I, Qian Renxue, Have Love, Righteousness, and Filial Devotion-What Crime Have I Committed?

Meanwhile, Cheng Ran (Qian Renxue) unleashed her martial soul.

Six golden wings burst from Qian Renxue's back, every feather flowing with golden radiance.

An aura of beauty, nobility, and oppressive power from a higher plane enveloped everyone present.

Cheng Ran's (Qian Renxue's) bright eyes turned golden as well.

After just an instant of eye contact, Hu Liena staggered several steps backward, her face pale. If she hadn't caught hold of the papal throne, she would probably have collapsed to the floor.

In the past, Hu Liena had never thought Qian Renxue, a fellow Saintess, was particularly strong. She had merely thought the other woman had been born a few years earlier.

But now, a single glance had shown her just how vast the gap between them was.

"Hu Liena, when all is said and done, you should be thanking me. If Bibi Dong hadn't treated you as a substitute to make up for me, could you have become the Saintess of the Pope Hall?"

"No way, no way. You don't actually think your martial soul can compare to the Six-Winged Angel, do you?"

"I, I, a substitute..." Hu Liena was left speechless by the retort. The Six-Winged Angel had branded a lifelong shadow upon her heart.

"Or do you think just anyone can lecture the Saintess of the Worship Hall?"

Cheng Ran (Qian Renxue) glanced at Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, who looked constipated.

After all, with such a weighty accusation as contempt for the Worship Hall being slapped onto their heads, neither dared accept it.

Cheng Ran (Qian Renxue) couldn't help laughing aloud. "Heh heh heh..."

That hearty laughter instantly silenced the hall.

Bibi Dong's brows knitted tightly, and her voice dropped to freezing point. "Insolence! What are you laughing at?"

"I'm laughing at you bunch of hypocrites.

Bibi Dong, I know you hate me, because my existence constantly reminds you of that nightmare.

But what I want to say is that I'm your daughter too. The one you should hate is Qian Xunji, not me."

The Pope Hall was terrifyingly quiet, as though even the sound of breathing had vanished.

Bibi Dong's face darkened, and complicated emotions flashed through her eyes.

There was shock, anger, and a trace of wavering she refused to acknowledge.

Even more unexpected to her was that Qian Renxue actually knew what had happened back then.

"Who told you?"

Cheng Ran (Qian Renxue) didn't answer the question. Her gaze was open and unflinching as she looked at everyone in the hall.

"Bibi Dong, you scorn me, abandon me, humiliate me, and doubt me. Yet if your life hangs by a thread someday, I will still draw my sword to save you, repaying you for giving birth to me. That is filial devotion."

"Spirit Hall provided the resources for my cultivation. For six years, I lived undercover, treading on thin ice, without complaint or regret. If Spirit Hall ever faces destruction, I, Qian Renxue, will step forward to turn the tide. That is righteousness."

"My father, Qian Xunji, acted like a beast and deserved death ten thousand times over. But in that past affair, you were the one humiliated. I cannot bear to use my mother's scars as a weapon against her in public. That is benevolence."

"I, Qian Renxue, have love, righteousness, and filial devotion. What crime have I committed?"

"And why should an innocent person admit wrongdoing?"

With that, Cheng Ran (Qian Renxue) turned and walked toward the entrance of the Pope Hall.

Her steps were steady and resolute, without the slightest hesitation.

Within her mind, Qian Renxue was already shocked beyond measure.

The vast Pope Hall sank into deathly silence.

The elders stood frozen, exchanging glances. Not one dared speak first.

Every word was a blade, every sentence drew blood.

Especially that final line: "And why should an innocent person admit wrongdoing?"

It was like a thunderbolt striking everyone's heart.

The next second, Bibi Dong's voice exploded, carrying the terrifying pressure of a Titled Douluo. "Qian Renxue! Stop right there!"

A phantom spider appeared behind her, and killing intent enveloped the entire Pope Hall.

Inside the hall, the elders' hearts trembled.

