The morning meeting had already ended, and Lin Mo followed the eunuch to the Imperial Garden, which he had visited once before.
In that rather familiar pavilion, he saw several familiar faces.
Qian Renxue, dressed in a moon-white robe, sat in the main seat, while the four members of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect sat below her.
Unlike their previous high spirits, the expressions on the faces of these members of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect were exceptionally solemn this time.
There was no need for a detailed investigation; a single glance was enough to tell that Ning Fengzhi, Gu Rong, and Chen Xin were all in extremely poor condition.
It's not Soul Power, but rather a state of mind.
Some time has passed since the Spirit Hall's Sucker Punch, but the three of them are clearly still recovering from that tragedy.
Judging from appearances alone, Sword Douluo is in the worst condition among them.
He had lost his dominant hand; his right arm was empty.
Ning Rongrong sat beside Chen Xin, her hands tightly gripping his empty sleeves, her eyes slightly red, as if she had just been crying.
However, Chen Xin was in the best mental state among them at this moment, and the aura emanating from him was even more refined than before.
After a moment of observation, Lin Mo made a judgment.
It seems that after the previous life-or-death battle, Sword Douluo's cultivation level, which had been troubling him for a long time, jumped to level Level 97 in one fell swoop.
This confirmed his earlier suspicions: Soul Hunting Operation had indeed started ahead of schedule.
Was it the butterfly effect, or was it because Qian Renxue's successful usurpation of the throne boosted Bibi Dong's confidence, leading her to launch the plan more than a year ahead of schedule?
Lin Mo didn't know, nor did he intend to delve into it.
His face showed shock, his gaze lingered for a moment on Chen Xin's empty sleeve, then turned to Ning Fengzhi.
" Sect Master Ning, what has happened?"
His voice carried obvious hesitation and confusion.
Qian Renxue, standing to the side, asked in a grave tone, "Does my brother truly not know what has happened during this time?"
Lin Mo shook his head.
"I've been in seclusion cultivating during this time and haven't gone out. We're all solitary people anyway, so we don't pay special attention to what's happening outside."
"The information I have is limited to widely circulated rumors, the truth of which is unknown. They say that something terrible has happened to the Upper Three Sects, and that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan have both suffered."
At this point, Lin Mo paused and looked at Ning Fengzhi.
"Having seen it today, it seems those rumors are true. Has the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect really been Sucker Punch by someone else?"
Ning Fengzhi nodded, and after a moment of silence, he recounted the whole story.
His voice was low and deep, carrying an uncontrollable weariness.
"Three nights ago, our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's fortified stronghold was Sucker Punch by a group of unidentified masked men in black."
"This group is entirely composed of Soul Master, highly trained and well-equipped. Among them are four Titled Douluo."
"Whether it was a leak within the sect or some other reason, this group of men in black seized the opportunity. At that time, many disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect were out on business, leaving the sect's interior exceptionally empty."
"The only consolation is that the enemy was spotted by patrolling disciples before they could attack. The disciples alerted us in time, giving us time to prepare."
The battle lasted for a full two hours.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
" The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect suffered extremely heavy losses. More than two-thirds of its disciples perished."
"And the casualty figures are still rising. Those disciples who went out are constantly sending back bad news."
Ning Fengzhi opened his eyes and looked at Ning Rongrong sitting to the side.
Ning Rongrong kept her head down, her hands still clutching Chen Xin's sleeve, her shoulders trembling slightly.
"Thanks to the support of a batch of special weapons we received earlier, some of the sect's direct disciples were able to save their lives thanks to these weapons."
"However, the outer disciples suffered heavy losses. In particular, some outer disciples suddenly defected, colluding with those inside, which led to the fall of the castle."
At this point, Ning Fengzhi looked apologetically at Chen Xin beside him.
"If it weren't for Uncle Jian's breakthrough in the midst of battle, where he single-handedly defeated three Titled Douluo and severely injured them, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School would be in an even worse state now."
Chen Xin didn't speak, but simply shook his head slightly.
Lin Mo was silent for a moment, "If the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is in such a state, what about the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?"
According to rumors circulating outside, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was also Sucker Punch at the same time.
Whether in terms of the number of Titled Douluo or overall strength, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is far inferior to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
As soon as he finished speaking, Ning Fengzhi's eyes revealed a clear hint of Rage.
"Compared to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, our current state is already a stroke of good fortune amidst misfortune."
His voice carried a clear sense of grief and indignation.
" The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was completely wiped out; not a single survivor escaped."
"Even more tragically, those people didn't even spare Yu Yuanzhen's corpse. They dug out his Soul Bone, leaving his body mangled beyond recognition."
"Only a few disciples of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan who were not part of the sect managed to escape this calamity."
After Ning Fengzhi finished speaking, a brief silence fell over the pavilion.
