The teams that had earned a place in the Heaven Dou Empire region's qualifiers arrived at Spirit City in a magnificent procession. The entire city—the spiritual holy land for soul masters across the continent—was already ablaze with excitement for the grand event held once every five years.
Chen Yi, clad in simple purple and gold, led the Grand Martial Academy team. His posture was as straight as a spear. Standing in the front, he gazed upon the majestic city—a mix of familiar and unfamiliar sights—yet his heart remained calm, a faint sigh rising within.
"Five years… and I've returned again."
He remembered the last time he had left—back then, he was a promising youth in the sect. Now, upon his return, he was already among the continent's top ten on the Douluo Heavenly Rankings, feared for his overwhelming combat strength. His identity, power, and even his heart—everything had changed.
"Senior brother, you're not the only one who has 'come home'," teased Dugu Yan, who stood beside him with a playful smile, her slender finger pointing to the line of welcoming teams.
Chen Yi looked in the direction she indicated.
In one corner of the Spirit Hall plaza used to welcome tournament teams, a girl dressed in a golden palace gown stood silently. Her golden hair flowed down her back, her face so breathtakingly beautiful that she seemed like an angel descended to earth—noble, aloof, shrouded by a faint, holy halo.
When she saw Chen Yi at the front of the Grand Martial Team, a hidden smile instantly lit up her chilly golden eyes.
It was Qian Renxue, Judgement Elder of Spirit Hall.
Her appearance drew the focus of nearly all the academy teams on the square. Countless young soul masters could not hide their amazement, admiration, or even awe.
"That's Elder Qian Renxue!"
"Is the Judgement Elder personally coming to receive us?"
"The rumors are true…she's stunning…"
After a brief stir, many of the academy team leaders and members who noticed her quickly composed themselves, respectfully bowing in her direction.
"Greetings, Elder Qian Renxue!"
Though their voices were not in unison, deep reverence rang in every word.
This young woman was not only remarkable in appearance and bearing—she was also a peerless genius, rivaling even the tyrant Chen Yi. At this moment, she ranked third in Spirit Hall's power, inferior only to the Pope and Grand Worship, and commanded the Angel Legion with authority.
Her personal strength might not match Chen Yi's just yet, but among the continent's greatest, none would dare to belittle her for a second.
Qian Renxue nodded lightly at everyone's greeting, then walked straight toward the Grand Martial Academy team. As she drew near, Chen Yi saw her more clearly—and also noticed a golden sigil glowing between her brows, exuding holy light.
"The mark of the Angel's Trial… so the formal inheritance must have begun during this period," Chen Yi mused.
He understood that, with Qian Renxue's return to Spirit Hall, she could not avoid undergoing the Angel God's trial.
As their eyes met, Qian Renxue's smile grew deeper. Chen Yi's brows faintly drew together. Quietly, he sent his voice to Qian Renxue's ear via soul power.
"The nine Angel Trials—pause at the seventh. At that point…the solution may reveal itself."
He remembered, in the original storyline, Poseidon had already set a trap in the Angel Divine Trial. Only the first seven tests passed down through the ages were relatively stable; extra caution was needed for the rewards and content of the subsequent ones.
Chen Yi did not know how much his arrival had changed the story's trajectory, but it was always best to be prepared.
Qian Renxue, startled by Chen Yi's sudden telepathic message, soon recovered, warmth glimmering in her eyes. Without hesitation, she gently nodded and replied with a single word.
"Got it."
This short exchange, both in glance and spirit, went unnoticed by anyone around. Then, resuming her role as the chief judge, Qian Renxue led the Grand Martial group toward the residence Spirit Hall had prepared.
After the Grand Martial Academy party entered their assigned courtyard, the heavy gates softly closed, shielding them from the outside world and its clamor.
Inside, only the core Grand Martial Academy members and Qian Renxue remained.
Moments after the gates closed, a loud, mocking voice echoed through the courtyard.
"Long time no see. Miss Qian, now hailed as judicial authority, the esteemed Spirit Hall elder!"
A ripple shimmered in the courtyard, and a sturdy figure appeared in the center, draped in a grand black robe. His overwhelming aura instantly silenced the entire space.
"Greetings, Senior Chu," said Qian Renxue, expecting but still startled by the sudden visit from the Body Sect Master.
Chu Shanhe waved his hand amiably.
"No need for such stiffness between friends."
As he finished, the air across the living room twisted, and an elder in white robes, his face set in its usual gentle smile, ghosted silently into view.
Qian Renxue felt a chill down her spine. The Body Sect's master and grand elder—two giants—had appeared together in Spirit City, and right before her eyes!
"How unexpected…for both Senior Chu and the Grand Elder to appear at the same tournament!"
Yuan Hua, the Grand Elder, smiled placidly.
"Both are, after all, renowned ultimate Douluos. Such a send-off must, naturally, be grand."
By "both", of course, he referred to Tang Chen of the Clear Sky Sect and Bo Saixi!
As the tournament in the Heaven Dou region neared completion, the long-retired master Chu Shanhe at last stepped from seclusion, having condensed a second soul core with Zhou Yi's divine seed and his own accumulation. He had broken through to level 99, becoming the first in the continent's history to possess dual soul cores.
Chen Yi and the Grand Elder had already warned Spirit City that Tang Chen may have broken free or fled the Slaughter City. Thus, Qian Renxue grasped what the grand elder and Chu Shanhe's presence at this moment signified.
"Yes…" Qian Renxue's smile faded, her voice cold with long-held murderous intent.
"Now is the time…to show the world the true glory of our Angel lineage!"
There was pride and even a hint of anger in her tone.
Throughout his life, the Angel Douluo had acted with integrity, meeting others openly and proving his strength head-on. Yet, because of this, and after his defeat by Bo Saixi and losing a spar to Tang Chen, some secretly mocked him as the "weakest of the three ultimate Douluos".
How could Qian Renxue ever accept such slander? Even the Angel Douluo himself maintained a burning obsession with defeating Tang Chen.
The grand elder and Chu Shanhe simply exchanged smiles, unable to hide the flicker of shock in their eyes.
At that time, during the "Battle of the Two Peaks", the Angel Douluo's strength was already rated as only slightly beneath Tang Chen, with greater overall skill and resources. Such an appraisal was extremely high.
However, on the way to Spirit City, Chen Yi had quietly shared details of the Angel Clan's most terrifying trump card. Upon hearing it, even the Grand Elder and Chu Shanhe, for all their composure, could not help but gasp. Only now did they appreciate the true terror of an ancient foundation a thousand generations in the making.
Such methods were simply unimaginable to ordinary clans!
"If only I'd had that at the time…" Chu Shanhe muttered enviously, shaking his head.
"To avoid future trouble, Tang Chen should have been destroyed long ago. Even ten or even twenty years of lost lifespan would be worth it!"
A decade of life seemed much—yet, to someone like Chu Shanhe, also possessing a secret Gold-class Third Awakening technique, it was nothing. These, after all, were trump cards used in desperate struggles. The only question was whether you had them, and whether they were worth the cost.
Hearing his frank words, Qian Renxue gave a rare, embarrassed smile.
…
Deep within the Sacrifice Hall,
A colossal six-winged angel statue radiated eternal holy light.
Qian Daoliu knelt upon a prayer mat, quietly closing his eyes in solemn composure, as if he prayed there daily. Yet, a closer look revealed the golden holy sword gripped in the statue's hand softly resonating along some mysterious, invisible thread with his silent prayer.
The Angel Sword, as if responding to its most devout believer and guardian, released flawless threads of pure gold light—breathing, shimmering.
And in utter silence, it accumulated—an unimaginable power…