Seeing Ning Fengzhi's tightly furrowed brows, Grandmaster and the others felt a faint sense of foreboding in their hearts.
"Sect Leader Ning, His Majesty refuses to send troops?" Grandmaster asked.
Ning Fengzhi nodded slightly. "He said that sending troops before clarifying the Spirit Hall's intentions would mean breaking with the Spirit Hall. He also harbors the idea of watching the snipe and clam fight while the fisherman benefits."
The faces of the Grandmaster and the other two turned unsightly.
Liu Erlong said, "How can our Emperor be so timid?"
Grandmaster shot Liu Erlong a glare, signaling her not to speak recklessly, before saying, "By the time we truly understand the Spirit Hall's intentions, it may already be too late."
Ning Fengzhi said bitterly, "I couldn't persuade him. I am now alone, and my words no longer carry any weight."
The four of them returned to Shrek Academy with heavy hearts. None of them wanted to see the Spirit Hall destroy the Star Luo Empire.
If the Star Luo Empire were truly wiped out, the Heaven Dou Empire wouldn't be far behind.
They all disliked the Spirit Hall's style of exterminating sects at the slightest provocation.
If the Spirit Hall unified the continent, they truly dared not imagine what the Douluo Continent would become.
Ning Fengzhi's heart suddenly stirred. He said to Flender, "Dean Flender, I have one more matter to trouble you with."
"Sect Leader Ning, please speak."
Ning Fengzhi said, "I believe this matter needs to be made known to the Clear Sky School. The Clear Sky School has been living in seclusion deep in the mountains and may still be unaware of the changes in the outside world."
Grandmaster asked, "You want the Clear Sky School to step in and stop this?"
Ning Fengzhi replied, "The Clear Sky School was the strongest sect back then and was nearly wiped out by the Spirit Hall. Their hatred toward the Spirit Hall runs deep as the sea. Now our Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School has also suffered at their hands, and even the Star Luo Empire is in imminent danger. If they learn of this news, they might take action."
Grandmaster frowned and said, "The Clear Sky School has rarely appeared in the soul master world in recent years. They probably haven't recovered their former strength yet. How could they stop the Spirit Hall?"
Ning Fengzhi sighed, "We should notify them as best we can. As for what measures the Clear Sky School will take, we cannot force it."
Grandmaster nodded. "Old Flender, then I'll trouble you to make the trip. Return as quickly as possible after delivering the message."
"Alright." Flender had just returned from the border between the two empires and hadn't had time to rest before heading to the Clear Sky School's secluded residence.
Although the Clear Sky School had disappeared from the soul master world, its hiding place was not a secret to some of the upper echelons of power.
...
Four days later, Flender returned.
In the meeting hall, Grandmaster asked urgently, "Old Flender, what was the Clear Sky School's attitude?"
Flender shook his head. "The Clear Sky School did not express a stance. They simply entertained me well."
Grandmaster sighed, "With the Clear Sky School's prestige in the soul master world, if they stood up and denounced the Spirit Hall, many sects might have supported them."
Ning Fengzhi said, "This is already the seventh day of the border blockade. There is a nine out of ten chance that the Spirit Hall is attacking the Star Luo Empire."
Liu Erlong was so angry that she was practically snorting steam from her nostrils. "It's already been seven days, and we still don't know the situation in the Star Luo Empire. The Spirit Hall is truly ruthless, they won't even let a single bird fly through."
At that moment, Zhao Wuji rushed in from outside in a frantic sprint, his expression extremely anxious.
"Bad news! The Star Luo Empire has been breached, and the Star Luo imperial family has been wiped out."
Zhao Wuji's words were like a thunderclap, leaving Grandmaster and the others' minds buzzing in shock.
Grandmaster suddenly stood up, grabbed Zhao Wuji, and asked loudly, "Where did the news come from? Is it reliable?"
Zhao Wuji panted heavily. "It came from a soul master of the Star Luo Empire who risked his life crossing through the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest. The Spirit Hall only took three days to reach the outskirts of Star Luo City, after which the Star Luo imperial family was exterminated.
"That soul master set out on the fifth day after the Spirit Hall began attacking the Star Luo Empire. Most of the Star Luo Empire's territory has already fallen into the Spirit Hall's control."
Zhao Wuji's throat was dry. He finished recounting this shocking news in one breath.
