Intercepted Again Halfway? Who Is It This Time?

Thinking of Tang Yuehua's gentle, beautiful face and her tender, water-like eyes.

A warm longing to return home rose in Ronan's heart.

But before heading back, he had to figure out where exactly he was.

Earlier, while fleeing Di Tian's pursuit, he had darted wildly through the desolate mountains and wilderness, completely losing his sense of direction.

Ronan flashed forward like a golden roc soaring into the heavens, shooting up several thousand meters into the sky.

Looking down upon the land below, Ronan's formidable spiritual power spread outward like a radar.

Before long, he spotted a fairly large city dozens of miles to the southeast.

Without hesitation, Ronan turned into a streak of light and flew toward the city.

He landed in a secluded grove outside the city.

After making a few simple inquiries, Ronan discovered in surprise.

That in all his frantic wandering, he had actually ended up near the border of the Balak Kingdom.

The Balak Kingdom was one of the four great kingdoms under the Heaven Dou Empire.

Its geographical location was extremely important, and it was known as the southern gateway of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Although this place was not too far from the Heaven Dou Empire's core region, it was still quite a distance from Heaven Dou City.

"I actually ended up in the Balak Kingdom. That's ridiculously far off course."

Ronan shook his head helplessly.

Still, it did not matter. With his current flying speed as a Rank 94 Titled Douluo.

If he traveled at full speed, he could return to Heaven Dou City in two or three days at most.

Ronan found an inn that looked fairly upscale in the city.

He ordered a lavish spread of food and wine, intending to properly reward the stomach that had endured windblown meals and sleeping in the open for more than a month.

However, just as he raised his cup and prepared to drain it in one go.

The hushed conversation of several burly men at the next table, who looked like mercenaries and wandering Soul Masters, clearly reached his ears.

"Hey, have you heard?"

"Something huge happened over in Spirit City!"

A burly man with a scar across his face said mysteriously.

"What happened?"

"Could Spirit Hall be organizing another Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament?"

Another Soul Master, thin and monkey-like in appearance, responded dismissively.

"What tournament? It's the Pope! Lord Qian Xunji, the Pope of Spirit Hall... has fallen!"

Scarface lowered his voice, his tone filled with stunned disbelief.

"What?!"

"The Pope is dead?!"

"How is that possible?!"

"The Pope is a lofty Titled Douluo! Who could possibly kill him?!"

The others at his table immediately sucked in a cold breath and cried out in shock.

"Shh! Keep your voices down! Are you trying to get yourselves killed?!"

Scarface hurriedly made a silencing gesture, nervously glanced around, and only then continued.

"The official statement released by Spirit Hall says that the Pope was too eager for success while cultivating in seclusion."

"He suffered a cultivation backlash and ultimately died from it."

"Now, Spirit Hall has officially announced that Spirit Hall's Saintess, the Pope's direct disciple Bibi Dong."

"Will succeed him as Pope, becoming the first female Pope in Spirit Hall's history!"

Upon hearing the news, the customers at several other tables in the inn also pricked up their ears, and the entire inn soon sank into suppressed whispers.

As for Ronan, seated in a corner, after hearing the news.

He merely raised an eyebrow, and the hand holding his cup did not tremble in the slightest.

He drained the strong liquor in his cup, a meaningful cold smile curling at his lips.

"Cultivation backlash? Heh, what a perfunctory excuse."

Ronan was not the least bit shocked by Qian Xunji's death.

As a transmigrator familiar with the plot, he knew better than anyone how Qian Xunji had died.

Cultivation backlash? That was complete nonsense!

Qian Xunji had clearly been severely injured after Tang Hao smashed him with the Great Sumeru Hammer.

After fleeing back to Spirit Hall, his patient disciple Bibi Dong, who had hated him to the bone for years.

Had seized the chance while he was gravely wounded and dying, then used the Soul-Eater Spider Emperor's deadly venom to devour him until not even a scrap remained!

Ronan silently calculated the timeline in his heart.

When Yue Hua and I got married in Heaven Dou City, that old bastard Qian Xunji definitely wasn't dead yet.

It's only been a little over two months, not even three months, at most.

Looks like Bibi Dong devoured Qian Xunji sometime during this period.

But...

Qian Xunji was probably killed by Bibi Dong long ago.

The reason Spirit Hall waited until now to release the news was likely because during this period.

Spirit Hall was undergoing an extremely brutal reshuffling of power.

Qian Xunji had, after all, been the sole heir of the Angel Lineage and Qian Daoliu's own son.

With his death, the Worship Hall and Elder Hall within Spirit Hall would undoubtedly be thrown into an uproar.

As an outsider, it would not have been easy for Bibi Dong to firmly secure the Pope's throne.

It seems that madwoman Bibi Dong successfully persuaded Qian Daoliu.

Or rather, she used Qian Renxue as leverage to force Qian Daoliu into compromising.

Releasing the news now means she has completely taken control of the Elder Hall and firmly established herself as Pope.

Ronan saw through Spirit Hall's situation completely.

However, none of this had much of an impact on him for now.

How Spirit Hall tore itself apart internally, or how Bibi Dong played her political games, was their own business.

As long as they did not provoke Ronan, he could not be bothered with such nonsense.

Now that I'm full and satisfied, it's time to go home and hold my wife.

Ronan tossed a Gold Soul Coin onto the table.

Ignoring the Soul Masters in the inn who were still stunned by the Pope's death.

He walked straight out of the inn and left the border city.

Over the next two days, Ronan did not stop again. He sped all the way toward Heaven Dou City like lightning.

As he drew closer and closer to Heaven Dou City, the surrounding official roads became wider and smoother.

There were also increasingly more merchant caravans and travelers passing by.

Seeing the familiar scenery around him, Ronan's mood grew more and more relaxed.

However, when Ronan was less than fifty miles away from Heaven Dou City.

And was preparing to fly back in one go, an extremely concealed yet terrifying aura filled with deadly danger.

Suddenly surged into the sky from the only route ahead, like an invisible shackle instantly locking onto Ronan in midair!

"Hmm?"

Ronan's brows furrowed sharply, and his body came to an abrupt stop in midair.

His vast spiritual power immediately surged forward like a tide.

On a small hill several hundred meters ahead stood a tall, noble figure.