She lost her mind, but she didn't lose everything.
She still remembered him, remembered that deep-seated hatred, and also... other deeper, more complex things.
Upon seeing these tears of blood, Xuan Ming's complex emotions reached their peak.
Without further hesitation, the mark of the Ice and Fire Divine Crown on his forehead suddenly lit up! In the center of the crown, the core component, which seemed to be composed of countless tiny Evil Eye, flickered with an eerie and profound light, as if it could see through all illusions and reach the very source of the soul.
Xuan Ming gently pressed his forehead against Qian Renxue's forehead.
In an instant, their Divine Consciousness were connected through this most intimate contact.
A pure and cold Divine Power, like ancient ice, flowed gently yet firmly into Qian Renxue's chaotic and filthy spiritual world.
Wherever this force passed, the frenzied whispers were frozen, the distorted illusions were dispelled, and the dense darkness receded like melting snow.
Qian Renxue's body trembled violently. The crimson and madness in her eyes receded like the tide, replaced by confusion, pain, and... a gradual return of clarity.
The corrupting forces were forcibly suppressed, and reason regained control.
When she finally saw what was in front of her, she was completely stunned.
She saw Xuan Ming's face so close to hers, and the indescribable complex emotions in his icy blue eyes.
Then, her gaze shifted downwards, and she saw the Angel Holy Sword she was tightly clutching in her hand, which had completely pierced Xuan Ming's chest!
The sword still bore traces of her dark, corrupt aura, and... Xuan Ming's warm blood.
"!!!"
An overwhelming fear gripped Qian Renxue's heart, a thousand times stronger than any previous defeat or humiliation! Her hand trembled violently, almost slipping from the sword hilt.
When the hatred faded and reason returned, she truly and desperately realized that she could never lose this man, no matter what.
Even though she hated him to the core, even though she had fantasized countless times about tearing him to pieces, when it seemed like it was really going to happen, the fear that came from the depths of her soul and the heart-wrenching pain made her realize that she simply... couldn't bring herself to do it.
Qian Renxue trembled as she looked at the holy sword piercing Xuan Ming's chest in her hand, and then at Xuan Ming's face so close to hers. There was no pain or anger in her icy blue eyes, only an indescribable weariness and helplessness.
"No... no..." she stammered, tears mingling with blood streaming down her face, "Why... why did you come..."
She would rather wallow in mad hatred until death than face the reality of personally inflicting heavy damage on him now that she has regained her senses.
This lucid pain was far more despairing to her than her previous madness.
Chapter 439 The Truth
Just as she was in shock, her surroundings began to undergo strange changes.
That twisted space, filled with decay, decay, and darkness, seemed to have been washed clean by rain. The dark atmosphere quickly faded, the oppressive dark red sky gradually became clear, the cracked earth began to heal, the filthy slime dissipated, and the nauseating smell in the air was replaced by a freshness like that after a rain.
The entire Angel Secret Realm seemed to awaken from a nightmare, restoring its original appearance, imbued with a sacred and solemn aura.
Sunlight streamed through the clouds, warm and gentle.
The dramatic change in environment symbolizes the dispelling of the darkness within Qian Renxue's heart, and her consciousness regaining control over this space of inheritance.
Xuan Ming sensed the changes around him, then glanced at Qian Renxue, who was still immersed in the immense shock and fear, and sighed softly. Ignoring the holy sword still embedded in his chest, he asked in a weary tone:
Are you calm now?
Qian Renxue suddenly looked up at him, her eyes blurry with tears, not understanding what he meant.
Xuan Ming sighed, "If you're still not appeased, you can stab me a few more times. Now... if you don't stab me now, you'll miss your chance."
These words finally shattered Qian Renxue's last psychological defenses.
"Waaah..." Qian Renxue could no longer hold back. She suddenly released her grip on the sword hilt, rushed forward, hugged Xuan Ming tightly, buried her face in his shoulder, and burst into tears.
All the grievances, fears, regrets, and the complex emotions she herself couldn't quite sort out erupted completely at this moment.
Xuan Ming swayed slightly as she hugged him, a sharp pain shooting through his chest wound, causing him to frown involuntarily. He closed his eyes, his voice low and hoarse:
"Keep your voice down... it's too noisy."
"If you're not going to poke me... I need to rest for a bit."
In order to awaken Qian Renxue's mind, which had been completely corrupted by darkness, he had almost exhausted his Divine Power. Now, he was truly tired.
Qian Renxue heard his voice grow softer and softer, and the last "take a rest" was barely audible. Coupled with the feeling that his body seemed to be going weak, she was terrified!
