The night was pitch black—ordinarily a time for deep sleep.
But at this moment, every official in Spirit Hall City was wide awake.
Powerful surges of soul power rippled through the air outside, wave after wave.
No one could sleep through that.
Many officials had even voluntarily gathered and headed to the Angel Cathedral to take shelter.
The Angel Cathedral was located between the Pope's Palace and the Elder Hall.
It was a symbolic building of Spirit Hall.
And, in name, the central hub of the entire institution.
Troops were stationed around it to protect the cathedral, making it a temporarily safe haven.
In truth, anyone who could serve as an official in Spirit Hall City was no ordinary person.
All were powerful cultivators, many at the Spirit Emperor or even Spirit Saint level.
They brought their families to the cathedral to take refuge.
As a result, the cathedral's defensive strength rose dramatically in an instant.
Once inside, the officials began gathering with familiar faces, discussing the situation.
"What on earth is going on?"
"Could it be... the two empires have launched an attack?"
"Even if you gave the two empires ten times the courage, they wouldn't dare attack here!"
"Most likely, the Elder Hall has made a move against Her Holiness the Pope."
As soon as that was said—
The buzz of discussion quieted abruptly.
This wasn't mere hearsay. After all, ten days ago, the entire Spirit Hall City had been placed under martial law by order of the Second Worship.
What's more, the conflict between the Elder Hall and the Pope's Palace had long been brewing.
Any official with some awareness had noticed it.
Now, with sounds of battle echoing all over Spirit Hall City…
Speculation was inevitable.
As the discussion faded, the crowd in the cathedral quickly split into two groups.
Naturally, they aligned with either the Pope's Palace or the Elder Hall.
Everyone knew—
The sky over Spirit Hall was about to change.
Barring unexpected events—
By daybreak, the outcome would be known.
At that point, one of the two factions would inevitably fall from power.
And that meant officials of the losing side would be branded as traitors.
Spirit Hall's laws had always been exceptionally harsh on traitors.
Exile was the lightest of punishments.
A slight misstep, and it could mean heads would roll.
With these thoughts, officials from both factions began eyeing each other warily.
Especially the Elder Hall's side, where many were already gloating.
"Heh, looks like the good days of the Pope's Palace are over."
"Our Elder Hall has seven Worships—each a Super Douluo."
"And the Pope's Palace? Only Bibi Dong, fighting alone. She's bound to lose!"
Quite a few officials echoed this sentiment.
Hearing the discussion from the Elder Hall's side, officials from the Pope's Palace weren't about to back down.
"Nonsense! Her Holiness the Pope is brilliant and wise—she won't lose so easily!"
But even as they said this, their voices clearly lacked confidence.
Few echoed their words.
After all, the Pope's Palace being weaker than the Elder Hall was a well-known fact.
For over twenty years, officials from both factions had become used to this imbalance.
After a brief back-and-forth—
The cathedral fell silent once more.
Even the mocking from the Elder Hall side faded.
Though they came from different factions, the two sides were still colleagues.
Some Elder Hall officials, despite their sense of superiority—
Still couldn't help feeling a bit of sorrow at this moment.
Was this version of Spirit Hall, embroiled in civil strife, still the one worth dedicating their lives to?
A deep sense of confusion settled over the crowd.
And over the future, an even deeper uncertainty.
No matter who won, it was undeniable that Spirit Hall's strength would suffer.
At that time, would forces from across the continent seize the opportunity to strike? No one could say for sure.
Just then—
A sudden tremor came from outside the cathedral.
Flames lit up the sky, bathing the surrounding buildings in red.
The officials and their families inside grew restless.
Especially those with children—many of them had already begun to cry in fear.
"Everyone, stay calm! We are all officials of Spirit Hall. Whether it's Her Holiness or the Worships, they won't harm us!"
A middle-aged man with a goatee stepped up to calm the crowd.
Just as he finished speaking—
Several torches burst into the cathedral.
Following them were golden-armored soldiers, each with a red ribbon tied to their right wrist.
"Who are you people?!" the goateed man demanded harshly, his expression stern.
At the same time, eight dazzling soul rings lit up around him, and a pitch-black spear appeared in his hand.
The seven soldiers who entered were not to be outdone.
Soul rings lit up around them too—without exception, each was a seven-ring Spirit Saint.
Seven versus one. The outcome was uncertain.
"Everyone stand down!"
Just as both sides prepared to clash—
A female figure on horseback appeared at the cathedral's entrance.
