Clear Sky Sect Council

"Things have come to this. No matter how much we complain about the unfairness of it all, it won't help. Rather than pinning our hopes on something illusory or fantasizing about the old sect master displaying his might and descending from the heavens like a divine soldier... we should calmly think of countermeasures."

That was what the Grand Elder said.

He belonged to Tang Chen's generation. With deep seniority and immense prestige within the Clear Sky Sect, even Tang Xiao, who had already become sect master, could not compare to him.

As people grew older, they saw the world more clearly. How could he fail to see through the thoughts of these "juniors" he spent every day with?

That was why the helplessness in his heart ran deeper than that of the other elders.

The Clear Sky Sect had no successors...

After finally producing a Tang Hao, he turned out to be a genuine troublemaker!

What a sin!

"Weren't we already trying to come up with something? Sigh!"

The hot-tempered Third Elder sighed.

"If there were a solution, we would've thought of it long ago."

To be honest, asking this bunch of rough men, who normally only knew how to swing hammers, to use their brains was practically asking for their lives.

They might as well perish together with Spirit Hall!

Just then,

"When Spirit Hall's people arrive, we should first declare that the sect has severed all ties with Tang Hao."

The Grand Elder suddenly said to Tang Xiao.

In other words, expel him from the sect.

"This..."

Tang Xiao hesitated.

"This is for his own good as well."

The Grand Elder continued to persuade him.

"If a Titled Douluo is determined to hide, not even a Peerless Douluo will be able to find him. If Tang Hao is alone, it will not only reduce Spirit Hall's resentment toward the sect to the greatest extent, but he can also become a sword wandering beyond the sect. Spirit Hall presumably cannot bear having an unrestrained Titled Douluo freely wreak havoc upon its branch halls across the continent."

"Conversely, if we protect Tang Hao merely for the dispensable name of the 'Clear Sky Sect,' not only will we fail to protect him, we may also give Spirit Hall an excuse to force him to reveal himself and use him as leverage against the sect."

"...It can only be this way. Hao must suffer for it."

After hearing this, Tang Xiao finally sighed and agreed to the Grand Elder's proposal.

However, upon hearing those words, Lieyang, the most hot-tempered of them all, the Seventh Elder, could not help but curse.

"Suffer my ass!"

"Him? Suffer? He got a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone, he got to show off his prestige, and now the sect has to bear all the consequences!"

"Fuck, he's such a damn troublemaker! Don't let me see him, or sooner or later I'll smash him with a hammer!"

"The sect raised him and even gave him several inherited Soul Bones. Forget repaying the sect—he does nothing but cause trouble for it."

"Ungrateful bastard!"

Those were truly nasty words...

But they felt good.

Though the other elders did not join in the cursing, they could not help applauding the Seventh Elder in their hearts after hearing him speak so frankly.

However, each word of the Seventh Elder's tirade made Tang Xiao, who was usually relatively mild-tempered, unable to endure it any longer. His defenses broke. The aura of a Level 93 Titled Douluo exploded outward and pressed down upon the Seventh Elder.

The Seventh Elder, still only a Soul Douluo, naturally could not withstand Tang Xiao's enraged pressure when he made no effort to restrain it. He felt his internal organs shake and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Tang Xiao! What are you doing?!"

Seeing this, the Grand Elder immediately acted and blocked Tang Xiao's pressure.

"He... he went too far!"

In his fury, Tang Xiao pointed at the Seventh Elder with a trembling hand. He could not even bring himself to call him "Uncle." His face flushed red, and his mood suddenly sank again.

Was Hao truly in the wrong...?

No.

He had only done it to protect Sister Ah Yin. Spirit Hall had been relentlessly pursuing them. It was all Spirit Hall's fault.

After comforting himself like that for a while, Tang Xiao's expression quickly hardened.

"In the future, I do not wish to hear the Seventh Elder speak of Hao like that again."

"...You've gotten completely out of hand!"

The Seventh Elder immediately blew his beard and glared. Even while enduring his physical discomfort, he still had to curse once more:

"Is the Clear Sky Sect everyone's Clear Sky Sect, or is it just the Clear Sky Sect of you two little bastards?!"

Tang Xiao's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and he panted like a bull.

"Enough!"

Sensing that things were taking a bad turn, the Grand Elder finally stepped in to smooth things over.

"We haven't even seen so much as a shadow of Spirit Hall yet. Are we already in such a hurry to throw ourselves into disarray?"

The hall fell silent once more.

After a long while, Tang Xiao, having regained a measure of calm, took the initiative to change the subject and continued discussing countermeasures with the elders present.

"Spirit Hall is coming with great force this time. Even if we declare that we have severed ties with Hao, they likely will not let us off so easily."

"Yes."

An elder nodded gravely. Then his eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had thought of something, and he continued:

"However, I recall that Angel Douluo Qian Daoliu once had an agreement with the old sect master. I can no longer remember the exact terms, but I vaguely recall that as long as Qian Daoliu lived, he would not allow Spirit Hall to attack our Clear Sky Sect."

Tang Xiao was greatly delighted upon hearing this, but before he could say anything, the Grand Elder mercilessly interrupted him.

"I remember that matter. However, the Clear Sky Sect's current residence was established only after the old sect master led the sect to become the number one sect under heaven. Qian Daoliu's agreement with the old sect master was made at the former site of our ancestral land."

"In other words, even if we rely on this agreement to avert disaster, we would have to abandon most of the foundation we have built over these years and perhaps retire into seclusion from then on."

"That is actually not the biggest concern. What worries me more is that Qian Daoliu has spent years living in the Worship Hall, indifferent to worldly affairs. He may not be able to restrain Qian Xunji's former subordinates from coming to seek revenge. Or perhaps, since the one who died this time was his biological son, even if he can restrain them, he may choose to turn a blind eye and allow his subordinates to act."

"What if Qian Daoliu acts personally?"

"He won't. He fears the old sect master's lingering prestige. As long as the old sect master has not appeared, he will never act personally, no matter what."

"That is at least a small blessing amid misfortune."

"Let us set aside these matters that cannot yet be predicted or examined."

Tang Xiao gave a bitter smile and shook his head before continuing:

"The ancestral land is not very large, is it? What will happen to the Four Single-Attribute Clans, then?"

"We can only abandon them for now."

The Second Elder decided without hesitation.

"Titan of the Strength Clan is absolutely loyal to the sect master's line, while the Speed Clan has intermarried with us for generations. As for the Breaking Clan and the Defense Clan, that is harder to say."

"However, the Four Single-Attribute Clans have always shared the same spirit, as close as brothers, standing on the same side. Once we emerge again in the future and summon back the Strength and Speed Clans first, the remaining two clans will not be a problem."

Everyone in the hall nodded in agreement.