"Pretty much. I thought you were going to turn against me," Xuan Ming said.
After obtaining the Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone and returning to Heaven Dou City, there was a period when he couldn't stand Qian Renxue, so he took the opportunity to mention the Blood Spear's defect: it needed to Soul Devour the blood and Soul Power of a Soul Master every now and then to stabilize it.
He originally thought that after Qian Renxue found out about this, she would turn against him, and then he would have a legitimate reason to make a scene, leave and live in seclusion at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
However, he underestimated his value in Qian Renxue's eyes. Not only did this woman not turn against him, she even offered to let Xue Qinghe get him some death row inmates from the Heaven Dou Empire's prison, as a way to make use of their waste.
He had no choice but to let more people know about it, which led to the events at the Great Soul Arena.
"You've been pretending for so many years just to test me?" Xue Qinghe said through gritted teeth.
The matter of the Blood Spear is extremely sensitive; this guy could have kept it hidden, but he deliberately exposed it to her!
This can only be a test!
"Not entirely. After all, would you feel at ease with someone as unruly as me if we didn't have some fatal weakness in our hands?" Xuan Ming said.
His Martial Soul problem is known to many, it's not exactly a secret, but like the slave trade, everyone knows it, they just don't talk about it.
Initially, everyone was unwilling to offend Dugu Bo and chose to turn a blind eye.
Later, the Great Soul Arena discovered his immense value and chose to suppress him, intending to use it as leverage to blackmail him. The Heaven Dou Imperial Family did something similar.
The reason he was able to become the nexus of interests among these major powers was largely due to this almost fatal weakness.
Whether it was the Heaven Dou Imperial Family or the Seven Great Families, they all believed that as long as they held this leverage, he would always be obedient and compliant, even if he really did associate with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
After all, once this matter is exposed, there will be no place for him in the Douluo Continent, no matter what his identity is, even if he has reached the level of Titled Douluo.
Everyone could use this as a pretext to attack him.
Chapter 204 Handling Business Officially
"You really are cunning!" Xue Qinghe's face darkened completely.
Everyone thought they could control Xuan Ming, but they never expected that they would all be tricked by this guy!
"Scheming?" Xuan Ming raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Believe it or not, I initially just wanted to use this to break ties with you, so you could make the first move on me, and then I could leave with a clear conscience."
"But you didn't. I let more people know about this later, hoping that someone would use it to cause trouble and force me to leave."
"Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned; all these years, no one has made a fuss."
He entered the Great Soul Arena to Soul Fighting when he was Soul Grandmaster. During that time, he really didn't hide anything. After each kill, he would let Blood Spear have a good meal.
However, watching an eight or nine-year-old child kill people on the Soul Fighting Stage, and witnessing the bloody scene of devouring, the audience seemed even more excited.
Once he acquired his Third Soul Ring and could devour it through blood mist, no one cared about it anymore, since there were quite a few Soul Master with this special Soul Skill.
"Why do you insist that I make the first move?" Xue Qinghe asked.
"Because when I came to Heaven Dou City from Spirit City, I promised you that I would cooperate with you to complete the Heaven Dou Empire's plan," Xuan Ming said.
"Even if I'm going to run away, I'll only do it after this is done, or after you turn against me first."
Xue Qinghe frowned. "Why?"
"I feel at ease," Xuan Ming said.
Didn't I already say that?
"I will keep my promises, even if I am unwilling or threatened. Once I have made a promise, I will do my best."
"I'm not like you, making promises like they're nothing, something you can just throw out and forget about, and even use to shift the blame."
"However, you all seem to particularly like judging others by your own standards; hardly anyone believes me."
Xue Qinghe looked at Xuan Ming with a complicated expression, her heart filled with mixed feelings.
Bibi Dong was also somewhat surprised. She thought she understood Xuan Ming's temperament well enough, but she didn't expect him to be so stubborn.
"So how do you plan to deal with the threat of this letter?" Xue Qinghe asked after a moment of silence.
"They can expose it if they want," Xuan Ming said.
"I don't care."
"You!" Xue Qinghe's expression froze.
Do you know what this means?
"Not only will you be hunted down across the entire continent, but your friends will also be affected!"
"First of all, I don't care about being hunted down, nor do I care about having a place to stay. I've been homeless for a long time," Xuan Ming said calmly.
"Secondly, I don't have many friends. Dugu Yan and her friends have Dugu Bo, Ning Rongrong and her friends have the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Tang Yuehua also has the Clear Sky Sect behind her."
"How will this affect us? Who would dare to debate right and wrong with Titled Douluo?"
"Besides, how could the Spirit Hall not know about something this big?"
Birds of a feather flock together.
Upon hearing the words "birds of a feather," Xue Qinghe's face instantly turned extremely ugly. "Is this revenge?"
"That's a fact," Xuan Ming said calmly.
"I had no interest in getting involved in these issues. After all, I'm not exactly a saint with a heart for the world. I'm just as bad as you, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I deserved to die."
"But since you made the first move, I don't need to hold back anymore."
Xue Qinghe frowned. "But you're in Sunset Forest..."
"I only promised not to retaliate against you, which was essentially a forced promise not to retaliate against that old bastard," Xuan Ming said calmly.
But I didn't say I wouldn't do anything else.
"The promise I made back then still stands. I won't ruin your plans, nor do I intend to expose you, but this matter will be far from dignified."
Xue Qinghe took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. " Xuan Ming, you need to think this through. What if things get out of control..."
"I'm not discussing this with you," Xuan Ming interrupted.
