The Enemy at the Gates

Just as the Snow Empress was burning with anxiety, at her wit's end.

"Crack!"

An extremely faint shattering sound rang out.

The space not far from Qian Qizhou split open without warning, like a shattered mirror, revealing a fissure flowing with violet lightning.

Immediately following, a figure clad in a purple kimono, radiating an aura of absolute stillness and death, stepped out from the spatial rift.

It was Ei!

Her deep, profound eyes first glanced indifferently at the Snow Empress nearby, then fell back upon the dying Qian Qizhou.

Without a word, Ei slowly raised her hand toward Qian Qizhou.

"Hum—!"

An invisible ripple of law instantly pierced through the violent lightning, acting directly upon Qian Qizhou's body.

The next moment, a sudden, drastic change occurred!

"BOOM!!!"

The violent energy within Qian Qizhou's body seemed to have found an outlet, surging outward and erupting with madness!

Blinding violet lightning instantly swallowed Qian Qizhou whole, transforming into a massive pillar of lightning that shot into the sky, tearing the clouds above asunder in an instant.

A terrifying shockwave of destructive energy expanded in a ring, ripping up the ground layer by layer and pulverizing it!

The Snow Empress's expression changed drastically; she had to exert her full soul power to withstand the sudden energy impact, her eyes filled with shock and confusion.

Who was she? Was she trying to completely destroy Qian Qizhou?!

But soon, the pillar of lightning dissipated after a few moments, resolving the Snow Empress's doubts.

In the original spot, Qian Qizhou's figure was revealed once more.

With Ei's protection, those lightning bolts could not harm him at all.

Although he remained unconscious, the heart-stopping energy that had been continuously destroying his vitality had vanished without a trace.

His charred body, covered in cracks, also began to heal extremely slowly under the combined effect of the Blue Silver Emperor soul bone's life force and his own soul power.

A flash of realization crossed the Snow Empress's eyes; she seemed to understand where Qian Qizhou's heaven-defying talent originated.

Just as the Snow Empress prepared to step forward, a somewhat disheveled figure flew over from the distance at high speed and landed nearby.

The newcomer was none other than Guang Ling. He was covered in blood, one hand clutching his chest, clearly having suffered significant injuries.

After landing, his gaze immediately locked onto the unconscious Qian Qizhou on the ground.

Seeing that the boy was safe, he let out a long sigh of relief, his tense expression softening.

Ei's gaze shifted from Qian Qizhou and landed on Guang Ling, her brows furrowing slightly: "How did you end up like this?"

He had not been in battle, nor had he been resisting the lightning; how had he managed to get himself into such a state?

Faced with Ei's question, a trace of unnatural embarrassment flashed across Guang Ling's handsome face.

He hurriedly bowed respectfully to Ei: "Senior."

He dared not show the slightest negligence in front of this great deity.

Immediately, he straightened up quickly, his eyes darting away as he gave a dry laugh.

He said nothing of how he had been blown away after slamming head-first into the expanding shockwave, caught completely off guard.

Hearing this, Ei merely glanced at Guang Ling indifferently. She saw through his cover-up but had no interest in pursuing the matter further.

Guang Ling breathed a sigh of relief, hurried to the other side of Qian Qizhou, and knelt down, carefully picking him up.

He turned to look at Ei, his tone respectful: "Senior, Xiao Zhou is out of immediate danger. I will take him back to recover now."

Ei's gaze lingered on Qian Qizhou's pale face for a moment, then flicked toward Guang Ling, who was holding him, and she gave a slight nod.

Subsequently, the space behind her split open silently, revealing a fissure flowing with violet lightning.

After Ei left, Guang Ling held Qian Qizhou and let out a sigh of relief; the pressure from that person was simply too great.

He looked at the Snow Empress to the side: "This... Lady Snow Empress..."

At this moment, on the other side of the continent, the atmosphere was chilling and grave to the extreme.

Outside the towering gates of the Clear Sky Sect, the number one sect in the world, the area was packed tight by numerous Spirit Hall spirit masters.

Thousands of spirit masters were arranged in neat battle formations, the light of various martial souls flickering faintly.

Powerful fluctuations of soul power converged, forming a suffocating, terrifying pressure that shrouded the entire mountain range.

In the sky, over a dozen figures hovered, exuding an overwhelming aura.

The woman at the lead, dressed in papal robes with a majestic countenance, was none other than Bibi Dong, who had succeeded to the position of Pope.

Beside her stood Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, along with several other titled Douluo elders.

Chrysanthemum Douluo stepped forward, his feminine, sharp voice infused with immense soul power, carrying clearly across the entire Clear Sky Sect: "Listen well, people of the Clear Sky Sect!"

"Hand over the culprit responsible for the slaying of the former Pope—Tang Hao—immediately!"

"Otherwise, the Clear Sky Sect will not leave here unscathed today!"

"Spirit Hall—!"

"Spirit Hall—!"

Thousands of Spirit Hall soul masters behind him roared in unison.

Inside the mountain gate, all the disciples of the Clear Sky Sect turned deathly pale, gripping their Clear Sky Hammers tightly, their eyes filled with fury, humiliation, and fear.

Deep within the sect, two equally formidable auras surged into the sky, colliding with the auras of the Spirit Hall powerhouses from afar and producing a dull, thunderous boom!

One of them, tall and burly with a resolute face, was none other than the current Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect, Tang Wei, who was also Tang Hao's father.

The other was an old man with white hair and beard, yet his figure remained as straight as a pine tree.

He was the Great Elder of the Clear Sky Sect, also a Title Douluo.

At this moment, the only two remaining Title Douluos within the Clear Sky Sect had all appeared.

Tang Wei's gaze swept across the dark mass of Spirit Hall soul masters outside, finally landing on Bibi Dong and Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo at the lead:

"Cease your wild talk!"

"My Clear Sky Sect has stood tall on this continent for years; how could we be threatened and humiliated by the likes of you at will?!"

"Tang Hao's affairs are his own personal actions and have nothing to do with my Clear Sky Sect!"

"He left the sect long ago; the sect knows nothing of his deeds, nor will we be held responsible!"

The Great Elder at his side also let out a cold snort: "For Spirit Hall to mobilize such a force and bring your troops to our sect's gate, do you really think my Clear Sky Sect fears you!"

The two Title Douluos' attitudes were exceptionally firm; although they were at a disadvantage, they showed no intention of yielding or compromising.

Facing the stern words of Tang Wei and the Great Elder, a cold voice rang out, undisguised in its contempt: "Heh..."

"What a righteous and high-sounding attempt to wash your hands of this."

"Personal actions? Left the sect? Know nothing of it?"

"Was the technique Tang Hao used to detonate his rings and severely wound the Pope not the unique secret skill of the Clear Sky Sect?"

"Is the martial soul in his hand not the Clear Sky Hammer? Was his cultivation not provided by the resources of the Clear Sky Sect?"

"He caused a catastrophe of heaven-shaking proportions, turned around and hid, leaving you so-called clansmen behind, and now you want to brush it off with a lighthearted 'he left the sect'? There is no such cheap deal in this world!"

"The majesty of Spirit Hall and the blood feud of the Pope cannot be erased by a few words from you!"