On the Heavenly Screen, the deductions about Qian Daoliu were like a boulder hurled into a placid lake, raising monstrous waves across the entire Douluo Continent.
"She pushed that woman onto the Pope's throne? Holy crap, doesn't that mean the current Pope..."
"Are you crazy? Do you have a death wish?!"
"Damn, now that's a huge melon. It's both earth-shattering and melodramatic!"
"..."
Heaven Dou Empire, Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
Xue Ye sat upright in his study, the winecup in his hand cracking with a snap under his grip.
He slowly raised his head, a sharp glint flashing through his cloudy eyes. "Well, well, Spirit Hall. Well done, Bibi Dong... She killed her husband and seized his position. So that's how it was!"
Most factions on the continent agreed that the seemingly righteous Spirit Hall actually harbored the ambitions of wolves.
That was especially true of the two great empires, which had suffered the harshest exploitation.
If they had been strong enough, they would have joined forces to wipe out Spirit Hall long ago.
And now, another secret that matched their expectations had been revealed.
This secret could also damage Spirit Hall's image among the common people. How could Xue Ye not be delighted?
Of course, there was one thing that puzzled Xue Ye.
What kind of guilt could have made Qian Xunji set aside the grudge of his son's murder?
There was definitely a huge secret behind it.
Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, back mountain.
Ning Fengzhi, who had been playing a board game against Sword Douluo, abruptly rose to his feet. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect master's face was filled with shock.
"If the Heavenly Screen spoke the truth, then wasn't all the hatred Spirit Hall stirred up back then a deception to fool the world and steal its good name?!"
"Although there was the matter of keeping family scandals private, Qian Daoliu may well have intended to take advantage of the opportunity." Sword Douluo also voiced what was on his mind.
"Heh, Tang Hao bore the name of the chief culprit for so many years, and the Clear Sky Sect suffered heavy losses along with him. Yet in the end..." Bone Douluo Gu Rong, who had been watching the game all along, sneered, though his eyes were grave. "But what's even more frightening is Bibi Dong. She could even strike down her own husband. I'm afraid her ambitions for the entire continent are far greater than we imagined."
"But the most crucial question is still what Qian Daoliu felt guilty about." Finally, Ning Fengzhi brought the discussion back to the key issue.
Inside the Clear Sky Sect.
The elders who had been criticizing Tang Hao, along with the many disciples, were all struck speechless.
In the end, it was the second elder who first broke the strained silence. "In that case, haven't we wrongly blamed Tang Hao?"
Even the seventh elder, who hated Tang Hao most of all, did not know what to say at that moment.
He had hated Tang Hao for more than a decade, only to suddenly discover that Tang Hao had merely been made to carry the blame.
On the mountaintop, sect master Tang Xiao threw back his head and cried, "Brother Hao, did you see that? You're innocent! You were carrying the blame for that woman Bibi Dong!"
"Father, did your spirit in heaven see that? Brother Hao is innocent! He was framed!!"
Without his noticing, two clear streams of tears ran down Tang Xiao's cheeks.
"Damn Spirit Hall!!"
In the Star Dou Great Forest, Tang Hao's eyes were scarlet. In his fury, he smashed the boulder beside him with a punch.
If not for the Heavenly Screen's revelation, Tang Hao would still have believed that he had caused Qian Xunji's death.
But now? Spirit Hall had fought among themselves and dumped the blame on him.
He had been struck from the sect's family records and could not return to pay his respects to his father. The sect had suffered heavy losses and countless casualties...
All of it was because of that woman!
"Damn you, Bibi Dong! If I don't kill you, I, Tang Hao, swear I'm no man!" Tang Hao roared, giving vent to the fury in his heart.
The surrounding Soul Beasts heard the commotion and immediately fled.
Soon, Tang Hao calmed down again, because he still had important business to attend to.
He could not let the Heavenly Screen slow his progress in helping Su Ming find a suitable fourth Soul Ring.
To Tang Hao, helping Su Ming was helping himself.
Only if Su Ming grew stronger soon would there be a chance for Ah Yin to be resurrected sooner.
And that was the fundamental driving force behind Tang Hao's actions now.
Meanwhile, far away in Spirit City, the atmosphere inside the Pope's Palace had dropped to freezing point.
Bibi Dong stood quietly in the center of the great hall, her breathtakingly beautiful face without the slightest ripple of emotion, as though the Heavenly Screen had not revealed her secret at all.
Only the knuckles of the hands gripping the Pope's Scepter had turned slightly white.
"Your Holiness..."
Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, standing to one side, cautiously spoke up, only for Bibi Dong to silence him with a glance.
That gaze was terrifyingly calm, like the deathly stillness before a storm.
She slowly raised her head and looked in the direction where the Heavenly Screen had vanished, a smile no one could decipher curling at the corners of her lips.
"Heh..."
That soft chuckle sent the temperature in the entire hall plunging several degrees.
In the Worship Hall, meanwhile, everything was in an uproar.
The Worships were all utterly shocked. They had never expected Qian Xunji to have died at the hands of that woman Bibi Dong.
Second Worship Golden Crocodile Douluo said angrily, "Well, well! I never expected a traitor in our own Spirit Hall! Ji'er died because of that woman!"
With that, he prepared to leave the Worship Hall and find Bibi Dong to demand an explanation.
As the Angel Clan's most loyal follower and the oldest person in the Elder Hall, he had watched Qian Xunji grow up.
The former heir of the Angel Clan had been murdered by one of Spirit Hall's own. How could Golden Crocodile not be agitated?
"Golden Crocodile, come back."
At some point, Qian Daoliu had reappeared in the Worship Hall and called Golden Crocodile Douluo to a halt.
In terms of age, even Qian Daoliu had to address Golden Crocodile as an elder.
"Great Enshrined, why is that?" Golden Crocodile Douluo stopped and voiced the question on his mind.
It was not just Golden Crocodile. The other Worships present were puzzled as well.
Why had Qian Daoliu let the matter go, even though he had guessed the truth behind Qian Xunji's murder back then?
Instead, because of some supposed guilt, he had pushed her onto the Pope's throne.
What guilt could it possibly be?
It was a question countless people could not understand.
"Don't ask anymore..." Qian Daoliu's words were brief, but his attitude said everything.
Seeing this, the Worships could hardly say anything more.
Alas, is the truth finally going to come to light? Qian Daoliu remained silent, but he lamented in his heart.
Could the Angel Clan's scandal really no longer be covered up?
In Suotuo City, Su Ming, who had returned to the hotel after eating, was thoroughly satisfied.
Another huge wave of Vow Power has come in.
Feeling the Vow Power growing inside him, Su Ming was overjoyed.
The reason he had drawn Qian Daoliu's personal monologue out for so long was that there were too many secrets he could expose.
Every secret was an excellent opportunity to harvest Vow Power.
More importantly, once these true secrets were revealed and verified, the people of the world would place even greater faith in the Heavenly Screen's authority.
That would make it easier for the alternate personas Su Ming had fabricated to make the rankings later.