After Tang San finished his lament, he noticed something was amiss, as the expected notification of the God Trial's completion had not arrived.
"What's going on?" Tang San frowned as he looked at Yu Xiaogang, who had fainted on the ground.
"Could it be because Yu Xiaogang didn't fight back? Or did I misinterpret the task requirements?"
"Crush, crush..." Tang San casually found a step to sit on and began reexamining the task requirements while waiting for Yu Xiaogang to wake up.
When Yu Xiaogang slowly regained consciousness, the first thing he saw was Tang San sitting not far from him.
Humiliation, disbelief... Various negative emotions swirled in his heart.
Yu Xiaogang's chest heaved violently as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Why haven't you left yet?"
Tang San turned his head to look at Yu Xiaogang, who was pretending to be dead on the ground, and chuckled lightly. "That last encounter didn't count as a real battle, so we need to have another one."
"You beast!" Yu Xiaogang's eyes snapped open as he stared at Tang San in astonishment.
He never expected Tang San to humiliate him once and still not be satisfied.
"Considering you did offer me some help before, I can forgive you this time. But if you offend me with your words again, don't blame me for disregarding our past relationship."
A cold glint flashed in Tang San's eyes.
After a long while, Tang San left directly, leaving only Yu Xiaogang lying on the ground with vacant eyes, tears streaming uncontrollably.
He never imagined Tang San could be so vicious and cruel, having drained his Soul Power down to level 19.
Humiliation—this was blatant humiliation!
Time flew by, and nearly another year passed in the blink of an eye.
In the main hall of the Heavenly Dou Imperial Palace, a matter significant enough to alter the continent's landscape was being discussed.
Qian Renxue sat high on her throne, quietly listening to the various ministers report on the preparations made over recent years.
"After two years of stockpiling provisions, we now have enough supplies to sustain the Heaven Dou Empire through the upcoming war. Military pay and equipment are also ready," the finance minister stated with confidence, keeping his head lowered.
Since Emperor Xue Ye's passing, both the nobility and officials within the Heaven Dou Empire had undergone a complete reshuffle.
The only outsiders still standing in this hall were either allies of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School or truly capable pragmatists.
Li Xun and Qian Renxue were not bloodthirsty by nature and had not purged these individuals. Instead, they gradually disseminated their ideology to achieve internal unity.
As the finance minister finished his report, Yang Wudi stepped forward. "Five hundred thousand vanguard troops have been assembled at the Balak border, ready to launch an attack at any moment."
When troops number over ten thousand, they appear boundless. War is no game—mobilizing millions of soldiers to press forward en masse is nothing but a fantasy tale.
For a nation to mobilize half of its military strength without harming its foundations is already a sign of prosperity.
"Then let the war begin," Qian Renxue expressed great satisfaction with the unity displayed by her officials below.
When she returned to Heavenly Dou, she heard that Bibidong was in seclusion and had not appeared for some time. With no one to restrain her now, it was the perfect opportunity to take a large bite out of Star Luo.
As orders were issued one after another, the entire Heaven Dou Empire officially entered a tense period.
Those yearning to achieve merit and build careers began actively responding—the Douluo Continent had been too quiet for far too long.
An army of five hundred thousand marched in grand formation. The forces stationed by Star Luo at the border crumbled before they could mount an effective defense, leaving the kingdoms and duchies near the Balak Province within the Star Luo Empire trembling in fear.
Star Luo Empire.
The Star Luo Emperor rose furiously from his throne. "Heaven Dou seems to have forgotten that without the Spirit Hall maintaining balance between us, they would have long been crushed beneath the iron hooves of Star Luo. How dare they take the initiative to attack!"
"Dispatch reinforcements immediately from the Yunluo Duchy and the Kingdom of Hadrian. We must crush the Heaven Dou army within the borders of the Cress Kingdom."
"Patriarch Tang, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School will be your responsibility. I've heard Sword Douluo has broken through to level ninety-eight. If you find it challenging, I will send some elite fighters from our clan to assist."
"Your Majesty, rest assured. Although Sword Douluo's cultivation surpasses mine by one level, our Clear Sky Sect has held the title of the continent's top sect for a reason. Do you think we lack the means to overcome stronger opponents?" Though Tang Xiao felt somewhat burdened inwardly, his expression remained unreadable.
"Excellent!"
The Star Luo Emperor's aura erupted abruptly, filling the hall with the oppressive might of a Titled Douluo. "Since Heaven Dou wishes for war, then let there be war! I'd like to see how their Great White Goose Martial Soul can contend with a tiger!"
