DD Spiritual Sword [480-481] (Patreon)

Chapter 480: Tang Yuehua's Plan – Tai Tan Obtains Hidden Weapon Blueprints

After leaving the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, Tang Yuehua and Ling Tian Douluo, with the help of Meng Shenji and Bai Baoshan, returned to the Clear Sky Sect.

After the two academy elders took their leave, Tang Yuehua could no longer hold back her tears. No matter how composed she usually was, she was still human—a woman who'd just lost her beloved second brother and nephew. How could she not be heartbroken?

"Yuehua, what's wrong?" At that moment, Tang Xiao led some people out from within the sect.

As soon as she saw Tang Xiao, Tang Yuehua rushed into his arms, crying, "Big brother, second brother is dead… San is dead too…"

"What did you say?" Tang Xiao was stunned. Unlike the other elders, he deeply valued brotherhood and had never hated Tang Hao.

Tang Yuehua relayed everything she'd heard from Jun Tianlin at the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, then said bitterly, "Jun Tianlin must be lying—he's the one who caused their deaths!"

"Why do you say that? If he's not lying, aren't the murderers someone else?" The second elder asked, remaining calm. He didn't care about the deaths of Tang Hao and Tang San, since he'd never acknowledged them as sect disciples. The only thing that irked him was that the two sect inheritance soul bones on Tang Hao were probably lost for good.

"Second Elder, maybe he didn't kill them personally, but he definitely planned it!" Tang Yuehua gritted her teeth. "Tang San, no doubt, was ambushed by the rest of the Emperor Battle Team under Jun Tianlin's leadership. As for second brother, I even suspect that so-called Soul Beast King was lured by Jun Tianlin. Otherwise, how else would they coincidentally go to the extreme north together and just happen to encounter each other in such a vast place?"

"Jun Tianlin, you really think I wouldn't dare kill you?" Tang Xiao roared, smashing his fist into the doorframe. The force of his level-97 soul power shook the whole mountain range.

Aside from the incident with Tang Hao years ago and pressure from Spirit Hall that led to the old sect master's death, no one had ever seen Tang Xiao so furious. Tang Yuehua hurried to calm him, "Big brother, don't be rash. You may not be Jun Tianlin's match. Don't forget, even the seventh elder couldn't withstand a single move from him!"

"Hmph, that's only because his master's Sword Dao of Destruction is formidable. He just broke through to Titled Douluo, so his level can't be that high. As long as I avoid his Sword Dao, with my level-97 strength, I can kill him," Tang Xiao said dismissively.

As a super Douluo, he knew better than anyone that every level after 95 was like crossing a chasm.

"Even if you could defeat Jun Tianlin, remember—the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect now has many Titled Douluo, far outnumbering us. Today, there's even a Spear Douluo who easily defeated the Grand Elder, not to mention Chen Xin of the Sword Dao. If you kill Jun Tianlin, their entire sect will retaliate, and our Clear Sky Sect could be wiped out," Tang Yuehua analyzed. She knew, no matter the hatred, now was not the time for revenge.

"Damn it! If Grandfather were still here, who would dare provoke our sect? Now even the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect dares offend us," Tang Xiao forced himself to calm down. As sect master, he was steadier than Tang Hao. "Yuehua, you're right. Now's not the time for revenge, but I will never forget this hatred. One day, I will see Jun Tianlin utterly destroyed."

Tang Yuehua nodded. "Of course. I'm not saying we won't seek revenge, but we can't be reckless. In the world today, only one power is strong enough to help us take revenge on the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. Why not use their strength?"

"You mean Spirit Hall!" Tang Xiao was taken aback, realizing what she was suggesting. "No way! Our grudge with Spirit Hall is far deeper than with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect! I'd rather die than work with them."

"The sect master is right, Yuehua, how could you even consider colluding with Spirit Hall!" The elders also disagreed.

No matter what Jun Tianlin did, he only killed three people, two of whom the sect never acknowledged as disciples. But Spirit Hall had slaughtered hundreds in the Clear Sky Sect, including the old sect master. Many elders had lost sons and brothers to Spirit Hall. Their hatred was immeasurable.