Grandmaster staggered back a few steps and collapsed into a chair. "How is that possible? How could the Spirit Hall destroy a powerful empire in just five days?
"The Star Luo Empire also has a million-strong army. How could it be wiped out so easily?"
Grandmaster had never felt such confusion before. He believed he understood the Spirit Hall extremely well, but at this moment, he was truly stunned.
He suddenly felt that the Spirit Hall had become incredibly unfamiliar to him.
If the Spirit Hall truly possessed the strength to conquer an empire in five days, could the Heaven Dou Empire still escape the same fate?
A deep fear surged in his heart.
He looked around and saw that everyone else's expressions were unprecedentedly grave.
Clearly, everyone had been frightened by this news.
"No, Sect Leader Ning, we must enter the palace immediately to see His Majesty. This matter cannot be delayed any longer. Otherwise, the Heaven Dou Empire will definitely follow in the Star Luo Empire's footsteps."
Grandmaster stood up abruptly.
Ning Fengzhi nodded with a grave expression. At this critical juncture, he wanted to see how Xue Qinghe would handle it.
The group hurriedly left Shrek Academy and headed toward the imperial palace.
The atmosphere in Heaven Dou City had changed; it had begun to feel uneasy and anxious.
It was evident that news of the Star Luo Empire's conquest by the Spirit Hall had already spread throughout the Heaven Dou Empire.
Facing such a powerful Spirit Hall, who wouldn't feel fear?
Common civilians worried whether war would make their lives even more difficult.
Nobles and the wealthy worried about their power and wealth.
When Grandmaster and the others entered the imperial palace, Emperor Xue Qinghe was holding a meeting with civil and military officials in the main audience hall.
Standing outside the hall, they could still hear intense arguing from inside.
They vaguely heard the word "surrender." They exchanged glances, their hearts growing even heavier.
The news had only just arrived, yet some officials in the Heaven Dou Empire were already advocating for surrender.
Surrender would naturally avoid having the Spirit Hall's army trample the land, but it would mean they would no longer be citizens of the Heaven Dou Empire—they would become subjects of the Spirit Hall.
Given the Spirit Hall's methods of dealing with those who opposed them in the soul master world, everyone might end up living in misery in the future.
Grandmaster and the others stood outside for a full hour. Several times they wanted to rush into the hall to argue, but they were stopped by the guards.
After the civil and military officials withdrew, and following an announcement, Grandmaster and the others were finally led to the imperial study to wait.
Qian Renxue had finished court and returned to her sleeping quarters. She first drank a cup of tea, pondering the purpose of Ning Fengzhi and the others' visit to the palace and mentally preparing how to respond.
Only after a long while did she slowly head toward the imperial study.
Inside the imperial study, Grandmaster and the others waited anxiously.
Ning Fengzhi already had a bad premonition in his heart.
In the past, whenever he came to see Xue Qinghe, Xue Qinghe would come immediately.
But this time, it seemed deliberately delayed.
This attitude was problematic!
They didn't take a sip of the hot tea on the table. Their hearts were filled with anxiety, desperately wanting to know the outcome of the earlier meeting.
They had been waiting in the study for about half an hour when Qian Renxue finally arrived unhurriedly.
Compared to the anxiety of Grandmaster and the others, Ning Fengzhi was much calmer because he had already prepared himself for the worst.
Qian Renxue's arrival made Grandmaster and the others restrain their anxious expressions and become respectful.
Qian Renxue invited them to sit and asked, "I wonder why Teacher and the various members of Shrek Academy have come to see me?"
Everyone looked toward Ning Fengzhi. As Xue Qinghe's teacher, he held the most authority among them.
Ning Fengzhi said, "We are here because of the Star Luo Empire matter."
"You've already heard?" Qian Renxue asked.
Ning Fengzhi nodded. "I heard that the Star Luo Empire only held out for five days before being destroyed by the Spirit Hall.
"Qinghe, we cannot hesitate any longer. Otherwise, our end will definitely be the same as the Star Luo Empire's. With the Spirit Hall's ambition, they will absolutely not be satisfied with the current situation."
Qian Renxue nodded. "Since the Spirit Hall possesses such powerful strength, they certainly won't be content with just taking the Star Luo Empire. But the Spirit Hall is so powerful—what can we use to resist them?"
