The people of Spirit Hall left Clear Sky Sect—no, the Rat Cave—leaving the rats behind to face the wreckage.
Tang Xiao looked up at the massive stone plaque at the mountain gate, now inscribed with three humiliating words: Rat Cave.
As someone who had lived through the glorious era of Tang Chen, he found this unbearable.
"Damn Spirit Hall! They're only bullying us because Grandpa isn't here!" Tang Xiao said bitterly.
(Rules are made to be broken. Spirit Hall didn't dare to exterminate Clear Sky Sect for two reasons: First, Qian Xuanji was not actually killed by Tang Hao; second, it's wise to leave some room for the future—better to part on terms where paths may cross again. Tang Chen had gone to become a god and disappeared, his fate unknown. Because of this uncertainty, Qian Daoliu didn't dare strike too hard. But in this timeline, Tang Chen is clearly trapped in the land of the God Trials, unable to return—so Spirit Hall is now squeezing Clear Sky Sect to the brink of destruction.)
At the mention of Tang Chen, the rats couldn't help but reminisce. The decline of Clear Sky Sect had been so swift that most of them had either lived through Tang Chen's glorious era or the still-powerful period shortly afterward.
Now suddenly plunged into ruin, they couldn't help but long for the days of Tang Chen's leadership.
"Oh Elder Tang Chen, please come back! Look at what's become of our Clear Sky Sect!"
"Oh Elder Tang Chen, when you were here, Spirit Hall would never have dared to treat us this way. Please return quickly!"
One by one, the rats raised their heads and howled mournfully into the sky.
Gradually, their tone began to shift.
"Master Tang Chen, why did you have to go participate in the God Trials? If not for that, Clear Sky Sect would not have fallen to this state!" a rat wailed.
Another rat said sorrowfully, "Tang Chen, how could you be so selfish? You abandoned the clan for the sake of your lover and chose to undergo the God Trials!"
A third rat howled, "Yes, Tang Chen, if you were still here, Clear Sky Sect would never have fallen so low!"
Tang Xiao's eyes turned red, his breath heavy as an ox: "How can you say such things! Grandfather had his reasons! Besides, the glory of Clear Sky Sect was built through his efforts! This whole disaster is the fault of Tang Hao—not my grandfather!"
The rats quieted slightly. Their anger had been seeking an outlet, but Tang Xiao's words reminded them: Tang Chen was their sect's symbol of faith. No matter what his descendants had done, he himself should not be blamed.
Tang Lie sneered and said, "Tang Hao has committed monstrous crimes—but Tang Xiao, you are not blameless either. Wasn't this catastrophe triggered by you and that beast Tang Hao fighting over the mating rights with that hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast?"
Tang Xiao's eyes blazed again as he shouted, "What did you say?!"
Thus, chaos erupted again inside the Rat Cave as the rats fell into another round of internal strife.
Meanwhile, when Spirit Hall attacked Clear Sky Sect, the four clans of single-attribute spirit users were not primary targets.
Back in the day, Tang Chen had nearly forced their allegiance with his Clear Sky Hammer, and so their loyalty was weak. The only one truly loyal was Titan (Tai Tan)—and his loyalty was to Tang Hao, not Clear Sky Sect itself.
After the attack, the four clan leaders sensibly chose to leave.
Survivors, they now hurried back to their respective clans.
Bai He sighed: "Mighty Clear Sky Sect, who would have thought such a glorious sect would fall so low?"
Yang Wudi shook his head: "It's all because Tang Hao's a beast. Without him, even without Tang Chen, Clear Sky Sect would have remained a first-class sect for centuries."
Hearing this, Bai He couldn't help recalling when he had visited Clear Sky Sect in his youth and witnessed the spirit awakening of Tang Hao and Tang Xiao. At the time, Tang Chen had sat in the sect leader's seat and proudly declared: "Such fine grandsons! The next three generations will prosper!"
The memory was still vivid—yet now, bitterly ironic.
Titan, dissatisfied, bristled: "This has nothing to do with my master! He was defending himself! If Clear Sky Sect hadn't forced him, none of this would have happened!"
"Enough, enough. Let's not argue about this," said Niu Gao, seeing tensions rising. "Let's focus on our own situation."
"What situation?" Titan, a muscle-brained type, didn't quite follow.
Yang Wudi rolled his eyes: "You gorilla—your brain and guts must be swapped! You digest food with your head and think with your ass! We four single-attribute clans are allies of Clear Sky Sect—why would Spirit Hall spare us?"
"You old goat! Say that again!" Titan clenched his fists.
