"Rescue? Hahahaha..." Xue Beng laughed wildly, mocking Ning Fengzhi's ignorance—but he didn't see that Ning Fengzhi was looking at him with the same expression.
"Bring them here!" Xue Beng ordered.
Dozens of soldiers each carried a corpse and dumped them before Ning Fengzhi.
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has rebelled. These people tried to assassinate me under the guise of seeking help. I have executed them!" Xue Beng declared coldly.
"Xue Beng, you bastard, you killed my brothers!" Gu Ran was furious. He'd arrived later and didn't know these were Spirit Hall people in disguise.
He went to collect the bodies but realized he didn't recognize anyone.
Puzzled, Tianlin whispered to him, "Gu Ran, these aren't ours—they're Spirit Hall's. But don't worry about it. Pretend they're ours; grieve and rage as needed!"
Gu Ran didn't understand but obeyed. He grabbed a man at random—middle-aged, about forty. "Uncle Zhang, you always treated me like a son. I can't believe we're now forever apart!"
Tianlin sweatdropped—had Gu Ran misunderstood? He only told him to act, but did he have to cry this hard? And was that guy surnamed Zhang?
But it didn't matter. It was better. Tianlin shouted, "Xue Beng, Tang San, you dare kill our sect disciples!"
"Don't worry, you'll join them soon. Kill them all!" With Xue Beng's order, ten thousand soldiers surged forward.
Normally, ten thousand soldiers wouldn't faze a full-strength Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. But Xue Beng had calculated that Ning Fengzhi and the others were exhausted—against such a small group, the soldiers would suffice.
At that moment, the Holy Spirit Pearl in Tianlin's body vibrated violently, warning him.
"Xiao Tian, Xue Beng and Tang San's minds have been invaded. They're just like those you controlled with Mind Control—under someone's control!" Skydream Ice Silkworm's voice rang in Tianlin's mind.
Tianlin nodded and quietly told Ning Fengzhi, "Ning Uncle, Xue Beng and Tang San are both acting strange. My Holy Spirit Pearl and Brother Skydream both say they're being controlled."
Ning Fengzhi understood at once. "So that's it—I always felt Xue Beng was off. He used to be a playboy, but in recent years, he's gotten far more violent. Who's controlling him?"
And Tang San too—when Ning Fengzhi last saw him in the palace, he'd been normal, likely because Tang Hao was still around and the mastermind wouldn't dare act. Now that Tang Hao was away seeking soul bones, the chance had come.
Ning Fengzhi's gaze shifted to the hooded figure. Was he the mastermind?
"Then let's spare Xue Beng's life this time!" Realizing Xue Beng was being controlled, a bold new idea formed in Ning Fengzhi's mind.
He shot Tianlin a sly look—Ning Fengzhi hadn't forgotten how Tianlin had tricked him over Xue Qinghe. He was determined to pay him back, even if it was for Tianlin's good.
Tianlin shivered, not realizing he was now being targeted by the most dangerous man here.
After silently notifying everyone, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the imperial army began a new battle.
They feigned weakness, fighting and retreating, appearing to barely resist.
"Your Highness, do you want to annihilate the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? They openly support Heaven Dou Empire. Lose them, and even after ascending the throne, how will you resist Star Luo without Titled Douluo support?" Tang San advised. "While Bone Douluo and Ning Fengzhi are alive, better to subdue them. If Ning Rongrong is alive, we can just kill Jun Tianlin and force her to marry you, binding the sect to you completely."
This suggestion fit Xue Beng's goals, but he immediately refused. "No need, Tang brother. Today, not one from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will survive. Go kill Jun Tianlin!"
Just mentioning Tianlin reminded Xue Beng of being threatened by him in the past.
"If that's so, leave it to me!" Tang San didn't argue. He, too, had a score to settle with Tianlin.
Though under control, their personalities hadn't changed—just like when Tianlin controlled Hu Liena with Mind Control; she was still herself, except for following his orders.
"Fifth Soul Skill, Blue Silver Netherkill!"
Tang San summoned the Dark Blue Silver Grass, launching a black, evil-tinged light beam at Tianlin.
Seeing this, Tianlin smiled. The last scene in his future vision with Tang San had been exactly this—meaning the backup he'd left on Tang San was about to activate.
"First Soul Skill, Freezing Snow!"
With his energy depleted, Tianlin could only use a century-old skill to fight Tang San.
But as a Titled Douluo-level fighter, even his first soul skill suppressed Tang San's black beam.
The rest of the sect seemed to be struggling, but after ten minutes, hundreds of Xue Beng's soldiers had died, while no sect members had fallen.
Even with soul masters' overwhelming power, weren't they supposed to be exhausted? Why were they still fighting so well?
"Something's wrong—did something happen to the soul-hunting operation?" The silent hooded man finally spoke.
As a Titled Douluo, he saw that except for Jun Tianlin, the others had plenty of soul power—they didn't look like battered survivors at all.
"Almost time. Fusion teams, go!" Ning Fengzhi waved, and twenty-eight figures leaped from hiding.
They split into four groups of seven, each with a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Tower soul master, five Soul Sages, and a Soul Douluo!
They took up positions in the four directions, surrounding Xue Beng's army.
Ning Fengzhi had led his people to fight and retreat to draw the enemy in and buy time for these twenty-eight—his true trump card against Xue Beng.