Tang Fan's thrust struck even more precisely, hitting Spirit Hall-or rather, the Qian Family-right where it hurt most.
As believers in a god, they did nothing to spread that god's faith. If that wasn't betrayal, what was?
Qian Daoliu staggered back several steps, nearly losing his footing.
"Father!"
Qian Xunji caught Qian Daoliu, worry on his face.
"Father, are you all right?"
"Could it really be as he said? Did Spirit Hall's predecessors betray the Angel God long ago, and have we been following in the betrayers' footsteps all this time?"
"Father, don't listen to that brat's nonsense. What does he know?"
"That's right, big brother. We all know you're the Angel God's most devout believer."
Qian Daoliu gave a bitter laugh. If the path was wrong, didn't greater devotion mean going further down the road of betrayal?
The other powers on the Douluo Continent were also laughing at Spirit Hall, and Bone Douluo Gu Rong laughed especially loudly.
"Hahaha, Fengzhi, those words on the sky screen may well shake Spirit Hall to its foundations. Would anyone still join a power that betrayed its own faith?"
"Uncle Gu, you're thinking too simply. This is indeed a crisis for Spirit Hall, but it's also an opportunity.
"If Spirit Hall changes course and puts all its efforts into spreading faith in the Angel God, things will be even worse for us."
"That kind of change won't be easy, will it? It would mean a complete reshuffling of Spirit Hall."
"Yes. It remains to be seen whether Spirit Hall has the courage to cut off its own arm to save itself."
Bibi Dong said quietly, "Surely it isn't that bad? What you're saying sounds a little too serious."
"Most of this is conjecture on my part. After all, the book says very little about the history of the First Generation Angel God and Spirit Hall. But it's a fact that they don't spread faith in the Angel God, and it's even more obvious when you compare them with Sea God Island.
"Everyone on Sea God Island is a devout believer in the Sea God. Even some Soul Masters along the coast believe in the Sea God, and they even call themselves Sea Soul Masters to distinguish themselves from Soul Masters on the mainland.
"As the saying goes, if you don't occupy the high ground of faith, all you can do is watch your opponents occupy it."
On Sea God Island, Bo Saixi smiled. "Well said. Qian Daoliu, Spirit Hall, you betrayed your god, so naturally you won't receive your god's protection."
When Qian Daoliu heard Tang Fan compare Spirit Hall to Sea God Island, his face grew even paler. Sometimes, people feared comparisons, because a comparison laid the difference bare.
But Tang Fan's mouth had no intention of letting him off. Seeing that Bibi Dong hadn't picked up her chopsticks for a while, he offered her a piece of freshly cooked meat.
"Ah! Thank you..."
"Don't think about it so much. Or should we stop talking about it? Look, it's even affecting your appetite."
"No, I was just a little distracted. Go on, I want to know more."
"Mm, then let's go back to the Angel God. There's actually always been a bug in that earlier conspiracy theory.
"When the Rakshasa God and the Sea God were influencing Qian Daoliu, Qian Xunji, and you, why didn't the Angel God stop them?
"To explain that bug, many readers guessed that the First Generation Angel God had fallen and left only her inheritance behind. Some even guessed that Qian Renxue was the First Generation Angel God's reincarnation.
"But if you add the fact that Spirit Hall had already betrayed the Angel God, the logic makes perfect sense.
"Since Spirit Hall had already betrayed the Angel God, naturally she had no need to concern herself with it anymore. Wouldn't it be better to leave an inheritance behind and go off to enjoy herself?
"Put yourself in the Angel God's shoes and think about it. Doesn't it make sense?"
Bibi Dong followed Tang Fan's line of reasoning through in her head and nodded subconsciously.
But she quickly realized that thinking this way might not be appropriate.
"Then, Tang Fan, what do you think Spirit Hall should do now?"
"What should it do?"
Tang Fan swished a piece of tripe in the hot pot, seven times up and eight times down, then dipped it in sauce and ate it with satisfaction.
"That's a troublesome question, but the key is whether Spirit Hall is determined to reform.
"You're still only a holy maiden, and your status is nowhere near high enough. Qian Daoliu won't listen to you, and neither will Qian Xunji.
"Even if you lay everything you've experienced these past few days before them, nine times out of ten they won't believe you.
"So solving Spirit Hall's problems will be very, very difficult."
Bibi Dong nodded as well. Just as Tang Fan had said, although she was the holy maiden, she held no real power in Spirit Hall.
If she told anyone about Tang Fan's theory, she would probably die even sooner.
On the Douluo Continent, Qian Daoliu was growing anxious, no longer caring about his image.
"Just hurry up and tell her! I'm begging you, hurry up and say it!"
"Father... don't be like this. Trust Dong'er. She'll definitely get that brat to tell her how to solve the problem."
"Alas, I hope so! If our ancestors truly turned away from faith in the Angel God, then I must set it right.
"Even if the Angel God has already abandoned us, we still have Xue'er as our hope."
Qian Xunji's daughter had yet to be born, but her name had already been set in stone.
Meanwhile, Tang Fan and Bibi Dong didn't spend very long over lunch. Once they had eaten their fill, Tang Fan picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth.
"Bibi Dong, do you know why, in the book Douluo Continent, so many readers side with Spirit Hall against the protagonist Tang San?"
"Huh? Why?"
"Because of where we stand. Because we readers are all ordinary people."
"Ordinary people?"
Bibi Dong glanced at the table, which had yet to be cleared, her face full of confusion.
"Aren't you a noble?"
"A noble?"
"Why would you think that? What about me looks like a noble? I'm just an ordinary commoner."
"You mean even commoners can eat such delicious food?"
"Yes. Hot pot isn't cheap, but ordinary people can still afford it."
"As for nobles, there may still be places abroad that recognize them, but on this land, if you go around telling everyone you're a noble, nine times out of ten they'll take you for a lunatic.
"I admit there are still cases of people looking down on others because of the gap between rich and poor, but on the whole, equality for all has basically been achieved."
"No nobles? No imperial family either?"
"No. The last emperor died decades ago."
"To think there really is a world where everyone is equal. It's incredible!"
Meanwhile, the nobles of the two great empires on the Douluo Continent had already begun cursing.
"This turns the natural order upside down! How could lowly commoners be fit to talk about equality with us nobles? Ridiculous."
"Exactly! Equality for all? The people on that sky screen are utterly ridiculous. It's nothing but a fantasy of the lowborn."
There were even fouler things being said, but the more these nobles cursed, the more they proved one thing: they were afraid.
They feared that the sky screen would make those commoners at the bottom of society grow restless, awaken, and begin to resist.
When that happened, the power and wealth in their hands, and even their own lives, would be threatened.