Yue Guan cautiously spoke—
"But that Grand Elder who has never shown himself… we don't know how strong he is."
"If only the two of us go…"
"There might be unexpected dangers!"
"Boom—"
Bibi Dong struck the Pope's scepter against the ground, startling Yue Guan into a shiver.
"You think I don't know that?"
Bibi Dong's voice was cold—
"Serpent Spear, Stabbing Porcupine, and Demon Bear are already on their way back."
"They will meet up with you at the ambush point."
"If that Tang Lan refuses to cooperate, eliminate everyone accompanying him!"
"The name of the Tang Master resounds across the continent. We must ensure no one knows that this was the doing of our Spirit Hall."
"Understood?"
Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo secretly sighed in relief.
In unison, they replied, "Yes, Your Holiness!"
The two respectfully retreated.
Bibi Dong sat on the Pope's throne, her gaze terrifyingly cold in the vast hall.
If that foolish woman had listened to her from the start, things wouldn't have come to this!
"Just as brainless as that guy!"
Compared to the Spirit Hall's ambush, the nobles of the Heaven Dou Empire, whose interests were threatened, were much more straightforward in their methods.
——For all matters related to the Tang Sect Academy, they would delay as much as possible!
They understood well that the Tang Master was at his peak.
Direct confrontation wouldn't end well.
But they could comply on the surface while sabotaging in secret.
By rallying the nobles across the empire, they could delay site selection and construction, refuse to supply materials, mistreat dispatched personnel—
Using these petty tricks to frustrate Tang Lan's subordinates.
So what if Tang Lan had a Title Douluo Elder backing him?
Could he personally go to each location and wipe them out one by one?
The Tang Sect was now a "Holy Land." How could they commit such atrocities?
A classic case of moral coercion.
This left Zhao Wuji utterly overwhelmed, yet helpless.
As the saying goes, "The mountains are high, and the emperor is far away."
Those nobles in remote areas were practically local warlords.
Even if Emperor Xue Ye issued orders, they would be of little effect.
And after the academy was finally built?
Those nobles could still cause trouble in the dark—cutting off water, withholding food, sending thugs to create chaos.
If the lower-ranked personnel couldn't handle it…
Could the Tang Sect be expected to rush everywhere?
Within just two days, Zhao Wuji was already exhausted from dealing with the mess.
"One word from above, but the people below run themselves to death."
There was no choice.
He had to report this to Tang Lan, who was currently on his way to Spirit Hall.
Upon hearing this, Tang Lan simply smiled.
"You don't need to worry about this. These insignificant pests won't last long."
"I've already arranged everything. If my calculations are right, it should start tomorrow."
Hearing this, Zhao Wuji was overjoyed!
Since the sect master himself was taking action, there would be no problem.
Ending the call, he turned to meet the concerned gazes of Xiao Wu and the three other girls.
"Brother, those people are so annoying. How are you going to deal with them?" Xiao Wu asked curiously.
"If you ask me, just kill them all!" Zhu Zhuqing said coldly.
"Killing them is fine," Shui Bing'er frowned, "but right now, it's just a few minor nobles causing trouble. Acting rashly would give others an excuse to criticize us."
"Then what should we do?" Shui Yue'er hesitated. "We can't kill them, and they're spread all over the empire. How do we handle this?"
"That's exactly why this situation highlights how capable our Lan is!" Shui Bing'er said playfully.
The four girls eagerly looked at Tang Lan.
Tang Lan, however, grinned mischievously.
"Stories are best experienced firsthand."
"Spoilers ruin the fun."
"You'll find out tomorrow."
"Ah! Brother!" Xiao Wu whined, "I want to know now!"
"Yeah!" Shui Yue'er clung to Tang Lan's arm. "I feel like bugs are crawling all over me—I can't take it! Just tell us~"
"Oh? Bugs crawling?"
"Then let me scratch them off for you!"
"Ah! Nooo!"
"Mmm—"
"Ahhh—"
"Ohhh—"
The next day.
Amidst this chorus of protests—
The Star Luo Empire, across from the Heaven Dou Empire, spent a fortune to publish a front-page headline in the Tang Li Newspaper:
—— "Tang Master, the Great Virtuous One! The Star Luo Empire Welcomes the Tang Master at Any Time to Establish the Tang Sect Academy, Providing All Necessary Support!"
The article was sincere and heartfelt, expressing Star Luo's wish for Tang Lan to come teach.
They promised—
Money? Provided.
