Rakshasa God's Inheritance and the Sun God Trial

The Pope's Palace appeared on the Sky Screen once again.

However, unlike the orderly state it was in when Qian Xunji first brought Yuan Qi here, the place was now in absolute chaos.

"Oh no, His Holiness the Pope has passed away!"

People were panicking and shouting everywhere.

"What? Father!" Qian Renxue, who had been planning to rest, heard the cries outside. She immediately jumped out of bed, threw on a cloak, and ran toward the Pope's bedchamber.

Yet, when she arrived, she did not see her father. Standing there instead was... her mother, Bibi Dong!

"You? Where is Father? They said Father..."

"Hum~" Bibi Dong stared expressionlessly at the daughter she had borne with that man. A visible red current coiled around her, and her eyes turned blood-red. She raised her arm, and a mass of purple energy condensed in her palm.

It is worth noting that she was in a state of Martial Soul Possession, with the phantom of the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor visible behind her and a ten-thousand-year soul ring beneath her feet.

A powerful pressure radiated from her, enveloping the tear-streaked Qian Renxue, making her body feel instantly heavy and rendering her unable to move.

"What, what are you doing?" Qian Renxue asked, her voice trembling as she looked at her mother.

Bibi Dong did not answer, merely letting out a cold snort: "Hmph!"

"Boom!" The purple energy in her palm shot out, heading straight for Qian Renxue's face.

"Whoosh!" At the critical moment, a golden spear shot in from outside the bedchamber, embedding itself in the ground before Qian Renxue. It erupted with a dazzling golden light, forming a barrier that shielded her.

"Bang!!!" A deafening explosion rang out. Everything inside the hall, including the bed, tables, and chairs, was pulverized in an instant. As the dust settled, the scene after the explosion was revealed.

The golden barrier slowly dissipated. Qian Renxue had fainted, collapsing against a figure's chest. A hand rested on her shoulder, supporting her to keep her from falling. The camera panned up to reveal the figure's face: a jade-like countenance with a tear mole at the corner of his right eye and a golden Sun Necklace hanging around his neck. It was none other than Yuan Qi!

"You?" Bibi Dong, her eyes still red, frowned at the boy who had suddenly appeared to obstruct her. She sensed a threat emanating from Yuan Qi.

Yuan Qi looked down at the girl collapsed against his chest, raised his right hand to stroke her head in a soothing gesture, and then turned his gaze toward Bibi Dong.

"Rakshasa aura. You have been influenced by the Rakshasa God," Yuan Qi said calmly.

"Hmph, I have received the inheritance of the Rakshasa God!" Bibi Dong corrected him, preparing to strike again. This time, she intended to annihilate the boy along with her daughter.

She spread her arms, and the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor behind her opened its gaping maw, lunging toward the two of them.

Facing such power, Yuan Qi remained completely unfazed. He unclasped the Sun Necklace from his neck and held it high. Hum~ The necklace erupted with a golden, sacred light that enveloped the entire bedchamber.

A moment later, the light vanished. Bibi Dong stood frozen in place, her blood-red eyes returning to normal. Her Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor martial soul had been forcibly deactivated. She staggered and collapsed to the ground.

Yuan Qi looked at her without a word, scooped up Qian Renxue, and turned to leave.

The scene shifted.

Martial Soul Hall was holding a grand enthronement ceremony. With the support of Qian Daoliu, Bibi Dong ascended to the position of Pope.

Qian Renxue, meanwhile, was depressed all day, heartbroken by her father's death and saddened by her mother's attempt on her life.

Yuan Qi watched from the sidelines, attempting to comfort her, but to no avail.

A few more daily scenes flashed by.

One morning.

Qian Renxue came to find Yuan Qi and said, "Yuan Qi, I am leaving Martial Soul City. I have just accepted a mission and must go away for perhaps five or even ten years."

Hearing this, Yuan Qi frowned: "So long? What kind of mission is it? Can you refuse it?"

Qian Renxue shook her head: "I have already given my word. This was also my father's dying wish, and as his daughter, I should help him fulfill it."

"Then I will go with y—"

"I came to say goodbye. We cannot go on this journey together. Father told me you come from very far away and that you have family. Now that Father is gone and I am leaving Martial Soul City, the current Pope is that woman. I fear you will not be at ease here. You... go back and find your family. Go live your own life." Qian Renxue bit her lip, her voice trembling as she forced the words out.

"You... want me to leave?" Yuan Qi asked, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"Yes. If you don't leave, that woman will make things difficult for you. I won't be here to protect you."

"I don't fear her. If not for you, I wouldn't have even spared her a glance," Yuan Qi said with a wave of his hand.

"Don't say such things. She is the Pope now," Qian Renxue shook her head.

"But..."

"Yuan Qi, we will meet again. When I finish my mission, you will surely receive word. When that time comes, you can return to Martial Soul City, and we can... drink tea, read books, and play together again. Doesn't that sound good?" Qian Renxue forced a bright smile at Yuan Qi.

Yuan Qi looked at that smile, unable to answer for a long time.

The scene shifted again. The young girl, escorted by a team of spirit masters, left Martial Soul City in a carriage. Yuan Qi stood on the city wall, watching her depart.

When the carriage finally vanished from sight, Yuan Qi sighed and murmured: "In the end... the time to part has come."

"Why did you not save Qian Xunji? You could have saved him," a vast voice suddenly echoed. Though the voice was grand, it seemed only Yuan Qi could hear it within the entirety of Martial Soul City.

"Did Qian Daoliu not fail to save him as well?" Yuan Qi did not answer the question, instead countering with one of his own.

The owner of the voice fell silent.

A moment later, he said to Yuan Qi: "Are you leaving this place now?"

"Ah, when I followed Qian Xunji here, my original intention was to train. But for the past year or so, I've been so caught up in other matters that I've almost forgotten my original purpose," Yuan Qi replied.

"Sun God Trial, Third Trial: Trial of the Mundane. You chose Martial Soul City back then. If you leave now, everything must start over. All traces of your past will be erased, and everyone who knew you will forget you. Are you certain you still want to leave?"

"Forget me?" Yuan Qi watched the direction the carriage departed, his gaze deepening slightly before he smiled and said, "She won't forget. The day we reunite, she will remember. She definitely will."

"Very well, I respect your choice. Then, little Yuan Qi, I shall now reset the third trial of the Sun God Trial for you!"

As this voice fell, the sun on the horizon seemed to respond to some sort of summons, suddenly shining with even greater intensity. Yuan Qi was bathed in the sunlight, his figure gradually becoming impossible to see clearly...

"The current Pope possesses the inheritance of the Rakshasa God?"

"How exactly did the previous Pope die? Looking at it this way, it seems a bit like..."

"The Sun God Trial? That Yuan Qi is someone chosen by the gods?!"