The Clear Sky Sect Was dealt a Crushing Blow

Watching the group leave, Bibi Dong's eyes brimmed with satisfaction. It was as though her life only had meaning when these people were suffering.

Lin Beiya, who had witnessed it all, could only feel helpless. When you were at a disadvantage, the sensible thing was to quietly build up your strength. Was it really wise to stick your neck out like this?

Sure enough, on their way back to Douluo Hall, the hot-tempered Mighty Lion Douluo and Guangling Douluo could no longer endure Bibi Dong's provocations. Their faces dark with anger, they turned to Qian Daoliu and said:

"Big Brother, why don't we just kill her?"

"Exactly! As long as you agree..."

In the end, the murderous intent of the Worship Hall's elders slowly faded under Qian Daoliu's pointed look. His meaning was clear: no matter what, Bibi Dong was still Xiao Xue's mother.

Qian Renxue was what mattered most to them.

Back at her quarters, Little Angel shut herself inside her room once more. Knowing that the pain of losing a loved one needed time to heal, Lin Beiya did not disturb her again as he had before.

He believed she could pull herself together. It was just that, when she next emerged, she might have to start considering how to go undercover in the Heaven Dou Empire.

Twenty days later, all of Spirit Hall was bustling with activity. Everyone knew they were about to welcome a new leader: for the first time in history, the position of Pope would fall to someone outside the ruling family.

And yet it all seemed only natural. Bibi Dong had been named Saintess decades earlier, and after the previous Pope's unexpected death, everything had seemed to fall neatly into place.

With little time to prepare, the coronation ceremony was not especially grand. Bibi Dong only wanted her position to be legitimate, and she did not particularly care about the rest.

After many days apart, Lin Beiya saw Qian Renxue again. She had grown considerably after enduring such pain, but the innocent smile she once wore was hard to find on her face now.

The two watched the coronation from a corner behind Pope Hall. Bibi Dong walked step by step toward the dais, donned the crown, and accepted the scepter Yue Guan handed her. Then she swore to lead Spirit Hall to glory. Neither Qian Renxue nor Lin Beiya showed the slightest reaction.

Once the ceremony ended, no matter how unwilling Bibi Dong was, she had to put on a show of seeking justice for the previous Pope.

After all, the official story was that Qian Xunji had died of his injuries after fighting Tang Hao of the Clear Sky Sect.

Before the assembled members of Spirit Hall, the New Pope, Bibi Dong, immediately announced a retaliatory campaign against the Clear Sky Sect.

"The Clear Sky Sect sheltered its disciple Tang Hao after he consorted with a Soul Beast. He also brutally murdered the previous Pope, who had been capturing a transformed Soul Beast. Spirit Hall will avenge this grudge."

"In this campaign, Pope Hall, Elder Hall, and Worship Hall will work together with all their strength, making the Clear Sky Sect pay in blood. We will also show the world that Spirit Hall's authority must not be challenged."

Bibi Dong truly knew how to stir people's emotions. With just a few words, Spirit Hall's members were fired up. They mourned the late Pope, Qian Xunji, and condemned the Clear Sky Sect's actions.

The Worship Hall's elders had not wanted to get involved. They would have much preferred to watch Bibi Dong make a fool of herself. The forces at her disposal were nowhere near enough to shake the Iron Hammer Gang, the foremost of the Upper Three Sects.

But Qian Daoliu still wanted Bibi Dong to manage Spirit Hall's affairs until Qian Renxue came into her own, so it was necessary to help her establish her authority.

This had become an unspoken understanding between Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong. That was why she dared declare war on the Clear Sky Sect right after her coronation, hoping to boost her prestige by dealing a blow to them.

After watching the entire affair, Little Angel had also come to hate the Clear Sky Sect. In her eyes, Bibi Dong was simply cold-hearted. The true culprit behind her father's death was still Tang Hao—and the Clear Sky Sect behind him.

Over the following days, the colossal machine that was Spirit Hall began operating at full tilt, baring its fangs to the world.

