Ning Fengzhi's High Hopes

Dai Tianfeng and Zhu Yunling, who had nearly taken the attack head-on, were even more horrified. Could two people really be this powerful and work together so perfectly?

Weren't they supposed to be the strongest pair on the entire Douluo Continent?

How was this possible?

Zhu Yunling glanced at Dai Tianfeng in worry. He gritted his teeth and sent the Hell White Tiger charging at Qian Jun and Jiang Mo. Take down the leaders, and their soul skills would naturally disappear.

Qian Jun and Jiang Mo merely sneered. With the way they worked together, how could that happen? If anyone was going to take down the other side's leaders, it would be them.

But they held back. They wanted to experience the Martial Soul Fusion Skill hailed as the strongest on the continent.

Before anyone knew it, two giant dragons had attacked the Hell White Tiger, while two Coiling Dragon Staffs blocked every escape route.

With nowhere to go, the Hell White Tiger fought the red and blue dragons.

One-on-one, it might have been able to overpower either dragon. But its opponents had no reason to fight fair. The Hell White Tiger was the fusion of two people, after all.

The dragons worked in perfect harmony, wearing the Hell White Tiger down and toying with it. The enormous Coiling Dragon Staffs struck from the sidelines now and then, leaving the tiger barely able to touch either dragon.

"Uh... So much for the mighty Hell White Tiger."

Jiang Mo's taunt nearly shattered Dai Tianfeng's confidence. He had thought that he and his wife could take on Qian Daoliu. Instead, two Titled Douluo who had appeared out of nowhere had them pinned down. Were these the strongest fighters in Spirit Hall after Qian Daoliu? They had to be. How else could they be so powerful?

"That's enough. Let's end this," Qian Jun said calmly as he watched the dragons and tiger clash.

Jiang Mo yawned again and nodded.

The blue Coiling Dragon Staff seized an opening and stunned the Hell White Tiger. Both dragons instantly coiled around it and sank their teeth in, binding it so tightly it could not move.

The two colossal Coiling Dragon Staffs descended from the sky and struck the Hell White Tiger again.

Boom!

The impact rang out, followed by the Hell White Tiger's agonized cry.

Pfft!

Dai Tianfeng and Zhu Yunling spat blood at the same time and flew backward, nearly losing their balance and falling to the ground.

The backlash from having the Hell White Tiger forcibly shattered was too severe.

Yu Yuanzhen stared in despair. The mighty Hell White Tiger had been defeated that easily?

How strong were these two? Who were they? What positions did they hold in Spirit Hall?

Jiang Mo looked at the three weakened figures. His chance to distinguish himself was right there! He raised his Coiling Dragon Staff, ready to attack. If he dragged all three back to Spirit Hall, His Holiness the Pope and his elder brother would surely praise him.

But just as he moved, Qian Jun stopped him. Jiang Mo looked at him in confusion. Qian Jun merely shook his head and said evenly:

"Yu Yuanzhen, as head of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, you tried to trespass on Spirit Hall territory and even attacked us first!"

"Dai Tianfeng, as emperor of the Star Luo Empire, you ignored the facts and maliciously obstructed Spirit Hall as it defended its rightful interests. Then you and the Empress attacked us."

"You three—do you admit your wrongdoing?"

Jiang Mo still did not understand. Why bother asking them to admit anything at this point? Just capture them and haul them back to Spirit Hall. They would admit it whether they wanted to or not!

Qian Jun glanced at him and saw what he was thinking. My foolish little brother. If you really drag all three back, Spirit Hall will become the enemy of the entire continent. If it were only Yu Yuanzhen, we could cripple him and take him away.

But the emperor and Empress of the Star Luo Empire are here! They started it, and we defeated them. That's fine. We're in the right; we can call it upholding justice. But crippling and abducting them would be another matter entirely. It would amount to declaring war on Douluo Continent's First Empire. Add what happened with the Clear Sky Sect and Yu Yuanzhen, and we'd have made enemies of more than half the continent's forces. Releasing them later wouldn't undo that.

