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However, at this moment, a surge of spiritual force shielded the Seventh Elder, and a hoarse voice echoed through the council hall.
"Enough, Brother.
The Seventh Elder isn't wrong. Compared to the survival of the sect, passing on these ultimate techniques to the elders is not unreasonable."
The voice was weathered, and Tang Hao entered with a somewhat unsteady gait. Having taken an interest from the start, Tang Hao had been eavesdropping.
By now, Tang Hao's left leg had been fitted with a wooden prosthetic to help him walk.
Seeing Tang Hao enter, Tang Xiao withdrew his oppressive aura, and Tang Hao helped the Seventh Elder back to his seat, calmly asking, "Are you alright, Seventh Elder?"
The Seventh Elder, seeing that it was Tang Hao—someone he despised—snorted coldly.
"Don't think this will make me forgive you, Tang Hao."
"It doesn't matter. I know I've wronged the sect, and I'm already content just to have returned," Tang Hao replied.
After enduring so much turmoil, Tang Hao's sharp edges had been completely smoothed out. Now, he exuded a mix of three parts weariness and seven parts nonchalance, as if he had truly come to terms with everything.
At this moment, Tang Xiao spoke, "Hao Di, you..." {T/N: Di = Little Brother, I felt that translating it to 'Hao little brother' ruins the vibe so I left it as is.}
But Tang Hao simply shook his head slightly and said, "The era of the Hao Tian Douluo has passed. Now, with the Spirit Hall's overwhelming power, if the Hao Tian Sect is to be drawn into this conflict, we must possess formidable top-tier strength.
From what I know, the two Title Douluos who once served Pope Qian Xunji have now broken through to become Super Douluos.
If the elders don't have their own ultimate techniques as a foundation, they won't stand a chance against them.
Moreover, the fall of the Tian Dou Empire happened too suddenly, and many details remain unclear. After careful consideration, I've decided to share the self-detonating soul rings and the Great Sumeru Hammer.
After all, compared to my personal gains or losses, the future of the Hao Tian Sect is far more important."
Tang Hao's calm demeanor left the gathered elders in awe.
Only the Seventh Elder remained indignant, though he muttered under his breath,
"Hmph, at least you're being sensible."
Since the person involved had chosen to openly share, even the elder brother couldn't justify opposing it.
Strictly speaking, Tang Xiao's position as sect leader wasn't entirely legitimate according to the rules of the Hao Tian Sect. Only the one who inherited the title of Hao Tian Douluo could rightfully become the next sect leader.
However, thinking about the self-detonating soul rings and the Great Sumeru Hammer, Tang Xiao felt a surge of excitement.
He had never dared to dream of such a thing before, but now that Tang Hao had willingly offered them, and Tang Xiao hadn't forced him, he believed his father and grandfather wouldn't blame him.
If all ten of their Title Douluos mastered these techniques, their chances of defeating the Spirit Hall would significantly increase.
At this moment, Tang Hao picked up the letter from the White Tiger Emperor, scanned it briefly, and chuckled.
"This White Tiger Emperor sure knows how to be generous. Brother, looks like you're going to be crowned a king."
It turned out that, in addition to promising various resources for the Hao Tian Sect, the White Tiger Emperor had also exceptionally granted the sect leader the qualification to be ennobled as a king.
And not just a nominal or honorary title that could only be passed down for one generation—it was a hereditary kingship with real power. If the Star Luo side emerged victorious in this war, the Hao Tian Sect would gain the right to expand its territory and establish itself as a regional kingdom.
Faced with Tang Hao's teasing, Tang Xiao let out a bitter smile.
"It's just a hollow title. As soul masters, our true strength is what matters most.
Still, it seems the White Tiger Emperor is truly desperate. Otherwise, he wouldn't use something like this as bait to lure us out of hiding."
Tang Hao nodded in agreement.
"With the current volatile situation, to prevent any unforeseen incidents, I'll teach everyone these two techniques now."
The prospect of learning the supreme techniques of the Hao Tian Sect captivated the elders so much that they completely forgot about Bai Yi, who was still waiting outside for their reply.
But of course, these were the pinnacle techniques of this era—there was no way they came without prerequisites.
Self-detonating soul rings wasn't something that could be done casually; it required immense mental fortitude.
The higher-ranking elders and Tang Xiao were fine, but the last three elders had relatively weaker spiritual cultivation. After all, they hadn't even fully mastered the Nine Absolutes of the Hao Tian Sect yet.
They had struggled for a long time before finally mastering them later on.
Meanwhile, Bai Yi finally received the reply he had been waiting for and hurriedly returned to deliver it to the White Tiger Emperor, to whom he was fiercely loyal.
When the White Tiger Emperor learned that the Hao Tian Sect had ten Title Douluos, he erupted in joy, his laughter echoing throughout the entire frontline.
"The heavens haven't abandoned Star Luo! Hahaha!"
In this era, there were only around twenty publicly known Title Douluos. Now, the Hao Tian Sect alone had produced ten—and they wielded the legendary strongest weapon-type martial soul, the Hao Tian Hammer.
After reaching the Soul Sage realm, weapon-type martial souls generally held an advantage over beast-type martial souls. Calculating carefully, it seemed that their side's strength was now on par with the Holy Soul Empire.
With this realization, the gloom in the White Tiger Emperor's heart lifted considerably, and he stared intently toward the direction of the Holy Soul Empire.
"Spirit Hall, if you want war, then bring it on!"
He then issued orders to quickly bring the Hao Tian Sect's forces into the fold.
Preparations for resources and territories also began in earnest. Faced with the morale-boosting arrival of the Hao Tian Sect, the White Tiger Emperor didn't dare to slack off even a little.
This time, along with Bai Yi, the Second, Third, and Fourth Elders also returned. Though none of them were Super Douluos at level 95, their average cultivation was around levels 92–93, which greatly reassured the White Tiger Emperor, who had only recently broken through to Title Douluo status and whose foundation was still unstable.
What was strange, however, was that for an entire month, the Holy Soul Empire made no moves to attack, leaving the White Tiger Emperor increasingly frustrated. What exactly was the Spirit Hall planning?
Meanwhile, all the elders of the Hao Tian Sect, except Tang Xiao, had arrived at the frontline.
For a moment, the upper echelons of the Star Luo Empire were filled with excitement. With this lineup, even the Spirit Hall wouldn't be able to break through easily, right?
Some clever nobles began sending their sons and daughters as offerings, while some shameless ones even sent their wives.
This bewildered the elders and disciples of the Hao Tian Sect, who had spent the past decade secluded in the mountains, practicing diligently.
If not for the experienced First Elder stepping in to stop this behavior, the Star Luo side might have collapsed on its own before the Holy Soul Empire even attacked.
Upon hearing about this, the White Tiger Emperor was enraged, his face turning pale with fury.
"Damn it! While I'm struggling to keep the Star Luo Empire together, you people are trying to sabotage me!"
To set things straight, the White Tiger Emperor executed another group of people, purging these corrupt practices.
Though it was unfortunate for the Hao Tian Sect members, in this era, everything might be scarce—but women were the cheapest resource of all.
The weak had no rights to resist. It was common for those who were plain-looking as children but grew up to be beautiful to be kidnapped and sold into slavery.
After all, the powerless commoners had no means to protest or fight back.
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