Tang San asked doubtfully, "Grandpa, do you mean we should let the Spirit Hall fight first, and then our Clear Sky Sect can reap the benefits?"
Tang Chen shook his head, saying meaningfully, "No, if the Spirit Hall cannot unify the Douluo Continent, they will not fight each other. That female Pope and Qian Daoliu are very clear about this."
"What does Grandfather mean? Does he mean our Clear Sky Sect is going to continue living in seclusion?"
"The hatred has already been established. Even if our Clear Sky Sect were to retreat from the world now, it would be too late!" Tang Chen said calmly. "What I mean is... surrender!"
"What?!" Tang San's expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "Great-grandfather, you're telling us to surrender to the Spirit Hall?!"
"It's just a feigned surrender!" Tang Chen explained, "Our Clear Sky Sect is powerful. If we don't completely resolve our issues, the Spirit Hall won't fight us. But as soon as we surrender, they'll immediately start fighting!"
"Then we'll strike hard and reclaim everything our Clear Sky Sect has lost!"
Tang San frowned, his face filled with humiliation, and said, "Grandpa, I still can't accept surrendering to the Spirit Hall."
"This is our only chance for the Clear Sky Sect to rise again!" Tang Chen said earnestly, "Grandpa is getting old. The responsibility of the Clear Sky Sect will eventually fall on your shoulders, Xiao San. You need to mature!"
"Temporary gains and losses mean nothing. Only the victor is remembered, and only the one who wins in the end is the true winner. In the end, the world will only remember Tang San of the Clear Sky Sect. Who will remember Lin Chen and Bibi Dong?"
Even if you remember it, you'll only use it as a formidable enemy and a stepping stone, understand?
Tang San remained silent for a long while, then slowly nodded. "Grandpa, I understand."
Tang Chen nodded in satisfaction. "It's good that you can understand. Not everyone can have a smooth journey. Hao'er told me about your experience. From the moment you started cultivating as Soul Master, everything went smoothly. You basically didn't encounter any difficulties, and even if you did, you resolved them smoothly. This has made your mentality somewhat fragile."
"So, when you lost to Lin Chen in the Soul Master finals, you lost your fighting spirit and developed a shadow over him. Under such circumstances, how could you possibly surpass him?"
"Go back and cultivate yourself quietly. When the opportunity arises, your great-grandfather will guide you on the right path."
"Yes!"
Deep within the Imperial Palace of the Heaven Dou Empire
Qian Renxue was dressed in a white-gold imperial robe, her golden hair flowing over her shoulders. Her curvaceous figure was perfectly outlined by the robe. At this moment, she was in the inner palace hall, not afraid of her identity being exposed at all.
Moreover, given her current control over Heaven Dou City and the Heaven Dou Empire, even if her identity is exposed now, it won't have much of an impact.
The Heaven Dou Royal Legion and the Soul Master Legions of the two major duchies were basically under her control. After eliminating the Li Clan, the remaining noble families had also submitted to the Spirit Hall.
As for forces loyal to the Xue Family? There are basically none. Even if there were, they have been eliminated. Those who remain who have rebelled independently are not doing so for the Xue Family, but to protect their own rights.
At this moment, besides Qian Renxue, there were also the Great Enshrined of the Spirit Hall in the main hall. They had been guarding this place, confronting the Clear Sky Sect in the north, to prevent Tang Chen from leading people to break in.
Golden Crocodile Douluo said with dissatisfaction, "How can Her His Holiness the Pope be like this? We are confronting the enemy on the front lines, and she has the audacity to declare herself Empress, demanding that Xiao Xue submit to her in a month!"
The Fourth Offering, including the Mighty Lion Douluo, echoed, " Your His Holiness the Pope, this matter is indeed inappropriate. Our Worship Hall has made invaluable contributions to the development of the Spirit Hall, and there is no reason why we should be denied even the right to know!"
The third brother, Holy Dragon Douluo, sighed, " His Holiness the Pope is indeed a bit too domineering..."
Golden Crocodile frowned deeply. "Brother, what should we do about this? You make a decision. Why don't we just bring her down? The Clear Sky Sect is nothing to worry about now. As long as Xiao Xue can sit in that position, we can still unify the Douluo Continent!"
The Mighty Lion Douluo sneered, " The Elder Hall is nothing but a bunch of opportunists. His Holiness the Pope has only been in charge of the Spirit Hall for a little over a decade, while we have been Spirit Hall elders for decades. Once we regain control of the Spirit Hall, those people in the Elder Hall will definitely side with us for resources!"
The conversation perfectly illustrated the rules of the Douluo Continent: there is no loyalty, only interests and values!
Qian Renxue came here to seek her grandfather's opinion. Her Soul Power had only reached the Peak Soul Douluo. Although she was only half a step away from breaking through to Titled Douluo, she was still far from that woman!
Qian Daoliu narrowed his eyes slightly, and after pondering for a while, he still chose the safest approach. "Establishing the Spirit Hall Empire now is indeed the best opportunity. If we act now, there might be unforeseen circumstances. Don't forget that everything south of Douluo will belong to the Star Luo Empire!"
" The Star Luo Empire is controlled by the Emperor's men. You should be aware of the relationship between the Emperor and His Holiness the Pope. If this is not handled properly, the Spirit Hall Empire may very well fall apart!"
"We'll discuss this later. First, let's establish the Spirit Hall Empire and consolidate resources, then completely eliminate the threat posed by the Clear Sky Sect. As for the Martial Soul Emperor's throne... let His Holiness the Pope for a while."
"The victor is king, the loser is villain; only the one who laughs last is the winner!"
"Yes!"
Meanwhile, the Pope bedroom
The vast palace was resplendent with gold and jade. In the outer hall, many beautiful goddesses walked barefoot on the carpet. Young goddesses such as the Tianshui Girl Group, the Shrek's Three Beauties, and Huo Wu Dugu Yan were chatting on the sofas or playing music in the hall. As for Tang Yuehua, Liu Erlong, and other beautiful women, they were cooking in the kitchen.
Although there were many maids outside the bedchamber, they still preferred to cook for themselves. The praise from their sisters outside the bedchamber and Lin Chen's full stomach were their happiest moments.
At this moment, in the study
Bibi Dong wore a purple, form-fitting short skirt, revealing her snow-white, rounded thighs. Her calves were crystal Shui Ningrou and Huo Feng, they were perfectly matched with her noble temperament.
Perhaps because she had just taken a bath, a slight blush appeared on her cool and pretty face, and her purple hair was scattered over her shoulders, with large swathes of snow-white hair that were quite dazzling.
Standing before her was a graceful and beautiful woman in a blue dress, though she appeared slightly reserved, as if she were meeting an elder.
" Ah Yin greets Your Holiness the Pope."
Bibi Dong's purple eyes scanned her for a moment, then she said calmly, "So you're the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast that the Spirit Hall hunted down twenty years ago?"
Ah Yin's heart tightened, and she said nervously, "Yes~"
Lin Chen chuckled softly, his large hand encircling Bibi Dong's slender waist. " Dong'er, although Ah Yin is Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, she is very virtuous. Don't make things difficult for her."