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...Gu Yuena sighed heavily in her heart, watching Xuan Ming's silent, suppressed demeanor, as if he could explode at any moment. She knew that any more verbal provocation at this moment could become the last straw that broke the camel's back.
She cast a deep glance at Bibi Dong, who stood beside her with a solemn expression, conveying a silent warning and entrustment with her eyes. Then, she said no more, her figure transforming into a silver light, and vanished directly from the Supreme Pontiff Palace.
Only Xuan Ming and Bibi Dong remained in the hall.
Bibi Dong walked forward and gently embraced Xuan Ming's taut body, pressing her cheek against his cool chest, feeling his intense heartbeat that wasn't there, yet seemed audible.
She could clearly feel that Xuan Ming's mental state was becoming increasingly sensitive, like a fully drawn bowstring, where any slight disturbance could cause him to completely lose control.
The greater the pressure and potential threat he faced, the more he would subconsciously assume the worst-case scenario; this was a survival instinct ingrained in his bones from his past experiences.
"Calm down..." Bibi Dong's voice was very soft. "It hasn't come to that yet."
...Leaving the Supreme Pontiff Palace, Gu Yuena did not stop for a moment. Her figure, swift as lightning, flew directly towards the Angel God Temple, which stood majestically on the mountain peak behind Spirit City, emanating a sacred radiance.
Her arrival instantly startled all the enshriners guarding the place.
Several powerful auras shot into the sky. Apart from the deceased Gold Crocodile Douluo, the remaining enshriners all swarmed out, surrounding Gu Yuena. Their eyes were filled with vigilance and hostility. The unfathomable aura emanating from Gu Yuena made them feel an unprecedented pressure.
Just as the atmosphere became tense, a gentle yet authoritative voice rang out: "All of you, retreat."
Qian Daoliu's figure appeared at the entrance of the temple. He nodded slightly to Gu Yuena, his eyes complex: "Your Excellency Silver Dragon King, may I ask the reason for your visit to the Angel God Temple?"
Gu Yuena looked at him, her tone unwavering, yet with an undeniable resolve: "I want to see Qian Renxue. Now."
Qian Daoliu frowned slightly: "Little Xue is in seclusion..."
"Either she comes out to see me," Gu Yuena interrupted him, her voice suddenly turning cold, and a terrifying aura that made one's Soul tremble emanated from her, "or I will kill all of you right now, including Qian Renxue in the temple!"
Her meaning was clear: if the matter concerning Qian Renxue could not be properly resolved and became the fuse to ignite Xuan Ming, then she wouldn't mind directly eliminating this "root of the problem"!
To prevent Xuan Ming from going to extremes, she would stop at nothing!
Qian Daoliu felt the genuine killing intent from Gu Yuena, and his heart was greatly shaken. He had no doubt that if he refused again, the Silver Dragon King would immediately strike! With the power she was currently displaying, no one present could stop her!
Weighing the pros and cons, Qian Daoliu finally nodded heavily: "...Please follow me."
Gu Yuena followed Qian Daoliu into the solemn Angel God Temple.
Qian Daoliu arrived before the Angel God statue in the center of the temple and offered a few pious prayers. Subsequently, the statue emitted a soft golden light, and a portal leading to a strange space slowly opened—it was the Angel Secret Realm.
Not long after, a brilliant golden figure slowly emerged from the Secret Realm. Qian Renxue was dressed in a luxurious golden palace gown, and the phantom of her Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul shimmered faintly behind her, sacred and noble. Her aura was much stronger than before, clearly indicating significant gains within the Secret Realm.
However, when she saw Gu Yuena and felt the unfathomable, vast aura from her that seemed to merge with the entire Heaven and Earth, a trace of shock and an indescribable complexity flashed in her golden eyes.
She had thought her progress was fast enough to close the gap with this woman, but she never expected... the other party's strength seemed to have reached a level she completely couldn't comprehend? Had she already become a God?