Even if you insist on talking about some kind of relationship, the fact that I'm telling you this now is already out of consideration for the little bit of friendship we have left.
"Otherwise, I'll do it secretly, and there's nothing you can do about it."
Xue Qinghe frowned deeply. "Are you courting death?"
"Someone will definitely die, but it shouldn't be me," Xuan Ming said.
"You can start preparing now and try to minimize your losses, but my stance will not change, and there is no room for negotiation on this matter."
"..."
Xue Qinghe remained silent for a moment, then turned to Bibi Dong, " Your His Holiness the Pope, don't you have anything to say?"
"What did you say?" Bibi Dong asked, sipping her tea with an air of detachment.
Xue Qinghe frowned. "Are you planning to go along with him and cause trouble?"
"Reckless behavior?" Bibi Dong put down her teacup and looked at Xue Qinghe.
"Your Highness, wasn't this all your doing? How did it become my fault for causing trouble?"
"It was your promise to him that you failed to keep, and even his current situation is all because of you."
"Don't drag me into everything."
She has absolutely no say in what Xuan Ming does in Heaven Dou City!
That old bastard Golden Crocodile went further and made it clear in the Elder Hall that she was not allowed to interfere in Xuan Ming's affairs.
In the previous All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, she only said a few extra words because she, as the Pope, had high hopes for young talents. She also found a few reasons to call Xuan Ming to the Martial Soul Holy Temple a few times. After returning to Spirit City, she was subjected to a severe beating by that old bastard Golden Crocodile in the Elder Hall.
It is said that she acted on her own initiative and rashly interfered in Xuan Ming's affairs, which could very likely cause problems with Qian Renxue's plans.
What could she do?
You can't even ask a single question. If you let Yue Guan take Hu Liena to the Spirit Hall for a visit over the course of a year, that old man will give you a warning and keep an eye on you. Let alone actually do anything with her.
"This matter will also have a significant impact on the Spirit Hall!" Xue Qinghe reminded him.
"I know," Bibi Dong said calmly.
"So what?"
"So? You're the Pope!" Xue Qinghe was somewhat annoyed.
"Oh?" Bibi Dong looked as if she had just realized something.
"So I'm the Pope after all?"
"I'm really sorry, but with the seven elders of the Worship Hall me and the Angel Legion on standby, I'm too afraid to go back to Spirit City. I thought the Elder Hall had already deposed me as Pope."
The Angel Legion is the Spirit Hall's most secretive and powerful reserve force. To mobilize them, it is necessary to go through the Elder Hall meeting!
Since they've taken action, it means that Golden Crocodile has already convened an elders' meeting, and more than half of the elders have agreed!
Power grab by force!
Although she didn't actually take action, this step alone has already caused widespread panic among the high-ranking members of the Spirit Hall. Her authority as Pope has been completely eroded, and she is now merely a figurehead!
"Elder Golden Crocodile is handling all the affairs of Spirit City these days. You should let him worry about this matter," Bibi Dong said calmly.
"If all else fails, let our wise and mighty Great Enshrined think of a solution. Let me also witness the former prowess of the Judgment Elder."
Xue Qinghe, with a cold face, said nothing more and got up to leave.
"You've been sidelined?" Xuan Ming asked, puzzled.
"What do you think?" Bibi Dong rolled her eyes at Xuan Ming, somewhat speechless.
"You don't actually think that the scene in Sunset Forest was a joke, do you?"
She never expected Qian Daoliu to make such a big fuss, truly intending to destroy all evidence!
The Qian Daoliu, and the old men in the Worship Hall began to move. Even the fence-sitters in the Elder Hall, who had previously sided with her, all switched sides upon seeing that kind of spectacle.
Now, her position as Pope is basically just a figurehead.
"So what do you plan to do?" Xuan Ming asked.
"Let's wait for the right opportunity." Bibi Dong took a sip of tea.
"My original intention in stirring up trouble for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was to provoke the Upper Three Sects and the Heaven Dou Empire, and to cause some chaos for Golden Crocodile. But now it seems that your matter is more suitable."
"Don't give me any face. Make a big fuss about it, the bigger the better."
"It would be best to lure that old Golden Crocodile over here, then..."
Bibi Dong paused, then looked at Xuan Ming seriously, "Can you freeze that old man?"
"Or, should we just summon Lightning Tribulation to strike that old bastard dead?"
"If I can't kill him, crippling him is fine too."
Xuan Ming's expression was somewhat unnatural. "His Level 98 crocodile skin, even you would have a hard time breaking through it, right?"
Bibi Dong sighed, "If that old man continues to occupy the position, I, the Pope, will have to continue to be just a figurehead."
As an angel worshipped by the Angel God, Qian Daoliu cannot leave for long periods of time, nor does he have much time to manage affairs.
Apart from Qian Daoliu, Golden Crocodile has the highest prestige. The other enshrined figures have almost never shown their faces, and most people in the Elder Hall were unaware of their existence before.
Once Golden Crocodile falls, the other elders will have neither the prestige nor the ability to challenge her for power.
But she couldn't do it herself.
"I can help you." The Ice Dragon King floated out.
Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow slightly, "The price?"
"After this is over, we're going to the Slaughter City." The Ice Dragon King looked into the room.
"You need to help him resolve these concerns."
Bibi Dong's eyes looked somewhat uneasy. "Why are you the one to say it?"
"Do you think he could say something like that?" the Ice Dragon King retorted.
If it were anything else, given their current relationship, Xuan Ming wouldn't have any reservations.