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Heaven Dou City was tense. Outside the sleeping quarters of Emperor Xue Ye, the air felt like it could explode at any second. The situation was very dangerous. Tang Xiao, the Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect, stood at the front.
Beside him were Ning Fengzhi and the Sword Douluo, Chen Xin. Several elders and elite disciples from the Clear Sky Sect stood behind them. The famous flags of the Clear Sky Sect moved in the wind, showing everyone exactly who had arrived at the palace.
Even though these powerful people were here, their path was blocked. A group of the Crown Prince's personal guards stood in their way. These guards had cold eyes and their spirit power was visible around them.
They held their spears straight, looking like a forest of sharp metal. Their spirit power connected together to form an invisible wall that stopped anyone from moving forward.
Tang Xiao held a letter in his hand. It had the official royal seal on it. His face was very serious, and he looked angry. He was a man used to being in charge, and his voice was loud and full of power as he spoke to the guards.
"I am Tang Xiao, the Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect," he shouted. "I am here because Emperor Xue Ye personally wrote to me in the past. I have very important things to discuss with His Majesty right now! How do you simple guards dare to block my way? Move aside immediately. If you delay the Emperor's business, you won't be able to handle the consequences!"
Tang Xiao specifically mentioned the Emperor. He did not mention the Crown Prince at all. He wanted to use the Emperor's name to scare the guards into moving.
The leader of the guards was the same man who had stopped Ning Fengzhi earlier. He did not show any emotion on his face. He didn't even look at the letter in Tang Xiao's hand. His voice was cold and firm.
"Sect Master Tang, I have my orders," the captain said. "His Highness the Crown Prince said that the Emperor is very sick. He needs to rest and cannot be disturbed. It doesn't matter if you have a letter from the past. Even if you had a letter written by the Emperor today, I wouldn't let you in without the Crown Prince being here or having his written permission. This is my duty. Please, Sect Master Tang, do not make this difficult for us."
Tang Xiao laughed, but he wasn't happy. He was extremely angry.
"Your duty?" Tang Xiao asked. "Your duty is to keep the Emperor safe. It is not your job to stop the people the Emperor wants to see! I think you are planning something bad. If you don't move now, you are disobeying the Emperor. That is the same as starting a rebellion!"
The guard captain's face turned dark and angry.
"That is enough!" the captain yelled. "We only follow the orders of the Crown Prince. We are here to keep the palace safe. If you keep talking like this and try to force your way into this forbidden area, we will have to use force against you!"
Tang Xiao's eyes turned cold. He took a big step forward. Suddenly, a massive amount of pressure exploded from his body. It was the power of a Titled Douluo. It felt like a giant mountain was falling toward the guards.
"I want to see how you plan to be impolite to me!" Tang Xiao roared. "Get out of my way!"
When Tang Xiao moved, the members of the Clear Sky Sect behind him moved too. Their spirits surged, and the sharp, heavy intent of their hammers filled the air. Their energy crashed against the spirit power barrier of the guards. The air around them became thick and hard to breathe.
"Formation! Hold them back!" the captain shouted. He refused to run away.
The guards slammed their spears against the ground. Spirit power light flared up as their formation activated. Their individual powers joined together into one big force. It was just enough to stop Tang Xiao's pressure from pushing them over.
Tang Xiao saw that they wouldn't move, and he lost his patience. He had already planned for this. He wanted to cause a scene to see who would come out. If they wouldn't let him in, he would have to fight.
"Disciples of the Clear Sky Sect, listen to me!" Tang Xiao shouted. "Follow me into the palace. We are going to see the Emperor!"
The members of the sect roared together. Their spirit rings began to glow one by one. They all summoned their Spirit, the Clear Sky Hammer. Huge amounts of spirit power flew into the sky, shaking the area.
"Kill anyone who tries to enter!" the captain yelled. His eyes were red with stress.
Just as the fight was about to start, several Spirit Masters from Spirit Hall appeared from the shadows. They had been hiding, waiting for this moment. They instantly used their spirit possessions and jumped toward Tang Xiao and the others at the front.
Right as the two sides were about to clash, a loud voice stopped everyone.
"Stop!"
The voice was clear and sounded like a leader. It came from behind the closed doors of the Emperor's room. The doors slowly opened.
Xue Qinghe walked out. He was wearing the bright yellow clothes of the Crown Prince. He looked very calm and gentle. Two elders followed him. These elders had very strong auras and looked at the crowd with cold eyes.
