Join my Patreon to be 30 chapters ahead of the webnovel releases:
patreon.com/ZeroMoney
I would appreciate your help if you could join my Patreon and support me because it would keep me motivated.
For every 5 Patreon memberships I receive, I'll release 15 chapters all at once. Your support means a lot to me.
******
"Old bone!"
"Uncle Bone!"
"Grandpa Bone… Grandpa Bone — he… he sacrificed himself?"
When they learned that Gu Rong had chosen to self-detonate in order to cover the escape of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's spirit masters, Chen Xin exploded with rage, Ning Fengzhi's face went ashen with shock, and the young Ning Rongrong wept uncontrollably, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Spirit Hall!"
Ning Fengzhi shouted the three words through clenched teeth, each syllable dripping with fury.
"What was that madwoman Bibi Dong trying to do?!"
Although Ning Fengzhi had just heard that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had been annihilated, he was no fool — he kept his head, and with a moment's clear thought he could already guess the culprit: the Spirit Hall.
After all, across Douluo Continent, only the Spirit Hall or the Xingluo Empire could field four Titled Douluo at once. The possibility of the Xingluo Empire acting was quickly dismissed — Ning Fengzhi had just attended Dai Weisi's wedding, and at that ceremony he had seen the nine Titled Douluo of the Xingluo Empire in attendance; the timing simply didn't match.
Dai Weisi is the Crown Prince of Xingluo, the future Emperor — how could the empire's Titled Douluo not attend his wedding?
Moreover, among the female spirit masters across the entire continent, there are no more than five Titled Douluo; of them, only Bibi Dong had the ability to personally defeat Bone Douluo Gu Rong.
With Lingyuan Douluo's fate unknown, and Lingmao Douluo Zhu Lingyun and Ghost Douluo Zhu Yaqin each unable to best Gu Rong one-on-one, all other possibilities ruled out, the remaining, however improbable, must be the truth.
There was no doubt: Bibi Dong herself had led the Spirit Hall's forces and wiped out the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
"Fengzhi, you decide — what should we do next?" Chen Xin asked, sorrow hollowing his voice. Learning of his old comrade Gu Rong's death had aged him in an instant; the blade of his will, once sharp and merciless, now seemed like a broken, rusted sword.
Though Chen Xin wanted nothing more than to storm the Spirit Hall and make Bibi Dong pay with blood, reason restrained him. The Spirit Hall is packed with powerful experts; the Empress Bibi Dong herself is unfathomably deep. To rush in rashly would be suicide.
As the Sword Douluo, Chen Xin feared nothing in life or death — but now he served as the Seven Treasure Sect's guardian Douluo and was Ning Rongrong's grandfather. For her sake, he had to survive.
"Hmm…"
Ning Fengzhi bowed his head, weighed the sect's future with grave care. He, too, knew this was no time for hot-headed vengeance. After a short pause he spread out a map, confirmed their current location, and said to the elder before him, "Fifth Uncle, we're in Hadrian Kingdom of the Xingluo Empire right now — not far from Hadrian City. You should take everyone to Hadrian City and rest for a while. Hadrian is imperial territory; the Spirit Hall won't pursue you there. Take this."
He produced a soul tool and handed it to the elder. "Inside is one million gold spirit coins and three Prism Herbs. Go to Hadrian City and select some children with good talent. Have them take the Prism Herb — their spirits may become Eight Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda types."
"Your servant obeys!" the elder said, accepting the soul tool with trembling hands. Then he asked, "Sect Master, what about you?"
"I and Sword Uncle will go to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's territory. If the Blue Lightning Clan still stands, we'll have to trouble the old dragon there for a while."
Ning Fengzhi glanced toward Ning Rongrong and forced a smile that looked worse than crying. "Rongrong, you and Fifth Uncle should go to Hadrian City together. Your father will be back soon."
Ning Rongrong, no longer a little child, understood the heavy burden on her father's shoulders. She nodded obediently, trying to comfort him, "Father, don't worry. I'll behave."
"Heh— that's my good daughter. Come on, Sword Uncle, let's go."
With that, Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin climbed into a carriage and rode hard toward the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, while Ning Rongrong led the remaining Seven Treasure sect spirit masters to Hadrian City to lodge there.
One week later, when Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin reached the Blue Lightning Clan's lands, Ning Fengzhi's worst fears were confirmed. Corpses lay everywhere; many spirit masters were dead. Among the fallen were members of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and Seven Treasure sect spirit masters who had been sent to assist them.
