A golden light shot upward from the Papal Hall at an imperceptible speed, ascending toward the mountain peak.
Qian Daoliu no longer harbored any hesitation in his heart.
Whether for the reputation and development of the Spirit Hall or to keep the truth hidden from Little Xue...
The Clear Sky School had to bear the blame for this!
He had long held anger in his heart over Qian Xunji being severely injured by Tang Hao.
To some extent,
it was the Clear Sky Hammer that had tolled the death knell for Qian Xunji.
Now,
Qian Daoliu merely wanted to teach them a painful lesson!
It would also serve as a test
to determine where his old friend was and whether he had intervened in this matter.
Indeed,
Qian Daoliu only intended to deliver a lesson!
To uproot the Clear Sky School entirely over a false accusation—he would have no face to meet Tang Chen again, nor could he overcome his own conscience.
But since it was revenge,
it had to be carried out with the appearance of revenge!
The extent of this lesson had to be carefully measured.
He could not let them off easily, nor could he exterminate them completely.
Yet it undoubtedly needed to be executed with great fanfare...
The Spirit Hall, having lost its Pope,
desperately needed a resounding victory to wash away the gloom hanging over them!
This was both a deterrent and a warning...
Otherwise, some might assume that the Spirit Hall had been permanently weakened by the Pope's death!
As for whether it would frighten the smaller factions, making them band together to resist the Spirit Hall? Qian Daoliu had never worried about that.
If his Spirit Hall did not take action...
would the other powers refrain from uniting for mutual support?
Of course not!
The other forces had always harbored resistance, even hostility, toward the Spirit Hall...
with the Clear Sky School being a prime example among them!
They were already banding together for warmth.
But if any of them were asked to step forward and share the Clear Sky School's fate...
which of them would dare?
Qian Daoliu had considered every angle; this impending battle
would undoubtedly bring more benefits than drawbacks to the Spirit Hall!
Whoosh—!
Qian Daoliu landed atop the mountain peak.
The contemplation in his eyes faded, replaced by a hint of reminiscence as he recalled the promise he had made to Tang Chen after losing their match by half a move: "No member of the Spirit Hall shall set foot in the ancestral lands of the Clear Sky School."
In an instant,
Qian Daoliu felt
that this would be an appropriate point to halt...
When his old friend returned, he would at least have an explanation to offer.
Perhaps it was his nature,
or perhaps the grief of losing his son, brought by Bi Bi Dong, had not taught him a sufficient lesson.
He still was not a qualified ruler...
Unable to cast aside personal emotions,
he failed to grasp the principle of eliminating the root of the problem—or perhaps he understood it but could not bring himself to act.
Merely pinning the blame on the Clear Sky School
might already be enough to leave Qian Daoliu feeling ashamed for some time.
If he were to have the offering withdraw and then rejoin... he would likely despise himself for resorting to such tricks to break his promise.
Qian Daoliu lifted his gaze to the Hall of Worship,
and all his earlier calculations vanished in that moment.
For now,
the most urgent matter was to deal with Little Xue first.
——
Golden Rainbow Pierces the Sun
The dawn had already spread across the horizon, the sky clear as if washed.
Inside the Hall of Worship.
Golden Crocodile Douluo had brought Jin Yue'er here during the latter half of the night.
On the steps.
Jin Yue'er was holding Qian Renxue, gently stroking her back.
From the moment she had seen Qian Renxue, the other girl hadn't spoken a single word.
Even the other six Worship Hall elders remained silent.
In this situation, Jin Yue'er finally realized that something major had happened in Spirit Hall!
And this matter was closely related to Qian Renxue, otherwise her Sister Xue would never have been crying so heartbreakingly.
But not knowing the truth, she could only watch anxiously, unable to help.
A gentle breeze blew as Qian Daoliu's figure slowly appeared before Jin E and the others.
A flash of pleasant surprise appeared in Jin Yue'er's eyes.
She gently patted the young girl leaning on her shoulder and reminded: "Sister Xue, Grand Elder has returned!"
"Grandfather?"
Upon hearing this, the dazed look in Qian Renxue's eyes instantly regained its spark.
She quickly raised her head.
But when she saw Qian Daoliu's solemn, heavy expression, Qian Renxue immediately froze.
Panic set in!
Her movement to rush forward came to an abrupt halt.
"..."
Azure Luan and Lionheart Douluo immediately bowed to Qian Daoliu:
"Grand Elder!"
