"Soul Power: Level 3!"
At Golden Crocodile Douluo's announcement, the entire Worship Hall fell into a deathly silence.
Qian Renxue stared at the Soul Power crystal ball.
The faint glow remaining inside it was like a candle guttering in the wind, ready to go out at any moment—just like the last shred of her pride.
She slowly pulled back her hand, tucked it into her sleeve, and lowered her head without saying a word.
She turned and walked toward the exit.
But inside her sleeve, her hand had already clenched into a fist. Her nails dug deep into her palm, yet she seemed not to feel a thing.
Five years ago, she had still been carrying out an undercover mission in the Heaven Dou Empire.
One morning, she woke up,
and found that her Soul Power had strangely fallen from the Soul King realm to the Soul Elder realm.
It was as if an invisible hole had opened inside her body. No matter how many rare treasures she swallowed or how desperately she trained,
her Soul Power kept mysteriously dissipating.
Poison Thorn Douluo and Snake Lance Douluo had been scared out of their wits. They examined her over and over, countless times, but couldn't find the cause.
They thought she must have been struck by some vicious Soul Skill,
and secretly sent her back to Spirit Hall in the dead of night.
But even the combined strength of all Spirit Hall had been unable to find a solution.
Not even Qian Daoliu himself could change anything, despite invoking Angel Divine Power to cleanse her.
"Xiao Xue..."
Watching the girl's dejected figure, Light Feather Douluo lifted a hand, wanting to comfort her. But the words caught in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single one.
The Enshrined Ones couldn't help sighing inwardly.
Innate Soul Power Level 20, the most dazzling genius Spirit Hall had ever known—the girl they had watched grow up—
and now she...
They had long since guessed what the outcome would be. But now that they were witnessing it with their own eyes,
their hearts still ached. Unable to bear watching any longer, they all turned away.
Just then,
a voice devoid of emotion suddenly rang out:
"Xiao Xue is here today, too. As it happens, I have an announcement to make."
It was Qian Daoliu speaking.
He stood beneath the towering Angel God Statue, his handsome face stern.
The Enshrined Ones all turned to look at him in an instant,
and even Qian Renxue's steps involuntarily came to a halt.
"Three days from now, I will transfer the Angel God Suit on Xiao Xue to Qian Ye!"
As the words fell, the entire hall fell silent.
"I object!"
Light Feather Douluo's eyes widened in fury, and he was the first to leap to his feet.
"Big Brother! Xiao Xue is your own granddaughter! How can you treat her like this?"
"A Soul Bone! If you remove her Soul Bone, will she even survive?"
"How can you be so heartless?"
Right after him,
a handsome young man wearing a golden robe embroidered with the crest of the Six-Winged Angel family
hurried out from behind the Enshrined Ones,
fell heavily to his knees, and spoke with fervent sincerity:
"Great Enshrined, you mustn't!"
"I know you're thinking of Spirit Hall's future, but if it means sacrificing the young mistress, I could never bring myself to do it! I will never agree!"
Qian Renxue spun around as well, staring at Qian Daoliu in disbelief. A glimmer of hope still lingered in her eyes; perhaps she had simply misheard.
But Qian Daoliu didn't even look at her. His gaze remained fixed straight ahead, cold and impassive.
"The Angel God Suit is not only a priceless treasure of the Qian Family, but also a legacy passed down by Spirit Hall. How can we damage Spirit Hall's interests for the sake of one person?"
Qian Daoliu seemed to have considered everything already. He spoke without the slightest hesitation.
"As for Xiao Xue's safety..."
"Under ordinary circumstances, removing a Soul Bone would at best cripple one's cultivation, and at worst cost them their life. But with Angel Divine Power protecting her, we can naturally keep her alive!"
"Grandpa..."
At those words,
the tears welling in Qian Renxue's eyes finally spilled down her cheeks, despite her best efforts to hold them back.
She wiped them away, spun around, and stumbled out.
"Xiao Xue! Your grandfather—"
Seeing the direction Qian Renxue had gone, Light Feather Douluo was hopping mad with worry. But in the blink of an eye, she was already out of sight.
"Third Brother... Second Brother... Why don't you talk some sense into Big Brother?!"
