Bibi Dong is Cruel, Qian Renxue Weeps

However, the person on the throne seemed to have been pricked by a needle.

"Silence."

Bibi Dong's voice was soft, yet it felt like a basin of ice water poured directly over one's head.

She slowly lowered her head, her purple eyes—so deep that their bottom could not be seen—gazing coldly at the girl below the steps.

"How many times have I told you?"

"Do not call me Mother."

The smile on Qian Renxue's face froze instantly, her small body stiffening in place.

She did not understand why every time she ran over full of anticipation, she received such a cold response.

Her eyes turned red in an instant, crystalline tears swirling within them, yet she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

The feeling of grievance was only a fleeting flash.

She sniffed hard, forcing that sour, aching sensation back down.

Mother is unhappy, it must be because I am not yet outstanding enough, not strong enough.

As long as I can prove myself, prove that I am the daughter she is most proud of, she will surely smile at me!

Yes, it must be that!

Qian Renxue clenched her small fists and lifted her head again, her face wearing an eager expression, as if she were presenting a treasure.

"Mother! I awakened my Martial Soul today!"

"It is the Six-Winged Angel! And..."

She paused, seemingly wanting to save the most astonishing news for last, her voice rising a notch.

"I have Innate Full Soul Power, level twenty!"

Innate Full Soul Power, level twenty.

These words, like a thunderclap, exploded in Bibi Dong's mind.

Her pupils contracted violently.

Sealed memories, like a smashed floodgate, came surging out.

That snowy night six years ago.

That infant, also in swaddling clothes, whom she had personally thrown into the Far North.

That... other child of hers and that beast.

If he were still alive, today would also be his sixth birthday, the day of his Martial Soul awakening.

What would he... be like?

A momentary trance caused a rare trace of struggle and tenderness to appear in Bibi Dong's eyes.

My son...

Perhaps you were not wrong; you were innocent.

But...

I was not wrong either!

If there is anyone to blame, blame that beast Qian Xunji!

The moment this thought arose, that sliver of tenderness that had just emerged was thoroughly swallowed by boundless hatred.

On that exquisitely flawless face, the struggle and pain faded instantly, leaving only abyss-like malice and madness.

She looked at Qian Renxue below the steps, looked at that face seven parts similar to Qian Xunji, looked at that golden hair, that Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul...

All of this was a constant reminder of that humiliating past!

"Hum—"

The air let out a light tremor.

Two yellow, two purple, and four black—eight soul rings rose abruptly, and the phantom of a hideous, ink-green giant spider emerged silently behind her, emitting a terrifying aura that made one's heart palpitate.

"Since you are such an eyesore..."

Bibi Dong's voice sounded as if it had come from the Nine Nether Hells.

"Then... you might as well disappear."

She extended her hand, and the Death Spider Emperor phantom behind her moved in unison, spreading its blade-covered spider legs and lunging down toward the terrified, despair-stricken Qian Renxue!

She wanted to devour this spawn before her, who carried the bloodline of that man!

Qian Renxue was frozen in terror, her young heart overwhelmed by extreme fear; she even forgot to cry out, only able to watch helplessly as the shadow of death enveloped her.

Just at this critical moment.

"Stop!"

A majestic roar, like a great bell, exploded within the hall.

A brilliant golden holy light appeared out of thin air, instantly shattering the ink-green spider shadow. Immediately following, a figure as towering as a mountain stood before Qian Renxue.

The newcomer wore golden armor and possessed a majestic countenance; it was the Pope of Martial Soul Hall, Qian Xunji.

"Bibi Dong, have you lost your mind!"

Qian Xunji glared at the woman on the throne, his voice filled with disbelief.

"She is your daughter! You would kill her?"

Bibi Dong slowly withdrew her hand, and her spirit rings vanished from sight. She merely looked at Qian Xunji coldly, the corners of her mouth curling into a mocking arc, yet she remained silent.

Seeing her like this, Qian Xunji's fury burned even brighter, but he said nothing more.

He scooped up the trembling Qian Renxue, wrapped her in his cloak, and without even glancing at Bibi Dong, turned and walked away.

"From this day on, Xue'er shall be taught by me personally."

The icy voice echoed through the vast, empty hall.

When the figures of the father and daughter had completely vanished beyond the palace doors.

"Haha..."

"Hahahahahaha!"

Bibi Dong suddenly began to laugh, a manic sound that carried endless sorrow and hatred.

She slowly stood up, and her eight spirit rings appeared once more, pulsing around her body.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black.

Each spirit ring represented the marks of the hellish agony she had struggled through over these years.

She raised her hand, looking at her fair, slender fingers, as if she could see them stained with blood that could never be washed away.

"Qian Xunji..."

Her voice was as light as a wisp of smoke.

"In the past, I was no match for you, and so you destroyed me."

She lifted her head, her gaze seemingly piercing through the dome of the Pope Palace to look toward a certain direction; in those purple eyes, a fire that would burn everything to ash ignited.

"Wait for me three more years."

"Three years from now, it will be my turn to set the rules of this game."

"I will make you suffer ten thousand times more than death!"

Martial Soul Hall, Worship Hall.

This was the most sacred place in the entire Martial Soul Hall, and indeed, the entire Douluo Continent.

Unlike the cold and oppressive atmosphere of the Pope Palace, the Worship Hall was filled only with endless solemnity and reverence.

A massive statue of the Angel God stood in the center of the hall. The statue was a hundred meters tall, with twelve wings unfurled behind it as if to embrace the entire world, radiating a soft and holy golden light.

Beneath the statue, an old man with white hair and beard was kneeling in devout prayer.

He wore simple linen robes that seemed out of place in such splendor, yet the aura of a deep, unmoving mountain about him proved his status as a peerless powerhouse.

He was none other than the Great High Priest of Martial Soul Hall, the ninety-ninth-rank Peerless Douluo, Qian Daoliu.

Just then.

"Hum—"

The entire Worship Hall trembled slightly without warning.

The massive statue of the Angel God suddenly erupted with an unprecedented, brilliant golden light, illuminating the entire hall as if it were broad daylight.

An indescribable, holy pressure descended from the heavens.

Qian Daoliu's entire body shuddered as he jerked his head up, his aged eyes filled with excitement and fanaticism.

A miracle!

This was the sign that the Angel God had sent down an oracle!

An ethereal, majestic voice, impossible to distinguish as male or female, echoed in Qian Daoliu's mind and throughout the entire hall.

"The successor to the godhood has appeared."

The short sentence struck like a thunderbolt, exploding within the lake of Qian Daoliu's heart.

He was stunned for a moment, and then, a surge of immense, overwhelming joy flooded his soul.