Gu Rong wanted to end his life—but Yin Zhang's casual words stopped him cold.
"Senior Bone Douluo, are you truly going to do this?" Yin Zhang said calmly.
"If you die here, Sect Master Ning and Senior Sword Douluo will believe that you were either killed by us or forced into suicide."
"If we let them leave afterward, they will certainly return to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and rally the entire Soul Master world to besiege our Spirit Hall—the so-called 'evil force.'"
"And to prevent that from happening, I will have no choice but to work with the elders of Spirit Hall to keep Sect Master Ning and Senior Sword Douluo here forever."
"After that, we will immediately move against the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School—wipe it out completely. We will burn the sect headquarters to the ground. And if fire isn't enough, we'll join forces to shatter the mountain peak it stands on, sending everything into the abyss."
"Senior Bone Douluo… is that really what you want to see?"
"You don't want Sect Master Ning, Senior Sword Douluo, tens of thousands of disciples, and the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School to perish because of this—do you?"
A direct, crushing blow.
Gu Rong froze. The withered hand he had raised slowly fell limp to the ground.
For the first time in his long life, he felt utterly powerless.
This Yin Zhang… was terrifyingly adept at psychological warfare.
And worse—what he said was undeniably true.
Based on Gu Rong's understanding of Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin, if he truly committed suicide here, events would unfold exactly as Yin Zhang described.
In that case, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School would be erased from existence.
In the past, the reason the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had stood firmly against Spirit Hall was largely because of Spirit Hall's ruthless methods. A night raid had once shattered the sect's foundations, countless disciples had died, and the once-glorious headquarters had been reduced to ruins. Even Sword Douluo Chen Xin had lost an arm.
Don't be fooled by slogans about the unity of the upper sects—they were nothing more than a means of protecting shared interests.
If circumstances truly demanded it, even those principles could be discarded.
Right now, Spirit Hall was far stronger than anyone had imagined.
If Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin arrived, they would be trapped like turtles in a jar.
To protect their own lives, their families, and the sect itself… surrender was the only path left.
Gu Rong seemed to have accepted this outcome. He slumped down against the cold city wall, sitting helplessly on the ground.
A faint smile appeared on Yin Zhang's face.
Gu Rong had come to terms with reality.
Next, all that remained was to strike at Ning Fengzhi's and Chen Xin's weaknesses.
Soon, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School would be absorbed completely.
Yin Zhang refused to believe that Ning Fengzhi would choose stubborn pride over the survival of his sect.
In the end, everything came down to survival.
Not long after, Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin arrived outside Heaven Dou City.
Meanwhile, Golong and the other marshals had already begun advancing with part of their forces toward the city, with the main army following closely behind.
Ning Fengzhi was visibly anxious.
"Isn't Uncle Bone capable of spatial travel? That disturbance just now was definitely caused by a Title Douluo from Spirit Hall. I don't know which one it was—but I hope Uncle Bone is safe."
Chen Xin's expression was grim. His fists clenched unconsciously.
"The power of that attack… it wasn't weaker than mine. At the very least, it was a level 98 Title Douluo. Could it have been Golden Crocodile Douluo? If it was him… Old Bones may already be gravely injured—or worse."
His nails dug into his palms, drawing blood, yet he didn't notice.
They reached the base of the city wall.
Seeing the massive breach, Ning Fengzhi's face darkened.
"Uncle Bone! Are you there?!" he shouted.
Hearing Ning Fengzhi's voice, Gu Rong slowly turned around, his heart filled with bitterness and helplessness.
At this moment, he didn't even know how to face Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin.
As if sensing Gu Rong's turmoil, Yin Zhang stepped onto the head of the Golden Sacred Dragon and rose into the air, followed by the other Title Douluos.
In an instant, radiant martial-soul light flooded the sky.
Chen Xin's face sank as he took everything in.
"Dugu Bo. Tang Zhen. And those two guardians… plus another unfamiliar Title Douluo with a hundred-thousand-year soul ring. His soul power is even higher than mine. I was wrong earlier—he's not level 98."
"This is a Title Douluo who was never famous on the continent."
When Ning Fengzhi saw the five Title Douluos in the sky—along with Yin Zhang and the six-winged angel of the Qian family—despair welled up in his heart.
He even began to question whether Gu Rong was still alive.
Chen Xin roared,
"What have you done to Old Bones?!"
He summoned his Seven Kill Sword. Nine soul rings flared into existence beneath his feet, releasing a fearsome aura.
If his lifelong friend had truly been killed, then even against overwhelming odds, he would fight to the death for vengeance.
Ning Fengzhi understood just as well.
With so many Title Douluos present, escape was nearly impossible.
The only path left… was to fight.
Even if it meant death.
Suppressing his turmoil, Ning Fengzhi summoned his Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Eight soul rings appeared beneath him, and in that moment, he resembled a Glazed Tile King descending upon the world.
The first Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Soul Master on the continent.
Yet—to their astonishment—the Spirit Hall experts in the sky made no move.
Yin Zhang laughed heartily and spoke toward the city wall behind him.
"Senior Bone Douluo, it seems Sect Master Ning and Senior Sword Douluo have misunderstood something. Please come out and explain it yourself."
Gu Rong sighed inwardly. With no other choice, he stepped forward.
"Uncle Bone! You're alive?!"
"Old man—you're still alive?!"
The two cried out in shock.
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