Douluo Continent: The Eternal Order of the Azure Sky.

Today was the day for the Tang Clan to hold a meeting, so they all gathered together and received that blood-red message at the same time.

The once-prosperous Xuanming Sect had vanished without a trace, as if the entire sect had migrated. Several city guards from Tiandou City discovered this and plotted to sneak into the Xuanming Sect's secret chamber for storing and refining pills, hoping to make some money off them.

Then, the instant they opened the door, they were completely engulfed by the surging crimson aura. The scattered resentful spirits and vengeful energy shot upwards, dyeing almost a third of the sky blood-red, and only then did the world discover the fact that the Xuanming Sect had been annihilated.

What's even more shocking is that, as a reclusive sect with a top-tier martial soul titled Douluo in charge, such a horrifying massacre seemed to have happened silently overnight, and the others in Tiandou City didn't notice anything unusual at all.

There are many theories about who the perpetrator was and what their motive was, but no conclusive evidence exists.

The Heavenly Soul Empire was furious and ordered a thorough investigation. But anyone with eyes could see that the power behind such a clean and efficient annihilation of a millennium-old family was far more terrifying than anyone could imagine.

What's even more troublesome is that the Xuanming vengeful spirit, which has already gained considerable influence, has a significant impact on the surrounding area.

The Heavenly Soul Empire, under pressure from the united forces of the reclusive sects, could not directly dismantle them, but it also lacked any gentler means of resolution. In the end, an organization calling itself the Holy Spirit Cult passed by, set up an altar, and performed a ritual to purify them, thus relieving the urgent crisis of the Heavenly Soul people.

"Sanshi, calm down! Calm down! The Heavenly Soul Royal Family is still investigating, still investigating! The academy has also sent people there! It might not be him! Besides, he has someone backing him..."

Beibei's dragon scales had turned into a pale gold, like crystal, firmly restraining Xu Sanshi's wildly waving arms. Lightning and black water waves surged, creating aftershocks of soul power.

Faced with Xu Sanshi, who had directly entered the Xuanwu Awakening state, he could only activate his Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex mutation. However, unlike the evenly matched battles of the past, Bei Bei, who had now fully inherited Mu En's path of ruling the world and combining soul skills, was able to suppress the opponent's divine beast power.

"Bullshit! My Xuanming Sect was wiped out without a trace, even with a Title Douluo in charge! Who else but a Limit Douluo could do that? Kong Tianxu, get out here!"

Xu Sanshi's once handsome face was now twisted and ferocious, his carefree demeanor completely gone, replaced only by deep-seated hatred and despair. Seeing that he couldn't break free, he stopped moving and simply stared coldly at Bei Bei, saying:

“My father, uncles, and Chen Wen are all dead! I’m just going to die anyway, Beibei. If you still consider me a brother, don’t stop me.”

"What are you afraid of? Senior Brother, if it really was Kong Tianxu who did it, our Haotian Sect will not stand idly by."

Seeing the almost resolute hatred and emptiness in Xu Sanshi's eyes, Bei Bei's heart inevitably wavered. She sighed and waved to Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong.

Just as Xu Sanshi's gaze softened—

With a creak, Kong Tianxu's door finally opened.

A tall and slender figure stepped out first.

"Senior Sister Le Xuan?!" The Tang Clan members exclaimed in unison, with Bei Bei's face filled with disbelief.

To be honest, due to being busy with Tang Sect affairs and searching for Tang Ya, his cultivation time had been greatly reduced, and he hadn't been in contact with Zhang Lexuan for some time. But now, how could his sister Lexuan... be coming out of Kong Tianxu's room?

Kong Tianxu appeared right after Zhang Lexuan, calmly looking at Xu Sanshi, who seemed to have gone mad, his eyes indifferent and without a ripple.

"Finally out! Today, I will make you pay for your crimes in blood, until you die!" Xu Sanshi's bloodshot eyes were fixed on Kong Tianxu, and the fire of hatred in his heart reached its peak.

"It's alright, leave it to me." Zhang Lexuan first tugged at Kong Tianxu's sleeve, then said angrily with her beautiful eyes, "Xu Sanshi, everything is still undecided, is this how you treat your classmates?"

This seemingly innocuous gesture drew Bei Bei's attention, and a slightly bitter feeling welled up inside her. Normally, Zhang Lexuan had only done this to him.

Xu Sanshi's body surged with black light, his Xuanwu aura violent and heavy. "You're not even the senior sister yet, you have no right to lecture me. Besides, you're hanging out with a man more than ten years younger than you so early in the morning, who knows what he gave you last night?"

How could he say that? A hint of disbelief flashed in Zhang Lexuan's eyes. This kind of pure personal slander was not so easy for her to refute.

Instinctively, she turned her gaze to Beibei, the little man who had told her more than once that he would protect her.

But she was ultimately going to be disappointed.

All the students and teachers watching from a distance were stunned by this scene, and for a moment no one dared to say anything.

