Tai Tan made the first move.
His right fist, wreathed in dark red light, slammed toward Gu Qingshan's chest.
"Titan Firmament Breaker."
A mass of energy compressed to its absolute limit shot from Gu Qingshan's left arm like a cannonball, carrying the force to destroy heaven and earth.
"Boom!"
"Crack!"
Tai Tan's chest erupted in a series of sharp cracks, and then he was sent flying. He smashed through the courtyard wall, tumbled dozens of yards across the ground, and finally came to a stop on the stone steps.
A huge, horrifying hole had appeared in Tai Tan's chest. His heart had been blown apart, and his eyes were wide open.
"Master, where are you... This old servant can no longer..."
Tai Tan was dead.
The Clear Sky Sect's affiliated clan, the head of the Strength Clan, an eighty-sixth-level Soul Douluo, had been blown to death in a single shot.
"Ah! Clan Head... The Clan Head is dead!"
"No! Grandfather!"
Just then, the Strength Clan's main force finally arrived.
They stared at their clan head's body on the ground, stunned.
Gu Qingshan brushed nonexistent dust off himself. "Tai Tan died to Titan Firmament Breaker. At least he died as he lived."
"Blame the Clear Sky Sect. You chose to be their dogs."
Yue Guan came up behind him and glanced at Tai Tan's corpse, then at the Strength Clan members, who looked as if their world had ended.
"Your Highness the Holy Son, what next?"
Gu Qingshan took out the Blue Silver Leaf from his pocket again, pulled off a piece, stuffed it into his mouth, and took a bite.
"Leave no one alive."
Immediately, anguished screams rang out across the courtyard. Blood streamed over the ground, gathering into dark red rivulets.
"Let's go. On to the next clan."
The Strength Clan had been wiped out.
Gu Qingshan turned and headed for the gate, his boots making soft pattering sounds as they stepped through pools of blood.
The passersby stood at a distance on the street, afraid to come closer.
No one knew what had just happened, but everyone could smell the thick, sickening stench of blood wafting from the open vermilion gate.
The farther they went into the outskirts of Heaven Dou City, the more remote it became.
After leaving the Strength Clan estate and heading for the Speed Clan, Gu Qingshan began to wonder if Chrysanthemum Douluo had taken a wrong turn.
The carriage had traveled for less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea along Heaven Dou City's broad flagstone roads when it turned off the main thoroughfare in the south of the city and entered a narrow alley.
The alley was barely wide enough for a carriage to squeeze through. The walls on either side were peeling and mottled, and withered weeds grew along the tops, their stalks trembling in the wind.
Beyond the narrow alley lay an even narrower one, followed by a dirt road. The road was full of potholes, and the carriage jolted violently as it traveled along it.
At the end of the dirt road stood a cluster of low, dilapidated buildings.
The courtyard walls were made of packed earth and covered in cracks. They stood less than a yard high, and some sections had even collapsed.
If Spirit Hall's intelligence network hadn't confirmed the address, Gu Qingshan would have thought this was an abandoned village.
"Elder Chrysanthemum, the intelligence said the Speed Clan has fallen on hard times these past few years. I didn't expect it to be this bad."
Yue Guan said, "Back when Spirit Hall suppressed the Four Single-Attribute Clans, the Speed Clan suffered the most. Their properties were confiscated, and more than half their disciples were killed or wounded. The survivors could only hide in places like this and cling to life. In recent years, they've made ends meet by taking low-level guard jobs and even doing odd labor. They've had a very hard time."
Gu Qingshan fell silent.
Well, they were already here.
He knocked on the door.
The door opened a crack, and a middle-aged man's face appeared in the gap. He wore a faded gray robe with several patches, and his complexion was sallow.
His gaze swept quickly over the three of them. Seeing their fine clothes and imposing bearing, he grew even more wary.
"Who are you looking for?"
Gu Qingshan answered directly, "I'm Gu Qingshan, the Holy Son of Spirit Hall. I've come to visit the head of the Speed Clan."
The middle-aged man's pupils contracted sharply. His fingers tightened unconsciously around the door, and his body instinctively took half a step back.
The Holy Son of Spirit Hall—what was he doing here?
"Please wait. I'll inform the clan head."
The middle-aged man took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
Footsteps soon sounded from inside, and an old man came out. He looked to be in his seventies, with a thin frame and a slightly hunched back, but he still held himself upright.
He was Bai He, the head of the Speed Clan, known as "Old White Bird," and reputed to be the fastest pure Agility-type Soul Douluo.
Bai He's gaze swept over the three of them. The Holy Son of Spirit Hall was only twelve or thirteen, yet already a Soul Saint above level seventy, with combat strength far beyond his level.
The other two were impossible to read, but one had a rather feminine appearance. He must be the legendary Chrysanthemum Douluo.
With a lineup like this, they could wipe out the Speed Clan ten times over.
Bai He took a deep breath and stepped aside, gesturing with his right hand.
"Your Highness the Holy Son, please come in."
The courtyard was packed earth, without a single brick or stone.
Some members of the Speed Clan stood at the doors of the one-story houses, others beneath the veranda, and still others in the corners of the courtyard. They watched the three strangers with curious, wary, and complicated expressions.
Like the middle-aged man, they all looked pale and malnourished.
Looking at them, Gu Qingshan hadn't expected a once-famous Soul Master clan to have fallen so far. They all looked as if they hadn't had enough to eat in a long time.
After everyone had taken their seats, Gu Qingshan couldn't be bothered with pleasantries. He got straight to the point. "Clan Head Bai, I've come today to invite the Speed Clan to join Spirit Hall."
The air in the hall froze for a moment. The elders' expressions changed. Some frowned, some pressed their lips together, and some lowered their heads in silence.
Bai He's expression remained unchanged. His gray eyes rested on Gu Qingshan.
"Your Highness the Holy Son, the Speed Clan is an affiliated clan of the Clear Sky Sect. For hundreds of years, our clan has faithfully served the Clear Sky Sect. Forgive this old man, but I cannot accept your request."
Several elders opened their mouths, as if they wanted to say something.
What had the Clear Sky Sect ever done for them?
And what had the Clear Sky Sect ever given them?
When Spirit Hall confiscated their property, where was the Clear Sky Sect?
When Spirit Hall killed their disciples, where was the Clear Sky Sect?
When their people couldn't even afford enough to eat, where was the Clear Sky Sect?
Gu Qingshan looked into Bai He's lifeless eyes. "One hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins every year. Your people will have enough to eat, your children will have new clothes, and your elders will have good homes."
"You'll also receive cultivation resources, pills to increase Soul Power, help obtaining Soul Rings, and the honor and status you deserve."
"If the Speed Clan joins Spirit Hall, we'll give you everything you want."
The hall fell silent.
Gold Soul Coins, enough food, new clothes, good homes, pills, Soul Rings, honor and status.
They wanted all of it so badly.
These past few years had been far too hard!
Seeing that they seemed tempted, Gu Qingshan decided to drive the point home.
"Also, the Strength Clan no longer exists."
Everyone's breath caught.
It no longer existed?
The Strength Clan, ranked second among the Four Single-Attribute Clans.
Had it been wiped out?
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