Chapter 264: Going Home
After returning to Hanhai City, everyone, aside from feeling a bit emotional, also noticed that there had been significant changes in the city.
In the past, Hanhai City was quite loose, where the sea soul masters lived freely with little competition.
However, after returning, they found that the number of soul masters in Hanhai City had increased substantially. In addition to the original sea soul masters, there were now many land soul masters, and the atmosphere appeared unusually tense.
The eight of them didn't think too much about it. They immediately found a large hotel and happily indulged in land-based delicacies.
Life on Sea God Island was good, but the food there was mostly from sea soul beasts and seafood. There was a lack of meat from land soul beasts, and while seafood was highly nutritious, eating too much of it could get a bit monotonous.
After having a hearty meal, a middle-aged man came into the room where Yang Xiong and the others were staying.
This man was a servant from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. After Yang Xiong had contributed the use of whale glue to the school, Ning Fengzhi had decided to set up a small base on Sea God Island, primarily for the acquisition of whale glue and to monitor the situation in Hanhai City.
After Yang Xiong and the group had left Hanhai City to go out to sea, Ning Fengzhi had arranged for personnel to keep an eye on their movements and be ready to assist if needed.
The middle-aged servant showed great respect as he spoke, "Miss, my name is Lin Yi. The Sect Master instructed me to wait for your message at all times, and I am at your service."
Ning Rongrong looked dignified and asked, "Lin Yi, what is the situation on the mainland now? How is the sect doing?"
Lin Yi quickly responded, "Miss, in the years you've been away, the mainland has fallen into chaos. The sect is relatively stable internally, though."
Everyone's expressions became serious after hearing this.
After Lin Yi explained, they learned that the Spirit Hall no longer existed and had transformed into the Spirit Empire, with Bibi Dong as its first emperor.
In recent years, the Spirit Empire had expanded greatly, conquering all the small and large kingdoms, as well as two provinces: the Tiandou Empire and the Xingluo Empire. In terms of land area, the Spirit Empire was now on par with both of these empires.
The three great empires had stationed millions of soldiers at their borders, and a major war could break out at any time.
The Soul Master legions of the Spirit Empire were putting immense pressure on the two empires. No matter how much they developed, the disparity in the strength of their soul masters was too great.
The Spirit Empire had recalled all the bishops and servants from the two empires and shut down all sub-branches and temples of Spirit Hall. Now, the two empires no longer had soul masters to help ordinary people awaken their martial souls.
The common people in the two empires were not pleased with this, and both empires lacked enough soul masters to perform the awakenings.
Facing the overwhelming pressure from the Spirit Empire, both the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the Haotian School had sent some soul masters to the front lines. Unfortunately, compared to the tens of thousands of soul masters in the Spirit Empire, the disparity in power was too great, and the two empires could only rely on their massive armies to defend.
Lin Yi also explained the current situation of the Body Sect. Though the Body Sect had kept a low profile and mostly operated near the Thunderclap Canyon, it had also been forced to send some people to the frontlines due to the Spirit Empire's offensive, though the number was relatively small.
...
After Lin Yi finished explaining the situation, Ning Rongrong's face showed concern.
"Xiongzi, how about we return to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School now? I'm still a little worried about Father and the others."
Yang Xiong nodded, "That's fine. While the situation on the mainland is chaotic, it shouldn't affect our two sects for now. I'm also worried about my parents."
"We'll return to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School first. I also plan to discuss the current developments with the Sect Master, and after that, we can head to the Body Sect."
Though everyone was concerned about their families, they all agreed to return to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School first.
...
The eight of them didn't hesitate. They didn't take a carriage but traveled swiftly, moving faster than any carriage would.
After about four days, they arrived back at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong immediately met with Ning Fengzhi, while the others, led by Yang Wei and Qin Shuang, made arrangements to stay.
When Ning Fengzhi saw them return, his face was full of joy.
"Rongrong, Xiao Xiong, you've finally returned. It seems like you've done well on Sea God Island over the years, and you've made great progress."
Ning Rongrong proudly replied, "Father, Grandpa Jian, Grandpa Gu, my progress over the years has been tremendous. I'm now a Title Douluo at level 89."
After saying this, Ning Rongrong showcased her martial soul and her two purple and six black soul rings, which even Jian Douluo and Gu Douluo couldn't help but be amazed by.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had originally only had Ning Fengzhi as a Title Douluo with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Tower martial soul, but now with Ning Rongrong's arrival, the sect's strength had greatly increased.
