The Strong Prey on the Weak—If I Live, He Dies!

"No, it's very fair." Nan Li raised her eyes, her scarlet pupils like burning flames. "On Douluo Continent, strength speaks. The strong are honored. Whoever has the harder fist is in the right."

The Coral Immortal Fish Clan lacked strength and offensive capabilities, which was why other clans saw them as meat on the chopping block and why the coral reefs they inhabited became treasure troves for human Soul Masters seeking fortune.

"Only by becoming stronger can you have a voice, and only then can you have the right to refuse."

Heaven and earth were indifferent, treating all living things like sacrificial straw. Heaven and earth held no preference for mercy; they simply allowed nature to take its course.

Soul Beasts possessed long lifespans, yet they were not favored by the gods.

Humans had brief lives, yet possessed limitless potential. They dared to break through and were brave enough to explore.

Nan Li raised her hand, and flames red on the outside and white within burned in her palm. As her Soul Power cultivation improved, her Companion Flame increasingly transformed toward pure white. The scorching heat seeped through her palm, gradually calming her heart.

So what if there was no precedent? I'll become the precedent!

The strong preyed on the weak, was that it?

Then naturally, I would be strong and he would be weak. I would live, and he would die!

Qian Renxue stood atop the tallest building in Nuoding City, gazing at the setting sun on the horizon. For some reason, the sun gradually became as glaring as blood in her eyes.

Once again, she uncontrollably recalled her previous life.

Her previous life...

The failure of her previous life gave Qian Renxue nightmares night after night.

Again and again.

She heard her grandfather's instructions and Light Ling's carefree laughter beside her; she heard oaths of allegiance echoing through the Golden Palace and the impassioned cries of the empire's soldiers; angelic prayers lingered in her ears as the people awaited their triumphant return...

Clad in Angel God Armor, she gripped the sword in her hand.

The way of this world was my way. With one sword, I would settle all judgment; with one lifetime, heavenly light would dawn!

But day and night suddenly reversed, and the situation changed without warning.

She watched her years of planning collapse overnight, while her grandfather willingly sacrificed himself for the Angel God Trial.

Heavy storm clouds blanketed the skies above Jialing Pass, and the oppressive low pressure nearly left her unable to breathe. Boundless darkness swallowed the people of the Spirit Hall Empire. The empire's soldiers fought on with broken bodies until their final moments, while one Enshrined Elder grandfather after another gave his life for the empire...

Thick blood flowed and pooled across the ground. The blood-soaked earth was littered with severed limbs, while armor and corpses piled into mountains. She watched her mother die at Jialing Pass while protecting her...

Soldiers fell into pools of blood, while young children wept bitterly.

The silver-white armor could no longer bear the burden, and the people prayed for the angels' protection.

But the Angel God's divine position had shattered, and the angels' radiance could no longer drive away the darkness for the empire's people.

Their god could not return...

She saw Tang San standing in the air with the Trident in hand. The wind howled like vicious ghosts, and rolling waves came from the horizon. Beyond a thin line of white foam rose enormous, surging waves, as towering billows crashed straight toward Jialing Pass!

She stood before Jialing Pass, burning all her Soul Power in an attempt to stop them. But without divine power, her meager Soul Power was nothing more than a clown's trick before Tang San.

Like an ant trying to shake a tree.

The massive waves crashed down from the sky, swallowing her along with Jialing Pass.

Two gods perished, and the Spirit Hall Empire, along with the glory Spirit Hall had accumulated over countless centuries, was buried entirely at Jialing Pass.

Angels, glory, and empire all became relics of the past on Douluo Continent.

Darkness, silence, Destruction—the boundless tide swallowed her.

Suffocation, despair, sinking—she allowed herself to fall into the past.

Sanskrit chants, a divine hall, light—the Angel God called for her to rebuild their glory.

Was she truly willing to accept this...

No!

She couldn't!

