The Fall of the Clear Sky Sect

"Clear Sky Sect disciples, heed my command!"

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

"Present!"

Countless Clear Sky Sect disciples responded in unison. Though their voices trembled, they had no choice but to grip their hammers tightly.

"Form the array!"

Tang Xiao roared, slamming his Clear Sky Hammer into the ground with a thunderous crash.

BOOM!

The entire mountain peak seemed to shudder. A wave of black energy erupted from Tang Xiao, rapidly spreading in all directions.

The iron chains lying on the ground began to shake violently, and countless phantoms of the Clear Sky Hammer wove together in the sky, forming a massive black barrier.

"A bit interesting."

Gu Sheng watched the scene, a playful glint in his eyes.

"Is this your final struggle?"

He slowly raised his right hand, palm facing upward.

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

Though the orb was only the size of a palm, the energy contained within made She Long and Ci Xue, standing not far away, tremble with heart-stopping fear.

"Elder, should we step in to help?"

Ci Xue looked at the black barrier and whispered to She Long beside him.

She Long shook his head, his eyes filled with awe.

"No need. The strength of Saint Spirit King is not something we can fathom. We only need to guard the perimeter and ensure not a single person escapes."

At the center of the battlefield, Tang Xiao watched the golden orb in Gu Sheng's hand, his sense of crisis reaching its peak.

"Great Sumeru Hammer, Ring Detonation!"

Without a moment's hesitation, he unleashed the Clear Sky Sect's most powerful, life-risking technique.

The first spirit ring, shatter!

Followed by the second, the third...

As the spirit rings shattered, the fluctuations of Tang Xiao's spirit power surged exponentially.

The Clear Sky Hammer in his hand grew larger and larger until it finally obscured half the sky. The heavy, violent power caused cracks to appear in the surrounding space.

"Gu Sheng, take this hammer!"

Tang Xiao bellowed, his body merging with the massive Clear Sky Hammer, transforming into a bolt of black lightning as he charged straight at Gu Sheng.

It was a peak strike, condensing all of Tang Xiao's spirit power and the explosive force of several shattered spirit rings.

The violent wind pressure flattened the buildings atop the mountain, and countless shards of rock were pulverized in the air.

Facing this earth-shattering strike, Gu Sheng's expression did not change in the slightest.

"Flashy and useless."

Gu Sheng uttered these words indifferently.

He pushed his right hand, which held the golden orb, forward quite casually.

"Go."

The golden orb transformed into a streak of light, heading straight for the massive black hammer shadow.

The two forces met in mid-air.

There was no earth-shattering explosion as imagined, nor any violent release of energy.

The moment the golden orb touched the black hammer shadow, it simply merged into it.

Immediately after, the massive black hammer shadow began to glow with golden light from within.

"Crack..."

A crisp sound rang out, exceptionally clear on the silent battlefield.

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

"This... this is impossible!"

Tang Xiao spat out a mouthful of blood, his body trembling violently in mid-air.

BOOM!

A muffled sound echoed.

Under the radiance of the golden light, the massive Clear Sky Hammer shadow shattered.

The violent backlash struck Tang Xiao, and his tall frame fell heavily from the sky like a kite with a broken string.

"Sect Master!"

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

However, before they could even move, a white figure appeared silently along the trajectory of Tang Xiao's fall.

Gu Sheng had one hand behind his back, while the other, shaped like a claw, clamped onto Tang Xiao's throat.

"Bang!"

Tang Xiao's body was slammed into the ground by Gu Sheng's single hand, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Sect Master!"

The disciples of the Clear Sky Sect turned red-eyed at the sight.

Yet, they were pinned down by that heavy pressure, unable to take a single step forward.

Tang Xiao lay on the ground, gasping for air, each breath bringing up a spray of blood.

His meridians had shattered inch by inch from the previous backlash, and he was now merely holding on through sheer, tenacious vitality.

"Gu... Gu Sheng..."

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

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

He could not believe that such a terrifying existence could exist on the Douluo Continent.

This power had completely transcended the realm of Title Douluo.

Gu Sheng slowly crouched down, looking at the dying Tang Xiao.

"Who I am is not important."

Gu Sheng's voice was soft, audible only to Tang Xiao.

