Chapter 269: The Eve of Extermination II
Qian Daoliu nodded in satisfaction. "Very well, then. From today on, you will be the Second Honored One of the Spirit Hall, second only to me in the Elder Hall. During this time, you should rest well. When Ji'er returns, I will officially announce your appointment and hold your coronation ceremony. Fenghuang, you haven't seen the Second Honored One in so long, so go have a good chat with her." He addressed the latter part to Ling Yuan.
He also transmitted his spirit power, "And by the way, ask about her experiences over the years."
"Yes—" Ling Yuan replied respectfully, thinking, what have I not already known about her experiences all these years? She's been fooling around with her little man all day.
A moment later, under the guidance of Ling Yuan, Bibi Dong chose a luxurious manor nestled in the mountains and beside the water to live in.
In the evening, Ling Yuan reported Bibi Dong's experience to Qian Daoliu, which was basically about hunting a hundred thousand year old spirit beast overseas.
Qian Daoliu didn't think much of it after hearing it.
Over the next few days, Bibi Dong, the former Spirit Hall Saintess, returned to the Spirit Hall as a peerless Douluo. Under Lin Hanye's deliberate manipulation, her return quickly spread throughout the Douluo Continent, and she even graced the cover of Spirit Master Weekly.
For a time, this caused a huge sensation across the Douluo Continent.
With the addition of Grand Priest Qian Daoliu, the Spirit Hall now boasted two peerless Douluos.
This distance between them and the Spirit Master Guild had been widened, reclaiming the position of the most powerful force in the spirit master world.
But as if everything goes too far, it reverses. Spirit Master Weekly reported several more shocking news about the Spirit Hall:
The Spirit Hall failed to capture a transformed spirit beast, and Tang Hao decisively defeated the Pope and his two personal guardian Douluos.
Pope Qian Xunji was slain by Tang Hao, leaving one dead and one injured in his two personal guardian Douluos. Two Platinum Cardinals were also killed, and only one of the dozens of Red Cardinals accompanying them survived.
Tang Hao achieved Clear Sky Douluo, suspected of having killed his sister-in-law and obtained a 100,000-year spirit ring!
The first person to receive the news was naturally Qian Daoliu, the chief priest of the Spirit Hall.
Although Qian Xunji's talent was not outstanding, and he had even done many things that disappointed Qian Daoliu, he was still his son after all. And he was his only son.
It was conceivable what kind of rage this former elder of judgment of the Spirit Hall would erupt in.
At this time, in the Pope's Palace,
Huang Yue'e was crying bitterly while holding her daughter Qian Renxue, whom she had not seen for two and a half years, while Huang Yueyao was comforting her sister who had just lost her husband.
Qian Xunji was lying in the center of the hall, his face pale, blood flowing from all seven orifices, his body stiff and cold, as if he had lost his life.
Qian Daoliu stood quietly in front of his son's body with a cold face. No one knew what he was thinking.
Silver Hammer Douluo and several surviving cardinals knelt before him. Silver Hammer Douluo reported,
"In the battle with Tang Hao, His Holiness the Pope had already captured Tang Hao and was preparing to capture the transformed spirit beast. He then spared Tang Hao due to Tang Chen's friendship with the High Priest."
"But that transformed spirit beast was extremely cunning. Realizing it couldn't escape, it sacrificed itself to Tang Hao. Tang Hao's strength greatly increased after receiving his 100,000-year spirit ring. He unleashed his Ring Explosion, and with the exception of His Holiness the Pope, virtually no one present could defeat him. Jin Zhong, two Platinum Cardinals, and over twenty Cardinals were killed in the battle."
"This subordinate was also seriously injured. His Holiness the Pope stepped forward to engage him in battle, and at one point forced Tang Hao into a desperate situation. However, at the last moment, due to carelessness, Tang Hao took advantage of the opportunity. While His Holiness was performing his ninth soul skill, he blew away his hundred thousand year soul ring. His Holiness was defeated and died on the spot due to his injuries. It was only at the risk of my life that I was able to retrieve the body of His Holiness the Pope."
Bang—the ground beneath Qian Daoliu's feet cracked in a spiderweb-like pattern, and the entire Pope's Palace seemed to tremble.
