Ling Yuan

"Guards!"

Qian Daoliu looked toward the door and spoke calmly. His voice was quiet, but bolstered by Soul Power, it carried straight to the guards outside.

The palace guards were tasked with protecting the Worship Hall. Every one of them came from the Angel Legion.

Even the lowest-ranking guard was a Soul King, and they were commanded by a Soul Douluo.

They were loyal only to the Angel Clan. They worshipped the Angel God and were devoted to the Angel Clan.

Hearing Qian Daoliu's voice, the squad leader pushed open the doors to the Worship Hall and entered at a measured pace. He bowed to Qian Daoliu.

"Greetings, Grand Pontiff!"

Qian Daoliu gave the man a slight nod and said calmly, "Have Elder Ling Yuan come see me."

The squad leader respectfully bowed, then turned and left for the Elder Hall.

Qian Daoliu waved his hand, and the doors to the Worship Hall slowly closed.

"Xue'er, you have your own ideas, but Grandpa has to be cautious."

"Qin Tian is certainly a talent. He has twin Martial Souls and Innate Full Soul Power. But we have a cautionary tale right before us. Grandpa can't leave himself without a backup plan."

Before long, Ling Yuan arrived.

Qian Daoliu regarded Ling Yuan Douluo with a calm expression.

"Ling Yuan, I summoned you here to entrust you with a mission."

Hearing Qian Daoliu's words, Ling Yuan Douluo immediately bowed to him.

"Grand Pontiff, I will do everything in my power to complete the mission and not disappoint you."

Qian Daoliu looked at Ling Yuan Douluo, a note of approval in his eyes.

"Ling Yuan, you have one task: protect Qin Tian in secret, and observe his attitude toward Spirit Hall. Don't intervene unless his life is in danger."

"When you reach the Heaven Dou Empire, contact Snake Lance."

Ling Yuan Douluo felt puzzled by Qian Daoliu's words, but her expression didn't change.

"Yes, Grand Pontiff!"

She didn't know who Qin Tian was, but the fact that a Titled Douluo like her had been assigned to protect him in secret showed that there was something extraordinary about him.

Ling Yuan Douluo didn't hesitate. She bowed to Qian Daoliu once more, then left the Worship Hall.

Outside, Ling Yuan Douluo summoned her Martial Soul, the Blazing Spirit Kite. She stepped onto its back and headed for the Heaven Dou Empire.

At Pope Hall,

Bibi Dong listened to the report, her brows furrowing slightly. She glanced toward the Worship Hall, perplexed and confused.

"All six of the offerings have gone out. Could that old geezer Qian Daoliu be planning to strike at some faction?"

"No, that can't be it. If he were going after a faction, surely he'd have mobilized the army."

"The Angel Legion hasn't stirred, and neither have the families behind the Worship Hall. So what's going on?"

Chrysanthemum Douluo listened to the guard's report. After the guard left, he looked up at Bibi Dong on her throne and spoke in a low voice.

"Your Holiness, the Grand Pontiff summoned Ling Yuan just now. She has already left Spirit City."

Hearing Chrysanthemum Douluo's words, Pope Bibi Dong furrowed her brows.

"Ling Yuan? What did that old geezer Qian Daoliu want with her?"

Below, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei exchanged glances but said nothing.

Silence settled over the hall. After a long while, Bibi Dong looked at the two of them and asked in a low voice,

"Yue Guan, Gui Mei, has any news come back?"

Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei exchanged glances, their eyes filled with helplessness.

"Your Holiness, there's been no news yet. The Star Dou Great Forest is the Soul Beasts' territory, and it's teeming with them. Our people can barely move through the place. Finding any trace of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast is extremely difficult."

At this, Bibi Dong's brows drew together, and her expression darkened.

"You useless lot! Two Soul Douluo leading the team, five Soul Saints, and fifteen Soul Emperors—and after three months, you still haven't found a trace of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast? You're a bunch of good-for-nothings."

