

"Crack..."

A crisp sound rang out across the silent battlefield, startlingly clear.

Tang Xiao's face turned deathly pale. He could feel the connection between himself and the Clear Sky Hammer being forcibly erased by an irresistible power.

"Th-this... this is impossible!"

Tang Xiao spat out a mouthful of blood, his body trembling violently in midair.

"Boom!"

A dull thud.

Bathed in golden light, the massive Clear Sky Hammer phantom shattered.

The violent force of the recoil struck Tang Xiao, and his towering figure plummeted from the sky like a kite with its strings cut.

"Sect Master!"

The Second Elder and the others cried out in alarm, trying to rush forward and catch Tang Xiao.

But before they could move, a white figure had already appeared soundlessly in Tang Xiao's path as he fell.

Gu Sheng held one hand behind his back. With the other, he curled his fingers into a claw and seized Tang Xiao by the throat.

"Thud!"

Gu Sheng slammed Tang Xiao's body to the ground with one hand, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Sect Master!"

The Clear Sky Sect disciples' eyes reddened at the sight.

But the crushing pressure weighed them down so heavily that they couldn't take a single step forward.

Tang Xiao lay on the ground, panting heavily. Every breath brought up a large spray of blood.

His meridians had been shattered inch by inch by the recoil. He was now holding on only through sheer force of will.

"Gu... Gu Sheng..."

Tang Xiao looked up at the young man looming over him, his eyes filled with unwillingness.

"Who... who are you..."

He couldn't believe such a terrifying being existed on Douluo Continent.

This power had completely surpassed the realm of Titled Douluo.

Gu Sheng slowly crouched down beside the dying Tang Xiao.

"Who I am doesn't matter."

Gu Sheng's voice was soft, but only Tang Xiao could hear it.

"What matters is that you touched someone you shouldn't have."

"Xue'er is my wife. I'll clear the way for her. Anyone who might threaten her must die."

Hearing this, Tang Xiao felt a deep wave of self-mockery rise within him.

So the Clear Sky Sect had fallen simply because they had provoked a monster who doted on his wife above all else.

"How ridiculous... truly ridiculous..."

Tang Xiao gave a bitter laugh. Tears at the corners of his eyes mingled with blood and ran down his face.

"Big brother!"

Seeing this, Tang Hao went mad.

Ignoring his already-crippled body, he forcibly circulated the Soul Power within him, activating the Great Sumeru Hammer technique once more.

"I'll fight you to the death!"

With his one remaining hand, Tang Hao gripped a phantom Clear Sky Hammer and charged at Gu Sheng with all his might.

Gu Sheng didn't even turn his head. He simply swept one hand behind him.

A wave of golden Soul Power swept over Tang Hao, sending his entire body flying.

Tang Hao spewed blood in midair before crashing heavily into the ruins. He didn't move again.

"Second brother..."

Looking at Tang Hao's terrible state, the light in Tang Xiao's eyes gradually faded.

He knew the Clear Sky Sect was finished.

"Gu Sheng... please... spare... the sect's disciples..."

Tang Xiao used the last of his strength to beg.

He could die, but he didn't want to watch the Clear Sky Sect's legacy end.

Gu Sheng looked at him, his eyes utterly unmoved.

"I refuse."

Gu Sheng spoke calmly.

"Wildfire never quite consumes them; they rise again with the spring breeze. I think you understand that principle."

With that, Gu Sheng's right hand clamped around Tang Xiao's neck and tightened.

"Crack."

The crisp snap of breaking bone rang out.

Tang Xiao's body stiffened for a moment, then went limp.

His eyes remained wide open, filled with despair and remorse, but their focus was gone.

The Clear Sky Sect's leader, the renowned Tang Xiao, had fallen.

"Sect Master—!!"

At the sight, the Clear Sky Sect's disciples and elders alike broke down.

Grief, despair, and fear filled the mountain valley.

The Second Elder looked at Tang Xiao's corpse as if he had aged decades. The Clear Sky Hammer in his hand drooped limply to the ground.

"It's over... The Clear Sky Sect is finished..."

He muttered to himself, all fight gone from his eyes.

Gu Sheng slowly rose to his feet and brushed his hands in distaste, then looked around.

"She Long, Ci Xue."

Gu Sheng's voice echoed through the valley.

"Your subordinates are here!"

The two Titled Douluo immediately bowed.

"Make it quick. I promised Xue'er I'd return soon to keep her company."

Gu Sheng gave the order calmly, then turned away without another glance at the ruins.

"Understood!"

She Long and Ci Xue exchanged a look, excitement flashing in their eyes.

The once-glorious number one sect under heaven would become history at their hands today.

"Brothers, attack!"

She Long shouted. Leading countless soldiers and Soul Masters, he surged like a flood toward the Clear Sky Sect disciples, who had already lost the will to fight.

Screams and cries rang out at once in this former paradise, secluded from the world.

Gu Sheng stood in the air with his hands behind his back, gazing down at the bloody slaughter below without any expression on his face.

To him, destroying a sect was no different from crushing a swarm of ants.

His thoughts were only with the Empress, Qian Renxue, who was waiting for him to return to Heaven Dou City.

"Xue'er, wait for me."

Gu Sheng murmured softly, then moved, transforming into a streak of golden light as he sped toward Heaven Dou City.

