Qian Renxue had been standing beside Qian Daoliu. As Qian Daoliu's granddaughter, she was the only one who dared to speak up at this moment.
"Grandpa, we must not let the Haotian Sect go. We must make the Haotian Sect pay for their blood debt with blood."
Looking at his gifted granddaughter, Qian Daoliu's expression finally eased a little. "Don't worry, Grandpa will never let Tang Hao and the Haotian Sect go unpunished. How have you been training with your teacher these past few years?"
When Lin Hanye was mentioned, little Qian Renxue seemed to have forgotten the sadness of her recently deceased father. Her big, round eyes lit up instantly, gleaming with excitement and admiration.
She said in a soft voice,
"Well, my teacher is amazing. He's a truly great master. He taught me so much: original soul skills, powerful soul meditation techniques, soul power utilization techniques, the Soul Master Training Manual, and countless other profound principles. Xue'er's soul power is now level 45. Her first soul ring is already four thousand years old, and her third is ten thousand years old."
Changing the subject, Qian Renxue added, "But my teacher said I can't just teach others what I've learned. I'd be sorry, Grandpa."
"Really? Then Xue'er is really amazing. Maybe she'll surpass Grandpa soon."
Sensing Qian Renxue's soul power, which was flawless, Qian Daoliu half-crouched and gently stroked his granddaughter's head, his face filled with satisfaction.
Over the years, Lin Hanye had tinkered with many remarkable things, causing his wives and subordinates to rapidly improve their abilities, surpassing their natural talents.
Qian Daoliu knew all about this.
Their Spirit Hall's enshrined Phoenix Douluo was one of the biggest beneficiaries.
With Ling Yuan's original talent, she would have reached level ninety-four at best.
But now, she's already reached level ninety-seven, surpassing both Qingluan and Xiongshi.
Perhaps in a few years, she'll surpass Jinyu and even break through to level ninety-eight.
Yet, he never asked Ling Yuan to share her secrets.
First, everyone has their own secrets, and even a High Priest of the Spirit Hall couldn't force them.
Second, it would easily create a rift. After all, those secrets were researched by Lin Hanye, not Ling Yuan herself. Pressuring her would only create resentment against the Spirit Hall and further alienate Lin Hanye.
Third, his granddaughter, Qian Renxue, already worshipped Lin Hanye as her teacher, receiving the best training. His interest in Lin Hanye's creations was solely for his granddaughter's benefit.
Since she already had them, there was no need to speculate.
Soon, all the Titled Douluo of the Spirit Hall, including Bibi Dong and Ling Yuan, arrived.
Qian Daoliu stood at the main seat at the top of the conference hall.
To the left were the eight Spirit Hall deities: Bibi Dong, Golden Crocodile, Spirit Kite, Blue Luan, Xiongshi, Guang Ling, Qian Jun, and Jiang Mo.
To the right were the Titled Douluo Elders whose Spirit Power had not yet reached level 96, led by Yue Guan and Gui Mei.
They were joined by Mo Xiong, Ghost Leopard, Silver Hammer, the Demon Wolf and Giant Rhino who had survived the Sea God Island deaths, the newly promoted Titled Douluos Snake Spear and Ci Xue, and Qian Daoliu himself.
Eighteen Titled Douluos were present from the Spirit Hall alone. Including the deceased Qian Xunji and Jin Zhong, the total number of Titled Douluos in the Spirit Hall reached a full twenty, and the number continued to grow.
After all, the original Spirit Hall's nine elders only included Mo Xiong, Ghost Leopard, Snake Spear, Ci Xue, Spirit Kite, Ju, and Gui, with two still to come.
"Today, despite your busy schedules, I have summoned you all here for three matters."
Qian Daoliu's gaze swept over the seventeen Titled Douluo present one by one. His expression was devoid of his usual kindness, replaced only by barely concealed anger and murderous intent. Official source ıs 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝕟𝕖𝕥
This was directed at Tang Hao, as well as the Haotian Sect.
Without further ado, Qian Daoliu went straight to the point:
"First and foremost, I welcome the Saintess to her promotion to Peerless Douluo and her return to Spirit Hall."
He no longer addressed Bibi Dong as "worshipper," but rather as "Saintess." Because now, Bibi Dong was the only one capable of serving as Pope in Spirit Hall and commanding the support of the people.
His granddaughter, Qian Renxue, while gifted, was still too young.
And while he himself possessed strength and prestige, he had been in retirement for many years, making it inappropriate for him to return to the position of Pope. Furthermore, there had never been such a precedent.
Qian Daoliu, a stickler for convention, naturally would not break the Spirit Hall's time-honored rules.
"The second thing is to determine the next Pope."
"The third thing, and the main reason I summoned you all here, is that the Pope was murdered not long ago."
After hearing Qian Daoliu's words, the entire room was shocked. If the first two events were considered great joy for the Spirit Hall—after all, the Spirit Hall had gained a new Titled Douluo, a Peerless Douluo with a Soul Power of Level 99, a significant boost to the Spirit Hall's strength—
Furthermore, Bibi Dong's disappearance had left the position of the next Pope vacant. Now that Bibi Dong had returned, the time had come to decide.
The successor position would undoubtedly be chosen by either the former Saint Bibi Dong or Qian Renxue, the Pope's daughter and granddaughter of the High Priest, the gifted Qian Renxue, with an Innate Soul Power of Level 20.
But the third event was a bolt from the blue.
The dignified Pope of the Spirit Hall had been beaten to death?
Who was so bold and powerful? Could it be someone from the Spirit Master Guild who had done this?
Logically, it shouldn't be possible. First, the Pope wouldn't be foolish enough to provoke him. Furthermore, the Spirit Master Guild and the Spirit Hall have enjoyed peaceful coexistence for years, even collaborating secretly.
But one should be prepared for the worst. After all, the Spirit Master Guild's enemies are ruthless. For example, they annihilated the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan with a whim. Then there's the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan's former leader, Ning Daorong, rumored to have killed his father, and Gu Rong, the former Protector of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan—both met their end in mysterious circumstances.
If the Pope were to provoke that person and be killed, it would be a major event that would alter the entire spirit master world.
A major war might erupt.
For a time, many of the veterans who had been secluded in the Elder Hall for years were plunged into deep suspicion and melancholy.
But to many's surprise, the first to erupt in anger was Bibi Dong, who had recently returned to the Spirit Hall.
Before anyone could react, she slammed the table, emitting the fierce aura of a ninety-nineth-level Peerless Douluo. She shouted angrily, "Who dared to kill my teacher? No matter who it is, I will wipe out his entire family."
Bibi Dong's voice, laced with soul power, echoed like a demonic sound, reaching the Pope's Palace's meeting hall and the ears of every soul in Spirit City.
Silence fell, a deathly stillness descending upon the entire Spirit City.
Everyone was visibly startled by this sudden burst of power. Even the priests sitting in the meeting hall were stunned, their foreheads covered in sweat. They were stunned, sensing the soul power emanating from Bibi Dong, which rivaled that of a high priest, and even surpassed it to some extent. They were all stunned, captivated by Bibi Dong's terrifying and ferocious aura.
Even Qian Xunji's death was briefly overlooked.
Only Ling Yuan, aware of the strained relationship between Bibi Dong and Qian Xunji, could not help but roll her eyes. "That's it, my mentor?" she thought. "I'm afraid you wouldn't be so happy to see Qian Xunji dead."
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