Chapter 164: Could He Possibly Be Stronger Than Ancestor Chen?!
Tang Yuehua nodded, her voice still tinged with the remnants of tears: "The Third Prince, Xue Luochuan, witnessed it with his own eyes; it should be no fabrication. He manifested his Martial Soul and Soul Rings right there, in front of everyone. That pressure... Xue Luochuan said it was so overwhelming that he could barely breathe."
The Second Elder fell silent.
If this were true... then this Jiang Bai’s power was simply unimaginable!
"Hmph!"
A cold snort shattered the silence.
The Seventh Elder spoke up again, his tone dripping with disdain: "That must have been some form of illusionary Soul Skill—merely a trick to make you think they were nine 100,000-year Soul Rings!"
He rose to his feet, walked to the center of the hall, and swept his gaze across the assembly: "His very first Soul Ring was a 100,000-year ring? That would surely be enough to make him explode!"
"Even Patriarch Chen couldn’t achieve that! Are you suggesting there is someone in this world even stronger than Patriarch Chen?"
The "Patriarch Chen" the Seventh Elder referred to was Tang Chen.
He was the most dazzlingly gifted genius in the history of the Clear Sky Sect—a Level 99 Peerless Douluo, hailed as the "Invincible of the Earth."
He was the pride of the Clear Sky Sect—the very bedrock upon which the sect stood atop the pinnacle of the continent.
If even Tang Chen could not accomplish such a feat, how could anyone else possibly do so?
The Seventh Elder’s words prompted several of the other elders to nod slightly in agreement.
Indeed.
Nine 100,000-year Soul Rings—the notion was simply too preposterous.
The possibility of it being an illusionary technique was, in truth, far more likely.
The First Elder remained silent for a moment, then turned to look at Tang Xiao: "Sect Master, regarding this matter... what is your judgment?"
Tang Xiao did not offer an immediate reply.
He stood in the center of the hall, gazing out at the overcast, gray skies beyond the temple doors, and fell into deep contemplation for a long while.
Then, he spoke slowly: "This matter carries immense weight. We must dispatch people to investigate it thoroughly and verify its authenticity."
He turned around to face the elders: "Elders, our Clear Sky Sect has kept its gates closed to the world for many years; consequently, we know very little about what transpires in the outside world."
"We have relied entirely on my younger sister to gather intelligence abroad, but after all, one person’s capacity is limited."
"I propose that we dispatch a group of disciples to venture out and investigate the situation in the outside world firsthand."
Upon hearing this, the Second Elder nodded: "Indeed."
He rose to his feet, his voice carrying a distinct note of arrogance: "I believe the Sect Master’s proposal is excellent."
"Perhaps we have kept our gates closed for too long—long enough, it seems, for certain individuals to have forgotten that our Clear Sky Sect remains the foremost sect in the land!"
The Third Elder chimed in agreement: "Precisely. The Clear Sky Sect has remained in seclusion for so long that those petty scoundrels have likely forgotten who possesses the greatest Weapon Spirit in the world!"
The elders nodded in unison.
Although the Seventh Elder still wore an expression of disdain, he offered no further objections.
Seeing this, Tang Xiao nodded: "Very well. Let us begin by dispatching ten third-generation disciples to venture out and gain experience."
He paused for a moment, then added: "They are to pay particular attention to gathering information regarding... my brother Hao’s Spirit Bones."
As his words fell, the Seventh Elder’s expression instantly turned grim!
He shot to his feet, his voice sharp and shrill: "Has Tang Hao not already brought enough calamity upon this sect in his time?!"
"Now that he is dead, it is nothing less than the just retribution he earned for himself!"
"And you wish to gather information about him? Do you expect the sect to avenge him as well?!"
He glared at Tang Xiao, his eyes blazing with fury: "Moreover, that Jiang Bai possesses unfathomable power. How exactly do you propose we gather information on him? Are we simply sending our disciples to their deaths?"
Tang Xiao offered no response to his heated interrogation; he simply gazed back at him in silence.
The Third Elder spoke up hesitantly: "But... among those Spirit Bones are the Clear Sky Sect’s ancestral heritage bones."
He turned to face the Seventh Elder: "Surely, we cannot simply allow them to remain lost in the outside world?"
The Seventh Elder cast a disdainful glance at him, his sneer deepening: "Ancestral heritage bones? Hah..."