Behind him, the Clear Sky Sect slowly headed toward its destruction amid raging flames.

Heaven Dou City, the imperial palace.

The atmosphere in the imperial palace was oppressive today.

Ever since Gu Sheng had left with the army yesterday, Qian Renxue had been unable to focus.

Though she had absolute confidence in Gu Sheng's strength, the Clear Sky Sect had once been the number one sect under heaven, with a deep foundation. She couldn't help worrying a little.

At that moment, Qian Renxue sat on a broad dragon throne, dressed in the Empress's magnificent dragon robes. Her delicate face was solemn.

Below the dais, a group of Heaven Dou Empire officials stood with their heads lowered, respectfully reporting on their work.

But Qian Renxue clearly wasn't listening. Every so often, she looked toward the hall's entrance, as if waiting for someone.

"Your Majesty? Your Majesty?"

The elderly eunuch attending her called out softly, puzzled.

Qian Renxue suddenly came back to her senses and cleared her throat awkwardly.

"What is it?"

"Your Majesty, regarding the arrangements for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, General Ge Long has sent back good news. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is now fully under our control, and Ning Fengzhi and the others have been very cooperative."

The elderly eunuch replied respectfully.

"Mm, I understand. You may leave."

Qian Renxue waved her hand listlessly.

She had no interest in any of this right now. All she wanted was news of that man.

Just then.

"Report—!!"

A hurried cry suddenly broke the silence of the hall.

A Spirit Hall scout, dust-stained from the road, hurried into the hall and dropped to one knee.

"Your Majesty, Saint Spirit King... His Highness..."

The scout was panting heavily, clearly having raced all the way back.

At the words "Saint Spirit King," Qian Renxue sprang to her feet, her face full of urgency.

"What happened to my husband? Speak!"

A tremor crept into Qian Renxue's voice, one she herself hadn't noticed.

The other ministers in the great hall perked up their ears as well, all of them eager to hear the outcome of this battle.

That was the Clear Sky Sect. If Gu Sheng had truly managed to destroy it, the balance of power in the Heaven Dou Empire would change.

The spy took a deep breath, steadying his frantic heartbeat. Then, in a voice brimming with almost reverent admiration, he shouted:

"Your Majesty, the Saint Spirit King led his army and destroyed the Clear Sky Sect at dawn today!"

"The Clear Sky Sect's Master, Tang Xiao, and five elders of Titled Douluo rank have all been slain by His Highness!"

"Every last remnant of the Clear Sky Sect has been wiped out!"

"His Highness... His Highness is already on his way back to the city!"

Boom!

The spy's words were like a boulder plunging into a still lake, stirring up a monstrous wave throughout the great hall.

The imperial ministers who had already feared Gu Sheng now looked deathly pale, their shock impossible to conceal.

"T-That... How is that possible?"

"The Clear Sky Sect was the greatest sect under heaven, with six Titled Douluo! And it was... destroyed in a single day?"

"Has the Saint Spirit King reached the divine realm?"

A hushed murmur swept through the great hall. Every face was etched with fear and reverence.

At that moment, none of them had any disloyal thoughts left toward the Heaven Dou Empire's newly appointed Saint Spirit King.

On the dragon throne, Qian Renxue was stunned by the news.

Then a joy she could not hide slowly spread across her delicate face.

"Darling... He really did it..."

Qian Renxue murmured dazedly. At last, the weight in her heart lifted.

She did not care how many people Gu Sheng had killed. All she knew was that this man, with his invincible strength, had swept aside the greatest obstacle on her path to the throne.

"Your Majesty, this is a momentous occasion!"

The old eunuch beside her was a shrewd man. He immediately dropped to his knees and cried out:

"The Saint Spirit King's might is unparalleled! He has destroyed the treacherous Clear Sky Sect—this is a blessing for the Heaven Dou Empire and for Your Majesty!"

"We offer our congratulations to Your Majesty and to the Saint Spirit King!"

Seeing this, the officials throughout the hall came to their senses and dropped to their knees in a dark, sweeping mass.

"Congratulations to Your Majesty! Congratulations to the Saint Spirit King!"

Their voices shook the heavens.

Qian Renxue looked down at the kneeling officials and took a deep breath. The stern look on her face gave way to a newfound confidence, as if she held everything in her hands.

"By my decree, all civil and military officials shall accompany me out of the city to welcome the Saint Spirit King's triumphant return!"

With a sweep of her long sleeves, Qian Renxue strode out of the great hall, graceful yet resolute.

She could hardly wait to throw herself into his warm embrace.

Bedchamber.

A subtle fragrance drifted through the air.

Holding her soft, fragrant form in his arms, Gu Sheng skimmed across the layers of curtains with a light touch of his toes, then gently laid Qian Renxue on the couch strewn with swan-down.

The heavy doors of the hall closed behind them, shutting out the clamor and the officials' reverence, sealing them away in another world.

Qian Renxue's imperial dragon robes were disheveled. Golden threads glimmered luxuriously in the light, but they could not hide the bashfulness in her eyes.

"Holding me so tightly, aren't you worried the ministers will whisper behind your back and say that you, the Saint Spirit King, are breaking the rules?"

Qian Renxue looped her arms around Gu Sheng's neck. Her beautiful eyes shimmered, and not a trace of her courtly majesty remained.