Qian Renxue Sent Someone to Follow Him

"Young Mistress, Pufferfish has already caught up with that youth."

Snake Lance Douluo emerged from the shadows with his back hunched, his scaled arm casting a strange black shadow across the carriage.

Qian Renxue stroked the hilt of the Angel Holy Sword at her waist before speaking.

"He became a Soul Emperor at such a young age, and his Spirit Ring configuration is so monstrous. That means he is very likely the inheritor of another Divine Seat..."

Qian Renxue suddenly clenched her fist. The air inside the carriage let out a faint crackle as she said,

"Spare no effort to uncover his background. If he cannot be used by me, leave him forever in some dark alley of Heaven Dou City."

The night was as black as ink, shrouding all the bustle of Heaven Dou City.

Shen Lian pushed open the carved wooden door to a superior room on the second floor of Yuelai Inn. In the flickering candlelight, his slender silhouette was cast against the window lattice.

A faint scent of sandalwood drifted through the air, but it could not conceal the trace of blood in the corner—the scent of a stalker.

"Shen Lian, there's a 'poisonous fish' hiding in the shadow by the western wall."

Huang Tian's voice rang out in Shen Lian's Consciousness Sea, carrying a teasing hint of killing intent.

Shen Lian's fingers lightly brushed the hilt of the Dragon-Slaying Blade, and a cold smile curled his lips.

He slowly walked to the window and looked down at the bustling night market below. Then, with a flick of his finger, the candle went out with a puff.

In the darkness, dark golden light rose around Shen Lian, while the immense phantom of Huang Tian's dragon soul flickered into view behind him.

Overwhelming pressure spread out like a tide. The wooden beams groaned under the strain, and the window paper bulged beneath an invisible force.

Outside the door, Pufferfish Douluo's pupils abruptly contracted, his spiked back pressed tightly against the cold wall.

Cold sweat seeped from this Title Douluo's forehead, sliding down his twisted face and soaking the purple robe over his chest. That pressure was actually several degrees more domineering than even Grand Priest Qian Daoliu's!

"Go and bring the person who ordered you to follow me here right now."

Shen Lian's voice, wrapped in Soul Power, passed clearly through the door into Pufferfish's ears, every word striking his heart like a heavy hammer.

"Otherwise, I wouldn't mind taking someone to find her myself. But by then, I can't guarantee whether I'll kill her or not."

Before his words had faded, a clear ring of steel being drawn sounded from inside the room. A cold gleam slipped through the gap beneath the door, casting a chilling shadow at Pufferfish's feet.

Pufferfish Douluo's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed his terror.

He suddenly spun around. The spikes on his back smashed through the corridor railing, and he turned into a streak of purple light as he shot into the sky.

Against the myriad lights of the city, his fleeing figure looked especially pitiful, while Shen Lian leaned against the doorframe and watched the fading silhouette disappear.

Inside the study of the Crown Prince's Mansion, Ambergris curled up from a gilded beast-shaped incense burner, yet it could not mask the tense killing intent in the air.

Snake Lance Douluo's scaled fingers unconsciously tapped against the redwood desk with soft clicks, his gaze fixed on the half-open door.

When Pufferfish Douluo crashed through the carved wooden door and rushed inside, even the parchment scrolls on the desk were swept into the air by the gust he brought with him.

"Pufferfish, how did it go? Did you keep up with that youth?"

Snake Lance Douluo shot to his feet, the bone spurs at his waist scraping against his armor with a piercing screech.

Pufferfish Douluo panted heavily. His purple robe was soaked through with cold sweat, and the spikes on his back still trembled uncontrollably.

He staggered two steps and braced himself against the doorframe. His clouded eyes were bloodshot as he stared directly at Qian Renxue, who sat at the seat of honor.

"Young Mistress, I followed him, but after tracking him to where he was staying, he discovered me as well..."

His words came to an abrupt stop. He swallowed the metallic sweetness in his throat before continuing to Qian Renxue.

"And there was an exceptionally powerful person beside him. His aura was even stronger than Grand Priest's!"

Bang!

The white jade teacup in Qian Renxue's hand shattered. Scalding tea splashed onto her moon-white skirt, blooming into dark stains.

She abruptly rose to her feet, her golden hair flying with the movement as the phantom of the Angel Holy Sword flickered behind her.

"Stronger than Grandfather?"

As her pupils contracted, she recalled the awe she had felt as a child when she witnessed Qian Daoliu unleash a divine skill. That was pressure capable of gilding the entire sky in golden light. She continued,

"Could his Divine Seat be stronger than my Angel God? No, impossible. The Angel God is the strongest in Douluo Continent!"

The final words were nearly forced out through clenched teeth, carrying the fury of challenged authority.

Pufferfish Douluo dropped to his knees with a thud, his forehead striking the blue bricks heavily.

"Young Mistress, I believe the Angel God is the strongest!"

When he raised his head, blood had already seeped from his forehead. He continued speaking to Qian Renxue.

"But that youth asked me to tell you that if you do not go see him, he will come here and kill us. Even if we send a carrier pigeon to Grand Priest now, by the time reinforcements arrive..."

Before he could finish, Snake Lance Douluo had already punched the wall. Bricks scattered everywhere as he growled,

"This is utterly outrageous!"

Qian Renxue clenched her skirt tightly, her knuckles turning white.

Moonlight filtered through the window lattice and fell across her face, splitting her exquisite features between light and shadow.

After a long while, she drew a deep breath and returned to her seat of honor, her voice regaining its usual cold pride.

"Go. We have no way to deal with him now. On the contrary, our lives are in his hands."

Qian Renxue slowly stood, the golden patterns of her Angel Martial Soul glimmering faintly in the darkness.

She gazed into the deep night beyond the window, a dangerous curve rising at the corner of her lips.

"Interesting. Come, let us meet this mysterious inheritor of another Divine Seat. I hope he can withstand an Angel's wrath."

With that, she stepped out of the room first. Snake Lance and Pufferfish exchanged a glance behind her, tightened their grips on their weapons, and followed. The three figures soon vanished into the night.

The inn where Shen Lian stayed gleamed blue-gray beneath the moonlight. Copper bells beneath the eaves chimed softly in the draft running through the hall, as though foretelling the arrival of a storm.

When the three figures landed outside the inn, Shen Lian was leaning by the window, idly playing with Dugu Bo's Head Spirit Bone. A deep blue glow flowed through his eyes.

"Let your master enter alone. The other two can wait outside."

Shen Lian's voice, wrapped in Soul Power, pierced through the doorboard with unquestionable pressure.

The candle flames in the room suddenly flickered violently, casting twisted shadows across the walls.

"Impossible!"

Snake Lance Douluo bellowed, his bone-spiked arm slamming heavily against the doorframe and sending wood chips flying.

Pufferfish Douluo behind him instinctively retreated half a step. Recalling that terrifying pressure from before, the spikes on his back bristled again.

"What if you intend to harm Young Mistress?"

Snake Lance's roar carried the aura of a Title Douluo, while the presence of his Martial Soul Avatar faintly leaked out.

Shen Lian sneered, and dark golden light surged in his palm.

The phantom of Huang Tian's dragon soul abruptly appeared inside the room. Its enormous body nearly touched the rafters, and as it exhaled Dragon Breath, the air exploded with a piercing boom.

"If I truly wanted to kill her, you would already be dead."

The instant those words fell, the entire inn trembled. Outside, a locust tree was snapped by an invisible force, its branches and leaves scattering through the air.