She dismounted gracefully, her long legs moving with elegant poise as she stepped into the cathedral.
Clad in golden armor, her beautiful face wore a solemn expression.
She raised a gilded scroll and spoke coldly:
"I am Hu Liena, the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall, under the direct orders of Her Holiness. I am here to take command of this cathedral!"
"Rest assured, everyone. The Pope's Palace has already regained control of the situation. You are safe now."
At her words—
Officials aligned with the Pope's Palace erupted in cheers.
"We've won!"
"It's our victory!"
"Long live the Pope's Palace!"
"Long live Her Holiness, Bibi Dong!"
The shouts grew louder and louder.
They were relieved that their positions were secured.
Even more relieved that they wouldn't become casualties of this political struggle.
In contrast, the Elder Hall side fell into silence.
Some more radical individuals even shouted:
"The Pope's Palace couldn't possibly have won! This must be a trick!"
"Everyone, charge out!"
As the words fell—
A gunshot rang out.
Whoosh—
The officer who stirred the crowd dropped to the ground, dead without a sound.
This caused immediate panic, with Elder Hall officials quickly retreating.
"Anyone who disturbs the order—execute them!"
Hu Liena's face remained expressionless.
Yet inwardly, she was astonished by the power of the Polaris Squad.
To kill a Spirit Saint-level expert with a single shot—this wasn't something even Spirit Douluo-level soul masters could easily do.
After issuing her warning, her tone softened.
She raised her hand and said, "Her Holiness knows this turmoil is not your fault."
"So, there's no need to worry about your futures. Once the unrest ends, your positions will be reinstated."
As soon as she finished—
The hall fell completely silent.
"Words alone aren't enough. May I ask if you have any guarantee, Your Holiness the Saint?"
The goateed man who had clashed with the soldiers stepped forward and bowed to Hu Liena.
She glanced at him—he was Shang Kun, a prominent official from the Elder Hall's political division.
Noting his influence, she adjusted her tone, retrieved another gilded scroll from her storage space, and tossed it to him.
"This was written personally by my teacher. As long as you do not resist, your positions will be restored."
Shang Kun caught the scroll and examined it carefully, stroking his beard.
His face revealed no emotion.
Eventually, he closed the scroll, sighed deeply, and turned to the Elder Hall officials:
"Everyone, rest where you are. As long as we remain in the cathedral, we will be safe."
Seeing his cooperation, Hu Liena finally breathed a sigh of relief.
With Shang Kun's words, the Elder Hall side would not cause trouble.
And that would help prevent the intensification of factional conflict between the Pope's Palace and the Elder Hall—
Preserving her teacher's authority.
Elder Hall.
The battle between Gu Yuena and the Azure Luan Douluo was nearing its end.
At this moment, the Azure Luan Douluo was covered in wounds from head to toe.
His golden sacred robe had become a tattered beggar's outfit, soaked in blood.
Some of the blood had even stained his graying hair red.
This battle had left the Azure Luan Douluo feeling deeply stifled.
If he had been defeated in a fair, head-on battle, he could've accepted it.
But he hadn't even used thirty percent of his usual strength.
The domain of the silver-haired girl in front of him felt practically toxic.
It sapped away every ounce of his will to resist.
In the end, he was forcibly drained of all his soul power.
This, in fact, was the most confusing part for the Azure Luan Douluo.
Logically, as a Super Douluo, even if his soul power was exhausted,
Shouldn't Gu Yuena, a mere ordinary Titled Douluo, have run out of power before him?
Yet Gu Yuena showed no signs of fatigue. On the contrary, she seemed even more vigorous.
The Azure Luan Douluo even had the illusion that if the fight continued, Gu Yuena would only grow stronger and stronger.
In truth, this wasn't an illusion.
It was real.
After absorbing the power of the Ice Silkworm, Gu Yuena had merely stored it within her body and hadn't completely digested it.
Now, through this intense battle with the Azure Luan Douluo, the power inside her had fused with her more completely.
This also meant—she had grown even stronger.
"Is that all you've got?"
Gu Yuena's gem-blue eyes held a hint of disappointment.
She had wanted to fight the Azure Luan Douluo for a while longer.
She didn't expect him to falter so soon.
Faced with her mocking tone, the Azure Luan Douluo wasn't angered.
The exchanges just now had made it very clear to him—Gu Yuena's strength came entirely from herself.
Not from any outside power.
Such a battle, he could accept his loss wholeheartedly.
The Azure Luan Douluo gave a self-deprecating smile. "Looks like I really am old now."
