In the Hall of Consecration.
Sensing Qian Daoliu's return, Qian Renxue halted her cultivation.
"Grandfather~" she called out happily, running over to him and throwing herself into his arms, clinging to his arm and shaking it playfully.
Seeing that his granddaughter had not left the Hall of Consecration and had remained safely inside, Qian Daoliu let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness Xue'er didn't go out. If she found out her father had been seriously injured, things would have gotten very bad."
But when he saw her bright and cheerful smile, his heart softened. The grim expression he wore just moments ago melted into a gentle and loving smile.
"Grandfather, did something happen?" Qian Renxue asked curiously.
Qian Daoliu's heart tightened for a moment.
"Just a minor issue—it's been taken care of," he replied, keeping his composure and swiftly changing the subject. "Xue'er, how's your cultivation going?"
"Hehe, I just had a breakthrough, Grandfather! My soul power has reached level 35! Pretty impressive, right?"
Qian Renxue beamed with pride, her delicate face full of confidence.
"Excellent, excellent."
Qian Daoliu patted her head lovingly, eyes full of affection. "As expected from my Xue'er—such outstanding talent. No one can compare to my granddaughter. Haha!"
After the praise came some words of guidance and encouragement:
"But remember, Xue'er, never become arrogant or complacent, understand? Cultivation is a path that demands full dedication. You must continue to work hard. Grandfather believes in you."
"Mhm! I understand, Grandfather!"
Qian Renxue nodded earnestly.
But just then, Qian Daoliu suddenly sensed something. His expression changed drastically.
"Not good! That woman—!"
He gave a few hurried instructions:
"Xue'er, go back to your room and continue cultivating. Don't wander around. Stay inside the Hall of Consecration. Grandfather has some matters to attend to."
Without another word, Qian Daoliu's figure vanished from the hall.
Qian Renxue didn't notice the shift in his expression. Seeing him suddenly disappear didn't surprise her—she had long grown used to her grandfather's unpredictable comings and goings.
She was also obedient by nature, so she returned to her room without hesitation, sitting cross-legged on her bed to resume her cultivation.
———
Qian Daoliu moved at incredible speed.
In just a few breaths' time, he had traveled from the mountaintop Hall of Consecration to the Pope's bedchamber halfway down the mountain.
He burst into the room anxiously—
Only to find Bibi Dong alone inside, her body splattered with blood, her expression dazed, yet smiling madly.
The bed was empty. Qian Xunji was nowhere to be seen. All that remained were bloodstains, torn clothing, and two golden, gleaming Angelic God-Leg Soul Bones.
"What did you do, Bibi Dong?!"
Qian Daoliu's body trembled violently. A horrifying possibility surfaced in his mind—one he didn't want to believe.
"You're here."
Bibi Dong slowly turned to him, her voice cold, completely devoid of fear. Instead, her face was full of mockery and defiance.
"Too bad. You're too late."
Seeing Qian Daoliu's stunned expression, her lips curled into a smile. Her tone was light, almost casual:
"There's no need to wonder. It's exactly what you're thinking. Qian Xunji is dead—sent straight to hell by my hands. Not even his body or soul escaped. I fed them both to my spiders! Hahaha!"
"What?! You… you devoured him?! Bibi Dong, you monster!"
Qian Daoliu erupted in fury. His powerful Seraphim martial spirit flared into existence, and the Angelic Holy Sword condensed in his grasp, radiating overwhelming killing intent.
With no hesitation, he slashed toward Bibi Dong.
But Bibi Dong was not one to sit and wait for death.
Her Death Spider Emperor martial spirit burst forth in response, and in the blink of an eye, she summoned her true body to confront the strike.
Yet her opponent was none other than the legendary Rank 99 Limit Douluo—Qian Daoliu.
And she had been caught off guard.
Even after consuming Qian Xunji's body and soul, boosting her spirit power to level 97, she still wasn't a match.
She failed to block even one strike.
Boom—!
Her body was hurled across the room, crashing hard into the palace wall before collapsing to the ground.
Spurt—!
A mouthful of blood burst from her lips. She was severely wounded.
"…Still alive?"
Qian Daoliu frowned. He had expected that attack to be lethal.
That strike, though seemingly simple, had been delivered in fury.
Even if he hadn't used his full power, it should have been more than enough to kill Bibi Dong.
A typical Titled Douluo wouldn't have survived.
"Level 97?!"
After carefully sensing her spirit power, Qian Daoliu's eyes widened in disbelief. He was utterly shocked.
"This woman… truly has monstrous talent. To have reached this level silently—and she's still so young. She even managed to suppress the backlash from her twin spirits. Her talent may rival even Xue'er's. She's not even forty… if she keeps going, she might one day reach my level… or even go beyond—becoming what I've long dreamed of… a God."
At that thought, his expression changed.
He looked at Bibi Dong with complicated emotions—intense heat in his gaze, laced with jealousy, but mostly admiration.
"You didn't expect this, did you, Qian Daoliu?"
Bibi Dong hadn't noticed the changes in his gaze. She assumed he was simply shocked by her power.
Despite her injuries, she propped herself up with great effort.
Though her body was broken, her spirit was unyielding. Her pale violet eyes glared at Qian Daoliu with venom as she sneered:
"Heh. I should thank your son for donating his body and soul. Without his… generosity, I wouldn't have reached this level so quickly."
"Why did you do this?"
Qian Daoliu's anger remained, but his tone had softened. His expression was complicated as he questioned her.
"Why?"
Bibi Dong's voice was chilling, her face dripping with sarcasm.
"Don't pretend you don't know. Qian Xunji was your son. Do you not know what kind of beast he was? He deserved to die. And you—don't think I've forgotten—you had the power to stop him, but you stood by and did nothing. What did you take me for? A breeding tool? And now you dare to question me?!"
"As expected of you, Qian Daoliu. You Qian family men are all the same—shameless!"
"I…"
Qian Daoliu was speechless. Her words extinguished much of his rage.
He sighed bitterly.
"Do you really hate him that much? Even if he wronged you… aside from that one incident, he treated you well, didn't he? Did you really have to kill him? And… have you thought about how this will affect Xue'er? She's still a child. She's lost her father so young—how could she bear that pain? After all… she's also your dau—"
"Shut up!"
Bibi Dong's eyes turned cold. She cut him off with a furious shout.
"That child is your Qian family's spawn—she has nothing to do with me. And she had better not appear before me, or I won't mind helping them reunite in death."
"You—you'd even kill Xue'er?!"
Qian Daoliu's heart skipped a beat. His blood pressure surged, nearly spitting up blood.
"You're insane…"
Bibi Dong sneered, lips curling coldly.
"Go ahead. Kill me. Avenge your precious son. I'm right here. Do your worst."