"His Holiness the Pope! That is what happened..." Bishop Salas, who had rushed to the Papal Hall as if flying, pointed at the young child's corpse on the floor and quickly recounted the manifestation of the Angel God's statue and where the corpse had appeared, then said no more.
His small eyes turned toward the floor, and he dared not say anything further.
"The Angel God manifested a miracle..." On the papal throne, the current pope, Bibi Dong, gazed at the young child's corpse that Salas had placed on the floor, her fair face exceedingly grim. "The Qian Family really are a pack of beasts."
After what had happened in the secret chamber, Bibi Dong had turned dark.
She wanted to destroy Spirit Hall, which the Qian Family controlled. This was what the Qian Family owed her.
But the sight of the child's corpse before her suddenly stirred the sense of justice deep in her heart.
Clearly, both Bibi Dong and Salas had already assumed that the death of the child before them was inextricably linked to corruption within Spirit Hall.
"Take this child to the Worship Hall and let the Great Enshrined decide what to do." After sweeping her spiritual power over the corpse before her and finding nothing unusual, Bibi Dong lost interest.
But the Angel God...
As she watched Salas leave to carry out her orders, a trace of puzzlement flashed through Bibi Dong's eyes.
Although she no longer had much faith in the Angel God, as Spirit Hall's pope, Bibi Dong still had some guesses about the Angel God's situation.
"Interesting... I wonder what expression that old bastard Qian Daoliu will make when he learns the real reason for the Angel God's descent."
After that child was born, Spirit Hall's power had gradually gathered in Bibi Dong's hands. Strictly speaking, this child's death counted as a failure of her administration as pope, but...
"As long as the Qian Family suffers, it's a good thing."
The corners of her lips curved upward, and Bibi Dong strode slowly toward the Worship Hall on her long legs.
"Boom!!"
Just as she stepped into the Worship Hall, a tremendous aura rushed straight at her, making Bibi Dong frown slightly.
That old bastard... he's still so powerful.
Truly, that treasured blade hasn't dulled with age...
At that moment, Qian Daoliu, Spirit Hall's enshrined, had just learned from Salas what had happened in Heaven Dou City, and his aged face was flushed crimson.
Even as fury burned in his heart, Qian Daoliu also felt somewhat puzzled.
Heaven Dou City had suddenly been enveloped in golden radiance. As one of the foremost experts currently on the Douluo Continent, Qian Daoliu had naturally sensed it.
But he had not connected it to the Angel God. After all, as Spirit Hall's Great Enshrined, he was effectively the Angel God's representative in the mortal world.
When the Angel God manifested a miracle, he, the Great Enshrined, should have been the first to know.
But none of that mattered. What mattered was...
"Investigate!"
Glancing at Bibi Dong, who had just arrived, Qian Daoliu naturally knew what she was thinking, but he could not be bothered to dwell on that now.
Nothing was more important than the Angel God.
Whatever the situation in Heaven Dou City actually was, an accounting had to be given for this matter.
"Have... no, I'll investigate personally! Transfer all of Heaven Dou Spirit Hall's records to the Worship Hall. Anyone who has committed acts that sully faith in the Angel God must be severely punished!"
Clearly, Qian Daoliu had also naturally assumed that serious corruption had arisen in the orphanage under Heaven Dou City's Spirit Hall.
He even intended to step in personally and investigate the entirety of Heaven Dou City's Spirit Hall.
"Great Enshrined! You mustn't!!" At those words, the corner of Salas's eye twitched.
They couldn't investigate this!
If they only investigated the orphanage, he would support it with both hands raised, but investigating all of Heaven Dou City's Spirit Hall was an entirely different matter.
"What I mean is, countless factions are watching Spirit Hall's every move right now. If the Holy City suddenly subjects Heaven Dou City's Spirit Hall to a rigorous investigation, I'm afraid outsiders will soon connect it to the miracle."
Seeing anger appear on Qian Daoliu's face, Salas hurriedly tried to mend his words.
"That is true..."
Which is why I'll have a few of my old brothers in the Worship Hall take action.
Gently stroking his white beard, Qian Daoliu had no intention of saying the rest aloud. He paid no further attention to this Platinum Bishop and could not be bothered to spare Bibi Dong another glance, instead turning and walking straight into the depths of the Worship Hall.
