Chapter 1421 - Return
The Tang Sect’s underground base in Skysea City was just as it had been. There was nothing visibly different about it. However, Tang Wulin could vaguely see the complicated emotions contained in the Tang Sect disciples’ eyes. There was indignance and pain, but more than anything, anger and humiliation.
When they saw that Tang Wulin had returned, their expressions relaxed slightly. They saluted Tang Wulin reverently and paid their respects genuinely.
The Battle of Five Gods had not only made him a name among the Federation’s high-ranking officials, but it had also stabilized his status in the Tang Sect.
It was a glorious feat to fight against an entire nation by oneself. When the video was sent back to the Federation and seen by the Tang Sect disciples, they leapt with joy. They had finally learned just how powerful their newly appointed young sect master was.
If they were being led by such a man, the entire Tang Sect would have hope.
After an incident where the Tang Sect declined ten thousand years ago, it had put great attention on the issue of the passing down of leadership. Every generation’s leader would nurture a batch of fresh blood when he was still in his prime. Then, he would pick the outstanding one from among those young people to succeed him.
However, the great catastrophe had taken a huge toll on the Tang Sect’s new generation. Although they were not entirely wiped out like in Shrek Academy’s case, the impact was still great. That was how Tang Wulin took on the role as Sect Master this early.
With his actions, Tang Wulin had proven to Their Excellencies the Amorous and Heartless Douluos that he was trustworthy. In less than one year, he had undergone a complete change as if he was born anew. He had returned with incredible power.
At the same time, he had also brought back the Holy Spirit Douluo Yali who was now a Limit Douluo.
Although the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy were persecuted on all sides, in terms of high-end combat strength, they had four Limit Douluos, namely, the Light Dark Douluo Long Yeyue, the Heartless Douluo Cao Dezhi, the Amorous Douluo Zang Xin, and the Holy Spirit Douluo Yali.
In terms of sheer numbers of Limit Douluos, they were still the best.
“You’re back,” came a familiar voice. A figure appeared silently before Tang Wulin and the Holy Spirit Douluo who was walking beside him.
“Your Excellency.” When Tang Wulin saw him, his brows slackened slightly. Was this man not the Amorous Douluo Zang Xin?
Zang Xin greeted them with a smile. From his outer appearance, there was no way of telling that he was under immense pressure.
“I’m glad that you made it back.” After Zang Xin had said his, he turned to Yali and smiled. “Yali, congratulations.”
He was shocked to see that the Holy Spirit Douluo did not change merely because of the improvement in her cultivation base. Her entire air seemed to have undergone a complete transformation as if she were born anew. Although she retained her silver mane, the loneliness and despair that were once evident in her eyes were gone. In their place was a flourishing gaze, and she seemed to be filled with vigor.
“You’re too kind, Your Excellency. How’s the Tang Sect? I hope everything’s fine?” said Yali.
Zang Xin smiled drily. “The heavens haven’t fallen on us just yet. Actually, we knew that such a day would come sooner or later. If they’d bombard Shrek and the Tang Sect with Godkiller-ranked fixed soul ammunitions, what would they not do? They’d stop at nothing to keep power in their hands. They’re planning to kill us off by forcing us to lose our cool.”
Yali nodded, “They’re being utterly ruthless. At the same time, they’re underestimating us greatly.”
“Let’s go. We’ll talk more inside.”
The Tang Sect disciples who followed Tang Wulin to the two empires were led to the rooms prepared for them. There were no problems with the Blood Dragon Unit either. When he chose the members back then, he had mainly picked people from among the Tang Sect disciples. Hence, all that was needed was to show them to their chambers.
Since A Ruheng and Sima Jinchi were not Tang Sect disciples, they went to rest for the time being. Inside the Tang Sect headquarters’ meeting room in Skysea City, there were only the Amorous Douluo Zang Xin, the Holy Spirit Douluo Yali and the Shrek Seven Monsters.
After sealing them off from the exterior, Zang Xin spoke to Tang Wulin, “Sect Master, you’ve completed your mission beautifully this time. I daresay that we’ve achieved our goals. Although the Federal Fleet is still confronting the Star Luo Empire, I’m sure that they’ll return in low spirits after their failure. For the time being, there’s no need to worry about a war.”
Tang Wulin nodded. “The Star Luo Empire and the Dou Spirit Empire have expressed their gratitude toward us. The Star Luo Empire had also said that we can move the Tang Sect over at any time, if we’re willing.” When he said this, he saw a hint of admiration in Zang Xin’s gaze.
