Chapter 273: Secretly Stirring Up Trouble? Is Tang San Going to Be in Trouble Again?
At the Clear Sky Sect, on a treacherous mountain path,
led by Tang Long, Ning Fengzhi, Bone Douluo, and a seemingly ordinary, inconspicuous attendant were heading towards the sect's council hall atop the mountain.
This attendant was none other than Tang Chuan, who had used a simulation soul skill to alter his appearance.
He deliberately concealed all his aura, following closely behind Ning Fengzhi, his head bowed, perfectly playing the role of a follower.
At the same time, his soul, nourished by the spiritual power of the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm for a million years, was like the most sophisticated radar, silently scanning his surroundings.
Just as they passed a relatively secluded corridor leading to the side courtyard guest rooms, Tang Chuan's spiritual power keenly detected a faint, yet exceptionally cold, killing intent.
Although this killing intent was suppressed, the violence and evil it contained subtly matched the aura of someone in his memory.
"This is..." Tang Chuan's heart stirred, and he immediately sent a more condensed strand of spiritual energy, like tentacles, silently extending towards the direction from which the killing intent emanated.
The spiritual energy penetrated walls and obstacles, instantly projecting the scene in a secluded room not far away into his mind.
There stood Tang Yuehua, her face showing undisguised worry and a hint of exhaustion. And standing before her was Tang San, his face pale and his eyes constantly flickering!
Tang Yuehua lowered her voice, her tone urgent and confused:
"Xiao San, just stay here. Don't go anywhere, and don't use your soul power."
She paused, her eyes filled with bewilderment and heartache, and couldn't help but ask:
"And...your...your Clear Sky Hammer, how...how did it become like that? That white soul ring, and those...things, what happened?!"
Hearing this, Tang San's body visibly stiffened. His eyes darted around, his lips trembled, and he stammered, seemingly wanting to explain but unable to articulate anything coherent. He could only vaguely stammer, "Auntie, I...I had an accident while absorbing the soul ring..."
Seeing his expression, Tang Yuehua, though filled with countless questions, knew this wasn't the time to delve deeper. She could only sigh helplessly and wave her hand, saying:
"Forget it, now's not the time to talk about that. Anyway, the news of your return, especially the situation with your martial soul, absolutely cannot be leaked out for now, especially not to the elders of the sect! After my brother finishes dealing with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's visit today, he and I will think of a way to help you cover it up and formally recognize your ancestors."
Hearing Tang Yuehua's words about handling things internally and even preparing to cover it up,
Tang Chuan's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile.
"Trying to quietly suppress the matter?"
"Not so easy."
Just then, as they were being led by Tang Long, they happened to reach a corner of a building structure, and their view was blocked by the wall.
A figure, with the exact same build, appearance, and even clothing as Tang Long, who was leading the way, appeared silently from the shadows behind them like a ghost.
...
A moment later, inside the Haotian Sect, a figure strode quickly under the eaves.
His appearance was none other than Tang Long, the sect leader Tang Xiao's capable assistant.
However, he was actually Tang Chuan's simulated soul skill.
The fake Tang Long had a clear objective and went straight to the residence of the Seventh Elder, the most hot-tempered member of the sect and the one most resentful of what happened to Tang Hao years ago.
"Seventh Elder!" The fake Tang Long's face showed just the right amount of anxiety and indignation, even slightly out of breath, as if he had run all the way there. He said, "This disciple has important news to report!"
The door creaked open.
The stern-faced, bristling Seventh Elder appeared in the doorway, frowning. "Tang Long? What's the matter? Weren't you sent to receive the guests from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School?"
"Elder, it is this matter!"
The fake Tang Long lowered his voice, unable to hide his excitement, and explained, "While arranging for the distinguished guests to meet the Sect Master in the main hall, this disciple overheard someone returning. Guess who?"
"Who?"
"It's Tang San! Tang Hao's son, he's back!"
"What?!" The Seventh Elder's pupils contracted, and his voice suddenly rose.
The fake Tang Long continued to embellish the story, his face displaying perfectly measured disgust and disbelief. He said, "Moreover…moreover, this disciple saw it with his own eyes! His Clear Sky Hammer…his Clear Sky Hammer actually…actually has a white ten-year soul ring wrapped around it!"
"The hammer itself is crawling with countless wriggling maggots! It emits an indescribable stench! It's utterly trampling the glory of my Clear Sky Sect into the mud!"
"Is this true?!" Upon hearing this, the Seventh Elder was initially incredulous, then an uncontrollable rage instantly overwhelmed his reason.
A white ten-year soul ring?
A Clear Sky Hammer crawling with maggots?
