Second Expedition to Sea God Island
No matter how much the two women shook, they couldn't break open the cell door. They could only watch helplessly as Brother Jie approached their beloved Brother Xiaogang.
Brother Jie stepped forward, gripping his dagger, adjusted his glasses, and spoke with the concern of an elder in front of the two women:
"Don't panic, gentlemen. A real man should seek medical help when he's sick."
As he spoke, Brother Jie slightly turned the blade of his short knife, and the cold edge suddenly pressed against the trembling Yu Xiaoxiao's Yu Xiao Xiao Gang, clicking his tongue in disapproval.
"But Xiao Gang, the director sees that you're caught up in worldly affairs, which is seriously hindering your research on Martial Soul Theory. What if we played a game of Nine Clans Elimination and turned you into a real Brother Xiaogang, so you could devote yourself wholeheartedly to the noble cause of Martial Soul Theory? Wouldn't that be a double blessing?"
Brother Wei and Brother Jiao, standing to the side, nodded in agreement with great seriousness:
"A Jie is absolutely right. He has no woman in his heart, yet his scholarship is divine. Your good brother's existence in this world is nothing but a hindrance."
"No! I don't want to play Nine Clans Match-3, Director! Please don't!"
Yu Xiaogang was terrified upon hearing this, but his limbs were held down by the three men, and he couldn't move no matter how much he struggled.
Seeing this, Bibi Dong and Liu Erlong on the opposite side screamed and shook the cell door frantically, uttering threats incessantly.
Seeing Yu Xiaogang's terrified and pathetic state, a fleeting hint of mockery flashed in Brother Jie's eyes.
This was merely a threat; they had no intention of actually carrying out a game of elimination today. After all, His Holiness the Pope had not given them this order, so they naturally could not act on their own initiative.
But in the eyes of the four scholars, that day is clearly fast approaching.
Once Yu Xiaogang returns to the Spirit Hall, he will soon be able to change his name to Yu Xiao Gang and fully accept the baptism of this theory.
After all, the presence of his good friend kept him distracted all day, which was seriously affecting his theoretical research.
"Alright, alright, look at you, so scared."
Brother Jie sheathed his knife, sneered, and patted Yu Xiaogang's cheek in a threatening gesture, "The director will let you off the hook for now, but if you dare to slack off during future theoretical discussions, you won't be able to play this game anymore."
"As for the illness that will follow me, it must be surgically removed today for a permanent cure!"
Before Yu Xiaogang could reply, Brother Jie's eyes darkened, and his wrist suddenly pressed down, the sharp short knife moving with lightning speed, aiming straight for the hemorrhoids on Yu Xiaogang's back.
"Hmph, hmph, hmph, ahh...
A scream echoed throughout the entire prison.
Before Yu Xiaogang could catch her breath from the excruciating pain, Brother Jie casually grabbed the magical weapon he had taken from the prison guards these past few days—a red-hot fire poker from the nearby heating basin—and slowly approached again.
Staring at the blazing, red-glowing iron rod, Yu Xiaogang struggled with all her might but could not break free of its control, and could only utter desperate cries:
"Don't come any closer!"
"It's alright, Xiao Gang. There are no medical facilities in prison. If you don't treat it quickly, it could get infected. It'll be fine soon."
Brother Jie flicked his wrist and branded it onto the skin.
"Oh my god, ahhhhhh--"
Amidst the acrid smoke, Yu Xiaogang's eyes rolled back, white foam spilled from the corners of her mouth, her body convulsed, her legs kicked, and then she fell silent.
Brother Wei was standing nearby, leaned closer to check his breathing and exclaimed:
"Xiao Gang... seems a little dead?"
Without changing his expression, Brother Jie stuck the fire poker back into the charcoal brazier and calmly comforted him:
"What's the panic? He just fell asleep after I put him to sleep. On the bright side, at least his condition has improved."
"Xiao Gang-- "
Bibi Dong and Liu Erlong, sitting opposite, watched with bloodshot eyes and heavy breathing, but no matter how much they cursed and raged, they could only watch what Brother Jie and the others were doing.
