Chapter 147 – Running Away

Xu Yang didn't believe for a moment that his slash could seriously injure Bibi Dong. At most, it could interrupt her for a brief moment—just enough to widen the gap between them again.

Fortunately, he wasn't far from Ning Fengzhi and the others. In just one glance, he spotted them still locked in fierce combat above—Ning Fengzhi and Qian Daoliu engaged in a direct clash. Without hesitation, Xu Yang rushed toward them.

The moment he appeared, both Qian Daoliu and Chen Xin ceased fighting.

The two sides distanced themselves. Qian Daoliu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at the wounded Chen Xin opposite him. "Now that Xu Yang has returned, can we put an end to this fight?"

Chen Xin nodded. In a flash, he appeared beside Ning Fengzhi. Ning Fengzhi didn't look too well either. Despite the formidable defense of his Nine Treasure Invincible Divine Light, the consumption was massive. He had been supporting Chen Xin while also protecting himself—his soul power was already overdrawn. Without the soul power-restoring pills crafted by Dugu Bo, he wouldn't have lasted this long.

Ning Fengzhi withdrew the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and looked coldly at Qian Daoliu. "The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan will remember this."

Xu Yang descended from the sky, landing beside Ning Fengzhi. Seeing the pale look on his face, Xu Yang's own expression changed—it was clearly a sign of severe soul power depletion.

In his current condition, Ning Fengzhi could not withstand the intense heat radiating from the Sun Martial Soul. Even a small amount of overflow from the Ten Suns in the Sky formation was enough to hit 1,000 degrees Celsius—far beyond what the average soul master's body could endure.

Immediately, Xu Yang used his Sun Domain to restrain the terrifying heat generated by the array.

Qian Daoliu's gaze locked tightly on Xu Yang, his eyes brimming with a rare hint of excitement. As the Great Elder of the Angel Temple, he clearly recognized the power Xu Yang used—Sun Power. The Six-Winged Angel could only control part of that power. If Xu Yang could complete the missing portion, the martial soul might be able to evolve…

As thoughts swirled in his mind, his gaze shifted toward Qian Renxue, still on the distant rooftop, worry written all over her face. He smiled gently.

At that moment, Bibi Dong landed nearby with a grim expression. She made no further moves. Now that Qian Daoliu had arrived, the authority to make decisions was no longer hers. She couldn't disobey him.

She realized this entire plan had been a miscalculation. She had underestimated Xu Yang's strength, and the sudden rise of Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin—one breaking through to Title Douluo, the other reaching Rank 98—had completely upended her strategy.

"We're leaving," Ning Fengzhi said coldly.

Without hesitation, Chen Xin grabbed both Xu Yang and Ning Fengzhi, transforming into a streak of sword light that soared toward the Soul Master Tournament arena. On the other side, sensing Chen Xin's move, Dugu Bo quickly brought Dugu Yan, Ning Rongrong, Ning Haiyan, and the other disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan to rendezvous with them.

Once the two groups met, they immediately chose to leave Spirit City. The outcome of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament no longer mattered.

Qian Daoliu gave Bibi Dong a look but said nothing. He simply turned and led Golden Crocodile Douluo and the others back to the Hall of Worship.

Inside the Hall of Worship, Golden Crocodile Douluo looked at Qian Daoliu with a cold expression. "Great Elder, Bibi Dong has greatly damaged the reputation and prestige of Spirit Hall. Many soul master factions may unite against us now. This could jeopardize our long-term plans."

Qian Daoliu shook his head. "It's not as bad as you think. Spirit Hall's reputation among the grassroots soul masters is not so easily shaken. This event may stir some doubts, but it won't topple what we've built over decades.

"As for those mid-tier factions, Bibi Dong has already drawn in the ones we could win over. The ones who hate us are unreachable anyway. At most, some neutral factions might lean toward the two empires or the other two Upper Three Sects."

Though he had remained behind the scenes for years, Qian Daoliu's grasp on Spirit Hall's internal workings was no weaker than Bibi Dong's. He had simply chosen not to interfere. That's also why he didn't scold her now.

"But send word to Xue'er. Tell her to accelerate her takeover of the Heaven Dou Empire and return to Spirit Hall."

"Yes, Great Elder!" The moment Qian Daoliu spoke, joy flickered in the eyes of Golden Crocodile Douluo and the others, and they responded at once.

As for Bibi Dong, she quickly adjusted her emotions. Returning to her usual dignified and imposing presence, she resumed hosting the tournament finals as if nothing had happened. No one could guess what was truly going through her mind.

Without the presence of the overpowered Xu Yang, the final rounds of the Soul Master Tournament went on for another week, and the championship was once again claimed by Spirit Hall's team.

But few cared.

What captured everyone's attention was the clash between the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and Spirit Hall.

Xu Yang had only paid slight attention to Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai. He learned that although Shrek Academy had lost to the Star Luo Empire team, the two of them had used the upgraded version of Hell White Tiger to defeat Davis and Zhu Zhuyun, securing their qualifications for the imperial succession struggle.

The two had already returned to the Star Luo Empire to begin their contest for the throne.

The incident in Spirit City quickly spread and was widely discussed by every major power—Spirit Hall's attempted strike on Xu Yang and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's defiant response. That battle had made the clan famous, confirming their strength as part of the Upper Three Clans and even suggesting they might become the foremost among them.

Chen Xin's display of strength shocked soul masters across the continent, solidifying his reputation as the strongest offensive-type soul master alive. And Ning Fengzhi's breakthrough to Title Douluo sparked endless rumors—some said the clan had found a way to remove the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's cultivation bottleneck, others claimed he had encountered a great fortune that evolved his martial soul, and the boldest even said he had received divine inheritance.

Speculations ran wild.

Even more unsettling to many was the revelation of Spirit Hall's hidden power—seven great elders had appeared at once. Many factions that had been hesitant about where to stand began to lean toward Spirit Hall, reaffirming the principle of power above all on the Douluo Continent.

An unintended bonus for Spirit Hall.

In the Meeting Hall of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan

The atmosphere was suffocating.

Ning Fengzhi sat at the head of the table, surrounded by the clan's top elders and decision-makers.

Xu Yang sat in the position reserved for the future heir to the sect, with Chen Xin and Madam Ning by his side.

After a moment of silence, Ning Fengzhi finally spoke:

"Although we managed to escape from Spirit City, it was only because Spirit Hall had to consider the opinion of the continent's soul masters. Otherwise, Uncle Jian, Xu Yang, and I… none of us would've made it back."

"Furthermore, the strength Spirit Hall revealed this time isn't even their full might. Uncle Jian says that during the battle, he sensed at least eight other Title Douluo hidden within the city. Though not as powerful as those Elders, they're still Title Douluo—experts at the peak of this continent."

"Now tell me—how should we respond to Spirit Hall?"

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