"Big brother, since you're already planning to defect..."
"What level are you now?"
"And what's your plan?"
Qian Wulu rubbed her chin and asked the most crucial, practical question.
Defecting from Spirit City wasn't as simple as just saying so.
After all—Spirit City was full of powerful experts.
There were countless Titled Douluo in the Pope Palace and the Elder Palace, not to mention the even more terrifying Worship Hall.
Any one of them could be a Level 96 Peak Douluo or higher. There was even Qian Daoliu, a Level 99 Peerless Douluo.
Without absolute strength and a solid plan, they wouldn't just fail to leave Spirit City. If Qian Daoliu discovered their little scheme, they'd be in for a world of trouble.
"Heh!"
"Little sister, don't worry!"
"If I dared to defect from Spirit City, I'd naturally have the strength to crush all opposition, as well as a flawless backup plan."
Qian Wuyou chuckled, his eyes filled with calm confidence. He showed none of the panic one might expect from someone betraying Spirit Hall. Instead, he spoke as if it were the most ordinary matter in the world.
In the next instant, an overbearing, majestic, and supremely divine pressure of Soul Power spread soundlessly through the room.
It was the aura unique to the Angel Martial Soul, yet even more divine and blazing, even more vast and overbearing than that of the traditional Six-Winged Angel.
Black, black, black.
Red, red, red.
Red, red, red.
Three black and six red—nine Soul Rings in all—slowly rose from beneath Qian Wuyou's feet, shining brilliantly.
"Hundred Thousand Year... six Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings!"
The pupils of everyone present shrank. Before they could even cry out in shock, an even more astounding sight appeared.
Behind Qian Wuyou, an enormous Angel Martial Soul slowly emerged.
It was sacred and blazing, radiating golden light. In its hand was a golden holy sword. But what made their scalps go numb was that this Angel Martial Soul slowly unfurled twelve wings.
"Uh..."
"A Twelve-Winged Angel Martial Soul???"
"Big sister... what on earth is that???"
"Little sister, how would I know? Who am I supposed to ask???"
The Twelve-Winged Angel Martial Soul behind Qian Wuyou left everyone present utterly speechless.
Good grief. Just—good grief.
So the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul could keep evolving?
They'd learned something new today. What an eye-opener!
"Little sister, Tianzhen, Wuxie, as you can see, I'm now a Level 96 Peak Douluo, with a Soul Ring Configuration of three black and six red."
"Throughout all of Spirit City, no one can defeat me except Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu. Even if all those old geezers from the Worship Hall came at me together, they couldn't stop me."
Qian Wuyou spoke calmly, his voice frighteningly steady.
After devouring the Douluo Plane's core, he hadn't ascended straight to godhood, but he'd still gained unimaginable benefits.
For example—his former Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul had directly evolved into a Twelve-Winged Angel Martial Soul.
The age of all his Soul Rings had soared, and he had even redefined his original Soul Skills.
His old Six-Winged Angel Soul Skills had made him fight like a berserker. He would grab the Angel Holy Sword, charge at his enemies, and hack away at them in a wild flurry.
It was a crude, utterly unskilled style of fighting.
But his current Twelve-Winged Angel Soul Skills truly suited his fighting style as the Lord of the Douluo Planet Plane.
He could stand completely still and, with the Plane Master's authority combined with his Soul Skills, suppress any enemy weaker than him outright.
With a single move, he could unleash Angelic Judgment across a vast area. With a mere wave of his hand, he could bestow a blessing of agelessness, immortality, and indestructibility—one that would ensure his Soul Power never ran out.
Throughout the entire Douluo Continent, no one could defeat him except Bibi Dong, Qian Daoliu, and the half-dead Tang Chen.
And the reason he could be so certain was that the Plane Master's authority could nullify most Soul Power attacks.
In this world, only divine power could hurt him.
If he weren't absolutely certain, he wouldn't have chosen to defect.
Did they really think Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu were just for show?
"Three black, six red, Level 96 Peak Douluo..."
Qian Wulu took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the storm raging in her heart, then slowly nodded.
"As far as strength goes, there really isn't a problem."
"As long as that old Qian Daoliu doesn't make a move, we can ignore the Pope Palace and the Elder Palace completely, and protect any clansmen willing to leave with us."
She changed tack, her expression turning utterly serious.
"But once we leave Spirit City, we can't just wander around like stray dogs, can we?"
"Big brother, where are you planning to settle?"
"And where will we build our new family stronghold?"
At Qian Wulu's question, the sisters Qian Tianzhen and Qian Wuxie immediately perked up their ears, their eyes filled with both anticipation and anxiety.
They had grown up in Spirit City. Now they were about to defect and leave this sacred place where they had been oppressed at every turn.
They felt the exhilaration of breaking free from their shackles, but also uncertainty about the road ahead. They badly needed a definite place to call home before they could finally put their minds at ease.
"Heh! Little sister, you're right!"
"I've already arranged a place for us to settle!"
The smile at the corners of Qian Wuyou's lips deepened.
The sacred, overbearing pressure of Soul Power around him slowly receded. The Twelve-Winged Angel Martial Soul dissolved into a sea of golden light and merged into his body, and the nine Soul Rings vanished one by one.
He walked over to the window and gazed at the distant Pope Palace, which towered into the clouds, and the Worship Hall shrouded in mist. A glint of confidence, as if everything were going according to plan, flashed in his eyes.
"Spirit Hall's influence spans both great empires, and almost the entire continent is under its watch."
"Ordinary cities and mountain ranges can't hide us defectors."
"If our whereabouts are exposed, Qian Daoliu will come after us at once."
"So I've ruled all those places out."
"And the place I've chosen is the Extreme North..."
At Qian Wuyou's words, Qian Wulu and the others were all taken aback.
"The Extreme North?"
Qian Wulu frowned on the spot and immediately voiced her doubts.
"Big brother, the Extreme North is a frozen wasteland, with an environment as harsh as it gets. Aside from savage ice-type Soul Beasts, almost no humans can stay there for long."
"The Extreme North is secluded enough, and Spirit Hall really can't extend its influence there, but the geography is simply too harsh. It's completely unsuitable for building a family stronghold."
She had long heard of the dangers of the Extreme North.
It was blanketed in ice and snow, with cold that gnawed to the bone. Ordinary Soul Masters couldn't last even half a month there, let alone put down roots and raise a family in that godforsaken place.
Believe it or not, she was right!
Even the sisters Tianzhen and Wuxie were confused.
The Extreme North was no place for a new family stronghold...
Even though both sisters were Level 83 Soul Douluo, they couldn't live for long in such a frozen environment.
And that was without even mentioning their followers, who were far weaker than they were...
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