Though Star Luo also operated under an imperial system, its internal competition was brutal. Only those with both talent and strength could inherit the throne. As the victor of the previous generation's strife, the Star Luo Emperor's power was naturally extraordinary.
While the collateral branches of the clan lacked experts of Titled Douluo caliber, they did possess some Soul Saints and Soul Douluos. Combined with their Martial Soul Fusion Skill with the Zhu Family, they could rival a portion of elite fighters.
Commands were issued one after another, and the hall instantly grew tense with a murderous atmosphere—a testament to the formidable strength of Star Luo's bloody institutions.
At that moment, a dust-covered soldier was ushered into the hall. "Urgent report from the relay station! An urgent message from the Yunluo Duchy: the Cress Kingdom has been occupied by Heaven Dou."
"What?!"
The hall erupted into chaos, buzzing with frantic discussions. Even the Star Luo Emperor and Tang Xiao wore expressions of disbelief.
The capital of Star Luo was over twenty days' journey from the border nations, but for the Min Clan, it would take only a day or a few hours, depending on the messenger's cultivation level.
Yet, they had just learned of Heaven Dou's invasion when this devastating news arrived, meaning Heaven Dou had swallowed an entire kingdom in just two days.
Although they held an advantage in intelligence transmission speed, their troops could not match the pace of reinforcement. This was partly due to the recent border standoffs that had lulled Star Luo into complacency.
Watching the disorderly scene below, the Star Luo Emperor felt only irritation. "What's done is done. Further discussion is pointless now. Deploy the troops!"
A glint flashed in Tang Xiao's eyes as he nodded. After the court session concluded, he swiftly returned to the Clear Sky Sect's headquarters.
As the continent's top sect, the Star Luo Emperor had shown no neglect upon the Clear Sky Sect's arrival in Star Luo, even assigning them a headquarters in a prosperous district of Star Luo City.
However, Tang Xiao had no mind to admire the grand and luxurious architecture at the moment. He strode directly into the council hall.
Before long, Tang Hao entered with a group of elders.
As individuals standing at the pinnacle of the continent, they had long anticipated such a situation. The only surprise was the speed of Heaven Dou's advance.
"What should we do, Patriarch? Should we withdraw from this muddy waters?"
The Seventh Elder's expression was grave. Having experienced the great war between the Clear Sky Sect and the Spirit Hall, he knew exactly what kind of losses they would face if they got involved in the war between the two empires.
"I also don't agree with participating. If the Spirit Hall takes advantage of the situation to cause trouble, we'll likely be put in a passive position," the Third Elder said, looking around before raising his hand in agreement.
Hearing this, two more elders voiced their support: "Our Clear Sky Sect has only just begun to recover after all these years of rest. We shouldn't suffer unnecessary losses because of the conflict between the two empires."
"Great Elder, what's your opinion?" Tang Xiao turned to Tang Ming, who had been sitting calmly all this time.
The Great Elder stroked his beard, his face showing no trace of concern about the war: "I'd like to hear the Sect Master's opinion first."
Seeing that the Great Elder didn't oppose immediately, Tang Xiao nodded: "I believe the Clear Sky Sect should participate."
"Honored elders, please hear me out first!" Tang Xiao quickly raised his hand to stop the agitated elders. "I say this for two reasons."
"First, our Clear Sky Sect has been secluded for too long - so long that some people have forgotten the power of the Continent's Number One Spirit. Second, if we avoid this conflict, there will be no place left on the continent for us to recuperate and recover."
"Rather than saying I want to fight, it would be more accurate to say our Clear Sky Sect has no choice but to fight now."
Hearing this, the elders fell silent. Some turned their gazes toward Tang Hao.
How could they not understand what Tang Xiao was saying? After all, they had already experienced abandoning their allies once before. But compared to reputation, life and the sect's future were sometimes more important.
For a moment, the meeting hall was filled with the weight of a difficult decision.
Just then, Great Elder Tang Ming suddenly spoke: "I support the Sect Master's opinion, though I have some slight differences regarding the details."
"The war between the two empires won't be decided in a single day. If things become untenable, we can withdraw and no one would fault us for it."
With the Sect Master and Great Elder in agreement, the others couldn't oppose.
However, just as the meeting was about to conclude, the Seventh Elder suddenly turned his attention to Tang Hao: "Tang Hao, although your strength has declined, you're still stronger than many disciples. I think you should participate in the war as well."