Storm Clouds Gather (Please Keep Reading)

Yu Xiaogang's book had been written by Su Cheng specifically for Bibi Dong to read.

Ten years earlier, before Su Cheng returned to Spirit City from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, he had gone to Notting City to meet Yu Xiaogang and struck a deal with him.

Su Cheng had first helped him force his way to rank 30 in a short time by stimulating a large number of meridians and acupoints to overdraw his life potential. Then, he helped him absorb a nearly three-thousand-year-old spirit ring from a pure-blooded dragon-descendant spirit beast.

With the aid of that spirit ring, the energy deficiency in his Mutated Spirit, Luo Sanpao, had been partially remedied. Though the improvement was slight, to Yu Xiaogang, it was nothing less than timely rain after a long drought.

Yu Xiaogang's Martial Soul problem was not simply a malignant mutation. Rather, his Martial Soul Bloodline had reverted to its ancestors, but insufficient energy had instead caused his Martial Soul to degenerate.

It was simply that no one else knew.

What Su Cheng had previously said—that Martial Soul Completion was not suitable for Yu Xiaogang—had not been a lie, because this was not a malignant mutation at all.

Moreover, Beast Martial Souls and Tool Martial Souls had always been vastly different.

Su Cheng had read Yu Xiaogang's Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul. Some of its conclusions were quite good, but much more of it remained superficial, and there were even quite a few errors.

The most typical example was the Martial Soul Mimicry Theory.

Yu Xiaogang had only seen the combat forms of Martial Souls, so he had naturally assumed that adding other attributes to them would be better.

In truth, he had never truly explored the potential of Martial Souls.

At the time, Su Cheng had given him a manuscript and told Yu Xiaogang to publish it under his own name three years later.

To Yu Xiaogang, this had been the very thing he wished for. He had nearly wanted to take Su Cheng as his master on the spot.

What followed was simple.

Bibi Dong might not believe Su Cheng's words, but she would certainly have absolute faith in Yu Xiaogang's theories. She even treated them as scripture, taking them out to read whenever she had free time.

Su Cheng knew that, for Bibi Dong, the greatest difficulty of the Rakshasa God Test lay in its mental torment. She had never realized that strengthening her Beast Martial Soul could increase her mental resistance.

Her understanding of Martial Souls was not particularly profound either. All the way to this point, she had relied entirely on her exceptional talent with Twin Martial Souls to forcibly pile up her cultivation.

So he might as well give her a hand, while also leaving behind a fatal hidden danger on her path to godhood.

Bibi Dong had to become a god. Su Cheng had planned that long ago.

Qian Renxue was not his puppet.

Su Cheng could indeed influence her.

But making her act entirely according to his will was nothing but a dream.

Only when the strength between the two was relatively balanced would Su Cheng have a chance to profit from the chaos.

Besides, if the Seven Great Elders of Douluo Hall did not die, how could it count as destroying Spirit Hall?

And among them, who besides Bibi Dong, Qian Renxue, and Qian Daoliu could kill the strongest—the rank 98 Golden Crocodile Douluo, the rank 97 Azure Luan Douluo, and the Mighty Lion Douluo?

Over the following period, Qian Renxue followed Qian Daoliu and worked hard to complete her divine test, launching her assault on godhood.

All of Spirit Hall prepared for the All-Continent Spirit Master Elite Tournament, while the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall Academy stood ready to depart.

Everything seemed calm and peaceful.

But that was not the truth.

Everyone among Spirit Hall's upper ranks could sense the undercurrents beneath the tranquil surface.

First, two elders from the Elder Hall with Titled Douluo-level cultivation disappeared one after another while carrying out missions.

The last time something like this had happened in Spirit Hall was more than ten years ago, when Qian Xunji had been wounded by Tang Hao of the Clear Sky Sect.

Bibi Dong was furious, yet for some reason, she did not pursue the matter with all her strength.

Su Cheng understood, however, that she was busy with her own Rakshasa God Test and had no time to spare.

But over the following year and a half, the Second Worship of Worship Hall, Golden Crocodile Douluo, the Fourth Worship, Mighty Lion Douluo, and the Third Worship, Azure Luan Douluo, disappeared one after another.

The weight those three carried was far beyond that of ordinary elders.

For a time, all of Spirit Hall was on edge.

Half a year later, Pope Bibi Dong announced that she was entering seclusion, throwing Spirit Hall from top to bottom into even greater panic.

Yet no one knew where the source of it all lay. They could only feel an invisible hand in the shadows guiding these changes.

"What is it, Mr. Su?"

Yue Guan looked at the serious-faced Su Cheng before him, somewhat puzzled.

"The matter I mentioned to you before has reached its time. As long as you and Ghost Elder agree, the matter of the immortal herbs will be written off from now on, and I will also offer up the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone with both hands."

At those words, Yue Guan's expression turned equally solemn.

That minor matter of cultivating together with Su Cheng before naturally did not amount to much.

Besides, Su Cheng had not needed his guidance at all. The two had merely gathered from time to time to study medicine.

Clearly, now was the time for him to truly fulfill his promise.

"Please speak, Mr. Su."

"I want you and Ghost Douluo to leave Spirit Hall for good."

Hearing this, Yue Guan's pupils contracted, his face filled with astonishment.

Yet he did not refuse at once.

After pondering for a moment, he could not help thinking of the series of changes that had recently occurred within Spirit Hall.

He was among those closest to the center of the storm, so he had long sensed that something was deeply wrong with Spirit Hall.

"Mr. Su," Yue Guan's brows gradually furrowed, "you mean...?"

"Don't ask too much, and don't overthink it. I only want to know whether you're willing." Su Cheng waved a hand, cutting him off.

"How about this? You and Ghost Elder should first go to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and find my adoptive father, Chen Xin. The Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone is with him now."

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? Sword Douluo Chen Xin?"

Yue Guan's body trembled slightly. For an instant, he seemed to have grasped onto a train of thought, yet he could not seize that flash of inspiration.

"That's right." Su Cheng raised a brow. "Chrysanthemum Elder, do you still remember what I once told you?"

"What?"

"People should always think more for themselves, even if only for the sake of your old partner."

"..." Yue Guan immediately fell silent. He was unwilling to continue following that line of thought any deeper.

Su Cheng continued, "If you are unwilling, that is fine as well. Go find my adoptive father first, then stay within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect for three years. Three years later, if you still wish to return to Spirit Hall, that will be up to you."

"..."

After a long silence, Yue Guan looked deeply at him and nodded. "I understand."

Spirit City, Douluo Hall.

At the center of the Great Hall, the enormous Angel Statue suddenly began to tremble without warning. Fine golden light appeared across its surface, radiating layer upon layer of intense golden patterns.

Boom—

The entire Angel Statue shattered in an instant, turning into countless golden motes that surged through the air. At the very center of the explosion, Qian Renxue hovered in midair, her body clad in golden armor and eight wings lightly beating behind her.

More accurately, she was Angel God Qian Renxue.

On the Angel Sword raised above her head, surging golden flames formed a pillar of golden light that shot into the sky, instantly breaking through the restraints of the hall's roof.

Enormous waves of energy erupted in succession, making even the sun pale in comparison.

These past two chapters have been a little calm, just laying the groundwork. The decisive battle is coming soon. Please keep reading lately, and please don't stockpile chapters. I won't pad the story. Thank you, Reader Lords!!