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"Regardless of what grievances existed between my second brother and Su Wen, Su Wen's choice to exact revenge in such a public, humiliating manner is nothing short of a direct provocation against the Clear Sky Clan," Tang Xiao stated, his voice heavy with emphasis.
If Tang Hao had simply died at the hands of an enemy, Tang Xiao would have sought vengeance as a brother. But Tang Hao hadn't just died; he had been executed in a way that defied all dignity.
Tang Xiao could already see the centuries and millennia to come. For as long as the Clear Sky Clan existed, Tang Hao would likely be remembered by future generations as a disgrace—a sinner of the sect.
It was a stain that would never wash away.
Across the entire continent, the battle where the "Clear Sky Douluo" was slain by a mere Spirit King would be recorded in the annals of history as the ultimate humiliation. Because Su Wen had chosen such a malicious way to kill his brother, Tang Xiao found it impossible to swallow his pride.
"We've spent the last month understanding the situation in the outside world," the Second Elder reminded him. "Tang Xiao, you must realize that Su Wen has the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan behind him. If we move against him, our relationship with them will be shattered beyond repair."
Tang Xiao took a deep breath, his eyes bloodshot from a lack of rest.
"A Spirit Master from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan buffed Su Wen during that fight, didn't they? Ning Rongrong... if I remember correctly, she is Ning Fengzhi's only daughter?"
He suddenly shouted, his voice echoing through the hall. "By acting in such a way, did the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan show any regard for the solidarity of the Top Three Sects? Did they consider our bond at all!?"
Logically, he had a point, but technically Tang Hao was no longer a member of the Clear Sky Clan when he died. Furthermore, the clan had never revealed the full truth of the past to their allies. Expecting the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan to shoulder an unknown burden for a "bond" that had long since grown cold was a reach.
However, on this continent, power was the ultimate logic. And the Clear Sky Clan possessed that power.
Gazing at the five elders present, Tang Xiao spoke with earnest conviction. "Elders, I know you have endured this seclusion for a long time. Over these years, you have all broken through to become Title Douluos. It is time for the Clear Sky Clan to re-emerge!"
With six Title Douluos in their ranks, what did they have to fear, even from Spirit Hall?
"Big brother, Su Wen has established the Academies. He claims he will spread knowledge throughout the continent and has already been honored with the title of 'Scholar Master'..." Tang Yuehua reminded him softly.
"Hmph! Spreading knowledge? That only serves to strip away the advantages held by the great sects!" the Second Elder barked, his anger flaring at Yuehua's mention of Su Wen's title.
The Second Elder had appeared calm earlier, but in truth, he had been waiting for Tang Xiao to follow his heart and declare the end of their isolation. Now that Tang Yuehua brought up the potential obstacles Su Wen's prestige might cause, he was immediately displeased.
In truth, Tang Yuehua was only offering a reminder; she didn't intend to dissuade her brother from ending the seclusion. However, the Second Elder had waited too long for this day and was far too agitated.
"Breaking down the barriers of knowledge, supporting commoners, and weakening the influence of the sects? Does he intend to throw the continent into chaos?" the Second Elder sneered. "We kill him, then share his theories with the major sects. Who would dare speak up for a dead Su Wen then?"
"The Second Elder is right," another elder added in support.
Tang Yuehua fell silent, offering no further rebuttal.
Tang Xiao pressed his hands down to calm the rising emotions in the hall. He stood and announced: "As of today, the Clear Sky Clan ends its seclusion."
"The first act of our return shall be to wash away the shame of the past!"
"If Spirit Hall dares to interfere, we will slay one of their Title Douluos to mark our return!"
"If Spirit Hall stays their hand, we will kill Su Wen, erase the humiliation he brought upon us, and reclaim our clan's inherited spirit bones!"
"Kill Su Wen and reclaim the spirit bones!" the Second Elder echoed.
To be honest, none of them had expected Tang Hao to possess a full set of spirit bones. Moreover, rumor had it that aside from the two top-tier inherited bones of the Clear Sky Clan, the other four pieces were of excellent quality as well—masterpieces in their own right.
