"Father-in-law, I also have some intelligence, regarding Bibi Dong and the inheritance of the Rakshasa God." Tianlin looked up and said.
He had once promised Qian Renxue not to reveal Bibi Dong's secrets, so he never told Ning Fengzhi about the Rakshasa God.
But now, what Bibi Dong most wanted hidden had somehow been leaked, and Ning Fengzhi now knew everything he should and shouldn't know. Although Oslo had temporarily intercepted the news, Tianlin suspected the rat behind it wouldn't give up easily.
This secret could no longer be hidden; it had become inevitable.
At a time like this, the more Ning Fengzhi knew, the better he could respond in the future.
"Rakshasa God?" Ning Fengzhi was shocked. "It's actually related to a god from the Divine Realm?"
"Yes, the Rakshasa God is—" Tianlin began explaining everything he knew, bit by bit, "That's all I know about the Rakshasa God and the Rakshasa God's trial."
"I see, so it's a god governing evil thoughts." Ning Fengzhi leaned against the table, as if he had caught a clue, but he couldn't quite grasp it.
"Father-in-law, I'll leave you to your thoughts. I still have some things to explain to my brothers." Tianlin turned to leave. As he reached the doorway, he suddenly looked back and smiled at Ning Fengzhi, "Don't worry, Father-in-law. No matter who the opponent is, as long as they dare target my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, I'll make sure they die with no grave for their bones."
Watching Tianlin leave so confidently, Ning Fengzhi felt deeply gratified. He wasn't afraid of confrontation; he believed that as long as Tianlin was given time, he would eventually grow to be invincible.
And that time would have to be won by himself, and the most important step was to drag out the mastermind behind the scenes.
As long as he knew who was stirring up trouble in the shadows, Ning Fengzhi could respond accordingly. Even if he couldn't eliminate them completely, he could at least cripple them.
"I don't care who you are. As a father, I'll protect Xiao Tian and Rongrong. As sect master, I won't let you harm my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect." Ning Fengzhi's spirits revived. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit him. "Wait, targeting the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"
"No, I've fallen into a mental trap. If Bibi Dong's secret was spread in the name of the three upper sects, it would indeed spark a war between Spirit Hall and the upper three sects. But that's just a distraction by the mastermind. Once war breaks out, not only the upper sects, but Spirit Hall itself would suffer."
Ning Fengzhi found the thread connecting all the clues—the Rakshasa God information Tianlin provided was that thread.
"I see now. This action that seems to target the upper three sects is, in reality, aimed at Bibi Dong!" Ning Fengzhi's eyes brightened. He picked up the documents Golden Crocodile had given him and read through them.
Ning Fengzhi's mouth curled into a cold smile. "Heh, so that's your goal. And to ensure your plan goes smoothly, you've always had people monitoring the movements of all titled Douluo, to avoid running into them. But it's easy to overlook those hiding in the shadows. And things like the Deathgod Domain are so conspicuous—who could you really fool? This way of only solving surface problems and ignoring the root is just like that idiot Qian Xunji."
"Unfortunately, it's not Qian Xunji. If it were, things would be a lot easier. Playing with Qian Xunji is much simpler than playing with others." Ning Fengzhi pondered. "Qian Xunji, Bibi Dong, Qian Renxue? I think I have a guess... but I'm still missing one important clue. As soon as I find that final thread, I'll be able to deduce the entire truth."
"But for now, it'll do. You want to play? Let's see who can outplay whom!" Ning Fengzhi lowered his head, feeling much better. The unknown enemy is always the scariest, but now, those who think they're hidden and safe are actually easier to deal with.
He could even guess the real aim behind framing Bibi Dong. That is, he had almost guessed the beginning and the end. What he was missing was the process in between.
What method would the mastermind use to achieve that ending? Once he figured that out, Ning Fengzhi could control everything.
…
And at this moment, the last clue was actually within Tianlin's body. The descendant of Nuwa was already preparing to inherit the Holy Emperor's divinity. Once Tianlin reached the Titled Douluo level, she should be able to appear before him.
Back at his own courtyard, Tianlin saw a large group of people—the original Shrek team, the Emperor Battle Team, Bai Chenxiang, and others.
"Xiao Tian, did you call us together for something important?" Yu Tianheng asked.
Tianlin nodded. "That's right, Tianheng, and everyone. In recent years, Spirit Hall has secretly subdued many sects, kingdoms, and duchies. Based on my calculations, in three to five years, they'll establish the Spirit Empire, and then, to unify the continent, they'll go to war with the two great empires, Heaven Dou and Star Luo."
"War on this continent is unavoidable. As members of the upper three sects, we can't remain uninvolved. But to be blunt, your current strength isn't enough. Not only would you struggle to shine in war, you'd even have trouble protecting yourselves."
Everyone's mood grew heavy. They had long sensed the approach of war. If they had another ten years, they'd certainly become the main forces on the battlefield. Unfortunately, right now, they were too weak.
"Xiao Tian, we all know what you're saying, but with so little time, how can we quickly grow stronger?" Ye Lingling said helplessly. For support-type soul masters like her, the further they went, the harder cultivation became. She needed more time.
"There is a way: take the God Trials. Even if you can't get the nine main trials to become a god, just participating in the subsidiary trials will let you quickly grow stronger. I know of two inheritance grounds. One is Sea God Island—I plan to send Rongrong there soon, and I'd like to invite some of you to go with her for mutual support. The other is the Scorching Hell in the Extreme North. Hongjun, I'll ask you again: do you want to go? Whatever you decide, I'll support you."
"I..." Ma Hongjun clenched his fists, clearly still undecided.
Qin Ming stepped forward and patted Ma Hongjun on the shoulder. "Don't be afraid, Hongjun. Believe in yourself. I'll go with you."
Qin Ming was also a fire-attribute soul master, so the Fire God would likely arrange some subsidiary trials for him. It was best for him to accompany Ma Hongjun.
"Hongjun, think it over. No rush to answer." Tianlin said, "As for those I'd like to accompany Rongrong to Sea God Island: Oslo, Tianheng, Sister Yan, Zhu Zhuqing, Yu Feng, Huanyin, Oscar, Meng Yiran, the Shi brothers, and Chenxiang."
Aside from Guran and Ye Lingling, and Ma Hongjun and Qin Ming who'd go to the Fire God's trial, Tianlin called up everyone else. Those named stepped forward. Dugu Yan said, "No problem, Xiao Tian. As long as it makes us stronger, we'll go through hell and high water. Besides, Rongrong is my sister-in-law. Tianheng and I will protect her."
"Yeah, don't worry, Xiao Tian. As seniors, and as defense-type soul masters, it's our job to protect our juniors and their families!" The Shi brothers didn't talk much, but protect was always on their lips and had always been their lifelong credo.