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"I don't believe you dog servants would dare cross—" Tang Hu hadn't even finished speaking before his entire world spun instantaneously.
BANG!!!
Blood and shattered teeth sprayed over a dozen meters away. After spinning a dozen times in the air, Tang Hu slammed heavily onto the ground.
His entire right cheek was mangled beyond recognition, and he was completely unconscious.
Tang Xiao watched in bewilderment as Tang Hu flew through the air. Before he could even vent his rage, he turned back to see Yang Wudi, Bai He, and Tai Shan restraining over a dozen third-generation disciples.
"Ow! Let me go!! It hurts, it hurts!!"
"Second Uncle!! Save me!!"
"Sect Master!! Sect Master!! Kill these servants quickly!!"
At this moment, all the second-generation disciples and elders of the Clear Sky School turned their gazes toward Tang Xiao. They hadn't expected the Spirit Hall to actually take action.
How did they dare to make a move?
Did they have no regard for the oath of High Priest Qian Daoliu?
"Sect Master, why aren't you acting yet??" the Second Elder immediately questioned via soul power transmission.
Right now, Tang Xiao felt his own face burning with stinging pain. He truly hadn't expected the Spirit Hall to dare to strike!
Upon seeing that Qingluan Douluo and the Douluo Warriors of the Spirit Hall remained stationary, Tang Xiao suddenly felt that perhaps these former house slaves were acting on their own authority. He declared:
"Since you servants have stepped into the territory of my Clear Sky School, don't blame me for being merciless."
"Action!!"
In that instant, several Titled Douluo of the Clear Sky School moved.
The moment the black soul power of these Clear Sky elders erupted, golden light flashed upon the bodies of Yang Wudi, Bai He, and Tai Shan.
The speed of the three surged instantly. Each of them grabbed four third-generation Clear Sky disciples and bolted toward Ye Lan's position.
Just as Tang Xiao was about to strike Tai Shan's back, a calm voice rang out:
"Do you dare to cross the line?"
Tang Xiao was instantly frozen in place. The other Titled Elders also slammed on the brakes in a panic, their surging blood boiling within them.
With a distorted expression, Tang Xiao roared in fury:
"Ye Lan, what do you want!? Is your Spirit Hall composed of such hypocrites who disregard their honor and word?"
Before Ye Lan could respond, Yang Wudi spoke up with a provocative smirk:
"You dogs, you don't like the look of me? Come kill me then!"
"Hahahaha!! Look at these old fogies, only daring to seethe in silence but not daring to cross the line. They truly are accustomed to bullying the weak and fearing the strong!!" Tai Shan laughed as well.
Hearing their former house slaves insult them so, several Clear Sky elders who had never suffered such indignity were gasping for air in rage.
"You... you..."
"You people..."
Seeing the elders so agitated, Tang Xiao quickly consoled them: "Elders, do not waste your anger on these faithless hypocrites. It isn't worth it!!"
It was then that Ye Lan finally spoke: "When has Spirit Hall ever violated its oath? When has Spirit Hall ever been faithless???"
Seeing Ye Lan's "man of integrity" act, Tang Xiao roared:
"You hypocrite, still putting on an act!!!"
"Spirit Hall has broken the oath!!! You've captured over a dozen of my sect disciples!!"
"You hypocrites, release my disciples immediately!!!"
"Heh, who told you that Yang Wudi, Bai He, and Tai Shan belong to Spirit Hall?"
"They haven't reported or registered with Spirit Hall yet. They are merely chivalrous heroes who draw their blades when they see injustice on the road," Ye Lan said indifferently.
Bai He laughed loudly. "The Son of Heaven speaks truly! Who told you dogs that we have joined Spirit Hall?"
"We are merely acting on behalf of the commoners you've oppressed!!!"
Bai He wasn't satisfied just speaking. His figure blurred, utilizing the 'flash' to erupt with startling speed, transforming into a streak of golden light.
Watching the rapidly charging Bai He, Tang Xiao instinctively took a defensive stance and was promptly kicked back two steps by Bai He.
Just as the dazed Tang Xiao was about to counterattack in a rage, Bai He reappeared behind Ye Lan, standing just outside the Clear Sky School's territory.
"Hahaha!! Tang Xiao, you old dog, have the guts to cross the line and hit me!!" Bai He laughed boisterously.
Tai Shan and Yang Wudi looked at Bai He with envy. They didn't have the Old White Bird's speed; otherwise, with the help of the Lord's 'flash'...