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

"Xue'er is my wife, and I will pave the way for her. Anyone who poses a threat to her must die."

Hearing this, a deep sense of self-mockery rose in Tang Xiao's heart.

So, the destruction of the Clear Sky Sect was merely because they had provoked a monster who doted on his wife as if his life depended on it.

"Ridiculous... truly ridiculous..."

Tang Xiao laughed miserably, tears mixed with blood streaming from the corners of his eyes.

"Big Brother!"

In the distance, Tang Hao saw this scene and went mad.

Ignoring his own crippled body, he forcibly circulated the soul power within him, activating the technique of the Great Sumeru Hammer once more.

"I'll fight you to the death!"

With his only remaining hand, Tang Hao gripped an illusory Clear Sky Hammer and charged toward Gu Sheng with all his might.

Gu Sheng did not even turn his head, merely waving his hand backward.

A wave of golden soul power swept across instantly, swatting Tang Hao away.

Tang Hao spat blood in mid-air before crashing heavily into the ruins, falling silent.

"Second Brother..."

Tang Xiao watched Tang Hao's tragic state, the light in his eyes gradually dimming.

He knew the Clear Sky Sect was finished.

"Gu Sheng... I beg you... spare... the sect's disciples..."

Tang Xiao used his final strength to plead.

He could die, but he did not want to watch the heritage of the Clear Sky Sect be severed.

Gu Sheng looked at him, his expression devoid of any fluctuation.

"I refuse."

Gu Sheng said indifferently.

"Wildfires cannot burn it out, and the spring breeze brings it back to life. I believe you understand this principle."

Having said that, the right hand Gu Sheng had clamped around Tang Xiao's throat exerted sudden force.

"Snap."

A crisp sound of breaking bones echoed.

Tang Xiao's body stiffened abruptly before going limp.

His eyes remained wide open, filled with despair and self-reproach, yet they had lost all focus.

The Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect, the formidable Tang Xiao, had fallen.

"Sect Master--!!"

Seeing this scene, the disciples and elders of the Clear Sky Sect collapsed.

Grief, despair, and terror permeated the valley.

Second Elder stared at the corpse of Tang Xiao, appearing to age decades in an instant, his Clear Sky Hammer hanging limply against the ground.

"It's over... the Clear Sky Sect, it's over..."

He muttered to himself, his eyes devoid of any remaining fighting spirit.

Gu Sheng slowly stood up, brushed his hands with disgust, and looked around.

"She Long, Ci Xue."

The voice of Gu Sheng echoed through the valley.

"At your command!"

The two Titled Douluo bowed immediately.

"Make it quick. I promised Xue'er I would return to accompany her early."

Gu Sheng ordered indifferently, then turned away, not sparing the ruins another glance.

"As you command!"

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

The once lofty number one sect in the world would become history today by their hands.

"Brothers, move!"

She Long shouted, leading countless soldiers and spirit masters in a torrent that surged toward the demoralized disciples of the Clear Sky Sect.

Screams and wails erupted instantly in this former paradise.

Gu Sheng stood in the void, hands behind his back, watching the carnage below with an expressionless face.

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

His heart held only the Empress Qian Renxue, who was waiting for him back in Heaven Dou City.

"Xue'er, wait for me."

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

He left behind the Clear Sky Sect, which was gradually being consumed by raging flames.

Heaven Dou City, Imperial Palace.

The atmosphere in the palace today was oppressive.

Ever since Gu Sheng departed with the army yesterday, Qian Renxue had been restless.

Although she had absolute confidence in the strength of Gu Sheng, the Clear Sky Sect was, after all, the former number one sect in the world with deep foundations; she was worried, to some extent.

At this moment, Qian Renxue sat on a wide dragon throne, dressed in luxurious imperial robes, her delicate face etched with seriousness.

Below the hall, the ministers of the Heaven Dou Empire stood with heads bowed, reporting on their work respectfully.

But Qian Renxue clearly wasn't listening; her gaze drifted toward the outside of the hall from time to time, as if expecting something.

"Your Majesty? Your Majesty?"

The old eunuch serving at her side called out softly in confusion.

Qian Renxue snapped back to reality, clearing her throat awkwardly.

