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In the dense forest below the tall mountains of the Clear Sky Sect, a bright blue stream of light shot through the trees like a falling star. It moved fast, leaving the troubled mountain far behind. Inside that light was Tang Chen. He had changed his appearance back to how he usually looked. Right now, he felt very relaxed and happy.
He had done exactly what he wanted to do. Not only did he get the secret Ring Explosion technique from the Clear Sky Sect, but he also tricked all their high-ranking leaders. He had managed to escape without a single scratch on his body.
Just then, a lazy and excited voice spoke inside his mind. It was the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm. The million-year spirit beast sounded like it was having the time of its life.
It laughed loudly and said, "Hahaha! That was so satisfying! Tang Chen, you are truly a wicked brat! My heart was pounding the whole time because I was so excited! Those old men, especially that Seventh Elder, must be so angry that their faces turned purple.
I can't stop thinking about him screaming and trying to kill his own Sect Master. I might wake up laughing about this for weeks!"
Tang Chen let out a small smile. He answered calmly in his mind, "It was just a simple trick. They were the ones who tried to scheme against others first. They shouldn't be surprised when someone schemes back."
"A simple trick? That little trick got you their most precious ancestral treasure!" The Tianmeng Ice Silkworm made a clicking sound of wonder. "But seriously, that move at the end was pure genius. Turning that old guy into your own image was brilliant.
I have lived for a million years, and I have never seen such a nasty, funny trick in my life! You should have seen it from my view. Those Elders didn't hold back at all. They used every bit of their strength to attack you, but they were actually hitting their own Clan Chief! Oh my god, I am going to die from laughing so hard!"
The silkworm then started to change its voice to sound like the Seventh Elder. It mocked him in a funny way, "If you are Tang Xiao, then I am your father! Hahaha! If that old man ever finds out he was cursing Tang Xiao like that, do you think he would just die of shame right there?"
Tang Chen chuckled softly. He adjusted his speed through the air and replied, "Who knows? Maybe he would. He seems like the type to take his pride very seriously."
The Tianmeng Ice Silkworm stopped laughing for a moment. Its tone became a bit more serious, but it still sounded very proud. "But Tang Chen, your body and your mental force are getting much better. You are getting used to handling my million-year power.
You just used Ring Explosion on two hundred-thousand-year spirit rings and recovered almost instantly. Even I have to admit you are a total freak of nature!"
"I will take that as a compliment," Tang Chen said with a small grin.
"Hehe, since your body is strong enough now, we should think about the next step," the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm said. Its voice was full of excitement again. "Do you remember that Second Spirit I mentioned? We need to go to the Extreme North Land! That is the only place perfect for awakening your Second Spirit. It is a world made of ice and snow. It is huge and has so many secrets and powerful ice spirit beasts.
If we go there, I promise I can get you a Second Spirit that is even cooler and more powerful than your Blue Silver Emperor! What do you think? Don't just sit there thinking about it. Let's change our path and head to the Extreme North Land right now!"
Tang Chen shook his head. He looked toward the direction of the Star Dou Great Forest. He spoke gently to the silkworm, "There is no rush. Before we go to the frozen north, I have to go back to the Star Dou Great Forest first."
"What? Why go back there?" The Tianmeng Ice Silkworm sounded confused and a bit annoyed. "That place is probably a mess right now because of Spirit Hall. We just made the Clear Sky Sect look like fools. Going to the Extreme North Land is the best way to hide and stay safe while things cool down."
"Rui'er is still there," Tang Chen said simply. As he spoke, the image of a beautiful girl appeared in his mind. "I have been away for a long time and I made a lot of noise. She is definitely going to be worried about me. I need to see her first and let her know I am okay."
"Uh... just for that?" The silkworm sighed. It didn't seem to understand human feelings very well. "You humans are so much trouble with all this love stuff. Fine, fine. The Extreme North Land isn't going to move. We will go back to the Star Dou Great Forest first. I can use the travel time to plan out our route and the best strategy for when we finally head north."
"Alright," Tang Chen agreed. He stopped talking and focused on his movement. The spirit power around him surged with more energy. The blue light around him became even brighter. He moved like a bolt of lightning, flying straight toward the Star Dou Great Forest.
