Besieging the Clear Sky Sect

The Sky Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape were enormous. Though they deliberately suppressed their auras, they caused panic wherever people lived.

Worse, once they thought Xiao Wu might be in danger, their feelings for her made their anger hard to contain. Unable to restrain their Soul Beast instincts, they slaughtered several villages before barely regaining control.

When they reached Shrek Academy, they stopped suppressing their auras. Zhao Wuji and Flender, both Soul Sages, sensed them at once and rushed over.

"Why are they here?" Zhao Wuji was puzzled. He knew those two auras well.

"You know them?" Flender was far from reassured.

"They're Xiao Wu's Soul Beast friends. Didn't I tell you about them?"

"Why would they come here?"

"I don't know. Maybe they're looking for Xiao Wu."

"As long as they're not here to cause trouble."

By then, the two had reached Da Ming and Er Ming.

Zhao Wuji put on a smile and approached them with a deferential air, ready to greet them.

But Da Ming gave him no chance. "Where's Xiao Wu?" he demanded coldly.

Zhao Wuji's expression stiffened. He felt awkward, but unlike Xiao Wu, Da Ming was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast who had not taken human form. Zhao Wuji dared not take offense and could only answer honestly.

"Xiao Wu went to the Sunset Forest with Bai Ye to hunt for Soul Rings."

"What?!" Er Ming flew into a rage. His powerful aura made Zhao Wuji and Flender, mere Soul Sages before him, go pale.

At the same time, both men were baffled. What was there to be angry about? Hunting for Soul Rings was only natural for a Soul Master.

They had no idea Er Ming was already convinced Xiao Wu had been lured into a trap.

Bai Ye had tricked Xiao Wu into going to the Sunset Forest to kill her for her Soul Ring and Soul Bone.

"Er Ming, calm down!" Seeing the Titan Giant Ape on the verge of losing control, the Sky Azure Bull Python hurried to intervene. He had the same suspicion, but neither of them knew the truth.

"That boy is only a Soul Ancestor. I admit he's exceptional, even beyond belief—his first four Soul Rings are purple, purple, black, and black. But do you really think he could absorb a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring as his fifth?"

Er Ming froze for a moment, then calmed down considerably.

That was true. Even if a level-fifty Soul Master had a body strong enough to withstand the energy of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, could his mental strength survive the impact of its soul?

Clearly not.

"Big brother, I was overthinking it." Er Ming finally calmed down, though anger still burned deep in his eyes.

The Sky Azure Bull Python breathed a sigh of relief. He did not want Er Ming to lose his temper here and kill again.

If that provoked enough outrage, Spirit Hall might send people to kill them for their Soul Rings and Soul Bones.

Xiao Wu's mother had died that way. Why would the two of them, her juniors, be any safer?

Yet the Sky Azure Bull Python did not quite believe what he had said to calm the Titan Giant Ape.

Reason told him Xiao Wu had not misjudged Bai Ye and there had to be some other explanation. Still, he could not stop his mind from straying to the worst possibility.

"Kings of the Forest, there's something I'm not sure I should say." Zhao Wuji now understood why they had come. He believed he knew what kind of person Bai Ye was.

"Speak," said the Sky Azure Bull Python.

"I don't think what you fear could have happened. Bai Ye is Spirit Hall's Holy Son, and a Titled Douluo accompanies him. The Sunset Forest poses no danger to them. Perhaps you two have worried over nothing."

When Zhao Wuji finished, Flender voiced his agreement.

"Bai Ye is a good kid. We can all see how he feels about Xiao Wu. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stopped that Titled Douluo from taking her back then."

The Sky Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape naturally did not believe them. Both men had ties to Bai Ye, so of course they would speak in his defense.

Besides, they were Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts who had lived with Xiao Wu for years. How could both of them have sensed it wrong?

After all, in the original story, Tang Hao and Ah Yin had sensed it when something happened to Tang San.

It would have been strange if they had felt nothing when Xiao Wu sacrificed herself.

Of course, they only knew Xiao Wu had died. They did not know she had died by sacrifice.

After learning a little more from Zhao Wuji and Flender, the two beasts left.

"Big brother, something definitely happened to Xiao Wu. Aren't we going to the Sunset Forest?" The Titan Giant Ape trembled, unable to understand the Sky Azure Bull Python's decision.

"Er Ming, neither of us wants to believe it, but Xiao Wu's death is already a fact. I'm not taking you to the Sunset Forest because there's nothing we can do there. For now, we can only return to the Star Dou Forest and wait for that boy to come back and tell us exactly what happened." The Sky Azure Bull Python's gaze was fathomless. He was no less furious than the Titan Giant Ape.

