Xue Beng's Defense Break

Xue Beng dared to make things difficult for Ning Fengzhi because he naturally had the backing to do so.

Recently, the two great empires had been suppressing the remnants of the Martial Soul Hall under the subtle prodding of the Clear Sky Sect, and things had been proceeding quite smoothly.

Unexpectedly, Ning Fengzhi appeared as a troublemaker, offering all sorts of protection to those remnants of the former Martial Soul Hall.

Hindered by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's contributions during the great war, and by the existence of Ning Rongrong and Oscar, they truly could not find a way to deal with Ning Fengzhi.

Consequently, they brought the matter to the Clear Sky Sect.

Although the Clear Sky Sect did not give explicit instructions, their words implied that a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect without a Title Douluo was not worth regarding; they could let other matters slide in light of their past merits, but anything concerning the remnants of the Martial Soul Hall must be punished severely.

There were even rumors that Qian Renxue had been hidden away by Ning Fengzhi, and that the death of the Breaking Clan patriarch was likely his doing as well.

In a sense, Xue Beng was now wielding an imperial sword; he had always been deeply dissatisfied with Ning Fengzhi and naturally wanted to use this opportunity to make things difficult for him.

Even if Ning Rongrong were to hold him accountable later, he would have perfectly valid excuses to use as a defense.

Moreover, his teacher was the Sea God Tang San; on this Douluo Continent, what else was there to fear?

"Xue Beng, stop speaking with such hidden barbs. I will be frank and clear with you: I, Ning Fengzhi, am protecting those descendants of the Martial Soul Hall who possess excellent martial soul lineages."

"If anyone has an objection, tell them to come find me!"

At this moment, Ning Fengzhi no longer cared about maintaining his composure; he tore off the mask of civility with Xue Beng entirely.

This was something he would never have done even back when the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was at its peak.

But now, having fallen on hard times, he had no other choice.

He had to be tough; only then would others be wary of him.

Even if Ning Rongrong no longer concerned herself with the affairs of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and even if she and Oscar could not use their soul power for a short time, they were still Title Douluo, still partners of the Sea God Tang San, and were Tang San's saviors.

With this backing, he could do what he currently intended to do.

Furthermore, he looked down on Xue Beng from the bottom of his heart.

All that talk about enduring and biding his time to feign incompetence was complete nonsense.

He was that kind of person to his core; there was no so-called endurance involved.

Even if Qian Renxue was an enemy, Ning Fengzhi had to admit that when it came to being a crown prince, Xue Beng and Qian Renxue were worlds apart, let alone comparing him to the former Heaven Dou Emperor.

He had only been emperor for a short time, yet the entire Heaven Dou Empire had been turned into a foul mess by Xue Beng.

Ning Fengzhi dared to conclude that the day the prestige of Tang San and his companions faded, the Heaven Dou Empire would surely collapse.

Facing others, Ning Fengzhi might have swallowed this insult today.

But facing a piece of trash like Xue Beng—who was also a support-type soul master—he truly did not want to endure it, nor did he have to.

"Sect Master Ning... do you know what you are doing?"

Ning Fengzhi's blunt tone and posture had completely burned the bridges, leaving Xue Beng with no way to back down.

For a moment, the atmosphere turned heavy.

"I am taking the descendants of the Angel Legion today, including the one in your harem."

"If you have the ability, try and stop me!"

With these words, Ning Fengzhi escalated the conflict once more.

He then turned and left.

He ignored Xue Beng entirely.

He had to do this.

While Oscar and Ning Rongrong were still on the Douluo Continent, he had to accumulate a sufficiently deep foundation for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect so that he could die in peace.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

After Ning Fengzhi left, Xue Beng smashed everything in his sight in a fit of rage.

"Who does he think he is?"

"A stray dog, yet he dares to threaten me."

"Die, just die!"

"Damn it..."

Xue Beng was furious, venting his rage wildly.

However, he could only vent his anger.

Indeed, with the Clear Sky Sect backing him, and his teacher and the God Teacher standing behind him, Xue Beng knew very well that these were merely external forces.

From start to finish, he had never held absolute power in his own hands.

Why did he expend so much energy to curry favor with the God Teacher if not to ensure that the other party could speak up in front of those true powerhouses when needed?

No matter how fallen or pathetic Ning Fengzhi was, one thing could not be changed: he was someone who could sit at the banquets of those powerhouses as an equal.

How could this not make him lose his composure?

In the end, he could only watch helplessly as Ning Fengzhi took everything away.

No matter how unwilling Xue Beng was, he still chose to endure.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Qian Yu and his group had already returned to Heaven Dou City after successfully hunting for a Soul Ring.

This trip had been quite fruitful; not only did they help Lüzhu find a compatible Soul Ring, but they also obtained a high-quality Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone.

Qian Yu knew that he needed to lay low for a while.

At the very least, until the two Title Douluo, Pufferfish and Snake Lance, made further progress, it was better not to act rashly.

One's own strength was the foundation and the key.

Therefore, for the next period of time, Qian Yu, Xie Yue, and Lüzhu all focused on cultivation to improve their strength.

It took Xie Yue less than a month to grasp the threshold of his self-created combat techniques. Coupled with the complete version of the Mysterious Heaven Skill and various Tang Sect Unique Skills, his power was constantly increasing.

Qian Yu's own strength also improved by one level, reaching the realm of a level 39 Soul Elder. He only needed one more step to obtain his fourth Soul Ring and become a Soul Ancestor.

During the time Qian Yu was in seclusion, the schemes to incite infighting among them did not cease.

Although the situation had not developed as expected, the smear campaign continued regardless.

Consequently, rumors began to spread privately throughout Heaven Dou City, diffusing in all directions.

They were all aimed at blackening the name of Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, and even his granddaughter was branded with the title of Poison Girl.

It could be said that for a time, both Dugu Bo and his granddaughter Dugu Yan became like rats crossing the street, despised by everyone.

Qian Yu really did not have to put much effort into this matter.

He only needed to provide a little guidance, and all sorts of rumors spread on their own.

To achieve such an effect, the assistance of the God Teacher Yu Xiaogang was naturally indispensable.

After all, if he wanted Yu Tianheng to rebuild the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, he could not have any stains on his reputation; stepping on others was the simplest and most direct way to elevate oneself.

This development left Xue Beng, the emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire, with a massive headache.