A ten-thousand-year spirit bone was never something to be scoffed at. And Tang Hao's set consisted entirely of high-level, ten-thousand-year bones.
Star Dou Great Forest.
Su Wen was currently unaware of the storm brewing in the outside world, though he could guess at the general reactions.
"Xiao Wen, are you certain you want to hunt the Dark Devilgod Tiger?" Ning Fengzhi asked, his voice tinged with shock at Su Wen's audacity.
The Dark Devilgod Tiger was an anomaly among soul beasts.
"The Dark Devilgod Tiger is nearly extinct, but it is undoubtedly one of the highest-tier soul beasts in existence. Legend has it that the God of Evil descended upon a white tiger, causing it to mutate. Its original light attribute was corrupted into darkness, it grew black wings representing the fallen, and it gained a 'Devilgod Hook' resembling a scorpion's tail."
"It cultivates by devouring other soul beasts, allowing its power to grow at an incredible rate. It possesses at least four attributes: Evil, Wind, Thunder, and Strength. There are even rumors it masters Space. It is capable of challenging opponents an entire tier above itself. That is to say, a ten-thousand-year Dark Devilgod Tiger could potentially challenge a hundred-thousand-year soul beast."
Seeing that Su Wen's expression remained unchanged, Ning Fengzhi realized the boy had already done his research.
"Deep within the Star Dou Great Forest, there are traces of a Dark Devilgod Tiger. Its cultivation is approximately sixty to seventy thousand years," Su Wen said slowly, revealing the intelligence he had gathered.
Hiss!
Ning Fengzhi sucked in a breath of cold air. A sixty to seventy thousand-year-old Dark Devilgod Tiger?
"Xiao Wen, are you certain you can absorb a soul beast of that caliber?"
"Uncle Ning, rest easy. As long as we can hunt it down, I can absorb it," Su Wen replied with absolute confidence.
Although his fifth ring was only forty-five thousand years old, and a normal progression would put his sixth ring at eighty or ninety thousand years, Su Wen was not "normal." After obtaining his fifth ring, he had upgraded his first three rings, vastly increasing his physical resilience.
A hundred-thousand-year ring was no longer out of his reach. Even if the Dark Devilgod Tiger was exceptionally powerful for its age, the difficulty of absorbing its ring wouldn't exceed his limits. At most, the strain would be equivalent to a hundred-thousand-year ring.
Furthermore, the difficulty of the Tiger's ring lay more in the mental and spiritual assault rather than physical pressure. In those areas, Su Wen had complete faith in himself.
"Very well. Since you have such confidence, we shall hunt a Dark Devilgod Tiger for you!" Seeing his resolve, Ning Fengzhi stopped trying to persuade him and offered his full support instead.
Heaven Dou City, Shrek Academy.
Two months had passed since the conclusion of the Continental Elite Tournament. The Shrek party had finally returned to the academy, looking quite travel-worn and haggard.
"My thanks to the Sky-Howling Douluo for his assistance during this journey," Yu Xiaogang said, bowing to Tang Xiao.
Tang Xiao waved it off. He looked at Tang San in the group and sighed. "Shrek's recent misfortunes were ultimately caused by my second brother."
"Little San, come back to the clan with me. I have already discussed it with the elders. With your talent and the sect's resources, you will grow rapidly and develop the Clear Sky Hammer to its maximum potential."
Tang San shook his head. Over the past few days, he could feel that Tang Xiao's kindness toward him was genuine. However, he also had a premonition: in the entire Clear Sky Clan, his uncle was likely the only one who truly cared for him.
The "discussion" Tang Xiao mentioned was likely just the elders wanting to turn him into a cultivated tool for the sect's glory.
Tang Xiao sighed, not pressing the issue. He understood all too well what kind of treatment Tang San might face if he returned to the clan right now.
"Everyone, I have pressing matters to attend to within the sect. I shall take my leave. If you need anything, you can send word through Tang Tian."
(End of Chapter)