As he watched his daughter's cautious manner, so afraid of losing what she had, the smile froze on Qian Xunji's lips, and guilt and heartache surged from the depths of his heart.
As her father, he truly had neglected to spend time with his daughter over the years.
Lately, he had been run ragged searching for that damned hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Grass, leaving him even less time for Qian Renxue.
Ah, Bibi Dong...
Qian Xunji sighed silently inwardly. Unbidden, that peerlessly seductive face surfaced in his mind, always as cold as frost toward both him and Xiao Xue.
After all these years, seeing Xiao Xue suffering now, Qian Xunji had to admit that he regretted it.
That insane, selfish decision he had made in the secret chamber back then.
He had originally intended to use the most extreme means to keep the monstrously gifted Holy Maiden Bibi Dong in Spirit Hall forever. He had never expected that night to exhaust the last traces of affection between them completely.
It had even ruined Qian Renxue, an innocent child.
Even though Qian Xunji would never admit it, whenever he saw Qian Renxue's suffering, there was no escaping how wrong this had been. He had to face it. Thus, Qian Xunji was also trying every means to mend their relationship, and his decision to hunt Soul Beasts had largely been made with Bibi Dong in mind.
"Of course not. Our Xiao Xue is such a good girl. How could your mother be angry with you?"
Qian Xunji forced a gentle smile as he comforted her.
Sensing her father's sadness, Qian Renxue hurriedly lifted Chen Qianqiu off her head and held him before Qian Xunji as though presenting a treasure:
"Father, look! This is Xiao Hei, whom I found in the grass today! He was a big black egg at first, but then a really adorable little beast hatched out. He's so clever and powerful!"
Qian Xunji raised an eyebrow, his attention shifting to the pitch-black little beast.
Man and dragon abruptly locked eyes in midair.
Chen Qianqiu's heart leaped straight into his throat, his dark golden slit pupils narrowing warily to thin lines.
Holy shit, this was the infamous Secret Chamber Douluo, Qian Xunji! A Titled Douluo, someone whose combat strength stood at the pinnacle of the Douluo Continent!
More importantly, Qian Xunji wasn't someone who joked around in word or deed. If he decided to come after you, he would.
If he discovered anything wrong with him, wouldn't he be taken away for dissection on the spot?
"Interesting. A dragon? No, that doesn't seem right. I can't see through him at all."
As Qian Xunji studied Chen Qianqiu, his gaze deepened as well.
The hidden guards' report earlier had explicitly mentioned this strange little beast.
The hidden guards had sworn that they had remained concealed without intervening the entire time. The opposing Soul King had acted as though he had seen a ghost: his Martial Soul had collapsed on its own, and then he had knelt on the ground, frantically kowtowing as though trying to bash himself to death as he begged for mercy.
Qian Renxue clearly could not make a Soul King break down in an instant at her current level, leaving only this little beast before him as the suspicious thing.
"Well, Father?" Qian Renxue shook off her earlier gloom, her eyes shining with admiration.
"Can you tell what kind of Soul Beast Xiao Hei is?"
Qian Xunji, who had been examining him, stiffened slightly.
What kind? This fellow's presence was like a rock's, and he was pitch-black all over. Without studying him carefully, one couldn't even find his facial features. Who could possibly recognize him?
But Qian Xunji had long occupied a position of power, and he had always appeared omnipotent before his daughter. How could he say he did not recognize him?
Qian Xunji composed his expression and very naturally raised a fist to his mouth, coughing lightly twice:
"Ahem. Of course your father recognizes him. This is a variant possessing an exceptionally rare ancient dragon bloodline."
He spouted nonsense with a perfectly straight face, then added in a solemn tone:
"However, his specific branch dates back much too far. Once I've gone to the library and carefully checked his lineage, I'll tell you his exact name."
"I knew Daddy was the best!"
At this assurance, Qian Renxue immediately beamed with joy. She leaned forward and planted a resounding smack of a kiss on Qian Xunji's cheek.
"Then Xue'er is taking Xiao Hei to eat something delicious! Bye, Daddy!"
"Of course. Go and play."
Without blushing or missing a beat, Qian Xunji accepted his daughter's praise, his eyes gentle as he watched Qian Renxue skip away.
Only after Qian Renxue's golden figure had vanished completely around the corner did the smile gradually fade from Qian Xunji's face.
In its place came an emperor's wrath. Even the surrounding air seemed to drop to freezing as his presence changed.
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the Clear Sky Sect..."
Qian Xunji narrowed his eyes and coldly uttered those two names, an undisguised icy glint flashing in his gaze.
"What audacity. Spirit Hall invited the juniors of your two sects to Spirit City to broaden their horizons and take part in an exchange. To think you would actually dare behave so outrageously in Spirit City!"
In his attitude toward the Upper Three Sects, Qian Xunji was thousands upon thousands of times more forceful and aggressive than his father, Qian Daoliu.
Qian Daoliu had no desire for power. All his remaining ambition lay with Qian Renxue.
But Qian Xunji was different. As the current Supreme Pontiff, he brimmed with ambition. He had long found these self-important Upper Three Sects, each entrenched in its own territory, an eyesore.
If not for certain concerns, if he had even one suitable opportunity to make his move, he would have liked nothing better than to raze these so-called three great sects tomorrow!
"Hmph. I will personally demand an explanation from you!"
Qian Xunji snorted coldly and swept away with a flick of his sleeve.
Elsewhere.
In the district of Spirit City's guesthouses specifically provided for the various major powers to rest.
Inside the most spacious hall of the Clear Sky Sect's quarters, several adults with grave expressions surrounded Tang Hu.
Still shaken, Tang Hu gesticulated wildly as he embellished his account of what had happened at the outer city marketplace.
"...That Qian Renxue is nothing but an unreasonable lunatic! Not only did she let her pet steal a treasure, she also belittled our Clear Sky Sect at every turn!"
Tang Hu swallowed, feeling more grievously wronged the more he spoke.
Bang!
"This is utterly outrageous! Spirit Hall has gone far too far in bullying us!"
After hearing Tang Hu's account, a tall, powerfully built old man with a snow-white beard slammed his hand onto the table, making the teacups jump.
The speaker was none other than Tai Tan, chief of the Strength Clan, who had served the Clear Sky Sect with unswerving loyalty in the original story.
With the Clear Sky Sect sending its juniors to Spirit City for an exchange this time, he was responsible for their safety on the journey.
"Spirit Hall's young mistress is already so vicious at such a tender age, treating the dignity of our Upper Three Sects as nothing. This is simply intolerable bullying!"
Tai Tan's eyes bulged with rage, as though he were about to find someone to fight to the death that very instant.
Yet the next moment, when he turned toward Tang Hu, his rugged old face instantly shifted into a nervous, almost fawning expression.
Like an utterly loyal old guard dog, he drew close to Tang Hu, fussing over his well-being and carefully examining him from head to toe.
"Fortunately, you were clever enough to avoid getting hurt in that melee. If you'd lost even a single hair, how could I possibly have answered to the Clear Sky Sect's elders?"
Instead, Tai Tan patted Tang Hu's shoulder with immense approval and lowered his voice.
"As for ignoring Yu Tianming, you did exactly the right thing! At a time like that, protecting your own interests must always come first!"