I Will Never Hate You

Behind Spirit City, Su Cheng and Bibi Dong gazed at the distant valley.

In that depression surrounded by hills, all sorts of exotic flowers and plants vie for attention and dance in the wind.

The rushing stream flows through the valley, and along the banks, giant Blue Silver Grass Soul Beast that grow into vines sway gently, their dappled light reflected on the water's surface.

A graceful figure in blue and gold moves back and forth, her movements elegant and fluid, blending seamlessly into the entire painting.

That valley was the flower garden that Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan cherished most.

"A Yin is very dedicated."

"For her, this is indeed a good way to cultivate."

"Hehe." Bibi Dong chuckled lightly, her meaning ambiguous, without offering any rebuttal.

His gaze shifted to the two people standing side by side outside the flowerbed.

To be precise, it was that handsome man dressed in white with a slightly effeminate appearance.

"Are you really going to give Chrysanthemum Elder that Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum?"

"Um."

"Why? You don't have much of a relationship with him, do you?"

"I want to conduct an experiment to see the specific effects of the Immortal Herb on different Soul Master. In any case, with Chrysanthemum Elder's talent, he didn't have much of a chance to cultivate Innate Power anyway."

"What do you mean?" Bibi Dong was taken aback upon hearing this.

"The medicinal power of the Immortal Herb is indeed strong, but its medicinal properties are too strong for the human body to absorb perfectly. There will inevitably be a lot of residual medicinal power settling in, which can be considered as impurities. However, if Chrysanthemum Douluo absorbs the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, given the compatibility between his Martial Soul and this Immortal Herb, it might actually help him."

At this point, Su Cheng glanced at Bibi Dong beside him and said, "You're lucky you didn't eat Immortal Herb, otherwise the resistance to fusing with Innate Power would be even greater."

"..." Upon hearing this, Bibi Dong showed no joy on her face and calmly asked, "What about Xiao Xue? She should have already consumed the Immortal Herb, right?"

"Her situation is special, even exceeding my expectations. In terms of talent in Martial Soul, she surpasses you. Moreover, given her current state, it doesn't really matter whether it's Immortal Herb or Soul Ring and Soul Bone, as long as they don't exceed the God-level."

If the original Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, and even the higher-level Angel God Power, was characterized by purification and manifested in a relatively gentle manner, then according to Qian Renxue's description yesterday and Su Cheng's own observations, the powerful energy she has now fused with is fundamentally capable of repelling and annihilating all external forces.

It was an extremely powerful energy fluctuation, like a blazing sun. Anyone whose level was slightly below that would be completely wiped out by it, making it exceptionally domineering.

Let alone ordinary exotic energies, even a special form of spiritual magnetic field like Soul Power will inevitably be evaporated and destroyed if it gets too close.

In comparison, even with Bibi Dong's unique talent of having Twin Martial Souls Martial Souls, she is still far behind.

After all, for Soul Master, the improvement brought by Twin Martial Souls is only the reserve of Soul Power. The help in terms of quality is limited. At most, it can absorb more high-age Soul Ring. It is still inferior to those God-level Martial Soul, let alone Qian Renxue now.

Neither her Death Spider Emperor nor her Soul Devouring Spider Emperor are nearly as good.

Of course, Bibi Dong also has her own advantages now, namely her powerful spiritual foundation.

Even Su Cheng is not as good as him in this respect.

"Speaking of Xiao Xue, what did you say to her yesterday? Why did she suddenly decide to go into seclusion to cultivate? This is not like her. Before, whenever you were in Spirit City, she rarely focused on cultivation."

"..."

Su Cheng fell silent upon hearing this, his mind replaying his conversation with them from the previous day...

"By the way, teacher, didn't you also have something to tell me? What is it?"

"Actually, it's nothing too important. Besides your progress in cultivation, I also wanted to ask you what you think of the Spirit Hall's current actions."

Judging from Qian Renxue's previous attitude, there were some things he couldn't say directly, so he changed the subject.

Fortunately, Su Cheng was prepared for this and was able to conduct the probe step by step.

"It doesn't matter," Qian Renxue replied casually, not thinking too much about it, as she walked over, poured herself a glass of water.

"I originally valued the Spirit Hall very much. After all, this place was the foundation that my fathers built step by step through hardship. Now that I have inherited the legacy of my ancestors and have the ability and talent, I naturally have the responsibility to carry it forward."

"However, in recent years, those thoughts have gradually faded. Even if the Spirit Hall really unifies the continent, so what? In the end, it won't change anything. As long as there are people, there will be struggle. Since ancient times, it's been perfectly normal for forces to separate and unite."

"We can't stay in this Spirit City forever, and I don't have any desire for power myself. Being able to stay with you forever is the most important thing."

