The Alliance Assembles, on the Eve of Turning Its Swords on Spirit Hall

The palace council hall in Heaven Dou City remained brightly lit throughout the night. Ning Fengzhi's messengers sped away like arrows loosed from their bows, carrying secret letters calling for an alliance against the enemy to every corner of the continent-to Yu Yuanzhen of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Prince Dai Weisi of the Star Luo Empire, and the small and medium-sized sects scattered across remote regions that had once suffered suppression at Spirit Hall's hands.

Tang San and the others stayed at Meng Zhi's residence for the time being to rest and recuperate. Xue Qinghe had awakened under the care of the royal physicians. Although he was still weak, he could clearly recount more details of Spirit Hall's false crown prince scheme.

"That false crown prince not only looks exactly like me, but he also imitates my daily habits and even the way I handle affairs of state without the slightest mistake." Xue Qinghe sat on his sickbed, his face pale. "If I hadn't happened to discover him practicing Spirit Hall's evil art in a secret chamber late at night, I'd probably still be in the dark."

"An evil art?" Tang San keenly seized on the crucial point. "What kind of evil art?"

Xue Qinghe recalled what he had seen, a flicker of fear crossing his eyes. "It was a kind of black Soul Power. When he cultivated it, it gave off a sickening smell of blood, and... his Martial Soul was actually a Six-Winged Angel!"

"A Six-Winged Angel?!" Ning Fengzhi happened to walk in just then, and his expression changed drastically when he heard this. "As I thought, he's a direct descendant of the Angel Clan! It seems Spirit Hall is determined to have the false crown prince inherit the Angel Godhood."

Lin Ye frowned. "Isn't the Six-Winged Angel a light Martial Soul? How could he practice an evil art?"

"Light and darkness have always been separated by a single line." Ning Fengzhi sighed. "An ancestor of the Angel Clan left an instruction for future generations: if someone with an unrighteous heart forcibly invokes the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, its pure power of light will transform into dark energy that devours everything. It seems Spirit Hall twisted this false crown prince's mind with evil arts long ago."

The mood in the room grew heavy once more. A false crown prince who possessed the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul and understood how the imperial family operated was undoubtedly a ticking time bomb buried in the heart of the Heaven Dou Empire.

"We must expose his identity as soon as possible," Meng Zhi said gravely. "The imperial ancestral worship ceremony is in three months. The false crown prince will preside over it as the heir, and if he completes it without incident, no one will be able to shake his position again."

"The ancestral worship ceremony..." Tang San mused. "Perhaps that's our opportunity."

Over the next half month, news from across the continent reached Heaven Dou City in succession. Yu Yuanzhen of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan personally brought the clan's elites; as soon as the hot-tempered Titled Douluo arrived in Heaven Dou City, he headed straight for the palace, pounded the table and demanded a fight to the death with Spirit Hall. Prince Dai Weisi of the Star Luo Empire did not come in person, but sent Dai Hao, the elder brother of his younger brother Dai Mubai, to lead five thousand royal Soul Masters in support. In addition, the leaders of more than a dozen small and medium-sized sects arrived with their core disciples. Most of them bore a blood feud against Spirit Hall, and when they heard an alliance was being formed, they answered the call without hesitation.

More and more Soul Masters gradually gathered at the training ground outside Heaven Dou City. The lightning of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, the radiance of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, the armor of the Star Luo Empire's Soul Masters... the lights of all kinds of Martial Souls intertwined, forming a force powerful enough to shake the continent.

Ning Fengzhi was elected leader of the alliance, with Yu Luomian and Meng Zhi assisting him. Although Tang San and the other Shrek students were still young, they had thwarted Spirit Hall's schemes time and again, and were given command of the vanguard battalion.

"The vanguard battalion's duty is to map out Spirit Hall's defenses in Heaven Dou City and eliminate their hidden sentries and strongholds before a major battle breaks out." Ning Fengzhi stood on a raised platform, his voice carrying across the entire training ground through Soul Power. "Remember, our goal is to expose the false crown prince's identity, not to wage all-out war with Spirit Hall. Do not reveal the alliance's strength unless there is absolutely no other choice."

"Understood!" the vanguard battalion's Soul Masters answered in unison, their voices deafening.

Tang San, Lin Ye and Dai Mubai stood at the front of the vanguard battalion, their gazes firm. Their strength had improved again during this time: Tang San's Blue Silver Domain could now control metal-attribute plants, and the range of his All-Encompassing Heavenly Net had expanded to two hundred meters; Lin Ye's Golden Crow Fire had gained complete mastery over the power of purification and could dispel sinister Soul Power; and Dai Mubai had broken through to level forty-five, making the Hell Spirit Cat's stealth ability even more uncanny.

"Our first stop is Spirit Hall's intelligence stronghold in the south of the city." Tang San unfolded a map and pointed to a mark on it. "According to the clues Xue Qinghe provided, that's the false crown prince's main channel of communication with the outside world."

The vanguard battalion operated with utmost secrecy. Under the cover of Tang San's Blue Silver Grass and with Dai Mubai scouting stealthily, they uprooted Spirit Hall's hidden sentries one after another with the precision of a scalpel. The black-clad Soul Masters responsible for passing messages often had their Soul Power sealed by Lin Ye's Golden Crow Fire and surrendered before they could even react.

Over three consecutive days, seventeen of Spirit Hall's outer strongholds in Heaven Dou City were taken down, and a large number of secret letters were seized. Most were communications between the false crown prince and Salas. Although they made no direct mention of the Angel God or the Soul Bone's whereabouts, they exposed a list of informants Spirit Hall had planted within the imperial court.

