Qian Xunji glanced at Bibi Dong, his eyes full of disdain, and snorted. "Kill me if you want. The Angel Clan has never had cowards who feared death!"
The moment he finished speaking, he could no longer endure his injuries. His vision went black, and he passed out.
Fury surged in Bibi Dong's heart at the sight. The next moment, she extended her sharp claws, about to crush Qian Xunji to death on the spot.
"Mom, don't kill him!"
Qian Renxue floated straight between them, blocking Bibi Dong with her body.
"Xue'er, move aside!" Bibi Dong snapped coldly.
"Mom, please spare this child. He's a member of my clan. I sensed the surroundings just now. He was gravely wounded fighting Evil Soul Masters," Qian Renxue hurriedly pleaded.
"Xue'er, I know, but this child has already suffered fatal injuries."
"I know. I want to save him! I can use Angel's Blessing to heal his injuries," Qian Renxue said urgently.
"No! We're both remnant souls now. We can neither reincarnate nor be reborn. Sooner or later, we'll dissipate between heaven and earth. If you leave him alone, we can last quite a while longer. But if you act and exhaust too much of your strength, you'll soon turn to ash and scatter into nothing!" Bibi Dong hastily urged her. All she wanted was to spend their remaining time together with her daughter.
Qian Renxue stepped forward and hugged Bibi Dong, crying as she said, "Mom, I can't bear to leave you either. But I've already brought a terrible calamity upon the Angel Clan. I want to do one last thing for our clan. This child is an outstanding junior of the Angel Clan. Let me use the last of my strength in exchange for his survival."
Bibi Dong held her daughter tightly, tears falling without end. "Xue'er, Mommy can't bear to lose you... but whatever you want to do, Mommy will support you. Remember, Mommy loves you."
Qian Renxue resolutely left Bibi Dong's embrace and walked up to Qian Xunji. Drawing upon the last trace of divine consciousness within her soul fragment, she cried softly, "Angel's Blessing!"
Countless sacred motes of light flew from Qian Renxue's remnant soul, pouring into Qian Xunji's body in an unending stream. As the holy light flowed into him, Qian Xunji's fatal injuries rapidly healed, while Qian Renxue's remnant soul slowly began to turn transparent. Bibi Dong stood nearby, her face already drenched in tears.
After an unknown amount of time, Qian Xunji slowly opened his eyes.
"I'm actually still alive?"
He discovered that all his injuries had healed.
He hurriedly looked up and surveyed his surroundings, wanting to understand what had happened. At a glance, he saw a purple soul sitting on the ground, her arms positioned as though cradling something. Only when he looked closely did he realize that Bibi Dong was holding Qian Renxue's remnant soul. Qian Renxue was now weak to the extreme, her remnant soul almost completely transparent.
Qian Xunji understood at once. Qian Renxue's remnant soul must have used her strength to activate Angel's Blessing and pull him back from death's door. At the thought, an inexplicable pang struck his heart.
He walked up to Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue's remnant souls. Before he could speak, he heard Bibi Dong's icy voice. "Get lost. I don't want to kill you right now."
"You're remnant souls. Without somewhere to reside, you'll slowly dissipate between heaven and earth," Qian Xunji said.
Bibi Dong turned to look at him, somewhat curious about how this child knew such things, but she still nodded. "Yes."
Since Qian Renxue had saved his life, Qian Xunji suppressed his impatience and said, "I know somewhere you can stay temporarily without dissipating."
"Where? My daughter can't hold on much longer. Without somewhere to reside, she'll dissipate completely!" Bibi Dong asked urgently. At this point, she could no longer spare any thought for asking how the child before her knew these things.
"You can enter my Sea of Consciousness for now."
"You're just a child. Even if you've awakened an Angel Martial Soul, no matter how gifted you are, your Sea of Consciousness couldn't possibly contain us. Even if you only took Xue'er inside, your body would immediately burst and you'd die!" Bibi Dong said coldly.
