Chapter 188: Yu Xiaogang Learns the Clan Was Annihilated
But everyone's wait was destined to be in vain.
This time, Spirit Hall didn't step in to stop the conflict between the two empires. On the contrary, they tacitly allowed the war to break out.
And so, the war between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire truly began.
Although the war was initiated by the Heaven Dou Empire, the Star Luo Empire showed no fear. In terms of overall strength, the Star Luo Empire was actually stronger.
As the original story stated, if not for Spirit Hall's interference, the Star Luo Empire might have unified the continent long ago.
The emperors of the Star Luo Empire were all selected through brutal competition. Though the process was harsh, those who emerged as emperor were undoubtedly outstanding individuals.
Even the emperor was so capable, so naturally the empire as a whole valued merit and strength—making the Star Luo Empire stronger than the Heaven Dou Empire.
However, when the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan decided to step in and support the Heaven Dou Empire, everything changed.
The Star Luo Empire began to lose ground.
"Damn it! The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan actually took action!"
"Father Emperor, what do we do now? The Clear Sky Clan, who has always sided with our empire, has sealed their mountain. Without their support, our army is in a very passive position!"
Dai Weisi was in discussion with the Star Luo Emperor regarding the war. As the tide turned against them, Dai Weisi began to panic.
If this continued, the Star Luo Empire might very well be defeated.
"No need to panic. This is only a temporary disadvantage."
Unlike his son, the Star Luo Emperor remained calm, waving his hand and speaking with a steady tone.
"Yes, Father Emperor."
Hearing this, Dai Weisi quickly composed himself.
"It was within expectations that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan would support the Heaven Dou Empire. There's no need to be alarmed."
"What troubles me more is Spirit Hall's stance."
"In the past, our Star Luo Empire had the upper hand and was fully capable of wiping out the Heaven Dou Empire, but Spirit Hall deliberately interfered, claiming they wanted to avoid a war that would cause suffering and death."
"But now, Spirit Hall is doing nothing and letting both empires go to war. That's suspicious."
The Star Luo Emperor voiced his concerns to the crown prince.
"Could it be because Spirit Hall has a new Pope? After all, the current one is a woman…"
Dai Weisi responded with uncertainty, offering his guess.
"It's definitely not just that. Bibi Dong is not that simple."
The Star Luo Emperor gave Dai Weisi a disappointed look, clearly dissatisfied with his shallow reasoning.
"Forget it. We'll just need to keep a close eye on Spirit Hall's movements. We still don't know exactly what they're planning."
"For now, go make a trip to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
Unable to figure out Spirit Hall's true intentions himself, the Star Luo Emperor didn't expect Dai Weisi to either. So he dropped the topic and gave his son new orders.
"To the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?"
Dai Weisi looked at his father in surprise, instantly understanding what he was being asked to do.
"But Father Emperor, hasn't the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan always remained neutral? Why would they help our Star Luo Empire?"
"Neutral?"
"That's just the balance the Three Upper Clans maintain."
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan sided with the Heaven Dou Empire, the Clear Sky Clan with us—leaving the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan as the neutral one."
"But now that the Clear Sky Clan has sealed their mountain, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan won't continue to stay neutral."
The Star Luo Emperor sneered as he explained.
"I see!"
"These sects really are all snakes in the grass."
"Don't worry, Father Emperor. I'll head to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and secure their support for our empire!"
Dai Weisi seemed to have had a revelation and accepted the task with confidence.
And indeed—
Not long after Dai Weisi arrived, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan agreed to support the Star Luo Empire.
The situation shifted once more.
With the backing of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the Star Luo Empire's strength surged ahead once again, surpassing the Heaven Dou Empire.
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is courting death!"
When Pope Bibi Dong received the news, she snorted coldly, already preparing to deal with them.
She had long since planned to eliminate all three of the Upper Clans.
The only reason the Clear Sky Clan was excluded was because they sealed themselves off in a nearly unassailable location, and Qian Daoliu had explicitly ordered that Spirit Hall must not touch them.
As for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, Bibi Dong had once planned to destroy them too—but with Qian Renxue's involvement, she chose to hold back.
That left the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and so far, Bibi Dong hadn't made any moves.
What she didn't expect was that the very clan she had spared was now sabotaging her plans.
She had approved of Qian Renxue leading the Heaven Dou Empire to defeat the Star Luo Empire and unify the continent. If Qian Renxue succeeded, it would be as if Spirit Hall had unified the continent by proxy.
So the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's sudden intervention was a direct disruption of her goals.
At that thought, the look in Bibi Dong's eyes turned icy cold.
"If you want to die, then I'll grant your wish."
"You dared to expel Xiaogang back then—it's time you paid the price for that. What you did to him will be repaid a hundredfold."
With a cold snort, Bibi Dong made up her mind: the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan must be eradicated.
And so, Bibi Dong soon announced that Spirit Hall would intervene and stop the war between the two empires. Qian Renxue cooperated willingly, agreeing to suspend the battle.
With Spirit Hall stepping in and the Heaven Dou Empire complying, what else could the Star Luo Empire do? They had no choice but to follow suit.
"Great news!"
"I knew Spirit Hall would step in to stop the war!"
"The war didn't escalate—thank goodness!"
"Yeah, if this had gone on, who knows how many people would've died…"
"…"
Spirit Hall's intervention brought a wave of relief across the continent. Countless people let out the breath they'd been holding and were immensely grateful.