"It seems at least three ministers in the palace have been bought off by them." Tang San looked at the names in the letters, a chill flashing through his eyes. "On the day of the ancestral worship ceremony, they'll very likely act in concert with the false crown prince."

"Should we arrest them first?" Dai Mubai asked.

"No." Lin Ye shook his head. "Arresting them now would only beat the grass and startle the snake. We might as well leave them be. When the time comes, they might give us an opening."

Tang San nodded in agreement. "Lin Ye is right. We'll keep clearing out the strongholds and make a bigger commotion, so Spirit Hall thinks we're only targeting its outer forces and lowers its guard inside the palace."

The plan went smoothly. The vanguard battalion grew bolder, even raiding a Spirit Hall branch in the west of the city in broad daylight and killing two Soul King-level deacons. As word spread, fear gripped Heaven Dou City. Sure enough, Spirit Hall moved its main forces outside the city to establish defenses, leaving the guards around the palace considerably thinner.

On the night before the ancestral worship ceremony, Tang San and the others slipped into the palace and gave Xue Qinghe the seized letters and the list of informants.

"With these, the ministers should believe who you are," Tang San said. "At tomorrow's ancestral worship ceremony, you only need to present this evidence in public, and the false crown prince will collapse without a blow."

Xue Qinghe tightened his grip on the letters, a flicker of gratitude in his eyes. "Thank you. If it weren't for you, I'd probably have died in Suotuo City long ago, and the Heaven Dou Empire would have fallen under Spirit Hall's control."

"It's what we should do," Xiao Wu said with a smile. "Besides, we'd also like to see the look on that false crown prince's face when his true colors are exposed."

The moonlight was lovely as they left the palace. Tang San looked toward the brightly lit building deep within the palace grounds-the false crown prince's residence-and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "Tomorrow is the time for the decisive battle."

Lin Ye stood beside him, Golden Crow Fire flickering quietly at his fingertips. "No matter what happens, we'll stand by your side."

Dai Mubai, Xiao Wu, Tai Long and Oscar gathered around them too, each wearing a determined smile. Having weathered so many storms, they were no longer the naive youths they had once been, but companions who could fight side by side, each the others' strongest support.

The night over Heaven Dou City remained quiet, but the tension in the air grew ever thicker. At the training ground, the alliance's Soul Masters were resting and gathering their strength, awaiting the dawn. In Spirit Hall's stronghold, Salas and the false crown prince were also making feverish preparations. They thought victory was in their grasp, unaware that a great net had quietly tightened around them.

At dawn, the first rays of sunlight fell on Heaven Dou City, illuminating the altar in the palace square. The civil and military officials and envoys from various countries arrived one after another, and the atmosphere was solemn and reverent. Dressed in splendid ceremonial robes, the false crown prince stood at the center of the altar, receiving everyone's bows with a false smile on his face.

Xue Qinghe stood among the officials in ordinary court robes, his gaze calm, though the hand holding the secret letters trembled slightly.

Tang San and the others mingled with the guards around the square, ready to act at any moment. Lin Ye extended his Golden Crow Perception to its fullest, tracking every fluctuation of Soul Power in the square, especially those of the false crown prince and the three bribed ministers.

The ancestral worship ceremony formally began. The master of ceremonies read the sacrificial address aloud, and the false crown prince stepped forward, preparing to offer incense.

Just then, Xue Qinghe suddenly stepped out of the crowd and called out, "Wait! This man is an impostor posing as the crown prince. He is unfit to preside over the ancestral worship ceremony!"

An uproar swept through the crowd.

The false crown prince's expression shifted slightly, then turned pained. "Little brother, how can you say such nonsense? Has someone bewitched you?"

"You know perfectly well whether I'm talking nonsense!" Xue Qinghe raised the secret letters high. "This is proof of your collusion with Spirit Hall, along with the names of the three ministers you bought off. Do you dare let everyone see it?"

A flash of malice crossed the false crown prince's eyes, but he continued to feign innocence. "Utter nonsense! Guards, seize this rebellious son spouting madness!"

Black-clad Soul Masters who had long been lying in wait around the square immediately rushed out and pounced on Xue Qinghe.

"Don't even think about it!" Tang San shouted, and Blue Silver Grass erupted in an instant, binding the black-clad Soul Masters.

Lin Ye's Golden Crow Fire shot into the sky, lighting up the entire square. "Spirit Hall's lackeys, show your true colors!"

Dai Mubai, Xiao Wu and the others attacked at the same time. The alliance Soul Masters among the guards also revealed their Martial Souls and engaged the black-clad Soul Masters in battle.

Seeing that his scheme had been exposed, the false crown prince dropped his disguise, a flash of madness in his eyes. "Since you've found me out, I'll make sure none of you leave here today!"

Black Soul Power erupted from him, and the phantom of a Six-Winged Angel spread out behind him. But the wings that had once symbolized light were now covered in uncanny black markings, giving off a presence that made hearts tremble.

"A Dark Angel?!" Ning Fengzhi and Yu Luomian cried out at the same time. They finally understood that the "corruption" recorded in ancient texts had come to pass.

The battle in the square instantly escalated. The alliance's Soul Masters fought fiercely against Spirit Hall's black-clad Soul Masters, and the light of clashing Soul Power illuminated the entire palace.

Tang San looked at those black wings, a flash of resolve in his eyes. He knew that the real battle had only just begun. This decisive battle, one that concerned the fate of the Heaven Dou Empire and even the future of the entire continent, could no longer be avoided.