Heaven Dou Empire, Heaven Dou City, Headquarters of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan
The Headquarters of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, located in Heaven Dou City, was probably the most luxurious and grandest-looking building in the entire city, far eclipsing even the Imperial Palace of the Imperial Family.
The entire building was stylized as a seven-story pagoda, which symbolized the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Martial Soul and their entire Clan.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was considered as the most formidable Auxiliary-System Tool-Type Martial Soul. It was the symbol of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and passed down directly by the bloodline of the Clan, though primarily through the Ning Family, which controlled the saint Clan.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda could boost certain attributes of a person other than the user.
This Martial Soul also has another talent, Treasure Appraisal, which allows the user to find rare metals. It is also the reason why the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Clan can become the richest Clan on the Douluo Continent.
However, due to the Laws of Heaven and Earth, everything needed to be balanced, and thus, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda does not have any offensive capabilities. Most importantly, this wasn't the most severe restriction on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda has seven layers of floors with seven layers of colors. The most severe restriction of this Martial Soul is that it could only accommodate seven Soul Rings, two fewer than any other Martial Soul.
Without the evolution of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, breaking through to Soul Douluo is impossible, and all people with this Martial Soul are destined to remain as Soul Douluos for the rest of their Path.
Usually, the Headquarters of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was bustling with activity as countless people were coming in and out, doing business with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Chamber of Commerce, or the disciples of the Clan were on a mission for the Clan.
The atmosphere throughout the place was gloomy and depressing, due to the Clan's current state and the news they received.
Their operation in coordination with the Clear Sky Clan to halt the advance of the Spirit Hall in the Disputed Lands has ended horribly for them.
During the Eight Titles Fight, as the people of the Douluo Continent called it, five Titled Douluos were killed. Two Elders of the Clear Sky Clan have fallen, including one at the Super Douluo Rank, and even the Titled Douluos of the Stormland Dukedom and Moonlight Principality were among the casualties.
What was worse, the Gu Rong, the Super Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, was severely injured to the point where it would be considered a miracle if he could use his Super Douluo strength in the future.
Much less said about the recuperation.
"So what are we going to do about our current situation?"
In the highest floor of the seven-story pagoda, two people were conversing and had an equally gloomy aura around them. The one who asked the question was an old man with a head of silver hair neatly combed behind his back, with a simple and unadorned appearance, both eyes not fully opened but slightly shut.
His gestures in between give off a very special feeling, and his aura could be described as a sharp edge, like that of the sharpest sword that would cut everything in its path.
"What can we do? The loss we suffered is tremendous, and Uncle Bone was severely injured... what was worse, the Spirit Hall finally showed their fangs, and what is even worse than that, they only showed the surface. In other words, they showed us only what they wanted us to see."
Ning Fengzhi was an elegant middle-aged man with a calm and scholarly appearance and a gentle voice. He was an extremely kind person with a big heart. He did not care for nobility much and values talent above all else, especially those talented in the attack-oriented systems, since he is an Auxiliary-System Soul Master.
"That's certainly worrying... Spirit Hall always had ambition, but this is different and goes against everything that they have been doing for the past several millennia."
Sword Douluo Chen Xin was the strongest Titled Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
The Chen Family served as the Guardians of the Clan and were one of the main families of the Clan, with their Martial Soul, Seven Kill Sword, being considered as one of the strongest Tool-Type Martial Souls on the entire continent.
In terms of the Attack-Systems, they were certainly the best; some argued that they were even better than the Clear Sky Hammer.
"Well, we got something that we could work with and could be used to recuperate some losses... partially at least."
Ning Fenghzi stated carefully because during the initial attack, several spies from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan managed to escape from the Stormland Dukedom and relay the information back to the headquarters.
"What kind of news?"
The Clan's spy network was something that was the responsibility of the Patriarch, and Chen Xin didn't really care that much about this, because his duty within the Clan was to fight and kill enemies.
"Firstly, we managed to confirm that the Titled Douluos of the Spirit Hall are vastly more powerful than they should be... their Average Titled Douluos have the power of Super Douluos of the outside and... Azure Luan Douluo, who reached Soul Rank 98, showcased the battle prowess of... Limit."
Ning Fenghzi took a deep breath as he slowly revealed the piece of information that shook the Sword Douluo Chen Xin to the core. The Spirit Hall was always deeply hiding their strength, and nobody even really knew how many Titled Douluos they had.
Yet, Chen Xin was sure that their strength wasn't on the level that was showcased today.
He suspected that this must be related to their sudden development that started more than ten years ago.
Since then, any possible infiltration in the Spirit Hall became nigh impossible, because Grand Worship Elder himself was screening every single member of the Spirit Hall that set foot in the Spirit City.
