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"Oh? What is it?" Ning Fengzhi frowned slightly, hoping it wasn't bad news, and quickly asked. "What exactly happened? Don't panic—speak slo
"Oh? What is it?" Ning Fengzhi frowned slightly, hoping it wasn't bad news, and quickly asked. "What exactly happened? Don't panic—speak slo
"Oh? What is it?" Ning Fengzhi frowned slightly, hoping it wasn't bad news, and quickly asked. "What exactly happened? Don't panic—speak slo
"Oh? What is it?" Ning Fengzhi frowned slightly, hoping it wasn't bad news, and quickly asked.
"What exactly happened? Don't panic—speak slowly."
"Yes, sir! The spies stationed in Heaven Dou City suddenly sent a message. Just three days ago, the Clear Sky Sect officially announced its return! Sect Master Tang Xiao personally declared that the Clear Sky Sect would form a military alliance with the Star Luo Empire. Their alliance is one of shared honor and shared loss—if one prospers, both prosper; if one suffers, both suffer.
At the same time, the Star Luo Emperor issued a public statement declaring his empire's full support for the Clear Sky Sect's return. He stated that anyone who dares to cause trouble for the Clear Sky Sect will be considered an enemy of the entire Star Luo Empire. In such a case, their hundreds of thousands of troops will not stand idly by!"
"!!!"
Ning Fengzhi said nothing, but his eyes widened in disbelief. As the Grand Advisor of the Heaven Dou Empire, Ning Fengzhi was known for his deep cunning. What he truly thought was hard to discern, even from his expression.
But now, even the simple-minded Ning Rongrong could clearly see the shock on his face.
"The Clear Sky Sect has returned, and they've even allied with the Star Luo Empire... This is indeed a major event. The very fabric of the soul master world is about to change."
Sitting atop the main hall, Ning Fengzhi frowned in deep thought and muttered, "The one most troubled by the Clear Sky Sect's return will undoubtedly be the Spirit Hall.
After all, there's deep-seated hatred between Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky Sect. The Clear Sky Sect likely allied with the Star Luo Empire because they don't want to face Spirit Hall's wrath alone.
In recent years, the Star Luo Empire has flourished. Their national power has grown stronger, and they've even produced three new Titled Douluo. Even the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo from Spirit Hall suffered losses at their hands.
Now that they've formed a military alliance with the Clear Sky Sect, it's clear the Star Luo Empire is preparing to contend with Spirit Hall for dominance over the Douluo Continent!"
With his sharp insight, Ning Fengzhi immediately grasped the situation. The Clear Sky Sect's enmity with Spirit Hall stemmed from the grudge of a deadly arrow fired thirteen years ago. But the Star Luo Empire's motive was different.
The Star Luo Empire aimed to seize continental supremacy. If Spirit Hall were to fall, the Star Luo Empire would become the most powerful force on the continent.
Gu Rong nodded slightly. "Fengzhi is right. The Star Luo Empire and Spirit Hall have been at odds for a long time. If not for Spirit Hall's interference, the Star Luo Empire might have already annexed the Heaven Dou Empire and unified the continent.
Now that they've joined hands with the Clear Sky Sect, it seems they are determined to uproot Spirit Hall entirely."
"This isn't exactly good news, is it?"
Chen Xin frowned. "The Star Luo Empire's ambition to annex the Heaven Dou Empire is no secret. If Spirit Hall is destroyed, their next target may very well be us.
And our material resources and personal networks are all tied to the Heaven Dou Empire. If the empire falls, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan will inevitably suffer as well."
At this point, Chen Xin turned to Ning Fengzhi and asked, "Fengzhi, you're the sect master. What do you think? How should we maintain our strength and thrive in this turbulent time?"
"I believe we should first establish friendly ties with the Star Luo Empire," Ning Fengzhi said after a brief pause. It was the approach that best aligned with the current interests of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
"We're planning to meet the Crown Prince of the Star Luo Empire soon to purchase prism grass. We can use this opportunity to extend goodwill—and perhaps even provide them with some financial support."
