Dan Heng didn't stay long at the ruins of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
After lending all the flying soul devices to Ning Fengzhi, he took Shui Yue'er and Zhu Zhuqing and left.
Ning Fengzhi looked at Dan Heng's departing figure and slapped himself hard.
If he hadn't been blinded by greed, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan would never have suffered such catastrophic losses.
Bone Douluo grabbed Ning Fengzhi by the arm and said in a deep voice:
"Enough, Fengzhi. What's done is done. Now, we must look ahead. At least… many people are still alive."
Ning Fengzhi gave a slight nod and sighed. "It's just that I'm full of regret…"
"That's enough! Fengzhi! Don't wallow in it—carry out your responsibilities!" Bone Douluo scolded.
Ning Fengzhi responded with a low "mm," wiped his face, and looked up at the soul masters flying through the air.
Even auxiliary-type soul masters could now reach the skies thanks to the flying soul devices, aiding in aerial rescue with greatly increased efficiency.
This completely shook their worldview.
Only now did Ning Fengzhi realize just how incredible this sight was. He stared blankly for a few seconds, then gave a bitter smile.
"Dan Heng… truly a genius beyond imagination. Even something this miraculous could be developed by him."
Bone Douluo nodded and said, "Yes, with this flying ability, I'm sure more of our people can be saved. But now, we have to think about what to do next."
"With just this sliver of our power left, we no longer have the means to contend with Spirit Hall—unless the Heaven Dou Empire is willing to…"
Before he could finish speaking—
The sound of galloping hooves echoed from the distance, approaching rapidly.
Ning Fengzhi turned to look and muttered, "Speak of the devil… Heaven Dou Empire. I wonder how they will view today's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan?"
"With barely a tenth or twelfth of our strength remaining… I'm afraid…"
At Moon Pavilion
The heavily wounded Tang Xiao had fled here. Although he hadn't lost any limbs, he still didn't know the extent of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's losses after fighting for them.
Tang Yuehua was actively gathering information on the Clear Sky Clan.
Fortunately, the Clear Sky Clan was also located near Heaven Dou City, and information came in quickly.
After all, Spirit Hall had struck the Clear Sky Clan first before moving on to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Given the tight timing, they couldn't completely wipe out the Clear Sky Clan.
Still, it was nearly destroyed.
A young man from the Clear Sky Clan rushed in, covered in blood, not even having time to clean himself.
He immediately fell to his knees in front of Tang Yuehua and let out a soundless cry.
Seeing him in this state, Tang Yuehua's heart sank instantly.
"Tang Long, what about the clan…? How bad is the damage…?"
Tang Yuehua grabbed his shoulders, urgently questioning him.
Tang Long, eyes red and swollen, replied, "Elder… aside from the Seventh Elder who escaped, only the Third Elder is still alive—but his legs are crippled. He'll never stand again! The Fifth Elder was captured. All the other elders are dead!"
"Of over seven hundred clan members, more than five hundred were killed. We have just over a hundred left, and they're all… all elderly and children…"
"If we hadn't desperately fled to the mountains, I fear… none of us would've survived…"
Tang Long wept as he spoke.
Tang Yuehua staggered back, as though drained of all strength, crashing into the wall. Her face turned deathly pale.
Just then, the door opened.
A bear-like man emerged—it was Tang Xiao. He grabbed Tang Long by the collar.
"What did you say? What the hell did you just say?! Are you lying to me?! How could this be possible?! How could the Clear Sky Clan… I…"
Before Tang Xiao could finish his outburst, his body gave out, and he collapsed onto Tang Long.
Tang Long quickly caught him, his expression full of sorrow.
"What should we do…?"
The two of them brought the unconscious Tang Xiao back into the room and laid him on the bed.
Tang Yuehua's expression turned solemn, but she quickly regained her composure.
"Tang Long, since we've returned to the mountains, and Spirit Hall must abide by their ancestral agreement with our clan, they won't strike again. But we mustn't go back down either!"
"I'll arrange for medical-type soul masters and doctors for you. Get treatment as soon as possible."
"I'll also send over all the necessary resources right away…"
Tang Yuehua quickly took charge, making arrangements.
Tang Long memorized everything and immediately departed without rest.
Tang Yuehua paced the room, deep in thought, searching for a way forward.
Just then, Tang Xiao stirred on the bed and began wailing.
"This is all my fault… I not only doomed our clan, I dragged Ning Fengzhi down with me… It's over. Everything is over… Why did I insist on doing things my way?"
Tang Xiao broke down, howling in grief.
Tang Yuehua winced, her head throbbing. She walked over and patted his back to comfort him.