"If the Spirit Hall becomes too powerful after we leave, without any external enemies, it might decline from its peak and split from within. In comparison, maintaining the status quo might be better."

As she spoke, she handed over the water she had poured, smiled slightly at Su Cheng, her eyes full of tenderness.

"Of course, if this is your wish, teacher, I will not stand idly by no means."

Su Cheng reached out and took the water glass, remaining silent for a moment.

"Should we remove Bibi Dong from power? I feel that letting that madwoman continue to be the Pope would be a real hindrance."

Just then, a sharp voice came from the window.

She had been silent from the beginning, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, looking at the black-clad figure outside the window, when she suddenly turned around and looked over.

"Ahem, don't speak so harshly. His Holiness the Pope is still thinking very rationally." Su Cheng's eyes twitched slightly, his voice tinged with helplessness.

"Tch." The woman scoffed lightly and didn't say anything more.

She had only mentioned it casually; whether she did it or not was of little concern to her.

So he turned his gaze to the window.

Although it is not currently the dominant entity, it manifests in a form similar to an "avatar".

But this free and independent way of being touched her heart.

This is a completely different feeling from the previous manifestation of the "Spirit Body" and the sharing of two souls in one body.

Unfortunately, it was springtime, with bright sunshine and a gentle breeze, a scene full of vitality, but not her favorite season.

In contrast, the bleak and chilly autumn weather suited her taste better.

"And what about you yourselves? Do you have any ideas, things you want to do, or goals you want to achieve?"

"Yes, I want to walk this path with you forever."

"What about the others?"

"It's gone."

The tone was very matter-of-fact.

Seeing that Su Cheng seemed a little stunned, Qian Renxue smiled lightly.

His reflection seemed to fill those golden phoenix eyes.

"I had no childhood."

She said this with an unusually calm expression.

There was neither sadness nor regret; the calm and serene demeanor was like the Bright Moon reflected in the river, without causing a ripple.

She no longer cares about the past.

The emptiness in his heart was filled in another life.

"When I was a child, my grandfather was in seclusion for most of the year and rarely appeared in Spirit City."

"My father did give me a lot of guidance, but the way he looked at me was strange, always with an unusual fervor. It wasn't like he was looking at his own daughter, but more like an artist admiring his meticulously crafted masterpiece."

"Later, as I grew older, I awakened a powerful Martial Soul that was unprecedented in history. Everyone told me that I was destined to become someone who looked down upon this world."

"As for what I think, that's not important."

"Later, I went undercover in the Heaven Dou Empire. At that time, I probably still had some illusions and wanted to gain the approval and praise of my relatives."

But I was wrong.

"For someone destined to become a god, success is a given, so who would be surprised by it?"

"Moreover, gods do not need those redundant human emotions."

She didn't mention Bibi Dong, presumably because she felt there was no need to elaborate on that "mother".

"You know what happened next."

At this point, Qian Renxue chuckled softly.

"Responsibility, mission—they're all just illusions. I will no longer be bound by those trivial matters. What does it matter to me whether the Spirit Hall is in power, the people of the world are in danger, or the world is in chaos?"

"But the kind of artistic conception you grasped..." Su Cheng was somewhat surprised.

That divine will, so high above the clouds, overlooking all living beings, can only be comprehended and manifested by those who do not have a broad vision and a heart that embraces the world.

Su Cheng admitted that even he could only imitate that kind of willpower at most, and could never grasp its essence.

"That was just an understanding from the past; now it's merely a means to enhance my strength. But thanks to that, I haven't been corrupted by that empty and lofty truth. Because those things are not important to me."

Qian Renxue's smile widened slightly as she looked at the slender figure gazing out the window. "That's what she thinks too."

"Go away, what does that have to do with me? Don't drag me into this. I'm not as useless as you." The other Qian Renxue rolled her eyes and lazily retorted.

Su Cheng glanced at her, then pondered for a moment and said, "Since we're talking about this, Xiao Xue, do you still remember the dream we first met?"

"Of course, I could never forget those memories, even if I died." Qian Renxue took a deep breath.

"After the false dream shattered, I realized how ridiculous my real life was. No," she shook her head again, "Maybe that was the truth, because I found my 'true self' in it."

She instinctively turned her head and looked at the person who was her twin.

Just then, the other person also turned their gaze towards them, and their eyes met in mid-air.

Especially the latter.

The true formation of her second personality, or even her second soul, originated from that dream.

"... Do you still hold a grudge against me?" Su Cheng sighed softly.

"Teacher, no matter what happens, I will never hate you. Not in the past, and never in the future. Never."

Regular updates will resume today, and there will be another chapter later. Things should be relatively smooth before the Lunar New Year, so I'll try to update more frequently.