"Pfft... Haha..."
Hearing Jin Yue'er's reminder, Qian Renxue couldn't help but let out a soft laugh, her face gradually flushing red. She subtly glanced at Ye Tian's legs, then couldn't help but feel a wave of self-reproach.
"Yue'er, can you please stop bringing up awkward topics like that!?" Ye Tian stared at Jin Yue'er with a deep gaze, finally unable to resist reaching out and grabbing the two Sky-Piercing Braids on top of her head. He shook them wildly as if gripping motorcycle handlebars, venting his frustration.
"Eek~ Ah—! Ye Tian, don't play like that, you're going to break my head!" Jin Yue'er swayed her head along with Ye Tian's force, disoriented as she cried for help: "Ah! Grandpa, Sister Xue, save me, save Yue'er!"
"Haha..." Golden Crocodile Douluo simply let out a hearty laugh.
In the end, it was Qian Renxue who came to the rescue. Ye Tian was her quasi-boyfriend now—he couldn't play like this with another woman! Qian Renxue grabbed Ye Tian's arm and pleaded, "Alright, Ye Tian, let Yue'er off this time. Don't you still need to absorb and refine the Fairy Tulip Pill?"
"Fine." Upon hearing this, Ye Tian released Jin Yue'er's Sky-Piercing Braids but still pointed at her and warned, "Yue'er, you'd better forget about that incident. Why does a young girl like you keep thinking about my body? How inappropriate!"
"But..." Jin Yue'er rubbed her sore scalp, pouting and muttering, "But even if I forget last time, there's still next time with you."
"You..." Ye Tian's face darkened, flushing slightly red.
Qian Renxue nearly burst out laughing again at Jin Yue'er's words, and she even felt a faint sense of anticipation in her heart...
"Phew—" Ye Tian let out a long breath, deciding not to dwell on the matter any longer. So what if she looked? After the first time, the second time really wasn't a big deal anymore. Ye Tian comforted himself with this thought...
He shot a glare at the secretly laughing Qian Renxue, then turned to Jin E and asked, "By the way, Your Excellency, how have things been at the Clear Sky School these past few days? Has my teacher's advance been going smoothly?"
"Heh..." At the mention of this, Jin E couldn't help but sneer coldly. "Only when the real fight started did we realize that without Tang Chen, the Clear Sky School is just a soft persimmon. After Tang Zhen's death, it's been a one-sided situation. In just three days, their territory has shrunk by more than half. If Tang Chen doesn't show himself, they won't last much longer."
"Is that so." Ye Tian nodded slightly. The Clear Sky School's collapse was even faster than he had imagined. They would probably soon abandon all their subsidiary clans, using them as sacrificial pawns to cover the retreat of the Tang family members of the Clear Sky School.
The reality was exactly as Ye Tian had predicted—and even faster!
"Kill—!"
At this moment, dawn was breaking, yet the battlefield was filled with continuous shouts of slaughter. Mixed in were the grief-stricken cries of the Clear Sky School elders and Tang Xiao, the new sect leader.
"Big Brother!!!"
"Great Elder!"
Responding to them on the battlefield was Bi Bi Dong's somewhat maniacal laughter.
"Haha...!"
"Go—for the sect!"
A piercing, miserable scream erupted from the mouth of the Clear Sky School's Great Elder, Tang Ming, the 95th-rank Thunderclap Douluo.
"Ah—!"
The spider scythe swept through the air, sending a severed head soaring high as blood gushed forth like a fountain.
With the coordinated Spirit Fusion Skill of Chrysanthemum and Ghost, Bi Bi Dong held up the head of the Clear Sky School's Great Elder, Tang Ming, in her hand. She licked her dry lips and cast a venomous gaze at Tang Xiao and the others, sneering, "With strength like this, I truly don't understand how Tang Hao managed to accomplish what he did."
"Spirit Hall!!!"
Tang Xiao's eyes burned crimson with rage as he immediately raised his Clear Sky Hammer, ready to charge forward.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo instantly appeared on either side of Bi Bi Dong.
By now, they had realized that Bi Bi Dong, the Saintess who had successively slain the Clear Sky School's Sect Master, Sixth Elder, and Great Elder, securing the foremost merits, was highly likely—if not certain—to become the next Pope.
Otherwise, there would be no reason for the Saintess to appear here.
