Qian Daoliu's Confidence, Yu Xiaogang

After Bibi Dong's figure disappeared, Ghost Charm outside the hall could not help flashing inside. He asked anxiously and in confusion, "Great Enshriner, hadn't you already agreed to their request just now... Why are you still sending the Saintess to such a deadly place?"

"Heh heh." Qian Daoliu's profound gaze seemed to pierce through Space as he looked toward the distant, mysterious City of Slaughter. "To ordinary Soul Masters, the City of Slaughter is naturally a place where death is almost certain."

"But to me..." A calm smile that seemed to hold everything under control curved across his lips. "It is nothing worth mentioning."

With a flip of his hand, a token forged entirely from strange metal appeared in his palm, radiating a sacred, warm aura.

The image of a Six-Winged Angel on the token was lifelike, flowing with a faint golden radiance.

Qian Daoliu flicked his finger, and the token turned into a streak of golden light that flew into Ghost Charm's hand.

"You two will take my token and meet the King of Slaughter." Qian Daoliu's voice suddenly turned cold. A terrifying pressure capable of freezing souls instantly enveloped the entire hall, making Ghost Charm and Yue Guan feel as though they had fallen into an ice pit, barely able to breathe. "Tell him that the one undergoing the trial is the current Saintess of Spirit Hall!"

"If she suffers the slightest mishap within the City of Slaughter..."

A chilling light surged in Qian Daoliu's golden eyes. Each word he spoke was like a divine judgment.

"I will personally descend upon the City of Slaughter, flatten your filthy nest, and leave not even chickens or dogs alive!"

Ghost Charm and Yue Guan were shaken to their cores. In an instant, they understood the Great Enshriner's true intent, their faces filled with both realization and reverence.

At this point, Qian Daoliu withdrew his terrifying pressure, and his voice returned to calm. "There is no need to tell the Saintess about this."

"She must believe that there is no longer any path of retreat behind her. Only by wielding her Sword and pressing forward can she fight her way to survival."

"Only in desperate circumstances can a person unleash potential beyond their limits."

"If she harbors any hope of luck and knows that she has a way out to rely on, weakness will instead take root in her heart, and she will be unable to truly undergo the tempering of blood and fire."

"Only with no retreat can one forge ahead without hesitation, surviving only after being driven to death's door." Qian Daoliu's words clashed like cold metal. "After you escort her safely out of the City of Slaughter, there is no need to return to Spirit Hall for now."

"Your foremost task is to find the Saint Child, Zhao Linchuan."

"Just as I said earlier. Find him and tell him, word for word, what happened in the hall today."

"Make it clear that I personally arranged a match between him and the Saintess, and approved their marriage."

"And promise him that when he returns, I can personally help him hunt a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast for a soul ring!"

"Yes, Great Enshriner!" Ghost Charm and Yue Guan bowed and accepted the order, their reverence for the Great Enshriner's deep foresight and thunderous methods growing even stronger.

"Go." Qian Daoliu's figure slowly faded from where he stood.

The two of them quickly departed as well.

The next moment, Qian Daoliu had appeared atop the highest peak of Spirit City, where the biting mountain wind billowed his golden robes.

He overlooked the magnificent holy city below, symbolizing the supreme authority of Spirit Hall, his gaze as profound as the starry sky.

"What Ghost Charm said... was true." He muttered softly, his voice audible only to the howling mountain wind. "Zhao Linchuan's talent seems to be... even more monstrous than the records left behind by the God Ancestor."

"If even someone like him cannot open the Divine Gate... then perhaps no one in this Mortal World can truly glimpse the Divine Realm."

"Besides, Dong'er possesses Twin Martial Souls and is blessed beyond compare."

"With a genius like Zhao Linchuan to aid her, it may not be an impossible dream for the two of them to attain God Positions in the future..."

Qian Daoliu's gaze became distant and deep, carrying a trace of barely perceptible worry. "The God Ancestor's aura... has been silent for far, far too long."

"And the Angel Temple's response as well..."

"The God Ancestor in the God Realm has likely encountered a predicament beyond imagination..."

He looked toward the heavens. "If Dong'er and Zhao Linchuan can truly ascend to the God Realm one day... given their talents and their ties to Spirit Hall, perhaps... they can become the God Ancestor's strongest support!"

This thought was like a stone cast into a deep pool, sending layer after layer of ripples through his heart.

He cast one final deep glance at Spirit City, bathed in golden holy light. His figure turned into a streak of light and, in an instant, returned to the quiet and sacred Angel Temple.

Within the hall, the massive Angel God Statue still radiated a gentle glow. Yet deep within that light, there seemed to be an imperceptible blood-red crack.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

Ghost Charm and Yue Guan had already escorted Bibi Dong onto the perilous path leading to the City of Slaughter. Afterward, they began searching aimlessly across the vast Douluo Continent for Zhao Linchuan's whereabouts, like looking for a needle in the sea.

Meanwhile, within the Pope's Palace of Spirit City, Qian Xunji was using Zhao Linchuan's disappearance to make trouble for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Ning Fengzhi sat in the resplendent hall. Facing the Pope's interrogation, his expression remained composed and his words flawless.

"Your Holiness the Pope is mistaken." Ning Fengzhi's voice was gentle, yet carried unquestionable resolve. "That day, Mr. Zhao visited our sect. Our discussion was most pleasant, and the agreement was willingly signed by both parties."

"When Mr. Zhao departed, he was in high spirits. As for where he went or what he encountered after leaving the territory of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Fengzhi truly knows nothing."

"If Your Holiness has solid evidence, why not present it?"

Qian Xunji's expression darkened. He possessed no conclusive evidence capable of directly pinning Zhao Linchuan's disappearance on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

In the end, he could only suppress his fury and symbolically crack down on several peripheral businesses of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. It was barely enough to preserve the Pope's dignity, and the matter was temporarily dropped.

The noon sunlight was somewhat dazzling. A travel-worn carriage finally arrived beneath the mountain gate of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect along a winding mountain road.

Inside the carriage, Yu Xiaogang lifted the curtain and looked at the familiar yet imposing mountain gate, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

After recuperating near the Litang Great Soul Arena for over a month, the injuries to his body had healed, but that unforgettable humiliation remained like a parasite clinging to his bones, gnawing at his pride day and night.

He drew a deep breath and prepared to get down.

However, just as one of his legs stepped out of the carriage, a figure brimming with thunderous rage rushed toward the carriage like the wind!

Smack!

A resounding slap, carrying fierce palm wind, struck Yu Xiaogang hard across the face!

The tremendous force sent his entire body staggering backward. He crashed heavily back into the carriage, his cheek instantly swelling red as searing pain shot straight to his head.

Yu Xiaogang clutched his face, seeing stars as he looked in shock and fury at the face outside the carriage—a face somewhat similar to his own, but now covered in frost. "Elder Brother! You... what are you doing?"

"Shut up!" Yu Lingfeng's voice was like a thunderclap, filled with fury and disappointment suppressed to the limit.

Without even looking at his disheveled younger brother inside the carriage, he took out a heavy money pouch and tossed it at the trembling Coachman beside him. "I'm buying this carriage."

"Take the money and leave immediately!"

"You saw nothing today!"