Chapter 210: Gains
Yang Potian had no intention of interfering further with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and instead returned alone to Tianxing Academy. At the clan's headquarters, he had considered taking advantage of the situation. With Sword Douluo's weakened state, Yang Potian was confident he could easily kill him. However, after some thought, he decided against it. The Spirit Hall's power was overwhelming, and leaving Sword Douluo and his allies alive would at least keep them as a potential obstacle for the Spirit Hall.
Nevertheless, his fleeting intent to kill had somehow been sensed by Sword Douluo. Yang Potian shook his head with a smirk. The advancement to Level 97 had clearly heightened Sword Douluo's awareness, but even with his breakthrough, he would struggle to progress further in life without the extreme aid of someone like Ye Lingling, who might be able to heal his severed arm.
Yang Potian had often wondered how the combined strength of Ning Fengzhi's powerful support along with Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo could fall to four Title Douluo with lower spirit power. But witnessing the battlefield today had clarified things. If the battle had been restricted to a simple duel of skills, Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo would likely have overpowered the four opponents. Unfortunately, they had faced not only four opponents but also an army of 10,000 soul masters, including many high-level ones. This forced them into constant vigilance, as spirit abilities and Zhuge Crossbows targeted Ning Fengzhi, preventing him from providing uninterrupted support and forcing Bone Douluo to shield him. This left Sword Douluo to fend off four Title Douluo single-handedly.
Back at Tianxing Academy, Yang Potian emerged from his secluded room after a few days, claiming his absence was due to a training retreat for spirit enlightenment. When he reached his grandfather's quarters, he found Yang Wudi, Niu Gao, and Dugu Bo embroiled in a debate with Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo present.
Niu Gao and Ghost Douluo sat silently, looking almost drowsy, while Chrysanthemum Douluo, Dugu Bo, and Yang Wudi argued intensely, apparently over medicinal herbs.
Yang Potian entered and addressed the two Spirit Hall elders directly, "Elder Chrysanthemum, Elder Ghost, I've just returned from a retreat with some new insights. What brings you both all the way to our Almo Mountain?"
Chrysanthemum Douluo retorted, "So, you're allowed to visit our domain, but we can't pay a visit here?"
Yang Potian smiled politely. "Tianxing Academy is always open to you both. But I thought Elder Ghost rarely left Spirit Hall and disliked dealing with medicinal herbs. What brings him here now?"
Chrysanthemum Douluo smiled dismissively. "Old Ghost just found Spirit Hall a bit dull and thought he'd get some fresh air."
Yang Potian thought their reasoning too flimsy to take seriously. It was obvious they were here to monitor him. Still, after the disastrous Spirit Hall losses in the recent raids, he knew the elders would be returning soon.
Just as expected, a message came on the third day, summoning Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo back to Spirit Hall. After their departure, Yang Potian secluded himself in his chamber, eager to take stock of his recent spoils.
The raid had yielded incredible rewards from the three treasuries of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and the three of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. All ten of Yang Potian's storage soul tools were filled to capacity.
In his secluded chamber, he laid out the collection of lead boxes, filling the room with a dazzling array of glimmering spirit bones. He went through his treasures one by one, finding a total of forty-five spirit bones, the most valuable being the three from Yu Yuanzhen's body. Each of Yu Yuanzhen's bones—the skull, left arm, and right arm—was over 80,000 years old. Oddly, despite the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan possessing other high-grade spirit bones, Yu Yuanzhen hadn't absorbed them, choosing instead to hoard them, a choice that ultimately cost him his life.
The forty-five spirit bones represented the cumulative wealth of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and half of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's reserves, treasures built up over thousands of years. Among them were six additional spirit bones over 50,000 years old, and more than thirty bones exceeding 10,000 years. Bones below 10,000 years were fewer, likely disregarded by the two clans as substandard.
Besides spirit bones, he acquired a vast array of treasures, including over a billion gold spirit coins, rare natural treasures, and countless thousand-year spirit herbs. Yang Potian estimated that these resources alone could build and sustain a new spirit clan with considerable strength.
Meanwhile, in Spirit City's Papal Hall, Pope Bibi Dong sat grimly on her throne, her face dark with anger. Five Title Douluo stood silent before her, the tension thick enough to stifle any words. Even the usually favored Holy Maiden, Hu Liena, dared not speak, standing quietly beside the others.
A red-robed bishop reported, "Your Holiness, we deployed 10,000 spirit masters against the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, including 1,000 auxiliary members. We were discovered by their patrol and forced to attack head-on, losing 4,000 men in battle, with 3,000 more injured. Elders Maoxiong, Shemao, and Citu were heavily wounded, and we had to retreat. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan suffered an estimated 2,500 casualties."
Bibi Dong's face grew even darker. "We attacked with triple their numbers in a surprise assault and yet suffered nearly twice the losses they did. You dare report this as an achievement?"
The bishop stammered, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead as Bibi Dong's aura weighed down on him.
Bibi Dong's cold gaze remained fixed. "Continue. What of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?"
The bishop continued, "We launched a surprise attack with 8,000 spirit masters, catching them off-guard. We killed all 1,800 members of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, suffering losses of about 3,000 men. Our Ninth Elder perished in battle, taking Yu Yuanzhen down with him."