But Golden Crocodile Douluo and the others acted as if they hadn't heard him, turning away indifferently.
Before this,
Qian Daoliu had already sounded out some of them, and they had all made up their minds.
Besides,
some of them had long since taken Qian Ye's side,
so naturally they had all the less reason to speak up and stop this now.
"Without the Angel God Suit, how will Xiao Xue carry out her undercover mission in the Heaven Dou Empire?"
Light Feather Douluo asked urgently, still making one final attempt to stand up for Qian Renxue.
Qian Daoliu replied calmly as before:
"The Angel God Suit's disguise will work just as well for Qian Ye."
"That's enough. I've made up my mind. There's nothing more to discuss!"
"Big Brother, you... all of you... Sigh!"
Light Feather Douluo pointed at Qian Daoliu and the other Enshrined Ones with a trembling finger, but couldn't manage to say another word.
He could only stamp his foot hard and storm out, flinging his sleeve in anger.
Qian Daoliu stood beneath the Angel God Statue, silently watching the direction the two had gone.
He made no move to stop them.
The sacred Angel Divine Light poured over him like a waterfall, enveloping him from head to toe in its glow,
yet he could no longer feel even the slightest warmth.
Qian Renxue was his only granddaughter, the darling he had watched grow up.
Removing her Soul Bone—
how was that any different from having his own heart torn out?
But he had no choice.
Because he could feel that he was close to losing control of that woman.
He had originally placed all his hopes in Qian Renxue,
keeping her away from Spirit Hall so she could cultivate in peace,
while he kept an eye on Bibi Dong and used a crushing workload to slow her cultivation.
Everything had been under his control.
As long as Qian Renxue became a god first, every problem could be solved.
But something had gone wrong with Qian Renxue!
One thing had set the whole chain in motion.
With no successors strong enough to carry on the Qian Family's legacy, Bibi Dong's power had grown day by day. The pressure on him kept mounting, and Spirit Hall's very foundations were showing signs of being shaken.
So he had no choice but to change his plans.
He planned to take Bibi Dong down with him, trading his old life for peace in Spirit Hall.
But the one thing he couldn't let go of was Qian Renxue. It was the Qian Family.
Once he died,
Qian Renxue, who possessed the Angel Set but couldn't cultivate, would surely become a target for everyone.
And without a supreme powerhouse to hold the fort, the Qian Family would inevitably lose its influence in Spirit Hall.
Fortunately, the angels had not abandoned the Qian Family. They had left them one last glimmer of hope.
Qian Daoliu slowly turned his gaze toward the young man kneeling on the ground, his back taut with nervousness. His tone softened a little.
"Good child, get up. Never forget the Qian Family's ancestral teachings. Carry the glory of the angels forward."
"I will heed the Great Enshrined's teachings! Qian Ye will engrave them in his heart and never forget them, even unto death. I will also protect the young mistress with my life!"
Qian Ye rose to his feet and made his solemn promise respectfully.
He knew, of course, that Qian Daoliu was asking him for a favor on Qian Renxue's behalf—
to protect her in the future.
But... how could he?
He was only a year or two older than Qian Renxue. Before she awakened her Martial Soul, he had been the Qian Family's greatest genius.
But Qian Renxue's Innate Level 20 Soul Power had stolen every bit of his limelight, leaving him gasping for air!
Overnight, he had been reduced to a mere backdrop.
That resentment, that trace of unwillingness—
he had swallowed it for more than a decade.
And now, at last, he had gotten what he wanted!
But this was only his first step.
As long as Qian Daoliu was still around,
he would remain as humble as ever. But he didn't believe the old man could live forever!
Seeing how sensible he was, Qian Daoliu's suspended heart finally settled.
Without the Angel Set,
and with the future head of Spirit Hall, Qian Ye, looking out for her,
along with his own deliberate estrangement,
it wouldn't be long before Xiao Xue faded from everyone's attention and lived out the rest of her life in peace.
When you love someone deeply, you plan far ahead for them.
As for those misunderstandings... let them go on misunderstanding!
That way, if he fell one day,
he wouldn't leave her with yet another grief to bear!
Before you continue