The tavern's curtain was lifted, rustling softly. The once-noisy tavern fell into an eerie silence.
There were not many customers inside, only a dozen or so scattered about, fewer than twenty in total.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared blankly at the blond young man who had suddenly entered. He wore magnificent attire, and his golden hair gleamed especially brightly beneath the sunlight.
Even simply standing there, he exuded an air of nobility.
That unique aura stood utterly out of place among everyone in the tavern, like a phoenix fallen among chickens.
"This is..." At a wooden table in the corner of the tavern, Tang Hao's hand, which had been holding a wine cup, suddenly froze.
He looked at Qian Xunji, wariness flashing through his eyes.
"Big Brother, don't you think he looks familiar?" Tang Hao lowered his voice and spoke to Tang Xiao beside him.
Tang Xiao set down his wine cup. The muscles throughout his body instantly tightened, and the Soul Power within him began circulating unconsciously.
"He is the Pope of Spirit Hall, Qian Xunji..." Tang Xiao took a deep breath and said to Tang Hao.
"Years ago, we followed Father to Spirit City to attend his papal coronation. It's definitely him. There's no mistake!"
Upon hearing this, Tang Hao's expression became somewhat unnatural.
"Qian Xunji? As the Pope of Spirit Hall, why would he suddenly come to such a remote little town? And happen to run into us?"
Tang Hao furrowed his brows, unable to make sense of it no matter how hard he thought.
"Could he have come specifically for us brothers?" The moment this thought surfaced, Tang Xiao dismissed it.
Although the two brothers were the most outstanding members of their generation in the Clear Sky Sect, the Clear Sky Sect had not fallen out with Spirit Hall.
Besides, the two of them had been traveling the continent for exactly five years, and their whereabouts were hardly some great secret.
If Spirit Hall truly wanted to deal with them, there was no need to wait until today, much less for the Pope to come personally.
"Pope Qian Xunji?" Sitting across from the brothers, a girl with a gentle, elegant temperament and a graceful, noble bearing shuddered involuntarily the instant she heard that name.
Her face instantly turned deathly pale as she stammered, "He... he's a Titled Douluo?"
"Of course he's a Titled Douluo..." Tang Hao looked at the beautiful girl and replied as if it were only natural. "He might even be a Level-Ninety-Two or Level-Ninety-Three Titled Douluo!"
Hearing Tang Hao's certain answer, Ah Yin's beautiful eyes instantly filled with fear, though she concealed it well.
She gently bit her red lip, her expression ugly to the extreme.
She had only known Tang Xiao and Tang Hao for a short while, and they had merely been traveling together during this time. The Tang brothers regarded her as a girl who had also come out to gain experience. They knew nothing of her true background!
But how could she forget her own identity?
She was not human. She was a Blue Silver Emperor of the Blue Silver Grass Clan, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast that had taken human form and begun cultivating anew...
Before reaching the Mature Stage after rebuilding her cultivation in human form, her Soul Beast aura would stand out before human Titled Douluo Soul Masters like a bright lamp in the night sky!
At this thought, Ah Yin immediately lowered her head.
Her delicate body seemed to curl inward as though she wished she could hide herself completely!
Having lived in the human world for so many years, she understood all too well just how fatal the allure of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone was to human Soul Masters!
Most crucially, Spirit Hall's foundation and influence were enormous across this continent. If she revealed her true form here today, she would have absolutely no chance to resist or escape!
"Ah Yin, what's wrong? Why did your face suddenly turn so bad?!" Tang Hao keenly noticed Ah Yin's unusual state.
Ever since he had met Ah Yin, from the very first moment he saw her, he had felt something wondrous.
He felt that this gentle, pure blue-haired girl before him was the person destined for him in this lifetime!
"N-Nothing. It's just my first time seeing a Titled Douluo powerhouse, so I'm a little flustered." Ah Yin gave a bitter smile.
Her breathing began to quicken as she prayed frantically in her heart, Don't notice me, don't notice me!
However, her prayers were destined to be futile. Qian Xunji had come here precisely to find her! How could he possibly fail to notice her?
"Don't worry, Ah Yin. Pope Qian Xunji is of noble status. He would never attack us without reason!"
Tang Hao comforted her somewhat proudly, as though he wanted to display his manly bearing before the girl he loved.
Tang Xiao nodded slightly from the side. "That's right! Though we brothers are from the Clear Sky Sect, the Clear Sky Sect has no direct conflict with Spirit Hall. And what kind of status does he possess? Why would he lower himself to attack two juniors like us? I think he's probably just passing through."
While the three discussed matters in low voices, Qian Xunji, who had entered the tavern, had already locked onto their location.
Of course, in his eyes, Tang Xiao and Tang Hao, the twin stars of the Clear Sky Sect, were merely incidental. The one he truly cared about was the blue-haired girl with her head lowered, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
In his vision, he could clearly see that the seemingly fragile blue-haired girl was actually a stalk of Blue Silver Grass with golden patterns!
"So these are Tang Xiao and Tang Hao in their younger days? Their looks... While they can't compare to mine, they're at least presentable!" Qian Xunji evaluated inwardly.
He had no intention of staring at them here.
"Tang Xiao, Tang Hao, and the young lady beside you, come out and meet me! Only the three of you can hear this voice!"
Qian Xunji's voice was calm as water, yet it reached the ears of Tang Xiao, Tang Hao, and Ah Yin with absolute precision.
After saying this, Qian Xunji left the tavern with an easy stride.
"What?" Tang Hao said in surprise. "Did he come for us? How is that possible? Could Spirit Hall be planning to make a move against us?"
Tang Xiao's expression was also exceptionally grim. He had originally thought it was merely a chance encounter, but he had not expected Qian Xunji to directly transmit his voice to the three of them.
As for Ah Yin? Upon hearing the voice explode beside her ears, her face had already turned pale to the extreme! So she had been discovered after all?
She did not know whether he had come for Tang Xiao and Tang Hao, but she knew that this hidden Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast of hers was likely doomed!
"It's over, everything is over. I haven't reached the Mature Stage, so I can't completely conceal my aura. Before a Titled Douluo, I have nowhere to hide!" Ah Yin seemed to lose all her strength and collapsed limply where she sat.
As for whether Tang Xiao and Tang Hao would help her? What a joke! How long had they even known each other?
How could they possibly become enemies with the Pope of Spirit Hall, a Level-Ninety-Two Titled Douluo, for a mysterious woman they had known for less than half a month?
Perhaps once they learned her identity, they might even want a share of the spoils...
Before you continue