Qian Daoliu gave a slight nod.
He had no mood for further pleasantries now.
He went straight to the point: "Qianjun, Xiang Mo, you two brothers immediately muster our forces. Await my command to march on Clear Sky School!"
"?!"
Although Qianjun, Xiang Mo and the others had anticipated this, they still couldn't help feeling shocked.
They hadn't expected it to be so urgent.
Jin E glanced at Qian Renxue, then looked at Qian Daoliu. After a moment's hesitation, he asked: "Big brother, has something happened to the Pope?"
Qian Daoliu took a deep breath, not daring to look in Qian Renxue's direction.
Under Qian Renxue's tense gaze,
Qian Daoliu's lips trembled, his voice shaking slightly.
"Xunji... is dead!"
"What?!"
Both Qianjun and Xiang Mo widened their eyes in disbelief.
This was something they hadn't expected!
Jin E thought to himself - as expected.
The Pope was dead!
Jin Yue'er was stunned, turning to look at Qian Renxue whose face was now streaked with two lines of clear tears. She finally understood why Qian Renxue had been crying so bitterly.
"!!!"
Qian Renxue's eyes widened in shock. After a moment of stunned silence, darkness clouded her vision.
Her body went limp and began to collapse.
"Ah! Sister Xue!"
Jin Yue'er cried out in alarm, quickly supporting Qian Renxue.
Qian Daoliu could only close his eyes helplessly.
At this moment, Azure Luan, Lion Heart and the others all wore expressions of indignation.
Qian Xunji...
They had practically watched him grow up.
"Please rest assured, Grand Elder!"
"Our brothers will definitely make Clear Sky School pay in blood!"
Qianjun and Xiang Mo immediately pledged.
"Mm."
Qian Daoliu nodded slightly, directly granting them full authority.
"During this period... the entire Spirit Hall will be at your disposal."
All members of the Hall of Worship were absolutely loyal to the Qian Family.
He had no concerns about this.
After speaking,
Qian Daoliu added another order: "Also, deploy more spies to search for Tang Hao's whereabouts with all our resources. Notify me immediately when he's found. I'll go personally!"
"What?!"
Hearing that Qian Daoliu intended to take action personally, even Light Feather and the others couldn't help showing changed expressions.
Lionheart Douluo stepped forward and said:
"Grand Elder, why trouble yourself with dealing with a mere youngster like Tang Hao? Why not leave his life for me to end!"
"Yes, Grand Elder, Light Feather is willing to handle this!"
"Proceed as I just instructed."
Qian Daoliu shook his head.
Dealing with Clear Sky School at this point didn't require so many Titled Douluo.
"Qianjun, Xiang Mo, you two go. Assemble the troops. Once I draft the obituary and announce it to the world, you will immediately depart for Clear Sky School!"
"Yes!"
Qianjun and Xiang Mo immediately accepted the order and quickly left the Hall of Worship to begin preparations.
The Hall of Worship fell into brief silence.
Jin E, who knew the truth, dared not speak carelessly. Qian Renxue couldn't believe it, couldn't accept it.
"Little Xue~"
Qian Daoliu slowly approached Qian Renxue, still thinking she remained that child who knew nothing.
Against his conscience, he explained: "Last night, Ji'er's internal injuries erupted, accumulated beyond recovery..."
"Don't say anymore, Grandfather!"
Qian Renxue's eyes were already brimming with tears as she gently shook her head.
"I know everything..."
Qian Renxue lowered her head, speaking between sobs.
She had been watching every day - his complexion had clearly been getting better, with numerous Support-type Soul Masters attending to him!
How could he suddenly die?
Qian Renxue knew the truth, but similarly, she couldn't speak of it, nor did she want to!
"Sister Xue~"
Jin Yue'er held onto Qian Renxue's arm, unsure how to comfort her.
Though she had only ever known Jin E as family, she still understood Qian Renxue's feelings at this moment. Perhaps it was similar to how she would feel if she were to lose her grandfather someday.
This was something she didn't even want to think about.
——
Inside Wisteria Residence.
Ye Tian had taken advantage of Hu Liena still being asleep.
He moved Bi Bi Dong back to her own room, placing that curvaceous body on the bed.
The undulating curves rose and fell with her breathing.
Bi Bi Dong's condition had improved considerably, with only her complexion remaining somewhat sickly pale.
Ps:Xiángmó is Demon-Subduing Douluo and Qiānjūn is Demon-Abasing Douluo