Near the clan's territory Ning Fengzhi found Yu Tianheng and Yu Tianxin — two brothers who had escaped by luck — and over two hundred other surviving Blue Lightning spirit masters, all bloodied and battered. After treating the Yu brothers, Ning Fengzhi learned that two weeks prior, on the very night the Seven Treasure sect was assaulted, two black-clad spirit masters had led a force to the Blue Lightning Clan's home and began a campaign of burning, killing, and plunder.
Clan Chief Yu Yuanzhen had ridden out to meet them, but those two black-clad masters were not ordinary — they were two Titled Douluo, their power no less than Yu Yuanzhen's.
When Yu Yuanzhen unleashed his spirit true form and became the True Dragon, two divine dragons — one red, one blue — were summoned to clash with his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon form. Despite Yu Yuanzhen's fame as the wielder of the world's foremost beast spirit, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon could not match the coordinated assault. Two against four, his defenses were overwhelmed and he fell.
To cover the Yu brothers' retreat, Yu Yuanzhen, like Gu Rong before him, chose self-detonation to protect his grandchildren and clansmen. After his death, the two black-clad Titled Douluo ordered a pursuit — but the nearby Tian Dou City heard the commotion.
Crown Prince Xue Qinghe personally led the imperial knights — a force of a hundred thousand — to assist. Since the Seven Treasure Sect and Blue Lightning Clan were not far from Tian Dou City, the reinforcements managed to drive off the two black-clad Titled Douluo, and Xue Qinghe then led troops to the Seven Treasure sect to rout Bibi Dong's forces.
"One red, one blue divine dragon…" Ning Fengzhi frowned, thinking aloud, "They must be the Qianjun Douluo and the Exorcist Douluo from the Offering Hall. Not only the Elder Hall, the Offering Hall joined in too? Luckily Qinghe arrived in time — otherwise you all would have been annihilated. Now the Seven Treasure–Blue Lightning Alliance is effectively finished. What are we to do next?"
——
Far away at the Spirit Hall headquarters, Bibi Dong strode angrily into Qian Daoliu's presence, shouting, "Qian Daoliu, what do you mean? Didn't we agree to destroy the Seven Treasure–Blue Lightning Alliance together? Why did you send Qian Renxue to lead troops to stop me?"
Bibi Dong was furious. After defeating Gu Rong she had intended to utterly wipe out the remaining Seven Treasure spirit masters, but then Qian Renxue — disguised as Xue Qinghe — suddenly appeared. She used Qian Daoliu's token to order a retreat, and because of Qian Daoliu's standing and reputation, Bibi Dong had to withdraw; otherwise, none of those spirit masters could have survived to reach the Xingluo Empire.
"Hmph. Bibi Dong, everything I did was for Xiao Xue," Qian Daoliu said lightly, a smirk at the corner of his mouth.
"We joined forces to destroy the Seven Treasure–Blue Lightning Alliance because it had grown too powerful. Ning Fengzhi used to be Xiao Xue's teacher and wanted to elevate her to the throne — but in the past two years he has not paid her much attention. Ning Fengzhi is not without ambition, so I agreed to let you strike the alliance, but I would not have them completely exterminated."
He looked into the distance with a gleam in his eye, then continued, "When I had Qian Renxue drive your forces away, there were two purposes. First, to increase her prestige — to repel four Titled Douluo proves her capability in command. Snow Ye that old fox will value her more, which will help her seize the throne.
"Second, to leave Ning Fengzhi indebted to Qian Renxue. After the alliance falls, Ning Fengzhi will face two choices: either continue to support Qian Renxue and help her to the throne, or leave Tian Dou and seek a new path."
Either outcome benefits Qian Renxue. If Ning Fengzhi stays and backs her, she gains a powerful ally — though the alliance has been shattered, the Sword Douluo still remains and the faction is not to be underestimated. If he leaves the Tian Dou Empire, Qian Renxue, unrestrained by political caution, can openly marshal the Spirit Hall's power. Without Ning Fengzhi's cunning to restrain things, she can put the Spirit Hall's strength on full display.
Hearing Qian Daoliu's plan, Bibi Dong's face went pale with anger and realization; she thought, That old fox really is crafty — I've unwittingly tailored a wedding gown for Qian Renxue with all my efforts! This is infuriating!
(End of Chapter)