...Original storyline timeline...
The spectators' eyes all turned red.
"Actually, my daughter is pretty too."
"Oh, give me a break. She's 1.6 meters tall and 1.6 meters around the waist. How is that pretty?"
"Those two young girls know which way the wind blows. Their futures are boundless. Even if they come back, they'll surely hold positions of great importance in Spirit Hall.
If either of them gets pregnant with His Holiness's child, that'll be even more incredible."
"Hey? Isn't anyone curious where the high priestess of Sea God Island went?"
"Probably off to recover from her injuries? The battlefield was a mess. I'm afraid the high priestess has met with a bloody misfortune."
Slaughter City.
Watching Zhu Zhuqing's betrayal on the sky screen, Tang San bristled with killing intent. "Traitor! You have already earned yourself a death sentence."
He summoned the Clear Sky Hammer and smashed open the entrance to Slaughter City with a boom.
"Xiao San, you must be careful."
Tang Hao warned him, but Tang San didn't respond. He jumped straight into the underground passage.
Heaven Dou City.
A tiger's roar rang out as Dai Mubai flew into a towering rage. "That damned bitch!
"She gave me the cold shoulder and pretended to be above it all, but threw herself into Qian Xunji's arms.
"She even wants to kill me? Just wait for my imperial family to punish you!"
Dai Mubai decisively left Heaven Dou and returned to the Star Luo Empire.
Now that he no longer had a fiancée, he was no longer qualified to compete for the throne.
On the other hand, that meant he no longer had to wander far from home.
Spirit Hall.
Qian Renxue summoned the two Douluo, Snake Lance and Pufferfish.
"Find out where Zhu Zhuqing and Shui Bing'er were before they left. When they return, make sure to bring them back to Spirit Hall immediately.
"I'll have the two worshipers, Qian Jun and Jiang Mo, follow in secret.
"Kill anyone who stands in the way!"
Skywater Academy.
Xue Wu and the others watched the sky screen. When their captain made that choice that made them blush, in particular, each of them showed an envious expression.
"Captain has ascended to the heavens in a single step. I wish I could take her place."
...Sky-screen timeline...
Three days passed in a flash, and Qian Xunji's face glowed.
Who could have imagined two identical people...
By the end, Qian Xunji could only tell who was who by a faint difference in tightness.
Bo Saixi's departure didn't alarm many people.
In fact, she hadn't had a chance to leave the divine hall these past few days, much less appear on the sky screen.
But Qian Xunji's late-night sneak attack on the divine hall had been broadcast live on the sky screen for all to see.
As for what happened inside the divine hall, the benevolent saw benevolence and the wise saw wisdom.
After all, the sky screen was very harmonious and wouldn't show certain scenes that shouldn't be broadcast.
...Original storyline timeline...
Bo Saixi, dressed in a red gown, landed with her legs still trembling and aching.
"Hmph! I keep my word. I said I'd step on him, and I stepped on him!"
Blushing, she looked at the sky screen. That lecher... she didn't know whether she'd have another chance to see him again.
Would the two spacetimes form a stable intersection?
Could she wait until that day?
Bo Saixi subconsciously rubbed her lower abdomen. She wasn't pregnant, but... it felt a little swollen and sore.
She had fallen into rather a lot of depravity these past few days.
The grass was soft, and away from the coast, the wind was gentler.
Zhu Zhuqing and Shui Bing'er had each taken an Immortal Herb, and their refinement was nearing its end.
Zhu Zhuqing's Soul Power was only at level thirty-one. Unfortunately, she had already obtained her third ring.
She had taken the Shadow Mystic Dragon Eye, a longan fruit that contained a pure Darkness Holy Dragon bloodline.
Her cultivation was lower, so naturally, she refined the immortal-grade longan a little more slowly.
Shui Bing'er slowly opened her eyes. The bloodline of the Ice Phoenix Martial Soul behind her had grown increasingly pure, and its attribute had also reached the ultimate level.
The Ice Phoenix was already a top-tier Beast Martial Soul. This evolution hadn't greatly changed its appearance; only the color of its feathers had grown purer, and its noble presence had grown stronger.
"Level forty. You can obtain your fourth ring now.
"You can absorb at least a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring."
Ye Qingxian congratulated her with a smile, and Shui Bing'er hurriedly thanked her. "Thank you, Your Holiness."
"You deserve it."
