Xue Beng dared to make things so difficult for Ning Fengzhi because he had the backing to do so.
Recently, under the Clear Sky Sect's subtle guidance, the two great empires had been suppressing Spirit Hall's remnants, and things had been going quite smoothly.
Unexpectedly, Ning Fengzhi had appeared like a fly in the ointment, doing everything he could to win over the remnants of Spirit Hall.
Because of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's contributions during the war, and because Ning Rongrong and Oscar were involved, they really had no way to deal with Ning Fengzhi.
So they brought the matter to the Clear Sky Sect.
The Clear Sky Sect hadn't given any explicit instructions, but everything they said implied that a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect without a Titled Douluo didn't need to be taken seriously. As for other matters, they could show leniency in light of the sect's past contributions. But when it came to Spirit Hall's remnants, they had to be dealt with severely.
There were even rumors that Qian Renxue was being hidden by Ning Fengzhi, and that the Breaking Clan Chief's death might also have been his doing.
In a sense, the current Xue Beng had been handed the imperial sword. He already despised Ning Fengzhi, so he naturally wanted to seize this opportunity to make things difficult for him.
Even if Ning Rongrong really blamed him afterward, he'd have a perfectly good excuse ready.
Besides, his teacher was Sea God Tang San. What was there left to fear on the Douluo Continent?
"Xue Beng, don't put barbs in your words. I'll make something perfectly clear: I, Ning Fengzhi, will protect the descendants of Spirit Hall who have inherited excellent Martial Souls."
"If anyone has a problem with that, they can come to me!"
At that moment, Ning Fengzhi didn't care about maintaining his composure anymore. He confronted Xue Beng outright.
Even back when the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was at its peak, he wouldn't have done something like this.
But now, fallen as they were, he had no choice.
He had to stand firm. Only then would others think twice before crossing him.
No matter how little Rongrong involved herself in the affairs of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and no matter that she and Oscar couldn't use their Soul Power for the time being, they were still Titled Douluo, still companions of Sea God Tang San, and Rongrong had even saved Tang San's life.
That was the backing that gave him the confidence to do what he wanted.
Besides, deep down, he looked down on Xue Beng.
All that nonsense about deliberately debasing himself to lie low and bide his time? Bullshit.
That was simply who he was. There was no such thing as patiently lying low.
Even though Qian Renxue was his enemy, Ning Fengzhi had to admit that when it came to being a crown prince, Xue Beng and Qian Renxue were worlds apart. Compared with the former Heaven Dou Emperor, he didn't even come close.
He'd only been emperor for a short while, yet Xue Beng had already turned the entire Heaven Dou Empire into a mess.
Ning Fengzhi was certain that the Heaven Dou Empire would collapse once Tang San and the others no longer commanded awe.
If he were dealing with someone else, perhaps he would have swallowed this insult for now.
But when it came to the useless Xue Beng, who was also an auxiliary-type Soul Master, he truly didn't want to endure it—and didn't have to.
"Sect Master Ning... do you know what you're doing?"
Ning Fengzhi's blunt words and defiant stance had torn away any pretense between them, leaving Xue Beng with no way to save face.
The atmosphere turned tense in an instant.
"I'm taking the descendants of the Angel Legion, including the one in your harem, with me today."
"Go ahead and try to stop me!"
With those words, Ning Fengzhi escalated the conflict once more.
Then he turned and left.
He ignored Xue Beng completely.
He had no choice but to do this.
While Oscar and Ning Rongrong were still on the Douluo Continent, he had to build up a deep enough foundation for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. That way, he could die with his eyes closed.
"Crash! Crash! Crash!"
After Ning Fengzhi left, Xue Beng furiously smashed everything in sight.
"What does he think he is?"
"A stray dog, and he dares to threaten me?"
"Die! Just die!"
"Damn it..."
Xue Beng flew into a rage, venting the fury in his heart.
But venting his anger was all he could do.
It was true that the Clear Sky Sect backed him, and that his teacher and God Teacher stood behind him. But even so, Xue Beng knew those were all outside forces.
From beginning to end, he had never held absolute power in his own hands.
Why had he spent so much effort sucking up to the God Teacher? So that when the need arose, the man would speak up for him in front of the truly powerful.
No matter how far Ning Fengzhi had fallen or how wretched he'd become, one thing remained unchanged: he himself could sit at the banquets of the powerful, as an equal.
How could that not leave Xue Beng reeling?
In the end, all he could do was watch Ning Fengzhi take everything away.
No matter how unwilling he was, Xue Beng chose to endure it.
Meanwhile, Qian Yu and the others had returned to Heaven Dou City after successfully hunting Soul Beasts.
Their trip had been fruitful. They'd not only found a suitable Soul Ring for Lüzhu, but also obtained a high-quality Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone.
Qian Yu knew they needed to keep a low profile for a while.
At least until the two Titled Douluo, Pufferfish and Snake Lance, advanced further, it was better not to make any rash moves.
Their own strength was the foundation—the key to everything.
So, for the time being, Qian Yu, Xie Yue, and Lüzhu focused on training hard and improving their strength.
In less than a month, Xie Yue had already grasped the basics of creating his own combat techniques. With the complete Mysterious Heaven Skill and the various Tang Sect Unique Skills, his strength continued to grow.
Qian Yu's own strength had also increased by one level, bringing him to level 39, a Soul Elder. With just one more breakthrough, he could obtain his fourth Soul Ring and become a Soul Ancestor.
While Qian Yu was in seclusion, the plot to turn them against one another hadn't stopped.
Although things hadn't developed as expected, the smear campaign still had to continue.
Soon, rumors began circulating in secret throughout Heaven Dou City, spreading in every direction.
They all smeared Poison Douluo Dugu Bo. Even his granddaughter had been branded with the title Poison Girl.
For a time, both Dugu Bo and his granddaughter Dugu Yan became targets of public scorn, like rats crossing the street as everyone shouted for them to be beaten.
Qian Yu hadn't had to put much effort into this.
He'd only given things a slight nudge, and all sorts of rumors had spread.
The God Teacher Yu Xiaogang had naturally helped make this possible.
After all, if he wanted Yu Tianheng to rebuild the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Yu Tianheng couldn't have any stains on his reputation. Trampling on others was the simplest, most direct way to elevate himself.
All of this gave Xue Beng, the Heaven Dou Empire's emperor, a massive headache.
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