"Don't worry. I received a fortuitous opportunity, and my Sea of Consciousness far surpasses that of ordinary people. Your remnant souls appearing here was also part of that opportunity."
After saying that, Qian Xunji did not wait for Bibi Dong to reply. If not for Qian Renxue, he would not have wanted to exchange even another half-sentence with Bibi Dong.
Qian Xunji turned toward the almost transparent Qian Renxue, his voice softening slightly. "Xiao Xue, don't resist. I'll bring you into my Sea of Consciousness. Trust me."
Qian Renxue no longer had even a trace of strength, but she found Qian Xunji's voice so warm and familiar that an inexplicable sense of trust arose within her. She nodded gently.
The next moment, Qian Xunji opened his Sea of Consciousness. Without the slightest resistance, Qian Renxue transformed into a skyful of golden motes and flew straight inside.
After entering his Sea of Consciousness, Qian Renxue's remnant soul remained incredibly weak, but she clearly felt much better. At least she was no longer continuing to dissipate. Her voice sounded within Qian Xunji's Sea of Consciousness, tinged with weakness. "Thank you... please save my mom too."
After saying this, Qian Renxue's remnant soul could hold on no longer. She transformed into a small golden orb that floated quietly within Qian Xunji's Sea of Consciousness.
"All right, I promise. Rest easy and recover," Qian Xunji replied within his Sea of Consciousness.
Seeing that Qian Renxue's remnant soul had entered successfully and Qian Xunji showed no discomfort at all, Bibi Dong hurriedly asked, "How is my daughter?"
"She's fine. Are you coming in or not?" Qian Xunji's voice returned to its earlier chill, brief and without a single wasted word.
Hearing his icy tone, Bibi Dong did not understand why the child before her was so hostile toward her. But she had no other choice now and could only grit her teeth. "Yes."
Qian Xunji nodded and opened his Sea of Consciousness again. Just as he was about to bring Bibi Dong's remnant soul inside, she suddenly asked, "Child, what's your name?"
Qian Xunji hesitated.
Using the name Qian Xunji on the Douluo Continent in the future would definitely cause serious trouble. If Tang San found out, he would certainly descend to the lower realm and crush me to death. And if that lunatic Bibi Dong heard it, she'd go mad on the spot. Looks like I need to change my name.
A thought stirred in his mind. He now possessed two Martial Souls, the angel and the Seven Kill Sword, and immediately blurted out, "Qian Chen."
Time flew, and ten years passed in the blink of an eye. Four figures were racing through the Star Dou Great Forest. Among the four, one had already reached Peak Soul Saint, one was a Soul King, and two were Soul Ancestors.
The blond youth in the lead suddenly stopped short, and the other three immediately stopped with him. A white-haired youth holding a bow and arrows asked, "Big Brother, what's wrong?"
The blond youth addressed as Big Brother was none other than Qian Xunji, who had been reborn ten years ago. By now, he had long since changed his name to Qian Chen.
"Something's happening up ahead. A dozen or so people are fighting an extremely powerful Soul Beast." Qian Chen turned to someone beside him and instructed, "Feng Luan, you're fast. Go take a look at the situation. Remember, just watch from a distance. Whatever you do, don't join the fight."
"Yes, Big Brother!"
The youth named Feng Luan immediately activated Martial Soul Possession. A pair of Azure Luan Divine Bird wings spread from his back, and he flapped them, flying toward the battle.
At the battle site, a dozen or so boys and girls were surrounding a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, locked in a bitter struggle. The Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast suddenly accelerated and knocked a boy to the ground with one swipe of its claw.
After hitting the ground, the boy spat blood, unable to move. The Soul Beast immediately raised its massive foot, about to stomp down on him. Frightened nearly out of his soul, the boy screamed at the top of his lungs, "Xuan Zi! Xuan Zi, where are you? Save me!"