"Want a fight? I'm not afraid!" Yang Wudi summoned his Soul-breaking Spear with a flick of his wrist.
"Enough, stop this!" Bai He interjected. "Let's focus on what we should do next."
"At this point, we four clans must unite and see if we can survive this disaster," suggested Niu Gao.
The others quickly agreed.
Upon returning to the four clans' base, they found a strange sight—a strikingly beautiful man was sitting in the main hall of their four clans.
"Oh my, you really kept me waiting," the man said.
"Who are you? How dare you trespass in our four clans' hall!" Titan summoned his Strength Ape martial spirit and pounded his chest, then charged with a mighty punch.
The man smiled faintly. A single chrysanthemum easily blocked Titan's powerful punch.
Then, the chrysanthemum petals unfurled and transformed into sharp blades, cutting Titan's skin—though not delivering a fatal blow. In a flash, Titan was left a bloody mess.
Niu Gao, Yang Wudi, and Bai He grew solemn. Anyone who could injure Titan so effortlessly had to be a Titled Douluo.
Yue Guan walked gracefully to Titan's side, gently caressed the chrysanthemum embedded in Titan's flesh, and then pulled it out—causing blood to gush out.
"Urgh! Aaaaah!" Titan screamed in agony.
Ignoring the screams, the man spoke elegantly: "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Yue Guan, titled Chrysanthemum. Elder of Spirit Hall's Elder Palace."
"You are an elder of the Spirit Hall . What brings you here?" Yang Wudi asked.
"I'm here to invite you to join Spirit Hall and become one of its affiliated powers," Yue Guan stated bluntly.
Niu Gao asked, "And what if we refuse?"
"Is that your answer?" Yue Guan replied, his tone growing cold. "I'll give you three days to reconsider. If after three days your answer remains the same, the army of Spirit Hall will come and wipe out all four of your clans."
"What…!" The four clan leaders were utterly shocked and terrified.
"Think carefully—for the future of your people."
With that, Yue Guan left, leaving the four clan leaders behind.
After a long silence, Yang Wudi gritted his teeth, gripped his Breaking Soul Spear tightly, and smashed it against the floor, cracking the ground.
"Tang Hao, that cursed bringer of misfortune, that beast! Look at the disaster he's brought upon us—it's affected all four of our clans!"
Titan straightened his neck and retorted, "This matter has nothing to do with the master! It's Spirit Hall forcing us. Qian Xuanji brought about his own downfall."
"Hah! You old ape—your brain really is a chamber pot! Even now, you're still defending your master! Just now, what did the elder from Spirit Hall say? In three days, either we join Spirit Hall, or our clans will be annihilated. Your Power Clan is included too. So what will you choose then? Betray your master and join Spirit Hall, or fight to the death for your so-called master?" Yang Wudi said mockingly.
"I…" Titan braced himself and said firmly, "Since the Power Clan has already acknowledged our master, we will never betray him. If Spirit Hall wants war, then war it is! None of my Power Clan are cowards—we do not fear Spirit Hall!"
"You're hopeless." Yang Wudi rolled his eyes at Titan and his clan.
The four clan leaders began discussing their strategy.
Titan advocated fighting Spirit Hall to the death. The other three clans immediately rejected this idea. Aside from Titan, whose brain was evidently filled with manure, the other three leaders—even if proud—prioritized the survival of their clans. They would not foolishly charge into battle unless truly left with no other choice.
White Crane of the Speed Clan suggested escaping. Their clan was the fastest, after all. However, when they attempted this, their scouts reported that Spirit Hall's spies were everywhere, and any attempt to flee would be intercepted. Escape was no longer an option.
Ultimately, they faced a difficult choice: submit to Spirit Hall or fight to the death.
Meanwhile, at the Power Clan's stronghold, Titan had already assembled over a thousand soul masters from the clan and gave them a rousing speech:
"Everyone of the Power Clan, listen well! Spirit Hall wants to force us into submission. Tomorrow, I will tell them—absolutely not! Since we have sworn loyalty to our master, we will never betray him. Tomorrow, we fight to the death!"
After the rally, Titan's younger brother, Tai Ming, approached him.
"Brother… if it really comes to it, can't we surrender to Spirit Hall? Must we risk the lives of the entire clan?"
Titan slapped Tai Ming across the face, knocking him to the ground.
"How dare you say such a thing? Don't forget—we owe everything we have today to our master! A man must not forget his roots. Since we have pledged our loyalty, we would rather die than betray our master!"
Tai Ming held his swollen face, too afraid to argue.
Just as Titan was about to further chastise his unworthy brother, Tai Nuo approached and said, "Father, Clan Leader White Crane asks you to attend a four-clan meeting."
