Chapter 174: Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu
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Spirit City!
Spirit City stood at the border between the two great empires, not far from the Star Dou Forest.
It didn't take long for Qian Renxue to return to Spirit City, leading Si Long, Ci Xue, Yue Guan, Gui Mei, and the others.
The angel had returned. More importantly, this angel had brought back Tang Hao's severed head—a shocking event that sent ripples throughout the city.
The moment she appeared, nearly half of the people Bibi Dong had spent years winning over immediately turned their allegiance to Qian Renxue.
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Inside the Pope's Hall!
Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue stood face to face. The atmosphere was suffocatingly tense.
Gripping her scepter tightly, Bibi Dong spoke coldly.
"Qian Renxue, have you forgotten Spirit Hall's grand ambition? Seizing the Heaven Dou Empire is a crucial step in our plan, yet you abandoned your mission before your cover was even blown! All the efforts made thus far—did you throw them away like worthless trash?"
Qian Renxue stood tall, unfazed by Bibi Dong's harsh gaze. Instead of backing down, she met her mother's words head-on.
"Of course, I haven't forgotten. I simply realized that to achieve Spirit Hall's grand ambition, absolute strength is far more crucial than long-term scheming."
"Without power, everything is nothing but fleeting illusions. Tang Hao was a ruthless and vicious man. Eighteen years ago, he killed my father. Now, he has slaughtered thousands of innocent soul masters from Spirit Hall. And what could you do about it?"
"But now, I have killed Tang Hao. His head will be offered as tribute to my father and the thousands of innocent souls he murdered. His corpse will be hung at the city gates for all to spit upon. His soul bones will become prized treasures in our vaults."
"As for the consequences of abandoning my mission, I will bear them alone. But don't worry—I have no interest in seizing your authority. I will return to the Worship Hall and enter seclusion, training until I attain the absolute power I seek."
Bibi Dong's chest rose and fell sharply. She had failed to eliminate Tang Hao in time, and now that Qian Renxue had done it, she found herself in a disadvantageous position.
However, Bibi Dong quickly let out a cold laugh.
"As far as I know, the only reason you were able to kill Tang Hao was because he had already been severely injured beforehand. The one who inflicted those wounds was Wang Li. Despite his young age, he has already reached the rank of an eight-ring Soul Douluo, breaking the record for the youngest Soul Douluo in history."
"Moreover, it was also Wang Li who cured Xue Ye of his poisoning and ruined our grand plan. Hmph… If I had known, I would have eliminated him earlier. If he hadn't been carrying your token, how could this tiger have grown strong enough to become a threat? Next, I will find a way to remove him."
Qian Renxue's expression shifted slightly but quickly returned to normal. She did not address Bibi Dong as "Mother" but instead used her official title.
"Your Holiness, you are free to try. But Wang Li is someone I have chosen, and the only one who will defeat him—will be me."
With that, Qian Renxue turned and left without the slightest hesitation, showing no lingering attachment to this place.
Bibi Dong watched her retreating figure, her expression complex. There was anger, resentment—but it quickly faded. Letting out a cold snort, she murmured,
"Useless girl. In the end, I'll have to handle things myself. Very well… the time for the Soul Hunting operation has come. We'll eliminate the obstacles in the soul master world and then swallow both empires in one fell swoop."
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As Qian Renxue stepped out of the Pope's Hall, she looked at every tree, every stone in Spirit Hall. Everything felt both familiar and foreign.
From the age of nine, she had lived in Heaven Dou City, navigating deception and intrigue. Now that she had returned to the place where she had once lived, a faint trace of wistfulness flickered across her breathtakingly beautiful face.
Before she knew it, she had arrived at the Worship Hall. The knight guards flanking the entrance became visibly excited upon seeing her, immediately bowing in respect.
"Young Mistress!"
Qian Renxue smiled faintly and gave a slight nod in acknowledgment before walking into the depths of the Worship Hall.
Underneath a towering angel statue, she finally found the person she had been looking for.
