Settling the World with a Move (2) (Revised)

"Your eyes are still as sharp as ever."

"Sharp enough to be a little annoying."

Qian Renxue lifted her eyelids, her tone helpless.

Right now, regardless of her appearance or her spirit, she was Xue Qinghe, the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. The ability that allowed her to disguise herself as Xue Qinghe relied on a piece of bone, and the soul skill that came attached to this soul bone was Disguise. Unfortunately, while her disguise could fool anyone who was unaware, it simply could not fool Ye Qingcang, who possessed a special pupil jutsu.

Recalling those events from two years ago, even after two years had passed, remembering them still brought a sense of absurdity.

She closed the book and gestured for Ye Qingcang to take a seat.

Unceremoniously, she picked up a chess piece, a white one, and placed it right in the center of the board, claiming the Tengen: "Now, your title as the Child of God is finally no longer something bestowed upon you by others, but a fact. From now on, you are the Child of God, the undisputed Child of God. So, how do you feel? Isn't it simply wonderful?"

"You know that from beginning to end, I never took that title seriously, nor did I ever think this identity was anything to be proud of..." Ye Qingcang picked up a chess piece, holding a black piece, and placed it down. As he played, he said: "The reason I fought for this identity is because I want to cut off his escape route. If he knows what's good for him and doesn't come to Blue Tyrant Academy to stir up trouble, and if his useless teacher doesn't rekindle old flames with my mother, I won't target him. He can walk his broad road, and I will walk my narrow bridge. But if he insists on doing so, then by cutting off his escape route, I will have the certainty to swiftly execute him anytime, anywhere. In a word, I harbor no intention to harm others, but the heart to guard against them is indispensable!"

"I feel a pity for you. If the person who picked you up back then wasn't your mother with her complicated background, but someone with a clean background—even if she wasn't required to be a soul master—you would be even more dazzling than you are now."

"Yet I am also quite fortunate. If the person who picked me up back then had been my mother, I think I certainly wouldn't have been willing to stand on your opposite side. Because becoming your enemy means I would be plotted against by you to my dying day. Your grasp of the human heart is something I can never hope to reach. Still, some things cannot be changed simply by what I wish or do not wish for. A battle will eventually take place between her and me, so I have plenty of reasons to suspect that you being adopted by her will give me countless nightmares."

"Perhaps the present is the best outcome."

"We know each other, understand each other, and share equal status."

"The road is obstructed and long, yet we are not lonely."

Qian Renxue picked up a chess piece and placed it on the board.

Centered on the Tengen, she began to compress the space of the black pieces.

Ending the slightly heavy topic, she smiled with a laugh: "Speaking of which, I still don't know whose God Trial Taker you are. Tell me about it; let me warn you, the deities of the Divine Realm have a strict hierarchy as well."

"Asura God." Ye Qingcang used just a single sentence to wipe the smile right off Qian Renxue's face. Following that, amidst Qian Renxue's stifled expression, he ruthlessly twisted the knife deeper into her heart: "Asura God is one of the five God Kings, and also one of the three enforcers. Rakshasa God is his wife, and Angel God is his wife as well..."

Watching Ye Qingcang's placement on the chess board.

Qian Renxue's expression gradually shifted from stifled to a forced, mirthless smile.

Who was the God Trial Taker of the Rakshasa God?

Bibidong!

Which meant her mother.

Who was the God Trial Taker of the Angel God?

Qian Renxue!

Which meant herself.

You not only dare to think it, you really dare to say it out loud!

She picked up a chess piece and placed it on the board, perfectly blocking the path of the black pieces and thoroughly annoying the black pieces for a turn. Her gaze swept past the two Title Douluo acting like quails, and landed on the fourteen-year-old youth sitting before her: "There's no need to mention gossip like the latter. The older generation is the older generation; as the younger generation, we'd better not get involved in their emotional entanglements. Don't you think?"

"Ah, yes, yes, yes..." Ye Qingcang perfunctorily agreed, picking up a chess piece to block one of the white pieces' paths as well. Changing the subject, he brought up official business: "Let me give you a heads-up. Before the Soul Master Competition, I have a major move on my end. Considering our good relationship, I advise you to speed up your pace, lest you fall at the last hurdle and blame me for not notifying you."

