Akatsuki Manor
"Hahaha! How satisfying!" A young man with shoulder-length black hair tied into a ponytail guffawed loudly as he stepped on a broken furniture. His cold, chilling smirk immediately fell when he saw the remains of the manor. "The hell? Where's the traps? The explosions? The hidden arrows and a siege of cannon fodder to hit us?!"
"They were obviously destroyed by Lord Tang Haoran." Said by a young man, with his hair flowing freely and looking around with an indifferent expression. "As this generation's Clear Sky Douluo and is likely to rival Lord Tang Hao, taking down a mysterious illusion formation with a single swing of his hammer would've been more than enough.
But he swung four times! With the amount of force he used, a great beast would've even died!"
"Enough." A feminine voice lightly interrupted them. Her voice almost sounded like a whisper but it sounded in everyone's ears heavily, as if it were the sounding of war drums.
A beautiful woman with long, flowing black hair cascading her back as if it were the night sky. She looked to be around forty years old, yet her beauty hadn't diminished in the slightest. Instead, it had matured into a sharp, commanding elegance that made the surrounding men instinctively straighten their postures.
Her eyes were deep and cold, carrying an invisible pressure that silenced the group.
She was Tang Ruoxi, a rank 97 Transcendent Douluo known as the Chilling Sky Douluo. She's the sister of the current Clear Sky Douluo and known as the Vice-Clan Head of the Clear Sky Clan.
Ever since the Clear Sky Clan sealed themselves off from the entire for about a thousand years, many had thought they had quietly disappeared into ruins just as the once illustrious Tang Sect had become today.
But that was far from the truth. They've secluded themselves with the full support of their ancestors and had even received their full support.
Unlike the generations before their seclusion, their overall strength had skyrocketed tremendously. During their great ancestors Tang San's era, the Clear Sky Clan only had about several Titled Douluos. A terrifying lineup in today's world as well, but not as much as the Body Sect, current Shrek Academy, the Sun Moon Empire, and the Holy Spirit Church.
But now?
12 Titled Douluos; 4 Average, 7 Transcendent, and 1 Limit!
This was a lineup that rivaled the Holy Spirit Church! How? When the latter has two Limit Douluos? Simply because the Clear Sky Clan has more than ten thousand years of heritage; owning powerful techniques that could equal a 100,000 year old soul skill.
If the two groups clashed, the Holy Spirit Church would be annihilated 9/10 times.
And this was all thanks to the support they received from their ancestors—Gods!
Tang Ruoxi believed that after accomplishing the mission they received, their clan would once more dominate the continent and become its one true ruler.
Empires? Sects? Academies? All of them would be united under the banner of the Clear Sky.
'And the one to lead us to a prosperous era...' She looked to the handsome man beside her.
He was wearing a grayish-white cloth. He appeared to be in his thirties or so. His face was handsome with a pair of unusually bright eyes that seemed to be able to see through one's heart. The first impression that this person gave was that he was a refined individual. If this person held a book in his hand, he would likely appear no different from a scholar.
He was Tang Ruoxi's brother; Tang Haoran, the current Clear Sky Douluo and a Limit Douluo!
"Brother? What's our next move?" Tang Ruoxi asked.
Tang Haoran hummed and said, "Let the youngsters deal with the mission further. Unless they are in danger or the mission encounters an unexpected variable, there is no need for us to intervene personally.
From what I can sense, the strongest person here is merely a half-step Soul Sage. The youngsters are more than enough to handle it."
"Understood." She lightly replied, looking at him with bright eyes. Inwardly she started giggling, admiring him.
'As expected of brother! With his spiritual power nearing divine-level, nothing could hide from his senses. After we complete the orders given to us by the Lords Niu Tian and Tai Tan, brother would likely even become a God as a reward! And if possible, I and others as well...' Tang Ruoxi kept her fantasies to herself and turn to bark orders to the people behind her.
Although they received support from the divine, all of it was handled by Niu Tian and Tai Tan. They gave out resources and words from their ancestors, and no one had questioned their positions for around a thousand years.
For a thousand years, they've been isolated and nurtured with all kinds of resources.
They became one of the strongest groups in the world.
However, this came at a cost.
Tang Haoran remained silent. He gazed calmly at the remains of the manor and at the path leading into the underground shaft, his expression remaining composed and scholarly.
His thoughts was unknown to anyone but himself.
With a deep sigh, without waiting for his sister, he vanished from the spot.
...
A group of Clear Sky Clan members, around fifteen people, gathered at the entrance that lead to the underground.
