"Sect Master, shouldn't we... seek help from the Spirit Hall?"
Upon hearing the words of the accompanying disciple, Tang Xiao suddenly raised his head, his face turning extremely ugly.
"You want my Clear Sky Sect to beg the Spirit Hall for help?!"
The disciple was startled and quickly lowered his head, not daring to speak again.
Tang Xiao instinctively wanted to refuse.
The Spirit Hall forced the Clear Sky Sect to close its doors and go into seclusion back then, and the two sides have a long-standing grudge. A few days ago, he personally went down the mountain, hoping to unite the two great empires and the other two great sects to fight against the Spirit Hall.
Now they actually want him, the Clear Sky Sect, to personally go to the Spirit Hall to ask for help?
This is an utter disgrace!
But when Tang Xiao lowered his head, looking at the broken body of the Seventh Elder in his arms, and then at the sect disciples lying haphazardly in the main hall, he couldn't bring himself to say no.
Just a few days ago, the Seventh Elder had been severely reprimanded by him for causing trouble in Spirit City.
Now, it's impossible to hear the Seventh Elder retort.
The Third Elder walked to his side and said in a hoarse voice, "Sect Master, now is not the time to dwell on grudges. The Second Elder and Fourth Elder's fates are unknown, and we don't even know what those Borisin are."
"Since the Spirit Hall has been issuing a warrant for their arrest across the entire continent, they must have gathered a considerable amount of intelligence. In any case, we must first find out who our enemy really is."
Tang Xiao remained silent for a long time.
Finally, he carefully laid down the Seventh Elder's body and slowly stood up.
"Rescue the survivors first!"
The Third Elder nodded and immediately instructed everyone to take action.
The accompanying disciples quickly dispersed; some went to the disciples' residences, some rushed to the back mountain, and others rushed into the collapsed side hall, moving aside the rubble to search for any survivors who might have been buried.
Tang Xiao and the Third Elder were not idle either. The two searched all over the sect and carried the disciples with intact bodies to an open space.
As for the seriously injured disciple who was discovered earlier, Tang Xiao personally channeled his Soul Power into him and found healing medicine from the sect's storeroom, which finally saved his life.
However, as the sun set, the searchers returned one by one, bringing back only bad news.
"Sect Master, the back mountain has been searched thoroughly, but there are no survivors."
"We've also searched the disciples' residences, and only found a dozen or so corpses."
"There were no survivors at the training ground either..."
Tang Xiao listened to everyone's reports without saying a word for Jiujiu.
He still held a sliver of hope, thinking that perhaps some of his disciples had escaped the attack and were hiding somewhere waiting for rescue.
But now it seems that apart from that seriously injured disciple, there isn't a single living person to be found in the entire Clear Sky Sect!
For the next two days, Tang Xiao did not rush to leave.
He led the remaining experts to collect the corpses from all over the sect. Those whose identities could be identified were registered by name, and those whose bodies could not be found intact were carefully collected, along with their clothing and weapons.
The disciples in the village at the foot of the mountain were also buried one by one.
The once empty area behind the hill was soon filled with new graves.
The Seventh Elder's body was carefully collected and placed in a separate coffin.
Tang Xiao personally straightened his robes, gazing at the familiar face in the coffin, reluctant to leave for a long time.
The Third Elder and Fifth Elder stood to the side, watching their usually imposing sect leader, whose back view now appeared exceptionally desolate, and couldn't help but sigh.
Tang Xiao only gathered everyone back together after the burial was completed.
Now, apart from the few experts who followed him down the mountain, only that seriously injured and unconscious disciple remains in the Clear Sky Sect.
The whereabouts of the Second Elder and the Fourth Elder are unknown, the Seventh Elder died in battle, and the sect's foundation built over many years was almost destroyed.
"Pack your things and take the wounded with you."
Tang Xiao slowly.
"Go to Spirit City."
The Third Elder looked up and realized that in just a few days, Tang Xiao's originally jet-black hair had turned completely white.
"Sect Leader, your hair..."
It's alright.
Tang Xiao waved his hand, unwilling to say more.
Before leaving, he stood alone at the entrance of the council hall and looked back once more.
The once magnificent hall is now in ruins, with broken stone pillars in front of the door and traces of battle still being left to be cleaned up inside.
When he first descended the mountain, he was full of confidence, thinking of uniting various forces to restore the prestige of the Clear Sky Sect.
Now, as he departs again, he finds himself surrounded by only a handful of people, not even a single disciple to see him off.
Tang Xiao withdrew his gaze and slowly put on the hood of his black robe.
