Qian Renxue bent down slightly and reached out to pinch Lin Yuan's rosy cheek.
"All right. Big sis will wait for you to grow up and protect me."
While Lin Yuan and Qian Renxue shared a tender moment...
Elsewhere, the atmosphere inside the Pope's Palace was oppressively tense.
At the far end of the spacious, luxurious hall, Qian Xunji sat on the gem-encrusted papal throne, his face so dark it looked ready to drip water.
He clutched a confidential report that a Red Cardinal had just delivered. The veins on the back of his hand bulged.
"Innate Full Soul Power at level twenty... blessed by a Divine King's prophecy..."
"Without even releasing his Martial Soul, he used nothing but a mutated domain to knock out Yan and Xie Yue in two moves, even though they'd already obtained Hundred-Year Soul Rings."
Qian Xunji read the report word by word, greed and jealousy in his eyes almost solid enough to touch.
He slammed the scroll of parchment onto the desk before him with a heavy thud.
"What an unparalleled genius! What a Lin Yuan!"
The Red Cardinal standing below trembled all over, his head nearly bowed to the floor. He didn't even dare breathe too loudly.
Qian Xunji rose to his feet, his magnificent papal robes dragging heavily across the steps.
With talent this terrifying, if the child grew up without a hitch, he would surely become a peak powerhouse capable of sweeping across the continent.
Even the Qian Family's Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul paled beside this child.
Since Lin Yuan belonged to Spirit Hall, he absolutely couldn't be left in the hands of that uncontrollable woman, Bibi Dong.
He had to snatch up this promising talent and keep him firmly in his grasp, molding him through indoctrination and training.
"Prepare the carriage!"
"I'm going to the Saintess Palace!"
Qian Xunji ordered coldly, then strode out of the hall.
At that moment, inside the Saintess Palace...
Bibi Dong sat on the velvet sofa in the seat of honor, holding an ancient book about Soul Beasts of old.
Suddenly, someone shoved the doors open from outside, making them creak harshly.
Qian Xunji stormed in with a squad of gold-armored guards.
Bibi Dong didn't even raise an eyelid. Her gaze remained on the pages, though she stopped turning them.
"What are you doing here?" Bibi Dong asked coldly without looking up.
Qian Xunji waved a hand, motioning for the guards to wait outside, then shut the doors behind him.
He walked up to the sofa and looked down at Bibi Dong.
"You know perfectly well why I'm here."
"Hand over that child, Lin Yuan. I'll take him back to the Pope's Palace and train him myself."
Qian Xunji got straight to the point, putting on all the lofty airs of the Pope.
Bibi Dong slowly closed the ancient book and set it on the coffee table beside her.
She lifted her head, her breathtakingly beautiful face utterly composed, with nothing but undisguised contempt in her eyes.
"I'm the one who brought Lin Yuan here."
"Why should I hand him over to you?"
Qian Xunji clasped his hands behind his back and snorted.
"Because I'm the Pope of Spirit Hall!"
"Lin Yuan is a once-in-ten-thousand-years genius. Innate Full Soul Power at level twenty—what kind of talent is that? A gem like him deserves the Pope's personal guidance and the very best resources Spirit Hall can offer."
"You're a woman who spends all day cooped up in the Saintess Palace. What could you possibly know about cultivating a powerhouse?"
"If the child stays with you, you'll only waste his heaven-defying talent! The Pope's Palace is the only place he belongs!"
His words sounded lofty and righteous, an attempt to pressure her with his authority and the greater good.
Bibi Dong let out a cold laugh as soon as he finished.
She slowly rose to her feet. Her gorgeous Holy Maiden gown showed off her tall, voluptuous figure to perfection.
Her full chest rose and fell with each breath, her long legs faintly visible beneath her skirt. An aura of noble beauty, charged with an unmistakable sense of oppression, emanated from her.
"Your personal guidance?"
Bibi Dong sneered without holding back.
"With your laughable ability, what could you possibly teach him?"
"You know perfectly well how you got your nine-ring Titled Douluo cultivation, don't you? You're nothing but trash, propped up by the Qian Family's meager legacy!"
"What gives you the right to come here and try to take him from me?"
Her words struck Qian Xunji right in the heart, sharp as knives.
He hated people bringing up his strength and his family's backing more than anything.
Qian Xunji's face turned livid, the muscles at the corners of his eyes twitching violently.
He abruptly released his Soul Power. Dazzling golden light erupted through the hall, and the pressure of a nine-ring Titled Douluo bore down on Bibi Dong like a mountain.
"Bibi Dong! You've gone too far!"
"Watch your tongue!"
"I'm the highest authority in Spirit Hall! You're just a Holy Maiden I promoted. Don't forget your place!"
Qian Xunji glared at her and bellowed.
Faced with that overwhelming pressure, Bibi Dong didn't give an inch.
Purple-black Soul Power surged from her body, effortlessly blocking the force before it could reach her.
Bibi Dong strode toward Qian Xunji, one step at a time.
Her beautiful eyes blazed with icy cruelty and hatred.
"Your place?"
Bibi Dong sneered again.
"And you have the nerve to talk to me about my place?"
"You sanctimonious hypocrite! You wear the Pope's robes, but you do things worse than an animal!"
"Have you forgotten what disgusting thing you did back then, in that secret chamber?"
"If you hadn't been a beast, would I have become what I am today? And you still have the nerve to act like the Pope in front of me!"
At the mention of that humiliating past, the killing intent around Bibi Dong surged.
The chill of her murderous aura sent the temperature in the hall plummeting.
Qian Xunji's expression changed. His heart clenched, and he instinctively stumbled back two steps.
That incident was the greatest stain on his life. He was terrified Bibi Dong might lose control and reveal everything.
"Y-you stop twisting things around! I'm discussing that child's future with you. Why bring up old history?"
Qian Xunji forced out a defense, but his words clearly lacked conviction.
Bibi Dong kept advancing.
She lifted her snow-white neck high, her eyes full of scorn.
"His future? What kind of future could he have with a beast who's a monster in human clothing?"
"Qian Xunji, as long as I'm alive, I will never hand Lin Yuan over to you!"
Bibi Dong abruptly spread her arms, staring straight into Qian Xunji's eyes.
"Aren't you the Pope? Don't you want him?"
"Then kill me!"
"Do you dare?"
Her string of piercing questions left Qian Xunji drenched in sweat.
The scorn at the corners of Bibi Dong's mouth grew even more pronounced.
"If you kill me, who'll handle Spirit Hall's mountain of tedious affairs? Who'll go to the front lines and keep those old fossils in check?"
"Are you going to do it, you useless coward who hides in the Pope's Palace and schemes behind everyone's backs?"
"Don't forget, you're injured. Getting hit by the Clear Sky Hammer didn't feel too good, did it?"
Qian Xunji was cursed up and down, trembling with rage.
He pointed at Bibi Dong's nose, his finger shaking violently, but he couldn't manage a single retort.
Spirit Hall's stability depended on this woman's skill in keeping things running smoothly.
"You... You're impossible!"
"Just you wait! This isn't over!"
Seeing that Bibi Dong wouldn't yield, no matter whether he tried force or persuasion, and that he couldn't get the upper hand, Qian Xunji could only leave her with a feeble threat.
He flung his golden sleeve and stormed out of the Saintess Palace, choking on frustrated anger.
The hall's doors slammed shut behind him.
Before you continue