At this, Ning Fengzhi's eyes lit up, and he smiled. "Right, we still have a few soul bones stored in our sect's vault. Let's take out a ten-thousand-year soul bone and gift it to the Crown Prince of the Star Luo Empire. The soul bone's age... let's not go below thirty thousand years."
"What? You're planning to give away such a precious ten-thousand-year soul bone?" Gu Rong frowned and said solemnly, "Fengzhi, aren't you afraid that strengthening the Star Luo Empire could backfire?"
"Heh... Uncle Bone, I want to strengthen the Star Luo Empire," Ning Fengzhi replied with a slight smile. "The stronger the Star Luo Empire becomes, the more troubled Spirit Hall will be, which benefits our development!"
Gu Rong pondered for a moment, then raised his eyebrows as if something had dawned on him. "Fengzhi, could it be that you're trying to stoke the fire and watch from the sidelines like a fisherman waiting for the clam and crane to fight?"
"Exactly!" Ning Fengzhi nodded firmly and grinned. "The stronger the Star Luo Empire becomes, the more agitated Bibi Dong will get. And once these two great powers clash, it's only a matter of time before they both suffer heavy losses.
When that happens, we'll seize the opportunity. As the saying goes—when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman wins. I'll persuade Emperor Xue Ye to eliminate them all while they're weakened—Star Luo, the Clear Sky Sect, and Spirit Hall!"
Hearing this, both Chen Xin and Gu Rong nodded slightly. It was indeed the most beneficial path for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. If the Clear Sky Sect were eliminated, their sect would become the undisputed number one on the continent.
And if the Heaven Dou Empire succeeded in annexing both the Star Luo Empire and Spirit Hall, Ning Fengzhi, as the empire's advisor, would be able to bring massive benefits to his sect.
"Then there's no time to waste. Let's set off for the Star Luo Empire at once. Uncle Bone, we'll be counting on you to escort us."
Gu Rong smiled faintly and replied, "Heh, no problem!"
Meanwhile, in the Pope's Palace, Spirit City—
Yue Guan and Gui Mei were both kneeling in front of Pope Bibi Dong, trembling like leaves. Their faces were twisted in fear.
Bang—
"You two idiots! Look at the mess you've made!" Bibi Dong slammed the armrest and shot up from the throne, glaring furiously at the two Titled Douluo before her.
"Not a single task I gave you was completed! Now the Star Luo Empire has officially allied with the Clear Sky Sect—what do you propose we do about it?! If you'd just killed Davis and that slut Tang Yuehua back then, none of this would be happening!"
"We acknowledge our failure. Please punish us as you see fit, Your Holiness."
The two exchanged bitter glances. Back then, they had held back from killing Davis and Tang Yuehua out of fear that it would lead to an alliance between the Star Luo Empire and the Clear Sky Sect. Ironically, their hesitation had led to that very outcome.
"Hmph! If punishing you could solve this, I'd have slapped you both to death already!"
Bibi Dong snorted coldly and turned to the letter from Bishop Warwick of the Star Luo branch of the Spirit Hall. It conveyed the Star Luo Emperor's official statement: anyone who dared to trouble the Clear Sky Sect would be treated as an enemy of the entire empire—an enemy destined for annihilation.
These words were a thinly veiled threat aimed directly at her, a blatant warning to keep her hands off the Clear Sky Sect—or face war with Star Luo.
Bibi Dong restrained her fury and slowly sat back down, her expression heavy with worry. In that moment, she looked as if she had aged ten years.
Frowning deeply, she muttered, "Should we initiate a soul-hunting campaign?" Then she shook her head. "No. The Clear Sky Sect has been hidden for thirteen years. We have no idea what their current strength is. Acting rashly might backfire."
"For now, we must lie low. Once we uncover the Clear Sky Sect's true capabilities, we can plan our next move."
The Clear Sky Sect's return—and its alliance with the Star Luo Empire—spread rapidly across the Douluo Continent, sending shockwaves everywhere. Like a stone dropped into still water, it stirred waves of panic and uncertainty. No one knew what was coming next.
(End of Chapter)