Eight Years Later

And so, eight years passed.

Over those eight years, Tai Yi and Qian Renxue improved at an astonishing pace under the guidance of the old men of the Worship Hall.

Fifteen-year-old Tai Yi's Soul Power had risen from level forty-two to level sixty-five. Gaining twenty-three levels of Soul Power in eight years would have been astonishing progress for anyone else, but for Tai Yi, it was actually rather slow—not even four levels a year.

The reason was simple. Tai Yi's Three-Legged Golden Crow Martial Soul possessed attributes even purer than those of an ultimate Martial Soul. After his Soul Power surpassed level thirty, his cultivation speed slowed. Moreover, as his Soul Power increased, the gains he once received simply by basking in the sun had become negligible.

More importantly, Tai Yi had successfully compressed his Soul Power over the past few years and condensed a Soul Core.

Meanwhile, Qian Renxue's Soul Power had risen from level fifty-three to level seventy-two over those eight years, making her a Soul Saint. More importantly, she had successfully accepted the Angel Nine Trials and begun inheriting her Divine Position.

With Tai Yi's help, Qian Renxue had also successfully condensed a Soul Core, just like him.

Over those eight years, Qian Renxue's return drove an ever deeper wedge between the Worship Hall faction and the Pope Palace faction. Bibi Dong also realized that her control over Spirit Hall was steadily weakening. Some branch halls no longer even obeyed her, the Pope.

A large number of Spirit Hall members within Spirit City were the same. They would listen to Bibi Dong's words, but unless the Pope Palace approved them, they simply acted as though they had heard nothing.

Because of this, Bibi Dong's hatred for Qian Renxue only deepened.

As Hu Liena stayed by Bibi Dong's side every day, she naturally saw all of this. If Bibi Dong was the person in all of Spirit City who hated Qian Renxue most, then Hu Liena was undoubtedly second.

Something else had happened during those eight years. When Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan had just broken through to become Soul Ancestors, Bibi Dong ordered Spirit Hall's Soul-Hunting Squad to find suitable soul beasts for them and bring them back to Spirit City.

However, by sheer coincidence, the captain of that Soul-Hunting Squad was a devout follower of the Angel God. After learning that Qian Renxue, the former Pope's daughter, had returned to Spirit City, he wanted only to serve her, the possessor of the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.

Thus, after receiving Bibi Dong's orders, the captain did not dare openly disobey. He led his men to the Star Dou Forest, but once there, they spent an entire month dragging their feet outside and never returned, wasting Hu Liena and the others' cultivation time for nothing.

Bibi Dong naturally discovered what had happened and flew into a rage. She prepared to find the Soul-Hunting Squad, but their captain was no fool. The moment he learned of this, he immediately brought his men to Qian Daoliu.

When Qian Daoliu heard what the man had done, he did not know what to say. He was pleased that the Angel lineage had such loyal believers, but he was also speechless. Although Qian Daoliu hoped to see his granddaughter become the Pope of Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong was still his daughter-in-law and his granddaughter's mother. The Qian Clan had wronged Bibi Dong.

Besides, in Qian Daoliu's eyes, Hu Liena and the other two could not affect Qian Renxue or Tai Yi. Delaying their cultivation was, in another sense, weakening Spirit Hall itself.

In the end, Bibi Dong went to Qian Daoliu and demanded that he punish the disobedient Soul-Hunting Squad. But how could Qian Daoliu agree? That group had been working for the Qian Clan, after all.

To compensate Bibi Dong and strengthen Spirit Hall's overall power, Qian Daoliu decided to give her three fruits borne by Immortal Herbs for Hu Liena and the other two.

Since they were not complete Immortal Herbs, their effects were not especially powerful. After absorbing their Spirit Rings, Hu Liena and the others only advanced from level forty-one to level forty-four.

Yet that increase immediately made Hu Liena feel invincible. She also learned that she and the others had lost an entire month because of this incident.

Hu Liena then blamed the matter on Qian Renxue. So when Tai Yi left the Worship Hall alone and entered Spirit City one day, Hu Liena, who had long harbored such intentions, found out.

Hu Liena then decided to teach Tai Yi a lesson, as a way of showing Qian Renxue what she could do.

So, Hu Liena called Xie Yue and Yan to block Tai Yi in Spirit City, intending to beat him up.

Xie Yue wanted to vent his anger for his sister, while Yan was simply a shameless simp. He followed Hu Liena and helped block Tai Yi's path.

All of them wanted to teach Tai Yi, who was three years younger than them, a lesson.

But reality did not go as they wished. While the three of them were still relying on their numbers to hurl threats at Tai Yi, he attacked without warning. At the time, Tai Yi's Soul Power was level fifty-five, and dealing with the three of them was effortless.

Before Hu Liena and the other two could react, he had knocked them all to the ground. They collapsed there, unable to move.

Only after someone found them and examined them did they learn that Tai Yi had broken all of their arms and legs.

Fortunately, they had been discovered in time and were saved by healing Soul Masters. There would be no lasting consequences.

As their teacher, Bibi Dong was naturally furious over what had happened. She immediately went to Qian Daoliu, demanding that he hand over Tai Yi and give her an explanation.

But when Qian Daoliu learned that Hu Liena and the other two had intended to teach Tai Yi a lesson, only to misjudge his strength and get beaten instead, and that Bibi Dong still dared to come to him demanding that he hand Tai Yi over—

Qian Daoliu's expression immediately turned cold. He looked at Bibi Dong and asked,

"Bibi Dong, do you think I, Qian Daoliu, am easy to push around?"

That single sentence forced Bibi Dong back. She knew there was nothing she could do, since it had been her own direct disciples who had tried to make the first move.

Bibi Dong left in anger. At the same time, she pushed aside the Rakshasa God's words from back then. All she thought now was that the day she became a god would be the day she acted against the Qian Clan and Tai Yi.

From that day onward, after Bibi Dong's warning, Hu Liena and the other two no longer dared to cause trouble for Tai Yi and Qian Renxue.

But the grudge had been formed. Hu Liena and the other two resolved to cultivate diligently, hoping that one day they could take revenge.

And so, several more years passed.