Twelve Years Later, She Had Become a True Saintess, No Longer a Girl in Need of Protection

Pufferfish Douluo furrowed his brow at her words.

The matter was important enough for the High Priestess to treat it with such gravity, and for the young mistress to take it so seriously. Its weight was self-evident.

He asked in a low voice, "Young mistress, should I escort you back?"

Qian Renxue shook her head lightly and looked out at the dark night beyond the window. Her voice was calm and decisive. "There's no need. The plan in Heaven Dou City is on track, but Emperor Xue Ye still doesn't fully trust me. Many arrangements also need someone to oversee them, in case anything goes wrong. After I leave, I'll entrust everything here to you and Uncle Snake Lance."

She paused, a sharp glint flashing in her violet eyes. "While I'm gone, you must be doubly cautious. Keep a close eye on Xue Ye, Xue Xing, and the Fourth Prince, Xue Beng, as well as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Heaven Dou Royal Academy. If anything urgent comes up, you may contact me through the backup channels. But unless it's an absolute emergency, don't act rashly. Keeping the current situation stable and making sure the plan stays secret must come first."

Pufferfish Douluo's expression turned solemn. He bowed and replied, "Yes! Rest assured, young mistress. Snake Lance and I will do everything in our power to ensure nothing goes wrong in Heaven Dou City. You may return to Spirit Hall and handle the important matter without worry."

"Mm." Qian Renxue nodded. She trusted the abilities of the two Titled Douluo, Pufferfish and Snake Lance.

Over the past six years, if not for their covert assistance and their handling of all sorts of unexpected situations, she might not have been able to disguise herself as Xue Qinghe so flawlessly.

"I'll leave tonight."

Having made her decision, Qian Renxue instructed him, "You may go. Tell Uncle Snake Lance everything I just said. After I leave, things in the East Palace should carry on as usual. Tell everyone that I've caught a slight chill and need to rest for a few days, and won't be receiving visitors."

"Yes, I understand!" Pufferfish Douluo bowed again. He asked no further questions, and with a flicker, slipped out of the room as silently as a ghost, closing the door behind him.

Silence returned to the room.

Qian Renxue walked to the window and pushed it open, letting the night breeze stir her hair beneath her disguise.

She gazed toward Spirit City, her violet eyes glimmering as her thoughts churned.

Her grandfather's urgent summons was like a stone dropped into a still lake, sending ripples across her heart.

The grand ambition of the Heaven Dou Empire was important, but Spirit Hall was her root, the seat of the Angel Clan's glory.

Her grandfather's urgency must have a reason.

She hesitated no longer and turned back into the inner room.

A moment later, a lithe figure dressed in tight black night clothes slipped silently out through a hidden passage in the East Palace and disappeared into the vast night.

The figure didn't fly straight out of Heaven Dou City. Like the most seasoned assassin, she used the shadows cast by buildings to evade every patrol and hidden sentry, slipping out of the heavily guarded Heaven Dou Imperial City—and even the outer city—with astonishing speed.

Only after getting well clear of Heaven Dou City, when she reached the skies above a desolate mountain forest, did the shadow stop.

She slowly raised a hand and removed the black mask from her face, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful countenance.

She looked up at the star-speckled sky and drew in a deep breath of the cold night air.

The next instant, dazzling golden light burst from within her!

Six enormous wings, composed entirely of golden, sacred energy, unfurled behind her!

Every feather seemed to be formed from the purest light. As the wings spread, feathers of radiance scattered through the sky, illuminating the surrounding forest as if it were broad daylight!

A vast, imposing, sacred presence spread like a tide, startling countless birds and beasts from the woods.

The Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul!

Golden light swirled in Qian Renxue's violet eyes. All the gentleness of her disguise was gone, replaced by the pride and sanctity of an Angel Inheritor.

At a thought, the six wings behind her beat fiercely!

Boom!

The air burst with a sound like a sonic boom!

Her figure became a dazzling golden shooting star, tearing through the clouds at terrifying speed as she raced toward Spirit City!

In her wake, she left only a golden trail that gradually faded, along with a sacred pressure that made the soul tremble.

At noon the following day, the blazing sun shone down on the magnificent walls of Spirit City, built from enormous white stone blocks, and glinted brilliantly off their surface.

The holy land in the hearts of Soul Masters across the continent remained as solemn and dignified as ever, with an inviolable sacredness about it.

A figure who looked a little travel-worn, yet whose peerless beauty remained undimmed, appeared quietly on Spirit City's broad main avenue.

She wore a simple long dress that accentuated her tall, graceful figure. Her golden hair fell loosely over her shoulders like flowing sunlight, and her violet eyes were as deep as a sea of stars. Her features were flawless, her bearing noble and sacred. It was Qian Renxue, who had hurried back from Heaven Dou City through the night.

The moment she entered Spirit City, Qian Renxue's steps faltered slightly, and an indescribably complex emotion flickered through her violet eyes.

She raised her head and looked at the familiar yet somehow strange city before her, and at Pope Palace and Worship Hall in the distance, towering as if they reached into the clouds. A flood of emotions surged through her.

Twelve years.

It had been twelve full years since her grandfather, Qian Daoliu, personally sent her away from Spirit City at the age of nine to infiltrate the Heaven Dou Empire as Xue Qinghe's maid.

For those twelve years, she had disguised herself as someone utterly unlike her in gender, personality, and life experience. She had maneuvered step by step through the imperial palace, a den of dragons and tigers, living every day among lies and schemes, treading on thin ice.

During that time, she had never set foot in Spirit City, and had hardly dared to contact Spirit Hall, afraid of revealing even the slightest flaw.

Returning to the place she once called home felt like passing into another lifetime.

The streets and buildings before her, and even the faint sacred aura in the air, were little changed from her memories. It was still the same Spirit City she knew, the place where she had been born and raised.

But time had changed everything. She was no longer a little girl in need of protection. She had grown into a Saintess capable of standing on her own and shouldering the future of the Angel Clan—or even the "crown prince," who had infiltrated the heart of an enemy nation and stirred the currents of power.

A faint weariness, along with a subtle sense of belonging, crept into her heart.

But Qian Renxue quickly forced those tender feelings down. She knew this was no time for reminiscing.

Her grandfather's urgent summons could mean nothing ordinary.

She suppressed every outward emotion, once more adopting that aloof, noble manner that kept others at a distance, and set off toward the heart of Spirit Hall.

She made no effort to conceal her presence or disguise herself. In her true appearance and as Spirit Hall's Saintess, she strode openly along Spirit City's main avenue.

Along the way, many Spirit Hall guards, stewards, and low-ranking Soul Masters caught sight of the woman with dazzling golden hair and astonishing beauty. Many first stared in surprise, then looked at her with admiration, uncertainty, or awe.

Although Qian Renxue had been only nine when she left Spirit City and had rarely appeared in public, her peerless beauty and the sacred air distinctive to the Angel Clan still allowed some of the older Soul Masters to guess her identity. They lowered their heads in greeting, not daring to look directly at her.

Qian Renxue kept her gaze straight ahead and walked at an unhurried pace toward the area where Pope Palace and Worship Hall stood.

Just as she was about to enter the corridor outside Worship Hall, a somewhat effeminate voice rang out beside her, tinged with surprise. "M-Miss?"