He wanted to use this opportunity to keep trying to sense the Angel God and see whether he could receive any divine instructions.
Of course, Zhong Xuan had no idea that the orphanage he had once stayed in was about to undergo a major investigation, one that would even affect all of Heaven Dou City's Spirit Hall.
He was busy spending an enormous sum of Truth Points to design and manifest tools that could help him bring lies and amusement to this world.
In his mind, the two incidents-the angelic miracle and the orphan's death-were still bringing in a steady stream of Truth Points. Though the amounts were small, they were at least unceasing, enough to pour into his inspirations.
Smiling, Zhong Xuan continued refining the "Celestial Screen System." He could already foresee how much amusement would unfold in the future.
A month later, just as in the novels Zhong Xuan had once read, a vast Celestial Screen slowly unfurled over the Douluo Continent beneath the blue sky and white clouds, drawing countless gazes.
But what the Celestial Screen played were many things that had already happened, most of them major events that everyone already knew about.
[Your fabricated 'Celestial Screen Viewing' has convinced Zhang San, Li Si, Wang Wu... beyond doubt. Truth Points +999.] [Your fabricated 'Celestial Screen Viewing' has convinced Jack, Su Yuntao, Xue Beng, Yu Xiaogang... beyond doubt. Truth Points +12397.] [Your fabricated 'Celestial Screen Viewing' has won the belief of Ning Fengzhi, Xue Ye, Bibi Dong, Qian Daoliu... Truth Points +88848.]
"After three months of broadcasts, most people should have come to believe that the history shown on the Celestial Screen is real, right?"
Although the content shown on the Celestial Screen was real, Celestial Screen Viewing itself was something Zhong Xuan had manifested and created, so it naturally counted as an event he had fabricated.
Looking at the Truth Points displayed in the system and the appearance of those familiar names, Zhong Xuan gauged the timing and prepared to officially set his plan in motion.
The Celestial Screen was useful, but that did not mean he could take it for granted and start broadcasting events he had fabricated right from the outset.
After all, however badass the system was, the being named Zhong Xuan was merely an ordinary person.
He had to proceed step by step. Dumping something huge on them right away would easily expose flaws and arouse suspicion.
After all, the Douluo Continent was so vast that there were bound to be clever people.
For that reason, he had spent several consecutive months broadcasting local events from the Douluo Continent.
Some were recorded in the original work, such as the deeds of Qian Daoliu, Tang Chen, Bo Saixi, Chen Jianjun, and others, while some were information he had gathered through the system.
For instance, Zhong Xuan had also put opportunities that certain Douluo locals were supposed to obtain, but which had not been recorded in the original work, onto the Celestial Screen. Most, however, had been snatched up first by powerful factions such as Spirit Hall and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
"This feels a bit like one of those marketing accounts on a certain short-video app, or a movie-clips blogger, doesn't it?" Rubbing his hands together, Zhong Xuan released a video he had fabricated entirely himself.
And so, beneath the accustomed gazes of countless natives of the Douluo Continent, the Celestial Screen slowly unfurled once more.
By now, quite a few people were already privately speculating about what opportunities or unknown secrets the miraculous Celestial Screen would reveal this time.
[On the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, two figures, one large and one small, stared at each other, wide eyes facing small eyes, neither saying a word.]
[The larger one looked no more than thirty or forty years old, with long golden hair hanging loose and a gold-and-silver robe. He looked either wealthy or noble.]
[The smaller one looked only eight or nine, his tender little face expressionless, a pair of pitch-black eyes fixed on the strange middle-aged man who had suddenly appeared before him.]
[Beside them, a black-furred, wolf-type Soul Beast had been cut in two at the waist by some sharp weapon. The purple Soul Ring it had released floated quietly in the air, yet neither paid it any attention.]
[As though unable to bear the strange atmosphere, the older one was the first to break the silence, opening his mouth to say:]
["Ahem, young friend, I see you've already become a Soul Grandmaster at such a tender age. I am Qian Daoliu, titled Angel Douluo, the Great Enshrined of Spirit Hall. I wish to take you as my disciple. Would you be willing?"]
[To this, the child replied, "Do you know the sword?"]
["I think I do."]
Before you continue