Spirit Hall.
The Pope's Hall.
Smack!
The crisp slap echoed throughout the hall.
Qian Renxue's pretty face turned to one side, five red marks swiftly appearing on her fair cheek.
Bibi Dong withdrew her hand, making no attempt to hide the disgust in her eyes.
"Bastard."
"You possess an angel martial soul, yet your cultivation progresses so slowly."
"Spirit Hall has spent so many resources nurturing you, and this is how you repay me?"
Qian Renxue lowered her head, her hands pressed tightly against her sides.
A sense of injustice surged in her eyes.
She did not understand.
She had clearly been working so hard, so why could she still not earn even a word of approval from her mother?
Seeing the look in her eyes, Bibi Dong grew even more irritated.
Smack!
Another slap landed.
Qian Renxue staggered and fell straight to the floor.
"Who gave you permission to look at me like that?"
Bibi Dong looked down at her.
"Stop acting so pitiful."
"Just looking at you makes me sick."
Qian Renxue's eyes reddened, but she dared not let her tears fall.
She knew.
Crying would only earn her more punishment.
Bibi Dong raised her hand, about to bring it down again.
"Stop!"
The hall doors burst open with a boom.
A figure walked in from outside.
His white hair hung loose, and his handsome face looked no more than twenty-something.
Only his deep eyes bore the traces left by long years.
He was none other than Spirit Hall's Great Enshrined.
Qian Daoliu!
Bibi Dong lowered her hand and looked impassively at him.
"Great Enshrined."
"Why have you come to my Pope's Hall instead of staying in the Elder Hall?"
Qian Daoliu did not answer.
He walked straight to Qian Renxue, his gaze settling on the two distinct handprints.
A long-suppressed anger instantly surged within him.
"If I hadn't come, were you going to beat my granddaughter to death?"
Qian Daoliu bent down and helped Qian Renxue up from the floor.
Her delicate figure looked particularly frail.
"Xue'er."
"Don't be afraid."
"From now on, as long as your grandfather is here, no one will ever bully you again."
Qian Renxue lifted her head and stared blankly at Qian Daoliu, so close before her.
Why was Grandfather different today?
Her grandfather had always doted on her, but he had never directly intervened in matters between her and her mother.
Today, he had actually barged into the Pope's Hall for her sake.
He had even confronted Bibi Dong to her face.
Qian Daoliu shielded Qian Renxue behind him, then straightened and looked at Bibi Dong.
Three months.
It had been three whole months since he arrived in this world.
Who could have imagined that, after an accident, he would transmigrate to the Douluo Continent?
Even more unexpectedly, he had become Qian Daoliu, Spirit Hall's Great Enshrined.
A level 99 Peerless Douluo!
The six-winged angel martial soul!
The man the world respectfully called Sky Invincible!
At first glance, such a status placed him high above others.
But Qian Daoliu, who knew the original story well, understood exactly how wretched Sky Invincible's life had been.
He had fallen for Bo Saixi, the Great Enshrined of Sea God Island, only to be rejected in the end.
He had competed with Tang Chen for half his life, yet had never truly managed to surpass him.
Later, the Clear Sky Sect had produced another figure, Tang Hao.
Spirit Hall had failed to hunt down Tang Hao and suffered devastating losses.
Qian Daoliu had even sworn an oath not to encroach upon the Clear Sky Sect.
A mighty level 99 Peerless Douluo, constrained at every turn, yielding at every step.
Until, in the end, all of Spirit Hall had been driven into a desperate corner.
Ten thousand years of foundations had been destroyed in a single day.
The Angel Lineage had fallen apart.
Qian Renxue's divine position had shattered, leaving her forever unable to enter the Titled Douluo realm.
Everyone in Spirit Hall had suffered endless humiliation, and it had vanished entirely from the continent's history.
Behind all of this, there was one person who could not be avoided.
Tang San!
Fortune converged upon him, and even the gods of the Divine Realm favored him.
Anyone who opposed Tang San met a miserable end.
Since he had taken over Qian Daoliu's body, he would never allow the original tragedy to play out again.
But Qian Daoliu also understood.
His current power alone was far from enough to contend with the fortune behind Tang San and the Divine Realm.
This body seemed powerful, but in truth, it had accumulated internal injuries over many years.
Hidden injuries remained in both his meridians and his internal organs.
By his assessment, Qian Daoliu probably had fewer than twenty years left to live.
Peerless Douluo enjoyed long lifespans.
For Qian Daoliu, fewer than twenty years meant he was already teetering on the brink.
Tang San had yet to mature.
The Divine Realm still looked down upon all living beings from on high.
He had far too little time left.
This truly was a start with the heavens collapsing.
Fortunately, just moments ago, the cheat he had waited three months for had finally awakened.
Qian Daoliu stirred his thoughts.
"Ding!"
A panel only he could see appeared before his eyes.
[God-Level Disciple-Accepting System] [Whenever the host accepts a disciple, he will receive corresponding rewards based on the disciple's talent, potential, and strength] [Rewards include but are not limited to: cultivation, soul rings, soul bones, divine artifacts...]
The moment the system awakened, Qian Daoliu had hurried over to find Qian Renxue.
Qian Renxue was the inheritor of the six-winged angel martial soul.
Innate level 20 soul power.
Across the entire Douluo Continent, she ranked among the very greatest geniuses.
Someone like her was just right to become his first disciple.
But Qian Daoliu had not expected this.
He had barely arrived at the Pope's Hall when he stumbled upon the scene before him.
Bibi Dong had actually slapped Qian Renxue twice in succession.
Had he arrived even a moment later, there was no telling what treatment Qian Renxue would have suffered.
Bibi Dong glanced at Qian Renxue, who was hiding behind Qian Daoliu.
She, too, had not expected Qian Daoliu to take the initiative to defend this child today.
"Great Enshrined, this is between her and me."
"I am the Pope of Spirit Hall, and I am also her mother."
"It is only right and proper for me to discipline my own daughter."
"You have no right to interfere."
Bibi Dong's gaze passed over Qian Daoliu and settled on Qian Renxue.
"Qian Renxue."
"Come out from behind him."
Qian Renxue stiffened and instinctively clutched the hem of Qian Daoliu's clothes.
At the sight, Bibi Dong's expression darkened further.
"I told you to come here!"
Qian Daoliu stepped forward, blocking her gaze completely.
"Mother?"
"Are you even worthy of that word?"
Bibi Dong's gaze darkened.
"Great Enshrined, don't forget your place."
"This is the Pope's Hall."
Qian Daoliu did not respond.
He raised his right hand and swung it straight at Bibi Dong's face.
Smack!
The slap was blindingly fast.
Before Bibi Dong could even dodge, it landed squarely on her face.
The tremendous force sent her stumbling back several steps.
The entire Pope's Hall fell silent at that slap.
Bibi Dong raised a hand to cover her cheek, her pupils abruptly contracting.
Qian Daoliu had hit her?
This Great Enshrined, who had always considered Spirit Hall's overall interests and repeatedly yielded to her, had actually struck her in front of Qian Renxue?
"Qian Daoliu!"
Bibi Dong lowered her hand, and her killing intent erupted.
"I'll kill you!"
Black-purple light swept out of her body.
Her Death Spider Emperor martial soul manifested with it.
Powerful soul power battered the entire hall, and the floor beneath her feet cracked inch by inch.
Soul rings rose one after another from beneath Bibi Dong's feet.
Her papal robes stirred without wind.
Qian Renxue went pale and hurriedly retreated.
Qian Daoliu remained standing where he was.
"You think you can?"
Before you continue