Where there is White in the World, there is Black; Solitude has Always been the King's Moniker!

Seeing Chrysanthemum Douluo's expression turn colder, the violent aura around him surging as though he were about to strike at any moment, Qian Renxue immediately grew anxious.

The nine-year-old girl completely forgot her earlier gentle obedience. Her clear golden eyes were filled with urgency and earnestness as she hurriedly tried to stop them.

"Grandpa Chrysanthemum, Grandpa Ghost! Stop! Don't attack the Ancestor!"

Her voice was soft and sweet, yet filled with extreme urgency, her little face flushed red.

She feared the two of them would act rashly and cause an irreparable disaster.

Of course, it was not because she feared Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo might hurt Qin Zheng.

She had personally witnessed the terrifying pressure when the Ancestor awakened, seen the piety with which the hundred-thousand-year forbidden land's guardian beasts had bowed in worship, and felt the supreme power hidden beneath that gentle exterior—a power that looked down upon all living beings.

She knew very well that although these two Titled Douluo could shake the continent, before the Ancestor, who had slept for a thousand years and possessed talent unmatched throughout the ages, they were simply not worth mentioning!

If they truly fought, the two would only end up utterly defeated and gravely wounded. They might even lose their lives!

"You have no idea how strong the Ancestor is. You can't beat him, so don't—"

"Enough! What does a child like you know about who is stronger or weaker?"

Before Qian Renxue could finish her urgent warning, Chrysanthemum Douluo coldly interrupted her.

In his eyes, Qian Renxue was merely a child raised in a greenhouse, ignorant of the ways of the world.

He regarded her words as nothing more than a child's ignorant favoritism and protectiveness.

As for this so-called Ancestor?

Chrysanthemum Douluo paid him even less heed. What kind of Ancestor looked like a teenager?

At most, this boy's name happened to sound like those two words.

The black mist around Ghost Douluo grew thicker, his cold gaze locked tightly onto Qin Zheng.

Everyone present merely watched with cold eyes.

"These two are doomed!"

Golden Crocodile Douluo knew the truth, but since Qin Zheng had not spoken, he was happy to remain idle.

Besides, he wanted to see the two dogs at the Pope's side get taught a lesson.

Just as the tension reached its peak, ready to erupt at any moment—

Qin Zheng finally raised his eyes slowly, calmly glancing at the torrents of soul power erupting wildly from the two before him.

The Titled Douluo pressure that swept through every direction and was enough to intimidate all of Spirit City was, in his eyes, like a breeze passing over a lake—unable to stir even the slightest ripple.

He quickly withdrew his gaze, with not a trace of hostility in his deep black eyes.

Then he turned toward the anxious Qian Renxue at his side. His warm voice diluted the chilling killing intent in the air.

"Xue'er, the story you told earlier about Spirit Hall and Spirit City was very good."

"Pure and sincere, untouched by worldly dust."

His words paused briefly.

He gently raised a hand and brushed away the stray hair by the girl's temple, his tone carrying a hint of guidance and deeper meaning.

"But it was not good enough. Do you wish to know what was lacking?"

Qian Renxue froze, and the anxiety in her eyes vanished in an instant.

In its place was utter confusion and incomprehension.

Was this really the time to talk about that?

Those were two Titled Douluo!

Why did this Ancestor seem completely unconcerned?

Yet since Qin Zheng had asked her directly, she tilted her little head, her golden eyes clear and pure as she softly asked, "Ancestor, what was wrong with it?"

Seeing the girl's pure, bewildered expression, a faint trace of melancholy passed through Qin Zheng's eyes.

"In this world, where there is white, there is black; where there is light, there are shadows."

"In what you said just now, all you saw was the warmth of Spirit Hall, the protection of your clansmen—nothing but the purest white in this world."

"But the darkness hidden beneath that purity is something you have never seen. Or perhaps you deliberately refuse to think about it, refuse to see it clearly."

"Because deep down, you are afraid—afraid that the expectations of those around you are not wholly pure, afraid that beneath the so-called familial affection and protection lie calculation, weighing of interests, and choices."

With a single sentence, he laid bare her heart.

"I..."

Qian Renxue's entire body stiffened slightly, her small frame instantly tensing as all her confusion vanished.

