Chapter 332: Heaven Dou Turmoil, Star Luo, Clear Sky Sect, Spirit Hall!
Chapter 332: Heaven Dou Turmoil, Star Luo, Clear Sky Sect, Spirit Hall!
"Clang!"
The main hall doors of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School were slammed open.
The heavy Phoebe zhennan wood door panels crashed against the stone walls, letting out a dull, heavy thud that echoed back and forth through the empty hall.
Ning Fengzhi strode at the front, the hem of his moon-colored brocade robe still stained with damp traces of night dew, and faint sweat clung to his temples.
As the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, he was usually known for his composure, but at this moment, his steps carried an ill-concealed urgency.
Bone DouluoGu Rong followed closely behind, maintaining a perfect distance of half a step.
The spatial rift behind him was slowly closing, the pitch-black spatial blade-glow vanishing as if wiped away by a hand.
The eerie lingering rhythm of shifting bones flashed across his withered skeletal hands, producing several faint, crisp cracking sounds before receding back into his sleeves.
Sword DouluoChen Xin had been sitting cross-legged on a prayer mat at the side of the hall, resting with his eyes closed.
Sensing the residual fluctuations of the spatial tear, he suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping across the hall as sharp as a sword.
Seeing the expressions on their faces, his brows immediately furrowed into a deep frown.
"Fengzhi, what happened?"
Chen Xin stood up, his tone carrying the directness characteristic of a swordsman. "Your expression isn’t right."
Gu Rong spoke first, his voice sounding like two dry bones grinding against each other, raspy and dull: "Old Sword Freak, close the hall doors first before we talk. What follows is not for anyone else to hear."
Chen Xin’s gaze narrowed, and he waved his hand through the air.
The heavy wooden doors of the hall closed silently, the hinges turning without a sound, and even the gap between the doors aligned perfectly.
A flash of sharp Sword Qi flickered within the hall.
The candlelight in the hall was stirred by the airflow, the flames jumping suddenly as light and shadow flickered across the three men’s faces before stabilizing again.
Ning Fengzhi walked to the main seat and sat down.
His fingers tapped urgently twice on the red sandalwood tabletop. He took a deep breath before speaking in a low voice: "Emperor Xue Ye summoned me to the palace tonight for an emergency meeting."
"Yu Luomian was also there."
"Old Dragon?"
Chen Xin’s frown deepened, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes.
"Both of you were summoned at the same time?"
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan were both powers of the Upper Three Sects.
It was extremely rare for both sects to be summoned by the Imperial Family at the same time.
"Could it be that Spirit Hall has made a move?"
Chen Xin asked in a low voice, his fingers instinctively rubbing an imaginary sword hilt at his waist.
"It’s not Spirit Hall."
Ning Fengzhi shook his head, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the two Titled Douluo as he said word for word, "Strength, Speed, Defense, and Breaking—the Four Single-Attribute Clans have all vanished overnight."
The hall was silent for a full three breaths.
The candles crackled, and light and shadow swayed.
Chen Xin tilted his head slightly, as if to confirm he hadn’t misheard.
His gaze became extremely sharp, staring at Ning Fengzhi’s face for two full breaths: "All of them? What do you mean by ’all’?"
"Exactly what it sounds like."
Ning Fengzhi’s fingers stopped on the tabletop, his fingertips turning slightly white.
"Four Spirit Douluo-level Clan Chiefs, plus everyone in the clans—men, women, young, and old, Disciples and servants—not a single one is left. It’s as if they’ve vanished from the face of the earth."
Gu Rong took over, his raspy voice echoing in the hall: "The Strength Clan’s base is less than ten miles outside the North Gate of the Imperial City."
"At the hour of Hai last night, the patrolling City Guard still saw lights in the base and people moving in the courtyard."
"When they went to check again this morning, the base was empty. The porridge was still in the pot on the stove, and it was warm to the touch."
"What is Emperor Xue Ye’s stance?"
