Firelight rose throughout the courtyard. Blood and bodies covered the ground, looking exceptionally desolate beneath the orange dusk.
At the center of the courtyard, a burly old man with white hair and beard knelt on the ground. His short hair stood upright like steel needles, and his eyes held towering rage and hatred. He was the current patriarch of the Strength Clan, the future master of the Strength Hall in Tang San's Tang Sect in the original story. His Martial Soul was the Mighty Gorilla. He was a level eighty-six assault-system Spirit Emperor, nicknamed Hercules: Goliath Brock.
By then, one of Goliath's arms was gone. Blood kept flowing from the stump at his shoulder. His once-white hair was soaked red, and his remaining hand held a severed head. It was the head of his son, Norman Brock.
"Why... why are you doing this?" Goliath roared hoarsely at the three people in front of him. "Our Strength Clan clearly left the Clear Sky Sect already. Why is Spirit Hall driving us to extinction?"
Wu Ling smiled faintly.
"Just as a dog cannot stop eating filth, you cannot stop being loyal to Tang Hao. So there is only one ending for you. Your clan will die because of you."
Goliath's eyes bulged with fury. He looked around. Everywhere he looked, he saw familiar clan members. Yet in only half an hour, all of them had become cold corpses. The entire Strength Clan had nearly been wiped out.
Goliath lowered his head. Aside from anger and hatred, a trace of relief appeared in his eyes. Fortunately, his grandson was still at Blue Tyrant Academy today and had not returned. Otherwise, this really would have been total extermination.
"Let me think. Tyson Brock, right?"
Wu Ling suddenly said a name. It was his grandson's name. Goliath's expression froze. Before he could think further, Wu Ling took a round object from his storage ring and casually tossed it. The object rolled to Goliath's feet.
Looking at that familiar face with eyes still open in death, Goliath, a Spirit Emperor who had lived his whole life as a bold and forthright man, finally broke. For an instant, regret flashed through his mind. Trembling, he set down his son's head and gently closed his grandson's eyes.
After several seconds of silence, he said, "Spirit Hall, all of you will die miserable deaths!"
Goliath suddenly erupted. All eight Spirit Rings flashed at once, and his massive body lunged at the seemingly unguarded Wu Ling.
Ghost Sage and Chrysanthemum Sage, standing behind Wu Ling, attacked at the same time. The already grievously wounded Goliath was struck by two level-ninety-six Venerate Titled Sages. His life vanished completely.
The headless corpse collapsed, while Goliath's head rolled to Wu Ling's feet. Wu Ling glanced down casually, then kicked it into the fire without hesitation.
"A loyal dog, at least. A pity it blocked the road."
With that, Wu Ling turned and left without the slightest attachment.
No matter what, the Strength Clan was a clan supported by a Spirit Emperor. Its strength could even match the Five Elements Academies, or the lower four of the Seven Great Sects. Naturally, it had a major reputation in Polaris City. Now that the Strength Clan's compound had gone up in flames, with no one inside seen putting out the fire, nearby passersby naturally grew suspicious. The Polaris imperial household, which had always been watching these clans, paid even more attention.
In the entire Polaris Empire, aside from Spirit Hall, no other power had both the ability and motive to do such a thing. That very night, Bishop Salas of the Spirit Temple was summoned to the palace by Emperor Noctis. But only a short while later, Salas left again with a smile on his face.
Unlike the relaxed Salas, the atmosphere inside the palace was suffocating.
Emperor Noctis, Xue Qinghe, Prince Sirius, the three Spirit Emperor education board members of Polaris Royal Academy, and Poison Sage Erasmus Graves were all present.
"Hmph. Spirit Hall's reach is growing longer and longer," Emperor Noctis said angrily.
That was a Spirit Emperor clan. Goliath was even an especially powerful one. As a pure strength-type Spirit Master, his physical power surpassed some Titled Sages. Yet a Spirit Master clan of that level had been exterminated right under the emperor's nose.
Among the Spirit Master forces that truly belonged to the Polaris Empire, the highest combat power consisted of the three board members before him. Their combat strength was only at the level of ordinary Spirit Emperors. The Poison Sage beside them was indeed a Titled Sage, but he was only a consecrated guest. In other words, one side paid, and the other worked. If something truly happened, he might not even act.
Under those circumstances, Emperor Noctis felt deeply insecure. This time, Spirit Hall could silently wipe out a Spirit Emperor clan. Next time, he might open his eyes and find Spirit Hall assassins standing by his bed.
But what could he do when his strength was inferior? The neighboring Star Stripe Empire was watching like a tiger. He absolutely could not afford to make an enemy of Spirit Hall as well.
After an intense discussion, or rather a round of complaints, Emperor Noctis could only issue a statement. More precisely, he repeated the explanation Salas had prepared ahead of time, allowing the Polaris Empire to distance itself from the matter.
In the rear garden of the Polaris imperial household, which Wu Ling had already started treating like his own home, Wu Ling nodded slightly after learning of Emperor Noctis's decision.
"A wise choice."
Then Ghost quietly appeared behind Wu Ling. As he handed over a file, he said, "Your Highness, we have found the Speed Clan's gathering place."
Of the four single-attribute clans, Strength, Defense, Speed, and Breaking, the Strength Clan had been in Polaris City for the sake of searching for Tang Hao. It had now been destroyed. The Defense and Breaking Clans had gone to the Star Stripe Empire, where surveillance had already begun. Those two clans also had a possibility of being recruited.
As for the Speed Clan, their Martial Soul was the Sharp-Tailed Swift. Because they lacked attack power, they had no good means of making a living. Because their people were also proud and unwilling to join other Spirit Master clans, they lived the hardest lives among the four single-attribute clans. They often needed support from the other three clans, and their gathering place changed again and again.
"Heh. They are still proud when their survival is already this difficult. If they do not die, who should? And the current patriarch is Tang Hao's relative. That makes leaving them alive even less acceptable."
As he spoke, Wu Ling's seventh Spirit Ring lit up. A golden throne replaced the stone chair beneath him.
"Sasaki, Medea, Karna. Come out for a moment."
As soon as Wu Ling spoke, three figures walked out of the throne.
Ghost looked at them one by one and formed a rough judgment.
"That man is Wu Ling's swordsmanship. The woman is that Magecraft. And the last one... very strong. If I faced him, I might die!"
"Medea, you will set up a bounded field and trap the Speed Clan inside. Karna, you will provide fire support. And Sasaki, let me see your ability to cut down swallows."
After giving the three their orders, Wu Ling turned to Ghost.
"Elder Ghost, I leave these three to you. Please take Elder Chrysanthemum to the Speed Clan. Target: leave no one alive."
"Understood."