Chapter 269: The Upper Three Sects Cooperate

Just as Yang Xiong had expected, only a short time after returning to the Body Sect, Tang Hao, Tang Xiao and Ning Fengzhi actually came to the Body Sect together, apparently to discuss cooperating against the Spirit Empire.

Yang Xiong received everyone directly in the main hall, and besides Yang Xiong himself, the Five Great Elders were also present.

The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect sent the Sword Douluo and Ning Fengzhi; Ning Rongrong seemed to be handling matters at the sect.

The Clear Sky Sect sent Tang Hao, Tang Xiao and Tang Yuehua, apparently placing great importance on this meeting.

However, whether it was Ning Fengzhi or Tang Xiao's party, once they actually entered the Body Sect, their expressions became somewhat serious.

Ning Fengzhi was relatively clear about the specific situation of the Body Sect, but he did not expect that Yang Wudi and Bai He had also broken through to Title Douluo.

Now the Body Sect actually has a full five Five Great Elders, each of whom is a Title Douluo‑rank master, and of course Lin Gong is also an elder of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.

Tang Xiao and Tang Hao were even more surprised; they knew the situation of the Single Attribute Four Families back then. When they served as elders of the Outer Sect, they were generally only top‑tier Soul Saints, and only after leaving the Clear Sky Sect for many years did they gradually break through to Soul Douluo rank.

Now Yang Wudi, Niu Gao and Bai He have actually broken through to Title Douluo rank. It should be noted that in this era, a Title Douluo is considered capable of suppressing a top sect. The Heaven Dou Empire has operated for so many years without producing a Title Douluo, having only the Guest Elder Dugu Bo, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was easily wiped out precisely because no new Title Douluo had been cultivated for years, ultimately leaving Yu Yuanzhen unable to hold the line alone.

Yang Xiong, however, sounded rather courteous: "Ning Sect Leader, Tang Xiao Sect Leader, Teacher Chenxin, Senior Tang Hao, Senior Tang Yuehua, the illustrious heads of the three Upper Sects have arrived at the Body Sect; the Body Sect shines brightly."

Now that this is a public setting, even if Yang Xiong has a good relationship with Ning Fengzhi and the Sword Douluo, he must adopt the posture of a Sect Leader at this moment.

Ning Fengzhi, with a smiling face, added: "Sect Leader Yang, this Body Sect is indeed fine; I am pleased with your development over the years."

It was evident that Ning Fengzhi was truly pleased; after all, the Body Sect and the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect have a close relationship, cooperate seamlessly, and even now a third of the Min Clan is stationed around the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, with medicines and other collaborations proceeding as usual.

Yang Xiong hurriedly said: "Thank you, Sect Leader, for your favor, and thank you for your cultivation over the years."

Beside him, Tang Xiao also nodded: "Sect Leader Yang truly is a youthful hero; I didn't expect someone so young to possess such strength and to have founded such a great sect; the younger generation is indeed fearsome."

Yang Xiong laughed: "My modest cultivation cannot possibly meet the standards of the Number One Sect Under Heaven; Sect Leader Tang Xiao is among the world's top masters, the Clear Sky Sect is the Number One Sect Under Heaven, while our Body Sect is merely a small household."

…

After a round of small talk, the several of them finally began to move toward the main topic.

Tang Xiao's face showed a hint of doubt: "Sect Leader Yang, may I ask a question? What is the current situation of my nephew Tang San?"

Yang Xiong laughed: "I expected Sect Leader Tang Xiao would ask. Tang San and his six companions are still on Sea God Island; among them, Tang San has obtained the Red Level Seven Trials. When I left Sea God Island, they were undergoing the Fifth Trial."

"Given Tang San's strength and talent, the Fifth Trial should not be difficult for him; the main issue is the undersea combat."

"I don't know exactly how long it will take Tang San to return to the continent; he still has three trials left. I only know the content of the Fifth Trial; I cannot guess the final two. Those who went with Tang San also need to return together, so I'm unclear on the exact timing."

Tang Hao, Tang Xiao and Tang Yuehua exchanged glances; they did not expect Tang San to have obtained the Sea God Island Red Level Seven Trials, nor did they expect Yang Xiong's party, after being delayed for several months, to return from Sea God Island ahead of schedule.

Tang Xiao did not hesitate: "May I ask, are Tang San and his group safe, and how difficult are the trials?"

Yang Xiong shook his head: "I cannot confirm the exact difficulty; Tang San's Fifth Trial is to challenge a Sea God Island Seven Sacred Pillar, and all Seven Sacred Pillars of Sea God Island are Title Douluo‑rank masters."

"Among the seven, Tang San has the Red Level Seven Trials, Xiao Wu has the Black Level Six Trials; both have already reached Soul Douluo rank. The others have completed their trials, so they will likely have to wait for Tang San to finish before returning together."

After Yang Xiong's description, the three of Tang Xiao said nothing further; it was clear they had great confidence in Tang San's strength, and defeating a Title Douluo with Soul Douluo power should not be a major problem.

Yang Xiong addressed Ning Fengzhi and Tang Xiao: "Both Sect Leaders, you are both very busy; coming to the Body Sect, you should have no reason not to step into the Three Treasures Hall, so feel free to speak plainly."