At the same time, Bei Bei seemed to clearly sense that Zhang Lexuan's gaze had been on him for a moment, as if she were looking at him with some expectation. He hadn't expected Xu Sanshi to be so outspoken. He wanted to reprimand him, but when he thought that Xu Sanshi might have been blinded by anger because of the destruction of his sect, he hesitated.

Zhang Lexuan's eyes dimmed. She composed herself and realized that she had nothing to fear.

She was about to speak.

"Let me do it." Kong Tianxu patted her shoulder, then looked at Xu Sanshi, whose soul power surged and the Xuanwu Shield returned to his hand:

"Did I give you face?"

He kicked him out!

"puff!"

The solidified Xuanwu light and shadow shattered instantly! Xu Sanshi's reaction was incredibly fast; the moment Kong Tianxu moved, he had already recalled the Xuanwu Shield to protect himself. However, the Xuanming Heavy Water, which had been his most solid reliance countless times before, seemed to possess its own will this time, turning against him and acting with an overwhelming force that was difficult to resist.

What's even more terrifying is that Kong Tianxu's power was not only so great that he was powerless to resist, but his attacks also contained a bloodline aura that he felt was extremely familiar with, even faintly of the same origin, yet was definitely superior to his own.

Before even making contact, his Xuanwu Awakening had already been shattered.

Xu Sanshi suddenly spat out a jet of blood, his bones making a series of teeth-grinding cracking sounds. He was sent flying backward like a puddle of mud, as if he had been hit head-on by a battering ram.

Jiang Nannan, who was originally the farthest away, is now the closest. This time, she did not stand idly by. With a push of her long legs, she caught Xu Sanshi's body.

She clearly hadn't expected Kong Tianxu to be so strong, and she tumbled several times on the ground before regaining her balance with the help of the Tang Clan members who had recovered.

"Third senior brother, hang in there!"

Xiao Xiao quickly took out a pill and stuffed it into Xu Sanshi's mouth. Wang Dong also quickly injected his own Light Soul Power into Xu Sanshi's body. As one of the most versatile attributes, Light has a certain healing effect on Soul Masters who do not have Dark Martial Souls.

"Ugh—" Xu Sanshi vomited a mouthful of blood, and his eyes became much clearer. The hatred in his eyes when he looked at Kong Tianxu was much less, and he was mostly confused.

He lost just like that? Why is the gap between them even bigger than it was two years ago?

"A fight to the death? You think you're worthy?" Kong Tianxu slowly walked up to him, his face showing disdain.

Bei Bei, no longer caring about Zhang Lexuan, quickly stepped in front of Xu Sanshi, standing guard like the rest of the Tang Clan members. As the senior disciple of the Tang Clan, with Xiao Ya absent, he had an inescapable responsibility, and therefore, he failed to notice the disappointed look in Zhang Lexuan's eyes.

Just as the two sides were on the verge of exchanging blows.

"Stop!" A stern shout rang out, and Yan Shaozhe appeared silently in the arena. The arrival of the Dean of the Martial Soul Department immediately put the atmosphere on high alert.

Cai Meier followed closely behind, shouting angrily:

"What are you doing? Don't you know that the academy rules strictly prohibit forming feuds and engaging in private fights?"

"They started it first," Kong Tianxu said coldly.

“You…you still dare to argue! Besides your Sun Moon Empire and Long Xiaoyao, who else would, who could be so vicious! That old dog Long Xiaoyao—” Xu Sanshi coughed up blood, his voice hoarse and strained.

"You bastard, shut up!" Yan Shaozhe's cold expression turned angry, and Xu Sanshi suddenly found himself unable to make a sound. "You are not qualified to judge the Dragon Emperor. Mei'er, you tell him the details of the Xuanming Sect's affairs."

No matter what, Long Xiaoyao is still known as one of the Black and White Twin Holy Dragons, along with his teacher Mu En. Yan Shaozhe has seen him in person and found him to be proud and unyielding, not like a treacherous and evil person. How could he be insulted?

Moreover, based on the current information, the development of events is completely contrary to everyone's predictions.

Cai Meier said in a deep voice, "The academy has already conducted a preliminary investigation. The remaining battle traces of the Xuanming Sect are indeed at the level of Limit Douluo, and the fluctuations in soul power attributes are also very clear."

"Ugh!" Xu Sanshi's breathing, which had just calmed down a bit, suddenly became heavy again, and the Tang Clan members all looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

Beibei then remembered something and looked at Zhang Lexuan with a slightly reproachful expression, while the latter looked in Kong Tianxu's direction, her dark eyes seemingly lost in thought.

“Calm down, I haven’t finished speaking yet,” Cai Meier glared at Xu Sanshi, “but it’s not the dark attribute, it’s light, it’s the mark of being burned by the fire of light.”

There are actually light-attribute... Limit Douluos on the mainland?

The Tang Clan members looked at each other in surprise; this conclusion was completely unexpected.

