Bibi Dong's Judgment of People Was as Poor as Ever; Li Qinglian Defeated Yan

Qian Renxue had a headache.

She really wanted to pin Angel God down and spank her, telling her to stop yammering in her head.

But she did not have the nerve.

Still, Angel God's incessant chatter had given her quite a bit of useful information about the God Realm.

There was simply too much information, and it involved so many God Kings!

"Li Qinglian's background is actually this formidable."

Qian Renxue stared intently at Li Qinglian, a glimmer of gold blooming deep within her eyes.

Seeing Angel God's agitated and fearful emotional fluctuations, Qian Renxue became certain once again.

This was her only chance to make contact with Li Qinglian.

If she waited until Li Qinglian grew stronger, they would no longer be on the same level.

If she wanted to climb higher, she had to befriend Li Qinglian no matter what.

Becoming a god was one stage; what came after becoming a god was another.

"Bibi Dong, that foolish woman, still had the same terrible judgment."

"Was Li Qinglian's background really something she could afford to offend?"

"Even if she inherited a divine position, if she offended him, she would not have an easy time in the God Realm."

Qian Renxue looked toward Bibi Dong.

As if by telepathy, Bibi Dong also raised her eyes, and mother and daughter exchanged a glance.

Yet this time, there was no longer any hostile rivalry between them.

The only thing in Qian Renxue's gaze toward Bibi Dong was a trace of pity.

To be fair, Bibi Dong's talent was exceptional, second only to her own. But Bibi Dong's judgment was simply too poor.

A woman could afford to be a little less talented, but she could not afford poor judgment in people, especially when choosing a man. In that regard, Bibi Dong was clearly an idiot.

At that thought, some of Qian Renxue's hatred for Bibi Dong faded away.

"Li Qinglian. Where exactly did he come from?"

"Where did the Worship Hall find such a genius?"

"You should know that every case of martial soul awakening in the world is sent to me for review."

Bibi Dong felt as though her heart had been viciously stabbed.

She believed that Spirit Hall would never overlook any genius.

Unless Li Qinglian had not awakened his martial soul at one of Spirit Hall's branch offices. But people like that generally came from great clans.

Li Qinglian's martial soul was unique; it was also the first time she had ever seen one like it.

It was probably a mutated martial soul.

Li Qinglian was definitely not from some martial soul family. Of that, she was certain.

But where had Li Qinglian come from?

At this moment, victory or defeat no longer mattered.

What mattered was that the Worship Hall was keeping something from her!

Li Qinglian's origins were likely far from ordinary!

"Did I make a mistake this time?"

Bibi Dong stared blankly at Li Qinglian, lost in thought.

"Third soul skill—Hellfire!"

Yan's entire body suddenly ignited. Crimson flames erupted from every pore in his skin, instantly wrapping him into a massive fireball.

The flames were scorching hot, turning even the ground beneath his feet red and soft.

The vines wrapped around the granite began to char and shrivel the instant they touched the flames, forcing Li Qinglian to retract them for defense.

"Now that's more like it."

Li Qinglian watched the sea of fire rushing toward him, a hint of satisfaction appearing on his face.

Like a falling meteor, Yan crashed viciously toward Li Qinglian, wrapped in raging flames.

Everyone held their breath.

Even the Soul King-level spectators could see that this strike was already the utmost power a thirty-first-rank Soul Venerable could unleash.

With the physique of a six-year-old child, even being grazed by the aftershock would likely leave Li Qinglian seriously injured.

Yet Li Qinglian stood where he was without taking even half a step back.

He closed his eyes.

The two purple Soul Rings revolving around him suddenly accelerated at the same time, and the second Soul Ring flared to its brightest.

Gray-black vines burst from the ground once more. This time, however, they did not attack outward. Instead, they climbed upward, interweaving and entwining, instantly weaving a heavy wall of vine shields above Li Qinglian's head.

Dark green droplets seeped from the vines' surface, carrying a rotten, corrosive stench.

Boom—!

Hellfire slammed into the vine shield wall.

The flames frantically licked at the vines, scorching their gray-black bark until it curled and blackened, producing sharp crackling sounds.

But at the same time, those vines released Withering Factor, constantly corroding the soul power structure within the flames.

The temperature of the blazing fire rapidly dropped, while the vines' burning gradually slowed.

It was not only life that could wither. Fire could wither as well; any energy would eventually wither away as it was consumed.

The veins on Yan's forehead bulged.

He could feel his soul power draining at a tremendous rate, far exceeding the normal expenditure required to release a soul skill.

The dark purple roots beneath his feet had never disappeared. They had been drawing in, devouring, all along.

And from beginning to end, Li Qinglian had not even moved!

"How much longer can your soul power last?"

"Three minutes? Two?"

Li Qinglian suddenly opened his eyes, his pitch-black pupils tinged with an eerie pallor as they stared directly at Yan.

Yan clenched his teeth.

He could not speak.

The moment he opened his mouth, the breath he had been holding would escape.

But while Yan could not speak, Li Qinglian still could.

"With your talent, in a normal fight, I would not need to go through this much trouble. But this is Pope Mountain. I have to win without leaving any room for dispute."

"So, I will defeat you only after you have given it everything you have."

Yan's pupils suddenly contracted.

What did that mean?

Li Qinglian did not explain.

He merely raised a hand and pointed lightly.

The dark purple roots that had spread across every inch of tile beneath Yan's feet during their brief stalemate suddenly lit up with a faint glow.

Over the past few dozen breaths of combat, those roots had already drawn in Yan's soul power and absorbed the heat released by his flames.

And now, all that power was fed back to Li Qinglian.

The shadow of the tree behind Li Qinglian suddenly surged upward.

An oppressive force far beyond what a six-year-old child should possess swept across the entire arena like a tidal wave.

"It's over."

He said.

The gray-black vines shot out like venomous snakes, surging toward Yan from every direction at once.

By now, Yan's Hellfire was already nearing its end. With his soul power exhausted, he could no longer maintain the flames protecting his body.

This was Li Qinglian's second soul skill, Withered Glory Prison!

It was a powerful crowd-control soul skill!

Gray-black, thorn-covered vines sprouted from the ground or from his own body, forming a Withered Glory Prison.

The prison released Withering Factor, causing tissue to shrivel, muscles to go numb, and wound healing to slow drastically...

Yan let out a muffled groan. His knees buckled, and he dropped to one knee.

He struggled to rise, only to find that he could not muster the slightest bit of strength.

The vines did not tighten around his neck, but they had stripped away his last chance to resist.

Yan was thoroughly terrified.

He felt that if he kept forcing himself to endure, his entire body would be drained dry!

A deathly silence fell over Pope Mountain.

The wind swept across the square once more, dispersing the lingering scorched scent.

Everyone watched the black-haired child standing at the center of the arena.

The two purple Soul Rings around him slowly stopped spinning, while the tree shadow behind him gradually receded and vanished.

The dust settled.

Li Qinglian lowered his head to look at Yan kneeling before him and fell silent for a moment.

"Your talent is not bad. You simply chose the wrong opponent."

After saying that, he turned and looked toward Bibi Dong and Chrysanthemum Douluo on the high platform.

"Am I the Holy Son now?"

The entire venue remained silent.

But a few breaths later, the first applause rang out from the direction of the Worship Hall.

Qian Daoliu.

Then came Golden Crocodile, Azure Luan, Light Plume... all the worshippers applauded at once.