Tang San: Father, you're not dead?

Meanwhile, inside the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.

It was precisely at the moment Lin Feng intended to lay his hands on the soul beasts.

Ning Fengzhi and the others, who had been out scouting, returned with the corpse of Gui Mei, immediately causing a massive uproar.

Emperor Xue Ye summoned them urgently to interrogate the Shrek party. Once the sequence of events was laid bare, no one could remain calm.

"Is it truly the handiwork of the Holy Demon Federation? A mysterious powerhouse launched a sudden attack, Ghost and Chrysanthemum Douluo were defeated despite joining forces, and one was even killed in a counter-assault?"

"At the critical juncture, Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao appeared to cover your retreat... wait, what do you mean the target was actually Tang San?!"

In order to protect themselves, the Shrek group was remarkably cooperative.

They compiled all the information and laid it out exactly as it happened.

After all, they were not the only survivors; the Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan had also lived.

If they were to lie or withhold information now, it would be easy for Martial Soul Hall to uncover the truth once they shared their own intelligence.

Rather than facing embarrassment or causing unnecessary trouble later, Yu Xiaogang weighed the options and simply laid everything out without reservation.

Douluo Continent was currently in a period of great upheaval; whether it was Martial Soul Hall or the two great empires, all were under threat from the Holy Demon Federation.

Tang San's originally sensitive background had suddenly become useful, especially since the Heaven Dou royal family would certainly hope to establish contact with the Clear Sky Sect!

"Very well, you may go and rest."

Emperor Xue Ye's expression was grim as he let out a cold snort.

As expected, he did not pursue the matter of the Shrek group's original intention to flee.

He ordered the soul masters loyal to the royal family to take them away and arrange lodging, though in reality, they were being placed under secret surveillance.

Then, the remaining people continued their discussion: with the Holy Demon Federation making move after move, how should they respond?

"Father, according to reports from our scouts, the enemy is gathering more and more troops on the outskirts of the Sunset Forest."

"They seem to possess teleportation methods capable of long-distance summoning; the longer this drags on, the more disadvantageous it will be for us!"

"Regarding the alliance proposal put forward by Martial Soul Hall a few days ago, I believe it is effective and should perhaps be implemented as soon as possible."

"Afterward, by pooling the strength of the entire Douluo, even if the opponent is powerful, it is not impossible to fight them. That is far better than continuing to delay."

Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, spoke eloquently.

She seized the opportunity to bring up Bibi Dong's Douluo Federation plan.

Before today, Emperor Xue Ye would have been hesitant, not believing this to be a good thing.

After all, anyone with eyes could see that the so-called federation would be dominated by Martial Soul Hall, which would greatly shake the foundations of the empire.

But now, with the enemy's various actions, they were on the front lines of the war and seemingly had no choice left.

"Hmm... very well, let it be done."

"Qinghe, you shall discuss the details of the alliance."

"What say you, representatives of Martial Soul Hall? Now, we all share a common enemy."

Although Emperor Xue Ye was mediocre, he was not foolish. As he spoke, he grinned, looking at Thousand Jun and Falling Devil with a playful glint in his eyes.

Gui Mei's death was, from the perspective of the Heaven Dou Empire, not necessarily a bad thing; it would force Martial Soul Hall to accelerate their involvement.

Qian Renxue was right about one thing: the longer they waited, the worse it would be. The Heaven Dou Empire side was not unwilling to start the war as soon as possible.

The problem was that their strength did not allow for it.

Regular legions were easy to manage, as they were easy to replenish when fighting on home soil.

Even if their combat effectiveness was far inferior, they could serve as cannon fodder; after all, even an ant colony could bite an elephant to death.

The key was what to do about the powerhouses. If Martial Soul Hall did not go all out, the gap between the two sides was simply too large.

"Your Majesty, we cannot make the decision on this matter. We will report back to the higher-ups of Martial Soul Hall as soon as possible, and we hope you can wait a moment."

