Qian Xunji's Death

"Hmph, you think I wouldn't dare?"

Qian Xunji gave a cold snort, then endured the agony in his soul and shot Gui Mei a look.

Gui Mei immediately understood. He nodded, then vanished into the shadows.

Bibi Dong had watched the whole thing, and her gaze was icy to the extreme.

She had meant to let Qian Xunji suffer a little longer from the pain of the Soul-Devouring Poison Insect, but it seemed she could only give him a quick death today.

Using a special secret technique to communicate with the Soul Devouring Worm, she made the poisonous insect hidden within its host's soul erupt into sudden violence, biting down even harder.

"Ah!!"

Qian Xunji could no longer endure the agony of having his soul devoured. With a scream, he clutched his head, collapsed onto the ground, and writhed in agony.

Yue Guan, who was standing guard nearby, and Gui Mei, who had not yet gone far, were both shocked.

"Saintess, please don't bring this upon yourself. Stop what you're doing."

"Otherwise..."

Bibi Dong paid no heed to Yue Guan's threat. She merely watched Qian Xunji roll about on the ground, a trace of satisfaction in her eyes.

"Saintess..."

Just as Yue Guan was about to make a move, Qian Xunji stopped struggling. Everything fell silent.

"This... This..."

As Titled Douluo, Yue Guan and Gui Mei could easily tell whether someone was alive or dead. Qian Xunji had clearly lost all signs of life.

A round, black insect egg slowly appeared atop the exquisite Pope Crown.

As the egg cracked, a strangely colored butterfly emerged from its shell and slowly fluttered into Bibi Dong's hand.

Bibi Dong observed it impassively for a moment, then brought the butterfly to her brow.

The butterfly immediately burrowed into her fair forehead and disappeared without a trace.

A black-purple radiance blossomed from within her, and the Rakshasa God Trial began.

"So this is what it feels like to devour a Six-Winged Angel? This aura really is as nauseating as all you sanctimonious hypocrites!"

Feeling the intensely evil aura emanating from Bibi Dong, Yue Guan and Gui Mei both instinctively stepped back, their eyes filled with terror.

"You..."

Bibi Dong ignored them. Her eyes were fixed on the Sacred Cloth, which had lost its Soul Power support and returned to the form of a Golden Ram beside Qian Xunji's corpse.

The Sacred Cloth had let Qian Xunji unleash astonishing strength even without Soul Power. It must be no ordinary thing. She wondered if she could use it herself.

Just as she approached the Sacred Cloth and reached out to touch it, the Golden Ram transformed into a golden streak of light and shot out of the cell, flying toward the Worship Hall.

Bibi Dong furrowed her brows, deeply displeased that the Sacred Cloth had escaped. At the same time, she grew even more curious about Lin Beiya, its other wearer.

But none of that mattered right now. She knew whether she would live or die depended on Qian Daoliu's decision.

After she began the Rakshasa God Trial, the soaring evil aura quickly caught Qian Daoliu's attention.

A flash of golden light appeared, and the old man soon stood before them.

His stern gaze swept over everyone, making Gui Mei and Yue Guan feel uneasy. After all, as guards, they had let the Pope turn into an empty shell devoid of any trace of a soul right under their noses. They could hardly escape blame.

"G-Grand Pontiff!"

Qian Daoliu paid Yue Guan no mind. His gaze fell on Qian Xunji, lying on the ground, and his pupils instantly contracted. An endless fury followed.

Even if Qian Xunji was a piece he had trained badly, that didn't mean he was a lamb for anyone to slaughter. Before Qian Renxue grew up, his son still had some use. Besides, they shared the same blood, and Qian Daoliu wasn't without feeling for him.

"Did you do this?"

Qian Daoliu asked Bibi Dong a pointless question, but she showed no fear. Meeting his gaze, she replied:

"Yes. Wasn't he supposed to die?"

Bibi Dong had little desire to live. She could stay alive and take revenge on the Angel Clan and bring down Spirit Hall, or she could die here without regret. After all, she had already devoured the true culprit.

Qian Daoliu's eyes shifted. As the High Priest of Angel God, he knew the aura of a deity better than anyone.

The aura around Bibi Dong clearly belonged to a divine inheritor, but that did nothing to diminish his desire to kill her. The evil aura blazing around her was obviously the opposite of Angel God's.

What truly made him hesitate was that she was Qian Renxue's mother.

Qian Renxue had grown up in his care, and he knew how desperately his granddaughter yearned for the woman before them to accept her.

After a fierce inner struggle and a long silence, Qian Daoliu looked up at Bibi Dong with icy eyes and said:

"You will serve as Pope for now. Tell the public that the former Pope was injured by Tang Hao of the Clear Sky Sect while hunting Soul Beasts and died of his wounds."

With a wave of his hand, Qian Daoliu carried Qian Xunji's corpse out of the cell, leaving only Chrysanthemum and Ghost, along with Bibi Dong, staring at one another.

Bibi Dong gave a cold laugh. Her contempt for the hypocritical Angel Clan only grew. They wouldn't even avenge their own son's death, and instead pinned the blame on the Clear Sky Sect. They were the very height of hypocrisy.

Still, this suited her just fine. She could build up her strength and utterly destroy the Angel Clan.

"Saintess... No, Pope!"

"Your Holiness!"

Bibi Dong nodded in satisfaction at the two men, who knew how to read the room.

"Mm."

"You were only doing your duty. I won't hold your past against you. After I take the throne, I'll be counting on both of you for your support."

Yue Guan and Gui Mei breathed a sigh of relief. They had feared Bibi Dong would settle accounts with them once she gained power, but it seemed things had worked out well enough.

"Don't worry, Your Holiness. Old Ghost and I will support you."

Qian Daoliu had already spoken, after all. They weren't foolish enough to jump out and oppose him like idiots. Hadn't they seen how Qian Xunji had been sucked dry and left as a soulless shell?

A streak of light swept past the Worship Hall and dropped into the Training Ground.

Lin Beiya had been sparring with Lei Ying when the light entered his head. His body shuddered.

He knew all too well what it meant when the Aries Gold Cloth returned on its own. Qian Xunji, badly wounded as he was, wouldn't have given up the Cloth willingly.

Seeing Lin Beiya suddenly stop, his face grave, Lei Ying looked confused.

"What's wrong, Bei Ya?"

Lin Beiya shook his head and withdrew his Soul Power, clearly no longer intending to work on his combat skills. He looked toward Little Angel in the distance, who seemed distracted, and for a moment didn't know how to break the news.

After a long pause, Lin Beiya decided to tell her the truth. Things had already come to this.

"Xiao Xue."

"Huh? What is it?"

Startled out of her thoughts by Lin Beiya's call, Little Angel turned to look at him.

"Go see the Grand Pontiff. Something must have happened to His Holiness the Pope."

"What?"

"That can't be!"

At his words, Qian Renxue and Lei Ying both cried out, staring at Lin Beiya in alarm.

"Bei Ya, how do you know something happened to my father?"

Unlike Lei Ying, who was simply surprised, Qian Renxue was frantic. It was only natural to worry when her father's safety was at stake.

Lin Beiya didn't explain. Instead, he summoned the Aries Gold Cloth on the spot.

Seeing the Cloth she knew so well, Qian Renxue immediately understood why Lin Beiya had said that. There could only be one reason her father would let go of the Cloth...

Once the thought hit her, Qian Renxue rushed toward the Angel Temple without a second thought. She wanted to ask her grandfather what had happened.