Let's go.
A few days later, in Spirit City.
The city gate was still bustling with activity, with a constant stream of merchants and travelers coming and going.
The Soul Master responsible for guarding the city were checking the pass documents of pedestrians when they suddenly noticed several people dressed in black robes walking towards the city gate.
The group covered themselves completely, and one of them was carrying an unconscious injured person on his back.
Upon seeing this, the duty team leader immediately led two guards to meet them.
"Halt! State your identity. What are you doing in Spirit City?"
He looked the people in front of him up and down, feeling that their attire was somewhat familiar.
A few days ago, didn't those few disciples of the Clear Sky Sect who impersonated the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan sneak into the city in the same way, only to cause such a big commotion?
The leader of the men in black robes stopped and slowly removed his hood.
A head of snow-white hair was revealed.
The man looked haggard, with sunken eyes, and seemed to have aged more than ten years in an instant. Only his straight back still retained some of the sect leader's majesty.
"I am Tang Xiao, the Clear Sky Sect."
Tang Xiao looked at the city defense team leader in front of him, his voice low.
"I request an audience with Lin Yuan, the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall, and have come specifically to seek the Spirit Hall's assistance."
"The Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect?!"
The shift leader was stunned.
The guards behind him also turned their gazes over.
Why are the people from the Clear Sky Sect here again?
Just a few days ago, the Seventh Elder was beaten up by that little girl with the baseball bat at the martial arts arena. Later, because he couldn't stand losing, he ambushed his opponent and was directly shoved into the ground by Mr. Yang.
Now that even the Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect has personally come to our door, could it be that he's here to demand an explanation for the Seventh Elder?
Thinking of this, the shift leader immediately became alert.
"Sect Leader Tang, you're not here for revenge?"
Tang Xiao's face darkened.
If it were in the past, the sect leader of the number one sect in the world would probably have lost his temper long ago if he were questioned like this by a Soul King.
But now, he simply clenched his fists tightly, suppressing the anger in his heart.
"I'm not here for revenge."
Tang Xiao took a deep breath.
"I have urgent business with Lin Yuan; it concerns Borisin, who was previously wanted by the Spirit Hall."
" Borisin?"
Upon hearing this name, the shift leader's expression immediately changed.
As a guard of Spirit City, he had naturally seen the wanted posters previously issued by the Spirit Hall.
It clearly states that once Borisin's whereabouts are discovered, they must be reported immediately, and no pursuit is permitted.
The fact that the Clear Sky Sect has personally come to visit and even mentioned Borisin clearly indicates that this is no small matter.
The duty team leader gave Tang Xiao and the others a second look, and his expression became even more serious when he saw the bloodstains on their robes and the seriously injured disciple on their backs.
"Sect Leader Tang, please wait a moment, I will send someone to inform you immediately!"
After saying this, he immediately called a guard to send the message into the city.
The message quickly reached the Worship Hall.
At this moment, Lin Yuan was discussing recent affairs of Martial Spirit City with Qian Daoliu.
After listening to the Soul Master's report, Lin Yuan's hand, which was holding a teacup, suddenly stopped in mid-air.
"What? Borisin?"
He frowned.
"How did the Clear Sky Sect get involved with Borisin?"
When the Xianzhou Alliance issued the arrest warrant a few days ago, the Spirit Hall had already sent people to cooperate with the investigation. However, even now, some Borisin have fled to the mainland have not been caught.
Did the Clear Sky Sect discover their whereabouts?
Qian Daoliu also put away his previously calm expression.
The two exchanged a glance, both realizing that things were probably not that simple.
Lin Yuan put down his teacup.
Bring him here.
Not long after, footsteps could be heard Worship Hall.
Tang Xiao led the Third Elder and several remaining disciples into the main hall.
Upon seeing Qian Daoliu sitting above, Tang Xiao paused slightly.
He naturally had no good feelings towards this Great Enshrined of the Spirit Hall.
But at this moment, he was no longer in the mood to dwell on past grievances between them.
Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow as he watched Tang Xiao walk in.
The Clear Sky Sect Master, who was running around Spirit City just a few days ago, has now turned into this.
His hair was completely white, his face was haggard, and even his eyes were bloodshot.
"Sect Leader Tang, you look so haggard after just a few days!"
Tang Xiao had no interest in arguing with Lin Yuan, nor did he care about the meaning behind his words.
He raised his head, looked at Lin Yuan and Qian Daoliu before him, and said in a hoarse voice:
" The Clear Sky Sect... was Borisin."
"What!!"