Although they were all Titled Douluos, there were still differences in strength.

"Her Holiness the Pope's strength is growing more terrifying..."

Hu Liena collapsed straight onto the floor and sucked in a cold breath. "Master's strength is terrifying indeed!"

Cheng Ran (Qian Renxue) stopped in her tracks.

Qian Renxue: We're done for, we're done for...

Cheng Ran: Don't be scared. I bet she won't dare pull the trigger.

Cheng Ran (Qian Renxue) slowly turned around, driving her soul power to its utmost limit.

Six golden wings fluttered, and her long golden hair rose without wind. She looked like an angel descended to earth.

Holy golden light and sinister purple energy divided the Pope Hall in two, standing against each other as equals.

Under Cheng Ran's control, Qian Renxue actually held her own.

Though that was partly because of an advantage in attributes.

All eight elders present, including Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, watched the scene in astonishment, shocked by the strength Qian Renxue displayed, far beyond that of a rank forty-nine Soul Ancestor.

Yue Guan's eyes widened. "Is this the power of a divine martial soul?"

Ghost Douluo Gui Mei shook his head. "Surely not. His Holiness the former Pope also had the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, but at rank forty-nine, he wasn't strong enough to face a Titled Douluo's pressure without losing ground!"

Snake Lance Douluo She Long's aged face reddened. "Ahem, I take back what I said earlier. Saintess Qian's talent is peerless!"

Holy Dragon Douluo Tuoba Xi said, "Your Highness the Saintess, such powerful spiritual power..."

Qian Renxue: Th-this... am I really this strong?

Cheng Ran spoke to her within her mind, his tone earnest but also exasperated at her failure to live up to her potential.

"If you suck, practice more."

"Xiao Xue, listen to me. You're different from other people. Don't waste your time on palace intrigue."

"If you'd focused on cultivation, you'd at least be a rank seventy Soul Emperor by your age!"

"I'm a fucking player, and I use your martial soul, soul power, and spiritual power better than you do. Aren't you ashamed?"

"Remember, grinding monsters to level up and accumulating actual combat experience is the true path."

Qian Renxue: Evil God-Lord Evil God, you're absolutely right.

Cheng Ran: Tsk, tsk. Now you know to call me Lord Evil God? Xiao Xue, I still prefer that defiant, untamable look you had earlier.

Qian Renxue: *...*

Cheng Ran (Qian Renxue) faced Bibi Dong from across the hall, her eyes holding not a trace of fear or retreat, but instead a lofty, godlike pity.

Bibi Dong's pupils contracted slightly.

Qian Renxue's eyes, those golden eyes, looked so much like those of the man who had violated her!

Her tone turned icy. The phantoms of the Death Spider Emperor and Soul Devouring Spider Emperor appeared simultaneously, and eighteen Soul Rings lit up together. "Do you really think I don't dare kill you?"

Two layers of terrifying Spider Emperor pressure instantly enveloped the entire Pope Hall.

Cheng Ran (Qian Renxue) smiled faintly. "If Mother wishes to kill me, how would her daughter dare disobey? But are you certain you want to do it here? In front of all the elders?"

Qian Renxue was nearly crying with anxiety: Lord Evil God, I already know you're strong and brave. Could you please stop provoking her...?

Cheng Ran: Relax, relax. I know my limits.

At that critical moment, with a thousand pounds hanging by a thread.

"Enough!"

An aged yet resonant voice thundered from the entrance of the Pope Hall.

Immediately afterward, a terrifying pressure far surpassing Bibi Dong's descended with a crash!

Rank ninety-nine, a Peerless Douluo!

Qian Daoliu had appeared at the entrance to the hall at some point, his white hair billowing and his gaze like lightning.

He stepped into the hall, seemingly casual, yet positioned himself precisely in front of Qian Renxue, silently crushing Bibi Dong's killing intent.

Inside the Pope Hall, the elders were already drenched in sweat, not even daring to raise their heads.

Hu Liena had curled into a ball, trembling all over.