But this was precisely when he could not afford to lose his reason.

If Xiao Wu had died despite the Titled Douluo protecting Bai Ye, then either a powerful enemy had appeared, or that Titled Douluo had turned on her.

If it was the former, Bai Ye, who loved Xiao Wu deeply, would surely return and tell them. He would also use Spirit Hall's power to kill the culprit, perhaps even join forces with them.

If it was the latter, Bai Ye was unlikely to come to the Star Dou Forest at all. That would give him even more reason to kill Bai Ye.

Much as he hated the thought, he still hoped it was the former.

"Will he come?"

"He will."

"What if he doesn't?"

"He'll come."

"What if he's hiding something?"

"Whether he comes or not, he'll face our wrath."

Xiao Wu was dead. They no longer cared who was right or wrong. They only wanted everyone involved to die with her.

The Papal Hall.

Everyone Spirit Hall had sent to take part in the sacrifice operation had returned.

The five Titled Douluo elders respectfully reported everything that had happened in the Sunset Forest.

When Bibi Dong heard that the Clear Sky Sect had mobilized its entire force, a wave of fear washed over her.

Fortunately, the danger had passed. Not only had the sacrifice succeeded, but everyone the Clear Sky Sect had sent had been killed.

"It's a shame we couldn't kill Tang Hao," sighed one Titled Douluo who had pursued him.

"We've done well enough," Bibi Dong said evenly, though she could not hide the shock in her eyes.

Bai Ye had astonished her. Not only had he obtained his fifth Soul Ring, but he could support numerous Titled Douluo and Soul Douluo—and he possessed an extraordinary healing skill.

Compared with becoming a Soul King at twelve and having a Soul Ring Configuration of purple, purple, black, black, and red, his support abilities were even more dazzling and worthy of attention.

As long as they had Bai Ye, Spirit Hall's Soul Masters were already in a position where they could not lose.

Bibi Dong's desire to establish the Spirit Hall Empire grew stronger. Bai Ye could already play a part in it.

Impatient as she was, she had waited this many years. She could wait a few more.

Perhaps I should treat him even better. For the six years Bai Ye had spent in Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong had guided him with care and treated him like her own child. But each new revelation about him left her more astonished, and she felt she had not done enough.

Bai Ye's face kept surfacing in her mind.

"Your Holiness, the Holy Son also..." A Titled Douluo interrupted her and relayed Bai Ye's wishes.

Bibi Dong had no reason to refuse.

The Clear Sky Sect's operation had failed and its forces had been wiped out, but its survivors still had to pay. So did the members of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan who had joined the Clear Sky Sect.

Bibi Dong immediately ordered the Clear Sky Sect's crimes proclaimed throughout the land and sent people to surround its stronghold.

Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan of the Golden Generation were also sent to join the operation as training.

A Titled Douluo naturally led the force.

According to the elders, every Titled Douluo and Soul Douluo of the Clear Sky Sect had died. But Tang Hao was still alive and might return to the sect.

Without a Titled Douluo leading them, Spirit Hall's force could well be wiped out.

All five Titled Douluo present volunteered, hoping to earn a little more of Bai Ye's favor. Bibi Dong could hardly refuse them, so she assigned the Titled Douluo who had nearly died.

News of the Clear Sky Sect's crimes soon spread across the continent. Spirit Hall did not embellish the account; it merely laid out the facts. The Clear Sky Sect had struck first.

In the imperial palace of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Emperor Xue Ye seemed to have aged another decade in an instant. The destruction of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan within his empire had dealt him a heavy blow.

Ning Fengzhi had told him about the Clear Sky Sect's Saint-Hunting Operation, so he knew of it. He had thought that sending their finest fighters would ensure its success. Instead, the entire force had been wiped out.

Is the Heaven Dou Empire going to fall on my watch? Emperor Xue Ye closed his eyes, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.

Xue Qinghe looked equally grief-stricken, but inside she was excited. She was also curious about Bai Ye, Spirit Hall's Holy Son.

After all, she was also Qian Renxue, Bibi Dong's daughter.

But she had not grown up in Spirit Hall and had never seen Bai Ye. That only made her more curious about him.

The Clear Sky Sect.

After escaping from the three Titled Douluo, Tang Hao hurried straight to the Clear Sky Sect.

Reluctant though he was, he told the disciples the terrible news and announced his intention to take control.

