The Death Spider Emperor Goes to Work

Qian Renxue watched Bibi Dong's departing figure vanish and could not stop herself from bursting into tears.

"Bastard child." "Don't call her Mom." Those two ugly, ear-piercing phrases made her completely recall how Bibi Dong had treated her before Qian Xunji was injured. She had thought Bibi Dong had changed for the better, but she had not expected this... not at all...

"Mom... why... why don't you like me... why won't you acknowledge me... I already did as you told me. I already listened to you... why..."

Tears continuously streamed down Qian Renxue's cheeks. She squatted on the ground, curled into a ball, cupping her face with both hands as tears covered her face.

There were no Palace Guard Knights here. Qian Daoliu had deliberately had Qian Xunji send the Palace Guard Knights stationed around Pope Hall elsewhere to work. Qian Renxue's coincidental encounter with Bibi Dong, who was leaving Spirit Hall, had also been arranged by Qian Daoliu, who had deliberately called her out.

In the distance, Qian Xunji watched Qian Renxue's tears flow endlessly through her fingers like pearls. His heart ached with grief as he turned and said, "Father, why did you let Xiao Xue come out?"

Qian Daoliu said calmly, "She has to find out sooner or later. This is also to prepare her mentally."

Soul Power surged around Qian Xunji as he prepared to go comfort Qian Renxue, but he suddenly felt a massive Soul Power of the same origin pressing down on him, restricting his movements.

"Father?"

"Watch carefully."

Qian Xunji looked at Qian Daoliu, whose face remained calm and who appeared utterly unmoved by his granddaughter's heartbroken state. Deep confusion surfaced in his eyes. What was wrong with his father? In the past, whenever Qian Daoliu saw Qian Renxue this upset, he would never have looked so indifferent.

Before the Pope Hall steps, Qian Renxue was still weeping when a gentle voice suddenly rang out. "Xiao Xue."

At those words, Qian Renxue's body trembled. Qian Xunji was also jolted, his pupils widening. What did he see? Bibi Dong had suddenly appeared, but had she not already gone down Pope Mountain?

Qian Xunji believed that with his strength as a Level 95 Title Douluo, Bibi Dong, an Level 87 Soul Douluo, could not hide right under his nose. Yet after carefully examining the person before him, aside from the aura she gave off seeming colder and nobler, she truly was Bibi Dong.

Qian Xunji released his spiritual power to its limit, and his expression went completely blank. That was because there was another Bibi Dong, who had already reached the foot of Pope Mountain and was walking toward Spirit City's gates.

Two Bibi Dongs? What was going on? Was he dreaming? Or had Tang Hao beaten him so badly that he had become mentally deranged?

Qian Xunji turned to Qian Daoliu, just about to tell him that he might be mentally unstable, when he saw a faint smile on Qian Daoliu's lips.

"Xiao Xue."

At the second call, Qian Renxue realized she had not misheard. She slowly raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears and swollen from crying. Her gaze traveled up the purple dress and reached that familiar, nearly flawless face. The other woman was looking at her with tenderness.

"Xiao Xue, Mommy was wrong. Mommy was only teasing you. Can you forgive Mommy?"

The Death Spider Emperor crouched down and gently wiped the tear marks from Qian Renxue's little face. Her voice was exactly the same as Bibi Dong's, because she had just heard Bibi Dong speak. After making some changes to her throat, she quickly imitated her voice.

Perhaps there were still slight differences from the original Bibi Dong's voice, but Qian Renxue's cultivation was too weak to hear them.

"Mo... Mom...?" Qian Renxue softly called out, still unable to believe it.

The Death Spider Emperor nodded gently.

"Ahhh, sob sob sob!"

Qian Renxue threw herself into the Death Spider Emperor's arms and began crying again.

"Father, what exactly is going on? Why are there two Bibi Dongs? This Bibi Dong gives me a feeling that I cannot see through her at all."

Qian Xunji asked. Judging from Qian Daoliu's smile, he had already realized that he was not mentally deranged. There truly were two Bibi Dongs—or rather, someone who looked exactly like Bibi Dong existed.

Qian Daoliu did not hide it. To prevent Qian Xunji, this "Land" who never succeeded at anything and always ruined things, from destroying his plan, he said, "This is a hundred-thousand-year Death Spider Emperor I found in the Star Dou Great Forest. I had her disguise herself as Bibi Dong. Xiao Xue is the first descendant of our Angel Clan in ten thousand years to possess Innate Full Soul Power at Level 20, and she is the most likely to inherit a divine position."

"I promised the Death Spider Emperor that she could care for Xiao Xue and accompany her as she grew up. Once Xiao Xue successfully inherited the Angel God's divine position, she would take the Death Spider Emperor with her to ascend to the God Realm and help her become a God Beast."

"Father, how could you do something so utterly insane?!"

Qian Xunji was dumbfounded. He simply could not believe Qian Daoliu had done such a thing—making his daughter acknowledge a soul beast as her mother. This challenged his bottom line and values even more than Bibi Dong falling in love with Yu Xiaogang!

Qian Daoliu sighed softly. "Little Ji'er, everything is for stability, for Xiao Xue to grow up healthily."

Qian Daoliu knew this would be difficult to accept. After all, in Spirit Hall's eyes, no matter whether a soul beast had taken human form or reached maturity, a beast was still a beast. No matter how beautiful its transformed shell was, once they learned its true identity, the first thing they thought of would be its soul beast form.

As for how ugly the Death Spider Emperor truly was, Bibi Dong, who fiercely rejected Martial Soul Possession, had the most authority to speak on it.

Qian Xunji watched Qian Renxue tightly hug the Death Spider Emperor while continuously calling, "Mom, Mom, Mom..." Nine Soul Rings—two yellow, two purple, and five black—lit up beneath his feet as he prepared to slaughter the Death Spider Emperor. He could not let his daughter continue down the wrong path.

"Qian Xunji, what do you think you're doing?"

Qian Daoliu shouted sternly, pressing even greater Soul Power down upon Qian Xunji.

Qian Xunji roared, "Father, I absolutely cannot let my daughter acknowledge a beast as her mother! I'm going to kill that beast!"

To hell with you.

Qian Daoliu kicked Qian Xunji directly in the chest. Qian Xunji flew backward, his body smashing into Pope Hall. He slid dozens of meters across the ground before crashing into the Pope Hall steps and finally stopping.

"Your Holiness!"

Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo immediately appeared, their faces filled with shock and fury. Who dared behave so outrageously in Spirit Hall?!

"Go cool off somewhere else."

Qian Daoliu entered Pope Hall and swept a glance over Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.

Oh, the Grand Pontiff was disciplining his son. Then it was fine.

Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo obediently bowed and withdrew, consciously shutting off their hearing to avoid overhearing anything they should not hear.

Qian Daoliu stood with his hands behind his back and said in an unquestionable tone, "Ji'er, listen carefully. Sea God Island has a sacred guardian beast, a hundred-thousand-year Demon Soul Great White Shark. The king of the Demon Soul Great White Shark clan leads its kind in patrolling the nearby waters of Sea God Island."

"Even if that Death Spider Emperor were not disguised as Bibi Dong, she would still be Spirit Hall's sacred guardian beast. If you dare say anything unnecessary and ruin my plans, then you can get out of Spirit Hall and wander the continent too!"

PS: I do not know why, but when writing the interactions between the Death Spider Emperor and Qian Renxue, I felt a little awkward. I kept thinking of an incomparably ugly giant spider. It felt a little better when I thought of Bibi Zhu. What do you all think?