Even the high-ranking personnel from every single branch of the Grand Cathedral, to the lowest Martial Soul Temple in the smallest cities, needed to go to the Spirit City for the examination.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan lost a significant number of spies in these purges, and it only showed how effective the methods of the Spirit Hall were in preventing possible infiltrations of their faction.
"Secondly, the one in charge of the Crusade is most probably the newest Holy Son of the Spirit Hall."
Chen Xin raised his eyebrows because this was indeed surprising news. Nobody even knew that the Spirit Hall had someone as their Holy Son, which was... unusual.
Typically, when the Spirit Hall had someone in mind as their Holy Son, the person was proclaimed such somewhere early in their cultivation journey. Chen Xin had only a vague understanding of the Laws of Heaven and Earth, but his father told him that it was due to smoother progress.
The Luck.
In the Douluo Continent, only the Limit Douluos and some lucky Hyper Douluos could resonate with the Laws of Heaven and Earth, start comprehending the Laws, and see the true world.
Chen Xin's father, Chen Jianju, was a peak Soul Rank 98 Super Douluo who reached that threshold due to his immense talent and comprehension capabilities.
"You think there is a reason behind it?"
He asked Ning Fenghzi because even if the man wasn't the strongest or most powerful or most talented, he was very skilled in the area of administration, information gathering, and strategy.
"Yes. Spirit Hall never does things randomly, and there must be a reason for their protection... our spies managed to learn that the young man is Soul King, somewhere in the middle of the Ranks, but his real power..."
Ning Fenghzi suddenly stopped in his tracks as he sighed deeply because he was feeling enormous pressure on his shoulders. Over the past few years, he has gained some understanding of the Holy Son, primarily because of one thing.
Clash between the Celestial Trade Chamber of Commerce and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Chamber of Commerce.
Previously, he only knew that someone from the Spirit Hall was managing the Celestial Trade and its operations, but he didn't know the precise identity of the person. But the defeats that he suffered at the hands of this person were already piling up to make a small mountain, as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan lost tens of millions of Gold Soul Coins.
"According to the information gathered, he killed several Soul Emperors and even one newly advanced Soul Saint."
Such information was rather terrifying, because Soul Masters were rarely able to cross-fight against higher Realms.
Yet, today it was broken.
"And not only him... There are reports of another person, a Soul Emperor, killing several Soul Saints, and rather easily at that. By all accounts, the Spirit Hall has several members of their younger generation that are capable of such a feat, and it's only a matter of time until they reach Super Douluo, perhaps even Limit Douluo Realm."
His words were grave, and Chen Xin understood the wider implications of the statement.
***
Clear Sky Clan, Clear Sky Peak, Two Weeks After the Battle of Eight Titles
The hidden location of the Clear Sky Clan was located in a very tall mountain range, a good distance away from Heaven Dou Imperial City.
An enormous mountain appeared in the distance. This peak was majestic, and the mountain's topography seemed steep and perilous. From a distance, the mountain appeared to have three sides that stretched upward vertically, as if they had been carved by a knife.
Only one side was relatively flatter, but that was only relative to the other three sides. Normal people would have a very difficult time climbing this mountain. Only the relatively gentler slope had layers of vegetation growing along its surface.
The surrounding mountains meandered around this steeply sloped peak. However, even the tallest of the surrounding mountains only reached halfway up this kingly summit.
An ocean of clouds drifted above the range of mountains, but an onlooker could see only the part of this peak below the sea of clouds; one would have to rise above the clouds to see what lay above.
The true heart of the headquarters of the Clear Sky Clan was the Clear Sky Peak and Clear Sky Castle.
Clear Sky Castle was constructed from some unknown material that warded away the chill and the damp, both of which were evident and uncomfortable after leaving the comfort of those walls.
Conservative estimates put the Clear Sky Peak at three thousand meters high! The top of Clear Sky Peak was made of extremely hard granite. There weren't many extravagant decorations or ornaments inside the castle. Everything was mainly black or grey in color, with occasional traces of green.
There were two flights of stairs on each side, and leading to higher levels. The castle's structure wasn't complicated, having only three levels, but every level covered a great deal of space.
In the Elder Hall of the Clear Sky Clan, the remaining Elders of the Clear Sky Clan looked at each other with equally grim looks.
In the center of the circular room, sat the Patriarch of the Clear Sky Clan, Howling Sky Douluo Tang Xiao.
Tang Xiao was more than two meters tall with the appearance of a back of a tiger and waist of a bear, a chiseled face and short grizzled hair. He had a hard look in his eyes because the situation had turned out to be a catastrophe for the Clan.
The only saving grace for the man was that, in terms of the Clan's politics, he was one who was more critical of the plan and wanted to refrain from the fighting. While he couldn't understand the power of the Spirit Hall, he understood that it was far above the Spirit Hall.