Qian Renxue's expression was somber, her tone carrying a sense of shared sorrow, " The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was not only wiped out, but also completely looted."
"Although the Heaven Dou Empire sent troops to help immediately, it took three whole days just to bury their bodies."
After a moment of silence, Lin Mo said, "Only that one person could possess such methods and mobilize such a large number of Soul Master."
He did not name names.
But everyone present knew what kind of force Lin Mo was referring to.
Spirit Hall!
Only they could simultaneously mobilize so many Soul Master and Titled Douluo.
Ning Fengzhi did not respond.
His silence was the best answer.
Among the black-clad men who had previously attacked the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, he even saw many Soul Master from the Lower Four Sects.
Appearance can be hidden, and physique can be concealed, but Martial Soul ability and Soul Power cannot be faked.
Of the Seven Great Sects in the Soul Master World, apart from the Upper Three Sects, the Lower Four Sects were won over by the Spirit Hall long ago and became accomplices with them.
Now that these people have appeared among the black-clad men attacking the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School, the background and identities of these black-clad men are basically quite clear.
However, due to the immense power of the Spirit Hall, even though they knew that these men in black were backed by the Spirit Hall, they could not expose this fact in public.
Unless their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect intends to completely break ties with the Spirit Hall.
Moreover, there are still many people on the mainland who are unaware of the truth calling for the Spirit Hall to help handle this matter and to come forward to catch the real culprit behind it all.
The Spirit Hall has also responded to this.
However, for the already extinct Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the now severely damaged Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Haozi, this act of feigned compassion is particularly ironic.
After a long silence, Ning Fengzhi continued, "Compared to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is quite fortunate."
"Although the loss of two thousand disciples severely damaged the sect, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's wealth was transported back to Heaven Dou City in time."
All remaining sect members successfully evacuated to the imperial capital. It was a complete sect relocation.
Ning Fengzhi knew very well that this was a last resort for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School.
Only with the protection of the Heaven Dou Empire could the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect survive as much as possible and avoid further Sucker Punch from the Spirit Hall.
Although the Spirit Hall currently controls more than 70% of the Soul Master on the continent, it is clear that they have no intention of openly breaking ties with the two great empires.
After this battle, the bond between the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Heaven Dou Imperial Family will only deepen.
Ning Fengzhi didn't want to see this happen, but it was the only option at the moment.
At present, preserving and continuing the sect's vitality is the most important thing; everything else can take a backseat.
Qian Renxue looked at Lin Mo, "This scene is something no one wanted to see."
Qian Renxue dropped her previous pretense and revealed her true intentions.
"Younger brother, would you be willing to return and discuss with Senior Dugu and Senior Ye the possibility of inviting them to join the Heaven Dou Empire as royal retainers?"
" The Heaven Dou Empire will never mistreat any Titled Douluo. Whether it's resources, treatment, or respect, the royal family will provide the highest level of care."
She paused, then said sincerely, "I know that both of you have always been independent and dislike being bound by rules."
However, the Empire does not require them to be present in court at all times. They are only needed to assist when necessary. On ordinary days, Your Majesties will continue as usual, and I will not interfere.
After Qian Renxue finished speaking, she looked quietly at Lin Mo, waiting for his reply.
Upon hearing this, Lin Mo lowered his eyes and did not answer immediately.
My thoughts raced.
This is probably the real reason Xue Qinghe summoned him.
The previous conversations about the attack on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect were all foreshadowing.
The Soul Hunting Operation had just ended, with one of the two major sects destroyed and the other crippled, shaking the entire continent's Soul Master forces.
Many small and medium-sized Soul Master factions were terrified by the Spirit Hall's crazy actions and are now choosing to attach themselves to a major power!
They could either join the Spirit Hall or choose to align themselves with one of the two great empires.
Even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, one of the Upper Three Sects, chose to relocate the entire sect to Heaven Dou City to seek the protection of the Heaven Dou Empire Imperial Family.
Not to mention the other small and medium-sized forces whose strength is far inferior to that of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Having been bestowed the One-Character Prince Equal to the Emperor," he was now considered a member of the Heaven Dou Empire by everyone.
It seems that Qian Renxue wants to take this opportunity to also bring her elders Dugu Bo and Ye Linyuan, onto the warship of the Heaven Dou Empire.
After all, from the outside world's perspective, he is now considered to be in cahoots with the Heaven Dou Empire.
Lin Mo raised his head and looked at Qian Renxue, "Your Majesty."
"I can't make decisions about Grandpa Dugu and the teacher."
"They are Titled Douluo, elders, and have their own considerations. As a junior, I have no right to make any decisions for them."
"I will convey His Majesty's words to the two elders. As for their choice, that is up to them."
Qian Renxue nodded. "Then I'll trouble you, my brother, to convey my message."