He let out a scoff: "They remained in Tang Hao’s possession for all those years; yet, after he committed his transgressions, did he ever return to the sect to hand them back?"
The Third Elder was left utterly speechless. Indeed.
After committing his transgression all those years ago, Tang Hao went into hiding, constantly on the run; yet, it never once crossed his mind to return to the sect to hand back the Soul Bones.
The Fourth Elder spoke in a deep, grave tone: "That may be true."
He rose to his feet, his gaze solemn: "But those Soul Bones are, after all, the property of our Clear Sky Sect."
"Now that they are being paraded publicly as prizes, it is our Clear Sky Sect’s very face that is being slapped!"
He turned his gaze toward Tang Xiao: "The sect may choose not to avenge Tang Hao, but surely we cannot simply stand by and watch while our own dignity is trampled underfoot?"
The Fifth Elder nodded in agreement: "Fourth Brother makes a valid point. Even if we forgo vengeance, we must still find a way to reclaim those Soul Bones."
The Seventh Elder let out a scoff: "Reclaim them? And how, exactly, do you propose we do that?"
He looked at the Fifth Elder, his eyes brimming with mockery: "Are we to storm the Spirit Hall and seize them by force? Or are we to win them in the Grand Tournament?"
"The participants in that tournament must be students from advanced Soul Master academies, and under the age of twenty-five."
"Our Clear Sky Sect has remained in seclusion for so many years; where on earth would we find students to compete?"
"And even if we did, that Jiang Bai stated explicitly that the champion team—the one claiming the prizes—would be escorted by a Titled Douluo dispatched by the Spirit Hall."
He sneered: "What? Do you actually intend to bring agents of the Spirit Hall right up to our sect’s mountain gates?"
A barrage of questions erupted from him, rapid-fire like a cannonade.
The questions left everyone utterly speechless.
The Fifth Elder’s face flushed crimson, yet he could find no words to offer in rebuttal.
The Fourth Elder frowned: "Seventh Brother, you shouldn’t speak like that."
He spoke in a low, serious voice: "If those Soul Bones do indeed contain artifacts of our Clear Sky Sect’s legacy—and if we were to simply abandon them now—how would the world view our sect once word gets out?"
The Fifth Elder hurriedly chimed in: "Fourth Brother is right! The sect may choose not to avenge Tang Hao, but we absolutely must find a way to reclaim what belongs to us!"
The Seventh Elder sneered again: "Reclaim them? With what? Are you planning to pay with your very lives?"
Seeing that the group was on the verge of another heated argument, Tang Xiao quickly raised a hand to silence them.
"That is enough."
His voice was not loud, yet it carried an indisputable, commanding authority. The elders fell silent, all turning their gaze toward him.
Tang Xiao remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly: "My second brother’s vengeance... let us set that aside for now."
His voice was calm, yet anyone could discern the emotions being suppressed beneath that tranquility.
"But as for that Jiang Bai..."
He paused briefly.
"No matter how powerful he may be—since he dared to slay a direct-line disciple of my Clear Sky Sect, and dared to offer a Clear Sky Sect Spirit Bone as a prize—this debt must be settled, sooner or later."
He looked at the elders. "Therefore, we must still investigate the matter of these Spirit Bones."
"Let Tang Long, Tang Hu, Tang Yu, and Tang Xin—members of the third generation of disciples—lead the expedition."
The elders exchanged glances, and ultimately, they all nodded in agreement.
Tang Long, Tang Hu, Tang Yu, and Tang Xin were the most outstanding among the Clear Sky Sect’s third-generation disciples.
Possessing exceptional talent and formidable strength, they were also meticulous in their thinking—making them perfectly suited for undertaking missions in the outside world.
Sending them out was the most appropriate course of action.
Seeing that no one raised any objections, Tang Xiao continued:
"Have them first ascertain three things. First: What exactly is this Jiang Bai’s background, and what is the true extent of his power?"
"Second: Are those six Spirit Bones truly the ones extracted from Brother Hao’s body?"
"Third: Any major events that have occurred on the Continent in recent years—events of which we remain unaware."
"Once these matters have been clarified, we shall make our final decision."
The elders nodded.
Although the Seventh Elder still wore an expression of indignation, he refrained from voicing any further objections.
Tang Yuehua stood silently to the side, listening intently.
Her tears had ceased to flow, yet her eyes remained red-rimmed.