"Understood." Titan gave Tai Ming a final warning, "If I hear anyone talk about betraying our master again, don't blame me for cleansing our clan myself."
After Titan left, Tai Ming was filled with resentment.
Back when Tang Hao subdued Titan with sheer strength, Titan had knelt and sworn loyalty on the spot—on behalf of the entire Power Clan—without consulting anyone. But since Titan was the strongest, Tai Ming could only swallow his resentment and remain silent.
Elsewhere, Titan arrived at the meeting—the last of the four leaders to do so.
He noticed a stranger at the gathering. This man was as burly as Titan but had particularly prominent elbow bones.
"Now that all four clan leaders are here, can you tell us why you've come?" Yang Wudi asked.
"Before that, allow me to introduce myself. I am Lu Zhou, from the Body Sect Sect ," the man replied.
"Body Sect Sect? Does such a sect even exist?" White Crane asked, puzzled.
"Our Body Sect Sect has remained hidden from the world until now. You wouldn't have heard of us. We now intend to reveal ourselves. Upon hearing that Spirit Hall is threatening your four clans, our sect sent me to give you a choice," Lu Zhou said directly.
"Oh? And what choice is that?" Yang Wudi asked.
"Join us, the Body Sect Sect. We will shield you from Spirit Hall," Lu Zhou said.
White Crane thought for a moment and replied shrewdly, "You speak boldly. Spirit Hall is the most powerful force on the continent. And yet you claim you can protect us? We have no way of knowing whether you can deliver on such a promise."
"It doesn't matter. You'll see soon enough," Lu Zhou said calmly.
Yang Wudi replied, "If you can truly do that, then we wouldn't be opposed to joining you."
Titan was about to say something, but Niu Gao stopped him—worried his simple-minded brother would say something reckless.
Lu Zhou then turned to the other three. "Do you all feel the same?"
"Yes, the Defense Clan agrees," Niu Gao said.
"The Speed Clan agrees as well," White Crane added.
"Good. That's all I needed to hear. I'll report to our Sect Master immediately." With that, Lu Zhou left.
At last, Titan could speak. He questioned the others, "What are you all planning? Are you changing allegiances now?"
"With the Clear Sky Sect in its current state, what loyalty do we owe it?" Yang Wudi scoffed.
Titan was thinking not of the Clear Sky Sect, but of Tang Hao—his great master. Ever since pledging his loyalty, Titan had always prioritized Tang Hao's interests above all else. Like a loyal sheepdog, he even viewed Yang Wudi, Niu Gao, and White Crane as sheep under Tang Hao's flock—potential forces to win over for his master. With Tang Hao absent, Titan saw it as his duty to guard the flock on his master's behalf.
Knowing Titan's temperament all too well, Bai He shook his head and said helplessly, "Look at you, getting all worked up again."
"In this situation, the Spirit Hall clearly wants to take us down completely. If the Body Sect wants to interfere in the matter between us and the Spirit Hall, they'll have to prove they're capable.
The fact that they dare to approach us now suggests they believe they have the strength to stand up to the Spirit Hall. But the Spirit Hall isn't to be underestimated either," Bai He said.
"Isn't this the perfect setup? Let the Body Sect come in and balance things out. If the Spirit Hall wins, then we'll just have to accept our fate. But if the Body Sect wins, then we'll have options too."
Thanks to Bai He's perspective, Titan's thick skull finally caught on. Excited, he said, "Exactly! If the Body Sect wants to jump in, let them fight it out with the Spirit Hall. We'll just sit back and watch the tigers battle from the mountain."
"You old ape, seems there's still hope for you. If you didn't get it even now, then you'd really be a lost cause," Yang Wudi said.
Back at the Body Sect's headquarters, Lu Zhou reported the outcome of their mission to Huo Qiang.
"Sect Master, it's clear the Four Great Clans want us to clash with the Spirit Hall so they can benefit from the sidelines," said Frostbody Douluo Xiao Zhi.
"They have their schemes, and we have our plans. If we don't clash with the Spirit Hall—the strongest power on the continent—how will the world ever recognize the might of the Body Sect?" said Firebody Douluo Zhao Quan.
"Zhao Quan is right. The Four Great Clans are just playing small tricks—nothing serious. Once the Spirit Hall retreats, the clans will have no choice but to join us," Huo Qiang said with a smile. "For this mission, Zhao Quan and Lu Yuan, the two of you will go ahead and assist the Four Great Clans."
"As you command, Sect Master," Lu Yuan and Zhao Quan responded in unison and left.