Qian Xunji looked at Shui Bing'er. After her Martial Soul Evolution, the young girl's radiance had grown brighter, the bearing she gave off had become nobler, and she was even more charming.
Qian Xunji wasn't in a rush, though. He was considering which Soul Ring Shui Bing'er should choose for her fourth.
Ice-type Soul Beasts were easy to find.
But since Shui Bing'er was his woman and would only be at his side for one year, he couldn't simply follow convention.
Within that year, he would do everything he could to lay the foundation for Shui Bing'er to become a god.
With Shui Bing'er's current constitution, after absorbing a two-hundred-thousand-year Soul Bone, she should be able to absorb a fourth ring over twenty thousand years old.
Afterward, her Soul Power would break through to at least level forty-eight.
If she refined another Soul Bone and absorbed another Soul Ring before level fifty, she probably still wouldn't reach level sixty within a year.
That was already like pulling up seedlings to make them grow.
If he went further and had her absorb two more Soul Bones, she could reach the sixties, but level seventy would be very difficult.
Qian Xunji would also have to kill a two-hundred-thousand-year ice-attribute Soul Beast to obtain a Soul Bone.
That was because he only had one Soul Bone suitable for Shui Bing'er.
And that would waste a Soul Ring.
It would be better to absorb the Soul Ring and Soul Bone together.
Those two in the Far North Ice Plains still had ten thousand years before their lifespans ran out. He didn't know whether he could talk them into it.
If he couldn't, killing them outright would be too much of a waste.
Whatever happened, he had to try.
On the other side, Zhu Zhuqing's Martial Soul finally completed its transformation.
The Nether Civet Martial Soul could be considered high-grade at best, but now, both its form and its essence had undergone earth-shaking changes.
The once-unremarkable Hell Spirit Cat had now gained control over the power of darkness.
Its fur was black and glossy as satin, and when its hairs stood on end, they resembled scale-like spikes forged from fine steel, indestructible.
Its eyes had become the vertical pupils of a holy dragon, so deep their depths couldn't be seen. Its paws and claws were sharper and heavier, and its smooth muscle lines concealed terrifying strength.
A faint, pure dragon might emanated from it. It was elegant and noble, yet without losing its majesty.
"Level thirty-nine. Not bad. I happen to have a Soul Bone here that suits you.
"Once you absorb it, your Soul Power will be able to break through to level forty."
Qian Xunji took out a two-hundred-thousand-year Golden Spear Dragon Fish right leg bone.
The Golden Spear Dragon Fish was known for its speed and possessed tremendous attack power. The Soul Bones it produced were suitable for almost any Battle Soul Master.
"Thank you, Your Holiness."
Gratitude shone in Zhu Zhuqing's clear eyes. She didn't refuse Qian Xunji's gift, but in her heart, she had already begun to make a vow.
Even if she only had half a year, she would do everything she could to repay His Holiness.
After returning, she would serve Spirit Hall and protect His Holiness's Spirit Hall.
If, if she could bear a child for His Holiness, that would be better still.
"Don't let your mind wander. Use the Bright Jade Technique to guide your Soul Power.
"I'll protect you while you absorb it."
Absorbing a Soul Bone didn't place high demands on a Soul Master's capacity to withstand it, but there were still requirements.
A two-hundred-thousand-year Soul Bone exceeded what Zhu Zhuqing, who was not yet level forty, could handle.
But with Qian Xunji there, naturally, there wouldn't be a problem.
Several hours later, Zhu Zhuqing was drenched in sweat, but she had successfully absorbed the two-hundred-thousand-year right leg bone.
"What Soul Skills did you get?"
This Soul Bone had never been absorbed before, so naturally, it was hard to determine what Soul Skills it contained.
"Your Holiness, this Soul Bone gave me two Soul Skills.
"The first is Teleportation-the more Soul Power I use, the farther I can teleport.
"With my current Soul Power, I can teleport a hundred meters by using a tenth of it.
"If I teleport a short distance of five meters or less, the Soul Power consumption is very low. Combined with my Martial Soul's abilities, it's extremely useful."
Zhu Zhuqing looked excited. She hadn't yet mentioned that her Martial Soul Evolution had produced an Innate Domain.
She wasn't deliberately concealing it; she simply knew that her actions here would be broadcast live on the sky screen.
She planned to mention it when the sky screen applied the mosaic...