After their defeat in the competition, they even studied Long Xiaoyao's life story and naturally knew that his martial soul was of the dark attribute. So, after their bewilderment and shock, an indescribable embarrassment arose.

Xu Sanshi's pupils suddenly lost focus, gradually being replaced by a deeper sense of confusion and emptiness. He was like a piece of burnt-out firewood, sinking into a kind of gray loss and sadness.

If he's chosen the wrong enemies, where should his hatred be directed?

Bei Bei was also taken aback, and then subconsciously looked at Zhang Lexuan, as if she wanted to explain something. However, Zhang Lexuan had already quietly walked back to Kong Tianxu's side, without even glancing back at him.

Looking at the distraught Xu Sanshi, the slight sympathy she had felt was now diluted by the insults she had just received and Bei Bei's choice. The silent yet steadfast figure beside her, in contrast, gave her an inexplicable sense of security and warmth.

Unexpectedly, even when Beibei was around, it was still him who was willing to step forward. Zhang Lexuan clearly felt Beibei's gaze, but perhaps out of stubbornness, or perhaps out of disappointment, she did not respond this time.

Yan Shaozhe first glanced at the listless Xu Sanshi, then at the calm Kong Tianxu, and finally his gaze swept over Bei Bei and the others before he slowly spoke:

"Disperse, everyone. The academy will strengthen its communication with the Heavenly Soul Royal Family regarding the Xuanming Sect matter, but that is not a reason for you to engage in this private fight and cause trouble. Mei'er, go find Teacher Li to treat Xu Sanshi's injuries. Keep a close watch on him from now on, and he is not allowed to step out of his dormitory without permission. After he recovers, everyone will be dealt with according to the school rules."

"Thank you, Dean." Bei Bei dared not disobey and helped Xu Sanshi, who was still unwilling, to his feet.

"Le Xuan, you should go to class too," Yan Shaozhe said gently.

Zhang Lexuan's lips twitched slightly, as if she wanted to say something. Yan Shaozhe waved his hand gently, indicating that she didn't need to say anything. Then his gaze returned to Kong Tianxu, and the serious expression on his face softened slightly, even carrying a hint of imperceptible appreciation and a deeper sense of inquiry.

“Let’s go, Tianxu, let’s talk.”

The two walked away from the still-chaotic and chaotic place, one after the other. Cai Meier disappeared from sight. Zhang Lexuan stood there for a moment, gazing at Kong Tianxu's departing figure until it disappeared behind the lush trees of Poseidon Island.

She withdrew her gaze, exchanged a few brief words with the remaining members of the Tang Clan, her tone indifferent and aloof. Finally, Bei Bei couldn't resist any longer, leaning closer and whispering:

"Sister Lexuan, Sanshi didn't mean it. I hope you can understand. I apologize to you on his behalf."

"I know." Zhang Lexuan's voice was devoid of emotion.

"Um, Sister Lexuan, I..."

"Ok?"

A brief silence fell between the two. A gentle breeze blew across the shore of Poseidon Lake, carrying a suffocating mist.

"It's nothing." Bei Bei opened his mouth, but he, who was usually eloquent, felt his throat tighten at this moment. A thousand thoughts were stuck in his chest, and he didn't know where to start. No matter how he said it, it would seem awkward and distant.

After a moment of silence, Zhang Lexuan suddenly whispered, "Beibei, actually, I wish it had been you who kicked me."

"Huh? What's wrong, Sister Lexuan?" Beibei didn't have Kong Tianxu's hearing as good, so she asked subconsciously.

"Heh, it's nothing." Zhang Lexuan shook her head and walked straight towards the teaching building.

She still remembered what Kong Tianxu had said: "So, the first step is to try moving forward."

Beibei raised her hand, then slowly lowered it again.

He felt as if he was about to lose something, but he didn't chase after it, forcibly suppressing his turbulent emotions. Everyone from the Tang Clan was still here; he had no reason to leave.

"I'm afraid Senior Sister won't forgive me." Xu Sanshi seemed to have recovered somewhat.

"Sanshi, you've really gone too far this time," Beibei said in a deep voice.

"I know, I don't know what happened to me back then, it was like I was being controlled by something," Xu Sanshi said expressionlessly. "By the way, Beibei, what's the name of that sect that cleansed the vengeful spirits from my family?"

"What's wrong with the Holy Spirit Cult?"

With Jiang Nannan's flustered help, Xu Sanshi shakily took out his storage soul tool and placed it in Bei Bei's palm. "You should be going to Tian Dou City to find Tang Ya tomorrow, right? If you can, please thank them for me."

"At least, they helped my family rest in peace."

At that moment, countless memories flooded back, and Xu Sanshi could no longer hold back, bursting into tears.

……

Kong Tianxu followed Yan Shaozhe to a quiet waterside pavilion near the Sea God Pavilion. Yan Shaozhe set up a soundproof barrier before turning around and looking intently at Kong Tianxu.

"What? Dean Yan is going to hold me accountable according to school rules?" Kong Tianxu raised an eyebrow.