Chapter 115 – 132. Ning Fengzhi Reminisces the Past
"Old Goat, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?" Bai He asked.
Yang Wudi said, "You know, I've been searching for the Fragrant Tear Immortal Herb for a long time, and it's finally in my hands."
"What use is it? To make you go crazy over it?" Niu Gao asked, puzzled.
"This herb is impervious to all poisons," Yang Wudi explained. "With this, I can boldly research medicines without fear of toxins harming me. Hahaha."
Niu Gao and Bai He suddenly understood. Considering Yang Wudi's obsession with pharmacology, it was no surprise such an herb could drive him crazy.
"We didn't make a wrong choice," Bai He said, shaking his head. "But why can't Old Ape understand? What's so special about Tang Hao's birth?"
Niu Gao could only say, "Old Ape is stubborn. Once you choose a master, you never betray him. Let's just hope he won't regret his choice."
News began spreading across the continent: a hidden sect had emerged to protect the Four Single-Attribute Clans once belonging to the Clear Sky Sect, successfully repelling the ascendant Spirit Hall.
Spirit Hall itself—
The Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo went to apologize to the Grand Worshipper. "Grand Worshipper, this failure is our fault."
Qian Daoliu lowered his head slightly, saying, "It's understandable. The emergence of the Body Sect caught us off guard. Given these circumstances, your failure is expected. Now, we must carefully consider how to handle our relations with them."
"Chrysanthemum Douluo, Ghost Douluo, Bibi Dong's soul power is already level 90. The hunting task is yours from now on."
"As you command, Grand Worshipper."
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect hadn't expected Ning Fengzhi to return from attending a Clear Sky Sect funeral with such disruption—he had brought back the turmoil itself.
Kuang Xi and Man Niu, the former generation of guardians of the sect now nearing their end, had met dreadful ends.
After the Clear Sky Sect and Spirit Hall, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect also hung white mourning ribbons.
Since returning from Spirit Hall, Ning Fengzhi's condition had deteriorated. His eyes sunken and surrounded by dark circles, his spirit low, and his hair noticeably thinning—he had clearly lost a lot of hair in that time.
At the funeral—
Ning Fengzhi knelt beside the coffins of the two deceased guardians, crying bitterly. "Grandfather Kuang Xi, Grandfather Man Niu, it was Fengzhi who brought you harm. Fengzhi will take revenge for you."
After the burial, Guron couldn't help but speak.
"Fengzhi, I don't blame you personally. Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky Sect's war is theirs. Why should the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect get caught in this?"
Ning Fengzhi's face darkened. "Since Tang Chen's era, the Clear Sky Sect has been declining, while Spirit Hall remains ascendant. The balance of the continent has shifted. Spirit Hall seized the chance offered by one Tang Hao to crush one of the Three Upper Sects—the Clear Sky Sect. If it falls, what hope remains for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect? We must never let Spirit Hall destroy the Clear Sky Sect."
He then stood beneath the window of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's hall, carrying two Title Douluo on his back. "Only if the Three Upper Sects and the two great empires stand united can we curb Spirit Hall's growing ambition."
"But back then," Chen Xin hesitated, "whether you acted or not wouldn't have changed the Clear Sky Sect's fate. Instead, our sect lost two Title Douluo and suffered humiliation…" He didn't finish, fearing to upset Ning Fengzhi.
Ning Fengzhi turned his face, grim and fierce, to Chen Xin and Guron. "How was I to know Spirit Hall would strike so decisively? I thought invoking the Three Upper Sects' name would earn us face, peace, and at least preserve the Clear Sky Sect as a bargaining chip. But I was wrong."
Strictly speaking, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's material losses were light. Kuang Xi and Man Niu were already aging and would soon die anyway.
The real loss was pride.
He recalled how he was roughly handled by Jiang Mo, how Jiang Mo had said to him, "I gave you a chance, but you wasted it."
He vividly remembered kneeling before Jiang Mo, calling him "Grandfather," begging for his life.
Jiang Mo shattered all Ning Fengzhi's dignity, crushing his pride thoroughly in front of everyone.
Thinking of those humiliations brought a flush of heat to Ning Fengzhi's plump face.
"No," he said firmly, "Spirit Hall's ambition grows unchecked. We must unite every possible force, be connected like branches of one tree, advance and retreat as one, and keep Spirit Hall in check."
As he spoke the words "connected like branches," he almost bit through his tongue over their weight.
Apparently, the humiliation Ning Fengzhi suffered at the Clear Sky Sect funeral was driving him toward obsession.
"But…" Chen Xin said softly, "with the Clear Sky Sect almost destroyed, and only us and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect left—counting on three Title Douluo total—Spirit Hall still has countless Title Douluos. Even if all forces unite, there's no telling whether we could resist Spirit Hall."
"Then what should we do?" Ning Fengzhi asked in return. "Should the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect defect and surrender, joining Spirit Hall in submission?"
"That's not what I meant," Chen Xin said. "I mean, until we find a way to curb Spirit Hall, maybe we'd be better off lying low—after all, the first ship out tends to sink."
Ning Fengzhi paced the hall, running his hands through his hair. "In the end, it's because the Clear Sky Sect lost Tang Chen."
He recalled the glorious era of Tang Chen, when although Spirit Hall was strong, it wasn't yet dominant. The Clear Sky Sect led the Three Upper Sects, allied with the Star Luo Empire, standing evenly against Spirit Hall.
Back then, the Three Upper Sects were united and respected. Even Spirit Hall dared to act cautiously around them—it was a golden age.
Just as Ning Fengzhi was lost in nostalgic reverie, a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect intelligence officer entered.
"Sect Master, there's news—the Body Sect has emerged."
(END CHAPTER)
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