As the Pope of the Martial Soul Hall, are you lacking women? Descendants of the Qian Family, do you have ambition? (Seeking follow-up reads)

"Reporting to the Ancestor, Grand Worshipper Qian Daoliu, accompanied by the Young Mistress Qian Renxue, requests an audience with the Ancestor!"

Papal Palace.

On the Papal Throne, which in ordinary times only Pope Bibi Dong was qualified to sit upon and which symbolized supreme authority, Qin Zheng sat.

He held a yellowed ancient book in his hands, reading with his head lowered, his gaze calm.

From outside the hall came a respectful voice, trembling almost uncontrollably.

It belonged to a guardian knight of Spirit Hall. At this moment, his voice was filled with reverence.

Qin Zheng's page-turning hand paused slightly.

Then, he spoke indifferently.

"Granted."

Just one light, airy word.

Yet it seemed to carry boundless majesty.

The guardian knight outside the hall felt as though he had been pardoned, hurriedly retreating.

A moment later.

Two figures slowly entered the Papal Palace.

As Qian Daoliu and Qian Renxue entered the Papal Palace, their eyes instinctively fell upon Qin Zheng on the Papal Throne. They stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

"Qian Daoliu, accompanied by his granddaughter Qian Renxue, pays respects to the Ancestor."

Qian Renxue hurriedly followed suit, her voice crisp.

"Qian Renxue pays respects to the Ancestor."

Qin Zheng set down the book in his hand and looked at the two of them.

His gaze was calm.

Yet under that gaze, Qian Daoliu felt as if he had been seen through completely, as though no thought in his heart could remain hidden.

Qin Zheng spoke blandly. "You grandfather and granddaughter finished catching up so soon?"

Qian Daoliu hastily replied, "In reply to the Ancestor, Daoliu would not dare keep you waiting for long."

"Besides... Xue'er and I had not been separated for very long. There were only a few things for us to talk about."

Qin Zheng nodded without comment.

"What have you come to see me for?"

Qian Daoliu took a deep breath and said respectfully, "In reply to the Ancestor, Daoliu came today to thank you on behalf of Spirit Hall's six elders for showing mercy."

"Oh?"

Qin Zheng raised a brow, a trace of amusement in his tone.

"Mercy?"

Looking at Qian Daoliu, he said indifferently, "I crippled their martial souls and reduced them from Titled Douluo to Soul Saints, yet you still wish to thank me?"

"If those six elders learned of this, I fear... they would hate you for it."

Qian Daoliu gave a bitter smile. "Ancestor, you jest."

He raised his head and looked at Qin Zheng seriously. "Ancestor, before you, Daoliu is indeed of the younger generation. But across the entirety of Douluo Continent, I may still be considered an Ultimate Douluo who can look down upon the world."

"Daoliu naturally understands that if one's martial soul is completely shattered, then the soul power cultivated over an entire lifetime will also dissipate, and one will be reduced to an ordinary person."

"Yet the six elders merely fell to the level of Soul Saints rather than becoming completely crippled. This means that the origin of their soul power has not yet dissipated."

"If the Ancestor wished it... with a single thought, you could restore their martial souls and return them to the strength of Titled Douluo, could you not?"

As he spoke, Qian Daoliu's tone carried a trace of certainty.

Qin Zheng looked at Qian Daoliu in silence for a long while.

A moment later, he suddenly smiled.

"It seems Spirit Hall truly has declined somewhat."

Qin Zheng shook his head, a faint disappointment in his voice.

"What you alone were able to understand, those six elders of Spirit Hall have still failed to understand. Truly... disappointing."

Qian Daoliu's expression shifted slightly upon hearing this, and he was just about to say something.

But Qin Zheng had already continued.

"However, you need not thank me."

Qin Zheng's tone was flat.

"The reason I did not cripple them completely was merely because they did not knowingly see a descendant of the Qian Family standing before me and still insist on attacking."

"For my teacher's sake, I spared their lives."

"Otherwise... their fate should have been the same as Snake Spear Douluo's."

By the end, Qin Zheng's tone carried a trace of chill.

Qian Daoliu's heart tightened.

Snake Spear Douluo... that Spirit Hall elder had been publicly slain by Qin Zheng, and afterward, his entire clan had been sentenced to extermination.

Even now, recalling those bloody methods was enough to make one tremble in fear.

Qian Daoliu fell silent for a moment before respectfully saying, "Even so, Daoliu must still thank Ancestor for showing mercy."

After a pause, he raised his head to look at Qin Zheng and carefully asked, "It's just that... what does Ancestor intend to do with Bibi Dong?"

As soon as those words were spoken—

Qian Renxue, standing nearby, also subconsciously lifted her head to look at Qin Zheng.

There was a hint of nervousness in her eyes.

She cared deeply about her ancestor's opinion of her mother.

If Ancestor was still dissatisfied with Mother...

Then what was she supposed to do?

Should she stand with Ancestor, or...

Qian Renxue felt torn.

Hearing this, Qin Zheng's gaze fell upon Qian Daoliu as he said indifferently, "What do I intend?"

A cold curve appeared at the corner of his lips.

"I intend to cripple her soul power and strip her of the position of Pope. What do you think?"

Boom!!

Those words exploded beside Qian Daoliu's ears like thunder.

Qian Daoliu's expression instantly froze.

Cripple Bibi Dong's soul power? Strip her of the position of Pope?

This...

A bitter smile appeared on Qian Daoliu's lips.

"Ancestor, Daoliu is old. I truly lack the strength in my heart..."

He wanted to offer a few words of persuasion.

But before he could finish, Qin Zheng cut him off directly.

"Don't spout this nonsense to me."

Qin Zheng's tone turned cold.

"You're old?"

Looking at Qian Daoliu, he said calmly, "Even if you are old, you are still of the Qian Family bloodline, a direct descendant of my teacher."

"You should be grateful that your son left behind a daughter before he died."

"Otherwise, if you were the only Qian Family bloodline left, then even if you were too old to walk, I would find a group of women and force you to leave behind descendants for the Qian Family."

"Do you believe me?"

Qin Zheng's tone was utterly flat.

As if he were discussing some trivial matter.

Yet when Qian Daoliu heard it, his eyelids twitched uncontrollably.

What kind of outrageous nonsense was that?

At his age... he had to find women? He had to have children?

At the thought of that scene, even Qian Daoliu, a peerless Douluo who had lived for over a century, could not help but shudder.

That scene was too beautiful. He did not dare imagine it.

Qian Daoliu hurriedly said, "Ancestor, please stop frightening Daoliu."

He gave a bitter smile and said, "Daoliu knows that you may indeed intend to strip Bibi Dong of her position as Pope, but... you absolutely do not intend to kill her."

Qin Zheng raised a brow and said lightly, "Oh? What makes you say that?"

Qian Daoliu steadied himself, gathered his thoughts, and said, "Though Daoliu is untalented, I dare to speculate on a few of Ancestor's thoughts."

"Earlier, Daoliu truly believed that Ancestor intended to kill Bibi Dong and the several elders."

"But that thought vanished into thin air the moment Daoliu appeared."

"Though Daoliu is untalented, against several Spirit Hall elders, or even Bibi Dong, if I went all out, I would need to spend some effort, but I could still kill them all."