"Hmph!"

Yue Guan and Gui Mei lowered their heads in silence, not saying a word.

They both understood Bibi Dong's temperament. As her strength grew, the aura she gave off filled them with unease.

After venting, Bibi Dong looked at them and waved her hand with a hint of resignation.

"Enough. You two may leave."

Yue Guan and Gui Mei bowed respectfully to Bibi Dong, then left Pope Hall.

Time passed, and before they knew it, five days had gone by.

The six offerings had returned to the Worship Hall.

"Big Brother, the trip went quite smoothly. We brought back one piece of nine-ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber, two pieces of seven-ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber, and eight pieces of five-ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber."

They kept the Whale Rubber that was less than five thousand years old to themselves.

Qian Daoliu listened to Golden Crocodile Douluo and looked at the Whale Rubber floating before him. With a wave of his hand, he stored it in his Storage Soul Tool.

"Third Elder, make the trip and give this to Xue'er. See Qin Tian while you're there, too."

Hearing this, Third Offering Azure Luan Douluo took the Storage Soul Tool and nodded solemnly.

"Big Brother, I haven't seen Xue'er in a long time, either. I'll take the chance to visit her."

Qian Daoliu gave a slight nod and watched Azure Luan Douluo leave, then closed his eyes.

Golden Crocodile Douluo and the others rose and headed out of the Worship Hall.

They were going to give the Whale Rubber they had just collected to the younger members of their families. They had slaughtered countless Soul Beast whales on the trip. If the experts from Sea God Island hadn't appeared at the end, they wouldn't have returned so soon.

Heaven Dou Imperial City,

The night was dark as ink, and the stars glittered.

After Third Offering Azure Luan Douluo arrived at the Crown Prince Palace, he sensed Qian Renxue's location.

Azure Luan Douluo was a level ninety-seven Peak Douluo of the Power Attack System. With his strength, how could the guards in the Crown Prince Palace possibly detect him?

The Heaven Dou Empire had no Titled Douluo of its own. Its only Titled Douluo was a guest, Poison Douluo Dugu Bo.

Poison Douluo Dugu Bo was only level ninety-one. How could he possibly detect Azure Luan Douluo's presence?

When Azure Luan Douluo appeared, Pufferfish Douluo and Snake Lance Douluo, who were secretly protecting Qian Renxue, exchanged glances. Ling Yuan Douluo, who was protecting Qin Tian, also headed over.

When the three saw that the visitor was Azure Luan Douluo, they immediately appeared and bowed respectfully to him.

"Greetings, Third Offering!"

Seeing Azure Luan Douluo appear out of nowhere, Qian Renxue lit up and hurried over to him.

"Third Grandfather, what brings you here? Xue'er missed you so much!"

Azure Luan Douluo looked at Qian Renxue, smiling as well.

"Little Xue'er, if you missed your Third Grandfather, why didn't you come visit me?"

"Third Grandfather, I have a mission to take care of. If I could come back, I definitely would."

After they had chatted for a while, Azure Luan Douluo took out the Storage Soul Tool Qian Daoliu had given him.

"Xue'er, Big Brother asked me to give you this. He said everything you wanted is inside."

Qian Renxue took the Storage Soul Tool and checked its contents. A satisfied smile spread across her face.

"Hehe!"

"Grandpa's the best. I knew he wouldn't let Xue'er down."

Hearing this, Azure Luan Douluo shook his head helplessly.

"Xue'er, start taking the Whale Rubber now. Third Grandfather will help you refine it."

Qian Renxue didn't hesitate. She took out a piece of five-ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber and began to refine it.

Five-ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber contained terrifying energy. Without Azure Luan Douluo's help, she didn't think she could withstand it on her own.

During this time, she had also taken Whale Rubber that was a hundred and a thousand years old, and she had bought a ten-thousand-year piece at the Heaven Dou Auction House.

As she was preparing to swallow and refine it, if Qin Tian hadn't warned her, then she would have...