"So be it. When you're old, you should be ready to admit defeat."
He slowly raised his hand, his aged gaze fixed on his wrinkled palm.
At his level, to die at the hands of a junior was an utter disgrace.
Surrender was simply not an option.
Rather than be killed by Gu Yuena, he'd rather end things himself.
At least it would preserve some dignity.
Ye Tian, who had been watching the battle all along, saw this and immediately shouted:
"Little Nana, stop him!"
Upon hearing this—
Gu Yuena responded instantly.
Her silver dragon spear was suddenly hurled downward.
In an instant, it pierced through the Azure Luan Douluo's hand, pinning his right hand firmly to the ground.
A surge of pain shot through him, causing the Azure Luan Douluo's expression to turn furious!
His eyes widened as he glared at Ye Tian:
"Boy! Are you even going to stop me from ending my own life?!"
This was the last shred of dignity he had.
He hadn't expected Ye Tian to deny him even that.
"That's right," Ye Tian said bluntly.
The Azure Luan Douluo held great prestige within the Spirit Hall. If he were to die, it would cause complications.
But trying to convince him to surrender? That was likely impossible.
With that in mind—
Ye Tian decided to take a different approach.
He raised his head and said, "If Your Grace ends your life today, you will indeed have lived up to Qian Daoliu, and to the Elder Hall."
"But have you thought about your clan?"
"It's fine if you go ahead first—but without your protection, can your clan even survive?"
Upon hearing this, the Azure Luan Douluo scoffed.
"Life and death are part of fate. If they die, it means their fate was ill!"
By this point in life, the Azure Luan Douluo had long since grown indifferent toward his clan.
Moreover, he didn't believe his descendants were foolish enough to sit and wait to be captured.
If it truly came to the worst, then they deserved their fate!
His indifference earned Ye Tian's silent admiration.
But Ye Tian had other cards to play.
"Doesn't Your Grace want to see Qianjun and Jiang Long again?"
The Azure Luan Douluo clearly froze. "What? You mean Qianjun and Jiang Long aren't dead?"
He could hardly believe the Pope's Hall had spared their lives.
"Of course not. I merely invited them to spend a few leisurely years on an overseas island."
Ye Tian understood—people like the Azure Luan Douluo had their own convictions and ideals.
Ordinary benefits wouldn't move them.
So Ye Tian knew he had to play hardball.
"Azure Luan Douluo, if you take your own life today, the future Spirit Hall chronicles will record you as a traitor who betrayed Spirit Hall and was executed."
"You'll carry the name of traitor for ten thousand years!"
"You dare!" The Azure Luan Douluo was completely enraged.
He had chosen to die by his own hand in order to leave a good name behind, to be remembered throughout the ages as a noble figure.
He never expected Ye Tian would use historical records to threaten him.
How could he endure that?
"Ye Tian! Falsifying history—you're not afraid of divine retribution?!"
The Azure Luan Douluo raised his still-functioning left hand and glared at the young man before him.
Ye Tian, however, simply crossed his arms, smiling.
"Winners write history."
"No matter how I record it, it's up to me."
"I trust Bibi Dong won't fall out with me over something so minor."
Ye Tian said without a hint of concern:
"Your Grace is welcome to proceed with your suicide—this part really is beyond my control."
The Azure Luan Douluo hesitated.
He hadn't expected Ye Tian to be so ruthless.
To use history itself as leverage against him.
This youth was truly brilliant—he could always identify his greatest fear.
"Hmph. So what if I live?"
The Azure Luan Douluo's face was expressionless. "No matter what, I will never bow to Bibi Dong. Nor will I serve the Pope's Hall!"
"Did I ever say I wanted Your Grace to bow to Bibi Dong?" Ye Tian looked at him sincerely.
"Then what do you want from me?!" the Azure Luan Douluo roared in frustration. He couldn't understand Ye Tian's logic.
If Ye Tian didn't want him to surrender, then he had no value to the Pope's Hall.
Why was he still allowed to live?
Ye Tian, of course, couldn't tell him the truth—that just staying alive was his greatest value to Spirit Hall.
Ye Tian walked over to Gu Yuena and gently patted her shoulder.
"The Azure Luan Douluo's martial soul belongs to the sub-dragon class."
"It will be a great help to you. You may absorb it."
Upon hearing this, Gu Yuena's beautiful eyes lit up. She nodded solemnly and began walking toward the Azure Luan Douluo.
(End of chapter)