On the other side, a few days earlier.
Snow Empress took Qian Qizhou far from the site of the incident. At last, behind a waterfall in a secluded mountain ravine, she found a dry cave.
With a wave of her hand, she laid a thin barrier of ice crystals over the cave entrance, sealing away their presence and the sound.
Once they were inside, Snow Empress finally released him.
Qian Qizhou leaned against the cave wall, nodded to her, and began to struggle through the task of circulating his Soul Power to regulate his breathing.
Snow Empress stood quietly at his side, waiting for him to steady the roiling Soul Power within his body.
A moment later, when the young man's breathing had steadied somewhat, she asked, "What happened? Why did you fight those people to the death, and end up in such a state?"
Her gaze fell on Qian Qizhou. "There's a vast and unusual life energy within you now."
Clearly, she had sensed the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.
Qian Qizhou slowly opened his eyes and briefly recounted how he had witnessed Tang Hao and Qian Xunji's battle, the Blue Silver Emperor's sacrifice, and Tang Hao's Ring Detonation, which had severely wounded Qian Xunji and the other two.
He also explained how he had traded with Tang Hao to obtain the Soul Bone.
"I was going to find somewhere quiet to take a good look at the Soul Bone. I didn't expect to run into people from the Clear Sky Sect, and then this happened."
There was a trace of helplessness in Qian Qizhou's voice. "For humans, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Bone is far too tempting. Naturally, they weren't going to let me go."
Snow Empress listened quietly, unable to understand these humans. "Was it worth giving up their lives for a Soul Bone?"
At her question, a complicated smile appeared on Qian Qizhou's pale face.
He said softly, "Sister Snow, you should know that a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Bone can improve a Soul Master beyond measure."
Still, when it came to his deal with Tang Hao, he had come out ahead.
Tang Lie and the others had originally been looking for Tang Hao. They had only discovered him by chance.
Since the matter had already been settled, he would do Tang Hao a favor and not go to the Clear Sky Sect for revenge.
Besides, Qian Xunji wasn't going to let the Clear Sky Sect off the hook. There was no need for him to get involved.
At that, Snow Empress asked no more.
She walked over to Qian Qizhou and extended a hand as fair as jade, gently resting it against his forehead.
A stream of extremely pure Soul Power flowed from her. Qian Qizhou felt his body tremble slightly, and a cool sensation spread through his limbs and bones.
The meridians, seared with pain from being pushed past their limits, quickly settled under the nourishment of this power. The surging Soul Power within him was forcibly suppressed as well.
Snow Empress's cultivation was extremely high, and her control had reached the pinnacle. Despite the difference in their attributes, she caused Qian Qizhou no discomfort at all. Instead, she swiftly helped stabilize his dire condition.
"Focus," Snow Empress said in her cool voice.
Qian Qizhou immediately gathered his thoughts and worked with the Soul Power she channeled into him, speeding the repair of his injuries and replenishing what he had lost.
The pallor gradually faded from his face, a touch of color returning to his cheeks. His breathing, too, grew steady and strong before their eyes.
As time passed, Qian Qizhou's condition quickly improved with Snow Empress's help.
He let out a long breath and opened his eyes. His gaze had regained its usual brightness, and he nodded gratefully to Snow Empress.
Snow Empress withdrew her hand. After sensing that the Soul Power within Qian Qizhou had steadied, she looked at the Soul Tool holding his Soul Bone. "This place is safe for now."
"Now that you're stable, absorb the Soul Bone first."
She paused, then continued, "The Blue Silver Emperor contains an immense life force. It should replenish some of the essence you've lost, and bring you considerable benefits."
"I'll stand guard here and make sure nothing goes wrong."
With her here, no Soul Master could interfere with Qian Qizhou.
Curious, Qian Qizhou asked, "Sister Snow, is your Heavenly Tribulation about to arrive?"
Snow Empress gave a slight nod. "I was already on the verge of a breakthrough. I simply wasn't confident I could survive that final Heavenly Tribulation, so I've been doing everything I can to suppress my cultivation."
"Now that I've used my power and stopped suppressing my cultivation, the Heavenly Tribulation should arrive soon."
"But with you at my side, it should be fine. When I undergo my tribulation, you can absorb my lightning tribulation. That would be a win-win."
But... was this fellow really from this continent?
She had tested lightning and fire on Soul Beasts. Not only could they not get near Qian Qizhou, they would even submit to him.
In all her hundreds of thousands of years, she had never seen anything like it.
Qian Qizhou pondered for a moment, then nodded. "All right. I'll have to trouble you, Sister Snow."
As he spoke, he carefully took out the translucent right leg bone of the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor, its surface flowing with a blue-gold radiance.
The moment the Soul Bone appeared, a warm and boundless vitality spread through the cave, filling even its icy depths with life.
Qian Qizhou drew a deep breath and held the Soul Bone in both hands. Following the method for absorbing a Soul Bone, he slowly pressed it against his right leg.
His Soul Power began to reach out, seeking to connect with this hundred-thousand-year treasure.
Outside.
Thousands of Spirit Hall Soul Masters, led by several elders, launched fierce attacks on the Clear Sky Sect and its affiliated forces from every direction.
At the same time, Spirit Temples in the major cities struck, purging and suppressing all the Soul Masters and families with close ties to the Clear Sky Sect, whether their connections were open or hidden.
As affiliated forces of the Clear Sky Sect, the Four Single-Attribute Clans bore the brunt and suffered heavy losses.
As the continent's foremost power, Spirit Hall displayed a strength that was undeniably terrifying.
Of the Upper Three Sects, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan saw what was happening and immediately played dead.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Ning Fengzhi looked at the intelligence report he had received and let out a helpless sigh.
Whether they wanted to help was beside the point. Spirit Hall's stated reason left them no room to intervene.
Tang Hao had colluded with a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, killed the Pope, severely wounded two elders, openly betrayed humanity, and challenged Spirit Hall.
If they helped, it would be an open provocation—a declaration of war against Spirit Hall.
Ning Fengzhi turned slightly and asked Chen Xin beside him, "Uncle Sword, is Qian Qizhou still traveling abroad? Has he not returned?"
Chen Xin slowly nodded. "Yes. We still haven't received any word from him."
He fell silent for a moment, then said, "There's too much at stake in the conflict between Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky Sect. We should wait and see for now."
Ordinary people didn't know, but they understood all too well that the Clear Sky Sect had no chance of standing against Spirit Hall.
Spirit Hall's strength went far beyond what it showed on the surface. Besides the Elder Hall, it also had the even more powerful Worship Hall.
By contrast, how many Titled Douluo did the Clear Sky Sect have now?
In the end, the Clear Sky Sect, foremost among the Upper Three Sects, had no choice but to withdraw its forces across the board. Relying on its natural defenses and the foundations of the sect, it fell into a desperate defensive position and struggled to hold on.
Yet before the curtain rose on this earth-shaking battle, no one knew that a Clear Sky Sect elder and three Soul Douluo had already died in silence.
Before you continue