Tang Xiao continued crying."Dan Heng… he even tried to persuade Ning Fengzhi… and yet I… I still…"
Tang Yuehua listened, her heart in turmoil. She knew about it too… and she hadn't stopped it either.
Now, she too was full of deep regret.
At Spirit Hall
Qian Daoliu and the others returned, though they also suffered considerable losses. Attacking three top clans in one night had been a tremendous strain.
Several worshippers had sustained various injuries.
And the soul masters they had led suffered over a thousand casualties.
Of course, compared to the catastrophic losses of the three top clans, the attackers' casualties were relatively acceptable.
Qian Daoliu returned to the main hall, blood still churning in his veins. He recounted the entire operation to Bibi Dong, not without a sense of pride.
"Our move caught everyone completely off guard. That so-called shrewd Ning Fengzhi—what was the result? Disgraceful! This time, the top three clans have been completely wiped from the stage of history!"
Qian Daoliu sneered coldly.
With just one night of action, they had crushed the top three clans.
Bibi Dong listened, feeling lingering fear as she looked at Qian Daoliu.
In that moment, she realized that this man—once dismissed by her as an old fool—was in fact a fearsome executioner who had carved Spirit Hall's name into legend with blood.
"…Now that we've made an example of the top three clans, I doubt any other soul master sects will dare entertain disloyal thoughts! It's a pity the Star Luo Empire is in chaos—those soul master families who defected and merged with them will be difficult to weed out!"
Qian Daoliu's voice was full of killing intent.
Bibi Dong looked at him and asked, "Spirit Hall also suffered heavy losses—aren't you afraid the Heaven Dou Empire will seize this opportunity…?"
Qian Daoliu sneered. "Which is exactly why we'll be recovering at the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace! We pay them a visit tomorrow!"
"…!" Bibi Dong's mouth twitched slightly.
She understood Qian Daoliu's intentions.
Right now, Spirit Hall may not match the Heaven Dou Empire in military strength.
But when it came to top-tier experts, Spirit Hall had the clear upper hand—enough to carry out decapitation strikes.
If the Heaven Dou Empire didn't want to risk everything, they'd have to agree to mutual non-aggression.
Otherwise, Qian Daoliu and his worshippers might not win a war—but assassinating Emperor Xue Ye wouldn't be hard at all.
"You're going now?"
Bibi Dong asked.
"Of course. I only returned to explain a few things to you. Bibi Dong, you committed unforgivable errors and cannot remain Pope. However… you may still wield the Pope's authority."
Qian Daoliu said solemnly. Bibi Dong was stunned. "You're still willing to…"
Qian Daoliu nodded expressionlessly. "Aside from your foolish policy on the soul master clans, you've otherwise been a competent Pope. No one in Spirit Hall is more suitable than you at the moment."
"You… take care."
With that, Qian Daoliu turned and left the hall.
The other worshippers quickly followed him to the imperial palace.
Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
Several Worship Elders entered the palace. Although they claimed it was a request, in reality, it was a threat. They went straight to the sleeping quarters of Emperor Xue Ye, showing up while he was handling affairs, nearly scaring him into a faint.
After listening to the "request" from the Worship Elders, Emperor Xue Ye naturally didn't dare refuse. He even generously "forgave" Qian Daoliu and the others for their offense.
Qian Daoliu and the others stated that they needed a member of the royal family to accompany them. Otherwise, they said, being unfamiliar with the palace layout, they might accidentally go to the wrong places.
Emperor Xue Ye had to pinch his nose and agree.
But when he tried to assign a relatively unimportant royal member, Qian Daoliu refused, complaining that the person's status wasn't high enough.
Then who was high enough?
Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, Prince Xue Beng, or Prince Xue Xing.
One of the three had to be selected. Emperor Xue Ye was furious but didn't dare show it. He could only arrange for the three to take turns staying in the palace with them. The first night was Xue Qinghe.
Inside the room.
Once Qian Daoliu confirmed there were no spies from the royal family, he asked "Xue Qinghe" to revert to their true appearance — his granddaughter, Qian Renxue!
"Grandfather!"
Qian Renxue immediately threw herself into Qian Daoliu's arms, her face filled with emotion, even tears streaming down.
Looking at Qian Renxue, Qian Daoliu also sighed emotionally.
"In the blink of an eye, little Xue has grown into a young lady… sigh… Grandfather hasn't cared for you enough…"
"Come, tonight let us grandparents and granddaughter enjoy some… cough cough!"
Qian Daoliu suddenly started coughing.