" Xuan Ming! Xuan Ming! Don't sleep! Don't die!!" She shook him violently, her cries growing more piercing, thinking he was about to die from his severe injuries.
Xuan Ming was so dizzy from being shaken that he barely opened his eyes a crack. Looking at Qian Renxue, who was crying her eyes out and looking panicked, he sighed helplessly.
He raised his still-mobile hand, bent his finger, and flicked Qian Renxue's forehead lightly.
Thump!
A crisp flick on the forehead.
Qian Renxue's crying stopped abruptly. She covered her forehead and stared at him blankly.
Xuan Ming gave her a weak glare. "Keep your voice down... let me get some sleep."
After saying that, he could no longer hold on, his body went limp, and he leaned against Qian Renxue, falling into a deep sleep.
Qian Renxue frozen in place, feeling the steady breathing and warm body temperature of the person in her arms, and then touching her still slightly sore forehead, her mind going completely blank for a moment.
He's not dead?
He was just... asleep?
Because waking her would have been too taxing, she... fell asleep?
The immense emotional contrast left her stunned. After a long while, she slowly lowered her head, looking at Xuan Ming's slightly pale profile as he slept, and then at the Angel Holy Sword still embedded in his chest, though it didn't seem to have caused a fatal wound. An indescribable feeling, a mixture of lingering fear, relief, bitterness, and some other inexplicable emotion, filled her heart.
She carefully adjusted her posture to make Xuan Ming more comfortable, then sat silently in the restored realm of clarity, guarding him without daring to move, for fear of disturbing his slumber.
Only occasionally would she reach out and gently touch her forehead, where the sensation of that flick on the head seemed to still linger.
On the edge of the Angel Secret Realm, in the shadows.
Qian Daoliu stood there quietly, witnessing everything that happened.
He watched his granddaughter sink into madness and despair, watched Xuan Ming forcibly awaken her sanity in a near-self-harming manner, and watched the complex and tangled entanglement between the two of them.
His feelings were extremely complicated.
On the one hand, seeing that Qian Renxue finally escaped the abyss of depravity, regained her senses, and even turned misfortune into blessing, seemingly undergoing a transformation in her heart, he should feel gratified and relieved.
Although the process of Xuan Ming's appearance was tragic, the result... didn't seem so bad.
This man, whom he had always regarded as the greatest threat, never seemed to have any real intention of harming Qian Renxue. Even when pierced through the chest by the holy sword, he ultimately chose to awaken her rather than Destruction.
On the other hand, a deep sense of regret gnawed at his heart like a venomous snake.
If it weren't for his tacit approval and indulgence back then, if he hadn't placed too much importance on the family's honor and so-called "orthodoxy," things might not have developed to this point.
Bibi Dong wouldn't have become so extreme, Qian Xunji might not have died, Qian Renxue wouldn't have grown up lacking maternal love and filled with twisted hatred, and she certainly wouldn't have ended up in this deeply entangled relationship of love and hate with Xuan Ming.
Perhaps, they deserved a more peaceful future.
Unfortunately, it was all too late.
Time cannot be turned back, and choices made cannot be changed.
Seeing Xuan Ming fall into a deep sleep due to exhaustion of his Divine Power, and seeing Qian Renxue looking at him with a blank expression, Qian Daoliu knew that he could no longer remain silent.
He slowly emerged from the shadows, his steps slightly heavy.
Sensing the presence, Qian Renxue abruptly looked up and saw Qian Daoliu. A complex emotion flashed in her eyes, but more so a sense of surviving dependence and confusion. "Grandpa..."
Qian Daoliu to her side, his gaze first falling on the sleeping Xuan Ming, noticing the Angel Holy Sword still embedded in his chest. A barely perceptible flicker flashed in his eyes before he looked at Qian Renxue, his tone gentle yet resolute. " Xue'er, it's good that you're alright."
He paused, as if making up his mind. "There are some things Grandpa has kept from you for a long time. Now, it's time to tell you."
Qian Renxue's heart tightened suddenly, a sense of foreboding washing over her.
Without hesitation, Qian Daoliu told Qian Renxue everything that had happened back then: Bibi Dong's ordeal, Qian Xunji's actions, his own silence and indulgence, and the root of all this tragedy.
"... So, your mother, Bibi Dong, hates the Spirit Hall, hates the Angel Clan, hates me, and... cannot face you. All of this is not without reason." Qian Daoliu's voice was filled with deep weariness and remorse.
