The Clear Sky Sect Was in for Trouble Again!

Tang San was left with a head full of question marks.

What did he mean, the Clear Sky Sect was targeting him?

He vaguely sensed something was wrong, but seeing his father's agitated expression, he didn't question him.

He listened quietly and soon understood the point. After all that talk, there were two main reasons.

First, the outside world was too dangerous. The Holy Demon Federation was a tremendous force, practically crawling with powerful fighters.

After his battle with Long Xingyu, Tang Hao had clearly been frightened into submission. He'd already been in a dispirited state, and was even less willing to get involved in the war.

He only hoped his son could escape trouble.

The Clear Sky Sect had gone into seclusion. Surely it was safer than Heaven Dou?

After all, judging from what had happened last time, Shrek had probably been under surveillance even while still in the city.

Besides that, there was another goal: "returning to one's roots"—one of Tang Hao's long-cherished wishes.

Why not seize the opportunity to return to the sect? If Tang San provided valuable intelligence, perhaps the elders would accept him.

From beginning to end, Tang Hao only strayed further down the path of misunderstanding, never realizing just how utterly wrong he was.

The reclusive Clear Sky Sect hadn't ranked high on Lin Feng's list of targets. Now that Tang San was going back, it would be drawing fire onto itself.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Tang Hao had just dragged his sect into trouble again.

He'd crippled his clan once before. This time, things would only be worse.

After listening, Tang San neither agreed nor disagreed. He wasn't particularly interested, but couldn't be bothered to argue with his father.

He nodded casually, agreeing to Tang Hao's request. He'd treat it as going away to avoid danger and, while he was at it, help put his father's mind at ease.

"Good, good. Then let's hurry. I'll have Yue Hua help cover for you. She has influence in the imperial family."

"Once Xue Ye hears what happened in the battle, he'll probably have his own ideas about the Clear Sky Sect, too. He won't dare make things difficult for you."

Seeing his son agree, Tang Hao was overjoyed.

Even the intense pain in his body seemed to ease.

He rose and solemnly patted his son's shoulder, his face full of relief and delight.

Then he called his younger sister in, and they discussed things further. That very night, they began putting their plan into action.

Tang Yuehua met with Xue Ye, using Tang San's return to the sect—and the promise that he would persuade it to reemerge—as a pretext to secure the imperial family's support.

They set out soon after, slipping quietly out of Heaven Dou City through a secret official route. They didn't even alert Shrek; their departure was as discreet as could be.

"That boy's left?"

Inside the imperial palace, Qian Renxue raised an eyebrow.

The operation might have fooled others, but it couldn't fool the empire's "crown prince." She'd learned what happened at the first opportunity.

"Yes, Young Master. If my senses are right, Tang Hao is probably hiding nearby. Should we do anything?"

Pufferfish and Snake Lance answered her. By now, Thousand Jun Falling Devil had already taken Gui Mei's body and hurried back to Spirit City.

"No need. The situation is unclear, and this may not be a bad thing. Let's wait and see."

Qian Renxue looked intrigued. When she finished speaking, an odd glint flickered in her eyes, and she murmured,

"I'm more curious whether Tang San's return to the sect will be a blessing or a curse for the Clear Sky Sect..."

Her expression had already given away the answer.

And Qian Renxue clearly wasn't the only one thinking this.

Far away at Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong had just finished meeting Yue Guan. When she heard the news, she reacted in much the same way.

"The Clear Sky Sect's in for trouble again!"

Unlike Qian Renxue, who was more tactful, the mother didn't mince words.

As for why she said "again," the reason was simple: the Tang family had been unlucky before.

Back then, because of Tang Hao and Ah Yin, Spirit Hall had hunted them down in force, nearly wiping them out. They'd even cast aside the Four Single-Attribute Clans.

They'd barely managed to secure a chance to cling to life. Yet it hadn't even been that many years, and now it looked like they were about to repeat history. The real troublemaker, once again, was Tang Hao.

"Knowing the Holy Demon Federation has its eyes on them, and still sending Tang San back—isn't he afraid of inviting a wolf into the house?"

"Still, it's not all bad. They can help Spirit Hall shoulder some of the pressure. The situation really is too unfavorable for us right now."

As she spoke, Bibi Dong's brows furrowed again.

Her gaze fell on Chrysanthemum Douluo, who was still kneeling below.

Not long ago, he'd carried Dai Mubai back and immediately asked to see the Pope, then told her everything that had happened.

He'd given her every detail he could, including his partner Gui Mei's death, the enemy's suspected target—Tang San—and the appearance of Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao.

After hearing it all, Bibi Dong's mood naturally grew heavy.

She was furious that her loyal subordinate had been killed, and at how powerful their enemy was.

Yet for now, there was nothing she could do. The alliance hadn't been formed yet.

Only later, when new information came back from Heaven Dou City—news that the Clear Sky Sect had been dragged into trouble and that Xue Ye had agreed to cooperate—did she find some consolation.

"Elder Yue Guan, get up. This isn't your fault."

"Please accept my condolences. We'll avenge Gui Mei sooner or later."

"But before then, if we're to defeat the Holy Demon Federation, you can't rest."

"Take Dai Mubai back to the Star Luo Empire as soon as possible and sound out the Star Luo Emperor. Heaven Dou has already agreed, so it all depends on him now."

If Spirit Hall had gained anything from this,

then without a doubt, it was Dai Mubai's goodwill.

They'd more or less saved his life and brought him safely back to Spirit City. He and Yue Guan had gotten along fairly well.

So even though Gui Mei's body was barely cold, and the funeral hadn't even been held, Yue Guan was already being urged to continue his mission.

"Rest assured. I won't let you down this time."

Yue Guan rose slowly and bowed respectfully to show his resolve.

With his partner gone, his standing had plummeted. He had to cling to the Pope's support.

Bibi Dong nodded in satisfaction but had nothing more to say. She immediately dismissed him.

A moment later, Yue Guan returned to his residence. Dai Mubai had been placed there, and was now visibly uneasy.

As a prince of the Star Luo Empire, he'd never had a good impression of Spirit Hall. He'd never imagined that one day he would be brought here.

"Elder, how are things?" Of course, he was asking about Shrek. Before leaving, Yue Guan had promised to ask around for news.

"Don't worry. Your teachers and classmates are all alive. We should get going, too." Suppressing his irritation, Yue Guan put on a kindly expression.

Dai Mubai breathed a sigh of relief.

Without thinking, he let a faint smile show.

Yue Guan inwardly bristled, thinking, Your friends are alive, but my best buddy's dead!

If not for the Pope's secret order to build a good relationship with him in case anything went wrong, Yue Guan would have loved to kill the useless brat before him.

Of course, that was only something he could think about.

He gave a snort and urged Dai Mubai to leave.

The two soon set off, heading straight for the Star Luo capital to bring about the founding of the Douluo Federation.

The forces across the Douluo Continent were all rushing about to make it happen. Tang San was doing his part, and so was Dai Mubai.

While they were working so hard, their neighbors in the Holy Demon Federation naturally weren't sitting idle.

The human and demon armies were gathering at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and the City of Slaughter, preparing to move into the next phase.

And Long Xingyu, who had been given a special mission, had already followed Lin Feng's clues and set his sights on the Clear Sky Sect...