Why Could You Swallow the Murder of Your Son?

Qian Juechen's question left every priest present, including Qian Daoliu, unable to answer for a long time.

Seeing them like this, Qian Juechen let out a cold laugh. "What? What's this supposed to mean? Is it such a difficult question to answer?"

"If it really is, then tell me what makes it so difficult."

Qian Daoliu fixed the young man with a piercing stare. He had a feeling Qian Juechen knew something. He must have come prepared for everything that had happened today.

"It's not that we won't tell you. You've only just returned, and there's much you don't understand. Your sister is carrying out a top-secret mission and isn't in Spirit Hall. Only a handful of people in all of Spirit Hall know about it. You aren't yet qualified to learn the details."

Qian Daoliu's reply was ice-cold.

Clearly, it did not satisfy Qian Juechen.

"A top-secret mission? Hahaha. To be honest, I never knew Spirit Hall, with all its Super Douluo, all its soul masters, all its Strategists planning the course of the world, and its countless records and legacies..."

"I never imagined an institution as vast as Spirit Hall, with so many people at its disposal, would need a child who awakened her martial soul only a few years ago to carry out some so-called top-secret mission."

"Even if a donkey had kicked me in the head, I wouldn't think to send a peerless genius with the divine-level Six-Winged Angel martial soul and twenty levels of innate Soul Power to do such a thing."

Qian Juechen looked at Qian Daoliu and asked another question that cut to the heart of the matter. "Grand Priest, if I were you, I'd have kept that child in Spirit Hall and let her focus on training and growing stronger."

"I'd give her the best resources and the best guidance. Once she was ready, I'd have her attempt to inherit the Divine Position of the Angel God, which the Qian family has guarded for generations."

"What does twenty levels of innate Soul Power mean? It means a god has already favored her. Such talent is almost unheard of. Isn't she worth everything Spirit Hall could invest in raising her?"

"And as for that damned mission, once Xue'er becomes a god, what problem in this world could she possibly be unable to solve?"

Everyone present felt ashamed at Qian Juechen's words. Even Qian Daoliu wished he could sink into the floor.

This time, even he could not refute Qian Juechen outright. What Qian Juechen proposed was the simplest, most natural course. Raising a future god mattered far more than sending her on some secret mission.

It wasn't as though Qian Daoliu failed to understand that. He had regretted his decision before. If he had been firmer back then, perhaps things would not have come to this.

But Xue'er's mission was finally on track. Bringing her back now would render all their previous efforts meaningless. Would all that time have been wasted?

Qian Daoliu was unwilling to accept that. And even if he changed his mind, Xiao Xue herself would probably refuse to let years of effort go to waste.

Qian Juechen clearly had no intention of dwelling on the issue. He had achieved what he wanted with that question. Now came the most important one.

"That was my first question today. There's no need to rush. Here's my second."

Qian Juechen turned his gaze back to Qian Daoliu. "Grand Priest, you said my father suddenly died a few years ago. Was it as the rumors say? Was he gravely wounded by Tang Hao of the Clear Sky Sect, then died after returning to Spirit Hall?"

"I don't think it was that simple. I want to ask you and every priest here: how exactly did my father die?"

Qian Juechen had been waiting for Qian Daoliu's answer. He wanted to see what Qian Daoliu would say when confronted with his own son's death.

Would he openly and honestly state the cause? Or would he hide it for the sake of something else and cover for Bibi Dong?

Qian Daoliu met Qian Juechen's accusing gaze. His throat worked as he tried to speak, but no words came out.

The other priests were just as troubled. They wanted to explain on Qian Daoliu's behalf, but none knew where to begin.

After all, this was one of Spirit Hall's greatest scandals, with far-reaching implications.

If the truth got out, Spirit Hall's reputation could suffer a devastating blow.

No one had dared bring it up before, and no one dared speak of it now.

Qian Juechen stood before Qian Daoliu, looking at his imposing figure and the sacred statue of the Angel God behind him. Still, no answer came.

"Fine. If you can't bring yourselves to say it, then don't. I know why you and the other priests can't speak. However you look at it, this is one of the greatest scandals in the history of Spirit Hall and the Qian family."

"And it was the hardest thing for me to believe after I returned to Spirit Hall."

At those words, Qian Daoliu and every priest present stared at him in shock.

How did he know? Apart from the priests, only Bibi Dong herself knew what had happened.

Had one of them leaked it?

They looked from one face to another, all equally bewildered. Clearly, none of them had let it slip. That made it all the more baffling.

Qian Juechen watched them without a change in expression. "You're all wondering how I found out, aren't you? Let me tell every senior here one thing: no secret stays hidden forever."

"But what matters more than how I found out is this: Grand Priest, what have you been thinking all these years?"

"You were always known for seeing the larger picture, for your sharp mind and wisdom. So why have you made one disastrous decision after another? Why have you yielded time and again? Why did you choose silence when you knew the truth? How could you know what really killed your son and still act as though nothing had happened?"

Qian Juechen advanced step by step, his voice reaching Qian Daoliu's ears with ever greater clarity.

"And what I understand least of all is this: how could you let go of the murder of your son?"

The question struck the entire Worship Hall like a hammer blow, heavier and more terrifying than anything the Clear Sky Sect could bring down upon it.

For a moment, everyone seemed to stop breathing. Qian Juechen stared hard at Qian Daoliu and demanded, each word deliberate.

"How could you guide the person who murdered your own son, step by step, toward the Pope's Position that belonged to him?"

The words shook them to the core. Above Heaven Dou Sacred Mountain, the once-clear sky abruptly darkened. Rolling black clouds seemed drawn by an unseen force, gathering from every direction.

A fierce wind swept across the summit of the Holy Mountain, setting the flags on countless buildings snapping. Then a deafening clap of thunder tore across the sky without warning, jolting everyone in the Worship Hall back to their senses.

Every gaze converged on the center of the hall, where the grandfather and grandson stood—the two men who embodied Spirit Hall's highest authority.