Tang Xiao and Ning Fengzhi stopped. They were surprised to see Xue Qinghe. They had expected him to be a prisoner or someone who didn't know what was happening. But Xue Qinghe looked perfectly fine. He looked like he was in total control of the situation. He didn't look like someone being forced to do anything.
A scary thought entered their minds. Was the Crown Prince the one actually controlling the palace? Had he joined Spirit Hall? The idea made Tang Xiao and Ning Fengzhi feel very cold. They looked at each other with shock.
Tang Xiao whispered to Ning Fengzhi so only he could hear. "School Master Ning, what is happening? The Crown Prince doesn't look like a prisoner. Could he be part of this?"
Ning Fengzhi was quiet for a second. He looked very worried. "The Crown Prince has no reason to join Spirit Hall. He is the heir to the throne. He will be the King one day. What could Spirit Hall give him that he doesn't already have? Unless... unless this isn't the real Crown Prince, or he wants something even bigger."
It was a scary thought, and Ning Fengzhi didn't want to think about it yet. He knew they had to act carefully.
"Your Highness," Ning Fengzhi said, stepping forward. He was testing the prince. "We heard the Emperor was sick and we were worried. Sect Master Tang is also here with a letter from the Emperor to talk about an alliance. We didn't expect to be treated like enemies by the guards. Why is this happening?"
Usually, Ning Fengzhi called him 'Qinghe' because he was his teacher. But now, he used his formal title.
Xue Qinghe looked at everyone. He looked at the Clear Sky Sect flag and then at Tang Xiao. He spoke in a soft, kind voice.
"School Master Ning, Sect Master Tang, please don't be angry. My father is very sick. The doctors said he must have absolute quiet. I told the guards to stop everyone because I want my father to be safe. I didn't mean anything else by it."
He looked at Tang Xiao and smiled slightly. "Sect Master Tang is a very important guest. Bringing that letter shows you care. But right now, my father really cannot see anyone. Why don't you all wait in the Side Hall? You can rest there. When my father feels a little better, I will take you to see him myself. Does that sound fair?"
While this was happening at the palace, things were moving at Tianxing Academy.
Dugu Bo had just received a message from his spies. He learned that Tang Xiao and Ning Fengzhi were at the palace and that a fight might break out. He was about to leave to help them, but someone stopped him at the gate.
"Is that the Poison Douluo, Senior Dugu Bo?" a loud, tired voice asked.
Dugu Bo looked up. Two big men were standing there. They looked very tired, like they had been traveling for a long time. They also looked like they had been in a fight recently because they had injuries.
One man had long black hair and very sharp eyes. This was Yang Wudi from the Breaking Clan. The other man had a red face but looked weak. This was Niu Gao from the Defense Clan.
"That's me. Who are you?" Dugu Bo asked. He was confused.
Yang Wudi stepped forward and bowed with his hands together.
" I am Yang Wudi, and this is Niu Gao. We were sent here by Hall Master Tang Chen. We came to Tianxing Academy to ask for your help, Senior Dugu!"
"Tang Chen?" Dugu Bo was shocked.
He thought Tang Chen was far away in the Extreme North. Why were these famous clans coming to him because of that kid?
"Yes," Yang Wudi said. He pulled a letter from his clothes and gave it to Dugu Bo. "This is a letter from the Hall Master. Please read it."
Dugu Bo opened the letter quickly. The writing was messy but strong. It was definitely Tang Chen's handwriting. The letter said that Tang Chen had convinced the Breaking Clan and the Defense Clan to join him. He told them to go to the academy and follow Dugu Bo's lead. He also said he was in the Star Dou Great Forest and would be back soon.
But the second part of the letter made Dugu Bo turn pale.
Tang Chen wrote that Spirit Hall was planning a coup in Heaven Dou City. They wanted to take over the whole empire very soon. He asked Dugu Bo to work with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the Clear Sky Sect to stop them. They had to keep the city stable no matter what.
At the end of the letter, Tang Chen explained his plan.
"If Spirit Hall takes the Empire, we will have nowhere to hide. They will hunt us down. But if we stop them, we can put someone we trust on the throne. We can use the Emperor to control the nobles and the whole country. That way, we will be strong enough to fight Spirit Hall."
The letter ended with a plea for speed. "Time is running out. Please make a choice quickly. I will be back in a few days to talk about the rest of the plan."
Dugu Bo took a deep breath. He felt a cold shiver go down his spine. Everything Tang Chen predicted was happening right now. The kid had not only gained two powerful clans but had also planned how to win the political war. It was amazing and a little scary.
Dugu Bo looked at Yang Wudi and Niu Gao. They were hurt, but they looked ready to fight. He thought about the trouble at the palace and made his decision.