Yet, most of the Elders were too drunk on their newfound power, and they felt that they could succeed in their endeavor when partnered with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, Lei Tianlang, and Wu Hao.
Even he admitted that they put together a rather impressive lineup and thought that if the Worship Elders didn't participate in the war, then it would be enough for them to stop the advancement of the Spirit Hall.
One of their main plans was to capture some of their crucial personnel, preferably some of the Legacy Disciples of Spirit Hall participating in the Crusade, to force the Spirit Hall back.
The plan was good.
At least on paper.
Yet...
The reality was their worst nightmare.
"So, what shall we do?"
One of the Elders broke the silence.
It was Tang Yuran, Sixth Elder, Soul Rank 91, Titled Douluo. He was an ordinary-looking, middle-aged man with brown hair and a thick brown beard.
"I have told you that this entire mission was a mistake from the start. We should have focused on training and cultivating more Titled Douluos and alliances with the other factions that are hostile to the Spirit Hall. I have told you that the Disputed Lands are lost."
After him, it was the oldest person in the assembly who spoke.
Tang Ming, the Second Elder of the Clear Sky Clan, Soul Rank 95 Super Douluo. He was an old man with long white eyebrows and a sharp look like a hawk, yet he was also firmly built, and it was clear that he was pretty powerful just by a look at his physique.
Despite their disagreement, the newest and younger Elders who reached the Titled Douluo Realm shortly before the closure or during the closure had very different opinion on the matter.
Especially now deceased Tang Shuming, who was adamant about participating in the war.
Third Elder Tang Shuming: Soul Rank 95 Super Douluo, Fourth Elder Tang Fangrui: Soul Rank 93 Titled Douluo, Tang Qingqing: Fifth Elder Soul Rank 92 Titled Douluo and Fierce Sun Douluo Tang Haien: Soul Rank 94 Titled Douluo.
These people reached the Titled Douluo Realm during this time.
Tang Yuran, who was the Sixth Elder, also reached the Titled Douluo Realm during this time, but he reached it at a relatively advanced age and wasn't that young compared to the other four.
In the end, votes were cast, and it was in favor of intervention.
"We need to search for allies to resist the Spirit Hall, not just in form, just resistance, but in alliance, and we need to do it fast."
Tang Ming voiced his thoughts.
"Do you think that Blue Lighting Tyrant Dragon Clan and Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan would be open to the proposal?"
One of the Elders asked because the best way to gather allies would be to look first to the two fellow members of the Upper Three Sects.
"Blue Lighting Tyrant Dragon Clan would be open for the alliance for sure, but the second one? I don't really think so..."
As soon as Tang Ming said that, everyone looked towards the Second Elder because they were rather confused about the statement.
"Why so? They also suffered in this debacle, and they have no positive feelings for the Spirit Hall."
Many Elders agreed with the words of the Sixth Elder, but Tang Xiao and Tang Ming knew that things were not that simple.
"That may be true, but you also need to consider another fact. Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan is primarily a merchant organization, and even though the Chen Family has some hostility toward the Spirit Hall, it's not enough on the level of open fight to the death. Even if this is not included, the greatest obstacle will come from the Ning Fenghzi himself."
It was the Patriarch who spoke as Tang Ming nodded, and the other Elders frowned deeply, wanting to find something wrong with it.
Tang Xiao knew Ning Fenghzi very well, because they were from the same generation, and because both of them were the most promising from the younger generation among the Upper Three Sects, they were well acquainted since childhood.
"Ning Fenghzi won't join the alliance until he is absolutely sure of our victory. He is extremely cautious by nature and won't move just based on the promise of an alliance and resistance against the Spirit Hall. Especially right now, when Gu Rong is severely injured. I wouldn't be surprised even a bit if he struck some deal with the Spirit Hall so they could remain neutral."
Tang Xiao knew Ning Fenghzi well.
He understood his train of thought and his personality.
Now that Spirit Hall has made the move, it was their move.
"We need to focus on the Blue Lihgting Tyrant Dragon Clan, loose Soul Masters and smaller Clans and Sects."
Even though the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan would be a great addition to the alliance, it wasn't the time.
Just as they were about to discuss the matters further, a sudden, disheveled messenger rushed into the meeting room.
Everyone noticed that the man didn't even knock and had a very bad look on his face, which meant that something had happened.
And that something would be something that they wouldn't like.
"Honorable Elders, forgive me my intrusion, but I bring very important things that pertain to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan."
All Elders turned serious as Tang Xiao motioned for the messenger to speak.
"Just one hour earlier, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan announced their retreat from the Disputed Lands, Anarchic Land, and Patriarch Ning gave up his position as the Grand Tutor of the Empire."
This news shook the entire Elder Hall like thunder from the clear sky.
'So the worst variant happened...'
Tang Xiao thought, with a defeated expression, as he knew the worst possible variant had happened.