Xue Qinghe withdrew his probing gaze. He felt that the amount of information tonight was already substantial enough, and besides, as an outsider, he had no reason to stay here any longer. He turned around and gently instructed Xue Ke beside him:
"Ke'er, please be extremely careful while staying here. If you sense anything amiss, immediately send someone back to the palace to deliver a message. Although your brother Gu Tian is incredibly powerful, you are, after all, a princess of the empire. It's best to be cautious in everything you do."
Xue Ke nodded obediently. "Okay, brother, you should go back and rest. You have to get up early tomorrow to handle government affairs."
Xue Qinghe nodded slightly, preparing to leave. Before leaving, he saw Gu Tian turning his head to whisper something to Aria. Moonlight shone on the boy, revealing a maturity far beyond his years. Xue Qinghe's heart stirred, and as if possessed, he reached out and gently nudged Gu Tian's shoulder, smiling as he said:
"Brother Gu Tian, I'll take my leave now. Don't forget our promise; I'm entrusting Xue Ke to your care."
However, at the very moment this brief physical contact occurred, time seemed to freeze.
Buzz--!
Both of their bodies trembled violently at the same time. An extremely pure wave of Soul Power surged into their meridians through the point of contact. The Soul Power was scorching and holy, several times purer than the Soul Power they usually cultivated through hard work. It was like the fire of the sun from the same source, stirring up ripples in their blood.
Within the Sea of Consciousness, Ao Linxi, who had been quietly observing, suddenly opened her Nine-Colored Divine Eyes, her tone revealing an undisguised surprise:
" Xiao Tian, be careful! This Xue Qinghe... no, it's Qian Renxue! The Six-Winged Angel essence within her is throbbing wildly. It seems she has also begun her Angel God Trial; the ultimate divine power of light resonates with the aura Aria gave you at a divine level!"
At this moment, Xue Qinghe's heart was in turmoil.
Through this moment of resonance, he sensed the unfathomable luminous foundation within Gu Tian's body. At this moment, Qian Renxue, though outwardly a gentle and refined prince, was actually only eighteen years old, yet her Soul Power Level had already reached the terrifying bottleneck of level fifty-nine, just one step away from entering the Soul Emperor realm.
To maintain her covert presence, she could only cultivate secretly at night during this period. Qian Daoliu once praised her talent as unparalleled throughout history and personally initiated the Angel God Trial for her some time ago.
Thinking of the moment when the divine test began, Qian Renxue's expression became somewhat dazed, her thoughts like a kite with a broken string, falling into that bitter childhood locked deep within the Papal Palace.
In that magnificent Spirit City, with her identity as Six-Winged Angel, her childhood should have been filled with golden sunlight, but in reality, that sunlight never shone into her heart.
She remembered when she was six years old, she had just awakened her innate level 20 Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul. Excitedly, she held the sunflower wreath she had woven herself and ran barefoot to the back garden of the Papal Palace, wanting to share it with the woman who always sat in the shadows.
"Mom! Look, here's a flower wreath for you..."
Her joyful calls were met with a gaze colder than frost. Bibi Dong didn't even glance down at the flower that symbolized love; she simply waved her long robe coldly.
"Get out. I told you not to call me that."
That was the first time she realized that the word "mother" was a taboo in the Spirit Hall. No matter how hard she cultivated or how much unparalleled talent she displayed, that woman's eyes always held only disgust, alienation, and a twisted hatred that sent chills down her spine and made her want to erase her.
Only her father, Qian Xunji, and grandfather, Qian Daoliu, were the last source of warmth in her life.
But all of this collapsed completely when she was eleven years old.
That day, the sky was so gloomy it seemed about to fall. Qian Xunji returned Qian Xunji injured, his once imposing body shattered by Clear Sky Douluo's giant hammer.
Shortly thereafter, his father passed away, and the Papal Palace changed hands.
She would never forget the day Bibi Dong ascended the Pope throne. The woman wore a magnificent Pope robe, held a scepter, and her gaze was no longer cold and aloof, but filled with a kind of madness born of revenge. And she, as a member of the Qian Family, became the only stain in Bibi Dong's eyes.
Grandpa Qian Daoliu did not argue with Bibi Dong, but instead chose to retire from the Douluo Hall and no longer concern himself with the power transition in the Papal Palace. He placed all his hopes on Qian Renxue.
" Xue'er, the Six-Winged Angel is the embodiment of justice in the Divine Realm, the absolute light." Before the Angel God Statue overlooking all living beings, Grandpa's aged voice echoed in the empty hall, "God does not need personal feelings, because personal feelings will blind the eyes of judgment. If you want to inherit the legacy of the Angel God, you must undergo trials that mortals cannot imagine."
The price of initiating the Angel God Trial is extremely cruel.
She knelt before the golden statue that exuded divine power for one hundred and eight days. There was no food, no water, only the holy light constantly flowing into her body, scorching every inch of her bones. In those long days and nights, what appeared most often in her mind was that woman's indifferent face.
The First Trial test— the Angel's Heart —is not about teaching her to love, but about teaching her to "give."
Six-Winged Angel are the judges of justice in the Divine Realm, responsible for determining good and evil. However, familial affection can tarnish this justice. Only by severing all emotions and desires can one preserve light, justice, and one's pure heart.
In that illusion, Bibi Dong opened her arms, wanting to embrace her—the tenderness she had longed for for over a decade. But just as she was about to touch that warmth, her grandfather's voice resounded deep within her soul:
"Sever it! Sever your longing for maternal love! It is the only shackle on your path to godhood!"
In that heart-wrenching pain, she personally wielded the Angel Holy Sword, shattering the projection of her mother in the illusion. At that moment, her heart turned cold, hardened, and became utterly pure.
It was precisely to completely escape the suffocating Papal Palace and Bibi Dong's omnipresent disgust that she chose to cross national borders and come to the Heaven Dou Empire to carry out this almost suicidal infiltration mission.
Here, she is the perfect Xue Qinghe. She needs neither maternal love nor familial affection.
"Brother? Brother, what's wrong?"
Xue Ke's anxious voice rang in her ears, pulling Xue Qinghe back from her scattered thoughts.
He suddenly snapped out of his daze and realized that he had been staring at Gu Tian's arm for a long time, and hadn't even pulled his hand back.
"Oh... excuse me." Xue Qinghe took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging Soul Power and emotions within him, and once again restored his perfect disguise. "I've probably been too tired lately, and I was a little distracted. Brother Gu Tian, until we meet again."
He turned around and climbed into the carriage with slightly unsteady steps. The moment the curtain fell, he slumped against the soft couch as if all his strength had left him, watching the scenery rushing past the window, his palms covered in cold sweat.