Everyone present stared at the black hole high in the sky, dumbstruck.
What kind of power was this?
A single, casual punch had shattered the sky.
This person had to be a god by now.
"Farewell, Master!"
Seeing Duan Changsheng about to leave, Qian Daoliu hovered in midair and bowed to him with the utmost respect.
His voice was soft, yet everyone heard him.
What?
This person was Qian Daoliu's master?
My heavens!
He was unbelievably powerful!
Could this be Spirit Hall's true foundation—a god-level powerhouse?
At the thought, Tang Xiao and the others went pale.
Ning Fengzhi regretted it so much his guts turned green.
If only he'd known, he would never have accepted Tang Xiao's invitation.
Now he'd thoroughly offended Spirit Hall. They were in for a world of trouble.
Hearing Qian Daoliu address him that way, Duan Changsheng paused slightly.
That damned Qian Daoliu had played him.
Shouting "Master" so brazenly wasn't anything but a public declaration that Duan Changsheng was Spirit Hall's backing.
Well, that was just great. He'd become Spirit Hall's guardian.
Fine, fine!
His daughter was in Spirit Hall, anyway. He'd let things stand for now.
At any rate, he had been one of Spirit Hall's founders.
Backing Spirit Hall up was only reasonable.
Still, Qian Daoliu was a sly little toady. Duan Changsheng would have to teach him a good lesson when he got the chance.
Seeing that Duan Changsheng hadn't objected, Qian Daoliu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed he still mattered somewhat to his esteemed master.
Now that Spirit Hall had his master's reputation behind it, its position as the number-one force on the Douluo Continent was secure.
Unless someone was a fool, no one would dare cause trouble at Spirit Hall.
"What are you all standing around for?"
"Didn't you understand Master's order?"
"Let them go!"
After watching Duan Changsheng leave, Qian Daoliu swooped down and carried out his command.
Everyone looked at one another, unsure what to do.
On one side was Pope Bibi Dong, and on the other was the Grand Consecrator.
They couldn't afford to offend either of them.
But the Six Great Elders withdrew at that moment, refusing to involve themselves any further.
In their minds, only the Grand Consecrator had the authority to command them.
"Didn't you hear the Grand Consecrator?"
"Let them go!"
Bibi Dong glanced at Qian Daoliu with a hint of defiance, then issued the order to everyone.
Seeing this, the crowd finally breathed a sigh of relief and returned to Spirit City.
Qian Daoliu's face turned livid.
It had been only a few years, yet Bibi Dong had already firmly established herself in Spirit Hall—so firmly that she could even stand against him.
It seemed he would have to find a way to remove Bibi Dong from the position of Pope and kill her.
Otherwise, Spirit Hall would fall into her hands sooner or later.
If that day came, he would be a sinner against the Qian Clan.
But now wasn't the time to deal with Bibi Dong. He would return first and consider it later.
"Grandpa, are you all right?"
Once everyone from Spirit Hall had withdrawn, Tang Xiao hurried into the air and helped Tang Chen descend.
They had nearly won that fight. Who could have expected an even more powerful figure to appear?
"I'm fine, just a little weak. I'll recover after a while."
"When we get back, I'll go into secluded cultivation."
"I won't come out until I've regained the strength of a Limit Douluo!"
"Xiao'er, I'll have to leave the Clear Sky Sect in your hands from now on."
Tang Chen waved his hand, his eyes shining with boundless yearning.
Though he had lost—and lost utterly—the battle had shown him a far vaster world.
He would return to the realm of Limit Douluo, become that person's disciple, and then reach level one hundred to become a god.
"Don't worry, Grandpa. The Clear Sky Sect is doing well in my hands."
"But are we going to come out of hiding?"
Seeing that Tang Chen was only going into seclusion rather than leaving again, Tang Xiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as Tang Chen stayed, everything else could be worked out.
"Why wouldn't we? Why else would I have come here?"