Tang Xiao, with a serious expression, said: "Sect Leader Yang, Ning Sect Leader and I have come primarily to discuss cooperating against the Spirit Empire. The Spirit Empire has gathered a massive army and is preparing to launch war. Although the Two Great Empires have some preparations, the Soul Master Corps is too weak; the army is being suppressed by the Soul Master Corps. At a time like this we must jointly oppose the Spirit Empire, otherwise if the Heaven Dou army collapses, we too will be unable to hold the line alone."

Yang Xiong laughed: "I am a junior and do not know how strong the Spirit Empire truly is, but I have a doubt: the Spirit Empire is making such a grand show, crushing everything in the Soul Master World; what method should we use to resist it?"

"If I recall correctly, the Spirit Hall, besides the Nine Great Elders, also has Seven Great Offerings; these seven are all Title Douluo masters above Level 96, and the Spirit Hall's Great Offering Qian Daoliu is a Level 99 Limit Douluo. With only our few people, we likely cannot match a Limit Douluo."

"Moreover, the Spirit Hall has tens of thousands of Soul Grandmasters; even if we add up all our people, the gap in strength is enormous, and you should be aware of the true combat power of the Soul Master Corps."

Tang Xiao, solemnly, said: "Back then the three Upper Sects jointly opposed the Spirit Hall; although we were not as strong, even the Spirit Hall dared not act recklessly."

"Now the Body Sect has so many Title Douluo; in terms of strength we have already surpassed the former Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and many of you bear a deep blood feud with the Spirit Empire—do you not wish to oppose the Spirit Empire?"

Yang Xiong smiled at the corner of his mouth: "Sect Leader Tang Xiao, that statement is a bit excessive; the Body Sect does not dare to be compared with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Senior Yu Yuanzhen is a Super Douluo, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon is the world's number one Beast Soul, its strength is formidable—far beyond what ordinary people like us can match."

Although Tang Xiao remained unusually composed, a hint of helplessness showed. Beside him, Tang Hao appeared rather gloomy; clearly Tang Hao harbors greater hatred toward the Spirit Empire and is more eager to seek revenge against it.

Meanwhile, Tang Yuehua, with a gentle smile, said: "Sect Leader Yang, I didn't expect to see the head of your great sect after several years; may I say a few words?"

Yang Xiong laughed: "Senior Tang Yuehua, no need for flattery. Since you're here, the Body Sect is a guest; feel free to speak plainly."

Tang Yuehua's face was exceedingly gentle: "Sect Leader Yang, you should be aware of the current state of the Spirit Empire. If the Spirit Empire wins, it will likely not spare any of us present. Even if we are at a disadvantage, the Two Great Empires have millions of troops, which can definitely defeat the Spirit Empire."

Yang Xiong thought carefully before speaking: "I have never said we would not oppose the Spirit Empire, but since we must cooperate, we naturally need to show some sincerity."

"Our Body Sect has only been established for a few years, its foundation is still shallow; if you have any summons for the Body Sect to act together, just let us know."

Both Yang Xiong and Tang Yuehua spoke in circles, not specifying how to cooperate or what each side would contribute, essentially offering an ambiguous stance.

Ning Fengzhi smiled aside, as if the matter did not concern him; the Sword Douluo beside him simply closed his eyes to rest his spirit.

Meanwhile, Yang Wudi and the others, eager to avenge the Spirit Empire, each wore a different expression.

Yang Xiong found the three Tang siblings rather interesting: Tang Xiao was unusually steady, immovable as a mountain; Tang Hao was comparatively more reckless and domineering; Tang Yuehua handled matters very smoothly, yet exuded a merchant's air.

After an uncertain amount of time, Ning Fengzhi finally spoke slowly: "Sect Leader Yang, Sect Leader Tang, the Spirit Empire is now powerful; we must cooperate, otherwise being picked apart by the Spirit Empire would bring us total disaster."

Yang Xiong laughed: "Sect Leader, I have no objection to cooperation, but how exactly should we cooperate, and what form should the cooperation take?"

Ning Fengzhi said: "The front‑line situation of the Heaven Dou Empire is tense; each family should send certain experts to the front to help, which will also serve as a deterrent to the Spirit Empire while assisting the Heaven Dou Empire in stabilizing the situation."

Yang Xiong nodded: "Alright, I heard Emperor Xue Ye is recently discussing cooperation with Emperor Xing Luo; my Body Sect elder Niu Gao will lead two hundred Soul Grandmasters to assist Emperor Xue Ye. That should count as our sincerity; what do the two Sect Leaders think?"

Ning Fengzhi quickly nodded: "That works; I will also ask Gu Shu to lead two hundred Soul Grandmasters to assist Emperor Xue Ye, ensuring the stability of the Heaven Emperor's royal house."

Tang Xiao also nodded: "The Heaven Dou Empire indeed concerns the foundation of our three families; I will also dispatch an elder to lead two hundred Soul Grandmasters to assist Emperor Xue Ye."

…

After half a day of discussion, the three of them were arranged by Yang Xiong to reside and rest within the Body Sect.

Niu Gao, a bit puzzled, said: "Sect Leader, I will personally lead two hundred Soul Grandmasters to aid Emperor Xue Ye; isn't that number a bit too small?"

Yang Xiong helplessly shook his head: "Old Rhino, the war has only just begun, so there's no need to rush. Moreover, compared with the front‑line war, I am more concerned about the meeting between Emperor Xue Ye and Emperor Xing Luo; although the matter is covert, you should understand the Spirit Empire's intelligence‑gathering capability."

"As for the real great war, it is still early; when the decisive death battle arrives, we will all have to commit fully to the final showdown, and I still need to make preparations."

(End of Chapter)