The deepest Mo Lan of the sky had just faded, leaving only a thin layer of pale white on the horizon, and the eaves of the Angel Temple still held the dampness of the night.
The curtains Saintess Hall were drawn very low, making it difficult for the morning light to penetrate.
Su Zui slept soundly. After traveling for a whole month without rest at the bottom of the lake, his tense mind Divine Soul finally relaxed, and his breathing became even and slow.
A cool hand gently touched his cheek, again and again.
"Su Zui, wake up."
Qian Renxue's voice was very soft, but her barely concealed joy was impossible to hide.
She woke up early, opening her eyes as soon as it was getting light, her mind filled with thoughts of the martial arts competition that would take place later.
From childhood to adulthood, her grandfather Qian Daoliu, was the yardstick by which she measured the strength of others.
Her father Qian Xunji early, and in her childhood, all the angles she looked up to were towards Qian Daoliu.
She wanted to try it herself and see how far she was from that towering mountain that had stood for countless years and represented the pinnacle of combat power on the continent.
Su Zui's eyelashes trembled, and she slowly lifted her eyelids, her vision still veiled by a layer of sleepiness.
Seeing that Su Zui was still dazed, Qian Renxue mercilessly stepped on Su Zui's lower abdomen with her little foot.
The Bingbing- cold sensation immediately sobered Su Zui up.
"So early?" His voice was hoarse. "It's still a long way from the agreed time."
"I can't wait."
Qian Renxue simply lifted the thin blanket off him, grabbed his wrist with her fingertips and pulled it up, her eyes shining like the rising sun.
"Come on, let's find Grandpa. Let's finish this quickly, and then I'll take you to get some spicy soup."
Su Zui was pulled so hard he stumbled. Before he could say anything, he could only get up with the force and grab his coat to drape over his shoulder.
Qian Renxue didn't linger at all, pulling him through the outer corridor of the palace. Her skirt swept across the bluestone floor, leaving a faint, delicate fragrance, like Angel petals.
Behind the Angel Temple was Qian Daoliu's quiet courtyard. When the Angel guards on duty saw the saintess, they quickly bowed and saluted. Before they could even ask a question, Qian Renxue had already dragged Su Zui straight inside.
The bedroom door was ajar.
This Great Enshrined was always very disciplined, but last night he kept thinking about the strange aura that the two children had brought back from the Star Dou, and it took him a long time to fall asleep. He was still lying on his bed at the moment.
Qian Renxue raised her hand and knocked lightly twice on the door. Before anyone could answer, she pushed the door open and entered.
Grandpa! Wake up!
Qian Daoliu on the tatami mat, suddenly opened his eyes, his consciousness still hazy.
His long, gray hair was scattered on the pillow, and he was only wearing a plain nightgown. He stared blankly at Qian Renxue, who had rushed in, and then looked at Su Zui behind him, who looked helpless. His mind was not quite clear for a moment.
"Xiao Xue? It's barely dawn..."
"Wake up! We agreed to spar at the training ground today, let's go early."
Qian Renxue quickly walked to the bedside, reached out and supported his arm, her touch neither too light nor too heavy, "Get up, get up."
Su Zui stood to the side, gave a wry smile, and stepped forward to lend a hand.
Qian Daoliu wasn't fully awake when the two women helped him up, one on each side. He hurriedly grabbed a white robe and draped it over himself, the sash tied crookedly. He tried to stop them, but Qian Renxue moved quickly, pushing him outside without giving him any room to refuse.
"Hey, slow down! You're shaking my old bones so much they're going to fall apart!"
Qian Daoliu was both amused and exasperated. As he was being helped forward, he muttered to himself, "What kind of logic is it to come and pull back an old person's blankets so early in the morning?"
"The sooner we finish, the more at ease we'll be," Qian Renxue said with a sly smile.
The three of them, half-supported and half-carried, walked towards the Angel Training Grounds.
A newly arrived maidservant on the outskirts of the training ground witnessed this scene from afar.
She had only ever admired the Great Enshrined from afar and did not recognize Su Zui and Qian Renxue. When she saw two young figures carrying an old man in white robes walking quickly, she was instantly frightened and her whole body stiffened. The copper basin filled with water in her hand crashed to the bluestone ground, splashing water everywhere.
"Help! Someone has kidnapped the Great Enshrined!"
The shout pierced the tranquility of the early morning.
The message spread along the palace corridors and quickly reached the Pope Hall.
The light Pope Hall was dim, with cold sunlight slanting through the high windows and falling on Bibi Dong sat regally on the Pope throne. Her fingertips caressed the purple gem at the top of her scepter as she quietly reviewed the documents sent from various places.
A maid rushed into the hall, her face pale and her voice trembling uncontrollably. "Your His Holiness the Pope! Something terrible has happened! News has come that two strongmen have broken into the Angel Temple, taken the Great Enshrined hostage, and are heading towards the training grounds!"
"Hijack?"
Bibi Dong abruptly stopped fiddling with the gemstone, her eyebrows slightly raised, and a hint of surprise flashed in her purplish-black pupils.
Absurd, almost like a fantasy.
She knew Qian Daoliu's significance. He was Level 99 Quasi-God had lived for nearly two hundred years, wielding the original divine Divine Power of Angel Origin, and had taken a half-step into the realm of gods.
Even she, Level 98 Titled Douluo with Twin Martial Souls, wouldn't gain the slightest advantage in a direct confrontation. Among mortals, who has the ability to kidnap this Angel Great Enshrined? Only a true Deity could possibly imprison him.
A thought quickly crossed my mind, and the answer naturally came to mind.
She repeatedly rubbed the cool facets of the gemstone with her fingertips, the gem's surface reflecting a fleeting sting in her eyes. Her voice was low, as if she were talking to herself:
"On this continent, who dares to touch Qian Daoliu? Besides those two, there will be no one else."
As soon as he finished speaking, the fingers gripping the scepter slowly tightened, and his knuckles turned bluish-white.
A faint sense of melancholy spread through my heart, like water plants slowly spreading underwater.
She had already received the news that Su Zui and Qian Renxue had returned from the Star Dou Great Forest. Last night, she secretly held onto a sliver of hope that Su Zui might come to the Pope Hall to see her first. In this vast and cold Pope Hall, the only person she could let her guard down and confide in was Su Zui.
But the first thing these two children did upon returning was to pester Qian Daoliu before dawn, eager to spar and exchange blows.
The light around her seemed to dim, casting a shadow over her heavy, dark purple Pope robe. The wind that swept in from outside the palace doors bypassed her, not even causing a ripple in the hem of her robe.
Bibi Dong slowly rose to her feet, the gilded patterns on her robe shimmering with a cold light as she moved.
She carried the scepter and slowly walked out of the Pope Hall.
As they walked towards the martial arts arena, they encountered Titled Douluo heading there as well.
Golden Crocodile Douluo stood with his hands behind his back, his heavy dark gold armor creaking softly with each step, his aged face showing a hint of amusement. Light Feather Douluo strolled leisurely to the side, his silver hair fluttering in the wind, his fingertips twirling an ice feather.
Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo was chatting with Guang Ling when he spotted Bibi Dong walking towards them. The two exchanged a glance and quickly stepped forward, respectfully following behind her.
Bibi Dong didn't look at the two of them, but instead quickened her pace, still feeling wronged that Su Zui hadn't come to see her right away.
It seems I'll have to teach Su Zui a lesson in the future.