As the sun rose as usual,
the streaks of light that had illuminated the sky, the continuous thunder of explosions, and the earth-shaking tremors finally came to an end.
The residents of Nuoding, who had first been stunned by the Divine Slaughter's Domain shooting straight into the sky, then spent the entire night in fear and unease, cautiously stepped out of their homes, dark circles under their eyes.
Though they had no idea what had happened, life still had to go on.
The merchant caravan, already delayed, gritted its teeth and mustered up the courage to leave the city early. But as soon as they passed through the gates, they sensed something was wrong. They narrowed their eyes and gazed into the distance.
Huh?
That mountain up ahead—
Why did it look like the top had been sliced off!?
One golden streak and one black streak
swept over Nuoding City, radiating an indistinct yet terrifying pressure.
At the Spirit Hall Branch, the burly bearded man who had been working inside, Su Yuntao, and even the branch bishop had all been driven out of the hall.
These Spirit Hall Spirit Masters, usually so high and mighty, now stood uneasily by the roadside, shouting as they sealed off and cleared the entire street, afraid they might disturb the important figures inside.
There was no room in the branch for low-level people like them anymore.
The elites of the Tiandou Spirit Temple and the Star Luo Spirit Temple had gathered together under one roof.
The branch bishop glanced back at the building, raised a hand to wipe the cold sweat from his brow, and felt a little relieved. Serving as a messenger guard outside was still better than sitting uneasily inside.
Still, he did have an important duty to perform as a messenger guard.
As the golden and black streaks in the sky stopped in front of him, a man and a "woman" reined in their Soul Power and emerged from the light. The branch bishop did not dare look directly at either of them. He immediately bent over and bowed respectfully.
"Lord Chrysanthemum Douluo! Lord Ghost Douluo!"
"His Excellency Ghost Leopard and the several Platinum Bishops, along with the other lords, are waiting inside."
Ghost Douluo, walking behind him, naturally had his arms crossed and remained silent. Chrysanthemum Douluo, half a step ahead, studied the branch bishop meaningfully. After a brief silence, he stroked his hair and nodded casually.
"Fine. Let this seat have a good look at those fools."
The branch bishop bowed his head even lower. Now he did not even dare listen.
Inside the hall,
the Red Robed Bishops and even the Platinum Bishops were crammed into the small branch hall, making it seem extremely crowded.
Especially now, when the air was still tinged with a faint smell of blood. Several healing-type Soul Emperors bustled through the hall, treating the seriously wounded lying on the beds.
Of course, the few people seated in the main hall were injured too. Their clothes were disheveled, and they looked utterly battered.
The moment he entered the hall,
Chrysanthemum Douluo's eyes lit up. He minced forward at a brisk pace, covering his mouth with a laugh.
"Oh, my! Old Leopard, are you trying to become a three-legged leopard?"
Ghost Leopard, seated in the main chair, immediately darkened his expression. He first pressed a hand against his injured knee, then let his Soul Power burst forth and looked coldly at the Chrysanthemum Douluo before him!
"Looking for trouble?"
The mocking smile never left Yue Guan's lips. Surging Soul Power erupted from beneath his golden armor. The two began a contest of Soul Power on the spot.
The contest had barely begun before it was already over.
For behind Yue Guan, the gaunt Ghost Douluo slowly stepped forward and released his Soul Power as well, joining the clash. Ghost Leopard's remaining Soul Power instantly crumbled like rotten wood before a flood.
Ignoring the anger in Ghost Leopard's eyes,
Ghost Douluo simply glanced at him with his hands behind his back, then spoke coldly. "One Titled Douluo, two Soul Douluos, and six Spirit Saints. With that lineup, you still ended up in this state against a mere Tang Hao?"
"Five Spirit Saints died, and you still failed to take down Tang Hao. Ghost Leopard, don't tell me your surname is Tang?"
His eerie, chilling voice seemed to drop the temperature throughout the entire branch by several degrees.
