Chapter 191: Re‑entering the Star Dou Great Forest

Ning Fengzhi continued, "When our Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan were attacked, many medium‑and‑small sects were also attacked. They are forces that usually oppose the Spirit Hall, and we never expected them all to suffer a catastrophic disaster."

"Now everyone in the Soul Master World feels threatened; the Spirit Hall almost has the power to dominate the world."

Yang Xiong asked in doubt, "Sect Leader, didn't we achieve a great victory in the war against Wu Lian? Can't we still curb the Spirit Hall's current momentum?"

Ning Fengzhi's face showed a hint of bitterness: "Xiao Xiong, it's not that simple. Although we won a great victory, the overall strength gap with the Spirit Hall is still huge, especially now the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect can hardly support itself alone; we also dare not openly confront the Spirit Hall."

"This time the Spirit Hall suffered heavy losses, but all Soul Masters were in hidden identities; even the bodies of the two fallen Title Douluo we did not retain. If we truly exposed ourselves, they probably wouldn't send four Title Douluo next time."

"Although we luckily won this time, it was all based on our previous arrangements; the Spirit Hall now has experience. If they attack again next time, it will truly be dangerous."

Yang Xiong thought carefully before speaking, "Sect Leader, what should we do now?"

Ning Fengzhi said, "Now we have no way left. Although we achieved a great victory in this battle, rumors outside claim we suffered a great defeat; countless sect members are dead or wounded. The Spirit Hall probably wants this effect—to diminish the influence of our top three sects in the Soul Master World; even our Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect no longer has real strength to resist."

"However, I have already communicated with Emperor Xue Ye; he has dispatched 50,000 troops to station five kilometers outside the sect, facilitating mutual rescue at any time. These 50,000 troops can be arranged and commanded by our Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect."

Yang Xiong heard this and felt a bit helpless; after all, the Spirit Hall's strength is truly overwhelming, especially since they have so many Title Douluo. This time the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect managed a great victory, essentially gathering the strength of all top experts in the Tiandou Region.

One should know the Spirit Hall has the Seven Great Offerings and the Nine Great Elders; that doesn't even count the top expert Bibidong.

To truly contend with the Spirit Hall, we need supreme masters; that is, we must at least find someone capable of matching Jin E Douluo and Qian Daoliu. At present, the Soul Master World has no such person.

Yang Xiong considered the situation carefully: "Sect Leader, what is the current attitude of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family? The Xue Beng Prince probably didn't die in vain."

Ning Fengzhi said, "There is currently no clue linking the Spirit Hall to the death of Xue Beng. After the Xue Beng Prince died, three of Emperor Xue Ye's four princes have already perished, leaving only Xue Qinghe as the sole heir. Even if Emperor Xue Ye has reservations, without any evidence, there is probably no way."

"Although our analysis points to Xue Qinghe as the biggest suspect, his actions over the years have been watertight, leaving not even a trace, and his reputation among the people is extremely high, with a massive influence."

"He even personally pursues the murderer, swearing to find the killer of Xue Beng and avenge his brother."

Yang Xiong smiled, "That's interesting. With three of Emperor Xue Ye's four princes dead, even if Xue Qinghe is perfect, it's hard for him to escape suspicion. The waters of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family are indeed deep."

Ning Fengzhi said helplessly, "I previously underestimated the cruelty of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's succession struggle. It seems our Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect really isn't suited to meddle much in their internal fights; the royal intrigues are even more unpredictable than those in the Soul Master World."

……

After a round of discussion, Ning Fengzhi and the others finally left.

Yang Xiong's mouth twitched with a smile; the Spirit Hall's plan, though meticulous, still had a flaw.

Whether Bibidong or Qian Renxue, they were probably confident about this Soul Hunting Operation, but they didn't expect the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect to win, and by a great margin, which is tantamount to cutting off Qian Renxue's arm.

This time Qian Renxue's daring kill of the Xue Beng Prince was indeed timed very cleverly.

If the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect were severely damaged, or even destroyed, Qian Renxue's power in the Tiandou Region would become unprecedentedly strong, especially since she has several Title Douluo at her side.

By then Qian Renxue's strength would likely surpass Emperor Xue Ye, allowing her to hold the Son of Heaven hostage to command the vassals. After all, Emperor Xue Ye has only this one son; the Crown Prince's succession is inevitable, and no one can interfere.

Unfortunately, Qian Renxue miscalculated the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's strength; not only did they achieve a great victory, but Qian Renxue's own power was weakened, and after years of concealment she finally showed a hint of a fox's tail.

Yang Xiong pondered for a while and couldn't help laughing a little: "That's interesting. It seems Qian Renxue will either keep hiding or risk launching a palace upheaval, but either way she'll lose the initiative; a snake that shows its head isn't that dangerous."

Yang Xiong seemed to think of something, and hurried to find Yang Wudi, Bai He and others.

"Elder Bai He, what's the current monitoring of the outer perimeter of the Star Dou Great Forest? I intend to head there soon to hunt for the Seventh Spirit Ring."