This was no longer a matter of talent; it was a complete desecration of the Clear Sky Hammer martial soul! It was an unprecedented disgrace to the Clear Sky Sect!
"Absolutely true! This disciple saw it with his own eyes! He is currently being hidden by Lady Yuehua in the guest room on the west side!" the fake Tang Long declared confidently.
"You scoundrel! Tang Hao's fine son! How dare he defile the sect's spirit like this! Do Tang Xiao and Yuehua still intend to hide it?!"
Upon hearing this, the Seventh Elder was instantly enraged, unable to contain himself any longer. A powerful surge of spirit power erupted from his body. Ignoring Tang Long, he flashed away like a furious lion, charging towards the council hall!
Watching the Seventh Elder's departing figure, Tang Chuan, disguised, curled a cold smile at the corner of his lips. Clearly, the fire had been ignited by him.
...
Meanwhile, inside the Haotian Sect's council hall, the atmosphere was solemn and serious.
Sect Master Tang Xiao sat upright in the main seat. Although his heart was still churning over Tang San's matter, his face had regained its usual composure.
Below, Ning Fengzhi sat calmly in the guest seat, with Bone Douluo standing quietly beside him.
"Sect Master Tang, my visit is out of necessity," Ning Fengzhi said in a clear voice, getting straight to the point. "I'm sure you're already aware of the Spirit Hall's wolfish ambitions. Not long ago, they launched a blatant attack, and my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan... have suffered annihilation."
Tang Xiao nodded, his expression grave, and said in a deep voice,
"I have heard of this matter and am deeply saddened. The Spirit Hall's actions are indeed defying the world's will, aiming to eliminate all forces that hinder their unification of the continent."
"That's right." Ning Fengzhi continued, his tone becoming extremely solemn. "Two of the three upper sects are already gone. As the number one sect in the world, the Haotian Sect is the strongest and will inevitably become the next thorn in the side of the Spirit Hall!"
"The principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold' is something Sect Master Tang surely understands even better than I do."
"Your sect may be able to defend itself by its own strength, but to resist the Spirit Hall's sweeping power, I fear it will be too much for one person to bear."
He leaned forward slightly, his gaze earnest.
"Therefore, entrusted by Emperor Xue Ye of the Heaven Dou Empire, and also out of the common wish of us survivors, I have come to pay a visit to Sect Master Tang. I implore the Haotian Sect to set aside past grievances and unite with us to fight against the Spirit Hall! Only by working together can we seize a glimmer of hope in this chaotic world, preserve our sect's heritage, and maintain the balance of the continent!"
After a moment's hesitation, Tang Xiao nodded again, knowing full well that Ning Fengzhi's words were true.
The threat from the Spirit Hall was imminent, and forming an alliance was indeed a wise move.
After a moment, he slowly spoke, "Sect Leader Ning's words are all reasonable. The Spirit Hall is powerful, and our Clear Sky Sect also feels the pressure. An alliance is indeed necessary. However, the specifics of how to unite, how to allocate forces, and how to share intelligence still need to be discussed carefully..."
However, at that moment,
"Boom!!!"
The heavy doors of the council hall were suddenly kicked open from the outside with brute force!
The loud noise instantly interrupted all conversations inside the hall!
The Seventh Elder, his hair and beard bristling, his face full of rage, radiating a palpable fury, rushed in like a whirlwind.
His gaze, sharp as lightning, locked onto Tang Xiao, who sat in the main seat. Completely ignoring Ning Fengzhi and the others present, he launched into a thunderous tirade:
"Tang Xiao! How dare you! Your good nephew Tang San has returned, and he's turned the sect's Clear Sky Hammer into a filthy mess crawling with maggots! This scoundrel who has defiled the sect's martial spirit and utterly disgraced the Clear Sky Sect, not only do you not immediately capture and severely punish him, but you actually dare to hide him, attempting to protect him?! Do you have no respect for the sect rules?! No respect for our ancestors?!"
Hearing this, Tang Xiao's face instantly turned ashen. He never expected the Seventh Elder to expose this matter so violently at this crucial moment!
Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo exchanged a glance, seemingly already aware of something.
At this moment, the Seventh Elder's thunderous questioning echoed throughout the hall, each word like a whip lashing Tang Xiao's face.
Tang Xiao's face darkened instantly, a flicker of panic crossing his eyes. However, his composure as the sect leader allowed him to quickly regain his composure. His tone, tinged with displeasure and feigned incomprehension, said,
"Seventh Elder! What are you saying? With such distinguished guests present, and important matters to discuss, how can you be so disrespectful, spouting nonsense and slandering the sect's disciples? What Tang San's return, what strange occurrences with the Clear Sky Hammer—I know nothing of it! Stop your nonsense and disrupt our business! Get out of here!"
