Qiangu Dongfeng: I Want to Drop One on the Tang Sect Too

"Brother, where's Na'er?"

"She went back ahead of us."

"What for?"

"She still has a part to play at the Spirit Pagoda."

Tang Wulin nodded, though he only half understood.

After they returned to Heaven Dou City, Chen Xing got Tang Wulin settled and went back to his room.

He had just closed the door when his Communicator lit up.

It was Na'er.

"Brother."

"Yeah? What is it?"

"After Qiangu Dongfeng went back, he contacted the Federation's higher-ups."

Chen Xing raised an eyebrow. "What's he planning?"

"He wants another Level-Twelve Fixed-Installed Soul Guidance Cannon," Na'er said calmly. "He wants to wipe out the Tang Sect as well."

Chen Xing was silent for a few seconds.

Then he smiled.

"Fine. We'll sit tight."

"Move in secret and watch Qiangu Dongfeng's every move."

"Once they've worn each other down, we'll reap the rewards."

On the other end of the call, Na'er gave a soft acknowledgment.

"Understood, Brother."

Chen Xing paused, then added, "Remember, Shrek and the Tang Sect can't fall."

"Brother, didn't you want to watch the tigers fight?"

"The tiger is the Spirit Pagoda," Chen Xing said evenly. "Shrek and the Tang Sect are the mountain. If they're gone, who'll keep the Spirit Pagoda occupied for me?"

Na'er chuckled softly. "Got it."

Chen Xing ended the call and leaned back in his chair, unable to keep the grin off his face.

Shrek. The Tang Sect. The Spirit Pagoda.

The three factions were about to go to war.

And all Chen Xing had to do was sit back and watch.

Once they were done, he would step in and clean up the mess.

"The Sea of Stars is vast and boundless. I want to see it."

"But first, I need to clear away the trouble on this continent."

Chen Xing rose and walked to the window, looking up at the night sky.

Countless stars twinkled as they always had.

He reached out and gently closed his hand around empty air.

"Wait for me."

One day, he would take Na'er, Tang Wulin, and the fully restored Astral Express into that boundless Sea of Stars.

Before then, this continent would be where his Trailblaze began.

Chen Xing lowered his hand, returned to the desk, and wrote a few words on a sheet of paper.

"Step two: watch the tigers fight."

Then he folded the paper and tucked it into his Storage Ring.

Outside the window, the night was deep.

On the other side of Heaven Dou City, Qiangu Dongfeng sat in a secret chamber, speaking quietly into a Communicator.

A cold voice came from the other end.

"I can give you a Level-Twelve Fixed-Installed Soul Guidance Cannon."

"But what will you give me in return?"

Qiangu Dongfeng gritted his teeth.

"All of Shrek's and the Tang Sect's resources."

"Deal."

The clashes between the Spirit Pagoda, the Tang Sect, and Shrek had never stopped after the incident in Dragon Valley.

At first, they had been minor squabbles. Whenever Spirit Pagoda members ran into Tang Sect disciples, they made sure to hurl a few barbs their way.

The Tang Sect disciples were no pushovers and fired right back.

Before long, words were no longer enough.

Then blades came out.

Signs of their fighting could be found across the continent.

One day, Spirit Pagoda members smashed up a Tang Sect shop. The next, Spirit Pagoda patrols ambushed Shrek students out in the wild.

After enough exchanges, all pretense was gone.

Chen Xing sat in the courtyard of Heaven Dou City's Blacksmiths Association, sipping tea while Na'er reported the latest developments through his Communicator.

"Brother, the Spirit Pagoda has won over two more members of the Federation Parliament."

"They want to strip Shrek and the Tang Sect of their seats in the Federation Parliament."

Chen Xing set down his teacup.

"Let them."

"The bigger the uproar, the better."

Na'er laughed softly on the other end.

"Got it, Brother."

After ending the call, Chen Xing leaned back in his chair, a faint smile on his lips.

The harder the Spirit Pagoda fought Shrek and the Tang Sect, the more he stood to gain.

Na'er's position in the Spirit Pagoda was growing steadier too. She had risen from a trainee Spirit Transmitter, and now no one dared underestimate her.

But that wasn't enough.

He needed to rise as well.

Two months later, Chen Xing headed for the Blacksmiths Association's main hall.

Zhen Hua and Mu Ye were already waiting for him.

Tang Wulin was there too, standing beside his two teachers with excitement written all over his face. His brother was about to do something big.

Zhen Hua glanced at Chen Xing.

"Ready?"

Chen Xing nodded.

"I've spent three years preparing, Teacher."

Zhen Hua asked nothing more. He turned toward the hall's exit.

"Then let's go. We shouldn't keep everyone waiting."

The Red-Class Mecha Engineer promotion ceremony was being held in the central hall of Heaven Dou City's Blacksmiths Association.

Chen Xing had been there many times, but never had it looked like this.

The hall was packed with people.

Mecha Engineers, blacksmiths, designers, and plenty who had come from other cities.

At a glance, there were at least four or five hundred people.

Chen Xing spotted several familiar faces in the crowd.

Feng Wuyu, A Ruheng, and Mu Chen.

Mu Xi was there too.

But another group held Chen Xing's attention.

The first stood on the left side of the hall.

The Tang Sect.

At their head was Zang Xin, the Passionate Douluo.

Seven or eight Tang Sect disciples stood behind him, heads held high as they stared across the hall with undisguised hostility.

The second group stood beside the Tang Sect.

Shrek.

Long Yeyue led them.

She was one of the elders of Shrek's Sea God Pavilion.

Seven or eight Shrek students stood behind her, their heads likewise held high as they stared at the people opposite them.

The third group stood across from the Tang Sect and Shrek.

The Spirit Pagoda.

Qiangu Dongfeng led them, with five or six Elite Disciples of the Spirit Pagoda behind him.

Na'er stood at his side.

She wore a plain white dress, her silver hair falling over her shoulders. Her purple eyes were as still as deep water.

From the moment she entered the hall, she searched the crowd.

Then she saw Chen Xing standing at the entrance.

Their eyes met.

The corners of Na'er's mouth lifted slightly.

Chen Xing noticed her gaze and gave her a small nod.

But with all three groups in the hall, the tension soon became impossible to contain.

Qiangu Dongfeng spoke first.

"Zang Xin, your Tang Sect has been reaching pretty far lately."

Zang Xin smiled faintly.

"Pagoda Master, the Tang Sect has always kept to its own affairs. It's the Spirit Pagoda that's been making trouble in the Federation Parliament lately, isn't it?"

Long Yeyue gave a cold laugh.

"Making trouble? We haven't even settled the score for Dragon Valley."

Qiangu Dongfeng's eyes turned icy.

"Dragon Valley? My grandson died at your hands, and you still dare bring up Dragon Valley?"

The smile vanished from Zang Xin's face.

"Qiangu Dongfeng, the Spirit Pagoda struck first. You saw the Crystal Ball the Tang Sect disciple sent out before he died."

"Nonsense! You were the ones who struck first. The recording Na'er brought back couldn't possibly be fake!"

"Who knows whether it was fake?"

"You... both of you!"

Qiangu Dongfeng took a deep breath and forced down his anger.

Fine. Very fine.