"Hahahaha, Xiao Xing, this is the first lesson in life Grandpa is teaching you: never fight a battle you aren't certain of winning!"
Qian Daoliu roared with laughter. He was simply too happy.
Even as he rejoiced, he looked at his anxious, dim-witted grandson and actually felt a little guilty. "Xiao Xing, Grandpa will make it up to you later. Right now, you simply don't understand the weight of those one billion copies of the sacred painting!!"
Yet Qian Renxing had not despaired. The final moment had not yet arrived; it was not yet time to hang his head in dejection!
"Grandpa, I also have a lesson to teach you: never speak lightly of giving up until the very last moment!"
Determination shone in Qian Renxing's eyes. "The final result isn't out yet. How can you be so sure you'll be the one who wins in the end?!"
Qian Daoliu shook his head and sighed. "Xiao Xing, you've already lost. Your defeat is plain to see. Stop struggling at death's door!"
"Even setting everything else aside and judging only this painting's artistic value, your sacred painting is nothing but garbage. Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely no normal person would appreciate it. Don't insult everyone's taste with your dim-witted aesthetics!!"
His words rang out with resounding conviction, practically nailing the coffin shut on the verdict.
At this moment, Qian Daoliu was already certain-he would claim the ultimate victory, stop the Pope's atrocity of "stubbornly reproducing one billion copies of the sacred painting to feed shit to everyone in the world," and become the great hero who saved the world!
Unfortunately, Qian Daoliu had delivered his harsh words too soon, for Mighty Lion Douluo had arrived.
The instant he saw the Holy Son and that sacred painting, Mighty Lion Douluo became so excited he could not contain himself. His gaze was devout and sincere, and he came from the Holy Son's Palace as though on a pilgrimage!
"Oooooh, the Holy Son's sacred painting! At last, I get to see it again! Ever since I saw it that one time, I haven't been able to forget it. I really want to reproduce a copy for my collection!"
Mighty Lion Douluo was effusive in his praise, his eyes filled entirely with appreciation. "A sacred painting imbued with such holy meaning suits my style as Mighty Lion Douluo perfectly. I really want to display it in my main hall so that every visitor can see it the moment they enter my palace!!"
"Oho, Lion Enshrined, you know how to appreciate it too!"
Qian Renxing immediately brightened and chuckled at Qian Daoliu. "Look, Grandpa, Lion Enshrined doesn't seem to agree with you, does he? I told you my sacred painting was holy!"
"Now the tables have turned! Nine votes to eight-the advantage is mine!!"
Hearing his dim-witted grandson's words, Qian Daoliu broke out in a sweat. How had he forgotten that traitor Mighty Lion Douluo?!
"Ahem, Fourth Brother, do you no longer acknowledge me as your big brother?"
Qian Daoliu clenched his fist until his knuckles cracked, a threat in his gaze. "If you don't acknowledge me as your big brother, I can remind you how I became your big brother back then!!"
"Hiss, Big Brother, I..."
Mighty Lion Douluo trembled all over, seemingly recalling the terror of those days.
The spot where his big brother had just punched him seemed to ache again. Facing his Level 99 big brother, invincible throughout the world, it seemed he could only compromise now.
"I-I still acknowledge you as my big brother, of course!"
Mighty Lion Douluo's trembling words fell to the ground like stones. That was his mighty lion's heart shattering.
"Good! Just what I'd expect of my fourth brother!"
Qian Daoliu burst out laughing and happily patted Mighty Lion Douluo's shoulder. "Your big brother wasn't wrong about you!"
He turned his gaze to his dim-witted grandson. "Well, Xiao Xing? My advantage is back. Now that the advantage is mine, what can you do?!"
At this moment, all six Enshrined stood behind Qian Daoliu.
Those six Enshrined were all Titled Douluos above Level 95. With Qian Daoliu, a Level 99 Peerless Douluo, added to their ranks, such a force could practically sweep through an entire nation!
With these six good brothers helping me, why should I fear that my great undertaking won't succeed?
Though Qian Daoliu had long since ceased concerning himself with worldly affairs, his heart surged once more!
"Grandpa, great power can force someone's body to bow, but as long as he's strong enough inside, his spirit will never bow!!"
Qian Renxing said firmly, "Even if I'm just an idiot, even if I didn't know how to cultivate or refine Soul Rings before today, even if I'm only a Level 10 prospective Soul Master now and haven't even added my first Soul Ring, I still won't bow to Grandpa's tyranny!"
"Even against ten million, I shall march forth! A true man must have such courage!!"
"To think you could say something like that, Xiao Xing!"
Qian Daoliu looked at Qian Renxing in some surprise. He had never expected his dim-witted grandson to be capable of saying such words.
At this moment, he actually felt somewhat gratified, but he would not change his mind over that little bit of gratification.
"Enough talk. Let the voting begin!"
Qian Daoliu declared with resounding conviction, "I, Qian Daoliu, will preside over this meeting as the master of the Elder Hall. We will vote on 'whether to reproduce one billion copies of the sacred painting for circulation throughout the world.' As the Great Enshrined, I have three votes. The Pope also has three votes, and each elder and Enshrined has one vote."
Just as Qian Daoliu announced the official start of the vote, an unexpected change occurred.
An excited voice suddenly rang out inside the Pope's Palace, coming from beside Qian Daoliu. It was actually Mighty Lion Douluo!!
"Oooooh, even against ten million, I shall march forth! The Holy Son's sacred words are so holy!!"
With hot tears in his eyes, Mighty Lion Douluo looked at His Highness the Holy Son, then at the sacred painting depicting His Highness the Holy Son's sacred deeds.
Originally, both his body and his heart had bowed completely to his big brother, Qian Daoliu.
But when he heard those words from His Highness the Holy Son.
When he set his gaze upon that sacred painting, the holy meaning within it dispelled that fear for him.
Back then, to clear his grandfather's name, the Holy Son had stripped his way to sainthood, leaping into the pot of whale rubber and remaining standing. What he had held in his heart was precisely this conviction of marching forth even against ten million!!
"Big Brother, don't you think this sacred painting is holy? Even against ten million, I shall march forth-I've attained enlightenment!!"
As Mighty Lion Douluo's words fell, a thunderous boom surged from his body, shaking the Pope's Palace!
Mighty Lion Douluo had actually broken through. He had broken through by contemplating the sacred painting's holy meaning!
"Hiss, Lion Enshrined actually broke through?!"
Some elders were astonished. Though they had yet to reach that realm, they had heard the rumors about what came after Level 95:
"Once you cultivate to Level 95, taking another step and breaking through again is far too difficult! Breaking through by accumulating Soul Power can leave a Soul Master trapped for centuries. Only inhuman comprehension can allow someone to break through their realm in one stroke!"
"And Lion Enshrined was already a Level 97 Peak Douluo. Breaking through was harder than ascending to heaven, yet he actually broke through to Level 98 in one stroke!!"
For a time, the astonished exclamations of Spirit Hall's elders rose one after another throughout the Pope's Palace.