Manpower? Supplied.
Land? Granted.
Anyone daring to sabotage the effort? Executed without mercy!
So, did the Star Luo Empire not realize that the Tang Sect Academy would shake the very foundation of its rulers?
Of course, they understood.
But they had no choice.
If the enemy had something they lacked, they would inevitably suffer a great loss sooner or later.
If they could use this opportunity to poach Tang Lan—and even the entire Tang Sect—over to their side…
That would be an absolute win!
If they claimed this was merely a passive response…
Then the subpage of their new law made it blatantly clear:
—— "All members of the Tang Sect will automatically be granted Star Luo Empire citizenship. Those without criminal records must not be harassed without cause!"
Between the lines—
It screamed just one message: "We're blatantly stealing your people!"
And just below that, on the third page—
It was still bought out by the Star Luo Empire!
This time, it featured a personal letter written by none other than the current Emperor of the Star Luo Empire, Dai Mubai's father.
—— "Respected Tang Master, your grand vision of 'making every man a dragon' deeply resonates with Our heart. If given the opportunity, We would gladly swear brotherhood with you, to contribute to your grand cause!"
[…]
The letter stretched nearly ten thousand words, occupying the entire remaining section of the newspaper.
At first, the nobles hadn't reacted much.
But for Emperor Xue Ye? He was scared out of his wits!
What was Tang Li Newspaper?
Officially, it was co-founded by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Tang Sect.
But the chief editor was none other than Tang Lan's great-uncle from the Min Hall!
Now, the paper had completely separated from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and was independently run as a newspaper business.
And this "Star Luo Empire Special Report"?
Would Tang Lan be unaware of it?
Yet, he still allowed it to be published.
What did that mean?
It was an undisguised threat!
See this?
"If you don't want me here, someone else does!"
Keep messing with me?
I'll pack up and move straight to the Star Luo Empire, making their youth stronger instead!
That empire, already militarily formidable, would grow even mightier.
And when that time came, how would Heaven Dou Empire even fight a war?
Emperor Xue Ye admitted—he was scared.
But…
Most of the nobles still refused to back down.
Was it because they hadn't considered the future of the empire?
Of course not!
That was the concern of the people at the top.
All they cared about was their own interests.
At that moment—
Emperor Xue Ye deeply realized that the Heaven Dou Empire was rotten to its core.
The very chess pieces once used to consolidate his rule had now become parasites, leeching off the empire's lifeblood!
And Tang Lan publishing this report?
It was sending him a message.
—— "Will you choose to change the status quo, or will you lose the Tang Sect?"
Back when Tang Lan and the Crown Prince had a falling-out, he had threatened to relocate the entire sect just because of a disagreement.
And now?
If Tang Lan wanted to leave, Emperor Xue Ye couldn't stop him.
Forget that the Tang Sect's current strength already rivaled the Upper Three Sects—
Even if the Star Luo Empire had to mobilize its entire army or go to full-scale war—
They would definitely ensure Tang Lan's safe passage.
"Hesitation leads to disaster."
Without any hesitation, Emperor Xue Ye issued a new decree.
—— "The Tang Sect Academy is now granted a royal title. All officials of the Heaven Dou Empire must fully cooperate with its operations. Any obstruction will be dealt with under the strictest law!"
He further appointed Xue Beng to lead the army, with Prince Xue Xing overseeing enforcement of the decree.
Anyone caught violating it? Execute first, report later!
Who was Xue Beng?
He was Tang Lan's newly accepted disciple.
And the Tang Sect was his greatest support in the imperial succession struggle.
Now, armed with absolute authority, who would dare oppose him?
Some nobles, foolishly thinking they had high-ranking backers, still tried to resist.
And then—
Their families were raided, exterminated, and their heads hung on the city gates as a warning!
As for their so-called powerful backers?
Not a single one dared to make a sound.
They feared that if they made a move, the entire network of corruption would be exposed and wiped out in one sweep.
From that moment on—
With Emperor Xue Ye's support, both as a beneficiary and as someone under threat—
Tang Sect Academies began rising across the Heaven Dou Empire.
With only one clear directive:
—— Wherever the Spirit Hall exists, a Tang Sect Academy must stand beside it.
—— And where the Spirit Hall does not exist, a Tang Sect Academy must be established even more so!
This was a direct message to the Spirit Hall—
"Tang Sect is here to steal your people!"
(End of Chapter)
Notes-You can read advanced chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X, i have finished translating the whole story