Chapter 312: Tang Yuehua's Scheme
"Damn it! Damn it! It's all slander—shameless, despicable slander!"
In the Star Luo Empire, within the main hall of the Clear Sky Sect, Tang San's bloodshot eyes blazed with fury. He roared as he hurled the joint proclamation from the Heaven Dou and Spirit Empires onto the ground.
Still unsatisfied, he stormed forward and stomped on it several times in a fit of rage.
Sitting at the head of the hall was Tang Xiao. Beside him sat Tang Yuehua, both with grim expressions. As Tang San's closest kin, they found it difficult to believe he could commit such heinous acts.
Even though… well, he had.
Below Tang Xiao sat the three remaining elders of the sect:
—Second Elder, Tang Ling, a Rank 94 Power Attack Type Titled Douluo known as Ling Tian Douluo.
—Third Elder, Tang Ran, a Rank 93 Power Attack Type Titled Douluo, titled Yao Yan Douluo.
—Sixth Elder, Tang Yun, a Rank 92 Power Attack Type Titled Douluo, titled Qing Tian Douluo.
The three elders were equally vehement in denying the accusations.
But it wasn't out of deep affection for Tang San.
The truth was, this incident had already dealt a massive blow to the Clear Sky Sect.
Since their return to the public eye, the sect had grown rapidly. Riding on its old title of number-one sect under the heavens, along with support from the Star Luo royal family, its strength had risen swiftly.
Though it still couldn't compare to its peak era when it had boasted over ten thousand disciples, it was far from weak.
But everything changed overnight after the scandal broke.
The soul master world held zero tolerance for evil soul masters. Worse yet, many of the newly recruited disciples were outsiders—people with no blood ties to the Tang clan.
What if Tang San one day set his sights on them?
Out of either moral justice or pure self-preservation, many believed it was no longer safe to stay.
In less than a month, over two hundred outer disciples had defected from the sect, disappearing without a trace.
And this was before the matter had been fully confirmed.
If Tang San were proven guilty beyond doubt, the sect might very well collapse in a single night.
For the sake of the Clear Sky Sect's stability, even if Tang San really was an evil soul master, the three elders would still publicly deny it.
"The biggest problem now is the Heaven Dou Empire," Second Elder Tang Ling said grimly.
"Everyone knows our enmity with the Spirit Empire. If they were the only ones accusing us, we could brush it off as slander—just another political war of words."
"But the moment the Heaven Dou Empire issued their own public statement, everything changed."
"To the public, those two factions would never cooperate under any circumstances. The Spirit Empire has seized over two-thirds of what used to be Heaven Dou territory."
"So if these two enemies agree on one thing—it must be true."
"Xiao Yu!"
Tang San growled the name through gritted teeth. He wished he could tear him apart, limb from limb.
None of this would've happened without that bastard.
The Heaven Dou Empire's announcement had his fingerprints all over it. That bastard wanted to destroy him completely—strip him of all redemption.
Tang San's fingers clenched into fists. His blood-red eyes blazed with hatred, like a cornered beast ready to lash out.
"Xiao Yu… that damned bastard! First he got Hao killed, and now he wants to smear Little San's name with filth? Truly vicious!"
Tang Xiao couldn't hold back his fury either. He slammed his hand down on the table and shot to his feet, his expression as cold as ice and filled with murderous intent.
"Big Brother, Little San—calm down."
Tang Yuehua spoke gently, her voice steady amidst the storm.
"Don't let your anger cloud your judgment."
Tang Yuehua stood up and spoke in a soft, gentle tone.
"I don't think the situation is hopeless—"
"Yuehua, do you have an idea?"
Tang Xiao's eyes lit up at once.
In recent years, he had mostly served as a figurehead. The one who truly made decisions had always been his sharp-witted sister.
The three elders—Tang Ling, Tang Ran, and Tang Yun—also perked up, turning their full attention to her.
Tang Yuehua smiled slightly.
"It's actually quite simple. All we need is for the Heaven Dou Empire to revoke their defamation of Little San, admit that they were misled by the Spirit Empire, and issue a public clarification."
"If that happens, this whole mess will blow over."
The moment she said that, Tang Xiao and the three elders deflated like popped balloons.
Even Tang San lowered his head in silence.
Second Elder Tang Ling frowned.
"Yuehua, have you lost your mind from anger? That bastard Xiao Yu—do you really think he'd ever agree to something like that?"
"If he had any intention of helping us, he wouldn't have allied with the Spirit Empire to smear our Clear Sky Sect in the first place."
Tang Yuehua responded calmly.
"Second Uncle, I never said Xiao Yu would clear Little San's name. I said the Heaven Dou Empire should."
Tang Ling immediately retorted.
"And what difference does that make? That Xue Qinghe is just Xiao Yu's puppet! Over the years, we've extended olive branch after olive branch to the Heaven Dou Empire. Sect Master Ning even tried mediating for us—yet Xue Qinghe wouldn't even give us the time of day."
"He's hellbent on clinging to the Nine Star Hall!"
Tang Yuehua maintained her poised and graceful expression, but her next words nearly gave the elderly Tang Ling a heart attack.
"Then why don't we just change emperors?"
"If Xue Qinghe refuses to cooperate, we'll find someone else who can speak on behalf of the Heaven Dou Empire."
She looked around the room, her voice steady.
"Second Uncle, Big Brother—although my Moon Pavilion moved out of Heaven Dou City years ago, my connections remain intact."
"I've already sent people to make contact with Prince Xue Xing and Prince Xue Beng. They're very interested in cooperating with our Clear Sky Sect."
"Xue Beng is Emperor Xue Ye's legitimate son. As long as Xue Qinghe and his infant son are... out of the picture, Xue Beng becomes the rightful heir to the throne."
"And when that day comes, not only will Little San be vindicated—the entire Heaven Dou Empire will become our most loyal ally."
Her words were as blunt as they were bold.
Everyone present understood her meaning immediately.
Tang Xiao frowned.
"Yuehua… aren't you being a bit too idealistic?"
"If this were during Emperor Xue Ye's reign, Xue Xing and Xue Beng still held some power. Back then, they might've helped us."
"But now, Xue Qinghe has been on the throne for three years. Whatever influence they had is long gone."
"At this point, I doubt they could even get us into the palace, let alone change the emperor. We can't exactly break in and assassinate Xue Qinghe. He's fully aligned with the Nine Star Hall now. There are definitely experts from the Hall guarding him."
"We'd be cut down before we even got close."
Tang Yuehua narrowed her eyes slightly and chuckled.
"Big Brother, of course Xue Xing and Xue Beng alone won't be enough."
"But what if we add the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect into the mix?"
"With their resources, slipping a few people into the palace shouldn't be too difficult… right?"
(End of this chapter)
Want More Chapters? Get Early Access Now!
Join my Patreon and unlock 20 chapters instantly—plus, you'll gain access to 60+ chapters weekly across 8 fics! Your support helps me continue creating and keeps the stories coming.
📖 Patreon: patreon.com/anish_44 ☕ Support via Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/anish_44