A few of them followed the scent of blood onward.
As they walked, they soon heard a series of loud commotions in the distance.
The group exchanged glances, then lightly leaped onto the rooftops.
In the square, a dense crowd of commoners surrounded the towering statue at its center, packed tightly together to protect it.
Across from them, numerous knights held long spears, their cold gazes fixed on the people.
Just then, someone in the crowd shouted furiously, "You'll have to kill us before you touch Lord Cen Yu's statue!"
"Where were you people when we were suffering? Where was the empire?"
"Now that we've finally managed to return to normal life, you come charging over here to accuse us."
"On what grounds?! What gives you the right to destroy the statue of our benefactor?"
Those damn imperial lackeys had been nowhere to be seen when people needed them. Now that Spirit Hall had saved them, they were accusing them of treason instead!
What nerve!
At this, the knight commander let out a cold laugh.
Before anyone could react, a long sword flashed from its sheath and slashed straight across the speaker's throat.
He didn't even have time to say another word before his eyes widened and his body toppled stiffly to the ground.
The commoners shuddered in fright and instinctively retreated, deep fear welling in their eyes.
But their panic lasted only a moment. Everyone looked up at Cen Yu's statue, still standing intact behind them, and the fear in their eyes turned to grief and fury.
Damn it, without Lord Cen Yu, they would have been dead long ago.
If they let these lackeys destroy the statue now, how could they live with themselves?
With that thought, even knowing they might die, not a single person was willing to take another step back.
At this, the knight commander grew even angrier. "By imperial order!"
"You have privately erected a statue and gathered to worship it, flouting the law and forming a faction. This is a grave act of treason!"
As he spoke, he pointed his sword at the crowd. "The empire is merciful. We will destroy only the statue and spare your lives."
"If you dare obstruct us again, you will be killed without mercy—"
"Bang!"
Before he could finish, a massive spear pierced straight through his chest and blasted him away.
Everyone present jumped in shock. The other knights cried out in alarm, "Who's there?"
Just then, Cen Yu leaped down from the rooftop and slowly walked up to the crowd.
"Your master's quite something. He actually dares to call people who erect a statue in my honor traitors."
"So you were the ones who destroyed the Martial Soul Branch Hall, too. Is this a declaration of war?"
As he spoke, Cen Yu raised a hand, and a new spear materialized in it.
The moment the commoners recognized him, their eyes reddened with emotion and they cried out, "Lord Cen Yu!!!"
"Waaah... Lord Cen Yu, those knights came and immediately destroyed the Martial Soul Branch Hall..."
Hearing them out, the youth chuckled. "All right, settle down. I've seen the blood that was spilled. I'm here to collect the debt."
Looks like these people were from the Heaven Dou Empire~ Since Qian Renxue was the crown prince, these men couldn't have been sent by her or Emperor Xue Ye.
He wanted to see who was so tired of living that they dared provoke him.
He raised a hand and seized the nearest knight by the throat.
"Tell me, who sent you? If you confess honestly, perhaps I'll..."
Spare your clan's nine generations and only wipe out your entire family.
At this, the knight desperately tried to pry Cen Yu's hand loose. "Y-you... how dare—"
Before he could finish, his neck gave a sharp crack, and Cen Yu tossed him aside.
Cen Yu raised his hand again and seized another knight by the throat.
"Come on, what about you?"
After sending every Heaven Dou Empire knight in the area on their way, the group finally learned what had happened.
The Heaven Dou Empire hadn't planned to interfere at first. After all, it was only a few small towns.
But when Prince Xue Xing learned that the people here had started worshipping Cen Yu, he decided that the empire's authority had been challenged.
He found an excuse and sent people to deal with the Martial Soul Branch Hall and the statue.
He hadn't dared to do it at first, but then he thought of Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan, who had been badly injured at the Soul Master Tournament, as well as Ning Rongrong and even Tang San, and he found his courage.
Yue Guan sneered. "Does that sack of wine and rice really think the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will stand with him against a common enemy?"
The Heaven Dou Empire was ruled by a bunch of nobles who only cared about indulging themselves and lining their pockets. How could an empire like that still exist?
Cen Yu smiled and planted the spear in his hand into the ground.
In an instant, a terrifying shockwave burst from him and spread outward.
"What does one Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan amount to? And what if you add the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? Even the Clear Sky Sect has no right to throw its weight around in front of me!"
"We'll grab Xue Xing and go knock on their doors one by one to demand an explanation~"
"If they know what's good for them, fine. If not... it wouldn't be out of the question to send up a few thousand red lanterns for our fallen comrades from the Martial Soul Branch Hall."
Whether they'd given the order or not... did it even matter?
He glanced at the commoners beside him, then pointed at one who looked like he might suit his fancy.
"You. Come here."
The man looked around, then hurried over, flattered beyond belief. "Lord Cen Yu! What are your orders?"
Cen Yu took out the Pope Token and handed it to him. "Go to Spirit City and ask to see the Pope. Tell her I said to send people here to take over this town."
"From today onward, this town no longer belongs to the Heaven Dou Empire."
The man—and all the commoners who heard the news—froze. When they understood what he meant, they fell to their knees, overjoyed, and kowtowed.
"Thank you, my lord! Thank you, my lord!"
"I'll make sure this gets done, don't worry!"
At this, Guang Ling and the others started to advise Cen Yu against handing over the Pope Token.
But before they could speak, they saw him place a mark on the man, and they promptly fell silent.
All right, it seemed he had a plan. There was no need for them to worry.
As for this town, that was a matter for the Great Enshrined and the Pope. It was even less their place to interfere.
"What?" Bibi Dong stared down at the Soul Grandmaster holding the Pope Token, completely baffled.
"You're saying Cen Yu gave you this token?"
The man nodded and kowtowed to Bibi Dong. "Your Holiness the Pope, this humble man is Zhang Tu. Lord Cen Yu ordered me to come and see you."
Then Zhang Tu recounted everything that had happened in Broken Cloud Town.
"Lord Cen Yu said that from now on, Broken Cloud Town no longer belongs to the Heaven Dou Empire. He sent me to ask you to dispatch people to take over the town."
"..."
Bibi Dong ignored him and instead let out a cold laugh as she looked in the direction of the Heaven Dou Empire.
At first, she'd wondered what had gotten into Cen Yu. She hadn't expected it to be those nobles acting up.
For a mere prince to dare do something like this—Tang Hao and Tang San had probably fanned the flames, too, hadn't they?
At that thought, the Pope Token in Zhang Tu's hands flew into Bibi Dong's.
"I understand. You may return. I'll send people to take over Broken Cloud Town."
At the end, she added, "You did well."
They had risked their lives to protect Xiaoyu's statue in those circumstances. It seemed he hadn't wasted that Soul Bone on them.
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