Xiao Yi's corpse slipped from the hands of a man dressed in black. The black-clad figure clearly didn't know what to do. Behind him, countless others in black were already surging forward like a tide.
"What happened?" an aged voice demanded furiously. "What was that flame just now?"
"Elder, it might be a signal. We should..."
"If we don't attack now, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan will only be better prepared, you fool. Do you have any idea how much our losses will increase? Full assault."
At the old man's command, countless dark shadows surged out like a tidal wave, rushing straight toward the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's castle. By then, the castle — having received the alarm signal — was blazing with light.
……
Early that morning, Tang San bid farewell to the Great Master, Flandre, and his companions, setting off alone.
Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong decided to stay two more days. After all, it had been so difficult for them to gather together. They didn't try to keep Tang San — they understood his urgency to see Xiao Wu.
After leaving Tian Dou City, Tang San quickly oriented himself and then raced toward the Star Dou Great Forest. In his heart, nothing in the world mattered more than seeing Xiao Wu right now. Five years. Xiao Wu, are you all right? Please, you have to be safe!
Shrek Academy.
Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, Ma Hongjun, and Ning Rongrong had gathered around the Great Master, each giving detailed accounts of the soul skills they had obtained and the progress of their cultivation. Theoretically, the Great Master's guidance was invaluable to them. Soul Masters at different stages required different training directions. With the Great Master's instruction, they could avoid many detours on the path ahead.
After hearing all four of them out, the Great Master was about to begin his theoretical instruction when a rapid knocking came at the door.
"Great Master, something's happened."
The door opened and in rushed Shao Xin, the Bean-type Soul Master. He was something of a founding member of Shrek Academy and now served as the head of the Food Type Soul Master teaching department.
"Teacher Shao, what's happened?" The Great Master looked at him with surprise. In his memory, Teacher Shao had always been a calm and composed man. Something truly serious must have happened to make him so flustered.
Shao Xin glanced at Ning Rongrong beside them. "Come to the headmaster's office. Sect Master Ning is here."
"Oh?" The Great Master's heart jolted. Ning Rongrong, standing nearby, was even more confused. Why would her father suddenly come to the academy? Could it be because of her?
Before long, everyone followed Shao Xin to Flandre's headmaster's office.
When Ning Rongrong saw her father, she was stunned.
Yes — Ning Fengzhi had indeed come, and with him was Bone Douluo Gu Rong. But both of these peak-powerhouse experts of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan looked utterly wretched.
Ning Fengzhi's face was deathly pale, cold sweat beading on his forehead, and his clothes were disheveled. For a man who had always been meticulous about his appearance, this was an almost unthinkable state.
Gu Rong looked even worse. His face was equally pale, his right arm hanging limply at his side, and he coughed every now and then.
"Father! Grandpa Gu! What happened to you? What's going on?" Ning Rongrong rushed to her father's side, grasping his hands anxiously. When she sensed that he had merely exhausted his Soul Power rather than sustaining any serious injuries, she relaxed slightly.
Ning Fengzhi's expression was terrible — as dark as it could possibly be. And the words he spoke struck like a thunderbolt.
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan is destroyed." Those simple seven words left everyone who had just walked through the door frozen in shock.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan — destroyed? That was one of the most powerful clans in the entire world! Of all the Seven Great Clans, the Great Master had the deepest understanding of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Setting everything else aside, the clan itself possessed two Titled Douluos, both extraordinarily powerful among their rank. Whether it was the Bone Douluo before them or the Sword Douluo — renowned as the greatest offensive powerhouse — both were formidable beyond measure. And that was before accounting for Ning Fengzhi as the Sect Master. With his support, the two Titled Douluos' strength could nearly double. Though only two, they were equivalent to four.
And the power base the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had accumulated over many years was enormous. Setting aside their relationship with the Tian Dou Empire, the non-clan Soul Masters who had pledged allegiance to the clan alone numbered over three thousand. Add to that the several hundred direct-line descendants who possessed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul, along with the Soul Masters they had trained themselves, and the total force exceeded five thousand.
In the world of Soul Masters, this was an absolutely terrifying force. In terms of numbers, the other six great clans couldn't even come close.
If anyone else had said those words, the Great Master and the others would have scoffed. But coming from the lips of Ning Fengzhi himself, it was clearly no joke.
Flandre poured a cup of hot tea. "Sect Master Ning, catch your breath first. What exactly happened?"
The moment Ning Fengzhi arrived, Flandre had sensed something was wrong and sent Shao Xin to fetch the Great Master and Ning Rongrong right away. Only now did he have the chance to ask. Both Shrek Academy and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan could be considered allies of the Tian Dou Empire's royal faction. Of course, Shrek Academy's standing was far from comparable to that of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, but being on the same side, Flandre was naturally deeply concerned about the clan's situation.
Ning Fengzhi struggled to contain his fury, took several deep breaths, and then spoke. "Last night, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was attacked. Their timing was perfect — exactly when forty percent of our disciples were away on clan business, leaving the interior understrength. Fortunately, a patrol disciple spotted them before the assault began and sounded the alarm in time, giving us a brief window to prepare. The battle lasted a full two hours. Our losses were devastating. Over two-thirds of our disciples perished. And that number is still climbing — terrible news keeps arriving from those who were out on missions."
Ning Rongrong's mind reeled at her father's words. "Father, how could this happen? Which force has such power? It can't be any of the other clans!"
The Great Master spoke gravely, "They made their move?"
Ning Fengzhi nodded with anguish. "On this entire continent, who else besides them commands such vast forces? This time, they were determined to strike. I never imagined Spirit Hall could be so ruthless."