"Grandfather, I'm back!"
Qian Daoliu's Return
Qian Daoliu turned around, his long white robe flowing gracefully. His golden hair cascaded past his shoulders, and despite appearing only in his thirties or forties, his striking handsomeness was accompanied by a serene aura—an aura that made others instinctively feel the urge to bow in reverence.
However, the moment he saw Qian Renxue, that distant composure disappeared, replaced by the warmth and excitement of a grandfather reuniting with his beloved granddaughter.
"Xiaoxue, you're back. That's all that matters." His voice carried both relief and pride. "I already know everything you've done. You handled it well. Tang Hao dying at your hands—consider it retribution repaid in full."
Hearing this, Qian Renxue nodded. With her greatest enemy now dead, she felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. Now, only one thought remained in her heart—to grow stronger and obtain absolute power.
Standing before her grandfather, she made her intentions clear.
"Grandfather, I want to become stronger. Please help me. I've already wasted too much time in the past eighteen years. Even with my unparalleled talent, it feels as if I've let it go to waste."
"This time, when I killed Tang Hao, I gained an unexpected prize—I captured a hundred-thousand-year-old transformed soul beast. She is still only at the Soul King level, and her true form is a Soft Bone Rabbit."
"I want to use her as my eighth spirit ring. But right now, I am only at Rank 72—still far from the threshold of Rank 80."
Qian Daoliu had already heard the details. He nodded approvingly, a rare smile of satisfaction appearing on his face.
"This is excellent. Your talent surpasses not only your father's but even mine. If you hadn't been so stubborn about carrying out that undercover mission back then, I would have poured all my efforts into training you."
"But it's not too late. And now, with such an opportunity—capturing a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast in advance—it will more than make up for any lost time."
Qian Daoliu's sharp eyes gleamed with certainty. His granddaughter would undoubtedly surpass him—not just as the Angel God's representative in the mortal world, but as the true Angel God herself.
---
From that day onward, Qian Renxue officially returned to Spirit Hall. And with her return, she brought back Tang Hao's severed head.
Within Spirit Hall, this single act solidified her authority, establishing an overwhelming reputation. From top to bottom, she regained the loyalty of half the faction's members, bringing them back under her command.
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Meanwhile, Tang San had already left the Star Dou Forest and was rushing toward the location his father had once mentioned—the hidden base of the Clear Sky Sect.
Draped in a black cloak, he traveled by night and remained in hiding during the day, avoiding detection at all costs. Warrant notices for his capture were plastered everywhere, making it impossible for him to move openly.
Hatred burned in his heart.
That wretched Wang Li—he had stolen his spirit ring and injured his father. That damned Spirit Hall—they had destroyed his mother and now his father as well. If he did not avenge these wrongs, he would never be able to call himself a man.
With this vow in mind, Tang San finally arrived at his destination—a small village located over three hundred miles east of Heaven Dou City. On the surface, the village appeared ordinary, with no distinguishing features. However, this was merely a front—it served as an outpost for the Clear Sky Sect.
The true Clear Sky Sect lay beyond the village, hidden atop the towering mountain at its rear. The mountain's sheer cliffs reached into the clouds, nearly impossible to scale, with only a few iron chains connecting the peaks.
Yet, this very isolation was also the sect's greatest weakness. The Clear Sky Sect had become impoverished, relying almost entirely on Tang Yuehua's efforts to procure supplies from the outside world. If not for her, the sect's proud warriors would have been reduced to a primitive existence, surviving on whatever they could hunt and gather.
And now, at this critical moment—Tang San had arrived…
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With the Clear Sky Sect officially entering the fray, the protagonist would soon be free to detach himself from the affairs of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Xue Xing had saved Dugu Bo, and the protagonist had saved Xue Ye—most debts had already been repaid.
Moreover, the protagonist's goal was not simply to dominate the continent by ruling over it. He sought to reshape its structure, to push its development forward. But he had no interest in laying down a millennia-long grand strategy…
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(End of Chapter)