"What is it?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, regarding the subsequent arrangements for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, General Ge Long has sent back news of victory. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is now fully under control, and Ning Fengzhi and the others are cooperating fully."

The old eunuch replied respectfully.

"Mm, I see. You may withdraw."

Qian Renxue waved her hand listlessly.

She had no interest in these matters; she only wanted news of that man.

Just then.

"Report--!!"

A hurried cry shattered the silence of the hall.

A Martial Soul Hall scout, covered in dust, rushed into the hall and knelt on one knee.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, His Highness the Saint Spirit King... His Highness, he..."

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

Hearing the words "Saint Spirit King," Qian Renxue stood up abruptly from the dragon throne, her face full of urgency.

"What happened to my husband? Speak quickly!"

A tremor that she herself had not noticed laced the voice of Qian Renxue.

The other ministers in the grand hall pricked up their ears, equally concerned about the outcome of this battle.

That was the Clear Sky Sect; if Gu Sheng had truly managed to annihilate them, the landscape of the Heaven Dou Empire would be irrevocably altered.

The scout took a deep breath to steady his frantic heartbeat, then shouted in a voice bordering on worship:

"Reporting to Your Majesty, His Highness the Saint Spirit King led his great army and annihilated the Clear Sky Sect this morning!"

"The Clear Sky Sect Master Tang Xiao, along with five Title Douluo-level elders, have all been slain by His Highness!"

"The remnants of the Clear Sky Sect have been completely purged!"

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

BOOM!

The scout's words were like a massive boulder cast into a calm lake, stirring up monstrous waves throughout the hall.

Those imperial ministers who already feared Gu Sheng turned deathly pale, their shock impossible to conceal.

"This... how is this possible?"

"The Clear Sky Sect, the world's number one sect with six Title Douluo—they were actually... annihilated in a single day?"

"Has the strength of His Highness the Saint Spirit King already reached the divine realm?"

A wave of stifled whispers rippled through the hall, every pair of eyes filled with fear and awe.

In this moment, any lingering thoughts of defiance against this newly ascended "Saint Spirit King" of the Heaven Dou Empire vanished.

On the dragon throne, Qian Renxue was stunned into silence upon hearing the news.

Immediately following, an irrepressible joy gradually bloomed across her delicate face.

My husband... my husband really did it...

Qian Renxue murmured in a daze, the heavy stone in her heart finally dropping.

She did not care how many people Gu Sheng had killed; she only knew that this man, with his invincible strength, had swept away the greatest stumbling block on her path to becoming Empress.

"Your Majesty, this is a monumental occasion!"

The old eunuch beside her, a shrewd man, immediately knelt and shouted aloud.

"His Highness the Saint Spirit King possesses peerless divine might, annihilating the traitorous Clear Sky Sect. This is the fortune of our Heaven Dou Empire, and the fortune of Your Majesty!"

"We, your subjects, congratulate Your Majesty and His Highness the Saint Spirit King!"

Seeing this, the hundred officials in the hall reacted in turn, kneeling in a vast, dark sea.

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

The sound shook the heavens.

Qian Renxue looked down at the kneeling officials, took a deep breath, and a sense of absolute control replaced the sternness on her face.

"Pass down my decree: all civil and military officials are to accompany me outside the city to welcome the Saint Spirit King's triumphant return!"

With a sweep of her long sleeves, Qian Renxue walked toward the exit of the hall with elegant, firm strides.

She could no longer wait to throw herself into those warm arms.

The bedchamber.

A subtle fragrance drifted through the air.

Gu Sheng held the soft, fragrant beauty in his arms, his toes barely touching the ground as he swept past layers of curtains, settling Qian Renxue firmly onto the velvet-covered daybed.

The heavy palace doors closed behind them, sealing away the clamor outside and the awe of the officials into another world.

Qian Renxue's imperial dragon robe was disheveled, the golden threads refracting luxurious light, yet they could not hide the bashfulness in her eyes.

"Holding me so tightly, aren't you afraid those ministers will point fingers behind your back, saying that you, the Saint Spirit King, have broken the rules?"

Qian Renxue hooked her arms around Gu Sheng's neck, her beautiful eyes shimmering like water; not a trace of her imperial majesty remained.