As soon as her words fell, Grandmaster and the others finally sensed that something was wrong.
Their Emperor seemed to have no intention of resisting the Spirit Hall.
Grandmaster hesitated for a moment before asking, "Your Majesty, are you really going to sit by and watch the people of Heaven Dou fall into misery, watching the foundation built by our ancestors be seized by the Spirit Hall?"
Qian Renxue showed a surprised expression and asked, "Why would the people of Heaven Dou fall into misery?"
Grandmaster spoke with a firm tone: "Your Majesty, are you still unaware of the Spirit Hall's style of conduct? The Clear Sky School was nearly wiped out back then, and now the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School no longer exists. None of the soul masters who opposed the Spirit Hall met a good end. With the Spirit Hall's ruthless methods, if it unifies the continent, the common people will have no good days ahead."
Qian Renxue shook her head. "Grandmaster, you are wrong. It seems the information you received is not complete."
Everyone, including Ning Fengzhi, was stunned.
What did the Emperor mean by those words?
Qian Renxue continued, "In the past few days, while attacking the Star Luo Empire, the Spirit Hall did not cause much harm to the Star Luo people. Every city they occupied, they did not harm a single innocent civilian. They even issued many policies beneficial to the people and received support from many Star Luo citizens. Additionally, most of the Star Luo Empire's soldiers surrendered; there were not many deaths."
She then explained some of the Spirit Hall's policies.
"How is that possible?" Grandmaster could not believe this fact.
Ning Fengzhi remained much calmer. He asked in a deep voice, "Qinghe, does that mean you intend to abandon the Heaven Dou Empire?"
Qian Renxue nodded. "The Spirit Hall is too powerful for us to resist. If we forcibly oppose them, that would truly plunge the people into misery.
"Compared to the common people, our Heaven Dou imperial family's small foundation is nothing. If it's lost, then so be it."
Qian Renxue spoke with great righteousness, making people involuntarily feel respect.
Even the Grandmaster was momentarily moved by her words.
An emperor who thought so much of the common people was rare throughout history.
But after a moment, he sobered up.
"Your Majesty, based on my understanding of the Spirit Hall, this is very likely just their smokescreen to make the invasion easier. Perhaps when they truly unify the continent, the nightmare for the people of the world will begin."
Grandmaster still held firmly to his own view. With his many years of understanding of the Spirit Hall and Bibi Dong, he was absolutely unwilling to see the Spirit Hall unify the continent.
If the Spirit Hall truly unified the continent, then any sect that was even slightly powerful would likely be exterminated by the Spirit Hall.
Nipping threats in the bud, this was what the Spirit Hall liked to do most.
Qian Renxue shook her head. "My decision is made. I will not easily start a war. Moreover, this is also the will of the court officials. In the meeting just now, the vast majority of ministers agreed to submit to the Spirit Hall."
Grandmaster and the others were shocked.
The news of the Star Luo Empire's destruction had only just arrived, yet the Heaven Dou Empire's upper echelons had already prepared to surrender.
This was simply a great irony.
Grandmaster's chest felt stifled, as if a breath was stuck there, unable to be released.
Ning Fengzhi stood up. "Since Qinghe, you have already decided, we won't waste any more words. I only hope your choice is correct."
Grandmaster and the others looked at Ning Fengzhi in confusion. Was he giving up just like that?
"Grandmaster, let's go back first." With that, Ning Fengzhi had already turned and walked out.
Grandmaster glanced at Qian Renxue, somewhat unwilling, but could only take his leave.
Flender and Liu Erlong hadn't said a word the entire time, but their moods were equally heavy.
Once they were far from the imperial study, Grandmaster asked Ning Fengzhi, "Sect Leader Ning, why did you give up so quickly?"
Ning Fengzhi sighed. "Because I understand that no matter how we persuade him, the outcome cannot be changed. The Heaven Dou Empire is destined to surrender to the Spirit Hall."
"If we don't persist until the end, how can we know it's impossible?" Liu Erlong couldn't help but say.
Ning Fengzhi let out a cold laugh. "Don't you find it strange? The news of the Star Luo Empire's defeat had only just arrived, yet the vast majority of the Heaven Dou Empire's upper echelons had already prepared to surrender.