Especially since Ning Rongrong had reached level 89, she was very close to becoming a Title Douluo, and soon there might even be a Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Tower soul master of Title Douluo rank—truly the world's strongest supporting soul master and a rare supporting Title Douluo.
Jian Douluo, Gu Douluo, and Ning Fengzhi all treated Ning Rongrong with great care and joy, surrounding her with smiles, and Jian Douluo was especially comforting.
After an exciting discussion, they began to talk about the current situation on the Douluo Continent.
Ning Fengzhi's face became serious, "Xiao Xiong, the Spirit Empire is growing bolder. With their strength, once they defeat the two empires, they'll likely sweep through them, and when they turn their attention to us, we'll have no power to resist."
Yang Xiong asked, "Sect Master, what are your plans now?"
Ning Fengzhi paused for a moment before answering, "The war between the Spirit Empire and the two empires is about to begin. Large-scale clashes are already happening on the front lines, and a true war is imminent."
"However, the two empires still haven't made contact. The area where they border each other has already been cut off by the Spirit Empire. Now, even if the Tiandou and Xingluo royal families want to communicate, it's difficult. Some have suggested that the two empires should cooperate against the Spirit Empire, but for that to happen, it will require the Xue Ye Emperor and the Xingluo Emperor to meet."
Yang Xiong was puzzled, "The two empires have deep-rooted enmity. If the Xue Ye Emperor and Xingluo Emperor do meet, it will probably have to be in Spirit Empire territory. Aren't they worried about being caught in a trap?"
Ning Fengzhi sighed, "At this point, it's a critical moment. If the two empires don't cooperate, they'll be defeated one by one by the Spirit Empire. Given their past disputes, no one will trust the cooperation unless the two emperors meet in person."
"Also, given the deep hatred between the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the Spirit Empire, our participation in the war is inevitable. After all, the Spirit Empire inflicted huge losses on us in the battle, and they won't let us off."
Yang Xiong thought for a moment before replying, "The two empires do need to cooperate. Whether it's the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School or the Body Sect, participating in the war is inevitable. However, we can initially commit only a portion of our forces and strike with full force at a critical time. If we enter the war too early, we'll drain our strength on the battlefield."
"By the way, Sect Master, what's Haotian Sect's stance? Are they planning to join the war?"
Ning Fengzhi nodded, "Haotian Sect has more hatred for the Spirit Empire than we do. Tang Lie is already on the front lines, and Tang Xiao has also approached me, hoping that Haotian Sect and Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School can send all our experts to the front lines to truly deter the Spirit Empire."
"Tang Xiao has also communicated with me, hoping that the Body Sect can join the war as well. After all, many people in the Body Sect also have grudges against Spirit Hall, and the Spirit Empire won't spare any forces that resist them."
Yang Xiong nodded, "Joining the war is fine, but I need to consider the timing and how many people to send. After all, the Body Sect has only just been established, and our foundation is far weaker than the top three sects. There are many things that need to be handled internally, especially in the Thunderclap Canyon, which I may need to reorganize."
Ning Fengzhi thought for a moment before responding, "That's true. This is a huge matter. We can meet and discuss it together. I think Tang Xiao and Tang Hao will be more than happy to cooperate."
"By the way, Xiao Xiong, aren't you already level 90? What are your plans for your ninth soul ring?"
Yang Xiong shook his head, "I already have a target for my ninth soul ring, but it may take some time. I still need to prepare for a few other things."
Ning Fengzhi smiled, "I know you've always been well-prepared. If your target for the ninth soul ring is too strong, Uncle Jian and Uncle Gu can help as well. Now, with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's foundation, even if they leave, it won't have too much of an impact."
...
After meeting with Ning Fengzhi, Yang Xiong returned home.
His father, Yang Lin, and mother, Sun Yu, were extremely happy. The family now had a Title Douluo-level powerhouse, which truly marked the rise of their family.
However, looking at his father, Yang Lin seemed even happier about the changes and growth of his older brother, Yang Wei.
Now, his older brother Yang Wei was also a Title Douluo-level powerhouse. The family's inherited martial soul, the Iron Sword, had been cultivated to the level of Title Douluo. With this inheritance, the family could become a truly powerful soul master family.
Especially since Yang Wei now had soul rings of two yellow, two purple, three black, and one red, with a 100,000-year eighth soul ring. He even had a ninth soul ring, just waiting to reach level 90 to absorb it. He would surely reach Super Douluo-level in the future, and his family was on the path to becoming a formidable soul master family.
Yang Lin and Sun Yu were very concerned about Yang Wei's lifelong matters. Sun Yu, in particular, was eager to introduce potential brides to Yang Wei.
(END CHAPTER)
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