Gu Yuena paid no mind to Qian Renxue's thoughts. She went straight to the point, unreservedly telling her about the content of Xuan Ming's current Fourth Trial, "Severing Romantic Ties," and the situation where Qian Renxue was the most crucial and intractable part of it.
After listening, a hint of mockery flashed in Qian Renxue's golden eyes. She crossed her arms, her tone carrying a touch of schadenfreude: "So what? His Godly Trial failing is exactly what I want, isn't it? I can't wait for him to be stuck there forever. Only when I become stronger than him can I get everything I want, including... him."
Her gaze was fiery, filled with undisguised ambition and possessiveness.
Gu Yuena looked at her, her eyes cold: "You're dreaming."
She directly shattered Qian Renxue's unrealistic fantasy and threw out a cruel truth: "You think his failure in the assessment is as simple as being stuck at a Bottleneck? I'm telling you, once this assessment is deemed a failure, Xuan Ming will immediately abandon all illusions and choose to forcefully charge into the God Realm!"
Qian Renxue's expression changed slightly.
Gu Yuena continued, her tone heavy: "Moreover, I underestimated the accumulated restlessness and destructive urges within him. I previously thought that if he was confident in breaking through to the God Realm, he might not resort to extremes. But now I am certain."
"If he isn't confident in a forceful Breakthrough, he will choose to first destroy humanity, clear all obstacles, and then gamble on that slim chance!"
"If he is confident in a Breakthrough, he will likewise, immediately after succeeding, move to destroy humanity, and then take us to escape this Star Domain, to fly far away!"
"In other words, as long as the Godly Trial fails, as long as this matter cannot be resolved peacefully, Xuan Ming will unhesitatingly choose the most extreme, most insane path!"
Gu Yuena stared intently at Qian Renxue's instantly pale face, speaking word by word:
"He is no longer the Xuan Ming who would have scruples. The sustained high pressure and the feeling of being manipulated are enough to change anyone, and he is no exception. What you are facing now is a madman pushed to the edge of a cliff, who might drag the entire World down with him at any moment."
"Your so-called 'becoming stronger than him to get him' is meaningless in the face of the choices he might make. Because by then, you will either be facing a destroyer, or... nothing will be left."
After Gu Yuena finished speaking, she no longer looked at Qian Renxue's shifting expression. Her figure transformed into a silver light and disappeared directly from the Angel God Temple.
She wasn't joking.
If Qian Renxue's part of the problem ultimately couldn't be resolved and became the fuse to ignite Xuan Ming, then she wouldn't mind using the most direct and cruel method to eliminate this "root of the problem" in advance.
To prevent Xuan Ming from walking down that path of destruction, she would pay any price and bear any sin.
Inside the Angel God Temple, only Qian Renxue remained, standing still, her golden eyes filled with shock, struggle, and a hint of indescribable panic.
Xuan Ming would destroy humanity? That man, who seemed cold but actually harbored a certain bottom line she couldn't understand deep down, that man... whom she could never truly hate deep in her heart, would he really do something so insane?
She didn't want to believe it, but Gu Yuena's genuine killing intent and heavy tone made it impossible for her to completely ignore.
The sun gradually set, and golden afterglow bathed Pope Mountain.
Qian Renxue finally moved. She took steps, one by one, walking out of the solemn temple and down the long stone stairs.
She did not return to her residence on the mountain but walked directly towards the Supreme Pontiff Palace down the mountain.
It had been... almost six years.
Since she entered the Angel God Temple and began her Angel God Test, nearly six years had passed. During these six years, she was almost completely isolated from the World, fully immersed in the Legacy. The outside World had undergone earth-shattering changes, yet she knew very little.
As she approached the magnificent and solemn Supreme Pontiff Palace, Qian Renxue suddenly paused. She did not walk straight in, but her figure flickered, and she flew high into the sky, looking down at the Spirit City below, which was both familiar and strange. (End of this chapter)
"Calm down..." Bibi Dong's voice was very soft. "It hasn't come to that yet."