In the Worship Hall, the five Consecrated, led by Qian Daoliu, lay prostrate on the floor. The moment Qian Daoliu received the Divine Decree, disbelief filled his face.
Since when did I have a granddaughter? he wondered.
Even when holy radiance filled Angel Space and Qian Renxue slowly emerged from the light, Qian Daoliu still could not believe his eyes.
Back in the familiar Spirit Hall Sacred Hall, Qian Renxue looked at the five grandfathers she knew so well. Memories spanning twenty thousand years seemed to overlap with the present. Emotions surged within her, and tears slid down her cheeks. At last, she went to Qian Daoliu and held him tight. Everything she wanted to say became a single word: "Grandpa."
Qian Daoliu was full of questions, but the Angel God had said she was his granddaughter, and he could feel a faint stirring of shared blood between them. She was his granddaughter. Sensing her hurt and longing, he held his descendant tightly.
A long while passed before grandfather and granddaughter parted.
"I know you have many questions, Grandpa. Please let me explain them one by one." Qian Renxue wiped the tears from her face.
A moment later...
"Xue'er, you're saying you're Ji'er and Bibi Dong's daughter? That you became the Angel God, and Bibi Dong became the Rakshasa God, but you still lost in the end? Bibi Dong died by Tang San's Shura God Sword, your Divine Core shattered and you fell from your Divine Throne, and Spirit Hall was destroyed?" Qian Daoliu asked in shock.
Qian Renxue said nothing more. She only nodded.
The five Consecrated in the Worship Hall took a long time to absorb the news.
Golden Crocodile Douluo, who had been at Level 98 for years, said, "Hmph. Brother, if that's true, we should wipe out the Clear Sky Sect, root and branch. Kill Tang Hao, and Tang San won't be a problem, will he?"
Lion Guardian said, "Don't forget that hundred-thousand-year-old Blue Silver Emperor. Kill her too, take her Soul Ring and Soul Bone, and crush the threat to Spirit Hall before it grows."
"Well..." Qian Daoliu still had reservations.
Qingluan Guardian said, "Brother, you're not still worried about Tang Chen, are you? Remember when he came to Spirit Hall all those years ago? An unknown God chose him to serve in a Divine Trial, putting Becoming a God forever beyond his reach. What is there to fear?"
Light Feather Guardian said, "Exactly, Brother. My Light Feather Divine Bow has been itching to take the fight to the Clear Sky Sect."
"No." Qian Renxue shook her head. "The Shura God stands behind the Clear Sky Sect. That shameless Shura God has secretly supported them since Tang Chen's time. If we move against them now, the Shura God in the Divine Realm may not stand by."
"Can Gods interfere in the Lower Realm whenever they please?" Qian Daoliu frowned. Through his frequent contact with the Angel God, he knew something of the Divine Realm's rules: Gods could not lightly interfere in the Lower Realm.
Qian Renxue said with contempt, "The Shura God is one of the Divine Realm's six Divine Kings and controls its governing core. He makes the rules. If a rule suits him, he uses it; if not, he casts it aside. He has interfered in the Lower Realm plenty of times. The Great Sumeru Hammer, for example, is a divine technique he taught Tang Chen based on the Clear Sky Hammer's properties."
"But... didn't Tang Chen devise the Great Sumeru Hammer himself?" Qian Daoliu's face twitched.
"Exactly," Qian Renxue said. "Because Tang Chen supposedly figured it out himself, no one would object. But how did he figure it out?"
"Wait, Xue'er. You're saying the Great Sumeru Hammer is a divine technique?"
"Grandpa, Tang Chen beat you by a single move with the Great Sumeru Hammer. Later, when my father was a Level 95 Angel Douluo, Tang Hao had only just attained his title, yet he used the Great Sumeru Hammer to gravely injure him. Then Tang Hao, at Level 97, fought Grandpa Golden Crocodile at Level 98 with that same overwhelming technique. And Tang San used Ring Explosion to unleash the Great Sumeru Hammer while he was still mortal, allowing him to fight me after I had become a God. I held back then, but doesn't that still show how extraordinary the technique is?" Qian Renxue said.
Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile exchanged looks. After a long silence, Light Feather Douluo spoke to Qian Daoliu. "Brother, you were tricked."
Qian Daoliu froze, then understanding dawned. "Tang Chen," he said furiously, "you set me up."
"What happened?" Mighty Lion Douluo had not caught on.
"Third Brother, remember the final duel Tang Chen arranged with our eldest brother before he left to seek a path to Becoming a God? They agreed not to use Soul Skills and fought for three days and three nights. In the end, Tang Chen narrowly won with the Great Sumeru Hammer. Afterward, they agreed that no Spirit Hall Pope after Qian Daoliu would set foot in the Clear Sky Sect's Ancestral Land," Qingluan Guardian said.
"Well, well." Qian Daoliu laughed in fury. "You made me fight without divine techniques while using one yourself. Tang Chen, that was quite a trick. In that case, I declare our agreement void."
But even with the agreement void, the Consecrated knew they could not simply attack the Clear Sky Sect while the Shura God stood behind it. They were back where they had started.
"If the Shura God of the Divine Realm stands behind the Clear Sky Sect, what are we supposed to do?" Lion asked bitterly. "Sit here and wait to die?"
"Don't be afraid, Grandpas. In my past, Spirit Hall didn't know who its enemies were. Behind us, the Angel Divine Ancestor fell to the shameless Sea God's schemes, while the Shura God plotted against us without a shred of shame. But this time is different. We have the Divine Ancestor behind us, as well as a Divine King no weaker than the Divine Realm's Five God Kings. His grudge against Tang San is every bit as deep as Spirit Hall's. This time, we have a chance against Tang San and his allies," Qian Renxue said confidently.
Qian Renxue then explained the balance of power in the Divine Realm to the Consecrated. Only then did they feel reassured.
"Grandpas, I told you this because I trust you. We must keep it to ourselves. Please don't let any of it get out," Qian Renxue warned them repeatedly.
The Consecrated were not loose-lipped. Each promised to keep the secret.
Qian Daoliu asked, "What about Ji'er? He is your father, after all. Should I tell him?"
"No, absolutely not." Qian Renxue stopped him at once. "Don't tell him anything about me. There are things I want to find out for myself. I want to see what Father and Mother are like in this era."
"All right," Qian Daoliu said.
Before you continue