Just after Tianlin and his group left, the Speed Clan's tightly closed gates were blown open. Hundreds of fierce men poured in, led by three people: the Sacred Dragon Sect Master Tuoba Xi, Wind Sword Sect Master Feng Tianlei, and though not ranked among the Seven Sects, the Bee Wasp Sect Master Feng Langdie, whose strength rivaled the lower four sects.
After failing to recruit the Speed Clan, they'd planned to use force to capture Bai He, but Yang Wudi's interference foiled them.
Unwilling to let it go, they'd gone for reinforcements.
Tuoba Xi, Sacred Dragon Sect Master, was the strongest among the lower four sects and the only titled Douluo among them. Due to joining Spirit Hall, he'd been appointed an elder.
Coincidentally, the Sacred Dragon Sect was in the Star Luo Empire, so Bibi Dong sent him to handle the task of absorbing all the sects in the area. Things had gone smoothly—over 70% of sects had surrendered—until the Speed Clan gave him trouble.
Tianlei and Feng Langdie, though strong, couldn't match the near-titled Douluo Yang Wudi, so Tuoba Xi had to act personally.
"Go bring Bai He and Yang Wudi out. Today is their last chance," Tuoba Xi calmly ordered from the gate.
He didn't take Yang Wudi seriously. Even if Yang Wudi was near titled Douluo level and could match him briefly, Tuoba Xi's soul power was deeper. In a real fight, Yang Wudi would surely lose.
"Yes!" Dozens of disciples rushed in, but no matter how they searched, they found no one.
"Sect master, we searched the whole compound. It's empty, not even clothes left. They must have migrated."
"What? Bai He, Yang Wudi, you're fast!" Tuoba Xi was furious to have come in person only to find nothing.
Just then, Tianlei came from the reception hall. "Sect master Tuoba, they can't have gone far. There's still some warm breakfast in the hall."
Hearing this, Tuoba Xi spat out two words grimly: "Search. Chase!"
With disciples from the Wind Sword and Bee Wasp Sects able to fly, countless soul masters fanned out in all directions.
…
Tianlin's group was walking toward the north city gate. They only had three carriages—not enough for 600 people. Hiring hundreds more would draw too much attention, so Tianlin simply sold the previous three and walked with the disciples.
A female Bee Wasp Sect disciple spotted the big group from the sky. She didn't recognize Tianlin, but she had seen Bai He before. Without hesitation, she went to report.
"Hmm?" Though most people didn't notice, Dragon Duke, being a titled Douluo, sensed the movement above.
"Your Excellency Dragon Snake Douluo, that must have been a Bee Wasp Sect disciple. Looks like they still won't let us go. Sigh, we're being targeted!" Bai He said helplessly. As an intelligence expert, he'd noticed before Dragon Duke.
He disliked fighting and just wanted to leave quickly to avoid more trouble.
"In that case, we'll wait for them outside the city. Senior Bai He, when disaster comes, being kind or avoiding trouble isn't enough. Sometimes, we must show our strength," Tianlin said.
To Tianlin, they were perfect for sending a message to the continent's other sects: besides Spirit Hall, Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was also recruiting.
Both the Speed and Breaking Clans had joined them. If any other small sects couldn't stand Spirit Hall's oppression, they could come to Seven Treasures.
As long as they weren't evil or bullies, Tianlin would accept them all.
They sped up and quickly reached the city gate—but were still a step too late. The gates were closed, and as soon as Tianlin's group arrived, they were surrounded by disciples from the Bee Wasp, Sacred Dragon, and Wind Sword Sects.
Most of their opponents had flown in, so were much faster than Tianlin's group on foot.
On the city wall, a tall man in white armor drew everyone's attention. Bai He was shocked: "Sacred Dragon Sect Master, Sacred Dragon Douluo Tuoba Xi!"
This man was a real Titled Douluo, with a top dragon martial soul—White Armored Dragon. Though not quite as strong as the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, it was no weaker than the Elephant Armored Sect's Diamond Mammoth.
Their side had a Titled Douluo, Dragon Duke, but in terms of martial soul quality and ring configuration, he was still outclassed. Still, with Serpent Lady and Tianlin present, Bai He was much relieved. Dragon Duke alone couldn't beat Tuoba Xi, but with Serpent Lady, surely they could win.
Bai He was timid due to his lack of attack ability, but honestly, even one Tuoba Xi was no match for Tianlin.
But little did he know someone was even more afraid—Wind Sword Sect Master Feng Tianlei. He still remembered Tianlin killing the Demon Bear Douluo head-on, assassinating the Porcupine Douluo, and briefly suppressing Jiang Mo from the Worship Hall. Since then, he'd had a psychological shadow about Tianlin.
He'd even abandoned his comrade Hu Yanzhen and fled from Tianlin.
"Oh, so that's Jun Tianlin? So young!" Tuoba Xi sneered. "Feng Tianlei, with me here, what are you afraid of?"
Tuoba Xi didn't believe Tianlin's record—most of it was told by the Seven Treasures Sect, and Spirit Hall would never spread such humiliating news. As far as Tuoba Xi knew, Tianlin had only killed the Porcupine and Demon Bear Douluos.
As for Tianlin and Chen Xin defeating Qian Daoliu, Spirit Hall would never admit it—if even their Grand Worship lost, who would trust Spirit Hall's future?
In Tuoba Xi's eyes, the other Titled Douluos must have badly wounded those elders first, and Tianlin just finished them off. He'd become a Titled Douluo himself, so he knew the gap between Soul Sage and Titled Douluo—there was no way Tianlin could truly fight him.