After fighting in several consecutive battles — especially desperate ones — even someone like him had sustained injuries.
"Grandfather, what's wrong?!"
Qian Renxue exclaimed in concern.
Qian Daoliu smiled and recounted all that they had done, a trace of pride in his tone.
"Those bastards dared to take advantage of the chaos to strike at Spirit Hall? We originally just planned to attack the Clear Sky Sect, but unexpectedly all three Upper Sects made a move. In that case, we had no choice but to wipe them all out!"
Qian Daoliu snorted coldly.
Qian Renxue looked at Qian Daoliu reproachfully, "Grandfather, you were too reckless. There was no need for that…"
"No, it was necessary. At least after tonight, the threat of the three Upper Sects will be greatly reduced!"
"By the way, since we're stuck here with nothing to do, where is that great talent you've spoken so highly of? Bring him here so Grandfather can meet him… For someone who came up with those strategies that revived the Heaven Dou Empire's spirit — he's definitely worth seeing."
Qian Daoliu said with a smile.
Qian Renxue hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. "Not now, Grandfather. Mister Dan Heng won't come here."
"He's your subordinate. Does he dare not obey you?"
Qian Daoliu asked in confusion.
The other Worship Elders were also curious.
Qian Renxue shook her head slightly and explained, "He's not my subordinate. There's no hierarchical relationship between us. He… he only belongs to himself…"
As she spoke, her tone carried a hint of melancholy.
Ever since she rescued Bibi Dong and had her feelings exposed by the Rakshasa God, she had come to realize what was truly in her heart.
And the clearer her feelings became, the more painful it was.
Seeing her expression, Qian Daoliu immediately understood.
"Little Xue, where is he? What does he look like? Grandfather is very curious…"
Qian Renxue asked suspiciously, "Grandfather, why are you asking in such detail?"
Qian Daoliu chuckled, "I want to recruit him into Spirit Hall. These are troubled times — we need talents like him to help guide Spirit Hall's strategies… Didn't you say he had long predicted this coming crisis?"
At the mention of this, Qian Renxue couldn't help but complain to Qian Daoliu.
"You're still saying that! Grandfather, I specifically warned you not to let Bibi Dong continue causing trouble, but none of you listened!"
"..."
Qian Daoliu scratched his nose — a little awkward. She was digging up old issues!
The next day.
News of the attack on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had already begun to spread in Heaven Dou City.
In fact, the Clear Sky Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan were also attacked, but nothing had been officially reported yet.
But the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was different — it was the wealthiest clan on the entire continent!
Saying they were "as rich as a nation" wouldn't be an exaggeration!
Moreover, Ning Fengzhi, their Clan Master, was also the teacher of Crown Prince Xue Qinghe — and a future imperial mentor!
And yet the clan had nearly been wiped out by some mysterious power!
Yes — some mysterious power.
No party openly said it was Spirit Hall's doing.
But unless one was a fool, it was obvious that only Spirit Hall had that kind of strength.
Among the attacked sects, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan suffered the least damage — only losing about half their strength.
Yu Yuanzhen had not been killed, so the core strength of the sect remained.
When Liu Erlong heard the news, she immediately went to visit.
Dan Heng and Gu Yuena were traveling when they heard many discussions along the way, all centered on these events.
Gu Yuena said, "These soul masters are always fighting and killing — unlike our family. We all love peace…"
Holding onto Dan Heng's arm, she asked softly:
"Husband, do you want to become emperor?"
"…No."
Dan Heng's mouth twitched, quickly rejecting the idea to nip it in the bud.
If Gu Yuena had the idea, she would definitely make it happen.
Gu Yuena sighed, "Alright then. No matter who my husband is, I'll follow him wherever he goes… even if he's a chicken or a dog…"
"…" Dan Heng felt that didn't sound very flattering.
They chatted about a few other things. Dan Heng wasn't actually a quiet person — he just treated people differently.
Though in front of most people, he didn't say much.
Gu Yuena was different — their relationship had grown through years of companionship.
"Husband, when can we have a little baby?"
When they arrived at Blue Tyrant Academy and were about to part, Gu Yuena sighed with a bit of frustration.
Over the past few days, the two had tried every position imaginable, yet she still showed no signs of pregnancy.
Dan Heng stayed silent, not answering — and they parted in silence.
When he arrived at the library, Dan Heng was still pondering whether he should try to find a way for the Vidyadhara Tribe to conceive life…
Though the chances were minuscule…
So deep in thought, he didn't even notice Ning Fengzhi.
"Mister Dan Heng, may I have a moment of your time?"
Ning Fengzhi asked with a sigh.
(End of chapter)
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