The battle concluded.
Qian Renxue slowly retracted her Angelic Domain and landed back on the ground.
A look of surprise flickered in her beautiful eyes.
She was clearly startled by the power she had just unleashed.
Although over the past few years, her Seraphim Martial Soul had gradually evolved into a Ten-Winged Angel,
and her strength had increased significantly,
due to her role as an undercover agent,
Qian Renxue rarely had the opportunity to engage in combat.
The few times she did fight, it was against Jin Mian.
But without exception,
she was defeated by Jin Mian every single time.
This had led Qian Renxue to have an initial misjudgment of her own strength.
That was why she had started with a series of probing attacks.
She hadn't expected this Clear Sky Sect Titled Douluo named Tang Lie to be so weak.
She had only used one move, and the opponent was taken out immediately.
At that moment,
Jin Mian stepped forward and stuffed the two halves of Tang Lie into a sack.
"Excellent! It looks like in a few days, we'll have a legitimate reason to visit the Clear Sky Sect."
Qian Renxue nodded.
Indeed.
According to the laws of the Tiandou Empire,
trespassing into the imperial palace at night without permission,
attempting to kidnap the Emperor,
and even boastfully threatening to smash the palace to pieces,
if it were an ordinary person, executing ten generations of their clan wouldn't even be enough.
But Qian Renxue still had some doubts. Pointing at Tang Lie's corpse in the sack, she asked, "What's the use of packing up this guy's body?"
"Evidence," Jin Mian explained. "In case the people from the Clear Sky Sect think we're framing them, this will be the most powerful evidence."
To this,
Qian Renxue shook her head. "If the person were alive, they could be evidence, but once they're dead, as long as the Clear Sky Sect stubbornly refuses to admit it, it's completely useless."
Jin Mian said, "I know. This is just to find an excuse. This trip to the Clear Sky Sect is just to take a look around. If we aren't discovered, so be it, but if we are, then this is our reason for being there."
...A few days later.
After the hunting operation was finalized,
a grand motorcade drove out of Heaven Dou City, followed by a large army.
They traveled for more than a week.
They finally arrived at their destination.
The southern foothills of the Tianshan Snowfield.
This place was over three hundred miles northeast of Heaven Dou City.
The place lived up to its name.
It was named so because it snowed throughout all four seasons.
The Clear Sky Sect was established within one of the mountain ranges there.
While the army was setting up camp,
the Clear Sky Sect was currently holding an emergency meeting.
In the Council Hall,
Tang Xiao, as the Sect Master, naturally sat in the main seat.
Sitting to his left and right were Tang Yuehua and the Second Elder, respectively.
Further back were the other three Elders of the Clear Sky Sect.
As for why Tang Yuehua could sit so far forward,
firstly, it was because of her birth.
She was the biological sister of the current Clear Sky Sect Master.
In this Sect that valued bloodlines, the weight of being a 'biological sister'
was the most noble proof of status.
Even the Second Elder, who was a Titled Douluo, was a rank lower in front of her.
Furthermore, Tang Yuehua was no ordinary person.
During the period when the Clear Sky Sect was isolated from the world,
it was entirely thanks to the Moon Pavilion she established that they could gather outside intelligence, ensuring the Clear Sky Sect did not lose touch with the world over the years.
Her high status was a normal phenomenon.
However, at this moment, none of them had a good look on their faces.
The disciples within the Sect were also prepared for battle.
Soon, a Clear Sky Sect disciple walked in quickly.
"Greetings, Sect Master and Elders."
Tang Xiao hurriedly asked, "What did you find out?"
"Reporting to the Sect Master."
"We have confirmed that the army sent by the Tiandou Empire this time consists of more than five thousand well-equipped soldiers."
Hearing this,
the Third Elder had a look of contempt. "The Tiandou Empire really looks down on people. With a mere five thousand men, they actually think they can attack our Clear Sky Sect! They truly don't know any better."
The Second Elder said, "After all, Old Seven seized their Emperor. It's normal for there to be some movement. They probably don't want to make things too tense with us, which is why they only sent this many people."
"Second Brother, I beg to differ."
"They were the ones who provoked us first this time. We just invited their Emperor over for a talk." After the Fourth Elder finished speaking, he asked in confusion, "Come to think of it, why hasn't Old Seven returned yet?"
"It's been several days. Logically, Old Seven should have captured Xue Qinghe and returned by now, especially since the Heaven Dou people have already arrived."
"But why is there no sign of him?"
Just as the Elders were wondering why Tang Lie hadn't returned,
the disciple responsible for scouting said, "Elders, when I was scouting just now, I seemed to see the Tiandou Empire's Emperor, Xue Qinghe. And I heard the guards inside say that this time, Xue Qinghe himself is leading the team."
In an instant,
the meeting hall fell silent.
After a long while,
the Third Elder slammed the table and shouted angrily, "Nonsense! Xue Qinghe was captured by Old Seven long ago. How could he appear among the newcomers? Are you blind! How did you scout the situation?"
In his view,
no matter what, Tang Lie was a Titled Douluo.
And even if Xue Qinghe was an Emperor, so what? In the end, he was just an ant with no strength.
Therefore, he would not believe that Tang Lie had failed.
And it was even more impossible to believe that Tang Lie had fallen into the hands of this Xue Qinghe.
The disciple was too frightened to speak.
He hurriedly knelt on the ground.
Seeing this,
the Second Elder spoke up, breaking the tense atmosphere.
"Alright, Tang Shi, continue to lead your men to scout. This time, be more careful and see clearly if that Xue Qinghe is truly among those people."
"Yes!"
Tang Shi felt as if he had been granted a great amnesty.
He didn't dare to linger for a moment,
and quickly turned to leave.
The Council Hall fell silent once again.
Tang Xiao thought for a moment and said, "No need for everyone to worry. Perhaps Tang Shi was mistaken. Furthermore, even if the Seventh Elder really failed, with his strength, it wouldn't be difficult for him to retreat safely."
After calming everyone down,
he looked at his sister, Tang Yuehua. "Yuehua, just in case, immediately take all the women, children, and elderly of the Sect to the back mountain."
"Yes."
Tang Yuehua nodded.
Then Tang Xiao looked at the other four Elders. "Elders, also keep an eye out for any unfamiliar faces in the Sect recently. Once found, interrogate them for their origin and kill them immediately. Also, send people to strictly guard several strategic points of the Clear Sky Sect. I'm afraid someone might come up from there."
"Fine! I'll arrange that," the Second Elder added.
Although the Elders held a grudge against Tang Xiao as the Sect Master because of Tang Hao's matter,
in the face of major events, they were still united.
With the deployment completed,
after the meeting ended,
Tang Yuehua gathered all the women, children, and elderly who could not fight and went to the back mountain together.
To prevent any sneak attacks,
Tang Xiao specifically sent some elite disciples to guard them.
The Second Elder arranged for the other Elders and the combat disciples of the Sect
to be fully prepared for battle.
Although they knew the Tiandou Empire only had five thousand men, they couldn't be sure if this was just their vanguard.
The main force might be hiding somewhere else.
So they had to be cautious...
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/DaoistRoeoNQ
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"