The Cloud's Gaze, Betting in Advance

Lin Mo's lips moved slightly, but no one heard what he said.

Bibi Dong was someone Lin Mo definitely could not touch—not now, at least. His strength was still insufficient.

Of course, even if he had the strength, with Qian Renxue there, it would not be Lin Mo's place to deal with her.

As expected, Qian Daoliu arrived at an incredible speed, several enshrined elders following behind him. Looking at the farce before him, he did not know what to do either.

"Qian Xunji, take her and get out."

Intimidated by his father's authority, Qian Xunji hurriedly knocked Bibi Dong unconscious and carried her away.

His own son had been the instigator of all this. With his old face, he had no right to offer any words of comfort at a time like this.

"What a disgraceful family."

The enshrined elders stood behind Qian Daoliu, not knowing how to comfort him either. After all, this was Qian Daoliu's family matter, and it was not their place to speak.

By the time they returned to the Enshrinement Hall, night had fully fallen.

Qingluan took Qian Renxue back to her room and comforted her for a long while. Qian Renxue had not shed a single tear from beginning to end, only saying dully, "I'm fine."

Lin Mo pushed open Qian Renxue's door.

She sat by the bed with her knees hugged to her chest, her face buried against them, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Lin Mo said nothing. He walked over, sat on the floor beside her, and leaned his back against the bedframe.

After a long silence, Qian Renxue's muffled voice emerged. "Lin Mo, why does she hate me so much?"

"Xiaoxue, have you ever considered that when one person hates another, it may not be because that person did anything wrong?"

"Sometimes, when someone hates you, it has nothing to do with you. They have wounds in their own hearts, and they accidentally splashed the blood from those wounds onto you."

This was already as much of a hint as Lin Mo could give. He obviously could not say, Your father is that kind of criminal, and he did that to your mother.

Your dad was into taboo romances—what the hell was that supposed to be...

He could only hint at it as much as possible.

Qian Renxue really was a pitiful child.

Qian Renxue raised her head and looked at him with reddened eyes.

"Then... what should I do? I thought she would be happy." Her voice trembled on the word "happy."

"Whether she is happy or not is her business. Wanting to share your joy is yours. You did nothing wrong, Xiaoxue. You awakened the Six-Winged Angel and have innate soul power at rank twenty. That is your achievement. You did nothing wrong."

Qian Renxue's lips trembled, and at last, tears fell one by one, splashing onto her knees. Lin Mo did not tell her not to cry. He quietly let her cry.

Some tears had been held back for too long. If they were not shed, they would rot in one's heart.

After quite a while, her crying softened. Qian Renxue slid off the bed and sat on the floor beside him, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Lin Mo, will you always stay with me?"

"I will."

"Was I really embarrassing today?"

"Not at all. The shame belongs to the person who slapped someone, not the person who was slapped."

Qian Renxue fell silent for several seconds, then lightly punched him with her fist.

"Why do you talk like an adult?"

Lin Mo chuckled.

"Because I'm a genius."

Qian Renxue laughed through her tears, rested her head back on his shoulder, and closed her eyes.

"I'm the genius. I have innate soul power at rank twenty. Once I absorb a soul ring, I'll be a Great Soul Master."

"And I'm older than you, too. From now on, you have to call me big sister."

Lin Mo said nothing and remained silent.

In the corridor outside, Qian Daoliu stood in the darkness and listened to the entire conversation. Then he turned and left, his footsteps lighter than when he had come.

The instant Lin Mo stepped out of Qian Renxue's room and closed the door, his expression changed.

Those two powers had lost control again.

That gentle smile was like a mask being torn away, revealing a face so pale it was nearly transparent, with blood from his bitten lip still lingering at the corner of his mouth.

His right arm had gone numb. When he tore open his sleeve, black patterns could be seen spreading from his fingertips to his shoulder blade, slowly writhing beneath his skin.

Golden light flickered in his left palm, violently clashing with the dark power in his right arm within his chest.

He slid down the door and sat on the floor, his consciousness sinking into his body.

