Chapter 101 – 118. The Mistake Tang Hao Made, the Suffering of the Clear Sky Sect
Afterward, the Spirit Hall officially announced the death of Qian Xunji — he was said to have died from grievous injuries sustained in his battle against Tang Hao. The Spirit Hall would now be temporarily led by the former Pope Qian Daoliu, who would serve as acting Pope until the Saintess attained the rank of Title Douluo, at which point she would inherit the position.
At the same time, the Spirit Hall began arranging the external affairs of the Pope's funeral and related matters.
Once the news spread, the entire world was shaken. After the Battle at Sky Valley Ridge, the number of Title Douluo who perished at Tang Hao's hands increased from seven to eight. Tang Hao, a mere Contra, had hammered eight Title Douluo to death and crippled another. He was deemed the greatest Contra in history.
In that same era, the leaders of both the world's foremost sect and the Spirit Hall had fallen to a single man. If Tang Tian's death could be dismissed as internal strife within the Clear Sky Sect—his life lost at the hands of his own son—thus leaving the sect too weakened to act, then what about the Spirit Hall? They would not let such an insult go unanswered.
Every power could sense the looming storm on the horizon.
The wandering Tang Hao also received the news of Pope Qian Xunji's demise.
Tang Hao knew the truth, of course, but he did not mind taking credit for Qian Xunji's death.
Thinking of the near-limitless power that surged through him in the God of Slaughter domain, thinking of the Shura God's favor for him and Tang San, Tang Hao's heart filled with boundless confidence.
"Spirit Hall, come at me if you dare. I, Tang Hao, will take on however many you send. Even if Qian Daoliu himself comes, my hammer won't miss its mark."
The funeral of the Pope and the Elders was held privately within Spirit Hall, with no invitation extended to any external sects or powers.
The false funeral, presided over by Qian Daoliu, was merely for show. Only Qian Renxue and the seven Grand Worshippers knew the truth about Qian Xunji.
Yet the ceremony stirred Qian Renxue's memories. In her mind's eye, her grandfather's face was dark and solemn as he presided over her father's funeral. She had stood behind him, burdened with grief for her father and hatred for Tang Hao.
At that time, she had misunderstood her grandfather's emotions. After her mother's death, she thought his restraint came from hatred toward her mother. But reborn and having learned everything from her father, she now knew that those feelings had been directed at her father.
Though her father had never said it directly, he surely knew of his father's plan.
Thinking of her father's fanaticism and her grandfather's madness in his final sacrificial act in her previous life, Qian Renxue could not help but ask, "Becoming a god—does it truly warrant such madness, even at the cost of one's life?"
Qian Daoliu remained silent.
Qian Renxue understood his answer regardless.
In her previous life, she had indeed become a god—but it brought her no joy. She had lost her grandfather, the man who had given her the mission of bringing the Angel God's radiance upon the Douluo Continent.
And her mother—after joining the Spirit Hall—had also been entrusted with the mission of godhood by her father. Hatred had driven her forward.
Their family—father and grandfather alike—had sacrificed themselves for her and her mother.
They had reached heights unseen for tens of thousands of years on the Douluo Continent, yet unlike Tang San, the favored child of heaven and earth, they lost more than they gained. Attaining godhood had left them with nothing but a crushing, boundless loneliness.
To become a god, it seemed, was nothing more than that. She did not wish to lose her last loved ones. Even if she had to destroy her godhood, she would have stopped Tang San. But in the end, she had watched her mother die before her eyes.
Since then, she had been the loneliest woman in the world. Even after death, her broken Angel Godhood drifted with her through the river of time.
Becoming a god had never been her pursuit. But reborn once more, she knew—without the power of a god, her ambitions were merely fantasies.
After the funeral, Qian Daoliu temporarily took over as acting Pope of Spirit Hall, while Qian Renxue ascended to the God Realm through the Angel Temple's dimensional passage.
In the God Realm's Eternal Temple—
Huo Yuhao said, "The situation with Spirit Hall has been handled, I presume?"
"It's been settled," Qian Renxue replied. Remembering Huo Yuhao's prior hints, she added, "I imagine you knew this would be the outcome from the very beginning."
Recalling the two differing versions of the original Douluo Continent story from his past life, Huo Yuhao joked, "Surely your father wasn't blind, was he? Your mother was practically on a honeymoon with Yu Xiaogang, yet he still hadn't realized what was going on?"
"My apologies for letting you witness such a joke." Qian Renxue smiled awkwardly, then shifted the topic. "Spirit Hall has, per your instructions, faked my father's death. Since the Pope must be a Title Douluo, once the necessary formalities are complete, my mother will become the new Pope. What would you have us do next?"
"Your grandfather is acting as Pope now, correct?" Huo Yuhao asked.
"Yes." Qian Renxue nodded.
"Then remove Yu Xiaogang's position as 'Master,'" said Huo Yuhao. "Keeping him there is irritating. Let him bask in his own delusions of genius alone."
"As you wish. Spirit Hall will ensure that those with true talent and scholarship receive the recognition they deserve," Qian Renxue answered. If not for her father's elaborate plan to fulfill Yu Xiaogang's fantasies within an illusion, Spirit Hall would never have committed such absurdity—elevating a level-29 failure to a position far beyond his worth.
Huo Yuhao continued, "And since your Pope has 'died,' you'll need to give the world an explanation."
"Is the Asura God truly backing Tang Hao?" Qian Renxue asked hesitantly. "Even if Grandfather acts personally, he won't be easy to deal with."
"That's where Spirit Hall is too naïve," Huo Yuhao remarked with amusement. "Let me ask you this—Tang Hao can run wherever he wants, but can his sect run? A monk may flee, but the temple remains."
"But if we target the Clear Sky Sect and enrage Tang Hao, countless innocents will die," Qian Renxue recalled. In her previous life, after Tang San awakened his martial spirit, news had repeatedly come from peripheral cities that Spirit Hall divisions had been destroyed by a soul master wielding the Clear Sky Hammer, leaving many innocent dead.
Back then, Tang Hao had used such violence to proclaim his existence. His devotion to his sect ran deep. To anger him by attacking his sect would mean disaster for Spirit Hall—a madman empowered by the Shura God's Killing God Domain was no small threat.
"Just leave Tang Hao be," Huo Yuhao said. "Don't worry—he'll cower like a dead rat hiding in its hole. As for his mistakes, the Clear Sky Sect can bear the suffering."
Qian Renxue replied, "Once I descend to the mortal realm, I'll gather our forces to carry out the destruction of the Clear Sky Sect."
"Destroy them? No, no," Huo Yuhao chuckled. "Don't annihilate them entirely. Just cripple a part of them—drive them into that wretched hole your grandfather and Tang Chen had long ago set aside for the sect. That will do."
"But… wouldn't that risk allowing the tiger to return one day?" Qian Renxue asked. She had no doubt about the sect's potential. In her previous life, after decades of restraint, the Clear Sky Sect had re-emerged with seven Title Douluo, with Tang Hao and Tang Xiao themselves reaching Super Douluo level. Their resurgence had brought calamity to Spirit Hall. When it came to the Clear Sky Sect, Qian Renxue always believed—either strike never, or eradicate them completely.
(END CHAPTER)
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