Following a winding journey, Tang San and Tang Yuehua returned to the ancestral land of the Clear Sky Sect. The sight before them left both deeply shocked.
Where once stood the solemn and imposing headquarters of the sect was now wholly devastated. The grandest stone main hall had been reduced to ruins, its charred remains a harrowing spectacle. Most other buildings had similarly collapsed, as though ravaged by a monstrous beast. The acrid stench of gunpowder lingered in the air.
Sect disciples hurried to and fro, most bearing expressions of fear and grief. The entire Clear Sky Sect radiated the disarray and dejection of a refugee camp following catastrophe—a far cry from the powerful, reclusive image Tang San had imagined.
"What… happened?" Tang San blurted, overwhelmed with shock and anxiety.
"Could it be…did a formidable enemy attack the Clear Sky Sect? Who would dare so much?"
Tang Yuehua, pained by the sect's turmoil, nevertheless suppressed her emotions and led Tang San to Sect Master Tang Xiao's residence. Her heart grew heavier with each scene that passed her eyes.
Tang Xiao's home lay in a relatively secluded courtyard behind the mountain. As they arrived, the door opened, and the strong scent of medicine wafted out.
Upon seeing Tang Xiao, Tang San's shock only deepened. The once-mighty and dignified sect master was now emaciated, with sunken eyes and ashen lips, unable to conceal his weakness as he sat on the bed.
From him came a strong medicinal odor, and his appearance had aged as though twenty years overnight; deep fatigue was etched between his brows.
"Uncle!" Tang San collapsed by the bed, sobbing softly.
Tang Xiao, who had been meditating, startled and opened his eyes. He glimpsed Tang San and, after a flash of complicated emotions, anxiety crept in.
"Xiao San, what's wrong? Has something happened? Did the Five Elders mistreat you?"
As he finished, his voice turned icy, and a sharp light shone in his eyes. The sect had just suffered tremendous loss—if any remaining elders had dared harm his cherished nephew...
Tearfully, Tang San looked up:
"Uncle, in Suotuo City, I encountered Chen Yi. He ripped my Eight Spider Lances out while I was still alive!"
Tang San's voice trembled with humiliation and pain.
"Afterward, the Fifth Elder said Chen Yi possessed a secret and went to investigate personally. But I waited and waited and never saw him again."
Worried about trouble befalling the Fifth Elder, Tang San asked Dean Flender and Zhao Wuji for help searching. As a result, traces of a fierce battle were found on the outskirts of Suotuo City.
"Teaher Zhao Wuji could even sense the unique aura of the Breaking Soul Spear. He concluded that a titled Douluo expert was definitely involved…"
"But after a thorough search, all we found were some torn robes…and bloodstains. No body. Uncle, the Fifth Elder must be…"
"What?!" Tang Xiao was stunned, lurching to his feet despite his wounds, which sent his vision spinning and worsened his injuries.
"You mean… the Fifth Elder fell?!"
The Clear Sky Sect had suffered heavy losses, losing both the Fourth and Seventh Elders because of Golden Crocodile and Lion Douluo, gravely weakening their strength and throwing the sect into chaos.
Now, even the Fifth Elder… Three of the five titled Douluo had fallen in succession—truly salt in a gaping wound.
That thought brought a surge of blood up Tang Xiao's throat, which he couldn't suppress. With a choking sound, he vomited a mouthful of bright red blood onto the ground.
"Uncle, are you alright?!" Tang San rushed to support the pale, guilty Tang Xiao.
"It's all my fault! If not for me, the Fifth Elder wouldn't have pursued Chen Yi, wouldn't have…"
He knelt beside Tang Xiao, weeping bitterly.
Tang Xiao had no time for self-blame. All that filled his mind was the deafening realization: Another Douluo has fallen! Just how much strength is the Clear Sky Sect going to lose?
Suddenly, the door was violently kicked open. Two figures barged in, seething with anger and cold intent—the only remaining Second and Third Elders.
Their faces were deathly pale, and their eyes bored into the kneeling Tang San like sharp knives.
"Sect Master! A disciple has reported trouble with the Fifth Elder. Is it true?" croaked the Second Elder, eyes locked onto Tang San. "Was it this brat's fault?"
Deep within, Tang San harbored chilly resentment, but on the surface, he only looked more frightened, tearfully reiterating his earlier story—and deftly shifting responsibility onto the Fifth Elder.
The Second Elder's expression didn't soften in the slightest; if anything, it grew colder.
