Third Place, Angel Douluo Qian Daoliu! The World Is Shaken!

It held a holy sword, its wings trembling slightly; every feather seemed cast from the purest gold, radiating a warmth and majesty that compelled one to prostrate in worship.

The previous chill and terror were swept away, replaced by an awe that originated from the depths of the bloodline.

Golden Crocodile Douluo, who had been murderous and ready to charge toward the Papal Palace, stiffened abruptly upon seeing the golden light filling the sky.

The crimson in his eyes was forced to recede, and he subconsciously halted his steps, looking up in reverence.

The golden radiance converged, transforming into lines of text burning with holy flames, branded upon the zenith of the sky:

[Top Ten Hidden Powerhouses, Fourth Place]

[Qian Daoliu]

[Identity: Grand Priest of the Worship Hall, Master of the Douluo Hall, Adjudicator Elder, Grand Priest of the Angel God]

[Martial Soul: Six-Winged Angel (God-level Martial Soul)]

[Level: Level 99 Limit Douluo (Demigod)]

[Special Status: Angelic Divine Power Blessing]

[Commentary:

Invincible in the sky, servant of the gods.

He is one of the three peerless Douluos of the current age, guarding Martial Soul Hall for over a century, shaking the world with his might.

Though he has not attained godhood, he is no longer a mere mortal.

The glory of the Angel God flows through his veins, granting him the authority to command Angelic Divine Power.

In his normal state, he stands at the realm of a demigod, perched at the pinnacle of humanity.

If he burns his Angelic Divine Power, he can forcibly cross the chasm in a short time, erupting with destructive combat power at the "Quasi-God" level!

He is the guardian of the Angel clan, and the... gatekeeper of that door leading to the God Realm.]

The scene shifted.

In the image, an old man with white hair and beard, possessing a handsome countenance, stood with his hands behind his back, suspended ten thousand meters in the air.

He made no superfluous movements; with just a narrowing of his eyes, the Six-Winged Angel phantom behind him swung its holy sword.

BOOM--!

A golden sword aura, a thousand meters long, slashed across the sky. The clouds were sliced open neatly, and space itself, before this power, was like fragile paper, shattering inch by inch.

That was not a soul skill, but a judgment imbued with "divinity"!

At this moment, soul masters across the entire continent were rendered speechless once more.

If Bibi Dong's strength carried an air of evil and eeriness, then what Qian Daoliu displayed was absolute suppression and sacred inviolability.

Shrek Academy.

Flender took off his glasses, his hands trembling as he wiped them, his voice incredibly dry:

"Level... Level 99..."

"A demigod?

A quasi-god?

Is... is this still a soul master?"

Yu Xiaogang stared fixedly at that name, his face ashen, his eyes filled with despair:

"Qian Daoliu... the legendary Grand Priest of Martial Soul Hall. So he is truly still alive, and... he has actually grown to such a terrifying extent."

"Commanding divine power... the quasi-god level... this is simply not something human power can contend with!"

Tang San clenched his fists tightly, his fingernails digging deep into his palms.

His Clear Sky Hammer, which he took such pride in, appeared so insignificant before such god-like power.

Could his great-grandfather Tang Chen... truly defeat a man like this?

Martial Soul Hall, in front of the Worship Hall.

Golden Crocodile Douluo looked at the evaluation on the Sky Screen. The rage that had been boiling due to the death of Qian Xunji had to be forcibly suppressed upon seeing the title "Grand Priest."

"Big Brother..."

Golden Crocodile Douluo turned around, looking toward the massive Angel God Statue deep within the Worship Hall.

An old man in a simple grey robe stood beneath the statue, though no one knew when he had arrived.

He stood with his back to the crowd, hands behind his back, his aura unfathomable, as if he had merged into the statue itself.

It was Qian Daoliu.

"Big Brother! If what the Sky Screen says is true, then Bibi Dong murdered Xunji, we must..." Golden Crocodile Douluo was filled with grief and indignation.

"I know."

Qian Daoliu's voice was terrifyingly calm, devoid of joy or anger.

He turned around slowly. In those golden eyes, there was neither grief for his son nor killing intent toward Bibi Dong, only a detachment that had seen through the ways of the world.

"Ji'er's skills were inferior, so if he died, he died."

"What?!"

The gathered elders were shocked, unable to believe these words had come from the Great Elder.

Qian Daoliu looked up, his gaze piercing through the hall toward the direction of the Papal Palace, then shifting to his own ranking on the Sky Screen, and said indifferently:

"Although Bibi Dong killed Ji'er, she has now initiated the Rakshasa God Trial, and with her Twin Martial Souls fully mastered, her strength is second only to me."

"If Martial Soul Hall wishes to unify the continent, we need her power."

"Furthermore..."

Qian Daoliu's gaze softened for a moment, as if thinking of something:

"Xue'er is still lurking in the Heaven Dou Empire. For the sake of Xue'er's future, Martial Soul Hall... cannot fall into chaos now."

Though his voice was aged, it carried an unquestionable majesty that instantly quelled the restless Worship Hall.

Yet, the deep sense of helplessness hidden in the depths of his eyes went understood by no one.

He was the strongest Great Elder, invincible in the sky.

But he was also the most pathetic "gatekeeper."

His mission was not to become a god, but to burn himself to pave the way... for the descendants of the Angel God.

In a teahouse in Suotuo City.

"Invincible in the sky, quasi-god combat power."

Gu Yuena watched the arrogant figure on the Sky Screen and let out a soft hum, her tone tinged with disdain:

"Nothing more than a false god borrowing divine power."

"So-called quasi-gods are merely ants who have just touched the edge of the rules; before a true God King, they could be extinguished with a single breath."

Gu Yuan smiled and refilled Gu Yuena's cup:

"To us, naturally, it counts for nothing."

"But for the current human world, this is indeed combat power at the ceiling level."

"Although Bibi Dong's methods are strange, in the face of absolute divine power suppression and the gap in cultivation realms, she truly cannot defeat Qian Daoliu right now."

"However..."

Gu Yuan changed the subject, looking at the words "gatekeeper" on the Sky Screen with an intrigued expression:

"This evaluation is quite apt."

"The Qian family has served the Angel God for generations. In his generation, despite his exceptional talent, he is destined never to become a god because he is the High Priest."

"His entire life is spent waiting for someone capable of initiating the Nine Trials of the Angel God, and then... sacrificing his own life to help them ascend."

Gu Yuena was slightly startled upon hearing this, then shook her head:

"Foolish faith."

"Humans always pin their hopes on ethereal gods, unaware of just how hypocritical those fellows in the God Realm truly are."

Gu Yuan took her hand and said softly:

"That is why we must break these rules."

"Qian Daoliu is ranked fourth, and Bibi Dong is ranked fifth."

"Then the top three..."

Gu Yuan's eyes burned as he looked at the Sky Screen.

"Aside from those two old fellows, I fear... it will be me."

Just as the two were conversing, the image on the Sky Screen trembled once more.

Qian Daoliu's golden figure slowly faded away.

This time, there was no grand momentum, no terrifying pressure.

The entire Sky Screen suddenly turned a deathly, blood-red.

It was not the red of flames, but the dark red of dried blood.

A soaring aura of slaughter, even through the screen, made it difficult to breathe, as if one were standing in a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

Lines of large characters, as if cast in fresh blood, slowly emerged with a soul-shaking murderous intent:

[Top Ten Hidden Experts, Third Place]