They would have definitely given Tang Xiao a few good kicks.
"You... you... you bird-slave!!! You truly infuriate me!!!" Tang Xiao's face turned beet-red as he roared.
"Sect Master!! Sect Master!! Calm your anger!!!"
"These servants are clearly trying to provoke us into crossing the boundary. Once we cross, Spirit Hall will truly have an excuse to attack the Clear Sky School!!" the Fourth Elder of the Clear Sky School hastily advised.
"Hahahaha, seeing these old dogs fly into a rage but not daring to lift a finger—it truly makes my heart feel refreshed," Yang Wudi laughed.
Looking at the unrestrained servants, Tang Xiao finally understood exactly why Ye Lan had brought them to the Clear Sky School.
It was to use their status of not yet being part of Spirit Hall to disgust the Clear Sky School.
Forcibly suppressing his murderous rage, Tang Xiao said through gritted teeth:
"Ye Lan!! Consider yourself clever. What do you want in exchange for my disciples?"
"The matter is simple. You must release all servants within the Clear Sky School who do not possess the Tang family bloodline. Otherwise, I will hand these twelve third-generation disciples over to the 'Four Single-Attribute Clans' to handle," Ye Lan stated calmly.
"Sect Master!! Please agree!! The lives of those low-borns aren't worth as much as mine!!"
"Yes, Sect Master!!! They are the cream of the crop among the third generation, all having awakened the Clear Sky Hammer. They are the future hope of the sect!!"
Hearing the pleas of the second-generation disciples, Tang Xiao said helplessly:
"I can agree to this. However, your Spirit Hall must allow our disciples to go out and purchase supplies."
"Why bother going out for supplies? Spirit Hall will sell them to you."
No need to go out?
Tang Xiao looked at Ye Lan suspiciously but could only say helplessly: "Fine. Give me three days. In three days, I will send all those low-borns down the mountain!"
"Let's go! Take these twelve away first. Once the Clear Sky School has finished releasing the commoners, we will return the hostages," Ye Lan ordered.
"Yes, Your Highness!"
After they had walked a distance away, Yang Wudi asked in confusion:
"Lord, are we really going to sell food to the Clear Sky School?? If you ask me, those dogs should be left to starve."
"The Lord naturally has his reasons. Old Goat, don't you worry about it," Bai He said.
Yang Wudi glared at Bai He, thinking to himself: What a sycophant.
Looking at this pair of jokers, Ye Lan explained:
"Sell!! Of course we sell!! But as for what we sell, isn't that for me to decide??"
"When the time comes, just sell them the leftovers and scraps the commoners don't want—pig wash and dog food will do. If they don't want it, let them starve."
"Furthermore, rebuilding the nearby villages requires a lot of funds. That money can come from the scraps sold to the Clear Sky School."
"As for the price, it won't be expensive—ten gold coins for a portion of pig wash. With several hundred mouths in the Clear Sky School, that's an income of tens of thousands of Gold Spirit Coins a day."
"Hehe!! The Lord is wise!!" Yang Wudi, imagining the days ahead where the Clear Sky School would have no one to serve them and could only eat pig food, couldn't help but hum a little tune.
---
"Spirit Hall!!! Is this even fit for human consumption?!! I'll curse your ancestors!!!" Tang Xiao screamed in fury as he looked at the 'Pearl White Jade Emerald Soup' in his bowl.
The third-generation disciple trembled. Now that all the servants of the Clear Sky School had been sent away, this disciple, who had been captured and returned, had no choice but to take on the heavy responsibility of serving the Sect Master.
"Sect Master!! That Spirit Hall is truly going too far. This bowl of 'Pearl White Jade Emerald Soup' made from leftovers actually costs ten Gold Spirit Coins!!" the disciple whispered.
"Spirit Hall, my Clear Sky School is irreconcilable with you!!"
Tang Xiao looked at the layer of oil floating on the soup, and despite himself, his mouth began to water.
The truth was, over these past few days, eating moldy and foul-smelling coarse grains had made him vomit several times.
Although this 'Pearl White Jade Emerald Soup' looked pathetic, it was much better than those moldy reserves.
"Get out!!" Tang Xiao glanced at the kneeling disciple.
"Yes, Sect Master." The disciple scrambled out of the main hall.
Tang Xiao immediately picked up the bowl and began to eat greedily. Before long, he had licked it clean, smacking his lips in spite of himself.