If not for this brat, would the Fifth Elder have left the sect alone and recklessly endangered himself? If he were still alive, the five of us could have formed the five-point star formation—how could the two titled Douluo of Spirit Hall have broken it, leading to the deaths of the Fourth and Seventh Elders, and such a stain upon our name?
Tang Yuehua frowned and stepped in front of Tang San.
"Second Elder, with all due respect, responsibility likely lies mainly with the Fifth Elder himself. If he had not acted of his own volition, or harbored some plan, how could things have come to this..."
"How dare you speak here! Out!" the Third Elder abruptly roared, unleashing the crushing pressure of a titled Douluo directly onto her.
Tang Yuehua's cultivation was only at the ninth rank; how could she withstand such power? Her face went ashen, she groaned, stumbled backward, blood and qi churning within.
The Third Elder gazed at Tang Yuehua with scorn. She was the Clear Sky direct descendant they'd all depended on, but had also leaked critical information—including soul ring strategies—to outsiders.
But so what?
In his eyes, she was a mere level-nine weakling and would never achieve anything.
That contempt stung Tang Yuehua like thorns. She clenched her teeth and stubbornly stood between Tang San and the Third Elder, returning his gaze unwaveringly.
"Enough!" Tang Xiao shouted, struggling to stand between Tang Yuehua and her oppressor, unleashing the chilling aura befitting a level-96 titled Douluo. His sharp stare swept between the Second and Third Elders.
"Elders, what is the meaning of this? Yuehua is my sister and a contributor to the sect. Am I not still your Sect Master?!"
The Second Elder was chilled to the bone by the sudden upsurge of Tang Xiao's power and the unmistakable cold in his eyes. Only then did he realize—Tang Xiao hadn't become sect master solely due to his lineage, but relied on real, formidable strength.
Three of the Five Major Elders were gone, leaving only himself and the Third Elder—both still convalescing. They no longer had the confidence, nor the power, to openly oppose the Sect Master like before.
Taking a deep breath and forcibly suppressing his anger, the Second Elder signaled the still-furious Third Elder to stop, before turning his gaze and speaking in a cooler, but less aggressive, voice:
"Sect Master, please calm yourself. But the Fifth Elder's death cannot be in vain. Whatever the reason, the sect must thoroughly investigate and give all disciples an account."
He again gave Tang San an indifferent, ice-cold look:
"Otherwise..."
Without giving Tang Xiao a chance to retort, he grabbed the Third Elder and spun on his heel, slamming the door behind him.
Now only Tang Xiao, Tang Yuehua, and Tang San remained. A heavy silence filled the room.
Tang San looked at Tang Xiao's anger- and grief-stricken face and was overwhelmed by guilt.
"Uncle, I'm sorry… Xiao San has only brought you more trouble…"
Tang Xiao waved his hand wearily, sitting on the edge of the bed, his eyes closed, unable to hide the sorrow on his face. After a while, he reopened his eyes and looked at Tang San, words heavy with concern.
"Earlier, you said Chen Yi forcibly took your external soul bone…how is your body now? Was your foundation damaged?"
Forcibly removing a soul bone could severely harm a soul master, even destabilizing their core foundation.
Tang San quickly answered,
"It was a life-and-death crisis. I thought I would die… Fortunately, the Fifth Elder gave me a supreme Iceheart Snow Jade Lotus at a critical moment. Thanks to him, my core and foundation were protected and I survived."
"Otherwise, I would have…"
Tang Xiao looked deeply moved.
"That 'Ice Heart Snow Jade Lotus' was a rare treasure the Fifth Elder once obtained in an extremely dangerous place—a true healing artifact. He cherished it deeply, and even severely wounded, would hesitate to use it for himself."
"To give it to you without hesitation, for the sect's future…he truly was selfless."
Tang Xiao sighed, feeling a heightened respect for the Fifth Elder's "sacrifice," and believing Tang San's story all the more. Had the Fifth Elder not paid an immense price in helping Tang San purify the medicine, how could Tang San's core have survived?
What a loyal elder! Such men deserve a flourishing sect. What a pity…
Tang San bowed his head, a faint smile at his lips—which vanished almost immediately.
Tang Xiao eyed him, lost in thought. The Iceheart Snow Jade Lotus, though rare, could hardly heal the full damage of a forcibly extracted external bone. At best, it could stabilize the injury, not restore it fully. There remained a risk of hidden injury to Tang San's "foundation," not easily repaired…
Unbidden, Tang Xiao recalled the savaged corpse of the Fourth Elder. Regardless, that Elder was already gone. Rather than simply bury him, perhaps…his sacrifice should be made the most of.