Qian Renxue's Suppression

The thick, icy killing intent instantly enveloped Yan and Xie Yue, and the shadow of death followed close behind.

Xie Yue let out a muffled groan, his face turning pale. He instantly summoned his Moon Blade, and a yellow first Soul Ring appeared behind him as he scanned the surroundings in alarm.

Yan was even faster. The moment the killing intent descended upon him, he summoned the Flame Overlord. A thousand-year first Soul Ring emerged, flashing with a mysterious purple glow.

Earth Flame Lizard Dragon Armor!

Yan shouted inwardly as blazing crimson flames surged from his body, covering him from head to toe and forming a dark red suit of armor.

Anyone capable of placing such immense pressure on both him and Xie Yue had to be a Soul Master far stronger than them.

In a direct fight, he and Xie Yue would most likely be no match for this Soul Master. They could only stall for time and wait for reinforcements.

Yet strangely, just as Yan completed his Martial Soul Possession and prepared for battle, the icy killing intent receded as swiftly as the tide.

The surroundings fell silent, as though nothing had happened. Only he and Xie Yue, whose pale face was still filled with lingering fear, stood there staring at each other.

Though the killing intent had vanished, Yan did not dismiss his fiery armor. He hurriedly turned and looked around.

After searching for a moment, he finally found the newcomers.

There were two of them, standing far away, perhaps four or five hundred meters distant.

He could clearly make out an old man and a young woman.

The old man was broad and burly, with a short neck and thick limbs. His features were difficult to discern, but his eyes gleamed fiercely, and his appearance was rough and imposing.

Before him stood a slender young woman dressed in a golden one-piece palace gown. Its design was ancient and elegant, while the high golden collar protected her snow-white neck.

Her long golden hair fell loosely over her shoulders, and a thin veil concealed her face. Even so, her peerless grace could still be seen.

Though they were one old and one young, they did not seem to be elder and junior. Instead, they appeared more like master and servant, with the rugged old man standing quietly behind the woman.

The woman was looking at the spot behind Yan where his thousand-year Soul Ring had appeared. Her gaze held no surprise, only the understanding of someone whose expectations had been confirmed.

It was as if her earlier actions had merely been meant to verify whether Yan's first Soul Ring was truly thousand-year.

This is...?

Seeing this scene, Yan frowned slightly as a guess surfaced in his mind.

The woman in palace attire took a small step forward, seemingly intending to approach them. Xie Yue's body immediately tensed, and he gripped his Moon Blade more tightly.

However, at that moment, a burly figure hurried over. It was Resak, whom they had parted with not long ago.

Only after Resak appeared did Xie Yue relax slightly.

Resak first glanced at the two of them. Seeing that neither had been injured, he finally let out a breath of relief.

He then quickly turned around, walked up to the woman in palace attire and the old man, and bowed respectfully.

With the three of them deliberately lowering their voices, Xie Yue and Yan could not hear their conversation at all.

However, since the three did not make a move, there should not be any danger.

Xie Yue withdrew his Martial Soul, while Yan dispelled his fiery armor and recalled the Flame Overlord.

The three spoke for a while. In the end, the woman in palace attire glanced once in Yan's direction before leaving with the old man behind her.

Resak then strode quickly over to Yan and Xie Yue.

"Teacher Resak, who were those two just now?"

Xie Yue stepped forward and asked Resak.

"They..."

Resak paused, a complicated expression appearing on his face. He sighed and looked at Xie Yue. "I do not know who that old man was, but he should be one of the elders from the Elder Hall.

"As for that woman..."

Resak considered his words. "If you see her again, just address her as Young Master."

"Young Master?"

Xie Yue was confused. As far as he knew, Spirit Hall currently had neither a Saintess nor a Holy Son. Where had this Young Master come from?

"That is enough. Do not ask too much about Young Master's affairs. Knowing too much will not be good for you."

Resak seemingly did not want to explain further. He merely said to them, "The two of you must keep what happened just now strictly confidential. Do not mention it before His Holiness the Pope either."