Bai He quickly replied, "Sect Leader, according to our Min Clan's scouting, a large contingent has recently entered the Star Dou Great Forest, led likely by the Spirit Hall's Ju Douluo. From their appearance they seem to be heading to the Core Zone of the Star Dou Great Forest; their strength is so overwhelming that we dare not get too close."

"But they don't look like soul masters at a bottleneck; I wonder what they're going to the Core Zone of the Star Dou Great Forest for?"

Yang Xiong thought carefully, "It seems just as I suspected; such a massive force entering the Star Dou Great Forest must be to capture the Ten‑thousand‑year Transformed Soul Beast Xiao Wu that fled from Spirit City. We need to speed up."

Bai He quickly asked, "Sect Leader, are we going to compete with the Spirit Hall for the Ten‑thousand‑year Transformed Soul Beast?"

Yang Xiong shook his head, "Xiao Wu may be a Ten‑thousand‑year Soul Beast, but a rabbit isn't of much use to me; I'm after other Soul Beasts."

"But the Spirit Hall just attacked the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect; if we don't give them a taste of our color, they might think we're easy to bully."

"This is a perfect opportunity. Last time the Elephant Armor Sect suffered heavy losses in the Star Dou Great Forest; it seems this time it's the Spirit Hall's turn. If we jointly ambush with two Ten‑thousand‑year Soul Beasts, how many of the Spirit Hall's people entering the Star Dou Great Forest do you think will survive?"

Yang Wudi, standing nearby, asked with some confusion, "Sect Leader, what do you mean?"

Yang Xiong's mouth twitched with a smile, "Since we're going to hunt the Ten‑thousand‑year Soul Beast, we might as well slaughter those Spirit Hall folks as well."

"Teacher Lin, Senior Long Gong, haven't you both been wanting to avenge Ju Douluo? This is a perfect chance; I want Ju Douluo and Gui Douluo to meet no escape, then we can truly cut off Bibidong's arm."

Lin Gong quickly replied, "Xiao Xiong, if we mobilize on a large scale, the sect's protection might be at risk; it would be troublesome if something happens."

Yang Xiong laughed, "Now the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect has 50,000 troops of the Heaven Dou Empire stationed outside, so safety should be temporarily assured. Moreover, the Spirit Hall has been heavily damaged and likely lacks the strength to attack us. We'll prepare quickly and set out immediately; I'll also ask Teacher Jian Douluo to join us, and we must absolutely slay those two."

Lin Gong and Long Gong, upon hearing this, instantly showed fierce and solemn looks; they had long wanted to avenge Ju Douluo.

Yang Xiong immediately went to find Ning Fengzhi and detailed his plan.

After deep thought, Ning Fengzhi decisively invited Jian Douluo to act together, and even arranged a Soul Saint of the Qibao Liuli Pagoda Weapon Soul, who is Ning Fengzhi's clan member Ning Fengyuan.

Jian Douluo's eyes emitted a cold glint, even a hint of murderous aura leaking out. Although the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect achieved a great victory this time, it also suffered heavy losses, and the mastermind behind it all is the Spirit Hall.

At this moment, the Spirit Hall's attempt to hunt the Ten‑thousand‑year Soul Beast in the Star Dou Great Forest is a rare golden opportunity.

After some preparations, the party readied to swiftly head to the Star Dou Great Forest.

This time Yang Xiong mobilized a huge number of people: not only Jian Douluo and Ning Fengyuan, but also Yang Wudi, Niu Gao, Bai He, Lin Gong, Long Gong Meng Shu, She Po Chao Tianxiang, and many Min Clan experts, mainly to investigate the situation of Ju Douluo's group.

Among them, Ning Fengyuan is an elder of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, wielding the Qibao Liuli Pagoda Weapon Soul, with Seventy‑Four Level soul power, truly a top‑tier support.

Additionally, Ning Rongrong, upon hearing the news, strongly requested to go together; she and Xiao Wu had been very close while at Shrek Academy, and after five years apart she missed her greatly.

Even Oscar, Qin Shuang, and big brother Yang Wei insisted on joining.

After repeated consideration, Yang Xiong simply decided to take them along to witness the world's top Soul Beasts, to broaden their horizons and give them a taste of blood.

Oscar can provide food and support in the Star Dou Great Forest, especially with his Flying Mushroom Sausage, which might have unexpected effects.

Moreover, big brother Yang Wei and Qin Shuang are both already Level 59, just one step away from Level 60; perhaps this time they can break through and, while hunting top Soul Beasts in the Core Zone, also achieve a breakthrough.

Even Ning Rongrong is already a Soul Emperor; purely in terms of support ability she excels in the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, essentially a role model for the younger generation.

Moreover, with Jian Douluo present, these people's safety can be guaranteed.

Furthermore, Yang Xiong specially arranged various tactics to handle any contingencies; he must ensure the operation is flawless, leaving no survivors.

The group slipped away rapidly under the night sky, leaving the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect; hardly anyone inside the sect even knew of their departure, assuming those people were in seclusion recuperating from injuries.

In fact, although the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's battle was fierce, no one suffered serious injuries; under the treatment of the supporting Soul Saint, everyone basically recovered to peak condition within a few days.

After entering the Star Dou Great Forest, Yang Xiong's party needed no further searching and headed straight for Life Lake.

(End of chapter)