Clear Sky Sect Arrives

A month later.

Inside Pope Palace, Ye Xunfeng sat in the seat of honor. The table before him was piled high with lists of congratulatory gifts sent by various factions.

Yue Guan stood to one side, respectfully reporting, "Your Holiness, Tang Wei, the Clear Sky Sect Master, personally set out with his people. By my estimate, they will reach Spirit City in three days."

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect sent their young sect master, Ning Fengzhi, along with Sword Douluo Chen Xin. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan sent Vice Sect Master Yu Luomian and several elders. The Heaven Dou Empire and Star Luo Empire have also dispatched envoys."

Yue Guan had absorbed the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. His soul power had reached level ninety, and his Martial Soul had undergone a second evolution.

However, he had not hunted for his ninth Soul Ring. The Pope's ascension ceremony was about to take place, and he had no desire to miss such a grand occasion.

Hearing those familiar names, Ye Xunfeng lightly tapped the tabletop with his fingers and drawled, "Clear Sky Sect..."

He narrowed his eyes slightly. The scene of fighting Tang Hao and his brother in the forest flashed through his mind as he said evenly, "Tang Wei personally making the trip is certainly not just a simple visit to offer congratulations."

"What do you mean, Your Holiness?" Yue Guan bent slightly at the waist and hurriedly asked.

"His second son, Tang Hao, was disrespectful when speaking to my sworn sister and insulted her. I taught him a lesson." Ye Xunfeng spoke casually. "I also injured both his sons. Given that, do you think it is normal for him to come smiling and offer congratulations?"

Ye Xunfeng gave a light laugh. The Clear Sky Twin Stars of the Clear Sky Sect could now be considered half-crippled.

Yue Guan's eyes shifted, and he immediately grasped the implication. "Your Holiness means the Clear Sky Sect has come to... seek peace?"

"Calling it seeking peace would be a bit much. The Clear Sky Sect is still the number one sect under heaven; they cannot afford to lose that face." Ye Xunfeng rose to his feet. "But Tang Wei is a smart man. He knows whom he can offend and whom he cannot provoke."

Yue Guan nodded thoughtfully.

"However..." Ye Xunfeng changed the subject, a faint smile curling his lips. "Since he is coming, I would like to see what sort of attitude this Clear Sky Sect Master intends to take before me."

Three days later, Spirit City was more bustling than ever before.

At the city gates, convoys from every faction stretched into long lines. Banners fluttered everywhere, while carriages rumbled and voices surged through the crowd.

Among them, the Clear Sky Sect's convoy was the most eye-catching. The carriages were all drawn by jet-black steeds, and prominent Clear Sky Hammer emblems were carved into the carriage bodies. Everything about them exuded an overbearing, ostentatious air.

Tang Wei lifted the carriage curtain and gazed at Spirit City's walls in the distance, his expression exceedingly complicated.

"Father, are we really going to bow our heads to that young brat?" Tang Yuehua sat in the corner of the carriage, her eyes red. She had clearly done plenty of crying these past few days.

"Bow our heads?" Tang Wei shook his head with a bitter smile. "Yuehua, you do not understand. That boy became a Titled Douluo at nineteen, with two black, five red, and two orange Soul Rings. Alone, he crippled Qian Xunji, and even Qian Daoliu did not dare intervene. Such a person is not someone our Clear Sky Sect can afford to offend. If your grandfather were still here... sigh."

Tang Yuehua bit her lip and said nothing more.

The carriage slowly entered Spirit City, its wheels rolling over the bluestone road with dull, heavy sounds.

Tang Wei lowered the curtain and closed his eyes to rest, but his mind repeatedly calculated how he should address that young Pope when they met.

A god's heir...

A high platform had long been erected in the square before Pope Palace. A red carpet extended from the palace gates all the way to the foot of the steps, making the scene look exceptionally grand.

Ye Xunfeng stood on the steps of Pope Palace in a golden robe. His long golden hair shimmered softly beneath the sunlight, while his violet eyes were deep and calm.

Behind him, Qian Daoliu, Golden Crocodile Douluo, Light Feather Douluo, and the other Elder Hall offerings stood in a straight line. Their auras were grim and imposing, enough to make others afraid to approach.

"Clear Sky Sect Master Tang Wei has arrived!" a guard announced at the top of his lungs.

Tang Wei led Tang Yuehua up the steps, one step at a time.

The moment Tang Wei's gaze fell upon Ye Xunfeng, his heart jolted violently.

That appearance resembled Qian Daoliu behind him almost exactly, yet his bearing bore several striking similarities to Tang Wei's father, Tang Chen. Or rather, he seemed like a fusion of Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen.

Overbearing, confident, sacred, yet carrying a trace of compassion...

"Tang Wei of the Clear Sky Sect greets Your Holiness the Pope." Tang Wei bowed slightly, offering the courtesy due between equals.

In a sense, the two of them truly were of the same generation, though Ye Xunfeng was very young.

Ye Xunfeng looked at him without speaking at once, merely observing Tang Wei in silence. Tang Wei was also covertly observing him.

A subtle tension filled the air. The surrounding guests all held their breath, not daring to make a sound.

"Sect Master Tang is too polite." After a moment, Ye Xunfeng finally spoke, his tone neither warm nor cold. "You have come from far away. You must have had a tiring journey."

"Your Holiness achieved greatness at such a young age. Tang naturally had to come in person to offer congratulations." Tang Wei smiled and drew a gift list from his sleeve, presenting it with both hands. "A small token of respect. Please accept it."

Ye Xunfeng gestured for Yue Guan to accept the list, but his gaze shifted to Tang Yuehua behind Tang Wei.

She was an eighteen-year-old girl wearing an elegant pale-blue dress. Her features were exquisitely beautiful, and her temperament gentle and soft, making her seem utterly out of place beside the Clear Sky Sect's usual rough style.

"And this is?" Ye Xunfeng asked calmly.

"This is my daughter, Tang Yuehua." Tang Wei moved slightly aside and had his daughter step forward. "Yuehua, quickly greet His Holiness the Pope."

Tang Yuehua bit her lip and gave a small curtsy. Her voice was soft, carrying an almost imperceptible tremor. "Tang Yuehua greets Your Holiness the Pope."

The moment Ye Xunfeng looked at her, he understood Tang Wei's intentions. Bringing his daughter to offer congratulations, coupled with Qian Daoliu's earlier reminder—the intention could not have been more obvious.

"Miss Tang need not stand on ceremony." Ye Xunfeng withdrew his gaze and instructed Yue Guan, "Take Sect Master Tang and Miss Tang to their seats."

Tang Wei quietly let out a breath of relief. It seemed this new Pope was not giving the Clear Sky Sect a cold shoulder over what had happened before.

Yet he also understood that this was merely surface courtesy. The real challenge still lay ahead.

"Young Sect Master Ning of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Sword Douluo, have arrived..."

"Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan..."

Seeing that the Clear Sky Sect Master had personally come, while the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had at least sent its young sect master, Yu Luomian of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan instantly looked somewhat embarrassed.

Ye Xunfeng did not pay much attention to such matters.

Before long, all the guests had arrived, and the Pope's ascension ceremony officially began.

Standing atop the high platform, Ye Xunfeng looked down at the vast crowd below.

There were elders and deacons of Spirit Hall, representatives of the Upper Three Sects, envoys from the Two Great Empires, and independent soul masters who had come from all across the continent.

Everyone's eyes were fixed firmly upon him. There was awe, curiosity, scrutiny, and some concealed calculations.