On the way back to the Clear Sky Sect from Spirit City, Tang Xiao kept a gloomy face.
He originally planned to unite the two great empires and the other two major sects to fight against the Spirit Hall and the Interastral Peace Corporation when he came down the mountain. Who would have thought that none of the four forces would be willing to stand on the side of the Clear Sky Sect.
The Heaven Dou Empire is obsessed with the company's technology, the Star Luo Empire is busy purchasing mechs, and even Ning Fengzhi and Yu Yuanzhen have reached cooperation agreements with the company.
Thinking of this, Tang Xiao couldn't help but sigh.
"Sect Master, we've reached the village at the foot of the mountain," the Third Elder reminded him from the side.
Tang Xiao nodded.
"Let's return to the sect first; we can discuss other matters later."
But when the group arrived at the foot of the mountain, they discovered that something was amiss.
In the past, disciples from the Clear Sky Sect's affiliated forces would guard the village entrance. Whenever someone from the sect came down the mountain, the villagers would greet them.
However, today, the village entrance was completely deserted.
The doors of houses on both sides of the road were wide open, several handcarts carrying goods were overturned by the roadside, and sacks of grain were scattered all over the ground.
The whole village was quiet; not a single human voice could be heard.
The Third Elder frowned.
"Strange, there's not a single person in the village today."
A sense of unease suddenly rose in Tang Xiao's heart.
He walked quickly to the village entrance and found that the guard post that was originally responsible for guarding the village had collapsed, and there were several deep scratch marks on the wooden pillar next to it.
Something's happened!
Tang Xiao's expression changed drastically, and he immediately led his men into the village.
As soon as you step into the village, a pungent smell of blood hits you.
The sight before them left everyone stunned.
The village streets were littered with corpses. Houses were smashed to pieces, the ground was covered with dried blood, and broken weapons lay scattered around the bodies.
Tang Xiao immediately recognized that many of them were wearing the uniforms of the Clear Sky Sect's affiliated forces.
Although they were not direct descendants of the Tang Clan, they had followed the Clear Sky Sect for generations, and were responsible for guarding the villages at the foot of the mountain and the perimeter of the sect.
Now, all these familiar faces are lying in pools of blood.
"Who... who did this?!"
The Third Elder's eyes widened, and he rushed to the nearest disciple, reaching out to check his breath.
He is not breathing.
He examined several more people, but the results were exactly the same.
"Sect Master, they're all dead!"
Tang Xiao's face was ashen as he strode quickly toward the depths of the village.
Several disciples searched the house separately, hoping to find survivors, but no matter which door they opened, they only saw corpses.
Some disciples were still clutching their weapons, clearly killed in the fight. Others lay dead on the path leading to the back mountain, seemingly trying to escape back to the sect to report the news, but unable to leave the village.
After a while, a disciple ran back, his face pale.
"Sect Master, we've searched the entire village, there's no one alive!"
Tang Xiao clenched his fist tightly.
He had only been gone for a few days, and the village at the foot of the Clear Sky Sect Mountain had turned into this state!
Moreover, the disciples of these affiliated forces were usually responsible for communication with the mountain, so it was impossible for the sect to be unaware of such a severe attack on the village.
Thinking of this, Tang Xiao suddenly raised his head and looked at the distant mountains.
"Not good!"
He turned around abruptly.
"Let's go! Up the mountain! Quickly!"
Before he finished speaking, Tang Xiao had already rushed out first.
The Third Elder and the others realized the seriousness of the situation and quickly circulated their Soul Power, following closely behind him.
The mountain road leading to the Clear Sky Sect is rugged and treacherous, with several guard posts set up along the way.
In the past, sect disciples would take turns on guard duty at any time. But now, the group rushed up the mountain without seeing a single person on patrol.
Instead, they found several corpses lying on the ground when they passed the first outpost.
One of them was dressed in the robes of an inner disciple of the Clear Sky Sect, and there was a broken iron hammer beside him.
Tang Xiao's heart sank, but he dared not linger.
The higher they went up the mountain, the more dire the situation became.
The collapsed watchtower, the broken iron chains, the rocks shattered by Soul Skill, and the sect disciples lying on both sides of the mountain road.
Many of the people still bore the marks of battle, clearly having fought desperately when the enemy stormed the mountain.
The Third Elder's eyes reddened as he watched.
"Sect Master! Who on earth dares to attack my Clear Sky Sect!"
Tang Xiao didn't answer, but gritted his teeth and quickened his pace.
He already had the worst possible guess in his mind.
Could it be the Spirit Hall?
I had barely left the sect when the Spirit Hall sent people to attack the Clear Sky Sect?
But then Tang Xiao thought again, and realized something was wrong.
The sect has three Titled Douluo— the Second Elder, the Fourth Elder, and the Seventh Elder—overseeing it!
Even with the Spirit Hall's greatly increased strength, taking down three Titled Douluo will not be an easy task.
Moreover, the sect also has many experts at the Soul Saint and Soul Douluo levels.
Surely they can't be so incapable of offering even the slightest resistance?
"Everything will be alright... Uncle and the others are still here."
Tang Xiao muttered to himself, as if trying to comfort himself.
"As long as Second Uncle and the others are still here, the sect will be safe!"
But when the group finally arrived at the main peak of the Clear Sky Sect, Tang Xiao's last bit of hope was shattered.