Outside the hall, the Clear Sky disciple shivered. He was terrified the Sect Master would discover that the food Spirit Hall sold to the sect was, in fact, pig wash.
---
After rescuing the villages enslaved by the Clear Sky School and using the agricultural resources of those villages as supply points for the Douluo Warrior Corps—trapping the Clear Sky School on the mountain—Ye Lan led everyone back to Spirit City. Subsequently, the construction of the 'Holy Temple' began.
First was the manufacturing industry, primarily responsible for creating armor and weapons for the Holy Temple. Ye Lan named this industry the 'Equipment Department,' with Tai Shan, the patriarch of the Power Clan, as the director.
Since the main industries of the Power Clan were in Heaven Dou City, their primary task was to relocate their blacksmith shops to prepare for future weapon production.
The construction industry would help the Holy Temple build various structures, military fortresses, and roads. Ye Lan named it the 'Construction Department,' with Niu Gao, the patriarch of the Defense Clan, as its director.
The 'Crows' of the Holy Temple were established by members of the Speed Clan, who began developing agents across the Douluo Continent. Funding was temporarily allocated from the profits of the 'Artificial Soul Rings.'
As for the 'Medicine Hall,' since Ye Lan could not yet upgrade large quantities of herbs to the 100,000-year level, it was temporarily responsible for manufacturing the Breaking Clan's ancestral pills, such as: Healing Pills, Soul Nourishing Pills, Spirit Nourishing Pills, Beauty Pills, and Virility Pills.
The raw materials were provided by Ye Lan every few months from the herbs he cultivated.
Among these, the best-sellers turned out to be the Beauty Pills and Virility Pills—a situation that was both unexpected and perfectly logical.
Thus, after Ye Lan roughly outlined the development plans for the various departments of the Holy Temple, the organization gradually moved onto the right track.
Relying on the funds from the Medicine Hall and Artificial Soul Rings, the Holy Temple began recruiting 'Glow Hall' members from the teaching staff of Spirit City. They opened 'Glow Halls' in various cities to better supervise the Spirit Hall sub-branches.
As the influence of the Glow Hall expanded to cover every city where Spirit Hall existed, Ye Lan's personal power reached its absolute peak.
The branch masters of the distant Spirit Halls feared not the Supreme Pontiff who was far away, but the Glow Hall right on their doorstep.
Due to the existence of the Glow Hall, Spirit Hall's branches developed along the correct path. Combined with the divine grace of the Artificial Soul Rings, the perception of Spirit Hall among commoners and soul masters improved significantly.
The prestige of Spirit Hall thus reached a historic peak. In the hearts of the commoners, the status of Spirit Hall gradually replaced that of the local City Lord's Mansions.
Rumors even began to spread across the Douluo Continent that the Son of Heaven and Master of the Holy Temple was the "Second Pope."
Upon hearing such rumors, Bibi Dong merely laughed them off, feeling nothing but pride for her disciple, Ye Lan.
---
Three years later, in the outskirts of the Heaven Dou Empire.
"That rotten Ye Lan!! I can never find him!! Another missed connection!!" Ning Rongrong said in annoyance.
"Rongrong, it's fine. We'll go to the Sunset Forest now. Teacher should be breaking through Level 60 there!!" Zhu Zhuqing said with admiration.
"Curse it, I didn't expect Ye Lan to reach Level 60 so quickly!! I'm still two levels away!!" Ning Rongrong said helplessly.
"Rongrong, being able to break through to Level 58 within five years is already very fast!! It must be the immortal herb you absorbed back then taking effect. Otherwise, just reaching Soul King would make you a genius among geniuses. We are only twenty now. I remember five years ago, the Golden Generation's levels were much lower than ours are now, and they were a year or two older than us back then," Zhu Zhuqing remarked.
"Hehe, that's all thanks to Ye Lan." Ning Rongrong smiled broadly.
As the two were talking, a middle-aged man wearing the attire of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School suddenly bowed and said:
"Young Sect Master, there is someone ahead."
At this, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing looked up.
They saw a woman with short hair, dressed in tight black casual clothes, appearing extremely capable and lean.
The woman was dressed cleanly, yet it could not hide her exquisite figure.
Ning Rongrong looked between Zhu Zhuqing and the woman in confusion; the two looked remarkably similar.
Zhu Zhuqing's pupils contracted. She turned to Ning Rongrong and said, "Rongrong, I'll go over first. You wait for me here. I'll come find you in a moment."