"Though I lost, the Clear Sky Sect's name has been made known again."
"If we don't announce our return now, when will we?"
Tang Chen shot him a glare. How could his grandson still not get it?
Tang Chen was back, and he was still thinking about staying hidden.
"But that person from Spirit Hall..."
Tang Xiao trailed off, unsure how to continue.
"Don't worry about him. He has no interest in meddling in worldly affairs."
"As long as we don't attack Spirit Hall again, he won't show himself."
"As for all of you, you need to train harder."
"Look at Spirit Hall. They have more than a dozen Titled Douluo. Take a good look at the gap!"
Tang Chen was somewhat dissatisfied with this generation of disciples.
They had so few Titled Douluo that Spirit Hall wouldn't even consider them a threat.
"Yes, Grandpa. We'll move back to our old sect grounds at once. We fell from there, and that's where we'll rise again."
With Tang Chen's approval, Tang Xiao grew confident.
The Clear Sky Sect was still behind Spirit Hall, but he believed that one day they would surpass it.
"Good. It's great that you have that confidence."
"By the way, does the Clear Sky Sect have someone named Tang San?"
Tang Chen was pleased with Tang Xiao's attitude.
The Clear Sky Sect wasn't afraid of failure. What mattered was having the courage to rise again.
With the sect in Tang Xiao's hands, Tang Chen could finally rest easy.
"Tang San?"
"Grandpa, did you see Hao and the others?"
Tang Xiao had heard Tang Hao mention that Tang San was his biological son.
He had Twin Martial Souls and astonishing talent, and was the strongest among the Clear Sky Sect's third-generation disciples. He had the potential to lead the sect even further.
"You mean Hao'er?"
"He's a fine one—bold enough to love, fight, and kill!"
"Where is he now, and how is Tang San related to him?"
"Now that I'm back, it's time to bring Hao'er home too."
"He's suffered enough all these years!"
"With you two brothers here, I can finally put my mind at ease."
Tang Chen had always thought highly of Tang Hao.
He admired him even more after hearing that he had killed Qian Xunji with a single hammer strike.
Now that was a grandson to be proud of.
"Grandpa, I don't know where Hao is either."
"But the news of your return will soon spread across the entire Douluo Continent."
"I'm sure Hao will come back as soon as he hears you've returned."
"When I get back, I'll immediately issue an announcement welcoming Hao back to the Clear Sky Sect."
"As for Tang San, he's Hao's son."
"He has astonishing talent and is probably the strongest among the third-generation disciples. His talent is no worse than Hao's—in fact, he might even surpass him!"
Tang Xiao was overjoyed that Tang Chen wanted to bring Tang Hao home.
He had been waiting for this day for a long time.
"What?"
"That scumbag Tang San is Hao'er's son?"
"How did he raise him?"
"The Clear Sky Sect does not allow scumbags!"
Tang Chen was furious!
Tang San, who had claimed the top spot on the Scumbag Ranking, really was a direct descendant of the Clear Sky Sect—and his own great-grandson!
If word got out, how could he ever show his face again?
The shame was unbearable!
"Grandpa, well, I think there might be something wrong with that Scumbag Ranking!"
"I secretly met that boy. He seemed pretty upright. He shouldn't be a scumbag."
Tang Xiao broke out in a cold sweat as he tried to explain.
"Bullshit! The divine being issued that Golden Ranking. How could it be false?"
"Pass down the order: Hao'er may return, but Tang San may not!"
"The Clear Sky Sect doesn't raise scumbags!"
"No matter how exceptional his talent is, he still can't come back. That's the Clear Sky Sect's bottom line!"
Tang Chen would never allow anyone to besmirch the Clear Sky Sect. That was his bottom line, too.
Just then, the Scumbag Ranking finally updated.
[Scumbag Ranking TOP 10: Oscar.]
[This man's character is despicable to the extreme. He's obsessed with becoming the King of Scumbags and is beyond saving!]