"Elder Gui Mei's body is not yet cold, so we shall not stay long today. We believe that the next time we meet, there will surely be good news!"

Thousand Jun and Falling Devil and the others took their leave with stiff expressions.

Emperor Xue Ye turned his head and cast his gaze toward Ning Fengzhi.

The alliance had been proposed by Martial Soul Hall, so it would naturally not be opposed, but there was another matter at hand.

The Shrek group had just mentioned that the Holy Demon Federation's target was Tang San, and that Tang Hao had personally stepped in to save him.

In other words, that boy was absolutely important and possessed deep, intricate ties to the Clear Sky Sect, which had been in seclusion for many years.

"Fengzhi, put your heart into this; find some time to talk to Tang San."

"The empire is teetering in the wind and rain, and the Upper Three Sects have long existed in name only."

"At a time like this, if the Clear Sky Sect could make a powerful return, it would be a great help to both our combat power and our morale."

Emperor Xue Ye was truly at his wit's end, pinning his hopes on the Tang family, yet while it was simple to say, it was not so easy to do.

Upon hearing this, Ning Fengzhi secretly lamented. Times were no longer what they used to be; the Upper Three Sects were no longer of one mind, and they had been out of contact for a very, very long time.

The possibility of using Tang San's relationship to win over the Clear Sky Sect once again was slim to none.

Ning Fengzhi did not refuse to their faces, however, merely expressing with a helpless sigh that he would do his best before the meeting dispersed.

On the return journey, he continued to discuss the feasibility of the plan with Chen Xin and Yu Yuanzhen, pondering how to go about meeting Tang San.

Little did he know that at this very moment, the latter had already quietly slipped out of the imperial palace and, under the cover of the Shrek members, arrived at a certain location within Heaven Dou City.

"This is the place, go on in."

"Rest assured, those monitoring you have all been drawn away."

"This place is called the Moonlight Pavilion; it is where members of the imperial family learn etiquette, and ordinary people dare not approach it."

A maid dressed in fine robes smiled and gestured with an inviting hand toward the building before them, which featured a simple, antique design and was filled with the scent of books.

Tang San frowned the entire time, walking inside with great vigilance; he had not wanted to come originally, but he could not resist the other party's claim of knowing news about his father.

That super powerhouse from the Holy Demon Federation had easily defeated Ghost and Chrysanthemum Douluo and even killed Gui Mei—how would his father fare against such a person?

Harboring these doubts, Tang San entered the private room.

Inside, he saw a graceful and luxurious mature woman standing there.

She was elegantly pouring tea from a teapot, while sitting on a chair beside her was a disheveled man.

His aura was withered and weak, his face pale and grimy, looking even more like a beggar than a beggar, yet Tang San still recognized him.

"Father! You, you aren't dead?"

Tang San was both shocked and overjoyed, rushing over immediately.

"Second Brother, is this your son? His manners haven't been learned well; what kind of way is that to speak?"

Tang Yuehua smiled amusedly, making a small joke, but she did not linger in the private room, leaving after she finished pouring the tea.

In an instant, only the father and son, Tang Hao and Tang San, remained in the room; they had not seen each other for a long time before this head-on clash with Long Xingyu.

"Father, I didn't mean it like that."

"It's just so good that you're alright; I thought..."

Tang San deliberately acted naive, scratching his head as he stood to the side, quickly asking about the situation after the battle.

To this, Tang Hao only provided a brief overview, omitting the parts that were shameful to behold, though he could not hide the wretchedness of his appearance and aura.

"Enough with the small talk, let's get to the point."

"Little San, regarding this interception, I have a guess."

"That Holy Demon Federation might not be targeting you, but rather the Clear Sky Sect!"

"Although your father has left the sect for many years, I am still a member of the family after all; I brought you here to have you return."

"Remind everyone of the changes happening in the outside world, tell them they have been targeted by a powerful enemy, and while you're at it... help your father offer an apology."