Hu Liena had imagined a whole range of emotions Chen Fan might show. Maybe he would even come bearing brambles on his back to beg forgiveness.
But...
He hadn't!
Chen Fan seemed completely unsurprised by her answer, as if he knew her teacher's temperament better than she, the Tsaritsa's beloved disciple, did.
Not a trace of surprise showed on his face.
This...
"Hey, Chen Fan, wait! You..."
When Hu Liena came to her senses and rushed out of the tent, she looked around—but Chen Fan was nowhere to be seen.
"This..."
Hu Liena stared blankly at the Elder Token and resignation in her hands, looking around in bewilderment. She felt...
Had the sky grown even darker?
"How have the two Worship Elders decided?"
Not long after Hu Liena left,
Rakshasa God Bibi Dong collected herself and turned her gaze to Qianjun Douluo and Jiangmo Douluo. She asked in a low voice.
Naturally, she was asking about admitting Tianfeng Douluo into the Worship Hall.
In response to Rakshasa God Bibi Dong's imposing voice,
Qianjun Douluo and Jiangmo Douluo said nothing. But at that moment, powerful Soul Power rippled around them.
Clearly, their readiness to act was their answer.
"Heh..."
Noticing this, Rakshasa God Bibi Dong sneered. "It seems the two Worship Elders won't give up until they see the coffin..."
However,
before her words had even fallen, a cool voice spoke up. "I'm leaving the Spirit Hall Empire too."
Hm?
The sudden voice interrupted Bibi Dong's train of thought. She turned toward it in surprise and saw Qian Renxue step forward, fixing her gaze on Bibi Dong as she spoke softly.
"What did you say?"
Bibi Dong thought she must have misheard. Her voice rose sharply.
"I said I'm leaving the Spirit Hall Empire."
Qian Renxue repeated herself, her tone utterly flat.
Bibi Dong could hardly believe her ears. "You're leaving the Spirit Hall Empire?"
"That's right!"
After she confirmed it several times, not only Bibi Dong but the other Titled Douluo as well—including Qianjun Douluo and Jiangmo Douluo—stared at Qian Renxue in shock and confusion.
"Miss..."
"Silence!"
Jiangmo Douluo tried to say something, but Qian Renxue immediately rebuked him. He reluctantly closed his mouth.
"Do you know what you're saying?"
"Of course I do."
Rakshasa God Bibi Dong felt a surge of heat rush to her head, bringing on a slight dizziness.
What had she just heard?
Her own daughter, heir to the Qian Family, wanted to leave the Spirit Hall Empire?
"Are you trying to force my hand?"
"Think whatever you want."
Bibi Dong's chest heaved with anger.
This was her own daughter.
Before,
her daughter had even risked shattering her divine position to save her, standing against Asura God Tang San.
In that moment, Bibi Dong had felt moved.
She'd thought that at last, mother and daughter could stand together and achieve the great ambition of uniting the continent.
But now, Qian Renxue was leaving?
What was she trying to say?
Did she think her own mother would hurt her?
Hadn't she admitted Tianfeng Douluo into the Worship Hall precisely to unite the Spirit Hall Empire completely, then launch an all-out war to bring the entire continent under her rule?
What was going through Qian Renxue's head?!
"Miss, the Spirit Hall Empire is the work of generations of the Qian Family. You..."
Jiangmo Douluo couldn't stand by any longer and couldn't help speaking up.
But,
before he could finish, Qian Renxue fixed him with a frigid stare. He swallowed the rest of his words in silence.
Did Qian Renxue truly not understand what Jiangmo Douluo was saying?
Of course she did!
But so what?
Bibi Dong was now the Spirit Hall Empire's only true god. She also wanted Tianfeng Douluo in the Worship Hall so she could seize absolute authority—an act that directly threatened the very foundations of the Qian Family.
If Qian Renxue stayed, what purpose would she serve besides being a puppet?
And besides!
Bibi Dong's desire for control was too strong. She was stubborn and couldn't tolerate any dissent.
Even as a puppet, Qian Renxue would eventually be cast aside.
"If you want power so badly, then I'll give it to you."
Seeing Qian Renxue speak this way, Qianjun Douluo and Jiangmo Douluo exchanged a glance. Without hesitation, they stepped forward together.
"We will follow the young mistress to the death."
Bibi Dong's face turned livid. Her nails dug deep into her palm, and blood dripped down.
Chen Fan's resignation was understandable.
After all, what he'd said back then had mostly come true. But now that the Teleportation Gate had appeared, there was still a glimmer of hope, wasn't there?
Why be so petty?
But what was the matter with Qian Renxue?
"Stop!"
Bibi Dong shouted, and the pressure of the Rakshasa God descended with a roar.
In an instant,
Qian Renxue, Qianjun Douluo, and Jiangmo Douluo, who had been about to leave, felt as if the air had turned solid. They couldn't move a single step.
"Chen Fan using his resignation to force my hand was one thing."
"But you're going to use your resignation to force me too?"
Bibi Dong couldn't understand.
She could understand an outsider like Chen Fan failing to grasp her grand ambition to unite the continent. But why couldn't her own daughter understand, when she had even shattered her divine position to save her?
"Please let us pass, Your Majesty the Tsaritsa."
However,
Qian Renxue didn't answer Bibi Dong. She simply spoke softly.
"You..."
Bibi Dong's face flushed with rage. She pointed at Qian Renxue, unable to speak for a long moment.
When the pressure lifted,
Qian Renxue paid her no further heed. She turned and left with the two Worship Elders, gradually disappearing into the night.
The platform fell silent.
Tianfeng Douluo, Pufferfish Douluo, and the others kept their heads lowered, not daring to breathe too loudly.
In a way, this was Bibi Dong's family affair.
They had all heard a thing or two about the relationship between Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong, so naturally, none of them dared speak up or offer an opinion.
"Phew..."
Only after a full two and a half minutes did Bibi Dong finally let out a long breath. Her expression was terrifyingly dark.
"Your Majesty the Tsaritsa, we..."
Tianfeng Douluo hurried over, about to say something.
But just then,
Hu Liena rushed in, carrying a token and a letter. "Teacher..."
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but not knowing where to begin. She could only stand there awkwardly, looking at Bibi Dong.
Rakshasa God Bibi Dong spotted the Spirit Hall Empire Elder Token in Hu Liena's hand at once.
The answer was obvious...
"Did Chen Fan really resign?"
Bibi Dong's voice was hoarse.
Hu Liena nodded despite herself. "Teacher, this is his resignation and his token..."
Bang!
The finely crafted Elder Token in Hu Liena's hand instantly crumbled to dust.
"Good! Very good!"
Bibi Dong laughed in fury. "Leave, all of you! Anyone who wants to go can get out!"
"Even without Chen Fan, even without Qian Renxue, my Spirit Hall Empire can still sweep across the world!"
Before you continue