The Clear Sky Sect's thousand or so businesses across the continent were wiped out within days. Those that offered no resistance were simply taken over by Spirit Hall's forces; those that fought back were exterminated.

Among the resistance were the Clear Sky Sect's four great affiliated clans: the Strength, Defense, Break, and Agility Clans. They believed that if they could hold out for a while, the Clear Sky Sect would surely come to their aid.

But to their astonishment, even after more than half their clansmen had been killed and their core members had perished, they did not receive so much as a word of concern from the Clear Sky Sect.

In their despair, the four Clan Heads had no choice but to jointly announce their withdrawal from the Clear Sky Sect and retreat into seclusion. Only then were they able to preserve some of their clansmen and recover in peace.

Bibi Dong did have a certain knack for governance. First, she stirred public opinion by accusing the Clear Sky Sect of colluding with Soul Beasts and grievously injuring the previous Pope. Then, when eliminating the Clear Sky Sect's allies, she left them a path to survive. She did not make herself seem entirely heartless, and all the blame was directed at the Clear Sky Sect.

Even the four affiliated clans hated the Clear Sky Sect more than they hated Spirit Hall.

The truth, however, was that the Clear Sky Sect was genuinely unable to concern itself with their lives. The forces of Worship Hall, led by Golden Crocodile, and those of Pope Hall, led by Chrysanthemum and Ghost, had marched straight to the Clear Sky Sect's gates.

The Iron Hammer Gang suffered devastating losses in this battle. One of its Titled Douluo-level experts had even died, to say nothing of the powerful fighters of lesser ranks.

The current Clear Sky Sect Clan Head was Tang Tian, Tang Chen's son. Faced with the powerful Golden Crocodile, no matter how fiercely he fought back, he could not make much of a difference.

"Golden Crocodile, aren't you afraid of violating the agreement between my father and the Qian family elders?"

A trace of disdain crossed Golden Crocodile Douluo's face. If Tang Chen were here, he would have stepped in to defend the Clear Sky Sect long ago. He would never have allowed his clansmen to be slaughtered.

"Hmph. If that agreement didn't exist, do you think I'd waste my breath on you?"

"Blame your good son. He consorted with a Soul Beast and killed the Pope. If we don't avenge him, how can Spirit Hall hold its place in the world?"

As more and more of his clansmen fell on the battlefield, Tang Tian's heart sank to the depths. He forced down his hatred and said:

"Do you really have to wipe us all out?"

"Not quite. But you must give us an answer for what happened. Otherwise, don't blame Spirit Hall for being ruthless."

Seeing that Tang Tian was willing to negotiate, Golden Crocodile waved his hand, ordering the forces of the three halls to halt their attack. Everyone's eyes turned to the two men facing each other.

"What do you want me to do?"

After saying this, Tang Tian seemed to age by decades. His once resolute face was now ashen. He knew that the Clear Sky Sect was about to decline under his leadership, and even in death, he would have no face to meet his ancestors.

But fighting to the death would only drain the sect's remaining strength. Preserving the Clear Sky Sect's foundations was the only thing he could do now.

After calming the clansmen who had lost loved ones and wanted to fight to the death, Tang Tian stared vacantly at Golden Crocodile Douluo and awaited his judgment.

"From this day on, the Clear Sky Sect will seal its gates. None of you may enter the world for a hundred years. During that time, anyone on the continent who manifests the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul will be killed without exception!"

Tang Tian's body trembled slightly. He had known Spirit Hall would not let the Clear Sky Sect off easily, but he had not expected them to be so ruthless. How could a sect full of Soul Masters survive without resources? Even if they scraped by, who would still remember the Clear Sky Sect a hundred years later?

Though he was unwilling, this was the only road left before the Clear Sky Sect. A desperate resistance might take a few of Spirit Hall's experts with them, but the Clear Sky Sect would surely be destroyed that very day. In the end, they could only blame their sect's top experts for being weaker than Spirit Hall's.