"Big brother, elders, of course I wouldn't cooperate with Spirit Hall—they're also our enemies. But their power far exceeds ours, with only the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect capable of resisting them. Conveniently, those two forces are already enemies. I'll devise a plan to pit them against each other. When both are weakened, that will be our chance for revenge." There was deep hatred in Tang Yuehua's gaze. For the first time, this refined woman revealed the fury hidden in her heart.

…

Meanwhile, after returning to the imperial palace, the two academy elders reported Tang San and Tang Hao's deaths to Emperor Xue Ye and Crown Prince Xue Beng.

"Lawless! Jun Tianlin, the Emperor Battle Team, and the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect—how dare you ambush a count of my empire!" Emperor Xue Ye was enraged. The death of that father and son was a great loss to the empire.

"Brother Tang, we swore brotherhood. I, Xue Beng, swear I will avenge you one day!" Xue Beng shed a few tears, but anger outweighed his grief.

He'd counted on Tang San as a future pillar. Now, his brother Tang San was dead at Tianlin's hands, and Shui Bing'er was taken by Tianlin. At this moment, his hatred for Tianlin surpassed even that for Xue Qinghe and Spirit Hall.

If his grief was partially an act, for one person, it was true heartbreak.

"My lord, you lived an honest and upright life, fighting Spirit Hall for the continent's sake, and the young master was talented and pure. Yet both fell to Jun Tianlin's schemes." Tai Tan sobbed, burning yellow paper for his master's soul.

It was all he could do as a servant.

After three days of mourning, Tai Tan went to a valley—the place where Tang Hao had planted A Yin. Before leaving, Tang Hao had instructed Tai Tan to water A Yin regularly. Tai Tan had never dared neglect this duty. Now, with his master and young master gone, caring for their mistress would be the mission of his clan for generations.

That was true loyalty: even after the master's death, his wife would be looked after.

Arriving at a small wooden hut, Tai Tan began sorting through Tang Hao's belongings. There, under the bed, he discovered a secret compartment filled with hidden weapon blueprints.

"These… these are the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus and Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needle!" Tai Tan was overjoyed—Tang San had left the blueprints for Tang Hao.

Originally, he and Tang San had planned to recruit Lou Gao for the Tang Army and have him forge these weapons. But when they went to Gengxin City, they found Lou Gao had already been taken by Tianlin.

Fortunately, there were three great craftsmen in the world. Besides Lou Gao, both Tai Tan and Tang Hao qualified. Tai Tan understood why Tang San hadn't given him the blueprints—they hadn't known each other long enough to build trust. So, Tang San left them with Tang Hao, hoping that while he took Xiao Wu to train, Tang Hao would gather soul bones and forge some weapons for him.

Unexpectedly, the blueprints surfaced in Tai Tan's hands today. "Haha! With these, we have hope for revenge. Master, young master, rest assured—your old servant will carry on your legacy, make Tang Sect's hidden weapons shine, destroy the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and Spirit Hall, and avenge you!"

Chapter 481: The Continent's Changing Situation – Spirit Hall's Founding Ceremony Begins

A day later, news of Tang San and Tang Hao's deaths spread. The Heaven Dou royal family ordered three days of mourning as a gesture of goodwill to the Clear Sky Sect—after all, these two had been a bridge between them, and now that bridge was gone. The future of the alliance was uncertain.

For the Heaven Dou Empire, the Clear Sky Sect was an indispensable force, the only one able to provide Titled Douluo for the empire.

The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon sect were left—one had fallen out with the empire, the other had only one Titled Douluo and could barely protect itself, let alone help.

Tang Yuehua and Tang Xiao attended the funeral in Heaven Dou City. Although nothing remained of the two but ash, their presence was a message: the Clear Sky Sect would not break its alliance with the empire because of these deaths.

Both sides now had common enemies—first Spirit Hall, then the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, both formidable powers.

They also declared that the murderer would pay, though they didn't name the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, as they weren't ready for open conflict.

Besides, they weren't in the right. Although both deaths were orchestrated by Tianlin, the Emperor Battle Team killed Tang San in revenge for their comrade, and a soul beast killed Tang Hao, who had long been a soul beast slayer. They had no grounds to blame Tianlin.