As for using Dai Tianfeng to threaten Star Luo? They may be fools, but they're not that foolish. If one emperor disappears, they'll replace him. Someone who already wants the throne will seize the chance, stir up the empire, and turn all of Star Luo into Spirit Hall's sworn enemy.

Worse, it would push the Heaven Dou Empire, the Star Luo Empire, and the various sects into an alliance against Spirit Hall.

If Spirit Hall attacks more than half the continent's powers at once, will the rest just sit and wait to die?

And the Sword-Bone Pagoda is still watching. If they intervene and let the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect play the hero while Spirit Hall plays the villain, they'll certainly bring that alliance about.

We may look unharmed, but we've used more than half our Soul Power. We might not even beat the Sword-Bone Pagoda.

Most importantly, our superiors don't intend to conquer the entire continent right now. They mainly want to expand Spirit Hall's authority and influence.

So squeezing concessions out of them is the best move.

Once his brother explained, Jiang Mo understood.

So that's it!

Heh. Extortion. I like it.

At Qian Jun's accusation, all three looked as though they had swallowed something foul. Admit it? What would become of their dignity? Refuse? What if those two really did capture them—or even kill them?

Dai Tianfeng knew it was unlikely. But he was afraid all the same. What if? What if those two really did throw caution aside, cripple him, and drag him away—or kill him outright?

Seeing that the three refused to admit fault, Qian Jun and Jiang Mo were at a loss. Make an example of Yu Yuanzhen? Offending the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan alone would be manageable, as long as the Star Luo Empire stayed out of it.

That seemed sound enough, but what if the Sword-Bone Pagoda stopped them? Wouldn't that hand the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect an advantage?

Better to "invite" them to the Clear Sky Sect or Spirit Hall and discuss matters at length, calmly and amicably.

Yes. That was probably the best solution.

Just as Jiang Mo prepared to act, a voice sounded in his mind.

He paused, then gave an amused grin.

A mighty aura and crushing pressure erupted from him once more. Red Soul Power spilled from his body.

He attacked again, charging at Yu Yuanzhen with all his strength!

Yu Yuanzhen stared at the oncoming Jiang Mo in despair. Why me?!

No! Am I really going to die here today for no good reason? I can't accept this! I haven't seen the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan rise to greatness again! Xiao Gang still needs me to look after and protect him!

Below, Ning Fengzhi could barely contain his delight. Spirit Hall was handing him a favor on a silver platter! If they saved Yu Yuanzhen and the others, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would come out ahead whether or not they ended up fighting Qian Jun and Jiang Mo.

In fact, the sect stood to gain enormously!

If the other side showed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect some respect and stopped fighting, so much the better. As mediator, the sect would reap the greatest reward. Even if it had to pay a small price, its reputation would soar!

And if the other side insisted on fighting, Ning Fengzhi had two reasons not to worry. First, with his support, he could not imagine five Titled Douluo failing to defeat two.

Second, even if a fight broke out, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's reputation would still soar. It would become the heart of an anti-Spirit Hall alliance, a position neither the Heaven Dou Empire nor the Star Luo Empire could claim.

Of course, that depended on winning the full-scale war to come. Ning Fengzhi believed they could. He knew he was gambling, but the odds looked good to him. No matter how powerful Spirit Hall's Soul Masters were, it lacked the people on the ground to maintain order and keep its finances running.

All we'd have to do is stir people up. Say Spirit Hall represents Soul Masters who oppress Commoners, pull a few strings in secret, and we'd bring you to your knees.

After all, while Commoners in this era had a chance to awaken and become Soul Masters, only a tiny minority did. The conflict between Commoners and Soul Masters ran deep and was almost impossible to resolve.

That was why Spirit Hall mattered to the Two Great Empires. It helped manage Soul Masters and ease their conflict with ordinary society, preserving a delicate balance. Commoners accepted a measure of oppression and served their Lord Soul Masters well, knowing they too might one day become Soul Masters.

If that balance broke and the conflict between Soul Masters and Commoners fully erupted, Spirit Hall might sweep across the continent in the short term—but what then? If one place rebelled today and another tomorrow, would it send Titled Douluo everywhere to put down uprisings? Besides, the armies of the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire were no pushovers.

Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo had long been ready to step in and save them.

Now!

Boom!