Gripping the sword in her hand once more, she would make the Angel God's light shine upon every inch of Douluo Continent!

The future still belonged to Spirit Hall!

When the Dark Soul Guards found Ling Yuan, they discovered that the Titled Douluo was lying unconscious on the ground. After a brief moment of shock, the Dark Soul Guards' training allowed them to act swiftly.

After taking Elder Ling Yuan back to the inn, the Dark Soul Guards reported the situation to the Guard Captain.

At that moment, the Guard Captain felt as though his head had grown twice as large. His Highness was not here either—what was he supposed to do?

Xue Qinghe had not brought a healing-type Soul Master on this trip, because her destination had been Nuoding Academy from the very beginning, and a Titled Douluo had accompanied her.

Failure? It had never been within her considerations. She could not possibly fail.

Yet none of them had expected a Titled Douluo to be present in Nuoding City as well. Of course, Tang San's parents were not both dead. How could he possibly be alone?

Fortunately, Thornblood appeared in time and had Lyle treat Ling Yuan.

"Poem of Heliotrope—" Lyle plucked the strings, and her chant rang out once more. The notes on the instrument suddenly brightened. One butterfly after another turned into golden motes and merged into Ling Yuan's body, while Lyle's face visibly paled.

Just as Lyle felt her Soul Power was about to run dry, Ling Yuan finally opened her eyes.

Before Thornblood could ask anything, Ling Yuan's eyes widened in terror, and she cried out, "Hao... Haotian... it's Tang Hao!"

Ling Yuan had not heard what that man said. She had only seen a pitch-black giant hammer smashing down toward her head. With the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul and strength powerful enough to make even a Titled Douluo like her tremble, who else could it have been but Tang Hao?

"What? Tang Hao?!" Thornblood's expression changed drastically.

Since his battle with the previous pope, Tang Hao had vanished without a trace for nearly a decade. Despite Spirit Hall searching for him for years, they had found no sign of him. Many believed he was dead; after all, even the pope of Spirit Hall had succumbed to his injuries after that battle.

After all these years, not only was Tang Hao alive, but was he about to emerge once again?

He had to report this to the Great Enshrined Elder and His Holiness the Pope as soon as possible!

"This must be reported to His Highness immediately. By the way, where is His Highness?" Ling Yuan looked around, but did not see Qian Renxue.

At that moment, Qian Renxue was standing with a child.

"A'li, come to Heaven Dou City with me."

Qian Renxue had not removed her disguise as Xue Qinghe. When she woke from her memories, she saw the red sun at the horizon flying toward her. Once it drew closer, she realized it was not a sun at all, but a girl flying toward her.

Nan Li said nothing and offered no response. She stopped five meters in front of Xue Qinghe and quietly watched her.

Xue Qinghe said nothing either, silently returning her gaze. The more she observed, the more she realized that the little girl before her resembled that person from Blazing Fire Academy so greatly that it made her feel affection for Nan Li because of that connection.

The Soul Tool lit up, and a special Soul Power fluctuation filled the area. Nan Li tossed a bag toward her. "Catch."

Xue Qinghe looked at the Golden Coral Beads inside the bag, and a ripple finally disturbed her usually calm expression. These were Coral Beads evolved from Soul Beast Coral Worms—golden, top-grade Coral Beads!

What did this mean?

Xue Qinghe called out in confusion, "A'li?"

But no matter how Xue Qinghe called Nan Li's name, she never looked back. From beginning to end, Nan Li showed not the slightest expression. After tossing out the beads, she turned and left without hesitation.

Nan Li did not like owing favors. Before leaving, she had repaid the other party's gift. The next time they met, they might well meet with weapons drawn.

Qian Renxue, there was a blood feud between us. It was better to end things here.

For some reason, writing this part suddenly made me want to write a story from Spirit Hall's perspective. Covers face.

(So bold! This one has only just begun!) Furiously typing, furiously typing.