The once magnificent sect buildings are now in ruins.
The gate was completely smashed, and the stone steps in front of it were covered in blood. Several disciples who were responsible for guarding the gate lay on both sides.
The once solemn and majestic Clear Sky Sect is now completely silent.
Tang Xiao's eyes were bloodshot. He disregarded everything else and rushed straight towards the council hall.
"Second Uncle! Fourth Uncle! Seventh Uncle!"
His shouts echoed through the empty mountains, but received no response.
Arriving at the entrance of the council hall, Tang Xiao kicked open the half-closed door.
The next moment, the scene before him made him freeze.
The main hall was in complete disarray; the tables and chairs had been smashed to pieces, the stone pillars around it were covered in cracks, and the corpses of many sect disciples lay scattered on the ground.
In the center of the main hall, a familiar figure lay sprawled.
That person was none other than the Seventh Elder.
However, the Seventh Elder at this time was no longer the arrogant and unruly man he once was.
His body was reduced to half its body, and next to it lay a dull and lifeless Clear Sky Hammer.
Tang Xiao stared blankly at the scene before him, as if all his strength had been drained.
"Seventh... Seventh Uncle?"
He staggered forward and knelt down beside the Seventh Elder.
With trembling hands, Tang Xiao embraced the mangled body.
It felt icy cold to the touch.
"Seventh Uncle!"
A mournful wail suddenly echoed throughout the entire hall.
Tang Xiao clung tightly to the Seventh Elder's corpse, his eyes instantly becoming bloodshot.
Although the Seventh Elder is usually short-tempered and impulsive, he is, after all, a senior member of his sect.
Just a few days ago, he was furious because the Seventh Elder had caused trouble in Spirit City.
Who could have imagined that their next meeting would be a permanent separation?
"Who did it! Who did it?!"
Tang Xiao roared, his Soul Power spreading uncontrollably in all directions, causing nearby rocks to tumble and roll.
The Third Elder looked at the Seventh Elder's corpse and was equally grief-stricken.
But the most important thing right now is to figure out exactly what happened to the sect.
"Sect Master, the Second Elder and the Fourth Elder are not here!"
Tang Xiao suddenly raised his head.
He looked around and indeed did not see the other two elders.
"Quick! Everyone split up and search! See if there are any disciples still alive!"
Several skilled fighters immediately rushed out of the main hall and split up to search.
Tang Xiao carefully laid down the Seventh Elder's body and stood up to examine his surroundings.
The signs of battle in the main hall were extremely obvious; even the stone wall behind the sect leader's seat had been blasted open with a huge gap.
However, apart from the Seventh Elder, the bodies of the other elders were never found.
Just as Tang Xiao was extremely anxious, a shout suddenly came from outside the hall.
"Sect Master! There is still one disciple alive here!"
Upon hearing this, Tang Xiao immediately rushed out.
A disciple was seen leaning against a collapsed stone pillar, his body covered in wounds and his face frighteningly pale.
His breathing was extremely faint; if he hadn't made a slight noise just now, probably no one would have noticed.
Tang Xiao quickly squatted down and slowly transferred his Soul Power into the other person's body.
"Wake up! Can you hear me?"
The disciple struggled to open his eyes.
Upon seeing the person in front of him clearly, he immediately became excited.
"Zong... sect master..."
Tang Xiao grabbed his hand.
"Tell me! Who did this? Was it the Spirit Hall?!"
The disciple shook his head violently, blood continuously spilling from the corner of his mouth.
No... it's not...
Tang Xiao's pupils contracted.
"Not the Spirit Hall? Then who are they?!"
The disciple gasped for breath, his voice broken and intermittent.
"They're a group of... monsters..."
"Their eyes were red... they had sharp teeth and claws, and they killed anyone they saw... the villagers, the sect disciples... all of them..."
As he said this, a deep fear appeared in his eyes.
"Those guys... call themselves Borisin..."
Tang Xiao frowned sharply.
" Borisin?"
He had never heard of this name before.
The Third Elder also looked puzzled.
"What is Borisin? Is it Soul Beast?"
The disciple shook his head.
"I don't know... They're too strong... Even though the Seventh Elder fought desperately, he still couldn't stop them..."
Tang Xiao hurriedly asked, "Where are the Second Elder and the Fourth Elder? Where are they?"
"Second Elder... Fourth Elder..."
The disciple spoke, his voice trembling.
"They were captured by those Borisin..."
"What?!"
Tang Xiao's expression changed drastically.
Three Titled Douluo guarded the sect; one died tragically, and the other two were captured alive by the enemy!
Who exactly is this group of so-called "Borisin"?
Just as Tang Xiao was about to press for more information, one of the accompanying disciples suddenly remembered something.
"Sect Master, I think I've heard this name before!"
Tang Xiao immediately turned his head.
"Do you know Borisin?"
The disciple nodded quickly.
"Didn't the Spirit Hall issue a wanted notice across the entire continent before? It seems like they were after these guys named Borisin!"
Tang Xiao was stunned.
The disciple looked at the devastated sect, then glanced at his critically injured fellow disciples, hesitated for a moment, and finally whispered:
"Sect Master, since the Spirit Hall has been hunting Borisin for some time, they might know about these guys' backgrounds."
"Should we... seek help from the Spirit Hall?"