Upon hearing Tang Zhen's words, everyone's expression grew even more serious.
However, Tang Zhen continued, "Whether it's the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect or the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, we will have to pay them back for their reinforcements today. Even for the outer four families with single attributes, we will have to appease them after the war for the lives lost."
"If we fight to the end, our sect's foundation will likely be depleted."
At this moment, the Grand Elder spoke up, "Sect Master, we, the Clear Sky Sect, are the number one sect in the world. Even if we die to the last person, we will never submit."
The other elders echoed, "Sect Master, we of the Clear Sky Sect will fight to the death."
Tang Zhen understood the sentiments of the elders: "All of you, we of the Clear Sky Sect will not retreat; we will fight to the death."
Once the crowd calmed down, Tang Zhen spoke again, "Grand Elder, do we have any news about Hao'er?"
"Sect Master, Tang Hao has already broken through to Title Douluo and is now called the Clear Sky Douluo. Since we received the news that he left the Clear Sky Sect, we haven't had any updates on him."
"Hao'er fought three opponents alone; he must have been seriously injured. Grand Elder, continue to send people to gather news about Hao'er. We must find him."
At that moment, a disciple rushed in: "Sect Master, it's bad! The Martial Soul Hall's people are already outside the sect!"
Hearing the disciple's report, Tang Zhen and the elders walked outside.
They saw countless spirit masters gathered outside the sect, all dressed in white robes mourning for the former Pope, Qian Xunji. From the looks of the number of spirit masters, it seemed their total was over ten thousand, with a high proportion of high-level spirit masters.
Just then, a loud voice came from the Martial Soul Hall's camp: "Clear Sky Sect, listen! You have one hour to hand over the murderer of our former Pope, Tang Hao, or we will launch an attack. By then, we will leave no one alive."
Tang Zhen ignored the voice and continued speaking with the Grand Elder: "Grand Elder, how long until the reinforcements from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect arrive?"
"Sect Master, according to the fastest route, it will take at least half a day for both sects to arrive. The army of the Heaven Dou Empire may take a day."
"It seems the Martial Soul Hall wants to engage us in battle before our reinforcements arrive. Inform all inner disciples and affiliated sects that we are prepared for battle at any time."
"Grand Elder, you should personally go to the Martial Soul Hall and tell them that Tang Hao has been expelled from our sect and is no longer in the Clear Sky Sect."
At this point, Tang Xiao quickly spoke up: "Father, although Hao'er has committed a grave mistake, the Martial Soul Hall is clearly targeting us on purpose. Their army arrived so quickly, which indicates they have premeditated this."
The Grand Elder also added, "Sect Master, the Martial Soul Hall was able to gather so many spirit masters in such a short time, clearly indicating they are well-prepared to deal with us."
Tang Zhen shook his head solemnly: "Do I not know they are seizing the opportunity? However, no matter how we put it, Tang Hao indeed killed their Pope. They are seeking revenge, and we cannot argue against it. Grand Elder, go and negotiate; see if they can propose any other terms."
Upon hearing Tang Zhen's words, the Grand Elder quickly flew toward the Martial Soul Hall's army.
But less than ten minutes later, the Grand Elder returned: "Sect Master, the Martial Soul Hall's attitude is firm. They do not accept any other terms and only demand that we hand over Tang Hao. Otherwise, they will declare war."
"It seems the Martial Soul Hall is determined to deal with us. Inform everyone to prepare for battle. Also, have the Min family notify the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect to bring their leaders here quickly."
The Grand Elder looked hesitant: "Sect Master, the Min family probably won't be able to get a message out. The Martial Soul Hall has us completely surrounded."
"It seems the Martial Soul Hall had already planned everything and intends to either destroy our Clear Sky Sect or severely damage it. Grand Elder, arrange for the children of the Clear Sky Sect to retreat to the ancestral grounds first."
"Sect Master, although the ancestral grounds have a strong defense, they may not be able to withstand their spirit master army."
"Don't worry about that. My father, Tang Chen, made an agreement with Qian Daoliu; until they settle their disputes, no one from the Martial Soul Hall is allowed to step into our Clear Sky Sect's ancestral grounds."
"But the old sect master has been missing for many years; will the Martial Soul Hall honor the agreement?"
"Although my father is missing, he is not dead. Moreover, Qian Daoliu values his reputation and would never break his word."
Upon hearing this, everyone began to take action.
Meanwhile, outside the Clear Sky Sect, the leaders of the single-attribute four families gathered together, all looking extremely tense, as they faced enemies that outnumbered them two to one.
At this moment, a disciple arrived with news. Bai He took the information, glanced at it, and immediately passed it to the others.
Yang Wudi, upon seeing the information, spoke directly: "Our four families have always been sheltered by the Clear Sky Sect. Since the sect has made its decision, my Breaking Clan will fight to the death."
The other three leaders also expressed their commitment to fight with all their family's strength. They all returned to their respective family lands to prepare for battle.
As Tang Zhen said, the Martial Soul Hall had indeed prepared meticulously. From releasing the news of Qian Xunji's death to declaring war on the Clear Sky Sect, every step was coordinated perfectly, leaving the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect no time to react. Otherwise, with the three sects combined, along with the Heaven Dou Empire's army, the Martial Soul Hall would struggle to gain an advantage.
The top three sects still had deep foundations, with an estimated nine thousand to ten thousand spirit masters among them, completely capable of wrestling with the Martial Soul Hall.
However, with the Martial Soul Hall's sudden declaration of war, the three sects missed the opportunity. Each sect had nearly twenty percent of their disciples out on missions, so the situation was extremely tense.
An hour later, the Martial Soul Hall did not acknowledge any terms from the Clear Sky Sect and did not accept the reason for Tang Hao's expulsion. They directly launched an attack.
The Martial Soul Hall was clearly well-prepared, sending more forces to restrain the single-attribute four families. The four families, with two thousand spirit masters, had to face about three thousand from the Martial Soul Hall.
Instead, the Martial Soul Hall concentrated more forces directly attacking the gates of the Clear Sky Sect. Thus, the two thousand inner disciples of the Clear Sky Sect had to face approximately seven thousand spirit masters, meaning that almost every disciple was up against three to four opponents, effectively overwhelming them in terms of numbers.
The gates of the Clear Sky Sect were meticulously crafted by the Sect, but against the seven to eight thousand spirit masters, it provided little defense. Especially since the Martial Soul Hall had a large number of high-level spirit masters, including several Title Douluo.