Moreover, neither of them were fools. Before they were assigned to guard the Pope, they had already known that Qian Xunji's injuries had largely stabilized. Yet, not long after the Saintess summoned them to discuss how to deal with Tang Hao, news spread of the Pope's sudden death. The coincidence was far too striking.
Considering that the Pope and the Saintess only maintained a superficial harmony, they could already guess the truth!
But this truth could only be understood, not spoken aloud—otherwise, it would mean certain death!
"Quick—! Stop the Sect Master!" the Second Elder of the Clear Sky School urgently ordered the other elders to restrain Tang Xiao.
"Spirit Hall, we will return!"
With those resentful words, the Second Elder turned and led the way out.
The remaining elders followed without hesitation, casting one last look of bitter reluctance before hurrying after him.
"After them!"
Bi Bi Dong tossed aside the head in her hand and immediately set off with Chrysanthemum and Ghost in pursuit.
"What are you doing? Release me!"
"I am the Sect Master, and you are elders! How can you flee from battle like this?!"
Tang Xiao struggled, his eyes bloodshot.
"Enough! A head-on fight will only lead to our complete annihilation! The most important thing now is to honor the final orders of the Great Elder and the late Sect Master—to lead the remaining clansmen away from the battlefield!" the Second Elder gritted his teeth.
Having enjoyed the privileged life that came with being the world's top sect, how could he willingly retreat deep into the mountains and live in obscurity?
But there was no choice—survival was paramount!
The continuation of the sect was paramount!
"Seventh Elder, issue the order immediately: have our forces reorganize their formation before sunrise! Let the subordinate forces lure the enemy at the front, occasionally creating gaps to draw the strong opponents to the rear, where our Clear Sky School will deal with them!"
"What?!"
Hearing the Second Elder's arrangement, Tang Xiao widened his eyes in disbelief. Before the Seventh Elder could respond, he roared in fury, "Have you all gone mad? Are you truly planning to abandon the brothers who have fought alongside us through life and death? And to deceive them into covering our retreat?!"
Ignoring Tang Xiao's outburst, the Second Elder pressed on.
"Oh, and Seventh Elder!"
"Once the new formation is in place, spread the decision to expel Tang Hao and his son from the Clear Sky School to every corner of the battlefield!"
"Yes! Second Brother, I will arrange it at once." The Seventh Elder clenched his teeth in acknowledgment and swiftly left the group.
"Second Elder, how dare you! I am the Sect Master!!" Tang Xiao bellowed in rage.
"Enough! My esteemed Sect Master, can't you see the situation clearly? Do you think Old Seven, who just lost his son, would be willing to let Spirit Hall off?! Our Clear Sky School has already lost its dominant position! Moreover, what the Second Elder led us to carry out was merely the final command of the late Sect Master! As his son, would you dare defy your own father's dying words?! If we don't retreat, you'll become the sinner of our sect—disloyal and unfilial!"
The Third Elder of Clear Sky School shouted harshly.
"You... you all...!"
With these two heavy accusations thrown at him, Tang Xiao's face turned red and his neck thickened, leaving him speechless.
He never expected that right after his father's death, these elders would attempt to strip him of his authority as Sect Master!
"Sect Master, we must face reality!"
"Indeed, only by retreating to our ancestral lands can we preserve a glimmer of hope. As the Sect Master, you must not act on impulse. That brat Tang Hao caused such a disaster, and even when the late Sect Master was killed, he didn't show his face... Doesn't that speak volumes?!"
"..."
The other elders continued to shove harsh truths into Tang Xiao's mouth, rendering him utterly speechless.
He could only become their puppet, watching helplessly as they manipulated Clear Sky School.
Under Clear Sky School's orders, numerous subordinate forces, though filled with doubts, still moved swiftly into action.
Before this, who could have imagined that Clear Sky School—renowned for its unyielding integrity—would suddenly betray its allies and flee the battlefield, abandoning its comrades?
Without Clear Sky School's participation, the fate of these subordinate forces was predictable.
They scattered at the first charge, utterly defeated!
Dropping their weapons and armor, they fled for thousands of miles!
As Clear Sky School publicly announced the expulsion of Tang Hao and his son, it was as if they had stripped themselves bare on the battlefield and raised the white flag.
But Spirit Hall's pursuit would not stop here!
Qian Daoliu, having failed to hunt down Tang Hao after seven days and nights, was growing furious.
He would not order a cease in pursuit until Clear Sky School truly retreated to its homeland!
"Kill—!"
On the battlefield, the cries of battle continued to rage.
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