It was a bitter pill to swallow.

This incident also made Emperor Xue Ye give up on the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. To him, that sect was too unruly, showing no loyalty to the throne.

He wouldn't challenge them openly, but he could suppress them another way: by supporting the Clear Sky Sect. He issued an edict honoring the father and son's contributions, granting the Clear Sky Sect the title of "Protector God Sect." From now on, all top academy graduates in the empire would be encouraged to join them first.

Furthermore, all sects doing business in the empire—except the Clear Sky Sect and its affiliates—would have their taxes doubled.

This served two purposes. First, it didn't directly single out the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. With all sects taxed double, why should they be exempt? They weren't the Protector God Sect.

Second, like Spirit Hall, the empire forced undecided minor sects to pick a side.

For the wealthy Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, this was no big deal. But for smaller, resource-strapped sects, it was a huge blow.

Like the Four Single-Attribute Clans, poverty alone nearly destroyed them.

But along with the stick came a carrot: anyone who joined the Clear Sky Sect would not only avoid the double tax, but pay no tax at all—keeping all their profits.

The Clear Sky Sect also promised not to restrict the autonomy of affiliated sects, except in times of war.

These two policies were very attractive. Resources on the continent were limited. It was hard for small sects to train disciples.

Now, threatened by Spirit Hall and pressured by the empire, many had no choice but to compromise.

Some wondered if they could join the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect instead. After all, they were rich—surely double tax wouldn't hurt much?

But that idea was quickly dismissed. Wealth runs out; if the empire went further and barred all business from non-Clear Sky sects, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect would be isolated.

It was also obvious the empire's patience with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was wearing thin.

Now, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had made enemies of both Spirit Hall and the empire—truly surrounded. Few believed such a sect could last.

What then? Go to Star Luo? The oppression would be worse. Join Spirit Hall? Even worse—submit or be annihilated.

So, joining the Clear Sky Sect was the wisest choice.

Thus began a wave of realignment. In just two weeks, many sects flocked to the Clear Sky Sect, raising its soul master count from less than a thousand to over six thousand—on par with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and still growing.

What these sects didn't realize was that this dual confrontation with Spirit Hall and the empire was exactly what Ning Fengzhi wanted. The sect now had the strength to compete for dominance, but as long as the world saw them as the empire's vassal, any move to seize power would look like betrayal.

After all, it was deeply ingrained that the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect belonged to the empire.

Both Ning Fengzhi and Tianlin cared about reputation—they would never accept the traitor label.

Now, with Ning Fengzhi repeatedly challenging the empire, public perception was changing bit by bit. The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was becoming recognized as a power independent of both empire and Spirit Hall.

Thus, even if they competed for supremacy, no one would object. If Spirit Hall and the two empires could contend, why not the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect? The continent belonged to whoever was strong enough to claim it.

Besides, what's wrong with being surrounded by enemies? Every contender for supremacy faces that. To Spirit Hall, both empires and the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect were enemies. To the Heaven Dou Empire, the Star Luo Empire, Spirit Hall, and the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect were all rivals. Everyone coveted the land; being everyone's enemy was just the way of the world.

Now, the whole continent was in flux. Except for those still in academies, free-roaming soul masters had all but vanished. Spirit Hall, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, the Clear Sky Sect, and the two empires had basically divided up all soul master forces.

Spirit Hall held 70%, the two empires 20%, and the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and the Clear Sky Sect split the remaining 10%.

Of course, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's true strength was hidden.

In short, every faction had consolidated its forces. War seemed imminent.

…

Spirit Empire's grand founding ceremony would begin it all.

This ceremony had been prepared long ago, but was delayed by Bibi Dong's injuries. Only now, after her recovery, could it proceed.

Today, Spirit Hall was bustling. All the citizens of Spirit City gathered in front of the Pope's Hall.

Leading the procession were the heads of major Spirit Halls, sect masters, and kings of affiliated kingdoms and duchies.

Amid cheers, the magnificently dressed Pope Bibi Dong led Spirit Hall's elders and the two saintesses out of the hall.

She was especially beautiful today, captivating all.

From this day forward, she would become the first empress of the Douluo Continent!