He stepped forward and injected soul power, probing Qian Xunji's body, and was immediately trembling with anger. "All the bones in his body are broken, and all his internal organs are damaged. Clear Sky Sect, what a Clear Sky Sect! Tang Chen, you really gave birth to a good grandson."
For a moment, the members of the Spirit Hall were silent, and no one dared to say a word, for fear of angering the Great Priest, the former Judgment Elder, and the former Pope Qian Daoliu, who had just lost his beloved son and was in a rage.
"Inform all elders and priests in Spirit City to convene in the Pope's Palace within half an hour."
"Yes," Silver Hammer Douluo said, his voice trembling, yet tinged with excitement. He seemed to have already envisioned the river of blood that would soon flow through the Clear Sky Sect. With that, he left with the few surviving cardinals to deliver Qian Daoliu's orders.
"Yue'e, it's been a while since we last met, you and Xue'er. Take her and Bright Douluo down to rest first,"
Qian Daoliu said to Huang Yue'e after Silver Hammer and the others had left.
Qian Renxue was reluctant to leave, but she didn't cry. She let go of Huang Yue'e's hand and said stubbornly, "Grandpa, I won't leave. I want to avenge my father."
The news of Qian Xunji's death was discovered by members of the Spirit Master Guild as Silver Hammer was returning to Spirit City with Qian Xunji's body.
Upon discovery, the news was immediately reported to the Spirit Master Guild headquarters.
As the president of the Spirit Master Guild, Lin Hanye, mindful of Qian Renxue's daughter, specifically instructed Huang Yueyao to escort her back to Spirit City to see her father one last time.
Although Qian Renxue had enjoyed a happy life under Lin Hanye's guidance over the past few years, having long since forgotten the missions Qian Xunji assigned her and no longer felt a strong sense of belonging to the Spirit Hall,
Qian Xunji was still her father, and she felt a sense of both public and private responsibility to avenge him.
"Don't worry, Xue'er. Grandpa will make your father's murderers pay."
Seeing Qian Renxue's unwavering determination to avenge her father, Qian Daoliu felt deeply relieved.
Yet, he also felt a sense of helplessness.
Now that his son was dead, even his granddaughter, no matter how talented she was, was too young to inherit the Pope position anytime soon.
Bibi Dong was the only candidate left.
If his granddaughter aspired to succeed Bibi Dong, she would likely face significant challenges.
Therefore, before deciding whether to let Bibi Dong inherit the position of Pope, some testing was needed.
A moment later, Huang Yue'e and Huang Yueyao left. After all, Huang Yue'e wasn't a Titled Douluo, and Huang Yueyao was from the Spirit Master Guild, making them unsuitable for attending the Spirit Hall's highest-level meeting.
Only Qian Renxue remained.
Qian Daoliu paced the hall after Huang Yue'e and her sister left, his mind reeling from Lin Hanye's words when Tang Chen challenged him and Lin Hanye to a duel. He said that if he didn't destroy the Clear Sky Sect now, he would regret it sooner or later.
Lin Hanye's words had come true. His momentary kindness had led the Clear Sky Sect to believe the Spirit Hall was weak and vulnerable, intimidating them. This led to Tang Hao going so far as to kill the Spirit Hall Pope.
Thinking of this, Qian Daoliu's eyes flashed. "What a Tang Hao, what a Clear Sky Douluo! Tang Chen, your Clear Sky Sect has truly produced a remarkable descendant. But Ji'er's revenge must be avenged. This time, I will make the Clear Sky Sect pay with blood."
Why didn't Qian Daoliu completely eradicate the Clear Sky Sect in the original novel?
Besides a lack of decisiveness due to martial virtue,
there were two key reasons.
First, Tang Hao wasn't the true killer of Qian Xunji.
Second, he feared Tang Chen. While achieving that goal was incredibly difficult, once he became a god, the Spirit Hall would be unable to withstand the wrath of a god.
But now, things were different. Qian Xunji had truly died at Tang Hao's hands.
Qian Daoliu saw hope for godhood in Qian Renxue.
Then there was Bibi Dong, who had already cultivated twin spirits and held a high probability of achieving godhood.
And then there was Lin Hanye, who was about to take that step, shared a hatred for the Clear Sky Sect, and had taken Qian Renxue as his disciple.
He no longer needed to spare Tang Hao out of old friendship, and the Spirit Hall no longer needed to be wary of Tang Chen.
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(End of this chapter)