"Daydreaming! Today, I'd rather die fighting than surrender to your Spirit Hall!" The three of them had made up their minds, prepared to sacrifice everything at any moment.
As always, the night was ablaze with fire, the air filled with deafening battle cries and the thick stench of blood. The entire Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan had turned into a slaughterhouse, with death and carnage everywhere.
"Ning Fengzhi, let me be frank with you. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has already been annihilated by me. Do you really think the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan can hold out alone?" Ye Hao's expression was grave as he dropped another earth-shattering revelation.
The moment these words left his mouth, even Ning Fengzhi—who had been forcing himself to remain composed—completely lost his composure. His eyes widened in shock, and he trembled with rage, unable to speak.
"You… what did you say?" Ning Fengzhi stammered, his entire body shaking uncontrollably.
Even Ning Rongrong, who had been hiding behind Sword Douluo Chen Xin, paled in horror. Her beautiful eyes brimmed with fear as she stared at Ye Hao in terror.
"Is he really the Ye Hao I once knew?" Ning Rongrong murmured to herself. "He's become so terrifying… like a blood-soaked Asura straight out of hell."
The difference between the Ye Hao of today and the one from back then was like night and day.
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan… destroyed by you?" Sword Douluo Chen Xin could hardly believe it. One of the top three clans had been wiped out just like that, and now history was repeating itself before his eyes.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Ning Fengzhi was on the verge of collapse, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at Ye Hao.
"I have people stationed in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan! If you had destroyed them, they would have returned to inform us immediately!"
Ye Hao sneered. "Still don't get it? The entire Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has been exterminated. Only a handful of disciples who were away survived—but soon, they'll follow their clan into oblivion. The spies you planted there are already dead. The dead don't deliver messages."
At this moment, Ning Fengzhi completely lost his bearings. He trembled uncontrollably, cold sweat dripping from his forehead, his face twisted in terror. His back was already drenched in sweat.
The Spirit Hall's methods were too ruthless—they left no room for survival.
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is now history. Next in line is the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan." Ye Hao stepped forward slowly, now undeniably the strongest among them.
"Ye Hao, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan will never let you go! And neither will the Clear Sky Clan! We will fight to our last breath!" Ning Fengzhi declared resolutely.
If they were going down, they'd drag their enemies with them.
Even Sword Douluo Chen Xin, whose martial soul had been crippled, stood tall, glaring fiercely at Ye Hao. Though his Seven Kill Sword no longer existed, he was still a former Titled Douluo. He refused to lose his dignity.
The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan had reached its most desperate moment. No one would be spared.
"The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan will fight to the end! Spirit Hall, do whatever you want—kill us, torture us, it doesn't matter!" Ning Fengzhi's voice was unwavering. Beside him, Ning Rongrong also stood firm. The three of them faced Ye Hao, ready for battle.
They knew that even combined, Ye Hao could crush them with one hand. Two support-type spirit masters and a crippled Titled Douluo were no match for him.
Outside, the sounds of slaughter continued unabated.
"Admirable courage, but…" Ye Hao clapped slowly, leaving his sentence hanging.
"Ning Fengzhi, Ning Rongrong, Sword Douluo Chen Xin… the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan will soon be reduced to ashes. As for you…"
A faint smile curled on Ye Hao's lips. "I'll capture all of you and send you to the Spirit Hall to keep Bone Douluo company."
With that, Ye Hao mercilessly plucked the Death God's Heart from his hairpin and hurled it forward.
The Death God's Heart expanded midair, enveloping all three of them. No matter how they resisted, they couldn't escape their fate—capture.
Sword Douluo was no longer a Titled Douluo, and Ning Fengzhi and Ning Rongrong were merely spirit masters with the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda. They stood no chance against the Death God's Heart's binding power.
Just like that, the three highest-ranking members of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan were captured alive.
"Wasting words is pointless. Action speaks louder." Ye Hao chuckled mockingly at himself.
Then, he retrieved the Death God's Heart and turned to gaze at the burning ruins of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan.
"By tomorrow, everything here will be ashes. The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan will become history." Ye Hao sighed deeply.