It was a chaotic spiritual space. A phoenix burning with golden flames and a heart radiating black icy mist were madly colliding. Pillars of fire crashed against icy fog, making the entire space tremble.

His spiritual power transformed into countless silver chains that shot toward the two martial souls from every direction.

The chains wrapped around the phoenix's wings and claws, around the frost on the heart's surface, tightening layer by layer. After struggling a few times, the phoenix folded its wings and became a docile ball of light.

The Heart of Darkness resisted for longer. The black mist corroded the chains with sizzling sounds, and every sound made Lin Mo's temples throb violently.

He did not let go. Instead, he poured in even more spiritual power, wrapping the Heart of Darkness into an airtight silver cocoon.

The heart convulsed violently a few times, then quieted down, turning into a dormant black bead.

Lin Mo opened his eyes, his back drenched in sweat.

The black patterns on his right arm had faded, leaving only a layer of bluish-purple bruising.

He had survived another ordeal.

He was about to go to sleep when his footsteps suddenly halted. Something fell from an impossibly high place, piercing through the dome, piercing through his spiritual defense, and sinking into his chest.

Looking down, he found his skin completely unscathed, yet there was now something beside his heart.

It was tiny and quiet.

He touched it with his spiritual power.

The Light Phoenix and Heart of Darkness in his spiritual space trembled simultaneously. It was not an aggressive tremor, but a kind of longing—like two starving children catching the scent of food at the same time.

Above the clouds outside the window, two figures stood at the edge of the God Realm.

The God King of Goodness and the God King of Evil.

"Interesting."

The God King of Evil spoke first. "The Light Phoenix and Heart of Darkness have appeared in the same person, along with that soul from another world. It's been tens of thousands of years since I last saw such an interesting little fellow."

"What do you intend to do?" the God King of Goodness looked at him.

"Aren't we leaving the God Realm? Before we go, we have to pass on our divine positions. We can't pass them on yet—he's too weak. We'll throw down a seed first, help him avoid getting himself killed. Whether it sprouts or not depends on him."

The God King of Evil spread his hands.

"The Sea God already made a move on that soul from another world. If he can place his bet early, why can't we?"

"I heard from that fellow Destruction that the Sea God has already set his sights on a soul from another world and is preparing to send it to the Douluo plane at an appropriate time."

The God King of Goodness fell silent for a while before nodding.

The two raised their hands at once. Golden light and black light intertwined, condensing into a seed that was half gold and half black.

With a casual toss from the God King of Evil, the seed turned into a streak of light and shot toward Douluo Continent.

"If he endures, he'll become one of a kind. If he doesn't, that's his fate."

In the Enshrinement Hall, Lin Mo sat cross-legged on his bed, carefully examining the seed with his spiritual power.

Half gold and half black, the two colors flowed endlessly across its surface, opposing yet depending on one another, exactly like the condition inside his body.

Under the seed's aura, the two martial souls quieted at the same time, watching the seed through the spiritual barrier.

For the first time in six years, they coexisted peacefully without being suppressed.

Lin Mo lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling for a long time, the corner of his mouth curling slightly.

That smile was completely different from his usual sunny, gentle demeanor. It carried a hint of coldness and calculation.

"Interesting. Then let's see whether I merge the two of you, or the two of you tear me apart."

He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Moonlight streamed through the window onto his face. The six-year-old boy slept peacefully.

No one knew that a divine seed, two top-tier martial souls, and a soul from another world were hidden within him.

At the other end of the Enshrinement Hall, Qian Renxue's room was still lit.

Hugging her blanket, she looked out the window and softly said, "Lin Mo," before pulling the blanket over her head and curling herself into a ball.

The bundle of blankets trembled slightly, but soon stopped.

At the end of the corridor, Qian Daoliu's room was lit as well.

He sat in his chair, his back still ramrod straight, clutching a faded talisman for peace in his palm.

It was something Lin Ce had entrusted him to give Lin Mo before heading off to war, but he had never handed it over.

He turned the talisman over. On the back was a line of messy handwriting.

"May my son have light by his side throughout his life."