Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell, Qian Renxue Returns to Spirit Hall!

The immense shock crashed into Qian Renxue's mind like a tsunami, followed by an overwhelming ecstasy that had been suppressed for twenty years.

That shadow that had haunted the first half of her life like a nightmare, that woman who had treated her as a tool.

Had finally been dragged down from the position of Pope.

She forcibly swallowed the cry that nearly burst from her lips. Her body trembled slightly from the violent surge of emotion, and her fingertips dug deeply into her palms, leaving crescent-shaped white marks.

"Bibi Dong... so you have this day too."

A cold, exhilarated voice howled from the depths of her soul.

She quickly composed herself and released a thread of Soul Power from her fingertips.

The icy blue writing on the Paperweight Stone melted away in an instant like thin ice thrown into blazing fire, leaving not even a trace of vapor behind.

Only that cold stone faithfully recorded this secret order, one capable of changing the continent's balance of power.

Qian Renxue abruptly rose and walked to the window.

The night was deep, and the palace walls loomed like silent beasts.

The Heaven Dou Imperial Family, this chessboard she had spent years laying out, suddenly lost all color and meaning in her eyes.

It was no longer a stage upon which she could display her ambitions, but a vast, revolting prison.

Spirit City—the source of her bloodline and the center of power—was the only shore she now longed to reach.

A plan had already taken shape in her mind.

Tomorrow was the day she was scheduled to visit the royal hunting grounds for a hunt in her capacity as Crown Prince.

The terrain there was complicated, and Soul Beasts roamed freely. It was the perfect place for Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell.

The night passed swiftly.

The next day, at the royal hunting grounds of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, on the outskirts of Sunset Forest.

The royal procession's banners fluttered grandly, and the Imperial Guards stood in gleaming armor as they surrounded the Crown Prince's luxurious carriage.

A moderately sized royal hunt was underway.

Horns blared, hunting dogs barked, and young nobles galloped through the grounds. Arrows tore through the air as they chased frightened deer and low-level Soul Beasts.

Xue Qinghe wore hunting attire and rode a magnificent white horse at the center of the group.

His expression was calm. From time to time, he drew his gem-studded hunting bow, and every arrow struck true, earning a wave of fawning cheers from those around him.

To anyone watching, he was merely an imperial heir enjoying an ordinary hunt.

Only the two guards following closely behind Xue Qinghe, like two silent shadows.

Could sense the unusual excitement and resolve emanating from the Crown Prince.

Snake Lance Douluo She Long was tall and lean, his gaze as cold and sinister as a serpent's.

Porcupinefish Douluo Ci Xue was obese in build, yet his aura was as deeply restrained as an abyss.

Having served as guards at Qian Renxue's side, the two had likewise remained hidden for many years.

They exchanged a glance, and both saw the same understanding in each other's eyes.

As the hunt reached its climax, the group ventured deeper into the forest.

"Your Highness,"

Snake Lance Douluo She Long urged his horse half a step forward, his voice low.

"Scouts have reported traces of a rare Golden Eye Lightning Leopard deep within the forest ahead."

"It is incredibly fast and extremely difficult to capture. Such an exotic beast is worthy of Your Highness's noble status."

"Oh? A Golden Eye Lightning Leopard?"

Xue Qinghe raised an eyebrow, showing just the right degree of interest.

"This trip was not in vain after all. Come, follow me and take a look!"

His voice carried the sharpness and decisiveness unique to a young imperial heir.

"Your Highness, high-level Soul Beasts may be lurking in the depths of the forest. It would be unwise to take such a risk!"

A royal Soul Master commander responsible for security hurriedly tried to dissuade him.

Xue Qinghe laughed aloud, brimming with high spirits.

"With so many guards at my side, why should I fear a mere Soul Beast? Wait here, all of you. Do not scare off that leopard! Hyah!"

Before his words had even faded, he pressed his heels into the horse's flanks. The white horse shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, racing toward the dense forest She Long had indicated.

Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo followed closely behind. The three figures instantly vanished into the shadows of the thick woods, leaving the cries and warnings of the royal guards and young nobles behind.

The moment they entered the forest, the light abruptly dimmed.

"Now!"

Qian Renxue barked, her voice reverting to its naturally cool and urgent tone.

"Understood!"

She Long and Ci Xue answered in unison as their Soul Power erupted!

Snake Lance Douluo She Long's figure flickered, and he actually melded into the shadow of a massive ancient tree like a ghost.

The strange serpentine spear in his hand did not appear.

Yet an exceedingly subtle fluctuation of lightning Soul Power spread from him like an invisible spiderweb, instantly covering an area of several hundred meters.

Crackle!

A nearly inaudible arc of electricity flashed through the air and vanished.

Within this area, the transmission of all sound was strangely distorted and blocked.

The distant shouts and hoofbeats of the royal guards became vague and indistinct, as though enclosed beneath a soundproof cover.

At the same time, a numbing sensation that induced drowsiness quietly spread through the area.

Almost at the very instant She Long made his move, Porcupinefish Douluo Ci Xue's bloated body abruptly swelled by another size.

He opened his mouth without making a sound.

A colorless, odorless poisonous mist surged from his mouth like a living thing, carrying a powerful hallucinogenic effect and the ability to corrode Soul Power perception.

The poisonous mist rapidly spread, perfectly merging with She Long's Yin Thunder Stealth Domain.

Wherever the mist passed, plants swiftly withered and blackened.

The light was distorted and refracted, forming a bizarre zone of blurred vision.

Any attempt to probe this place with spiritual power would be like crashing into an invisible wall.

"Your Highness, go!"

Ci Xue growled.

A cold glint flashed through Qian Renxue's eyes, and not a shred of Crown Prince Xue Qinghe's gentleness remained.

The luxurious Crown Prince's hunting attire on her body was instantly shattered by a powerful burst of Soul Power.

Before the fragments could fall to the ground, the golden flames flicked from her fingertips had already reduced them to nothingness.

Beneath the hunting attire was a fitted black traveling outfit that outlined her delicate yet powerful curves.

She brushed her hands over her face, and Xue Qinghe's appearance instantly vanished.

Revealing the true face she had concealed for years—peerlessly beautiful, yet cold and frosty.

Her long golden hair cascaded from its bindings like a waterfall, reflecting a dazzling sheen through the dim forest.

At that moment, Heaven Dou's Crown Prince Xue Qinghe completely disappeared.

The one standing there was Spirit Hall's young mistress, heir to the Angel bloodline—Qian Renxue!

Without the slightest hesitation, she pushed off the ground. Her figure transformed into a pale golden streak, shooting toward Spirit City like an arrow that had broken free of every restraint.

She was so fast that only a faint afterimage remained where she had stood.

Snake Lance Douluo She Long emerged from the shadows.

He glanced in the direction Qian Renxue had vanished, and a trace of relief flashed through his eyes.

He lightly pointed his Snake Lance, sending several tiny purple lightning serpents toward the place where Qian Renxue had just stood, thoroughly disrupting the lingering traces of her aura.

"It is our turn to clean up."

Porcupinefish Douluo Ci Xue said in a muffled voice.

He took a deep breath. His already swollen body expanded again, and strange purple-black venom glands emerged across the surface of his skin.

The next second, surging Soul Power burst forth. Porcupinefish Douluo slammed his fist into the ground!