"After fighting through the entire night, we barely managed to drive them back. We owe that in large part to the hidden weapons Tang San gave us before. Our direct-line disciples used those hidden weapons to save some of their lives, but the outer-branch disciples still suffered catastrophic losses. What's worse, some of the outer-branch disciples suddenly turned on us, which is how the castle walls were breached. I must go see His Majesty immediately. I came here specifically to warn you, Great Master. Since they've moved against our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, then your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family may also be..."
At these words, the Great Master jolted as though struck by lightning, every hair on his body standing on end. "This is bad."
Ning Fengzhi said somberly, "Notify your clan immediately. There may still be time. This time, they mobilized not only their own Soul Masters but also those of the four lower clans. Last night's attack force included four Titled Douluos. Otherwise, we wouldn't have taken such devastating losses. It was only because Uncle Jian, at the cost of severe injuries, gravely wounded three of their fighters that we managed to force their retreat. But the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan itself cannot be held. If my guess is correct, they will be back before long. Once they've started, they will absolutely not give us any chance to recover. That's why I've decided to relocate the clan into Tian Dou City, placing it under the Empire's protection. Only that way can we survive for the time being."
As he spoke, he slowly rose to his feet. "Headmaster Flandre, Great Master, we must be going. Rongrong, stay at the academy for now. It's safe here. I'll come for you once things have settled down."
Ning Fengzhi's eyes reddened slightly. "Two thousand clan disciples. A full two thousand clan disciples reduced to corpses. Spirit Hall — I will never forgive you!"
Ning Rongrong stood frozen. Now she understood — perhaps her father couldn't be certain who had struck the night before, but aside from Spirit Hall, who else in the world had the power to annihilate the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan in a single night? If the alarm hadn't been raised in time, there likely wouldn't have been a single survivor left.
Watching Ning Fengzhi's solitary figure walk out of Flandre's office, the atmosphere in the room turned oppressively heavy.
In the current Soul Master world, of the seven great clans, four resided in the Tian Dou Empire: the Clear Sky Sect, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family — the three upper clans — along with the Elephant Armored Clan from the four lower clans. The other three clans were in the Xing Luo Empire.
Just as Ning Fengzhi had said, the four lower clans were already completely under Spirit Hall's control. Combined with Spirit Hall's own strength, at least seventy percent of all Soul Masters on the continent had close ties to Spirit Hall. Only Spirit Hall possessed the power to destroy the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
The attack on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was an unmistakable signal — Spirit Hall was making its move. They were dissatisfied with the current state of affairs on the continent and intended to further elevate Spirit Hall's position.
But even knowing Spirit Hall was behind it, without evidence, who could challenge them? With the overwhelming majority of Soul Masters now under their control, even the two great empires wouldn't dare act rashly. The claim that a single Soul Master could fight a hundred was no empty boast. With tens of thousands of Soul Masters in their grasp, Spirit Hall truly had the strength to contend with either empire.
Flandre personally escorted Ning Fengzhi out of the academy. The Great Master had already gone to find Liu Erlong and immediately left the academy to return to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family. Though the two of them had long since left the clan, at a time like this, who could afford to worry about such things?
Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing didn't stay either. With this sudden upheaval, they too were anxious to return to their own country. Only in the Xing Luo Empire could they use their resources to get to the bottom of things.
What exactly was Spirit Hall planning to do? The question burned in everyone's mind.
Three days later, the dreaded news arrived.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family had been entirely exterminated. Over eighteen hundred members, from the clan master down, had all perished. Only a handful of clan disciples who happened to be away survived.
Within mere days, two of the three upper clans — formerly ranked among the most prestigious of the Seven Great Clans — had been annihilated and critically devastated respectively. The Soul Master world was thrown into an uproar. Everywhere, Soul Masters looked over their shoulders in fear.
Spirit Hall issued strict orders to investigate the perpetrators. But anyone with eyes could see that the destruction of two upper clans was undoubtedly connected to Spirit Hall.
……
Papal Hall.
Pope Bibi Dong set down the fragrant tea in her hands and listened quietly as the red-robed cardinal before her delivered his report.
"The battle against the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Ten thousand Soul Masters were deployed, including one thousand from the four lower clans. We breached the defenses of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Castle and dealt a severe blow to the clan. At least two thousand of their inner and outer disciples were killed. However, Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo's strength exceeded our estimates. Despite being attacked en masse, they ultimately held us off. Our own losses were also heavy — at least four thousand perished in that battle, with over three thousand wounded. Because three of the four attending Elders sustained varying degrees of serious injuries, we were forced to temporarily withdraw."
Crack — the teacup in Bibi Dong's hand instantly shattered into powder.
"Useless. Ten thousand troops, a sneak attack, and losses double those of the enemy. Is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan really that strong?"
Every Spirit Hall member in attendance fell deathly silent, none daring to utter a word and further inflame the furious Pope.
"Continue."
"Yes." The cardinal's voice trembled slightly, though it also carried a note of excitement. "Eight thousand troops were dispatched in a surprise assault on the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family. The attack was not detected before it began. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family was completely wiped out — not a single person escaped. Our losses were three thousand, including the Ninth Elder, who perished together with the enemy's clan master. The remains have been transported back."
Bibi Dong slowly rose to her feet and paced about the great hall, light flashing in her eyes. "Good. A fine showing from the upper clans indeed. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family truly live up to their reputation as old established clans — they cost me over seven thousand men. Impressive, truly."
Hu Liena had been standing behind Bibi Dong the entire time. Ever since being named Spirit Hall's Saintess, she had followed Bibi Dong in handling all manner of Spirit Hall affairs. Now, she alone — the Pope's beloved disciple — dared to speak.