"Sigh, that was the beginning of the Clear Sky Sect's decline."
Inside the Clear Sky Sect, the Second Elder looked at the Heavenly Screen and could not help sighing.
It was because of that incident that the old sect master, already gravely ill, died in a fit of rage.
Although the new sect master, Tang Xiao, had already become a Titled Douluo and the sect had plenty of other experts, the title of number one sect under heaven was still too conspicuous, and many people were itching to make a move.
Even so, Spirit Hall still did not dare act rashly, and the two sides had not completely fallen out.
Not until that incident...
"Hmph! That bastard Tang Hao made the mistake, but the sect had to bear the consequences!" At that, the Seventh Elder also began cursing Tang Hao and his family.
Seeing this, the Second Elder did not stop his seventh brother.
They were in private, so he might as well let him curse.
After all, Tang Hao had later beaten the reigning Pope of Spirit Hall to death, and the two sides had completely fallen out.
It was at that time that the Seventh Elder's eldest son, the son he was proudest of, had been ambushed and killed by Spirit Hall.
Standing atop the highest peak, Sect Master Tang Xiao said with hatred, "Spirit Hall! Sooner or later, the Clear Sky Sect will pay you back for this!"
[After that, the continent was quiet again for a while. But during those years, my son kept sending people out to search for Tang Hao's whereabouts.]
[It seemed that boy was determined to have that transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.]
[I did nothing to stop him.]
[So what if Tang Hao was Tang Chen's grandson? Wasn't it only natural for humans to kill Soul Beasts?
[Besides, a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring could give Spirit Hall another expert, and a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone would add to its foundations. That was a good thing!]
[One day, my son Qian Xunji finally tracked Tang Hao down. This time, he chose to lead the team himself, accompanied by two Titled Douluo and a large number of experts.]
[I had thought the boy would bring that transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast back, but instead, I received the terrible news that the team had suffered heavy losses and that my son had died of his injuries shortly after returning to Spirit Hall.]
"So that was how the previous Pope of Spirit Hall died."
"Good heavens, just how powerful was that Tang Hao? He killed so many experts, including two Titled Douluo."
"That's a snake trying to swallow an elephant!"
"..."
In truth, only the important figures of the top factions had known who had killed Spirit Hall's previous Pope.
Now the whole world knew.
But in fact, they were about to be shocked once again, including those who thought they had known the truth all along.
[Because of this, Spirit Hall launched a fierce campaign of vengeance against the Clear Sky Sect.]
[Without Tang Chen, the Clear Sky Sect was in no position to withstand Spirit Hall's wrath. The new sect master of the Clear Sky Sect expelled Tang Hao from the sect and sealed its gates.]
[And Spirit Hall could naturally vent the rest of its fury only on the sect's subordinate factions.]
"Clear Sky Sect, a bunch of faithless oathbreakers." Yang Wudi's eyes were full of rage when he saw this.
Of the present-day Four Single-Attribute Clans, the other three held little affection for the Clear Sky Sect, and even loathed it. Only the Defense Clan was different.
Of them all, the Breaking Clan's resentment ran deepest!
In Yang Wudi's view, the Clear Sky Sect had clearly caused the enormous trouble, yet it had shown no martial virtue and fled first, leaving subordinate factions like theirs to bear Spirit Hall's wrath.
The Breaking Clan had never been particularly close to the Clear Sky Sect.
And because of the Clear Sky Sect's incompetence, the clan had been targeted by Spirit Hall in that incident and suffered grievous losses.
Yang Wudi's only son had died, and his younger brother Yang Wushuang had been captured by Spirit Hall...
So if he had enough strength, Yang Wudi even wanted to wipe out the Clear Sky Sect and demand justice for the Breaking Clan.
Meanwhile, at the Clear Sky Sect.
Seeing this, Sect Master Tang Xiao said with heartache, We wronged them!
In the affair back then, their Clear Sky Sect really had wronged those subordinate factions.
But they had had no choice at the time. If the Clear Sky Sect, lacking strength, had not cut through the tangled mess with a sharp blade, it would only have suffered worse.
Tang Xiao was the Clear Sky Sect's sect master. His first priority was to protect the sect; the so-called subordinate factions came after that.
So he could only abandon those subordinate factions.
One could call Tang Xiao falsely compassionate and his tears crocodile tears, but that was human nature.
[Yet none of this vengeance could erase the pain of losing my son.]
[I wanted to wipe out every one of the Clear Sky Sect's subordinate factions in the outside world, and personally deal with Tang Hao, who was hiding out there.]
[I even wanted to ascend the Clear Sky Sect's mountain myself and avenge my son.]
[But in the end, I stopped myself and did none of those things. It was not just because of what I had promised Tang Chen back then.]
[It was also because I discovered that Tang Hao might not have been the one ultimately responsible for Xunji's death.]
[After calming down, I began to think. Even if Tang Hao had become a Titled Douluo with a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring through a sacrifice, and had even beaten my son into a grievously injured state, there was still hope for him once he returned to Spirit Hall.]
[His sudden death shortly after returning to Spirit Hall was the most suspicious part.]
[The real killer was very likely the person I never wished to mention.]
[Our Qian Family had wronged her first, and Xue'er was still young. She had already lost her father and could not lose her mother too.]
[So I chose to give up and stopped pursuing the deeper truth. Perhaps maintaining the status quo was the best choice.]
[Later, both to fill the vacancy left by the Pope and to make up for the guilt in my heart, I helped that woman ascend to the papal throne.]
"It was that woman Bibi Dong!!"
As Qian Renxue looked at the Heavenly Screen, her eyes were full of disbelief.
But what followed was a heart full of fury.
She had always believed that Tang Hao of the Clear Sky Sect was the enemy who had killed her father.
But now, the culprit was her own mother, the very person she hated!
This revelation could be said to have shattered Qian Renxue's composure.
"So that's how it was, so that's how it was!!" Qian Renxue laughed aloud, looking as though she had finally understood.
From the information she had, she filled in the whole course of events in a way that made sense to her.
That woman did not love her, nor did she love her father. All she had ever had was ambition.
To ascend to the papal throne, she had not hesitated to hurt her own husband.
Seeing the young master like this, Ci Xue did not dare make a sound, showing none of a Titled Douluo's dignity.
You're so vicious, Bibi Dong! Qian Renxue felt a wrenching pain in her heart.
Qian Renxue thought she had leaped from the first layer to the second to view the world.
Little did she know that the truth was still on the third layer.
This breakdown was nothing yet. Only when she learned the real truth would she truly fall apart.