With the Star Luo Empire joining the war, the Spirit Hall, which previously held significant advantage over the Heaven Dou Empire, was forced to divide its forces. The balance of power between the two sides gradually leveled out.
Since the war had broken out over a year earlier than Spirit Hall's original plan, many of their preparations remained incomplete. The Soul Hunting Operation had not yet been launched, allowing the core combat forces of both empires to remain largely intact—a situation that put Spirit Hall in an extremely uncomfortable position.
At the same time, Spirit Hall's greatest advantage—its top-tier combatants—had suffered heavy losses due to Fang Chang's interference, allowing the two empires to significantly close the gap.
Now, Spirit Hall had to not only keep watch over the experts from the two empires and their allied forces like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, but also remain vigilant against the elusive Spider God Envoys and the ever-looming threat of the Clear Sky Clan.
Facing so many factions simultaneously, even Spirit Hall found itself stretched thin.
The Clear Sky Clan, which had withdrawn from the world for over a decade, had recently reemerged. Especially after the appearance of that map, they were quickly targeted by Spirit Hall before they could relocate again.
However, the sudden outbreak of war between Spirit Hall and the two empires left them no time to deal with the Clear Sky Clan.
Within the Clear Sky Clan, years of humiliation in seclusion, coupled with the disappearance of Tang Yuehua, had fueled growing voices advocating for war.
If the Clear Sky Clan were to join the conflict now, Spirit Hall would undoubtedly find itself in a dire position.
As tensions escalated across the continent, Fang Chang had already begun his next phase of operations—the Headhunting Operation.
The essence of this plan was to exploit the ongoing war between Spirit Hall and the two empires to systematically weaken both sides' combat capabilities.
At his current strength, Fang Chang could handle ordinary Titled Douluo without much difficulty, but eliminating them silently was another matter entirely.
However, Soul Sages and Soul Douluo were different—they were easier targets for him, and they still represented the upper echelons of power in all major factions.
With this in mind, Fang Chang prioritized these individuals, especially those with auxiliary-type martial souls or those who held influential positions.
The Zhu family of the Star Luo Empire became his first target.
The Zhu family was Zhu Zhuqing's lineage, maintaining an exceptionally close relationship with the Star Luo imperial family. Not only had generations of Star Luo empresses come from the Zhu family, but members of both families frequently achieved the martial soul fusion technique "Netherworld White Tiger"—a crucial trump card for the Star Luo Empire.
Given these ties, if the Zhu family were attacked, the Star Luo imperial family would inevitably intervene.
After two days of observation, Fang Chang confirmed that the Zhu family currently had no Titled Douluo present—their strongest members were only two mid-tier Soul Douluo.
Under the cover of night, Fang Chang activated his "Stealth" skill and infiltrated the Zhu family compound, directly targeting their two Soul Douluo experts.
Both fell to his ambush without putting up much resistance. Afterward, Fang Chang systematically eliminated all Soul Sage-level experts within the family before departing, satisfied with his work.
The next day, chaos erupted in the Star Luo capital as news of the massacre spread—thirteen members of the Zhu family, including their current patriarch, had been assassinated overnight.
When the Star Luo Emperor personally led an investigation, no traces of the perpetrator were found.
Given the skill and precision of the killings, suspicion immediately fell on Spirit Hall—especially with the recent outbreak of war between them, making the theory all the more plausible.
Though the Star Luo imperial family made no official accusations, they significantly increased military deployments to the borders, escalating hostilities with Spirit Hall.
Next, Fang Chang turned his attention to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
In the original timeline, they had been nearly wiped out during the Spirit Hunting Operation. But due to Fang Chang's interference, the war between Spirit Hall and the two empires had broken out early, and the operation had yet to commence, allowing the clan to survive.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had only one Titled Douluo—their patriarch, Yu Yuanzhen.
This time, however, Fang Chang's target wasn't him, but other high-ranking experts within the clan.
After the tragedy at Shrek Academy, while the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan hadn't openly joined the war against Spirit Hall, they had secretly dispatched some members to support the Heaven Dou Empire.
Within their territory, defenses had been significantly strengthened—so much so that even Fang Chang found it difficult to penetrate.
However, the clan's stronghold was situated along a major river, requiring boats or aerial entry for access. This led them to focus their vigilance on the water and skies, leaving underwater defenses comparatively lax.
Fang Chang, possessing the "Underwater Breathing" skill and having spent three years at sea, found their defenses meaningless once he understood this vulnerability.
He quickly infiltrated the clan via the river, though he remained cautious to avoid exposing his identity.
On the first night, he only assassinated three isolated Soul Sages before retreating underwater to hide in a concealed cave.
When news of the killings spread, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan heightened their defenses again, conducting thorough searches of all possible hiding spots—yet they found no trace of the intruder.
On the second night, Fang Chang struck once more, ambushing two Soul Douluo before triggering one of the clan's traps and fleeing immediately.
Panic spread through the clan—if even Soul Douluo could be silently assassinated, the enemy had to be at least at the Titled Douluo level, and one specializing in stealth at that.
With such an assassin lurking nearby, no one could rest easy.
This time, even the clan patriarch Yu Yuanzhen personally took up position in hiding, waiting to ambush the ambusher.
Yet whether the enemy had left or detected his presence, no further attacks occurred over the next two days, leading Yu Yuanzhen to lower his guard slightly.
Then, on the fifth night, Fang Chang struck again—this time targeting Yu Yuanzhen himself.
Rather than engaging directly, Fang Chang positioned himself opposite Yu Yuanzhen's quarters and unleashed a "Purple Flame" attack from a distance before immediately fleeing.
Startled awake by the assault, Yu Yuanzhen gave chase in his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon form, activating his martial soul true body instantly.
Clan members watched as their patriarch pursued a shadowy humanoid figure out of their territory, with most experts joining the pursuit in an attempt to intercept Fang Chang.
But Fang Chang had already planned his escape route. Matching Yu Yuanzhen in speed, he eventually dove into the river and vanished beneath the waters.
By the time Yu Yuanzhen and the others reached the riverbank, all they could do was watch the ripples fade helplessly.
Then, chaos erupted back at the clan compound.
Three "Shadow Clones" Fang Chang had left behind earlier emerged, slaughtering over a dozen clansmen before being destroyed—leaving behind several Spirit Hall tokens as they dissipated.
This incident provoked an unprecedented response from the normally reclusive Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Patriarch Yu Yuanzhen personally led forces to the front lines in support of the Heaven Dou Empire.
After dealing with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Fang Chang turned his attention to the four subordinate clans of the former Clear Sky Clan—later known as the Four Single Attribute Clans that joined the Tang Sect.