While Tang Chen was feeling happy, the scene at the Clear Sky Sect was the complete opposite. Inside the Great Discussion Hall, the air felt heavy and cold. It was so quiet that it felt like no one was breathing. It was the kind of silence that happens right before a massive storm breaks out.
Tang Xiao, the Sect Master and a powerful Titled Douluo, sat in the main chair. His face was pale and gray. His chest was moving up and down quickly. He was trying to breathe, but he was still shaking with anger.
He had been tricked, attacked by his own people, and had the sect's greatest secret stolen right from under his nose. He had never felt so humiliated in his entire life. The other Elders sat around him. Their faces were dark and moody. Nobody wanted to be the first one to speak.
In this deadly silence, the Seventh Elder finally snapped. He was like a bomb that had just been lit. He couldn't hold his anger back anymore. He slammed his hand down on the wooden tea table next to him. The table was made of very hard wood, but it turned into tiny pieces of dust instantly under his palm. He stood up fast.
His hair was messy, and his eyes looked like the eyes of a poisonous snake. He glared at Tang San, who was kneeling in the middle of the room. Two disciples were holding Tang San down. Tang San looked terrible. He was pale, covered in bruises, and looked like he had lost all his strength.
"You evil child! You are a curse! A disaster!" the Seventh Elder screamed. His voice was so loud that it made the walls shake. "This is all your fault! Everything that happened today is because of you, you little beast!" He stepped closer and pointed his finger right at Tang San's nose. He was yelling so hard that spit was flying everywhere.
"If it wasn't for you and your useless father, our Sect would never have had to hide in these mountains! We wouldn't have had to live in shame for twenty years! If you hadn't come back with that pathetic and ugly spirit, our Sect wouldn't be the laughingstock of the whole world! And if you weren't as stupid as a pig, that thief would never have stolen the Ring Explosion technique! The most sacred secret of our ancestors is now in the hands of a stranger because of you!"
The Seventh Elder was getting more worked up with every word. He was basically roaring now. "Look at us! Look at what happened! Because of you, we old men were tricked like children.
We were played like monkeys in a show! Even the Sect Master was attacked by us because we thought he was the thief! If the world finds out about this, the Clear Sky Sect will never be able to show its face again. All our honor is gone! And it is all because of you!"
Tang San tried to look up. He moved his lips to defend himself. "Seventh Elder, please, I..."
"Shut up!" the Seventh Elder screamed, cutting him off. He didn't want to hear a single word from Tang San. "You still think you have the right to talk? A thief came out of nowhere, changed his face, and made a fool out of you.
You even handed him the treasure willingly! Do you even have a brain? Did your father take your brain with him when he left? Or maybe that place, the Slaughter City, turned your mind into mush!"
The Seventh Elder started pacing around Tang San. He looked at him with pure hate. "I really don't get it. Tang Hao was a troublemaker, but at least he had talent and a backbone. How did he have a son as useless as you? You talk about talent? You talk about having Twin Spirits? What a joke! You let your spirit become that disgusting thing.
You are insulting the name of the Clear Sky Hammer just by existing! Look at your strength. You are a Spirit Emperor with six rings, yet you were beaten like a dog by a Spirit Ancestor with only four rings! And your intelligence? You were sold by a thief and you probably helped him count the money! Tell me, what are you even good for?"
He leaned down, shouting into Tang San's ear. "Besides making your father look bad and bringing bad luck to the Sect, what can you do? If it were up to me, I would have never let you through our front gates. We should have broken your legs, destroyed that weird spirit of yours, and thrown you off the mountain. It would have saved us from this disaster!"
The Seventh Elder's words were like a storm, destroying whatever pride Tang San had left. The room felt like it was about to explode from the tension. Finally, Tang Xiao spoke up from the main seat. His voice was deep and heavy. "That is enough, Seventh Uncle!"
Even though Tang Xiao was furious, his voice still sounded like a king's. He was the Sect Master, and his words had authority. He looked at everyone in the room. He was still very angry, but he was trying to be the leader the Sect needed. "What's done is done.
Yelling at him now won't fix anything. We need to focus on what matters. We have to find a way to get the Ring Explosion technique back. We have to fix our reputation and make up for what we lost today."