Early the next morning.
As the first rays of sunlight fell upon the shattered ruins, the once-magnificent Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan had been completely reduced to ashes.
The air was thick with the smell of charred wood and the metallic tang of blood. The great battle had finally come to an end.
The ground was stained with blood as Spirit Hall disciples busied themselves disposing of the corpses. The scene was a mountain of bodies, a wasteland of death. Over two thousand disciples of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan had become cold, lifeless corpses.
Ye Hao stood silently for a long time, his heart heavy with complex emotions.
"Only two nights have passed, and two of the great clans have been destroyed by my hands. Of the top three clans, only the Clear Sky Clan remains—the toughest nut to crack, heavily fortified and nearly impregnable. A direct assault would result in heavy losses."
He shook his head. "I should infiltrate them first… No, never mind."
"First, I'll return to the Spirit Hall and rest for a while. Soon enough, the Clear Sky Clan will receive news of the destruction of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. By then, their defenses will be at their tightest."
After annihilating the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan, Ye Hao left Heaven Dou City and returned to the Spirit Hall to report.
The next battle—against the Clear Sky Clan—would be the most difficult yet. It was a hard bone to chew.
Meanwhile, news of the destruction of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan spread like wildfire across the entire Douluo Continent.
The reactions were mixed, but all were stunned. Two of the top three clans had been wiped out—who in this world possessed such terrifying power?
"The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan… destroyed?"
"No way! Those were two of the top clans! Who in this world could annihilate both of them?"
"Could it be… the Spirit Hall?"
"Shh! Do you have a death wish?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
Every major force was left speechless. Though no one dared to say it outright, they all knew who was behind the destruction of the two great clans.
Meanwhile, at Shrek Academy.
The campus was desolate, a scene of utter ruin.
Ever since the conclusion of the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Academy Tournament, Shrek Academy's reputation had been utterly ruined by Tang San and Yu Xiaogang.
Last year, hardly any new students had enrolled. This year, they had achieved a groundbreaking "zero" admissions—setting a new historical low for Shrek Academy.
The dilapidated academy was devoid of life, with dead leaves littering the grounds and no one bothering to clean them. It was a picture of decay.
Now, only a handful of people remained at Shrek Academy. Apart from the original teachers who stubbornly clung to their posts, the rest had resigned or left to teach elsewhere.
Truly, when a man is down, even his tea turns cold. Such was the fickleness of the world.
Behind Shrek Academy, on the mountain…
Flender and Liu Erlong returned to the academy, having come all the way from the ruins of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. The two of them had not exchanged a single word the entire journey, their hearts heavy with grief that no one else could understand.
Inside the wooden cabin, Liu Erlong lay on the bed, silent tears streaming down her face. Her clan had been destroyed, her martial soul crippled, and her spirit power completely gone—she was now nothing but a useless cripple. The thought of revenge was nothing but a distant dream, with no path forward and no hope of retribution.
Flender sat nearby, staring blankly at his calloused hands. Even after washing them thoroughly, the memory of strangling Yu Xiaogang with these very hands two days ago remained vivid in his mind, as if it had just happened yesterday.
To think he had killed his own closest brother—how bitterly ironic.
By now, news of the destruction of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan had reached them.
They knew exactly who was behind it—the Spirit Hall.
"The Spirit Hall is truly terrifying," Flender muttered under his breath. He glanced at Liu Erlong, who was still silently weeping, and opened his mouth to speak—but the words died in his throat.
"Erlong, I—"
"Get out."
Two simple words, yet they struck Flender like a blade to the heart.
He stood up and walked toward the door, pausing briefly before saying, "The Spirit Hall has destroyed the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan. Their next target will undoubtedly be the Heaven Dou Empire. For the sake of Shrek Academy… and for our own safety… I've made a decision on the way back."
He gritted his teeth.
"I've decided… to disband Shrek Academy."
This was the hardest choice Flender had ever made. Shrek Academy was his life's work, and the pain of letting it go was unbearable.
A long silence followed.
"You're the dean. Don't bother me unless it's important."
Liu Erlong's voice was cold and indifferent. She turned away, continuing to weep silently.