"Who was that person?" Ning Rongrong asked, puzzled.
"My second sister, Zhu Zhuye."
"Oh, I see. Zhuqing, come back quickly; Ye Lan is still waiting for us!" Ning Rongrong urged.
Zhu Zhuqing nodded and quickly ran toward the young woman in black.
"Sister! Why are you here? Weren't you..." Zhuqing asked, confused.
"Let's talk over there." Zhu Zhuye's figure flickered as she dashed toward the distance at high speed.
Seeing her sister's speed, Zhu Zhuqing's pupils contracted. When did her second sister awaken her martial soul? And how was she so fast?
Zhu Zhuqing didn't think much of it and gave chase.
Before long, the two arrived by a small stream.
Zhu Zhuye stopped and turned around, carefully scrutinizing her younger sister.
Seeing that Zhu Zhuqing's complexion was rosy—unlike the thin, deathly pale look she had as a child—Zhu Zhuye nodded inwardly. It seemed her third sister had been living well in the Heaven Dou Empire.
"Third sister, how have you been in Heaven Dou?" Zhu Zhuye asked with concern.
"Great! Better than ever before!" Zhu Zhuqing smiled.
"I heard you broke off your engagement with Dai Mubai??" Zhu Zhuye questioned.
Zhu Zhuqing's heart sank. Was what she feared finally happening?
The engagement with Dai Mubai was, after all, a contract she had unilaterally broken. Had the family sent her second sister to bring her back to the Zhu Clan?
"Our eldest sister and brother-in-law, Davis, hid the news of your broken engagement for you. However, for some reason, rumors of it started spreading through the Star Luo Empire recently. The Emperor was furious and punished both eldest sister and Davis," Zhu Zhuye continued.
Zhu Zhuqing looked at her sister in disbelief, murmuring, "How is that possible? Eldest sister... she actually helped me hide it??"
Suddenly, it all made sense. No wonder the Star Luo Empire had never bothered her all these years; it was because her eldest sister had covered for her.
"Second sister, I won't go back to Star Luo with you. The day I ran away from home, the old me died. My life from then on was given to me by my teacher." Zhu Zhuqing's eyes filled with happiness as she thought of Ye Lan.
Looking at Zhu Zhuqing's joyful expression, a transparent stone in Zhu Zhuye's palm flashed with a white light. She murmured, "Zhuqing, I'm sorry. I'm afraid you'll have to leave the Heaven Dou Empire for a while."
"What? Sister, what do you mean?" Zhu Zhuqing immediately activated her Martial Soul Possession, dropping into a defensive stance.
Suddenly, Zhu Zhuqing's world went dark. The last thing she saw was the guilt in her sister's eyes.
A man in a black robe stepped out from behind Zhu Zhuqing and said indifferently, "Let's go."
"Yes, My Lord." Zhu Zhuye hoisted Zhu Zhuqing onto her shoulder and followed the black-robed man into a ripple in space. The three vanished instantly.
---
"Zhuqing!!?"
"Zhuqing!!?"
Ning Rongrong shouted while searching for her friend. Seeing the Contra-level guard still following her, she snapped anxiously:
"Go search for Zhuqing's whereabouts!! Why are you still following me!!"
"Young Sect Master, what about your safety?"
"Don't worry about me! I order you to find Zhu Zhuqing right now, this instant!!" Tears welled in Ning Rongrong's eyes as she issued the command.
"Yes!!!" The guard immediately began searching the surroundings.
Half a day later, Ning Rongrong's heart grew increasingly uneasy.
Zhuqing's second sister? Could it be that Zhuqing was snatched away by the Star Luo Zhu Clan?
Did the Star Luo Imperial Family find out about her breaking the engagement with Dai Mubai? Did they take her away?
Ning Rongrong became more certain of her theory. She turned to the panting guard and said, "Let's go. We're going to the Sunset Forest right now to find Ye Lan. He will definitely have a way to save her!!"
"Understood!!"
---
*Sunset Forest, Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.*
In three years, the changes here had been immense.
Many of the previously bare patches of soil were now planted with various medicinal herbs, and not a single one was less than five thousand years old!
Amidst the forest of herbs, a blonde youth lay half-reclined, while a purple-haired girl's face was flushed red, clearly having held her breath for a long time.
"A bit lighter..." Ye Lan muttered.
"Mmm... It wasn't easy getting Lingling to go back to her family home. Idol, you aren't allowed to cultivate right now," Dugu Yan said indistinctly.
