…
"The tide has turned…" Ning Fengzhi murmured to himself.
"The Moon Pavilion Sect has now truly risen to power."
"They are like a primordial beast just awakened, baring their sharp fangs."
"The tide has turned, and their momentum is unstoppable."
"Our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will likely have to rely on others for survival in Heaven Dou City from now on."
...
Meanwhile, within the Clear Sky Sect.
"Bang!"
A loud crash shattered the silence of the meeting hall.
The hot-tempered Seventh Elder slammed his hand hard on the hard granite table, the force creating spiderweb-like cracks.
"Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!"
The Seventh Elder trembled with rage.
"That old rhinoceros, back then he groveled before our Clear Sky Sect like a dog!"
"Now, our Clear Sky Sect is in seclusion, struggling so much, and instead of helping us, the Yu Clan goes to serve Moon Pavilion like slaves!"
"Exactly!" The Second Elder echoed coldly, his face grim.
"Isn't Moon Pavilion just relying on having a few stinking bucks?"
"That brat Tang Yuehua is using our Tang family's name to swindle and cheat people, and now she even dares to recruit former affiliated sects of our Clear Sky Sect!"
"And that Niu Gao is an ingrate who betrays his principles for personal gain!"
"Seeing that Moon Pavilion is rich, they rush over to lick his boots. What a cold-hearted world! Human nature has deteriorated!"
"Hmph, just a bunch of sycophantic scoundrels."
Another elder scoffed disdainfully.
"The day our Clear Sky Sect returns to the world, we'll make these treacherous lackeys pay!"
The elders chimed in, filling the meeting hall with insults against the Yu Clan and envy towards Moon Pavilion.
In their eyes, the Yu Clan were Clear Sky Sect's dogs in life and in death.
Even if Clear Sky Sect didn't want them anymore, they should stay and be grateful, not seek refuge with others.
Sitting in the main seat, Sect Master Tang Xiao listened to the elders' vile insults, his brows furrowing deeper, a look of disappointment and anger appearing on his face.
Beside Tang Xiao, Tang Hao sat quietly in the shadows.
Listening to the elders' repeated accusations of betrayal and ingrates, Tang Hao felt as if countless sharp knives were tearing at his heart.
He was furious, but his anger wasn't directed at the Yu Clan; it was at himself.
He knew better than anyone why the Yu Clan hated the Clear Sky Sect.
Back then, it was because he, Tang Hao, had caused such a catastrophic disaster, provoking the Spirit Hall's furious retaliation.
To protect itself, the Clear Sky Sect had unhesitatingly declared its closure, abandoning its four affiliated sects like rag dolls to the Spirit Hall to bear the brunt of their wrath.
The Yu Clan suffered heavy casualties and was forced to flee their homeland to the Star Luo Empire.
The culprit behind all of this was none other than Tang Hao!
Tang Hao's lips trembled slightly. He desperately wanted to stand up and roar, silencing these elders.
But he couldn't.
He was a sinner, a sinner who brought annihilation to the sect.
In this meeting hall, he had no right to speak, and could only silently endure this humiliation and torment.
"Enough!"
Just as the insults in the meeting hall grew louder and even began to involve Tang Yuehua, Tang Hao slammed his fist on the table!
Tang Xiao abruptly stood up, and a terrifying pressure belonging to a level 96 peak Douluo instantly swept across the entire hall, forcefully silencing all the elders' voices.
The meeting hall fell silent instantly, the elders staring in astonishment at their enraged sect leader.
Tang Xiao took a deep breath, his sharp gaze sweeping over each elder present, his eyes filled with a sorrowful disappointment.
"Elders, have you finished your insults?"
Tang Xiao's voice was deep.
"You keep saying the Yu Clan are ingrates, that they're opportunistic and treacherous."
"But ask yourselves honestly."
"Back then, was it our Clear Sky Sect that wronged them, or were they wronged our Clear Sky Sect?!"
"Sect Master, what do you mean by that?"
The Second Elder's face darkened, and he retorted with some displeasure.
"They are an affiliated sect, sacrificing themselves for the sect is only natural!"
"Natural? What a wonderful natural!"
Tang Xiao laughed angrily, pointing towards the direction outside the gate and shouting.
"Back then, to protect ourselves, we pushed them out as shields, letting the Spirit Hall slaughter them. Why didn't you say that was natural then?"
"For the past ten years or so, when they were struggling in Longxing City, unable to even get enough to eat, did our Clear Sky Sect give them a single grain of rice or a single penny of help?!"
Tang Xiao's words were like resounding slaps to the faces of the elders, leaving several elders who originally wanted to retort red-faced and speechless.
"Now, Moon Pavilion has given them respect, generous rewards, and a place to settle down. Why can't they go?" Tang Xiao's voice echoed in the empty hall, deafeningly loud.
"Moon Pavilion invited them with real money and on an equal footing! And what about us? Besides putting on a haughty master's face here, besides raging incompetence, what else can we do?!"
Tang Xiao turned his head, glanced at Tang Hao beside him who had his eyes closed in pain, and looked at the elders again:
"The world is cold-hearted?"
"No, elders. It's not that the world is cold-hearted, but that our Clear Sky Sect has long since lost the right to command loyalty!"
"Put away your laughable arrogance. If the Clear Sky Sect continues to deceive itself like this,"
"Even without the Spirit Hall attacking, we ourselves will be completely eliminated by this era!"
Tang Xiao's question silenced all the elders.
The Clear Sky Sect elders, who had just been so indignant and spittle flying, were now like ducks with their necks being choked, their faces flushed, unable to utter a single word in rebuttal. The
Second Elder's lips trembled violently, as if he still wanted to adopt the airs of an elder and reprimand them.
But seeing the disappointment in Tang Hao's eyes, he ultimately lowered his head dejectedly, swallowing back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
Did these elders truly not understand the principles Tang Xiao had spoken?
Having lived most of their lives, weren't they all shrewd and calculating?
Of course, they knew that the Clear Sky Sect was in the wrong back then, that it had ruthlessly abandoned those loyal subordinate sects to protect itself.
They also understood that the Yu Clan choosing to ally with the wealthy and powerful Moon Pavilion was simply a matter of survival.
But they just couldn't accept it.
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