You Know Too Much

"Nothing. I just wanted to have a little chat with you."

"Just a little chat?"

Li Pu didn't think so.

"If it's just a little chat, then there's even less reason to call me over."

Qian Daoliu smiled, then spoke earnestly to Li Pu. "The advice you gave the Pope could have an enormous impact. Aren't you worried?"

Li Pu had wondered what this was about. So it was just that?

"But who else would know? Apart from you old geezers and the Titled Douluo elders, no one knows I'm an elder, right?"

Even those honorary elders of Spirit Hall who possessed the Pope's Order had no idea who Li Pu was.

That was what Li Pu had asked for, though his status and authority were still more than enough.

"I know Tang Chen of the Clear Sky Sect and you are close, but this matter clearly has little to do with us."

"How does it have little to do with us? The Clear Sky Sect has suffered such losses, and at the same time it's drawn a hidden powerhouse out of the shadows to target Spirit Hall. What do you think we should do?" Qian Daoliu's words carried a hint of anger.

"Are you talking about Tang Chen, who might still be alive, or Tang Hao himself?" Li Pu asked in return.

"Both, I suppose. Right now, the greatest danger comes from Tang Hao and that Soul Beast. What if that Soul Beast joins forces with other Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts? What then?" Qian Daoliu said.

"Do different Soul Beast species feel kinship with one another? Or are Soul Beasts all so simplehearted that they'd accept a human who betrayed his teacher and ancestors? Wouldn't they think that someone who betrayed his own kind was no different from a traitor?"

Li Pu asked again. Soul Beast clans loathed those who betrayed their kind above all else, and they certainly wouldn't trust outsiders.

"Besides, in the eyes of Soul Beasts, the Blue Silver Emperor is a traitor to her kind. Tang Hao needs to hunt Soul Beasts to obtain his ninth Soul Ring, and the Blue Silver Emperor will need to hunt Soul Beasts for her next three Soul Rings too. Do you think the Soul Beast clans will let them off?"

"What's more, Tang Hao brought this upon himself. He couldn't even see the problem with his own actions. All he had to do was explain that the Soul Beast was his captive. Now he's suffering the consequences of his own actions. Even if Tang Chen shows up, he won't have a leg to stand on."

"So your worries are unnecessary!"

Qian Daoliu thought it over and realized that was indeed the case. He didn't need to worry about any repercussions.

"Looks like I've been cooped up for too long. I can't see through many things anymore. I'm old, too, and not as young and bold as you are."

After all, he was already over a hundred years old.

Li Pu chuckled. "Speaking of which, Grand Protector, you and Tang Chen were once mortal rivals vying for control of the continent—and bitter rivals in love, locked in a fight to the death. Why are you so afraid of him? Or are you really just upholding a gentleman's code of chivalry and honoring your agreement with him?"

Qian Daoliu's face immediately darkened. "Who says I'm afraid of him? And just as you said, he and I were mortal rivals vying for control of the continent, as well as bitter rivals in love, locked in a fight to the death. Do you think an agreement between us was child's play?"

"If that's the case, then why are you acting this way?"

At that moment, Li Pu had no choice but to reassess Qian Daoliu. He'd always thought Qian Daoliu had the noble bearing of a knight and was honoring his agreement with his good brother, Tang Chen. Clearly, that wasn't the impression Qian Daoliu gave him now.

Qian Daoliu spoke slowly. "The real reason I called you here was that I was afraid you'd be too rash and try to wipe out the Clear Sky Sect right now. That's why I wanted to talk to you."

"Why? Didn't Spirit Hall decide to prepare to rule the world and unify the continent because a future Angel God appeared? What's wrong with wiping out the Clear Sky Sect ahead of time?" Li Pu didn't understand.

"Why?"

Qian Daoliu sneered, his expression mocking.

"Because Tang Chen is ruthless!"

"Ruthless?"

Li Pu seemed to understand what Qian Daoliu meant.

Qian Daoliu nodded. "That's right."

"Others might not know, but I know Tang Chen is still alive. The fact that he's still alive—a Limit Douluo at level ninety-nine—is enough to make me wary."

"So we can't attack the Clear Sky Sect. At the very least, we can't wipe out its legacy!"

Li Pu understood even more clearly how important strength was. As long as a family's founding ancestor was still alive, other forces wouldn't dare attack lightly. Even if the ancestor disappeared, they still had to consider whether he was alive.

No wonder people across the Eastern Continent liked to wipe out entire families, whether they were seeking revenge or attacking others. There was a reason for it.

"Exactly! You have no idea what the Clear Sky Sect was like back then. It wasn't especially powerful. Its members were good at fighting among themselves but useless against outsiders. The elders fought over power and acted for their own interests, and the disciples below were no better."

"Everything changed when Tang Chen appeared. After becoming a Titled Douluo, he began reforming the Clear Sky Sect. He slaughtered every corrupt elder and disciple who was a parasite on the sect. Over the next few years, anyone who was cowardly in battle, grasped for power, or refused to obey was killed by him. From then on, the entire Clear Sky Sect stood as one, following orders and enforcing discipline. The slightest offense brought the whole sect down on the offender, no questions asked. They destroyed countless sects and defeated or subjugated countless others, making the Clear Sky Sect's name ring across the continent! In the end, they even dared to contend with an organization that possessed a divine inheritance!"

"So don't be fooled by Tang Chen's current absence. What do you think he'd do if the Clear Sky Sect's legacy were wiped out?"

At last, Qian Daoliu quietly took a sip of tea.

"He'd start by turning the Spirit Hall Branches in every region into rivers of blood, until no one was willing to join Spirit Hall anymore!"

Li Pu was stunned for a long while. So that was it. That so-called agreement was nothing but nonsense.

Then again, what powerful person had ever risen to the top without being ruthless and seeing things through to the bitter end?

"Now you understand, right?" Qian Daoliu said calmly.

"A level-ninety-nine Douluo really does pose a terrifying threat. But, well, don't you know where Tang Chen went?"

Li Pu looked at Qian Daoliu. With the organizations and information at his disposal, he shouldn't have been unaware of Tang Chen's whereabouts.

"Of course I know where he is."

"He's in Slaughter City!"

"You know that too!"

Qian Daoliu shot to his feet in shock, unable to believe it.

Li Pu explained, "Newcomers to Slaughter City are told that a god once appeared there, and that it's a place left behind by a god. Although it was turned into a prison a thousand years ago by the Angel God, the former Grand Protector of Spirit Hall, the divine inheritance is still there."

"Tang Chen obtained the Divine Slaughter's Domain. With his abilities, he could certainly obtain the divine inheritance. If he wants to become a god, he'll have to inherit it. If he wants to gather faith like the Angel God, he'll probably have to keep vying with you for control of the continent."

"If I'm not mistaken, the King of Slaughter should be Tang Chen!"

At those words, Qian Daoliu could no longer remain calm. Li Pu knew far too much. He'd even deduced that Tang Chen was in Slaughter City.

Li Pu smiled again. "You really don't need to worry. In fact, you should be glad—Tang Chen is in the same boat as you now."

Qian Daoliu looked at Li Pu with an increasingly strange expression. "You really do know a bit too much. Give you just a little information, and you can figure out our affairs too."