"Grandpa never dared to tell you, afraid of hurting you, afraid of crushing your pride. But now, I have to tell you. If you must hate someone, hate Grandpa. What happened back then was ultimately my fault."
The amount of information was enormous, exploding in Qian Renxue's mind like Startling Thunder.
All the questions and contradictions of the past seemed to find their answers at this moment. Why was her mother so cold and even hostile? Why did her father die? Why was her grandfather always so secretive about certain things...?
She found herself unable to hate Bibi Dong.
She seemed to understand some of the woman's pain and despair.
She could no longer hate Xuan Ming; he avoided the topic time and time again, even telling her not to get involved, saying it was someone else's business...
Looking back now, he probably knew all along, but he just didn't want to be the one to reopen that bloody wound, and he didn't want her to bear this cruel truth.
She recalled how, back in Heaven Dou City, she had repeatedly pressured Salas to uncover the truth behind her father's death.
If her identity hadn't been exposed later, forcing her to return to the Elder Hall, she probably would have continued the investigation relentlessly.
And Grandpa... his long-standing concealment, while intended as protection, wasn't it also a deeper form of harm?
Qian Renxue sat there blankly, her eyes vacant. The enormous shock was hard for her to process, and her heart was filled with confusion, sadness, and an indescribable sense of relief.
Some of the beliefs that once sustained her seem to be crumbling, but something new is quietly growing.
Qian Daoliu felt a pang of pain in his heart as he looked at his granddaughter's distraught state, but he knew that this was a necessary growing pain.
He could no longer leave this problem to the future, or to Xuan Ming to solve.
This man, whom he once considered a threat, had already done enough for Qian Renxue.
Chapter 440 Angel God, Qian Renxue
" Xue'er," Qian Daoliu's tone became solemn and dignified, "The past cannot be changed. But the future is still in your hands. To restore the glory of the Angel God is the lifelong wish of our clan, and now, you have taken the final step."
His gaze turned toward the depths of the secret realm, where the phantom of an incomparably magnificent palace, radiating endless holy light, was slowly coalescing—it was the true Angel Temple!
"There's not much more Grandpa can do for you." A dazzling golden light began to emanate from Qian Daoliu, his aura constantly rising, as if he were burning away everything he had. "With him by your side... Grandpa can rest easy now."
He took one last deep look at Qian Renxue, his eyes filled with reluctance, expectation, and a sense of relief and resolute determination.
"Don't waste your talent, and don't... let down those who are truly good to you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Qian Daoliu's figure transformed into an incomparably pure and magnificent holy pillar of light, soaring into the sky and pouring directly into the slowly opening Angel Temple!
Sacrifice! With all of one's Life and cultivation, open the final gate to the divine realm for the inheritor!
"Grandpa--!!" Qian Renxue cried out in anguish, but it was too late to stop her.
Golden light rained down, filling the secret realm with a tragic yet sacred atmosphere.
After an unknown amount of time, Xuan Ming slowly awoke from his deep sleep.
The fatigue from excessive Divine Power exertion lingered, but the injury to his chest had mostly healed thanks to his powerful self-healing ability.
He opened his eyes, and the first thing he felt was a completely different, powerful pressure filled with a sacred and luminous aura!
This aura originated from Qian Renxue, who was guarding his side.
At this moment, Qian Renxue was enveloped in a faint golden halo, and her six pure white wings were faintly visible on her back. She exuded a pure, noble, and inviolable sacred aura.
Her aura was vast and profound, having reached a true God Level- level. It even brought a faint sense of threat to Xuan Ming.
This means that she has successfully received the complete inheritance of the Angel God and become the new Angel God!
However, contrary to her sacred and dignified aura, her eyes were still somewhat red and swollen, her face still bore traces of tears, and her eyes were filled with sadness, confusion, and an indescribable complex emotion.
Xuan Ming sat up and stretched his stiff neck. He glanced at the wound on his chest, which had healed to a shallow scar, and then at Qian Renxue, who looked like she had just finished crying. He understood immediately.
That old bastard Qian Daoliu... he's finally gone.
He used the last of his Life to pave the way for his granddaughter to become a god.
Xuan Ming remained silent, simply watching Qian Renxue. Qian Renxue sensed his awakening, raised her head, and met his gaze. Their eyes met, and an indescribable silence filled the space between them.
Past hatred, entanglements, and hurts, mixed with the recent life-and-death bond and the revelation of the truth, have made everything incredibly complicated.
Qian Renxue opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, all her words turned into silent tears, which fell again.