The Clear Sky Sect disciples were far from willing to accept it.

Some even suspected Tang Hao had secretly colluded with Spirit Hall so he could return to the Clear Sky Sect and seize power for himself.

As the strongest fighter in the Clear Sky Sect, Tang Hao struck down everyone who voiced that suspicion.

These were extraordinary circumstances. The Clear Sky Sect could not afford dissent, especially slander directed at him.

His ruthless methods left the disciples no choice but to accept him, though their hatred for Tang Hao grew. They also came to hate Tang San, the child born of a human and a beast, while their hatred for Spirit Hall lessened.

After all, as ordinary disciples, they knew little.

All they knew was that Tang Hao had killed Spirit Hall's previous pope, bringing disaster upon the Clear Sky Sect.

All they knew was that the sect's Saint-Hunting Operation had targeted Spirit Hall's Holy Son.

Many disciples had objected at the time, fearing a repeat of the tragedy years ago. Now the disaster was even worse.

Tang San had never met his uncle, but he still felt the pain of his death.

When Yu Xiaogang learned his father had died, he fainted on the spot.

Ning Rongrong cried until she passed out upon learning that her father and the two grandfathers who had doted on her were dead.

Even so, time was running out.

Spirit Hall's force had reached the village at the foot of the mountain where the Clear Sky Sect stood. They felt no sympathy for anyone connected to the sect and showed no mercy.

"Kill them all." The Titled Douluo in command ordered the village slaughtered on the spot. Its residents had all aided the Clear Sky Sect.

"Isn't that going too far?" Hu Liena could not bear it. There were few Soul Masters here, and many ordinary people.

Xie Yue and Yan stood with Hu Liena, clearly finding it hard to go through with it as well.

None of them had ever killed anyone.

"Too far? If the Holy Son hadn't turned the tide, can you imagine how much Spirit Hall would have lost? I, for one, would have died on the spot."

"Besides, His Holiness the Pope sent you here to train, didn't she? You're the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall. She doesn't expect you to be as strong as the Holy Son, but don't fall too far behind him."

The Titled Douluo explained patiently. Hu Liena and the others fell silent. As members of the Golden Generation, they naturally knew of Bai Ye. But like Qian Renxue, they had never seen his face; they only knew of his astonishing feats.

The three were young, and hearing themselves compared unfavorably to someone else rankled.

It rankled even coming from a Titled Douluo.

"Everyone says he's amazing. Who knows if it's true?" Yan spoke first. The Titled Douluo glanced at him, his eyes ice-cold.

The next instant, Yan flew backward with a bang and crashed to the ground.

He spat out a mouthful of blood before struggling to prop up his upper body. Bewildered, he looked at the Titled Douluo.

"Consider this a warning. Slander the Holy Son again, and you die!"

The final word made Yan feel death looming over him. Terror gripped him. He had never expected one of his own side's Titled Douluo to attack him without warning, much less hit him so hard.

Hu Liena and her brother Xie Yue had not expected it either. But after seeing what had happened to Yan, neither dared say more.

They could not bear it, but they took part in the slaughter of the village all the same.

"By order of the Pope: hand over the remnants of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and Spirit Hall will leave at once. Otherwise, we'll besiege you until you die."

The Spirit Hall Titled Douluo had the ultimatum shouted out. Word soon reached Tang Hao, now the sect master.

Spirit Hall's actions enraged him, but his sect needed every person it had. He would not hand them over, nor would he yield to Spirit Hall.

The Clear Sky Sect disciples who possessed the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul did not see it that way.

To them, the members of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan were outsiders.

"Sect Master, those who aren't our own can't be trusted," said a Soul Sage elder.

The sect's Titled Douluo and Soul Douluo were all dead, so Soul Sages now held the elder positions. Tang Hao himself, as sect master, was only a Soul Sage.

Even if his strength rivaled that of an ordinary Titled Douluo.

Once one elder had spoken, the others chimed in.

"Exactly, Sect Master. Spirit Hall said they'll leave as soon as we hand them over."

Yu Xiaogang's face changed drastically. Though he was only a Soul Grandmaster, Tang Hao had appointed him an elder to help train the Clear Sky Sect's Soul Masters.

Ning Rongrong, who was also in the hall, turned deathly pale. As Ning Fengzhi's daughter, she too held the title of elder.

But that was not the main reason. What mattered was her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul and her standing among the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's surviving disciples.

And if they were to fight Spirit Hall in the future, they would need the support of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.

"Dad, you can't hand them over!"