The one leading them was a handsome young man with a scar at the corner of his right lip.
His name was Tang Niu, the strongest and most talented of the young generation of the Clear Sky Clan. At just 22 years old he was a rank 76 Soul Sage with a 100,000 year old soul ring for his True Martial Body. He was named as a candidate for succession to be the new Clear Sky Douluo and Clan Head.
He didn't only possess immense strength and power, he also has great leadership to lead his peers and even the older generation.
"Everyone. Let's go!" He took the charge, the others followed behind him in a organized formation.
For the next few minutes, they rushed down through the underground tunnel. Though they kept their guards up, their speed wasn't slow as they had already travelled about 3 kilometers down and passed through a few other paths, and a checkpoint as well. That last part was kinda tricky but they solved it quite easily through brute force.
"Hey, boss?" One of the members spoke up.
"Did you notice something, Tang Wu?" Tang Niu kept moving with a focused gaze but still managed to split his attention to his companions.
"It's just that, from what we've gathered about this sect—the Akatsuki? Weird name. But this sect is like the successor of the Tang Sect, a sect known for hidden weapons, and are seen to be capable of using strange formations that could induce a wide area for illusions and other traps.
And looking at the tech around the tunnels, they've also incorporated modern soul tools."
".....You're wondering why there aren't any traps yet?" Tang Niu finished for him without slowing his pace.
Tang Wu nodded. "Exactly. With everything we know about them, this place should be filled with mechanisms, poison, illusions, or at least some form of resistance. But so far....nothing."
"Just empty tunnels and the occasional sealed door that we smashed through."
Tang Niu's eyes narrowed slightly, the scar at the corner of his lip twitching.
"That's exactly why we should be more careful," he said in a low voice. "Don't be overconfident just because our Lords are close by to save us. Even they aren't fast enough to save us from a point-blank explosion or from undetectable poison."
In his opinion that is. He wasn't a Titled Douluo yet, so he wasn't quite clear the capabilities of a Transcendent and Limit could do.
"What if these bastards just decided to blow up the entrance? Or even the entire underground base?!"
Tang Niu shook his head. "Unlikely. In the chances they expected invaders, they'd also expected us to have defensive soul tools or other measures to preserve our lives. Blowing us up while we're in the entrance tunnels wouldn't kill or even severely injure any of us. That goes for using poisons as well."
"But then..."
"Yes. It would mean that the best opportunity for these guys to get rid of us is when we're in their base."
"....And we're just entering the belly of the beast." Another one of the members wryly smiled.
"Well, you all wanted to experience the real world, didn't you?" Tang Niu chuckled at the uncomfortable expressions on most of his comrades' faces. "C'mon, I said you can't be overconfident—doesn't mean you can't put faith in our Lords to protect us."
Hearing those words of comfort made everyone visibly relaxed.
Hidden within a small pocket dimension, Tang Haoran and Tang Ruoxi observed the group. The former rubbed his chin in approval.
"Good. The boy's charisma and leadership are solid. He knows how to keep his people calm without making them reckless. Truly, he's fit to become a pillar of the clan."
"Hehehe. But of course! It's to be expected of my child after all~" Tang Ruoxi's stern expression was completely gone when she's only with her brother. In fact, this was how she usually acted when she's with her close family members.
Tang Haoran glanced at her. "You still won't say who the father is?"
"...."
He sighed and shook his head.
The group continued descending.
After another few minutes, the tunnel suddenly opened up into a much wider space.
"Holy shit!" One of the members almost yelled out. All of them, even Tang Niu, shared the same feeling as the one who said those words.
What greeted them was no longer a simple corridor, gate or door. The base was open to enter but—
It was completely crazy.
Metal walls and floors that should have been fixed were now moving. Platforms rose and fell. Hallways twisted at impossible angles. Staircases inverted mid-air before locking into new positions. Crimson emergency lights pulsed rhythmically, casting long, shifting shadows across the constantly rearranging structure.
"What the hell is this place…?" Other members started cursing under their breaths.
Unbeknownst to them, Ye Guyi eyed them closely through several secret monitors.
"C'mon... Get inside so I can take out some of you out before I can head out. Tsk. Years of hard work and research! All down in the drain because of you all!" She slammed the wall with her hand in frustration.
"Master... Where are you?"
"Wassup?"
"Kyaaaa!!"
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AN: With the end drawing near, I've created a spin-off for the end of the story already. Currently available in my patreon. If you don't want any spoilers, all I can say rn is that it's basically what Fang Yuan did.