No one truly wanted to see the two great empires at war, plunging the entire continent into chaos.
And so, the conflict between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire was brought to a halt by Spirit Hall.
With the war suspended, the members of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan naturally returned to their sect. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan did the same, quickly withdrawing back to their territory.
What they didn't know was that this was exactly what Spirit Hall had wanted.
Only with all members back at the clan grounds could Spirit Hall wipe out the entire sect in one strike.
And as expected, not long after, Pope Bibi Dong launched a soul-hunting operation targeted solely at the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. She dispatched numerous Titled Douluo and other high-level soul masters to ambush the clan.
In a single night, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was utterly annihilated.
…
"Xiaogang, it's time you pulled yourself together."
"Even though Little San is gone, you've already proven your worth, haven't you?"
"That's why you need to rise again now more than ever—to train more outstanding students and prove yourself even further."
At Shrek Academy, Liu Erlong was doing her best to encourage Yu Xiaogang.
Ever since the end of the Soul Master Tournament—or rather, ever since Tang San's tragic death—Yu Xiaogang had fallen into a perpetual state of despair, unable to recover.
Liu Erlong couldn't stand it anymore. She had allowed him to grieve, but not forever.
"The success of Shrek Academy has little to do with me…"
"Little San was my real achievement."
Yu Xiaogang replied softly, his tone filled with sorrow.
Tang San's death had hit him harder than anything else in his life.
"Who says Shrek Academy's success has little to do with you?"
"Xiaogang, have you forgotten? When we first founded Shrek Academy, you were the one who gave us so much guidance!"
"Everyone here knows how much you contributed."
"Without you, Shrek Academy wouldn't be where it is today."
"You've always wanted to prove yourself, right?"
"Well, now you've done it. Even if you don't believe it, everyone else does. No one dares to question your ability anymore."
"You're no longer some 'laughingstock master'—you're a respected and celebrated master."
"There are students who come to Shrek Academy purely because of your name."
Hearing Yu Xiaogang's words, even Flender couldn't hold back. He stepped in with a forceful tone, also trying to rouse him.
After listening to Liu Erlong and Flender, especially Flender's remarks, Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up slightly.
Yes, Tang San's death devastated him—but deep down, what he cared most about… was still himself.
Now, hearing that the outside world finally recognized his identity as "Grandmaster," Yu Xiaogang couldn't help feeling a bit excited.
"You're right."
"I can't keep living like this. Shrek Academy still needs me."
He slowly raised his head, his voice steadier now.
"That's more like it!"
"Shrek still needs you!"
Both Flender and Liu Erlong smiled in relief.
Yu Xiaogang pulling himself out of despair was exactly what they had hoped to see.
"Dean! Bad news—something terrible has happened!"
Just as Yu Xiaogang started to recover, Teacher Qin Ming suddenly burst in, face full of shock.
"Grandmaster, Dean Liu, you're here too!"
Only after rushing in did Qin Ming notice Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong.
"Qin Ming, what happened?"
Flender immediately asked after seeing Qin Ming's panicked look.
"This…"
Qin Ming glanced at Yu Xiaogang, then back at Flender, hesitating—unsure if he should speak in front of him.
"Something happened, didn't it? And it's related to me, isn't it?"
Yu Xiaogang, sharp as ever, sensed something was wrong and immediately questioned him.
"Yes… Grandmaster."
"I have news, but please prepare yourself mentally."
Seeing that there was no use hiding it anymore, Qin Ming gave up the idea of keeping it quiet. After all, Yu Xiaogang would find out sooner or later.
Flender, Liu Erlong, and Yu Xiaogang all tensed up, faces growing serious.
Because they all knew—if Qin Ming was speaking with such caution, it had to be something major.
"Tell me."
Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath and looked straight at Qin Ming.
At the same time, he was already speculating what kind of disaster it could be to cause such a reaction.
"It's… the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Something's happened to them."
Seeing that Yu Xiaogang had steeled himself, Qin Ming finally spoke.
"What?!"
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?!"
"What happened?!"
To Qin Ming's surprise, the first to cry out wasn't Yu Xiaogang—but Liu Erlong.
"What happened to them?!"
Yu Xiaogang was also startled. He hadn't expected it would be the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. He quickly asked again, voice tight with tension.
"Grandmaster, Dean Liu… please prepare yourselves."
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan… was wiped out last night."
Qin Ming hesitated no longer. After one final warning, he delivered the devastating news.
"What?!"
"They were wiped out?!"
"That's impossible—I don't believe it!"
Liu Erlong was the first to scream in disbelief.
"No way. Where did you hear that?"
"This isn't something to joke about!"
Yu Xiaogang's eyes widened in shock. He stared at Qin Ming, refusing to believe it.
"I don't know if it's true, but the news has already spread. They say the entire Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was left in ruins—no survivors."
Qin Ming answered gravely, his heart heavy.
"No… That's impossible… I won't believe it…"
"I need to go see for myself…"
"My father, my uncle… there's no way they're gone…"
Liu Erlong didn't wait. As soon as she heard those words, she ran out.
"Erlong, wait! I'm going too! I have to see it with my own eyes!"
Yu Xiaogang followed close behind, his heart pounding in panic and disbelief.
"Qin Ming, look after the academy. I'm going with them!"
Flender quickly recovered from his own shock. After telling Qin Ming to hold down the fort, he rushed out after the two of them.
He still couldn't believe it either.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan… annihilated?
…
(End of Chapter)
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