It might sound unbelievable. Pluto was an embodiment of darkness and bloodlust, while Qian Daoliu stood for light. By all rights, Pluto's Exotic Energy could have ended up in anyone but him.
But something the system had once said gave Ao Zhan a clue: where there was black, there was white. Then surely, where there was white, there was black.
A bright singularity existed within the all-consuming Mysterious Underworld Black Hole, and even the cold-hearted Pluto had love in his heart.
So what about Qian Daoliu?
No matter how brilliantly he shone, he had his own darkness. That darkness was where Pluto's Exotic Energy lay hidden.
Ao Zhan also remembered something Pluto had once said: "My heart is like a tree. The more a tree reaches toward the light above, the deeper its roots must grow—down into the soil, into the darkness."
By the same reasoning, the brighter Qian Daoliu's power, the deeper Pluto's Exotic Energy could hide.
Besides, setting aside the fact that one stood for light and the other for darkness, Qian Daoliu and Pluto did have some similarities in how they acted.
When the bigger picture was at stake, for instance, neither would let personal feelings drive him to harm his own people.
In the original story, Bibi Dong devoured Qian Xunji. After Qian Daoliu discovered she was the Rakshasa God's successor, he knew she would be difficult to kill and that attacking her would throw Spirit Hall into turmoil. So he forced himself to set aside his desire to avenge his son.
When Gui Gu used Tian Yu to threaten Pluto, Pluto knew letting him go would mean unleashing a dangerous enemy. Gui Gu had to be eliminated. So despite Tian Yu being in Gui Gu's hands, Pluto intended to attack.
Qian Daoliu also believed in chivalry. And though the Underworld's people were bloodthirsty, they were remarkably polite—even more so than the Snow Empress's followers.
Most importantly, Qian Daoliu and Pluto were both among the strongest in their respective worlds.
For all these reasons, Pluto's Exotic Energy had ultimately chosen to hide inside Qian Daoliu.
Golden Crocodile and the others were stunned by what they saw.
"This... this dark energy! What in the world is going on?!" Golden Crocodile cautiously probed it with his spiritual power, only to find pitch-black darkness wherever he looked. It felt as though he had fallen into a bottomless abyss.
Qian Renxue frowned deeply. The Alien Energy inside her recoiled from Pluto's Exotic Energy.
Although the Snow Empress's Faith at the heart of the Snow Empress's Exotic Energy within her had become her own, it was still an energy of light. It did not take kindly to Pluto's dark power.
Seeing this, Ao Zhan set Qian Renxue down and patted her shoulder. "Stay here. I'll go in and take a look."
Qian Renxue immediately grabbed his hand. "No, Brother Zhan! What if it's dangerous in there?"
"She's right, Xiao Zhan! It's too dangerous. Don't go in," Golden Crocodile and the others urged him.
"Don't worry. I know what's happening, and I know how to deal with it," Ao Zhan told them confidently.
Then he plunged into the black mist.
"Second Brother, this..." Azure Luan looked at Golden Crocodile with concern.
Golden Crocodile sighed. "Let him go. Xiao Zhan never does anything without a plan. Perhaps he really can resolve this."
Once inside the black mist, Ao Zhan felt an immense pressure. He knew the force well: it was the gravitational pull generated by Pluto's Exotic Energy.
"Heh. Just as familiar as ever. System, locate Grandpa Qian."
"Yes!"
Ao Zhan smiled as the familiar force pressed against him, then ordered the system to pinpoint Qian Daoliu's location.
A moment later, Qian Daoliu's location appeared in Ao Zhan's mind. He followed it and soon found Qian Daoliu standing there with vacant eyes, an air of grief and loneliness surrounding him.
But Qian Daoliu no longer radiated the light he once had. Thick darkness poured from his body. His golden hair had turned black, as had his golden irises. His eyes resembled Black Holes, as though they could swallow every ray of light and hope in the world.
Ao Zhan knew this was the effect of Pluto's Exotic Energy. Qian Daoliu was now trapped in the loneliness Pluto had endured for countless years.
Qian Renxue's case had been different. The Snow Empress's Exotic Energy was light by nature, and the Snow Empress had never suffered any great setbacks in her life. So even when the Alien Energy erupted, Qian Renxue had not been greatly affected.
Qian Daoliu was another matter. Pluto's Exotic Energy was dark by nature, and Pluto had endured endless slaughter and solitude. Qian Daoliu's experiences could not begin to compare.
Light Pluto had spent longer sealed in the Mysterious Underworld Coffin than Spirit Hall had existed. It was only natural that Qian Daoliu would be affected.
Ao Zhan sighed. He could have prevented all this, but Pluto's Exotic Energy was a ticking time bomb. Better to set it off early; that would make the power easier to control later.
Once he suspected Pluto's Exotic Energy was hidden inside Qian Daoliu, he had guessed that seeing Qian Xunji die would awaken it.
After all, Pluto had once watched Phoenix burn to death before his eyes. In the face of such overwhelming grief, Pluto's Exotic Energy would respond to Qian Daoliu's sorrow and killing intent, then awaken.
Of course, Ao Zhan would never have chosen this course if he could not deal with the aftermath.
He placed a hand on Qian Daoliu, and a strange energy burst forth. It was Alien Energy, but not Miao Tiaojun's. It was Ao Zhan's own.
That was right. Over the past four years, he had never stopped trying to reclaim his Alien Energy. And he had actually found a way—
Through his own convictions and the system's help, he could draw upon Alien Energy from beyond the Universe.
His Alien Energy was so vast that he could draw in only a tiny fraction of it. But that was enough!
"Grandpa Qian, wake up!"
Ao Zhan poured his Alien Energy into Qian Daoliu, rousing him from Pluto's hundred thousand years of loneliness.
"Xiao Zhan? What are you doing here? Wait—what happened to me?!"
Qian Daoliu was dazed when he woke, but he quickly noticed the change. The dense dark power around him seemed to be pouring out of his own body. And why had his Soul Power turned from light to darkness?
What in the world was going on?!
Qian Daoliu hurriedly took a mirror from his storage Soul Tool. After seeing how drastically his appearance had changed, he summoned his Martial Soul. But the once-radiant Six-Winged Angel now emanated dark power, like a herald of death emerging from the abyss.
That was more than Qian Daoliu could bear.
"How can I face the Angel God looking like this?! How can I remain Spirit Hall's Grand Worship?!"
He dropped to his knees, his eyes vacant, unable to face the cruel reality.
Ao Zhan hurried to reassure him. "Grandpa Qian, please don't panic. Light and darkness are both just forms of power. Power itself is neither good nor evil. As long as you use it for good, who can fault you? Who says a hero has to stand in the light?"