The plan to eliminate the Tang Sect was set by the Clear Sky Sect!

After leaving Dragon City, You Jie and his companions were in no rush to head south, choosing instead to detour and explore a few other cities along the way.

Mu En, having rarely enjoyed the luxury of a healthy body, could finally pick up hobbies he had long been forced to abandon—such as his shared love for roasted meat with Long Xiaoyao.

Moreover, compared to his secret observations of Ming Capital in the Sun Moon Empire, traveling with his great-grandson and his partner brought Mu En a unique, newfound joy.

As for Bei Bei?

Bei Bei was still busy dedicating his entire life to the glorious revival of the Tang Sect.

After wandering through several cities, the trio eventually arrived at Heaven Dou City, the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire.

As the former capital of the Heaven Dou Empire, Heaven Dou City possessed a profound heritage, appearing grand and imposing, with a volume of foot traffic that even the current Dragon City could not match.

Yet, You Jie felt that the city's atmosphere was somewhat excessively archaic.

Although the use of Soul Tools had become more prevalent in Heaven Dou City, they felt strangely out of place, as if they had been crudely slapped onto buildings to serve simple purposes without any regard for design.

In contrast, while the architectural style of Shrek City was not as modernized as Ming Capital, the integration of Soul Tools in public spaces was far more harmonious; it was clear that the Soul Tools had been considered during the initial design phase, with ample space reserved for them.

Clearly, this was inextricably linked to the fact that the Heaven Dou Empire was the most resistant to Soul Tools among the three nations of the Douluo Continent.

The Star Luo Empire was already at the forefront of this field among the three nations, especially with the current Emperor Xu Jiawei, who vigorously promoted the research of Soul Tools.

As for the Heaven Spirit Empire, having lost the title of the Heaven Dou Empire after being defeated by the Heaven Dou Empire, they were desperate to grow stronger by any means necessary (excluding the hiring of Evil Soul Masters), purchasing many Soul Tools from the Sun Moon Empire.

However, despite their heavy acquisitions, their research capabilities made them and the Heaven Dou Empire a perfectly matched pair of rivals—a testament to the Douluo Continent's excellent matchmaking mechanism.

Consequently, even though they bought many Soul Tools and developed some ingenious ways to use them, they still could not defeat the Heaven Dou Empire, let alone restore the glory of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Upon entering Heaven Dou City, Mu En first took You Jie and Zhang Lexuan to a standard inn to rent rooms before heading out to stroll through the city.

Yet, whether by intent or accident, their route happened to pass by a certain sect.

The Iron Blood Sect.

So this is the Iron Blood Sect that destroyed the Tang Sect a few years ago? In a place like this?

Heaven Dou City—no, the Heaven Dou Empire—what role did they play in all this? And what role did Shrek Academy play?

The location of the Iron Blood Sect, while not exactly bustling, was certainly not remote.

According to what You Jie had heard from Bei Bei regarding the destruction of the Tang Sect, the commotion when the Iron Blood Sect attacked the Tang Sect had been anything but small.

Unless the guards of Heaven Dou City had collectively turned into the group of "crayfish" from the New Three Kingdoms, it was impossible for the Iron Blood Sect to have slaughtered everyone in the Tang Sect before the city guards arrived, given the strength of both parties.

Yet, the Tang Sect was nearly wiped out, with only Tang Ya perhaps escaping death thanks to the "Great Hand" of Heaven.

Furthermore, the protection Shrek Academy provided to Tang Ya was peculiar; Bei Bei's involvement felt more like personal assistance from Mu En rather than an official stance from Shrek Academy.

Clearly, at the time, the majority of Shrek Academy had been inclined to let the Tang Sect be annihilated by the Iron Blood Sect...

This struck You Jie as deeply suspicious.

"Mystic Ancestor..."

You Jie was about to ask a question, but Mu En raised a hand to silence him, his expression turning grim.

You Jie immediately understood that the matters involved were likely incredibly complex, perhaps even tied to internal factional disputes within the Sea God Pavilion.

However, Mu En had regained his health and his strength was advancing by leaps and bounds. If he disregarded past constraints, it wouldn't be impossible for him to beat Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui to their knees and drag them back to the basement of the Golden Ancient Tree to reenact events from the depths of the Amazon rainforest. So, what exactly was Mu En so wary of?

Could it be the "Great Hand" of Heaven—or rather, Tang San?

Mu En immediately led You Jie and Zhang Lexuan back to the inn and pulled You Jie aside.

After Zhang Lexuan returned to her room, Mu En used his soul power to completely seal the room he shared with You Jie.

"You Jie, I know you have many questions and speculations regarding the Tang Sect and the Iron Blood Sect."

"However, the truth behind those events is far too complex and involves many dark secrets."

"Even with my current strength, there is little I can do; allowing Bei Bei and you to contact Tang Ya was already the limit."

"...Could it be the Clear Sky Sect?"

"With your current strength, Mystic Ancestor, I fear only the Clear Sky Sect could make you feel such apprehension."

No sooner had You Jie finished speaking than Mu En's expression turned one of utter shock.

He had not expected that before he could even reveal the truth, You Jie would have deduced it on his own through sheer intellect.

"...That is correct."

"Niu Tian, the Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect, possesses a cultivation base even higher than mine, and his martial soul exerts a suppressive effect on my own."

"When he approached me back then, he forbade any form of assistance beyond the bare minimum provided to Tang Ya."

"Following that, the Iron Blood Sect wiped out the Tang Sect, with only Tang Ya escaping."

"Even after that, the Clear Sky Sect would not allow us to retaliate against the Iron Blood Sect unless Tang Ya launched her own revenge."

"Although the Clear Sky Sect has completely hidden itself from the world—to the point where I don't even know where their current headquarters are—their strength remains too formidable..."

Recalling the pressure the Clear Sky Sect exerted upon him, even Mu En's self-reference shifted slightly as he spoke.

After hearing all this, You Jie merely offered a faint, disdainful smile at the corner of his mouth.

"In that case, if the Iron Blood Sect were to be destroyed by an unidentified attack, wouldn't that solve everything?"

"Although I have no intention of reviving the Tang Sect, perhaps the Iron Blood Sect should no longer exist in this world either; who knows, some idiots might even bestow the title of 'Loyal Subjects of the Sun and Moon' upon them again."

"Even though they were used as pawns by the Clear Sky Sect, I imagine their own hands are far from clean, and they are likely stained with blood debts."

"If I were to send this pack of animals to hell, Mystic Ancestor, you wouldn't have any objections, would you?"

As he spoke, a white, dragon-shaped phantom appeared behind You Jie.

That was not a dragon of the Star Dust lineage, but one of the three great dragons that appeared in that story from the temple associated with the Ice Barrier in the Far North.