The Pope's Palace appeared on the Sky Screen once more.
But unlike the order and calm of the last time Qian Xunji had brought Yuan Qi here, the place was now in complete chaos.
"Disaster! His Holiness the Pope has passed away!"
People were shouting in panic everywhere.
"What? Father!" Qian Renxue, who had been about to rest, heard the shouts outside and immediately jumped out of bed. She threw on a cloak and ran toward the Pope's bedchamber.
But when she got there, she didn't see her father. Standing there was... her mother—Bibi Dong!
"You? Where's Father? They said he..."
"Vmmm—" Bibi Dong stared expressionlessly at the daughter she had borne to that man. A visible red aura coiled around her, and her eyes turned bloodred. She raised her arm, gathering a mass of purple energy in her palm.
It was worth noting that she was in Martial Soul Possession. The phantom of the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor loomed behind her, and a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring shone beneath her feet.
A powerful pressure radiated from her, bearing down on Qian Renxue, whose face was streaked with tears. Her body grew unbearably heavy, and she couldn't move at all.
"What... what are you going to do?" Qian Renxue asked, her voice trembling as she stared at her mother.
Bibi Dong didn't answer. She gave a cold snort. "Hmph!"
Boom! The purple energy in her palm shot straight toward Qian Renxue's face.
Whoosh! At the critical moment, a golden spear flew in from outside the bedchamber and struck the ground in front of Qian Renxue. It burst into dazzling golden light, forming a barrier around her.
Boom!!! A deafening explosion rang out. Every object in the hall—the bed, tables, chairs, and everything else—was reduced to dust in an instant. When the dust settled, the aftermath came into view.
The golden barrier slowly faded. Qian Renxue had fainted, collapsed against someone's chest. One hand rested on her shoulder, keeping her from falling. The view shifted upward, revealing a face as flawless as jade, with a beauty mark at the corner of his right eye. A gold necklace bearing a sun motif hung around his neck. It was Yuan Qi!
"You?" Bibi Dong's bloodshot eyes narrowed as she glared at the boy who had suddenly appeared to thwart her. She could sense a threat from him.
Yuan Qi lowered his gaze to the girl collapsed against his chest and raised his right hand, gently stroking her head as if to comfort her. Then he looked toward Bibi Dong.
"Rakshasa aura. You've been influenced by the Rakshasa God," Yuan Qi said calmly.
"Hmph. I inherited the Rakshasa God's legacy!" Bibi Dong corrected him, then prepared to attack again. This time, she would kill the boy before her as well.
She spread her arms. The Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor behind her opened its enormous jaws and lunged toward them.
Facing such an imposing attack, Yuan Qi remained perfectly calm. He took the Sun Necklace from around his neck and raised it high. Vmmm—at once, the necklace released a burst of sacred golden light that enveloped the entire bedchamber.
A moment later, the light faded. Bibi Dong stood frozen in place, her eyes returned to normal, and her Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor Martial Soul had been forcibly deactivated. Then she staggered and fell to the ground.
Yuan Qi looked at her without a word, picked up Qian Renxue in his arms, and turned to leave.
The scene shifted.
Spirit Hall was holding a grand coronation ceremony. With Qian Daoliu's support, Bibi Dong took the seat of the Pope.
Qian Renxue, meanwhile, was gloomy every day, heartbroken over her father's death and saddened that her mother had tried to kill her.
Yuan Qi watched from the sidelines. He tried to comfort her, but nothing worked.
A few more scenes of their daily lives flashed by.
One morning.
Qian Renxue came to find Yuan Qi. "Yuan Qi, I'm leaving Spirit City. I've just accepted a mission, and I have to go away for a while. I might be gone for five or even ten years."
Yuan Qi furrowed his brow. "That long? What kind of mission is it? Can't you refuse?"
Qian Renxue shook her head. "I've already agreed. It was also my father's dying wish. As his daughter, I should help him fulfill it."
"Then I'll go with—"
"I came to say goodbye. We can't go together this time. Father told me that you came from a very distant place and that you have family. Now that he's gone, and I'm leaving Spirit City too, that woman is the Pope of Spirit Hall. If you stay here, you probably won't be comfortable either. You should... go find your family and live your own life." Qian Renxue bit her lip. Her voice trembled, but she still managed to say it.
"You... want me to leave?" Yuan Qi's eyes widened slightly as he asked in disbelief.
"Mm. If you stay, that woman will make things difficult for you. I won't be here to protect you."
"I'm not afraid of her. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have given her a second thought." Yuan Qi waved a hand.
"Don't say that. She's the Pope now." Qian Renxue shook her head.
"But..."
"Yuan Qi, we'll see each other again. Once I finish my mission, you'll surely get word. Then you can come back to Spirit City, and we can... drink tea, read, and play together again. How does that sound?" Qian Renxue tried to give Yuan Qi a radiant smile.
Yuan Qi gazed at that smile and remained silent for a long time.
The scene shifted again. Escorted by a group of Soul Masters, the girl left Spirit City in a carriage. Yuan Qi stood atop the city wall, watching her go.
When the carriage disappeared from view, Yuan Qi sighed and murmured, "So... the time to part has finally come."
"Why didn't you save Qian Xunji? You could have saved him." A vast voice suddenly rang out. Though its voice was immense, it seemed that only Yuan Qi could hear it throughout all of Spirit City.
"Didn't Qian Daoliu leave him to die too?" Yuan Qi didn't answer the question, but asked one in return.
The voice's owner fell silent.
After a while, he asked Yuan Qi, "Are you leaving this place?"
"Yeah. I came here with Qian Xunji to gain experience, but this past year and more, I've been caught up in other things and nearly forgotten why I came in the first place," Yuan Qi replied.
"Sun God Trial, Third Trial: Trial of the Mundane. You chose Spirit City back then. If you leave now, everything will have to start over. All traces of your past will be erased, and everyone who knew you will forget you. Are you sure you still want to leave?"
"Forget me?" Yuan Qi looked toward the road where the carriage had disappeared, his gaze growing deeper. Then he smiled and said, "She won't forget. The day we meet again, she'll remember. I'm sure of it."
"Very well. I respect your choice. Then, little Yuan Qi, I'll reset the Sun God Trial's Third Trial for you now!"
As the voice fell, the sun on the horizon seemed to answer some kind of summons, and its light suddenly grew even brighter. Yuan Qi stood bathed in sunlight, his figure gradually fading from view...
"The current Pope inherited the Rakshasa God's legacy?"
"How exactly did the former Pope die? Looking at this, it seems a little like..."
"The Sun God Trial? Was that Yuan Qi chosen by a god?!"
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