"But..."

Xie Yue seemed to want to say something else, but Resak waved his hand and interrupted him.

"That is enough. Remember what I said. Young Master's affairs are not for people like you and me to discuss. You only need to know that the more you say, the more mistakes you will make. I am doing this for your own good."

Resak spoke sternly and seriously. Xie Yue pursed his lips. Though he was intensely curious, he could only suppress it.

Yan nodded as well. For Resak to be so guarded, he had already guessed the identity of the woman in palace attire.

If he was not mistaken, that woman was Qian Renxue, daughter of the former Pope Qian Xunji and Bibi Dong, granddaughter of Qian Daoliu, the current Grand Elder of Spirit Hall, and the future Angel God.

Although he had not seen Qian Renxue's face this time, even through the veil, he could sense the peerless beauty hidden behind it.

Still, Yan found Qian Renxue rather difficult to evaluate.

Though Qian Renxue's tragic childhood was chiefly the fault of her father, Chamber Douluo Qian Xunji, her impulsive personality and hopeless romantic streak had undoubtedly been inherited from her mother, Bibi Dong.

She possessed the God-Given Martial Soul, the Six-Winged Angel, Innate Full Soul Power at level twenty, and was the most talented member of the Qian Clan in generations, the one who had opened the Angel God Trial.

Yet during the golden age when she should have devoted herself to cultivation, she chose instead to infiltrate the Heaven Dou Empire.

As a result, despite being around ten years older than Tang San, Tang San had already reached the rank of Soul Emperor while Qian Renxue was merely a Soul Saint.

Even her eventual plan to infiltrate Heaven Dou, seize the nest, and replace its rightful occupant ended in failure due to Tang San's interference.

Tang San's Twin Martial Souls were certainly exceptional, and with the Mysterious Heaven Skill supporting him, his cultivation speed was not slow.

However, compared with Qian Renxue's talent, he was still somewhat inferior. At the time, no one would have objected to calling Qian Renxue's talent unrivaled across the continent.

Yet because she infiltrated the Heaven Dou Empire, she forcibly wasted the best ten years of her cultivation.

Even so, after returning to Spirit Hall from the Heaven Dou Empire, Qian Renxue still became the first god of the Three God Era before Bibi Dong and Tang San, with Qian Daoliu's help.

One could imagine that if Qian Renxue had not gone undercover in the Heaven Dou Empire and had instead cultivated with all her strength during those golden ten years, she likely would have become a god early, swept aside all opposition, unified the continent, and established the Spirit Hall Empire. How could Tang San have possibly had the chance to turn things around in the end?

The most absurd part was that Qian Renxue had barely met Tang San a few times, yet somehow fell in love with him.

When she accepted the Angel God's final divine trial, Tang San actually surpassed Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu to become the third and most important obsession helping her survive the divine tribulation. Not only did she directly get involved with that obsession's phantom in the inheritance space, even her actual body inside the Angel Temple reacted.

Heaven knew how numb Yan's scalp had felt when he had read that scene back then.

All that could be said was that Qian Renxue had been repressed for far too long. Douluo Continent truly deserved to be called the world where the Love God had fallen; the laws of love were simply too deeply ingrained.

On the eve of Tang San's departure from the continent for Sea God Island to inherit the Sea God's position, Qian Renxue had already become a god and possessed absolute strength to kill Tang San.

Yet she insisted on playing cat and mouse. In the end, after holding back, Tang San severely wounded her heart, forcing her to stop and recover. She missed her best chance to pursue and kill Tang San, allowing him to successfully escape back to Sea God Island and inherit the Sea God's position.

It could be said that Tang San's ability to inherit the dual godhoods of the Sea God and Asura God, turn the tables against all odds, and destroy Spirit Hall was indeed partly because the Asura God tilted the scales in his favor. But Qian Renxue's responsibility remained inescapable; calling her the greatest culprit would not be excessive.

After all, if Qian Renxue had not done her part, the Asura God would likely not even have had the opportunity to tilt the scales.