Chen Xin interrupted him, turning his gaze to Ning Fengzhi. "He summoned you to the palace overnight; he wouldn’t do it just to deliver news."
Ning Fengzhi rubbed his brow, looking exhausted. "He first beat around the bush, asking if the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School or the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had any special operations recently."
"His words were full of probing, wanting to confirm if it was our doing."
"He suspects us?"
Chen Xin’s tone rose sharply, and Sword Qi faintly surged around him.
"Has that old man Xue Ye lost his mind? What benefit would my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School gain from moving against those four clans?"
"He doesn’t just suspect us."
Ning Fengzhi moved the candlestick on the table aside and took a scroll of parchment map from his sleeve, spreading it out on the table.
It was a detailed topographical map of Heaven Dou City and its surroundings, marked with extreme precision.
"He suspects any power capable of this."
"While the Four Single-Attribute Clans might not compare to the Seven Great Sects individually, the combined combat power of four Spirit Douluo is something that even an ordinary Titled Douluo couldn’t take down without making any noise."
Gu Rong walked to the side of the map, his withered finger pointing to a location north of the city.
"The Strength Clan’s base is here, less than ten miles from the North Gate of the Imperial City."
"Old Sword Freak, you know that if a Spirit Master of my level truly makes a move, let alone the Imperial City, even a village thirty miles outside the city would feel the aftershocks."
"I know."
Chen Xin said coldly, "It’s precisely because I know that I find it absurd."
"That’s why Emperor Xue Ye is afraid."
Ning Fengzhi looked up at the two Titled Douluo, a flash of solemnity in his eyes.
"If a power can wipe out four clans right under the nose of the Imperial City without a sound, how could Xue Ye sleep if that power decided to target the Heaven Dou Imperial Family? Could he not be anxious tonight?"
"If it were me, I’d be anxious too."
Chen Xin fell silent for a moment.
He walked to the window with his hands behind his back, looking at the heavy night outside through the window lattice.
Suddenly, he turned and asked, "Fengzhi, what is your judgment? Which power did this?"
Ning Fengzhi didn’t answer immediately.
He folded the map, then unfolded it, then folded it again, finally pushing it aside.
This action was repeated twice; those who knew him knew this was his way of forcing himself to calm down and clear his thoughts.
"When I came out of the palace, I spoke with Yu Luomian outside the palace gates."
Ning Fengzhi finally spoke, his voice returning to its usual steadiness.
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has not moved against the four clans; I can confirm this."
"You know Yu Luomian’s temper; he wouldn’t deign to lie to me."
"You trust him just like that?" Gu Rong asked.
"Yu Luomian has no reason to lie to me."
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has been busy reorganizing internal affairs lately. Old man Yu Yuanzhen is in seclusion to break through to a higher Realm. They have their hands full; how could they have the energy to move against four clans?"
Ning Fengzhi paused, then added, "Furthermore, Yu Luomian told me one thing: if it were the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan’s doing, he wouldn’t refuse to admit it."
"That does sound like the Old Dragon’s tone." Chen Xin nodded.
"What about the Heaven Dou Imperial Family itself? Could it be a self-directed play?" Gu Rong asked.
"Xue Ye has no motive."
Ning Fengzhi shook his head. "Although the four clans do not swear fealty to the Imperial Family and are not subject to their command, they have always paid their taxes on time and never caused trouble. Their attitude toward the Empire is one of neither dependence nor confrontation."
"If the Heaven Dou Empire were to strike, they wouldn’t choose the four most law-abiding clans to start with."
"Besides, the movements of the Imperial Army cannot be hidden from our people, and there has been nothing unusual in the past month."
Gu Rong paced twice in the hall, the bones under his sleeves making a faint cracking sound—a habitual movement when he was thinking.
He suddenly stopped. "Then that only leaves external forces from outside Heaven Dou."
Ning Fengzhi nodded and slowly held up one finger. "The first possibility—the Star Luo Empire."
Chen Xin immediately followed up, crisp and decisive: "The probability is not high."
"Go on." Ning Fengzhi looked at him.