"Once the Spirit Hall unifies the continent, these ministers' positions may not be preserved. Do you think so many people are truly as selfless and righteous as Xue Qinghe appeared, unconcerned with their own interests?"
Ning Fengzhi directly called Xue Qinghe by name at this point, showing that the anger in his heart was far from as calm as his surface appearance.
Grandmaster and the others were stunned. They finally reacted belatedly.
This was truly too abnormal.
One or two people might be understandable, but having the vast majority of the court officials sacrifice themselves for others, how was that possible?
Grandmaster and the others were not children. They instantly understood that there must be some hidden details they didn't know about.
"Sect Leader Ning, do you know something?" Grandmaster asked in a deep voice.
A trace of fear gradually rose in his heart.
Ning Fengzhi glanced around before saying, "Xue Qinghe may have defected to the Spirit Hall long ago, or this Xue Qinghe may not be the original Xue Qinghe at all."
Grandmaster and the other three bodies trembled violently, feeling a chill run down their spines.
If Xue Qinghe really was someone from the Spirit Hall, then what they had just done was practically walking in front of the gates of hell.
"Is there evidence?" Grandmaster asked urgently, his breathing rapid.
Ning Fengzhi let out a deep sigh. "Actually, Chen Xin and Gu Rong did not go to seek revenge against the Spirit Hall, they are already dead."
"What!" Grandmaster cried out in shock.
At the time, Chen Xin and Gu Rong had clearly already arrived at Shrek Academy. If they were really dead, why hadn't they noticed anything?
Ning Fengzhi then recounted how he had witnessed Gu Rong being killed by Jiang Chen, and how Jiang Chen had admitted that Chen Xin was already dead.
However, for the sake of his daughter's reputation, he did not mention that Jiang Chen had transformed into Ning Rongrong.
The group walked out of the imperial palace in shock, silent for a long time.
Suddenly, Grandmaster berated, "Flender, look at what you've done! I asked you to take good care of Sect Leader Ning and the two seniors, yet you let someone sneak into the academy to assassinate them. You useless fool!"
Grandmaster was furious. Before he and Liu Erlong left, he had specifically instructed Flender to look after Ning Fengzhi.
Yet Gu Rong had been assassinated inside Shrek Academy, and Flender, the dean, hadn't noticed anything.
Flender lowered his head deeply, feeling immense shame and guilt.
"Sect Leader Ning, I'm sorry, I…"
Ning Fengzhi raised his hand to interrupt him. "You don't need to blame yourself. The Spirit Hall is simply too insane.
"Also, please do not tell Rongrong about Chen Xin and Gu Rong's deaths. I'm afraid she won't be able to accept it. Let her keep that illusion in her heart."
Grandmaster and the other two agreed.
Based on the various suspicious points Ning Fengzhi had mentioned, they finally realized that the Emperor was indeed suspicious.
"Then what else can we do? Will the Spirit Hall move against us?" Liu Erlong asked worriedly.
There were still many students in her academy. If Xue Qinghe really was someone from the Spirit Hall, then Shrek Academy would also be in danger.
Ning Fengzhi comforted her, "There's probably no need to worry about that. The Spirit Hall should disdain to act against us. After all, we pose little threat to the Spirit Hall."
As he spoke, Ning Fengzhi's heart filled with bitterness.
The once-powerful Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School now only had him and his daughter left, and both had suffered greatly at the hands of the Spirit Hall.
The hope of revenge had become incredibly slim. He didn't want to give up, either.
But now, they truly no longer had the strength to stop the Spirit Hall.
Grandmaster sighed, "Things have already developed to this point. It's no longer something we can stop."
His expression was extremely dejected. Two of the three upper sects had been crippled, and one had submitted to the Spirit Hall.
The Star Luo Empire had already been destroyed, and the Heaven Dou Empire was suspected of being infiltrated by the Spirit Hall. What else did they have to fight with?
"Sigh, let's just watch. I hope the Spirit Hall can be as… His Majesty said." Grandmaster sighed.
Flender and Liu Erlong nodded heavily.
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Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are chapters available on Patreon."
"Douluo: Divine Boar of Douluo 30 Advance chapters"
"Douluo: Sword of Judgment and Eternal Ice 30 Advance chapters"
"From Douluo to Godhood by Defying the Heavens 30 Advance chapters."
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