If the Sea God up in the heavens had heard that, he would definitely have cursed his head off.
"Who knew your Xue Family was so pathetic? You rule a nation, for crying out loud, yet you've sunk so low you can't even produce a single Titled Douluo."
"And all those successors you found for me were a bunch of misfits. Not one of them was any good."
Qian Renxue stood alone in the wind, quietly letting the cold night breeze wash over her. Aloof and serene, she resembled a goddess in the darkness.
"The nation-stealing plan will proceed as usual, and the plan to poison Xue Ye can't stop either."
"At least for now, Xue Ye is nowhere near worthy of the Sea God's attention. The Sea God won't pay much attention to him."
"Of course, that's only my guess."
Qian Renxue murmured to herself. Her analysis of the Xue Family was reasonable enough, but the biggest problem now was that no one could guarantee Xue Ye had told her the truth.
Still, judging by Xue Ye's earlier meekness, she could conclude that his sea god divine power was limited and that he had no way of contacting the Sea God directly.
That was definitely true.
After all, Xue Ye really had been at everyone's mercy before. The Star Luo Empire had invaded several times, and he had been powerless to resist.
If he could truly contact the Sea God, or even invoke the Sea God's name as a deterrent, things would never have turned out this way.
Whether he had used up all his sea god divine power, however, remained unknown.
"I'll have to be more careful with the nation-stealing plan from now on."
Naturally, she had not called an emergency halt because Xue Ye's body was already riddled with damage. All that time spent administering mixed poisons had not been for nothing.
Qian Renxue was now brimming with confidence. After all, she had also sent She Long to investigate in secret, and Xue Ye's health seemed to have deteriorated further. As long as she kept poisoning him, she could ascend the throne as his heir whenever the time was right.
Moreover, the greatest threat within Heaven Dou, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, was now crippled and barely clinging to life. Most importantly, Xue Ye's thunderous strike had frightened every faction, effectively clearing the obstacles from Qian Renxue's path.
Now, once Xue Ye died, Qian Renxue would inherit an empire free of trouble and outside interference.
Combined with her status as Spirit Hall's young mistress, a successful takeover would put half the continent under her control.
But...
"Little Chen..."
The pleased expression Qian Renxue had worn a moment earlier instantly collapsed, her face shifting between light and shadow.
Yun Chen had truly faced a life-or-death crisis today. Although he had played a part in causing it, it had ultimately been a squabble between children, and Ning Rongrong had started it. In the end, the responsibility lay with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Yet the person who had saved Yun Chen was not her, but Xue Ye. Qian Renxue had seen the adoring look Yun Chen gave him.
Yun Chen shouted, "I was surprised, okay? Who would've thought that frail old Xue Ye could unleash an attack that killed a Super Douluo in one hit?"
Qian Renxue was deeply unhappy. First, when Yun Chen's life had been in danger, she had not been the first to step forward and save him.
Second, she feared Yun Chen might think she had refused to save him, or that she lacked the ability to do so, and become disappointed in her.
After all, just the night before, she and the little fellow had exchanged solemn promises. He had even blinked those big eyes of his and earnestly told her that she would definitely become the Angel God.
And he would become her first subject and protect her.
But what about her, his "Angel God"? She did not even have the power to protect him.
More importantly, throughout the day, Qian Renxue had noticed Yun Chen sitting alone in a daze. He was nothing like his usual self, always coming over to her and telling her all sorts of cheerful things.
Of course, if Yun Chen had heard that, he would have felt even more wronged.
For one thing, Yun Chen had been thinking about the Sea God. For another, Qian Renxue had looked absolutely terrible today. Yun Chen had also assumed the incident had caused considerable trouble for her undercover plan, so he had not quite dared to approach her.
The thought made Qian Renxue restless. She slammed her fist into the railing beside her, then softly let out a weary breath.
That unease had a very definite shape.
Rather than being irritated, Qian Renxue was worried—worried that this incident would make Yun Chen lose trust in her, or become disappointed in her.
After that disappointment, her sole emotional bond would break, leaving her all alone once more.
That feeling was awful.
Yun Chen was the second person who had made her feel cared for and trusted unconditionally. The first was her grandfather, Qian Daoliu, but he was ultimately her elder. The warmth he gave Qian Renxue was paternal.
It was completely different from the feeling of being needed and admired that Yun Chen gave her.
"Ah..."
Qian Renxue sighed deeply, her eyes involuntarily lowering. She had no experience handling this kind of relationship—or rather, she had no experience handling relationships at all.
"My little Regent... actually... this undercover mission isn't as important as you."
Meanwhile, in the Sea God Hall in the Divine Realm.
"Hm? My inheritance core has been activated?"
"And this one wasn't eliminated outright. He actually made it all the way to me. Looks like this candidate has pretty good talent."
The Sea God, an old lover of amusement, perked up. With a chuckle, he rose and directed his gaze into the Sea God's Heart, the token of his inheritance.
"Hmm, a Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff? A martial soul like that can appear in a human?"
"Interesting."
"A four-hundred-year first soul ring. Hmm... fairly average."
"An innate domain. Pretty lucky, and he has an external soul bone too."
"But... aren't this martial soul's stats a little too outrageous? Well, that makes sense. A Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff would be overpowered even as a martial soul."
The Sea God nodded slightly. From what he could see so far, Yun Chen's talent was excellent, and his luck was decent too.
Soul ring ages were not actually all that important to the Sea God. After all, inheriting a divine position could increase them. For the Sea God, who only wanted to make his escape as soon as possible, anyone whose talent had no major flaws could just about qualify for his trials.
"All right, this Yun Chen is pretty good."
"Especially his martial soul. He's developed it remarkably well. As long as he doesn't do anything reckless, his talent is more than enough to handle the sea god trial."
At that thought, the Sea God felt light all over. His mood soared, and he even began humming a tune.
"And I'm curious too. Just how far can a martial soul like the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff go? It's an absolute stat monster. If he really becomes a god, could he go toe-to-toe with the Golden Dragon King?"
Clearly, the Sea God's interests were rather unusual. After pondering it for a long while without finding an answer, he decided to stop thinking. Enjoying himself mattered more.
"I can finally get out of here. I've really had enough of this Divine Realm!"
"And Asura, tsk... didn't he send a soul from another world into the Douluo Plane a while back?"
"Looks like there'll be more fun to watch."
"Given his position as an enforcer, he definitely can't interfere directly. I just wonder whether this successor of mine will clash with that otherworldly soul."
There had not been a trace of worry on the Sea God's face throughout, only anticipation. He really was an old hand at chasing amusement.
Before you continue