Keep Them as Tools

Half a day later, Tian Dou Imperial City, Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School Branch.

The dark golden flames gradually died out in the night sky, yet the lingering pressure of a Limit Douluo above the estate remained so heavy that soul masters throughout the city trembled.

In the sky, Grand Worshipper Qian Daoliu stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the deathly silent manor below.

"Grand Worshipper, aside from several dozen collateral descendants and direct descendants of mediocre talent, Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, Gu Rong, and the other core higher-ups have long since vanished without a trace."

A heavily armored Soul Emperor of the Holy Emperor Warriors knelt on one knee as he reported.

Having lived a second life, Ning Fengzhi knew well that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's current strength could not withstand Spirit Hall head-on. Several days earlier, he had secretly used his immense wealth to quietly transfer the school's core assets and powerful members away, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell.

"Ning Fengzhi ran quite fast."

Qian Daoliu snorted coldly and raised his right hand high. Golden sacred flames gathered in his palm as he prepared to completely wipe out the remaining Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School disciples below.

"Grand Worshipper, wait!"

At that moment, a burly middle-aged man with a build like a small mountain hurried forward from the rear.

His skin was dark, and his face was thick with flesh. He was none other than Huyan Zhen, sect master of the Elephant Armor School, foremost among the Lower Four Sects.

Huyan Zhen had likewise been reborn with memories of his previous life. In that life, the Elephant Armor School had served as cannon fodder for Spirit Hall. In this one, he was desperate to render great service and secure a higher position within Spirit Hall.

Huyan Zhen bent his bucket-thick waist, forcing a fawning smile onto his face as he quietly advised,

"Grand Worshipper, the Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda martial soul possesses peerless battlefield support abilities. Though these collateral descendants have mediocre talent, the inherited bloodline still flows within them."

"Simply killing them all would be a terrible waste. In this old man's view, it would be better to escort them all back to Spirit City and secretly breed them there. My Elephant Armor School, along with other utterly loyal subordinate families of Spirit Hall, can handle it and use these men and women as tools. In no more than ten or twenty years, they will continuously produce an army of Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda support soul masters absolutely loyal to Spirit Hall!"

Huyan Zhen's words were crude and vicious, chilling even the Holy Emperor Warriors nearby.

Yet it had to be said that, for Spirit Hall in a state of holy war, this was an exceptionally cost-effective proposal.

After hearing him out, Qian Daoliu paused slightly with his raised hand. He gave Huyan Zhen a cold glance from above, then nodded expressionlessly.

"Feasible. Leave this matter to the Elephant Armor School. Anyone who resists is to have their cultivation crippled on the spot."

"Thank you for your trust, Grand Worshipper! This old man will see it done properly!" Huyan Zhen was overjoyed and bowed repeatedly.

Before long, cries and the clatter of chains rang out among the ruins.

These abandoned Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School disciples had never imagined that a fate of captivity awaited them.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the spatial passage.

At the center of Tian Dou Imperial City stood Yue Xuan, an elegant and luxurious pavilion.

Boom!

Inside a secret music room on the second floor, space suddenly shattered like a mirror. Bone Douluo Gu Rong, covered in blood, tumbled out, his expression listless.

"Bone Douluo!"

Titan cried out and hurriedly set down Tang Hao, limp as a dead dog in his arms, along with the pale-faced Tang San.

"How could his injuries be this severe?!"

Hearing the commotion, an elegant, ethereal figure hurriedly pushed open the door and entered.

The woman wore a moon-blue gown and possessed breathtaking beauty.

She was Tang Yuehua, mistress of the Heaven Dou Empire Court Etiquette Academy and Tang San's aunt.

Tang Yuehua looked at Tang Hao, covered in blood and missing an arm, then at Tang San, whose bones were broken but whose gaze remained sinister. It felt as though she had been struck by lightning.

In truth, she too had been reborn.

In her memories of her previous life, she had been born with blocked meridians. Her Soul Power could never break through Rank Nine, and among the soul masters of that world, where powerful individuals were everywhere, she had been little more than an outsider.

Yet in that previous life, a young man had entered Yue Xuan.

Ye Yuan had already been an adult then. Though he did not possess a trace of Soul Power, his thirst for knowledge had brought him to Yue Xuan to study etiquette and music.

During those days, Ye Yuan's gentle, jade-like bearing, his unassuming yet unyielding poise, the pure music he played that seemed capable of cleansing one's soul, and his tender care free of all prejudice deeply touched Tang Yuehua's heart, which had been lonely for many years.

While everyone else either pitied or despised her for being unable to break through, only Ye Yuan had treated her as his closest elder sister.

Ye Yuan's graceful demeanor and immense talent had already become an unforgettable white moonlight in Tang Yuehua's heart.

When the final God War erupted, she watched helplessly as Ye Yuan, who possessed no Soul Power at all, was killed by Tang San. Her heart had already died then.

Now that she had been reborn, she had been bitterly hating fate's cruelty when she suddenly learned that Spirit Hall was searching with all its might for someone called Holy Son Ye Yuan.

Ye Yuan was alive!

And he had become Spirit Hall's Holy Son!

Tang Yuehua looked at the unconscious Tang Hao on the stone bed, then at Tang San beside him. Though Tang San was only five years old, she found him utterly repulsive no matter how she looked at him.

In their previous life, it was because of this father and son that the Clear Sky School had been relentlessly targeted by Spirit Hall. Ye Yuan had been dragged into the war as well, only to meet a tragic death in the end.

In this life, they had come to drag her down again?

If I hand them over, Ye Yuan will definitely be happy, right? Could I use this chance to return to his side?

A near-pathological fervor and madness flashed through Tang Yuehua's eyes.

What school, what family ties—at the moment her love-struck obsession took hold, she threw them all beyond the clouds.

"Elder Titan, take Bone Douluo to receive treatment first. I'll watch over things here, so don't worry."

Tang Yuehua said gently.

Once only the motionless Tang Hao and Tang San remained in the secret chamber, Tang Yuehua walked out. Her delicate hand trembled as she wrote a secret letter, then summoned a confidant and quietly instructed,

"Deliver this letter to Spirit Hall immediately. Make sure it is personally handed to... Holy Son Ye Yuan."

Tang San, lying in the secret chamber, never could have imagined that the aunt he trusted most had sold him out without the slightest hesitation.

The side hall was somewhat dimly lit.

Titan laid Gu Rong flat on a soft couch and was about to circulate his Soul Power to help suppress his injuries.

However, just as he raised his hand, Gu Rong's tightly shut eyes abruptly opened.

He violently coughed up a mouthful of black blood and seized Titan's arm in a death grip.

"Bone Douluo! You're awake!" Titan was just about to show his delight.

"Shut up... Quickly take His Majesty Clear Sky and Tang San. We're leaving!"

Gu Rong's voice was hoarse, but his words remained decisive.

"Leaving? This is Yue Xuan. Its mistress, she..."

"Idiot! In this life, aside from Fengzhi and Chen Xin, this old man trusts no one!"

Gu Rong's eyes flashed with wolf-like gloom and vigilance.

He understood the treachery of the human heart all too well.

Now that even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School Branch could barely protect itself, how could Tang Yuehua, an ordinary woman without power, possibly keep them safe in Heaven Dou City?

Besides, when Tang Yuehua had just seen her dying elder brother and nephew, the panic on her face had been far too fake. Instead, her eyes had revealed an obsession and fervor that made his skin crawl.