"During the battle, there was a sudden earthquake and a landslide, which crushed Yu Yuanzhen's body under debris. Unfortunately, none of his three spirit bones were recovered."
He added, "We also discovered that the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's vaults had been forcibly opened and completely emptied by an unknown party before our arrival."
Bibi Dong's gaze sharpened. "So, we lost a Title Douluo, seven thousand men, and gained nothing?"
Silence filled the hall as no one dared to respond.
After a tense pause, Bibi Dong finally spoke again, her voice cold. "Chrysanthemum Douluo, Ghost Douluo—what's the situation with Tianxing Academy? Did the three Title Douluo leave the academy?"
Chrysanthemum Douluo replied, "We stayed with Yang Wudi, Niu Gao, and Dugu Bo the entire time. None of the three left, nor did Yang Zhentian. All of them remained in the academy."
Bibi Dong's expression grew even grimmer. "So the Upper Three Clans proved far stronger than anticipated, costing us a Title Douluo and seven thousand spirit masters, with nothing to show for it."
"Ghost Douluo, investigate what happened with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's vaults. Someone took everything, and I refuse to believe this thief came and went without leaving a trace or without prior knowledge of our plans."
Ghost Douluo bowed. "Yes, Your Holiness. I'll proceed to Thunder Canyon immediately and conduct a thorough investigation."
The aftermath of the Spirit Hall's soul-hunting campaign left Yu Xiaogang devastated. Upon hearing Ning Fengzhi's message, he and Liu Erlong rushed back to Thunder Canyon, only to be met with a scene that seemed straight out of a blood-soaked nightmare. The air was thick with the scent of death, and even the protective moat was littered with bodies—a chilling testament to the battle that had taken place there.
As Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong ventured further into the heart of the clan's domain, the horrific sight of fallen comrades greeted them at every turn. Many were familiar faces, some close to Yu Xiaogang. It was evident that nearly the entire clan had been wiped out. Eventually, they found what remained of Yu Yuanzhen, but calling it a "body" felt inaccurate; only fragmented pieces lay scattered, a gruesome reminder of the merciless attack. Liu Erlong fainted on the spot, and Yu Xiaogang dropped to his knees before the remnants of his kin, his heart wracked with both sorrow and fury.
As the destruction unfolded, the Heaven Dou Empire sent troops to assist in the burial of the countless bodies. The valley was soon dotted with fresh graves, each mound marking another life lost in the massacre. Yu Xiaogang, with tears and rage barely contained, returned to the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, quietly retreating from others. Now, he had only one goal: vengeance against Spirit Hall.
Yet, Yu Xiaogang knew his power was insufficient to challenge such a behemoth. Spirit Hall now held sway over nearly 70% of the continent's spirit masters, leaving no faction with enough strength to resist it openly. Even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was forced into seclusion within Heaven Dou City, wary of further conflict.
News of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's annihilation, coupled with the severe losses of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan—who now had only 500 members—spread swiftly across the Douluo Continent. Panic set in among smaller clans and factions, each scrambling to align itself with Spirit Hall, fearing the potential for their own destruction.
Meanwhile, tensions rose within the two empires. The Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire, once bitter rivals, were now inching toward an alliance, sensing the necessity of a united front against Spirit Hall. However, unknown to most, a third, even bloodier confrontation had taken place—one with potentially greater repercussions.
Within a secluded chamber at Tianxing Academy, Yang Wudi, Niu Gao, Dugu Bo, Yang Zhentian, Niu Jinfeng, and Yang Potian gathered with grim expressions, silently processing the news. Even Yang Wushuang, Yang Potian's second granduncle, had returned, and his face mirrored the solemn mood of the group.
Yang Wudi broke the silence, addressing Yang Potian. "Potian, who would have thought Spirit Hall could be so ruthless? They actually sought to destroy two of the continent's great clans. Their ambition knows no bounds."
Yang Potian shook his head. "It's not that surprising, really. The Spirit Hall's next target is bound to be the two empires. Ever since the Haotian Clan withdrew after its battle with Spirit Hall, Spirit Hall has grown unchecked. Over the past decade, they've drawn in the majority of the continent's spirit masters."
"Now that they're at full strength, Spirit Hall won't stop until they control everything. Their goal will be to unite all spirit masters under their rule before moving on to the empires."
Yang Wudi's face darkened. "Potian, what are we supposed to do?"
Yang Potian's response was calm. "For now, we do nothing. We stay here in the Almo Mountains and avoid getting involved in the conflicts of other clans. Their struggles have nothing to do with us."
"But Potian," his grandfather continued with concern, "if Spirit Hall succeeds in uniting the continent, won't we eventually be forced into submission? With our current enmity toward them, they'll come after us sooner or later."
Yang Potian reassured him, saying, "Grandfather, we're only here to run an academy; there's no reason for us to clash with Spirit Hall. Besides, don't forget we have Tianyue on our side. Once she achieves the position of Sea God, no one will dare to look down on us."
Hearing this, the others slowly felt their anxiety ease.
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