Even Flender, who usually pretends to be dead, was so frightened that his back was soaked with cold sweat. He instinctively covered his back with his hands, held his breath, and curled up into a ball, afraid that it would be his turn to be hit next.
Time continued to pass. Although Yu Xiaogang could not sit down to study the Martial Soul Theory, he could still lie down or stand up. For the sacred path of theory, how could he be allowed to be idle?
At the coastal camps, the land-based coalition forces were also suffering greatly.
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King and other Ferocious Beast transformed into human form, bearing the names of Sea God Island such as Haiyang Kunkunzi and Haishen Bosaibei, and would capsize warships every now and then.
Each time a sneak attack succeeded, the Ferocious Beast would shout the name of the bond between Sea God Island and leave triumphantly, tormenting the allied soldiers to the point of being on guard all night and becoming exhausted.
Even though they eventually retreated to the surrounding islands, the sheer number of boats meant they couldn't all dock at the islands, resulting in considerable losses.
The pent-up anger finally erupted on this day.
The reinforcement fleets from the two great empires and various sects have all arrived, the allied forces are assembled, and the combat strength of high-level Soul Master has been replenished.
Inside the military tents, a murderous aura filled the air.
The leaders of all parties jointly signed a wartime alliance agreement.
The agreement stipulated that before conquering Sea God Island, no matter what past grudges existed between the various sects and the empire, they must not plot against each other behind their backs. Anyone who violated this rule would be punished by all.
This time, apart from Qian Xunji who is still acting and the selfish Tang Family, everyone else has really gone all out.
On the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School's side, even Chen Xin personally came to the scene, completely abandoning his duty to guard the sect.
On the side of the Star Luo Empire, Emperor Dai Tianfeng, the White Tiger Emperor, and Zhu Family, who was a component of his Martial Soul Fusion Skill, also arrived.
After news of the Divine Power reached him, he had to take it seriously. If the Hell Spirit Cat Clan got hold of the method, their Star Luo Empire might have to change its surname to Zhu.
Xue Ye actually wanted to go to the battlefield, but his Swan Martial Soul could only achieve a 1:9 ratio against Sea God Island —he could die nine times in one wave.
Qian Xunji stood before the nautical chart, surveying the landscape and beginning to assign strategic deployments:
"Gentlemen, the foundation of Sea God Island lies in its seven Titled Douluo. In this decisive battle, the elders of the Spirit Hall under my Pope will form an encirclement vanguard with the Titled Douluo to prioritize eliminating these seven and cripple their power."
"As for the Sea Soul Beast that are repeatedly darting around on the outskirts, they are nothing more than a rabble that only knows how to shoot sneak attacks. The major forces have mobilized defensive-type Soul Master to defend the front of the warships, ignoring the provocations and steadily advancing. Those fence-sitters would never dare to engage in a head-on confrontation."
Qian Xunji looked at Tang Chen and said in a deep voice:
"As for Bo Saixi on Sea God Island, I, the Pope, will join forces with Senior Tang Chen to suppress her. As long as we keep her occupied and prevent her from attending to the rest of the island, Sea God Island will be conquered in no time!"
Dai Tianfeng, Ning Fengzhi, and the others nodded in agreement.
Ning Fengzhi looked at Tang Chen and tentatively asked, "Senior Tang Chen, Sea God Island has a profound foundation, and Clear Sky Sect is the number one sect in the world. Are you sure you don't want to send sect elders and disciples to help us in this battle?"
Tang Chen's expression was full of arrogance. "I alone can stop the opponent's Level 99 Limit Douluo. With such merit, why would I need to send disciples from my sect?"
Upon hearing these remarks, everyone present felt a surge of disdain.
These inherently selfish Tang Family, though they speak in high-sounding terms, are clearly unwilling to let their sect expend even a single bit of its vital energy; they are truly selfish to the extreme.
Of all the people present, apart from Qian Xunji's powerful father, even if everyone else joined forces, they would probably be no match for Tang Chen, and no one dared to raise the slightest objection.
Once the tactical discussions were completed, the warships raised their giant sails and sailed majestically toward Sea God Island.