He attempted to use his sect leader's authority and feign ignorance to temporarily suppress the matter.
At least he couldn't expose this family scandal in front of Ning Fengzhi and the others.
However, since the Seventh Elder dared to barge in, he must have been absolutely certain of victory, or perhaps he was blinded by rage.
Seeing that Tang Xiao dared to deny it to his face, he trembled with rage, laughing furiously,
"Hahaha! A fine 'I know nothing' indeed! Sect Master, even now you still want to protect that bastard and safeguard the seed of disaster left by Tang Hao?!"
He took a sudden step forward, unleashing a powerful soul force that clashed with Tang Xiao's aura, his voice rising several decibels, almost a roar.
"You think I'm bluffing you?! Let me tell you, before coming here, I already sent someone to invite your good nephew! Judging by the time, he should have been there by now and is on his way to this hall! How long are you going to keep up this act?!"
These words were like a blatant betrayal! Tang Xiao's face instantly turned ashen, his last shred of hope shattered by the Seventh Elder.
The Seventh Elder had actually gone to bring someone?!
This meant the truth could no longer be concealed!
Taking a deep breath, Tang Xiao knew that continuing to pretend was pointless and would only make him appear more guilty. He glanced at Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo, whose faces showed astonishment, with a complicated expression, and finally turned to the Seventh Elder with difficulty. His tone softened, almost pleading, as he said,
"Seventh Elder! Even... even if this is true, Sect Leader Ning and Bone Douluo are here now, and we are discussing a matter of life and death concerning our sect, a joint effort to fight against the Spirit Hall!
This is the most important matter at present! Tang San's matter is an internal affair of our sect. Can we discuss it later? Once this matter is settled, I will definitely give you and all the elders a satisfactory explanation!"
He tried to prioritize the overall situation, hoping to buy Tang San some time.
But the Seventh Elder, who was still furious, couldn't listen to this.
To him, this was clearly Tang Xiao's excuse to delay and cover up the truth!
"Bullshit!"
The Seventh Elder rudely interrupted Tang Xiao, spitting almost onto Tang Xiao's face. He was furious, and his voice was resolute:
"Later? There is no later! Today! Right now! The honor of our sect is paramount!"
"This wicked creature, who tarnishes the spirit of our sect and corrupts its reputation, cannot be allowed to tarnish the honor of our Haotian Sect for even a moment! All matters of alliance must step aside!"
"Today, right here in this hall, under the watchful eyes of our ancestors, this bastard must be dealt with immediately! No amount of pleading will change anything!"
His arrogant and domineering words, which showed no regard for the overall situation, made Tang Xiao tremble with anger, yet he was helpless.
...
A dozen minutes later, the once solemn and dignified council hall was now bustling with noise, a tense atmosphere thick with the impending storm.
Having received the news, almost all the Haotian Sect disciples, whether core members or outer disciples, had rushed to the scene, crowding the hall to capacity.
They whispered amongst themselves, their eyes filled with curiosity, scrutiny, and undisguised doubt and anger.
At the front of the hall, led by the Seventh Elder, the Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Elders were all present. Their faces were grim, some glaring angrily, others with their eyes closed in meditation, but the invisible pressure they exuded made the atmosphere in the hall almost unbearably heavy.
Tang Xiao sat upright in the main seat, his face ashen, his hands resting on the armrests. His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo sat in the guest seats, their brows furrowed.
As outsiders, they could only observe the situation.
Just then, a commotion arose in the crowd at the entrance of the hall, and a passage was automatically cleared.
Tang Yuehua walked ahead, her lips tightly pressed together, her face pale. She tried to maintain her composure, but her slightly trembling fingers betrayed her inner tension and unease.
Behind her followed Tang San, head bowed, his face equally pale, not even daring to look directly at those around him.
Silence, a deathly silence, like the calm before a storm.
However, this silence lasted less than three seconds.
It was unclear which radical member of the crowd couldn't hold back any longer, but he suddenly burst out with a roar filled with contempt and resentment:
"Trash from the Tang Hao family, get out of the Haotian Sect! You are not worthy to be here!"
This sound was like the fuse of a powder keg!
In an instant, the resentment that had been building up for years, the humiliation they had suffered because of the sect's retreat, and their anger at Tang Hao's actions back then, poured out like a flood from a burst dam towards Tang San, who had just entered the hall and looked incredibly frail!
"Get out! The Clear Sky Sect doesn't welcome you!"
"It's all because of you and your son that we've been forced to hide here like cowards!"
"You still have the nerve to come back? Look at the mess you've made!"
"Everyone, attack together and kill him! Avenge our loved ones killed by the Spirit Hall!"
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(End of Chapter)