Just as Ye Lan closed his eyes to enjoy the moment, faint shouts echoed from the distance.
"Ye Lan!!"
"Ye Lan!!"
"Oh no, Rongrong is here. Clean up quickly, don't let her see," Ye Lan said hurriedly.
"Dammit, that witch ruins my fun every time." Dugu Yan gave a vicious, final squeeze.
"Yeow!!" Startled, Ye Lan scrambled up and ran toward Ning Rongrong's direction.
"Rongrong? What happened?" Ye Lan's heart skipped a beat when he saw Ning Rongrong crying hysterically.
Ning Rongrong immediately threw herself into Ye Lan's arms, sobbing:
"Ye Lan, Ye Lan!! I lost Zhuqing!!"
Ye Lan hurriedly used a tissue to wipe her tears, asking urgently:
"How did she get lost?"
"I don't know... Zhuqing and I were coming from Spirit City to the Sunset Forest to find you. On the way, a woman in black appeared. She looked almost exactly like Zhuqing."
"Zhuqing said she was her second sister. I thought since it was her sister, it would be fine. But after Zhuqing talked with her, she disappeared."
"I searched there for a long time but couldn't find a trace of her."
"Waaaah, Ye Lan, what do we do now!!"
"Was Zhuqing taken by the Star Luo Imperial Family?! After all, she broke the engagement. It's very likely they found out and kidnapped her."
After listening to Ning Rongrong's detailed account, an orange-gold soul light flashed in Ye Lan's pupils. He immediately activated his 'Exquisite Heart' and 'Consciousness Acceleration' to process the situation.
Could it really be as Rongrong says, that the Star Luo Imperial Family took her?
Surely not?
Even if the Imperial Family knew he had "stolen" their prince's fiancée, would they really dare to take her at a critical time like this?
After all, how could a trash prince like Dai Mubai compare to the high-and-mighty Son of Heaven and Master of the Holy Temple?
Zhuqing's second sister?
Was it the Zhu Clan that took her?
Given Zhuqing's personality, she would never willingly return to Star Luo with them.
In the blink of an eye, Ye Lan couldn't figure out the exact motive, but it didn't matter. Saving Zhuqing was the priority.
"Rongrong, don't worry. I'm going to the Star Luo Empire right now. I'll stop by Spirit City first to obtain my sixth soul ring and gather intelligence on the Imperial Family. I will bring Zhuqing back from Star Luo in one piece," Ye Lan comforted her.
"Okay!! Ye Lan, you must bring her back!!" Ning Rongrong cried. If anything happened to Zhuqing, she wouldn't know how to face herself or Ye Lan.
"Don't worry. Go find Yanyan over there first. I'm heading back to Spirit City with Uncle Wolf now," Ye Lan said.
"Understood!! You must bring her back!!" Ning Rongrong shouted at the gold-and-silver streak vanishing into the sky.
---
Three days later, Ye Lan pushed his 'Flash' to the limit, combined with Uncle Wolf's flight capability, and slammed into the 'Holy Temple' grounds from the Sunset Forest.
Amidst the magnificent Holy Temple complex, personnel saw Ye Lan climbing out of a crater and bowed one after another:
"Greetings, Temple Master!!"
Ye Lan waved them off and walked straight to the Holy Seat in the main hall.
At that moment, an elderly man in black bowed and entered.
Seeing it was Bai He, Ye Lan asked immediately, "Bai He, is there any intelligence from the Star Luo Imperial Family?"
"Lord, there has been major movement there recently. In half a month, the Star Luo Emperor will hold a grand wedding in the capital to take his ninety-ninth consort. Rumor has it the consort is from the Star Luo Zhu Clan."
"And strangely, this news has been spread throughout Spirit City and every major city in the Heaven Dou Empire. The Star Luo Emperor has invited soul masters from across the entire continent to witness the ceremony!!"
"What!! How dare he!!" A surge of fury erupted from Ye Lan's heart, his orange-gold dragon pupils flashing with endless draconic pressure.
The pressure forced Bai He to the ground, not daring to make a sound.
"Ye Lan, what's wrong?" A purple-haired girl stepped out from the back hall, grabbing his arm and speaking softly.
"Something happened to Zhuqing. By the way, Chenxiang, did you prepare the artificial soul ring I asked Teacher to condense for me?" Ye Lan asked.
"Mmhmm!" Bai Chenxiang's palm flashed, and a blood-red soul ring appeared.
(End of Chapter)