While Qian Daoliu and the Angel God stood frozen in shock at Ye Qing's words, the negotiations outside had reached a critical point.
Sea Dragon Douluo took a deep breath and fixed a sharp gaze on Qian Xunji. His tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation. "Your Holiness, let's put an end to this marriage alliance. Don't bring it up again."
Qian Xunji seemed to have expected his refusal, so he showed no displeasure at the answer.
Instead, he leisurely picked up his teacup and gently blew away the foam. "Oh? Why not? I believe that in terms of status, standing, talent, and prospects, my Xue'er and your God Child are a match made in heaven. Unless... you intend for him to remain unmarried for the rest of his life, what other girl could be more worthy of him than my Xue'er?"
With that, he set down his teacup and leaned forward slightly. A golden glint flashed in his eyes as he hinted, "Sea Dragon, we're both reasonable people. Once the matter with the Clear Sky Sect is settled, the whole continent will know that the Spirit Hall and Sea God Island have formed an alliance. With that momentum behind us, wouldn't it benefit us both to take things a step further, join our families in marriage, and cement our relationship?"
Qian Xunji might not have been as talented as Qian Daoliu or Qian Renxue, and might not even have measured up to Tang Hao or Bibi Dong, but when it came to insight and strategy, he believed he was no worse than them.
Anyone with eyes to see and a brain in their head could tell just how much the Sea God valued Ye Qing.
The Sea God had even bestowed the divine artifact, the Sea God Trident, upon him in advance for his protection. How resolute did that make him?
What was more, it seemed that even the Angel God had taken a liking to him.
In other words, as long as Ye Qing didn't die young, his ascension to godhood was all but certain.
By then, who knew how much benefit Qian Renxue, as the god's wife, and the Spirit Hall behind her would gain?
After all, the main reason the Spirit Hall had grown so quickly and become the force most feared by the two great empires and the Upper Three Sects was its reputation as the organization that inherited the Angel God's legacy.
On top of that, back then, the Angel God had wiped out the Evil Soul Masters, and faith and fortune had been at their peak.
It was just like Shrek Academy in the original story, after Tang San and the others won.
Except that when the Spirit Hall was around, Douluo Continent had been far better off than it was under Shrek Academy.
The people had lived in peace and wanted for neither food nor clothing. At the very least, they hadn't had to worry about awakening their Martial Souls, much less about Evil Soul Masters running rampant.
As the saying went, the Spirit Hall would always be the strictest father to the Evil Soul Masters and the Holy Spirit Cult.
Sea Dragon Douluo remained calm, unmoved by the grand future Qian Xunji had painted. He only shook his head slowly. "Your Holiness, you may have a point. But the problem is, this isn't up to me."
He looked Qian Xunji squarely in the eye. "Though I'm the Second Worship of Sea God Island and hold some authority there, I have no say over God Child Ye Qing's future, especially when it comes to his marriage. It concerns the Sea God Inheritance. Only Lord Bo Saixi, as the Grand Worship, is even remotely qualified to consider it under Lord Sea God's will. You may be the Spirit Hall's pope, but our standing is about the same. Only your hall's Grand Worship, Qian Daoliu, can truly represent the Angel God's will and decide the fate of her successor. You should understand that better than I do."
At that, Qian Xunji fell silent.
He ran his fingers along the rim of his teacup, his eyes shifting. Sea Dragon Douluo's words had brought him to his senses.
It was true. A marriage alliance involving the successors of two divine legacies wasn't something that he and Sea Dragon, as mere executors, could decide.
They needed people with enough standing to represent the will of both gods in the negotiations.
Bo Saixi...
Qian Daoliu...
Only these two Grand Worships—both Peerless Douluos at level ninety-nine, both mortal representatives of their respective gods—were qualified to sit down and discuss a divine marriage decree that could alter the continent's future.
Once he'd thought it through, Qian Xunji felt a faint pang of regret, but he knew there was no point in rushing.
He set aside his earlier eagerness and regained the composure of a pope, then nodded. "You're right. I was too impatient. This matter needs careful consideration. It's only right for the two Grand Worships to decide."
He said no more, turning his gaze back toward the depths of Douluo Hall. Alongside Sea Dragon Douluo, he waited for the outcome inside.
At that moment, however, his curiosity about the Angel God summoning Ye Qing was no longer the only thing on his mind. He was also thinking deeply about a certain possibility for the future.
Inside the Angel Secret Realm.
The silence, enough to freeze any mortal soul, lasted for three or four breaths.
The Angel God stood before Ye Qing. The initial stiffness in her peerlessly beautiful face slowly melted away.
She didn't grow angry, as Qian Daoliu had expected, nor did she seem offended.
Instead, a genuine smile spread across her brilliant golden eyes, growing clearer by the moment.
The smile deepened until it became a soft chuckle, then blossomed into a bright, radiant grin, as if it could make the entire secret realm shine brighter.
The two who witnessed it:
Ye Qing: "???"
Qian Daoliu: "!!!"
Ye Qing's heart lurched, and his little face turned pale.
I'm done for. Did I speak too quickly just now?
She's a god!
And I actually said it wouldn't be appropriate for her to be my wife?
Well, her offer to give me a wife was pretty outrageous too, but was my reaction even more outrageous?
Could she be laughing out of sheer fury, about to slap this loose-lipped little brat to death?
After all, this was the Angel Secret Realm, the Angel God's own territory. Even the Sea God had neither the right nor the power to interfere.
Of course, the odds were still pretty low. The Angel God wanted him to inherit her legacy, after all.
Unless one of her relatives had come and made her lose her head, killing Qian Daoliu to vent her anger was more likely than killing him.
He wasn't the only one. Qian Daoliu felt the same way.
Seeing the Angel God's reaction made him feel as though his brain was about to overload.
Only one absurd, hair-raising thought circled wildly through his mind. What if...
He meant, what if...
What if the Angel God hadn't been joking just now, and hadn't been speaking figuratively, but had meant it literally...
And what if Ye Qing suddenly got a wild idea and agreed...
What would the Angel God's successors, descendants, and followers call Ye Qing from then on?
Call him... the Divine Consort?
Or... Ancestor?
This was too tangled!
More complicated than the factional struggles in the Divine Realm!
Just as the two were caught in a storm of emotions, nearly suffocating, the Angel God's melodious voice rang out again, breaking the frozen atmosphere. Her tone was gentler than ever. "Little one, you've misunderstood. When I said I'd give you someone, I didn't mean I'd give myself to you."
She paused briefly, then continued with a smile while the two watched her in trepidation and fear. "But..."
"If you're willing to give up the Sea God's legacy and choose to inherit my Angel Godhood..."
She leaned forward slightly. Holy light flowed around her, making her peerlessly beautiful face look even more sacred and dreamlike. Her voice carried a strange, alluring lilt.
"Then, once I've relinquished my godhood and regained my freedom... I wouldn't be against marrying you."