Tang San pinched the edge of the Pope Token between his thumb and index finger, casually waving the token in his hand. Naturally, this was the very token given to him by Chrysanthemum Douluo.
The token pulsed with golden light, exuding an overwhelming imperial aura.
"Pope Token!" The moment Law Enforcer Captain Song Hai saw the token, his scalp tingled with shock. How could this kid have a Pope Token?!
"Greetings, Elder." Song Hai dropped to one knee, and the other Law Enforcers behind him naturally followed suit upon seeing the token, bowing their heads in reverence.
Though their status as Law Enforcers was high, it paled in comparison to that of an Elder.
Even though Song Hai and the others knew Tang San couldn't possibly be an Elder, the rule of the Spirit Hall was clear: to see the Pope Token was to see an Elder.
Tuo Jia, still pinned under Tang San's foot, was dumbstruck, even forgetting the pain coursing through his body. He couldn't comprehend it—weren't the Upper Three Sects united against the Spirit Hall?! How could the son of Clear Sky Douluo possess a Pope Token?!
Of course, as the young master of the newly risen Sacred Dragon Sect and a rather useless one at that, Tuo Jia had no grasp of the intricate power struggles within the martial world.
Even if the Upper Three Sects and the Spirit Hall were wary of each other, on the surface, they maintained an amicable relationship. After all, everyone valued social niceties.
Tang San glanced at the kneeling Law Enforcer Captain Song Hai and smiled. "What's your name?"
Song Hai swallowed hard, stammering, "This subordinate is Song Hai."
"Song Hai." Tang San nodded, then pointed at Tuo Jia beneath his foot. "Well, Law Enforcer Song Hai, you've arrived just in time. This man has been bullying others, using a Soul Guidance Device to swindle the citizens of Spirit Hall City out of their property, and even falsely accused this Elder. Take him to the Spirit Hall Dungeon. I'll personally oversee his trial."
!!!!!!
Tuo Jia broke out in a cold sweat, his scalp prickling with terror. Even if his father was the Sect Master of the Sacred Dragon Sect and he himself had graduated from Spirit Academy with high status, being dragged into the Spirit Hall Dungeon—would he even make it out alive?!
"You—Tang San, how could you possibly have a Pope Token?! That must be fake! And you already confessed earlier! Captain Song Hai, please see reason!" Tuo Jia struggled desperately. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined things would turn out like this!
Within Spirit Hall City, the Clear Sky Sect had no influence, while the Sacred Dragon Sect was a local power. As the saying went, a strong dragon couldn't suppress a local snake—as the local snake, their Sacred Dragon Sect shouldn't have feared the Clear Sky Sect!
Song Hai snorted coldly. "Hmph! How bold of you, swindler, to falsely accuse an Elder of the Spirit Hall! Men, take him to the dungeon and await the Elder's judgment!"
"Yes, Captain!"
With a hum, one of the Law Enforcers summoned his Martial Soul—a set of shackles. Activating his first and second Soul Skills, the shackles clamped around Tuo Jia's neck and wrists, sealing his Soul Power and strength under the effects of the skills.
"My father is Tuo Ba Xi, Sect Master of the Sacred Dragon Sect! You can't do this to me!! I'm the young master of the Sacred Dragon Sect!" Tuo Jia roared as he was dragged away in full view of the crowd.
No one could have predicted that this farce would end with the arrest of one of the parties involved. This had to be the most bizarre Soul Duel in the history of the Soul Duel Arena.
Seeing Tuo Jia being taken away, Tang San took out paper and pen and wrote something down, handing it to Tailong as he said, "Tailong, help me gather everything listed here. I need it."
"Understood, Young Master San."
Afterward, Tang San followed Song Hai and the others, as interrogating Tuo Jia still relied on him.
"What the... What am I seeing? Wasn't it supposed to be Tailong versus He Chunwen? What's this? Official forces making an arrest???"
"Speaking of which, isn't anyone going to check on He Chunwen? He's not dead, right? I can see he's still breathing."
"Who cares about him right now? Didn't you hear? The enforcers just called Tang San 'Elder'!"
"Big news! The Clear Sky Sect is joining forces with Spirit Hall!"
"What? The Clear Sky Sect is forming a marriage alliance with Spirit Hall?"
"What?! The goddess is getting married?! And the groom isn't me?!"
In an instant, because Tang San had produced the Pope Token, rumors spread like wildfire throughout Spirit Hall City and even the two empires. Tang San naturally had no way to address these rumors, nor would he bother, as he had more important matters to attend to.
As an organization devoted to the Angel God, Spirit Hall not only upheld justice and aided the people but also served as an adjudicator. After all, one of the powers of the Six-Winged Angel was judgment, so it was only natural for Spirit Hall to have a place for trials.
Following Song Hai, Tang San arrived at the northernmost part of Spirit Hall City. This area was uninhabited, as it housed the prison built by Spirit Hall to detain law-breaking Soul Masters.
Tang San gazed at the massive semicircular structure before him and asked, "Is this the largest prison on the Douluo Continent—the Spirit Prison?"
Song Hai nodded. "Yes, Elder."
Tang San had heard of this prison before. Since Spirit Hall worshipped the Angel God, when it was first established, rules were set to judge Soul Masters who massacred ordinary people. If a Soul Master wantonly slaughtered non-Soul Masters, they would be hunted down by Spirit Hall and eventually imprisoned in the Spirit Prison.
This was the largest prison for Soul Master criminals on the Douluo Continent, housing only the most dangerous offenders.
Soon, Tang San arrived at the cell where Tuo Jia was being held. At this moment, Tuo Jia was tightly bound to a cross with a special rope, and a nail-like Spirit Piercer was embedded in his body, sealing all his Soul Power.
Tang San gave Song Hai a nod. Understanding his intention, Song Hai led the guards out of the room, leaving only Tang San and Tuo Jia behind.
Seeing Tang San appear, Tuo Jia's eyes turned fierce as he roared, "Tang San, let me go! Otherwise, even if you're the young master of the Clear Sky Sect, you won't get away with this in Spirit Hall City! My father is a Titled Douluo—he'll kill you!"
Tang San remained completely unfazed by these threats. Even if the Clear Sky Sect's influence couldn't intervene in Spirit Hall City, he was no ordinary person either. His father was the Clear Sky Douluo, and he also had Chrysanthemum Douluo protecting him. He had no fear of the Sacred Dragon Sect's leader.
"Enough. There's no need for empty threats between us. We don't have any personal grudge. I'll let you go—just tell me everything about this Soul Guidance Device, and I'll release you immediately." Tang San sat on the interrogation chair and placed the box on the table.
As the young sect master of the Clear Sky Sect, even if the Sacred Dragon Sect was the local power, this Tuo Jia shouldn't have been foolish enough to offend him without reason. For Tuo Jia to dare reclaim the Soul Guidance Device despite fearing the Clear Sky Sect's reputation meant this device was connected to enormous benefits.
Benefits so enormous they made Tuo Jia unafraid of the Clear Sky Sect.
Hearing Tang San's words, Tuo Jia immediately shut his mouth and turned his head away, unwilling to say anything.
Seeing Tuo Jia being so tight-lipped, Tang San sighed and slowly stood up, speaking as if to himself: "I wonder if you've heard of our Clear Sky Sect's Breaking Clan. The two clan leaders Wudi and Wushuang are truly remarkable, capable of producing so many powerful elixirs. Especially one called the Truth Pill - I've heard that after taking it, a person is compelled to speak the truth for a period of time. It's just that this pill damages the brain... rather inhumane."