"A major move?"

"What kind of major move?"

"Can it affect my usurpation process?"

Qian Renxue looked at Ye Qingcang with a solemn gaze, not believing this was merely an excuse he had conjured up, because ever since she had known Ye Qingcang, the fellow had never once joked or lied about such major matters.

"If this major move couldn't affect you, I wouldn't notify you. Conversely, since I am notifying you, it means I am one hundred percent certain that this major move will impact you."

"As for what this major move is, even if I told you now, you wouldn't believe it. Great matters are achieved through secrecy, so it's better not to say it."

"I simply feel that the number of 100,000 Year Soul Beasts in this world is far too scarce."

"I also want to see whether, outside the Divine Realm, there might be yet another Divine Realm."

Ye Qingcang once again picked up a chess piece, placing it slowly yet with resolute force onto the board. Deep within his black pupils, a wisp of flame seemed to be leaping about: "As a friend, the advice I can offer you is limited to this. If you don't believe it, there's nothing I can do."

For a moment, the air seemed to freeze.

Spear Douluo and Porcupine Douluo looked at each other in dismay.

Yet they dared not interrupt the conversation between these two God Trial Takers.

It wasn't until Qian Renxue picked up a chess piece that the atmosphere inside the carriage finally relaxed: "You still have this exact personality. Fortunately, what you said is very true: great matters are achieved through secrecy, and I can understand that. But a plan that has long been formulated cannot be suddenly changed just because I want to. I need your help. As a request between friends, you surely won't refuse, right?"

"Of course not." Ye Qingcang added a black piece to the board. Unawares, the black and white pieces had already occupied a fifth of the entire board's area: "Tell me about it. Within my capabilities, I will definitely help."

"I originally wanted to borrow the twenty-some geniuses under your command who possess domains. Since we are going to lay our cards on the table and force an abdication, we must always display unmatched strength to suppress all dissenting voices within the Heaven Dou Empire."

"Everything else is easy to discuss."

"It's just that the disposal of the various academies is very troublesome."

"I need a group of geniuses who can shatter the mental fortitude of the Heaven Dou Empire's younger generation, to snap the very last backbone of the Heaven Dou Empire for me. Only when they realize that Spirit Hall will grow stronger day by day will a portion of them cast aside their insignificant loyalty to the Heaven Dou Empire and turn to join Spirit Hall, becoming members of Spirit Hall."

At this point, Qian Renxue sighed, disappointment spilling over her expression: "Yet look behind you; not a single genius is left. They were probably all wiped out inside Hell Road. Although trading twenty-some geniuses for the identity of a God Trial Taker is worth it—immensely worth it—you know what kind of personality I have. I like perfection. Unless I encounter the kind of accidents that human strength cannot possibly overcome, I do not allow myself to leave hidden troubles behind. I must shatter whatever lingering illusions certain stubborn people hold regarding the future of the Heaven Dou Empire. And for this method of shattering, nothing is more thorough than being crushed by their peers!"

"So what do you plan to do?" Ye Qingcang propped his cheek with his hand, perfunctorily dropping a chess piece: "You aren't planning to step into the arena yourself, are you?"

"Could I possibly summon the Golden Generation over?"

"Would they listen to me?"

"Besides, do you not know their identities?"

"Having the academy faction of Spirit Hall come over to suppress the academies of the Heaven Dou Empire—are you crazy or am I? Isn't that just adding fuel to the fire?"

"As for public opinion and the like, I will handle it myself."

"But the people used must be from the Heaven Dou Empire."

Qian Renxue rolled her eyes, picking up a chess piece and placing it with a gentle touch onto the board, yet it felt as though she had shattered the backbone of the Heaven Dou Empire across ten thousand miles: "Stands, to put it bluntly, are merely an excuse. As long as I am more outstanding than everyone else, as long as I am more perfect than everyone else, the moment the first person takes the lead, more and more people will betray their originally erroneous stand and submit to my truth. Whether I am Xue Qinghe, the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, doesn't matter at all. What they believe in is simply a me who can bring them a happy life. It doesn't even have to be me; as long as it can bring them an even happier life, even if it were a soul beast or an inanimate object, they would still revere it as truth and honor it as emperor!"