20demayo Chapter 61 Three Conditions
Chapter 61 Three Conditions
Chapter 61 Three Conditions
Deep inside the main hall, Bibi Dong was leaning lazily back in her chair.
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo stood guard on either side.
"You're here?"
Bibi Dong didn't get up; she simply waved her hand casually and said, "Please sit down."
"Since you're here, don't be shy. After all, from today onwards, we're family."
"One family————"
Upon hearing these three words, the Seventh Elder's face twitched involuntarily, and his fists clenched, but he ultimately restrained himself and silently followed Tang Xiao to sit down in the guest seat to the side.
Bibi Dong sat up straight, the languid look in her eyes vanishing instantly, replaced by an authoritative air of control: "Tang Xiao, do you know what to do next?"
"Know."
Tang Xiao gritted his teeth, took out a scroll that he had prepared beforehand from his pocket, and presented it with both hands: "This is the document of submission from the Haotian Sect."
"From this day forward, the Clear Sky Sect is willing to acknowledge the Spirit Hall as its leader and obey the Pope's orders. As long as it does not violate morality and prevents us from slaughtering the innocent, none of the Clear Sky Sect members will dare to disobey!"
"Moral principles?"
Bibi Dong didn't take the document, or even glance at it; she simply gave a cold laugh.
"Sect Leader Tang, you are still too naive."
"What I want is neither this piece of paper nor your so-called morality."
"What I want is concrete action."
Bibi Dong stood up, walked down the platform step by step, and stood in front of Tang Xiao, looking down at him: "The first thing."
"I demand that your Haotian Sect immediately and publicly announce that Tang Hao is permanently expelled from the sect and removed from the family register! Furthermore, list his ten major crimes and proclaim his offenses to the entire world!"
"It's not just about murdering the former Pope, but also about implicating the sect, harming the innocent, being arrogant, and so on. Write down all the dissatisfaction within your Haotian Sect towards him, his betrayal of the sect, all the resentment, all the hatred!"
"Write it as awfully as possible! Write it as heartlessly as possible!"
"I want the whole world to know, to see, that the Clear Sky Sect has not only expelled him, but has also completely severed ties with him! From this day forward, Tang Hao is Tang Hao, and the Clear Sky Sect is the Clear Sky Sect; the two will have no further connection!"
"This—" Tang Xiao's expression changed, "Tang Hao is, after all—"
"What is it?"
Bibi Dong coldly interrupted him, "Were you once your Haotian Douluo? Or your pride?"
Wake up!
"He is the culprit who caused your families to be destroyed! If he is not thoroughly nailed to the pillar of shame, how can the Spirit Hall give an explanation to the world? How can I have any reason to protect you?"
"Or are you still clinging to hope for him? Do you want to leave him a way out?"
"I wouldn't dare!" Tang Xiao took a deep breath. "I'll write it myself! I'll ruin his reputation!"
"very good."
Bibi Dong nodded in satisfaction and held up her second finger: "The second thing."
"I want you to select two hundred elite disciples of Soul King rank or above to immediately join the Papal Palace and be reorganized."
"I want to establish a brand new legion—the Haotian Legion!"
"But this legion is not under the jurisdiction of the Elders' Hall, nor the Hall of Offerings; it is solely under the direct command of me, Bibi Dong!"
Tang Xiao's pupils contracted slightly.
This is tantamount to stripping the Clear Sky Sect of its backbone! Two hundred elites at the Soul King level or above—that's the Clear Sky Sect's hope for the next few decades!
"What? You can't bear to part with it?"
Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow. "Sect Leader Tang, you must understand. This is both a hostage and an opportunity."
"By following me, they will receive the best resources from the Spirit Hall for training. Moreover—this is also your Clear Sky Sect's pledge of allegiance to the Spirit Hall."
"Don't worry, I won't use them as cannon fodder. On the contrary, I will make them the link between the Clear Sky Sect and the Spirit Hall, the sharpest blade in my hand."
"----good."
Tang Xiao closed his eyes and nodded with difficulty, "I promise you."
"readily."
Bibi Dong's smile deepened as her gaze swept over the four elders, finally settling on Tang Xiao: "The third matter."
"In a few days, I will set off back to Wuhun City."
"I want you, Sect Master Tang Xiao, to come back with me."
"You shall receive my investiture in the presence of all the Soul Masters in the world, and in the presence of all the elders and revered ones."
"To become a formal elder of the Spirit Hall!"
"What?!"
This time, not only Tang Xiao, but also the four elders behind him exclaimed in surprise.
Official elder?
Not an honorary elder, not a guest elder, but a formal elder with real power?
"Don't be so surprised."
Bibi Dong turned around, walked back to the high platform, sat on the throne that symbolized supreme power, and looked down at the crowd below: "I said that as long as you submit, I will reserve a place for you."
"Moreover, this honor does not belong to you alone."
Bibi Dong's gaze passed over Tang Xiao and landed on the four elders behind him with complicated expressions.
"Second Elder, Third Elder, Fourth Elder, and Seventh Elder."
"I know that you are all just one step away from that step, or you are already within reach."