Her heart was already dead.
Flender sighed deeply, exhaustion and helplessness weighing him down like a decade of age had suddenly caught up to him.
He staggered out of the cabin like a walking corpse.
---
That afternoon, on the Shrek Academy training grounds.
An assembly of all remaining students and faculty was called. The number of students present barely reached five, and the teachers were all the original members of Shrek Academy.
Flender trudged onto the stage, each step heavy with reluctance. As he looked at the pitifully small number of students below, memories of Shrek Academy's glorious early days flooded his mind—back when the campus was bustling with talent and promise.
Now?
Just a handful of stragglers, barely worth mentioning.
Ahem.
"I've called this meeting today for one reason only…"
Flender's face darkened, his voice strained.
"By now, you've all heard about the destruction of two of the top three clans. The Spirit Hall's next target will undoubtedly be the Heaven Dou Empire. For your own safety… I hereby announce that Shrek Academy will be… disbanded."
The moment the last word left his lips, Flender felt as if an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He exhaled deeply, his body sagging with relief.
The announcement was met with stunned silence.
The veteran teachers who had followed Flender from the very beginning broke down in tears, their grief overwhelming.
As for the fewer-than-five students?
They scattered instantly, grabbing their belongings and bolting from the academy without a second glance.
Before leaving, some of them even stripped off their Shrek Academy uniforms—revealing the colors of other academies underneath.
Flender's blood boiled.
So even these last few "loyal" students were just spies planted by other schools?!
"No wonder every other academy's enrollment has been skyrocketing while ours stayed at zero! Damn it all—!"
After a furious rant, Flender finally calmed down slightly.
"Boss… if Shrek Academy is disbanded, then what about you?" Zhao Wuji approached hesitantly.
"Me?" Flender looked up at the clear blue sky, suddenly feeling lost.
"Even if Shrek Academy is gone, I'm still its dean. I'll stay here for the rest of my life… taking care of Erlong. Consider it my atonement."
He waved dismissively.
"Wuji, you should leave. Shrek Academy is finished. With your strength, any other academy would make you a vice-dean. You have a bright future ahead."
"I—I'm not going anywhere!" Zhao Wuji shouted. "Boss, have you forgotten why we founded Shrek Academy in the first place?!"
Flender paused mid-step, then shook his head wearily.
"Shrek Academy is already disbanded. I won't say it again. Stay if you want."
The scene was one of utter desolation—a once-great institution now reduced to ruins.
---
Meanwhile, inside the Clear Sky Clan.
When news of the destruction of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan arrived, Tang Xiao and the five elders were filled with fury.
"Damn it! That cursed Spirit Hall! To annihilate two of the great clans without anyone noticing—they're declaring war on the entire continent!" The Seventh Elder slammed his fist down, trembling with rage.
The Second Elder sighed. "What's done is done. The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan are gone, and even their clan leaders have disappeared. Given the Spirit Hall's nature, the chances of them being alive are slim. This is no time for mourning. We are the last of the top three clans—the Spirit Hall will come for us next. Clan Leader, what is your plan?"
Tang Xiao fell silent, the fall of the two clans leaving him at a severe disadvantage.
"I have little to add. All we can do is train harder—a brutal battle awaits us. Additionally, we must increase patrols both inside and outside the clan. If any unknown individuals approach the mountain, give one warning. If they don't comply… you know what to do."
He paused, then added, "Our clan has been secluded for years, and we only have around two hundred disciples—no match for the Spirit Hall's forces. I propose recalling the four subordinate clans. Any objections?"
Silence.
Then uneasy murmurs.
"The four subordinate clans…"
"That's not ideal…"
"I disagree!" The Seventh Elder was the first to oppose. "Of the four, the Strength Clan has already been wiped out. The remaining three are in dire straits. Clan Leader, while absorbing them would boost our strength, do you really think they've forgiven us for what happened back then? Asking them to rejoin the Clear Sky Clan now would be harder than killing them!"
His words carried undeniable logic, and the others nodded in reluctant agreement.
---
Sorry for the delay. My 10+ years laptop finally decided to take a break.