The Speed Clan

Bai He exchanged glances with several elders.

The Strength Clan had been wiped out. Spirit Hall had done it.

If the Speed Clan refused, they would be next.

With Spirit Hall's strength, wiping out the Speed Clan would be no different from crushing an ant.

Bai He closed his eyes and fell silent. A moment later, he let out a deep sigh.

"If the Speed Clan agrees to submit, can you fulfill everything His Highness the Holy Son just promised?"

"Yes."

Bai He rose from his chair and walked to the center of the hall. Facing Gu Qingshan, he clasped his hands and bowed.

"The Speed Clan is willing to submit to Spirit Hall."

The Strength Clan had been wiped out, and the Speed Clan had submitted.

Once the news spread, what would the Defense Clan and the Breaking Clan choose?

What would the sects still waiting on the sidelines choose?

What would the fence-sitting sects choose?

Gu Qingshan took a Blue Silver Leaf from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and took a bite.

"Clan Leader Bai, from today onward, the Speed Clan is an affiliated sect of Spirit Hall. Spirit Hall won't mistreat you."

"Thank you, Your Highness the Holy Son."

Bai He turned to face the three elders, then the clansmen crowded at the hall entrance, peering inside. He announced solemnly, "From today onward, the Speed Clan belongs to Spirit Hall. This is my decision, and it is the most important choice the Speed Clan has made in centuries."

"I know some of you can't let go of the hatred in your hearts. You may have doubts and feel that you've let down our ancestors. But I want you to understand: our ancestors would never want to see their descendants go hungry."

With that, he took out a long, narrow wooden box.

The box was dark red, made of fine-grained wood, and its surface bore a thin layer of patina.

"Your Highness the Holy Son, the Speed Clan is poor and has little of value to offer. This Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng has been passed down through our ancestors. I've always been reluctant to use it. Today, I offer it to Your Highness as a token of our sincerity."

Gu Qingshan took the box and opened it.

A blood-red light shone from within. Inside lay a plant resembling a ginseng root, thick and over a foot long.

Its color was a deep red, like congealed blood. Fine, vein-like patterns covered its surface, winding and twisting along the root.

The Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng was a legendary herb said to grow in soil watered by dragon's blood. It took a thousand years to form and ten thousand years to mature.

Was this the crucial herb Tang San had used in the original story to revive Xiao Wu?

It could bring the dead back to life, restore flesh to bare bones, and reshape a body.

This Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng was about five thousand years old. Though it had yet to fully mature, its medicinal properties already rivaled those of a Ten-Thousand-Year Nine-Grade Ginseng King.

Gu Qingshan closed the box, and the blood-red light vanished. "Clan Leader Bai, this is far too precious."

Bai He shook his head. "Nothing is more precious than the lives of our clansmen. Your Highness the Holy Son, from today onward, the Speed Clan belongs to Spirit Hall. I have no other talents, but the Speed Clan's speed is among the best on the continent. If Your Highness needs us, we're willing to serve Spirit Hall."

He paused, his gaze falling on the crowd at the entrance.

A girl stepped out from the back of the crowd. She looked about fifteen or sixteen, was tall, and stood half a head above girls her age.

Her pale purple hair was tied into twin ponytails that fell behind her, the ends reaching almost to her waist.

Her face was small, with a classic oval shape and a pointed chin.

Most striking was her slender waist, its lines exquisite, though she looked a little too thin.

Her legs were long enough to account for much of her height, straight and free of excess flesh.

Bai He looked at his granddaughter, pride and concern in his eyes, along with a trace of reluctance.

"Your Highness the Holy Son, this is my granddaughter, Bai Chenxiang. She's sixteen, and her speed is exceptional among those her age."

"I'd like her to follow Your Highness. Even if she only serves as a maid, she'll have a brighter future by your side than stuck in this poor place."

Bai Chenxiang looked at Gu Qingshan with curiosity, nervousness, and a hint of defiance.

She was sizing up the boy three years younger than herself: the Holy Son of Spirit Hall, the legendary genius.

Gu Qingshan looked at the stunning Bai Chenxiang. A Soul Elder at sixteen.

That rank was nothing special in Spirit Hall.

But that waist was truly something!

"Fine."

Once everything was settled, Gu Qingshan didn't linger at the Speed Clan's residence.

According to Elder Ghost's information, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe wasn't at the Crown Prince's residence today. He was at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, not far from the Speed Clan's home.

It was on the way, so Gu Qingshan decided to meet the legendary young master of Spirit Hall, the future Angel God.

The carriage set off again, now with one more person inside.

Bai Chenxiang sat in the farthest corner of the carriage, leaning against its wall.

Yue Guan sat opposite her, his hands tucked into his sleeves and his customary smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

His gaze swept over Bai Chenxiang once, then again, and again.

Under his stare, Bai Chenxiang grew uncomfortable. She straightened her back, raised her chin slightly, and pressed her lips together.

"Your Highness the Holy Son." Chrysanthemum Douluo's voice was shrill, tinged with amusement. "The little girl from the Speed Clan is glaring at me."

Gu Qingshan leaned by the carriage window, shifting the Blue Silver Leaf from the left corner of his mouth to the right.

"Elder Chrysanthemum, you keep staring at her. Who else would she glare at?"

Heaven Dou City was enormous. It could be called the largest and most prosperous city on the Douluo Continent, with a population of several million.

But most of its people were ordinary folk. There were vendors, food stalls, merchants, and all manner of trades. By comparison, Soul Masters were few.

Spirit City was different.

Spirit City stood on a wasteland at the border between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire.

It wasn't large, with an area only a tenth the size of Heaven Dou City.

Spirit City was home to Spirit Hall's headquarters. Though it wasn't as prosperous as Heaven Dou City, it was a holy land and the heart of the continent in the eyes of Soul Masters everywhere.

Soul Masters could be seen everywhere on its streets, while ordinary people were few.

Spirit Hall's strength lay in the fact that it utterly surpassed the two great empires in both the number and quality of its Soul Masters. The empires relied mainly on their armies.

Moreover, the Soul Masters of the two empires were scattered among various sects, clans, and academies. They each acted independently, with no one authority over them.

If they truly went to war, Spirit Hall would have an absolute advantage.

That was Bibi Dong's confidence. She wasn't blindly self-assured or arrogant.

An hour later, the group arrived at the outskirts of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy stood in the northwest corner of Heaven Dou City, covering an immense area and built into the mountainside.

The carriage stopped at the academy gates. Gu Qingshan jumped down and looked up at the enormous stone archway.

"Elder Chrysanthemum, Elder Ghost, wait here."

Chrysanthemum Douluo's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Your Highness the Holy Son, there are plenty of experts inside Heaven Dou Royal Academy. You're going in alone..."

Gu Qingshan looked at him. "Oh? How strong are they?"