The Ugly Truth

In the blink of an eye, more than a day had passed.

Qian Qizhou looked at the spatial entrance below and flew straight through it.

Without pausing for a moment, he flashed into view before the palace gates and hurried inside.

Inside the palace, Guang Ling had sensed his return and emerged from the inner hall.

Seeing Qian Qizhou come back safe and sound, he finally let out a breath of relief. A note of concern in his voice, he was just about to speak.

The next second, his gaze was drawn to the woman behind Qian Qizhou.

The faint pressure emanating from Snow Empress made Guang Ling's pupils contract. He grew wary.

Almost instinctively, he stepped forward and shielded Qian Qizhou behind him.

He asked in a low voice, "Xiao Zhou, who's the woman who came back with you?"

Though he sensed no hostility from her, it was clear that even he had never seen her before. Xiao Zhou could hardly have known her from before, either.

Her unfathomable strength and faint aura both proclaimed just how powerful she was.

Seeing Guang Ling shield him, Qian Qizhou hurriedly explained, "Ling, don't be nervous. This is Snow Empress..."

He briefly explained Snow Empress's identity and clarified their relationship.

It might have been different with someone else, but there was no need to hide this from Guang Ling. Besides, no other explanation would have worked.

Only after hearing Qian Qizhou's words did some of the tension leave Guang Ling's face. He looked at Snow Empress in disbelief.

A Ferocious Beast from the Far North? And one on the verge of seven hundred thousand years of cultivation?

With strength like that, she could probably take on the Great Enshrined without him using divine power.

Snow Empress showed no reaction to Guang Ling's wariness. She merely glanced back at him indifferently, then paid him no further attention.

Qian Qizhou reassured Guang Ling, then impatiently got to the point. "Ling, we can talk about that later. I heard some news while I was out. I heard Father... Qian Xunji has fallen?"

"Was he killed by Tang Hao? Is that really true? What happened?"

At that, a complicated look passed over Guang Ling's handsome face: solemnity, regret, and something he couldn't quite put into words.

He sighed softly and nodded. "It's true. The Pope has indeed fallen."

Feeling Qian Qizhou's gaze on him, Guang Ling lowered his eyes slightly, unable to meet it.

He knew the full story. As soon as it happened, he had gone to Spirit Hall.

But how was he supposed to explain it? Tell Xiao Zhou that his mother had killed his father because his father had wronged her?

It was such a melodramatic mess. How could he possibly say it?

The Great Enshrined hadn't killed Bibi Dong because he feared Qian Renxue would learn the truth and grieve, then turn her hatred toward Tang Hao. Better for her to hate him than her own mother.

But Qian Qizhou watched Guang Ling's eyes closely and didn't miss that brief moment of hesitation or the slight unnaturalness in his voice.

They had been together day in and day out, and he knew Guang Ling too well. Though much older than him and immensely powerful, Guang Ling was actually rather guileless. He almost never hid his feelings, and he was even worse at lying.

Qian Qizhou's heart sank. Guang Ling's reaction confirmed his suspicions.

There seemed to be more to Qian Xunji's death than met the eye.

He sighed and spoke slowly. "Ling, you know you're no good at lying. You're keeping something from me, aren't you?"

"As for Qian Xunji's death, I'm afraid what you just told me isn't the whole story."

Guang Ling was caught off guard when Qian Qizhou called him out so bluntly. A flash of panic crossed his face.

He opened his mouth as if to deny it, but under Qian Qizhou's gaze, every excuse died away into a silent sigh.

It was true. He wasn't good at lying, especially not to the child he had watched grow up.

But given his strength and status, there had never seemed to be anything he needed to lie about. This was a first.

He rubbed his brow in defeat. "Xiao Zhou, it's not that I want to keep this from you. It's just that knowing too much won't do you any good right now."

"Whether it does me any good is for me to decide." Qian Qizhou cut him off. "What happened? What was so suspicious about Qian Xunji's death?"

Under Qian Qizhou's stubborn, piercing stare, Guang Ling finally gave in.

He had no choice but to tell Qian Qizhou the full story of Qian Xunji's death, along with everything that had led up to it.

When Guang Ling finally finished, the air seemed to fall silent.

He looked anxiously at Qian Qizhou, afraid the brutal truth would be too much for him to bear.

Qian Qizhou looked as if all the strength had been drained from him. His formerly straight back slumped slightly.

He didn't shout or question anything. He simply sat down on the icy floor, slowly drawing his knees up and burying his face deep in his arms.

His Soul Power rippled faintly around him without conscious thought, giving off a pressure that seemed to chill the air. Disbelief, shock, disgust, and sorrow mingled within it.

The truth had far surpassed even his boldest suspicions.

Qian Xunji's end had been so degrading—and entirely of his own making.

Snow Empress stood to one side, her eyes shifting slightly as she looked at Qian Qizhou curled up on the floor, then at Guang Ling's anxious expression.

Even she felt sick after hearing that tale between humans...

Qian Qizhou curled up on the ground, wanting to shut himself away from this world that had suddenly become so utterly unfamiliar.

His mind was in chaos. Guang Ling's words kept battering at everything he knew.

Bibi Dong... forced... humiliated...

Those words circled relentlessly in his mind.

Spirit Hall had always believed in the sacred God of Angels, yet beneath that radiance, such filthy corruption had been hidden?

What Qian Xunji had done was simply...

Grief, fury, disgust, bewilderment... All these emotions tangled together, threatening to drown him.

Seeing Qian Qizhou like this, Guang Ling's heart clenched tight.

He knew Qian Qizhou too well. The boy might seem cold and resolute, but deep down, he was still stubbornly attached.

Guang Ling clearly remembered the harsh words Qian Qizhou had spoken when he left in a fit of anger all those years ago.

But he also understood that a child who had been hurt had spoken those words in a moment of wounded pride. How could he truly sever ties and not care at all?

He knelt before Qian Qizhou, his voice full of anxiety. "Xiao Zhou? Are you okay? Say something, please. Don't scare me!"

Guang Ling had never married, nor had he ever had children.

He had watched Qian Qizhou grow up from the time he was a child, pouring all his care and affection into him and treating him as his own.

At that moment, Guang Ling would rather Qian Qizhou lose his temper, demand answers, or even argue with him than sit like this. This was terrifying.

Just as Guang Ling's worry reached its peak, Qian Qizhou's bowed head moved slightly.