Inside the Elder Hall, the vaulted ceiling soared overhead,
A colossal statue of the Six-Winged Angel stood in the center, radiating a gentle, sacred light.
Beneath the statue, an elderly man in a gray robe, his features weathered and austere, was praying with his eyes closed.
Not a trace of Soul Power stirred around him, yet he seemed to have merged with the entire hall, inspiring the awe one felt before a towering mountain.
He was one of the three Peerless Douluo at level ninety-nine on the Douluo Continent,
the "Invincible Sky"—Qian Daoliu.
"Father."
Qian Xunji stopped and bowed slightly.
Although the soul inside him had changed, he still had to keep up appearances. After all, the man before him was a ruthless level-ninety-nine powerhouse,
and as he absorbed his memories, he increasingly felt how much care and devotion Qian Daoliu had given his original self.
And Qian Daoliu had devoted his entire life to serving the God Ancestor.
Hearing the voice, Qian Daoliu slowly opened his eyes and turned around,
but when he saw Qian Xunji's appearance, even this Peerless Douluo, who would remain unruffled as Mount Tai collapsed before him, jolted from head to toe.
"Ji'er?! You... what happened to your hair?"
Qian Daoliu took a single stride and appeared in front of Qian Xunji.
"And your aura... Why is the Angel's glory gone? What is that power inside you?"
Qian Daoliu was genuinely panicking.
As the Angel God's high priest, he was exceptionally sensitive to sacred auras.
The son standing before him now had not a trace of the Angel Clan left in him.
That aura, concealed but ready to erupt, even made the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul inside him feel... oppressed.
Seeing the old man look as if he were facing a powerful enemy, Qian Xunji secretly reveled in it, but on the surface he put on an air of inscrutable calm.
"Father, there's no need to panic. I came today to show you how I've changed."
Qian Xunji took a deep breath, his eyes suddenly turning sharp.
"Martial Soul, possess me."
Boom—
Without any flashy movements, an aura utterly unlike the Six-Winged Angel's burst from Qian Xunji.
The moment this power appeared, the sacred golden light throughout the Elder Hall seemed to come alive, rising to meet it as an equal.
"This... this is impossible!" Qian Daoliu cried out, stumbling back three steps.
As Qian Daoliu stared in bewilderment, the Fallen Angel's aura behind Qian Xunji unfurled completely.
Twelve enormous, dark golden-black wings burst open. The ultimate darkness, the power of devouring and judgment, spread through the Elder Hall as if it were a tangible source of blackness.
Two yellow, two purple, and four black Spirit Rings slowly revolved beneath Qian Xunji's feet.
"Twelve wings... What kind of Martial Soul is this?! Could it be..."
Qian Daoliu's eyes widened, and his voice trembled.
In all his years, he had never seen a Martial Soul of such rank.
Even the Six-Winged Angel paled before this power.
Qian Xunji stopped while he was ahead. With a thought, his twelve wings instantly folded away, and the hall returned to normal.
Looking at Qian Daoliu, who still seemed to be questioning his entire existence, Qian Xunji curled his lips into a mysterious smile. He lowered his voice and spoke with an air of the mystic:
"Father, perhaps the Angel God is not the only supreme being in this world."
Qian Daoliu jerked his head up, his eyes flashing violently.
"Xunji, of course the God Ancestor is..."
What do you mean by that? Could it be that you..."
Qian Daoliu had been about to refute him on instinct, but then realized that he actually knew very little about the Divine Realm.
"Last night, as I meditated, my consciousness was pulled into an endless abyss of void."
Qian Xunji began his shameless, straight-faced act of deception.
"There, I encountered a being far more ancient and mighty than the God Ancestor.
"They wielded dominion over the world's sin and punishment, and were the dark side of the universe at the moment of its creation."
"That being told me that light and darkness came from the same source, one yin and one yang.
"Angels were not only sacred.
"They bestowed this great fortune upon me, transforming my Six-Winged Angel into the 'Twelve-Winged Original Sin Fallen Angel' I have now."
Qian Xunji looked Qian Daoliu in the eye, his voice firm.
"Father, this is the will of another supreme deity! They chose me. The future of Spirit Hall and the glory of the God Ancestor must not be confined to this continent."
Silence—a deathly silence.
Qian Daoliu stared at his son.
If anyone else had dared utter such blasphemy against the God Ancestor in the Elder Hall, he would have slapped them to death long ago.
But that Martial Soul aura, which had just surpassed the Angel's, had been no fake.
A divine miracle. This was a true divine miracle!
"Good... good! Wonderful!" Qian Daoliu suddenly burst into laughter, so moved that his eyes reddened.
He had been blessed with a son late in life and loved him dearly, but the boy's talent had been limited.
He had not even been able to unlock a God Trial.
Now that his son had received such a blessing, whether as a father or as the one at the helm of Spirit Hall,
he felt nothing but genuine joy.
"Whether They're light or darkness, as long as They can let Spirit Hall endure for generations and help you reach the summit, then it's a blessing for the Qian Clan!"
Seeing that the old man had swallowed his story hook, line, and sinker, Qian Xunji secretly breathed a sigh of relief and pressed his advantage.
"Father, that deity also gave me a divine revelation. I need to go to Sunset Forest at once and retrieve a treasure vital to Spirit Hall's plans for the next century."
"Go. Take whatever you need." Qian Daoliu liked his son more with every passing moment.
"If a peerless opportunity has been granted by divine guidance, we mustn't let anything go wrong.
"Come. Your father will go with you personally."
Qian Xunji paused. The old man wanted to come along as his bodyguard?
Fine. With a level-ninety-nine super powerhouse accompanying him,
this trip to Sunset Forest would be as safe as houses.
But then a detail suddenly came to Qian Xunji.
The Immortal Herbs at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well were indeed astonishing, but when he had read the novel in his previous life,
he had only casually remembered a few descriptions: "a white herb shaped like an octagon" and "a bright-red, delicate flower."
When he actually got there, dozens of glowing plants would be right in front of him.
Being able to tell them apart would be one thing; harvesting and consuming them correctly would be another.
If he pulled up the wrong one or took it the wrong way, he'd be losing out big-time.
He needed a knowledgeable helper...
"Father, with you personally leading the way, nothing could go wrong. However..."
Qian Xunji rubbed his chin and paused for effect.
"The divine revelation mentioned that the treasures were called 'Immortal Herbs,' and that harvesting them required great care.
"Neither of us is likely to know much about flowers and plants..."
Qian Daoliu's hand paused as he stroked his beard, and a hint of embarrassment crossed his aged face.
He had spent his whole life practicing the sword and praying. He knew how to cut people down, but making him act like a farmer and identify flowers and plants? He'd be completely lost.
"Ahem, you have a point." Qian Daoliu cleared his throat. "What do you propose?"
"I remember there's a red-robed bishop in the hall named Yue Guan. His Martial Soul is the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, and he knows a great deal about the rare flowers and herbs of the world. We must bring him along."
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