"I hereby promise you: as long as any one of you breaks through level 90 and becomes a Title Douluo, I will personally nominate you and fight for your seat and power in the Elder Hall!"
"I want you to understand that submitting to the Spirit Hall is not about becoming stray dogs or begging slaves."
"I will give you real status and real say."
"I will grant you the power to truly protect the Haotian Sect."
"In this dog-eat-dog world, only the power in your hands is the strongest shield. It's a million times safer than hiding in some remote mountain forest!"
"this----"
Tang Xiao stared blankly at Bibi Dong on the high platform, speechless for a moment.
He had imagined countless possibilities.
He had considered that Bibi Dong might humiliate them, exploit them, or even control them in some way, just as she had done with the Min clan, offering them a pie in the sky that they could never reach, in order to appease the Haotian Sect.
But to his utter surprise, this woman's first move was to claim the position of elder!
Moreover, he is a formal elder with real power!
It should be understood that the Elder Hall of the Spirit Hall is the true core of power above the Papal Palace.
Although all the members are titled Douluo, it doesn't mean that as long as you become a titled Douluo, you can become an elder.
That requires qualifications, significant contributions to the Spirit Hall, and passing through layers of review and being conferred titles by the Pope.
The title of Elder represents not only a prestigious status, but also enormous power to allocate resources, a voice in the Spirit Hall's decision-making hierarchy, and a true foothold!
Bibi Dong is essentially elevating the Haotian Sect from "prisoners" to "partners"!
"You don't need to look at me like that."
Seeing the undisguised shock and doubt in Tang Xiao's eyes, Bibi Dong chuckled and sat back down on her throne: "I know what you're doubting."
"Are you thinking, 'Why should I be so generous to my former enemies?' Are you thinking, 'Am I setting a trap for you?'"
"After all, there's no such thing as a free lunch."
"Tang Xiao, you're a smart man."
"The moment you followed me into Spirit City, when you saw those elders who outwardly obeyed me but inwardly defied me, when you felt the undercurrents surging beneath that magnificent papal palace—"
"You'll then understand whether what I'm saying is true or false."
"You'll understand why I'd rather give you so much power than not drag you onto my chariot."
"Because in this world, the most reliable allies are often not those hypocrites who spout empty words of benevolence and morality."
"But rather, they are fellow human beings who have no other way to go but each other."
'
'
"Get ready, we'll be setting off in three days."
"Yes, Your Holiness the Pope!"
Leaving the Spirit Temple and walking on the bustling streets of Heaven Dou City, the group from the Clear Sky Sect felt unusually heavy-hearted.
"Sect Master, Second Brother—"
The Third Elder finally couldn't help but speak, lowering his voice, "Are we really going to agree to her conditions—especially the second and third ones—they're practically digging up the very foundation of the Haotian Sect!"
"Two hundred elite disciples at the Soul King level or above—that's practically our last remaining backbone! If we hand them all over to her, and she tampers with them, or sends them to their deaths, the Clear Sky Sect won't recover for the next fifty years!"
"Furthermore, the sect leader is going to Martial Soul City to receive her investiture, which is the Martial Soul Hall's headquarters! If she goes, won't she become a sitting duck? What if she changes her mind, or those old fogies in the Elder Hall cause trouble—"
"No need to say anything more."
Tang Xiao stopped and looked back at the majestic Martial Soul Temple. A complex emotion flashed in his eyes. "Third Elder, I know what you're worried about."
"But we cannot refuse these three conditions, nor should we refuse them."
"Why?" the Fourth Elder asked, puzzled.
"Because it's the only way to survive."
The Second Elder, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke.
"Third brother, fourth brother, you only saw the danger, but you didn't see Bibi Dong's intentions."
"Those two hundred elite disciples have indeed uprooted us and are manipulating the future of the Haotian Sect. This is an open conspiracy; they are demanding our loyalty and preventing us from rebelling in the future."
"And the fact that the sect leader went to Wuhun City to become an elder has completely tied the Haotian Sect to the Wuhun Hall's war chariot, leaving us with no way out."
"But—it is precisely because she made such an excessive and greedy request that it proves one thing."
"She really has no intention of taking action against the Haotian Sect."
"Not only did she not want to kill us, she was eager to use our power."
"The more she tries to tie down the Clear Sky Sect, the more she tries to draw away our elites, the more it proves that she is indeed isolated and helpless within the Spirit Hall, and that she has no one to rely on."
"7
"An enemy who truly wants to destroy us will not go to great lengths to offer us official positions and promises, nor will they waste precious resources on training the enemy's disciples."
The Second Elder sighed and patted the Third Elder on the shoulder: "So, for us, this is both a shackle and a talisman."
"At least, the safety issue of the Haotian Sect can be considered completely resolved."
"As long as we still have value, as long as Bibi Dong still needs us to fight against the Hall of Offerings, then the Clear Sky Sect is safe, and even—we can rise again with the help of the Spirit Hall."
As for the future—
"Then we can only take it one step at a time and see what happens."
"As long as people are still alive, as long as the tradition continues, whether it's making knives or chess pieces—"
"We all have a chance to turn things around!"