"The border between Heaven Dou and Star Luo is thousands of miles apart, with thirteen beacon towers and over three hundred secret outposts in between."
Chen Xin’s tone was extremely certain, as if stating that one plus one equals two.
"If the elites of the Star Luo Empire wanted to penetrate this far, they would have to bypass the border defenses."
"Even if we assume they dodged the beacon towers and outposts and reached the vicinity of Heaven Dou City, then what?"
"Star Luo has no Titled Douluo. The Dai Family and Zhu Family’s Hell White TigerMartial Soul Fusion Skill can indeed erupt with the combat power of a Titled Douluo, but that requires at least one Spirit Douluo’s Fusion to achieve."
"To take down four Spirit Douluo and everyone in four clans overnight without alerting anyone... their Hell White Tiger cannot do it that cleanly. Absolutely not."
Gu Rong added from the side, his tone categorical: "Furthermore, the bases of the four clans are distributed in the four cardinal directions, dozens of miles apart from each other."
"They couldn’t possibly appear in four places at once, unless they could use a Clone."
"Uncle Chen and Uncle Gu are both right."
Ning Fengzhi nodded and held up a second finger. "Then, the second possibility—the Clear Sky Sect."
The moment that name was spoken, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly froze.
Chen Xin’s gaze became as sharp as a sword.
Gu Rong’s figure also paused slightly, and he stopped pacing.
The candlelight cast long shadows between the three men, the jumping light and shadow acting like a silent warning.
The hall was silent for two breaths.
"The history between the Four Single-Attribute Clans and the Clear Sky Sect... I don’t need to tell you; you both know it clearly."
Ning Fengzhi’s voice was steady, but a flash of complex emotion crossed his eyes.
"When the Clear Sky Sect announced the closure of its mountain gates, the Strength, Speed, Defense, and Breaking clans chose to sever ties and become independent. They left the Clear Sky Sect at that time to establish their own houses."
"This matter caused quite a stir back then, and the entire Spirit Master’s world was watching."
Chen Xin thought for a moment and said slowly, "You mean... the Clear Sky Sect is settling old scores?"
"It’s a possibility."
Ning Fengzhi did not evade the question.
"The Clear Sky Sect has been in seclusion for over a decade, but that doesn’t mean they’ve forgotten."
"And with the Clear Sky Sect’s strength—Tang Xiao and Tang Hao are both Titled Douluo-level powerhouses—they could silently wipe out four clans that only have Spirit Douluo presiding over them."
Gu Rong shook his head, his withered finger pointing in the air. "I don’t think it’s likely to be the Clear Sky Sect."
"Tell us your thoughts, Uncle Gu." Ning Fengzhi turned to him.
"The Clear Sky Sect went into seclusion to avoid the brunt of Spirit Hall’s power. For over a decade, they haven’t taken a single step out of their mountain gates. Their Spirit Master Isolation Order has been in effect for decades; Disciples of the sect are not allowed to step into the continent without permission."
"Would they break their seclusion just for some old scores?"
Gu Rong gave a cold snort. "And once they make a move, it’s equivalent to announcing to the world that the Clear Sky Sect is active again. Spirit Hall’s eyes would immediately be on them."
"In my view, the losses would outweigh the gains."
"Tang Xiao isn’t brainless like Tang Hao; he can do the math."
"Uncle Gu has a point."
Ning Fengzhi took a deep breath and slowly held up a third finger.
"Then the third possibility, and the only one remaining."
Three slender fingers were held up in the air, corresponding to three powers.
The first two had been analyzed and excluded one by one; for the remaining one, the answer was already clear in the hearts of the three men.
Chen Xin saw Ning Fengzhi’s gesture, and his pupils contracted slightly.
His fingers unconsciously formed a Sword Hand Sign within his sleeve, his knuckles cracking.
"Spirit Hall."
Ning Fengzhi spat out those two words, his voice low but carrying immense weight.
"Only Spirit Hall has the motive, the strength, and above all, the means."
(End of Chapter)
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