Spirit Hall Wasn't Short on Titled Douluo!

Spirit Hall Wasn't Short on Titled Douluo!

Bibi Dong's eyes widened. Her icy gaze seemed capable of piercing every building between her and the Worship Hall.

Just a moment ago, she had thought Qian Daoliu wouldn't go along with Qian Renyu's foolishness over something like this. But now, Qian Daoliu's words had slapped her hard across the face.

Qian Daoliu had actually gone this far for Qian Renyu!

Bibi Dong's eyes brimmed with resentment as she recalled how difficult it had been for her to gain a foothold in the Worship Hall.

But Qian Renyu only had to say a few words, and Qian Daoliu had answered without a moment's hesitation.

Temporarily granted authority over the Worship Hall? And once his strength reached a certain level, he could take full control of it?

If Qian Daoliu had given her even half that much freedom back then, how could she have struggled so much all these years?

Bibi Dong was furious. She understood perfectly what Qian Daoliu's answer implied.

That level of strength was merely the threshold for joining the Worship Hall.

For Qian Renyu to take full control of it at that level would be like giving a tiger wings.

Qian Daoliu's meaning was clear: once Qian Renyu reached that level, he would unconditionally help him silence every opposing voice in the Worship Hall.

Of course, Qian Daoliu might not even need to do that.

Bibi Dong knew what sort of people served in the Worship Hall. Many of the elders in the Elder Hall, like Yue Guan and Gui Mei, had the instincts of fence-sitters.

But the many worshippers in the Worship Hall were truly loyal to the Qian Family!

Forget Qian Renyu being only at that level when he took full control of the Worship Hall—even if he ordered one of its worshippers killed right now—

No one would dare resist.

They would more likely bare their necks and accept their deaths!

Bibi Dong's breathing turned ragged. As she thought carefully about recent events, memories from more than a decade ago surfaced as well.

"That old fox Qian Daoliu knew I'd attacked that beast, Qian Xunji. The reason he didn't act against me back then probably wasn't just because he feared my Rakshasa God inheritance."

"He must have wanted to buy Qian Renyu and Qian Renxue enough time to grow. And since he had already entered the Worship Hall, the Pope's Palace needed someone to take charge."

"Now that Qian Renyu has grown up, that old fox has stopped pretending entirely!"

Bibi Dong's thoughts were in turmoil. Her grip tightened until the Pope's Scepter creaked.

She met Qian Renyu's indifferent gaze again. She had only just found a new title—that of worshipper—to give her a little more authority, and now it had become completely useless.

"Qian Renyu, you..."

Bibi Dong drew a deep breath. Her hoarse voice sounded as if it had crawled out of the deepest depths of hell.

Being pushed down by Qian Renyu once more sent her resentment nearly through the roof.

Qian Renyu ignored her resentment and spoke softly. "I'm merely claiming the authority that should rightfully be mine!"

"From now on, even you, as a worshipper, must follow my orders. Don't try to interfere with my decisions!"

"If I wish, I can expel you from Spirit Hall at any time!"

"Spirit Hall is never short on Titled Douluo!"

Bibi Dong's pupils trembled. The imposing aura she had maintained drained away in an instant.

Her status as Pope? Qian Renyu had taken it.

Her status as a mother? Bibi Dong refused to acknowledge it.

Her status as a worshipper? Qian Daoliu had already spoken, and clinging to that title would only leave her constrained.

And after hearing Qian Renyu's final words, she couldn't possibly remain calm.

"Has Qian Renyu figured out exactly where to strike? Did he learn what happened back then from that old fox Qian Daoliu?"

"Even if he did hear about it from that old fox, what does he mean by threatening to expel me from Spirit Hall?"

"Impossible. Not even that old fox Qian Daoliu could know what I'm planning!"

Bibi Dong's emotions were in turmoil.

She frantically turned over one possibility after another. Her gaze toward Qian Renyu shifted from icy to dark and sullen.

She didn't want to lose her status in Spirit Hall.

The future she had planned also depended on that status to have any chance of coming to pass.

Most importantly, only by retaining her place in Spirit Hall could she hope to reclaim the position of Pope one day.

Without that status, she would never get another chance to reach for it.

Bibi Dong weighed the gains and losses. Despite the resentment raging inside her, she worked hard to keep it under control.

"This time, it seems he's gotten the better of me again."

"Since he's gotten the better of me over this, I hope he'll stop at the same point he did with Yu Xiaogang!"

"But if he really means to cross the line completely, then I..."

Bibi Dong thought to herself. She accepted that Qian Renyu intended to punish Hu Liena, but she had no intention of simply washing her hands of the matter.

Holding on to that thought, Bibi Dong glanced at Hu Liena from the corner of her eye, silently signaling her.

Hu Liena came to her senses and met Bibi Dong's look. She understood what her teacher was trying to tell her.

But seeing Bibi Dong get pushed down by Qian Renyu again—and the Grand Pontiff firmly backing him—made all the frustration she had kept bottled up reach the breaking point.

Then she remembered that she had a perfectly reasonable excuse for not going to pay her respects, yet Qian Renyu had still come after her.

Her pride as a genius, and as Bibi Dong's direct disciple, began to swell despite herself.

Hu Liena let out a long breath, steeled herself against the lingering feeling that made her skin crawl, and addressed Qian Renyu with forced courage:

"Your Holiness, today's matter has nothing to do with my teacher. It was entirely my own decision."

"It wasn't that I didn't want to obey your summons, Your Holiness. I truly had a moment of insight, and that's why I couldn't come to pay my respects."

"If Your Holiness believes I'm in the wrong, I'll accept any punishment you deem fit!"

After mustering the courage to finish, Hu Liena felt the weight lift from her chest.

The sense of relief made her feel much lighter.

As she relaxed, her expression began to look natural again.

Her expression now contrasted sharply with what she had just said.

She seemed willing to accept any punishment, yet she had fallen back on the same confident excuse she'd used from the start.

From beginning to end, she acted as though she hadn't done anything wrong, while making a point of how indispensable she was to the Martial Soul Academy Team.

A clever retreat, then a counterattack. Let's see what you do now, Qian Renyu!