In a clash between Titled Douluos, even when it was only verbal, the two renowned Platinum Bishops nearby could only keep their mouths shut.
"What are you even talking about?"
Ghost Leopard waved a hand in annoyance.
"Have you not seen for yourselves how insane Tang Hao gets when he fights for his life?"
That was true. The bishops beside him, who had just been battered by the Clear Sky Hammer and knew the secrets of Spirit Hall, could not help nodding in agreement.
Others might not know just how insane Tang Hao became when he fought for his life, but the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluos had experienced it firsthand. Back then, when Tang Hao had just become a Titled Douluo, he fought one against three and beat the previous Pope to death right in front of them.
Otherwise, why would they have dropped everything and rushed off with their forces to capture Tang Hao the instant they received the Pope's order?
They were already mortal enemies.
At the mention of this,
Ghost Leopard Douluo grew even angrier and pointed at the two of them, cursing.
"And if you hadn't taken so long to arrive, would so many of my people have had to die? Platinum Bishop Anderson, who was farther away from you and all the way in the Star Luo Empire, got here before you did!"
"I want to know what the hell you were doing! You were late, you brought too few people, and only the two of you showed up. Where are Ling Yuan and Demon Bear?"
As Ghost Leopard spoke, his voice rose higher and higher until he was practically roaring.
He had happened to be in Heaven Dou City that day. The moment he received the order, he set out at once. Even when he encountered Tang Hao, he had planned to stall for time.
The order had already been sent to Spirit City. As long as he held out and waited for reinforcements, Tang Hao would be a dead man—and he would earn tremendous merit.
But even after Platinum Bishop Anderson from the Star Luo Holy Temple had arrived with a large force, reinforcements from Spirit City still had not shown up. How could Ghost Leopard not be furious? In the end, Tang Hao had fought for his life, spewing blood like mad as he swung his hammer and battered everyone around him. The man was a lunatic!
When he finished, the Red Robed Bishops and even the Platinum Bishops around them did not dare say it aloud, but their gazes at the two men were already thick with resentment.
What kind of reasoning was that?
Chrysanthemum Douluo finally wiped the smile from his face and gave a cold snort.
"Fool. That Pope Decree was fake!"
"..."
The entire branch fell into an eerie silence, then erupted into an uproar.
"What? How is that possible?"
"This is blasphemy against Spirit Hall!"
"..."
Several cautious bishops slowly widened their eyes and flew into a rage, shouting incoherently.
Ghost Leopard's eyes also widened. He clutched his forehead, taking quite some time to process the news. Then he turned around and glared viciously at the branch bishop, who stood there looking bewildered.
"You?"
"Ah..."
The poor old man nearly dropped to his knees on the spot.
Fortunately, Chrysanthemum Douluo's airy voice came to his rescue. "How could it have been him? How could the branch bishop of a backwater city like this pull off something like that? If he were the mastermind, would he have dared to come and meet this seat just now?"
Ghost Leopard suddenly understood.
As he spoke, a dangerous curve formed at the corner of Chrysanthemum Douluo's lips. He raised a hand, swirled his fingers, and a letter suddenly appeared between them.
"Hmph! This little thief has some nerve! Not only did he forge a Pope Decree, he even dared send a letter bearing the seal from that fake decree to the Pope Palace!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo was nearly laughing with anger.
Holding the letter delicately between two fingers in a dainty orchid-finger pose, Yue Guan paced through the hall, unable to help recalling the terrifying scene from earlier. "This letter was delivered straight into the Pope's hands!"
Everyone's expressions changed. They could not help admiring the little thief's audacity, and thought that was the end of it.
After pausing, Chrysanthemum Douluo suddenly gave a chilling laugh and turned toward the others. He unfolded the letter in his hand and continued.
"And at the very end of this letter, there was even a line that said—'Help me out, Dong Trumpet. If you're my brother, come chop me up!'"