There was no doubt that the Tang Sect had assisted the Star Luo and Dou Spirit Empires to prevent a war from breaking out and also to establish a backup option if things went awry in the Federation. At the very least, it seemed that the doors of the Star Luo and Dou Spirit Empires would be wide open for the Tang Sect.
Zang Xin said, “I know what you’re thinking about, but the Tang Sect won’t leave the Douluo Continent. Neither will Shrek Academy. Our roots are here. Our seniors put immeasurable effort into bringing the Tang Sect to its current scale and glory. As their successors, we cannot discard the Tang Sect’s foundations.”
Yali nodded. “What’s the situation right now? Has the Federation made any maneuvers?”
Zang Xin had a faint smile. “They aren’t bold enough to try anything drastic yet. They clearly know what the Tang Sect has at its disposal. They can’t bear the consequences of the Tang Sect actually becoming a genuinely treasonous organization or even a terrorist organization.”
He was right! The Tang Sect was rich in resources. This was evident from the weapons supplied to the two empires which were sufficient to keep the Federal Fleet at bay. If the Tang Sect sought revenge against the Federation without a care for the consequences, it would not be a price that the Federation was ready to pay.
Zang Xin continued, “For now, they’ve only increased the pressure on us. They’re trying their best to identify and freeze our resources. At the same time, they’re searching for our base. They’ve found three so far, but because we were prepared, our losses were minimal.”
Yali said, “That’s good. So, what do you plan to do next, Your Excellency?”
Zang Xin directed his gaze toward Tang Wulin. “That’ll be up to the Sect Master to decide.”
“Me?” Tang Wulin was slightly stunned.
Zang Xin said with certainty, “Of course, it’s you. You’re the decision maker for the Tang Sect now. Naturally, you’re the one who gets to decide the direction of the sect. We’ll be at your back, supporting you. All of us witnessed the pace of your growth in this past year. Truth be told, you have even exceeded our expectations. Such a dramatic improvement is rare even among our predecessors. This means that we’ve made the right choice. Moreover, your popularity among the sect is already high enough. Now, it’s the time for you to lead everyone to take the Tang Sect and Shrek to their former glory. We’ll help you with all we have. You cannot back down, but only move forward now. Your potential is starting to be fully unchained, and now is the time for you to show that as leader of the sect. Cao Dezhi told me that you’re different from everyone else. The greater the pressure on your shoulders, the greater the energy you unleash. We hope that you can continue to do this in the future.”
Tang Wulin smiled bitterly. “Your Excellency, in this situation, since I’m not completely familiar with the Tang Sect yet, I…”
“Don’t be afraid of facing difficulties,” Zang Xin cut him short. “Think carefully. When you make your decision, we’ll help to see if it’s possible.”
Tang Wulin saw his deep gaze and said no more. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. His brain started going into overdrive.
Without a doubt, the situation would not only make it difficult to rebuild Shrek Academy but also threaten the Tang Sect’s very existence. What the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy had to face was the force of the entire Federation, the Spirit Pagoda, and the Holy Spirit Cult in the shadows. These combined parties formed a formidable force. They might not even be able to fight against the Holy Spirit Cult alone. On top of these, the federation was in control of a vast army and advanced soul technologies.
Zang Xin did not say much, but merely waited in silence. The others focused their eyes on Tang Wulin as well. Gazing at him gently, Yali’s face was filled with encouragement.
She had personally witnessed Tang Wulin’s growth throughout the year. The rate of his improvement had truly exceeded her expectations.
He grew so quickly, it actually felt surreal. She reckoned that even Zang Xin could not tell that Tang Wulin already possessed the strength of a Title Douluo, nor was he aware of the magnificent scene he stirred up in the seas.
The reason that the war was prevented was not only the Tang Sect’s weapons, but also because he, as their Sect Master, had stalled Federal Fleet.
Tang Wulin currently possessed Spirit Domain realm spiritual power. Even a Limit Douluo would have a hard time discerning Tang Wulin’s cultivation base.
After a long pause, Tang Wulin reopened his eyes. The anxiousness in his eyes was gone and was replaced by a steady calm.
“Your Excellency, I think that we must adjust our priorities given our current situation. No matter how we decide to deal with the attacks from the Federation and the Spirit Pagoda, we must first do away with the accusation that we are a treasonous organization. We can’t afford to be seen in such a light.”
“What do you plan to do?” asked Zang Xin.