Decades ago, when Qian Renxue began to implement the secret plan of the Heaven Dou Empire, the Spirit Hall began to establish a presence in the Star Luo Empire.
Their chosen pawns were the Zhao and Qian families, who had long depended on the Spirit Hall for survival. They used violence to threaten the heads and heirs of these two families and implanted a special poison in their bodies.
This poison was a secret of the Spirit Hall. Without the antidote for a year, the poisoned individuals would feel pain all over their bodies like being bitten by insects, eventually dying in despair and agony.
Since then, the Zhao and Qian families had completely become lapdogs of the Spirit Hall, unable to refuse any of their orders.
This outcome shocked Qian Daoliu. If the Spirit Hall hadn't feared the disgust of the other elders and been unable to find other suitable family heads, he would have preferred to poison them all one by one.
Even as Title Douluos, having their lives controlled by others made the heads of the Zhao and Qian families hate the Spirit Hall deeply.
They sought out all the top doctors on the continent, but no one could detect the poison—let alone cure it.
Even Poison Douluo Dugu Bo and his subordinates had been consulted, to no avail.
At first, when the Chen family proposed breaking free from the control of the Spirit Hall, their lives were not bad, and the Spirit Hall wouldn't meddle too much in their affairs.
But everything changed after that meeting.
The Spirit Hall feared rebellion, so they deliberately delayed the antidote for a few days, making them suffer the torment of a thousand insect bites, and then used brute force to remind them they could never escape.
From that point on, they were caught in the middle. On one hand, they had to endure oppression from the Spirit Hall along with the other five families, and on the other, they were forced to relay information to the Spirit Hall.
"Old Zhao, I'm sick of this miserable life. You need to come up with a solution, no matter what."
"You think I enjoy living like this? We only have two choices now. Either we find a way to completely break free from the Spirit Hall's control, or we go back and become their local enforcers.
Do you really think the poison in our bodies can be easily cured? Or that our families won't be exploited and devoured once we return?"
Zhao Gou, head of the Zhao family, slammed the table hard. The loud bang startled Qian Fu, head of the Qian family. The two looked at each other and sighed deeply.
Then, a guard came in to report that news had arrived from the String Music Pavilion, waiting to be collected. Their expressions grew gloomier.
The String Music Pavilion was an entertainment venue run by the Qian family, and also a place where they communicated with the Spirit Empire. Most of the news there involved orders from Qian Daoliu.
Qian Fu, with a bitter face, personally fetched the secret letter and casually tossed it on the table, not caring about the tea stains.
Both of them sat, staring at the letter, neither wanting to open it.
Eventually, Qian Fu gave in. Their lives were in the hands of the Spirit Empire, and resistance was futile.
Without their two Title Douluo patriarchs, the Zhao and Qian families would not be able to maintain their current power. The immense wealth accumulated over a thousand years couldn't be preserved by mere Soul Douluos.
"Old Qian, just open it. In a little over a month, we're due for another dose of the antidote."
"Ugh~."
With no choice, Zhao Gou picked up the letter and slowly broke the seal. He just hoped the Spirit Empire's orders wouldn't be too harsh this time.
But as he read, his expression grew uglier, making Qian Fu, sitting next to him, uneasy. Zhao Gou had never reacted this way to any previous orders.
"Old Zhao, what's wrong? What did Qian Daoliu do this time?"
"See for yourself. We're really in a hopeless situation now."
Qian Fu grabbed the letter and skimmed through it. His hands trembled uncontrollably, and the letter slipped to the floor, blown by the wind.
He stared at Zhao Gou in horror, eyes full of dread. He couldn't believe the Spirit Empire would give them such a task. Wasn't this just sending them to their deaths?
"Old Zhao, what—what do we do now?"
"What else can we do? Qian Daoliu wants us to join the Star Crown Sect, so we'll have to join it."
"But he also wants us to pass on internal information about the Star Crown Sect. How can we even do that? There are so many Title Douluos in that sect—we can't just go asking around casually."
"We'll just have to take it one step at a time."
Both men sighed deeply. The Douluo Continent was a world where the strong preyed on the weak. The powerful consumed all, and the weak either obeyed or died.
Civilians ceased to be civilians once they became soul masters. No one truly spoke for the common people. The Spirit Empire was no different—everything was for profit.
Zhao Gou and Qian Fu personally wrote calling cards and sent their heirs to present them respectfully to the Star Crown Sect.
But the Star Crown Sect was uninterested in accepting the surrender of these two families, as too many forces were trying to cozy up to them.
Many sects and families that had ties for hundreds of years were thrown into chaos under the influence of the Heaven Dou Empire, and they rejected those attempting to surrender.
Because of the face of the two Title Douluos, the Star Crown Sect didn't directly reject them but told them they couldn't enter the Star Luo Mountain territory. Instead, they were allowed to settle on a peak in the southwestern mountains. That region was poor in resources, and only sects like the Star Crown Sect that didn't rely heavily on resources could survive there.
This was meant to subtly force the Zhao and Qian families to give up—but surprisingly, they actually relocated their entire clans there.
When Xu Mingxi received word, three months had passed. He looked at the intel sent by the sect and was thoroughly confused.
The seven major families behind the Douhun Arena were truly intriguing. These seven families were actually split into four factions. What were the Zhao and Qian families trying to do?
"Mingjie, what do you think? They've stationed themselves near Star Luo Mountain. Do you think they want to harm our Star Crown Sect?"
"Brother, even if they do, so what? With our strength, we can wipe them out quickly.
I'm just worried they're a vanguard sent by some other force. These seven families used to be watchdogs of the Spirit Empire. Who knows what they're planning?"
"You're right. Send word to the second elder and have him keep a close eye on both families. If necessary, take the initiative and eliminate them."
"Yes."
If it weren't for the looming threat of the Spirit Empire and the Sea God Island from outside, and if the Star Luo Empire didn't need to stay united, the Star Crown Sect would've wiped these two families out long ago for their suspicious behavior.
For now, Xu Mingxi could only raise the sect's alert level slightly, and when going out on hunts, leave enough forces behind to defend against both these families and sudden attacks from the Spirit Empire.