Her rosy lips pressed together softly, her eyes reddening slightly as her hands awkwardly clenched the hem of her skirt.

She fell silent, unable to say anything in reply.

In truth, she had always understood.

Grandfather's silence, her mother's coldness, and the sacrifice everyone had already decided upon—none of it had ever been accidental.

The so-called greater good, the so-called protection, had always required someone to pay the price.

And she was the price that had been chosen.

She simply had not dared to think too deeply about it. She had been unwilling to pierce that layer of false warmth, clinging to the glory of being Spirit Hall's young mistress, clinging to the last shred of warmth she had left, deceiving herself as she lived within an illusion of pristine white.

Now, Qin Zheng's words had pierced through the deepest cowardice and confusion in her heart.

The nine-year-old girl was instantly overwhelmed by helplessness.

Her small body curled up slightly, mist gathering in her eyes as her heart filled with confusion and panic.

Qin Zheng took in every one of her emotions, yet he neither offered excessive comfort nor blamed her in the slightest.

In cultivation amid troubled times, temperament came first.

Only by facing the darkness could one wield the light.

"Enough."

He took her slightly cool little hand again, his warm, broad palm steadily enveloping the girl's unease.

He lifted his foot and stepped forward.

Qin Zheng led Qian Renxue toward the Papal Palace at an unhurried pace.

As they passed Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, he did not even glance at them.

He treated the two Titled Douluo, whose auras were fierce and ready to erupt, as if they were nothing at all.

Only his calm voice continued to ring out, every word clear and lingering like a lesson.

"Xue'er, I never said this to blame you."

"This one merely wishes to teach you a principle."

"If your eyes can see the light, then your heart must possess the insight to see through the darkness."

"Never deceive yourself or deliberately turn away."

"If you keep pretending not to see the gloom, if you keep enduring and retreating, then the schemes hidden in the shadows, the cold calculations, and the biting malice will come flooding toward you without end, gradually devouring your innocence, your bottom line, everything you have."

"Until they completely drown you and cast you into an abyss beyond measure."

The two continued forward at an unhurried pace, drawing ever closer to Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.

Two grand Titled Douluo stood there.

Their soul power boiled, and their killing intent blazed. They should have been figures capable of intimidating everyone present.

Yet at this moment, they were being utterly ignored by an unknown youth.

Such extreme disregard was even harder to accept than a public humiliation!

"How utterly presumptuous!"

The mockery in Chrysanthemum Douluo's eyes vanished completely, replaced by piercing coldness and towering fury.

Since ascending to the rank of Titled Douluo, he had roamed the continent for decades.

He could overlook Golden Crocodile Douluo's snide mockery; after all, he truly was no match for him.

But what was this fellow in front of him supposed to be, to dare look down on him so completely!?

Moreover, he and Ghost Douluo bore the Pope's orders. If they allowed Qin Zheng to take Qian Renxue away safely today and returned to the Papal Palace empty-handed, Bibi Dong would surely hold them accountable, and they would lose all face!

"Boy, you have gone too far!"

Chrysanthemum Douluo shouted sternly, his voice icy and biting as the aura of his flower Martial Soul surged explosively around him.

"For the sake of the Second Worshipper, this one had not wished to lower himself to your level or strike you down."

"But you are arrogant and conceited, showing no respect for your elders."

"Today, this one will teach you a proper lesson and let you understand what reverence is!"

"Old Ghost, make your move!"

The instant his words fell.

Ghost Douluo silently nodded.

The black mist around him swelled three feet outward, and an eerie, deathly aura swept in all directions, sending chills down everyone's spine.

Buzz—!

Two incomparably powerful Martial Soul phantoms abruptly appeared in the air, while dazzling soul rings rose beneath the two men's feet.

Nine soul rings of yellow, purple, and black lit up in succession, layered one upon another as their vast radiance spread outward.

The ultimate pressure of Titled Douluo erupted with a thunderous boom, sweeping across the entire Spirit Hall plaza.

Countless Spirit Hall disciples watching from nearby turned pale and retreated again and again, not daring to look directly at such terrifying auras.

Even Qian Renxue at his side clearly felt the two terrifying powers capable of crushing everything, and her heart suddenly tightened.

"Ancestor..."