"Father!!!"
Tang San rushed frantically toward the crater where Tang Hao fell.
"Xiao Wu-jie, was he worth it?" Da Ming hesitated.
"I was afraid you'd get hurt," Xiao Wu replied softly.
"Tang Hao once beat you both. Even weakened, he could still fight to the death. If you forced him, he might explode himself, which would be trouble."
"So that's what you were thinking, Xiao Wu-jie—hahaha…" Er Ming said joyfully.
Da Ming's eyes gentled as well.
A true goddess, as always—gentle and kind.
"Let's go."
Xiao Wu glanced back at Tang San, a shadow in her eyes. She couldn't return to Shrek; everyone now knew she was a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, and soon half the continent's Title Douluos would hunt her...
"Dad!"
Tang San clumsily used his spider legs to help up the coughing Tang Hao: "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Tang Hao shook his head.
"But the hundred-thousand-year soul ring and bone I prepared for you are lost. Are you mad?"
"Xiao Wu isn't a spirit ring! She's my sister!" Tang San retorted.
"Hehe…" Tang Hao laughed, wiping away blood and clapping his son's shoulder.
"Enough, they're gone—I can't sense them within several miles. Speak freely."
Tang San turned, only to find the place Xiao Wu stood now empty—Da Ming and Er Ming gone too.
"They…" Tang San frowned. "Xiao Wu left? She's gone...but she's my—"
"No worries. Sacrifice does improve compatibility, but even with your talent, absorbing a hundred-thousand-year ninth ring is possible. Just keep practicing. I'll help find you a suitable one."
"Of course…" Tang Hao's eyes narrowed. "You can always visit Star Dou Forest. If you're lucky, maybe she'll turn up. That girl cares for you."
"Yeah!" Tang San nodded hurriedly.
It was all he could do for now.
Spirit Hall.
Exquisite stone paving formed a straight path to the highest seat.
In the spacious and silent hall...
Two figures faced off from a distance.
One stood at the foot of the steps, simply dressed but with stunning beauty—golden hair tied up, giving her a heroic and stern look. Her eyes glinted with pain and defiance.
On the throne:
Bibi Dong coldly stared at her daughter, silent, exerting her authority and power.
"Mother, I just don't want to keep pretending anymore! What's the point? The Heaven Dou Royal Family has no Title Douluo, what's the point in controlling the whole empire?"
"This is Spirit Hall's millennia plan. How dare you doubt it!" Bibi Dong's voice was cold.
"It's meaningless!" Qian Renxue finally summoned the courage to challenge her mother.
"And how did Father really die?"
"What did you say!" Bibi Dong roared.
Her power suffocated Qian Renxue, forcing her head down.
"I said…Father's death was dodgy. Even Uncle Su brought it up—why not investigate and get to the truth!" Qian Renxue kept her neck high, stubborn.
"Enough, so even you suspect me now."
"It's that hard to investigate?!" Qian Renxue bit her lip, eyes flashing with injury.
She was clever—she already suspected.
Now it seemed proven.
Bibi Dong…was hiding something.
Uncle Su was right: there was more to her father's death.
"Shut up!!!" Bibi Dong screamed.
She had thought she could keep everything hidden.
But Su Wen's arrival tore everything open.
"And…" Qian Renxue's eyes cleared: "Did you send me to the Heaven Dou Royal Family because you hate me, or as you say, for Spirit Hall?"
"Of course, for Spirit Hall!" Bibi Dong said coldly.
"But I don't believe you want to unite the continent for the people, or fulfill my father's last wish…" Qian Renxue said seriously.
"What do you mean?" Bibi Dong squeezed her scepter.
"You want destruction," Qian Renxue said, meeting her eyes.
"You want to drag the Spirit Hall and the entire continent into an abyss!"
"Your eyes give you away."
"..."
"Hahahahaha…" Bibi Dong suddenly laughed.
"Idiot! I regret having such a stupid daughter. Do you think you can overthrow me? Even your grandfather couldn't!"
"Without me, you'd never become Spirit Hall's Supreme Pontiff," Qian Renxue said, calm. "Your father didn't fail—he just felt guilty for what he did to you."
"..."
Bibi Dong froze, glaring viciously—exposed and furious at having her wounds reopened.
"So you know?!!"
"Before seeing you, I met Grandpa…" Qian Renxue said softly.
"Honestly, I regret it."
"I never should've tried to prove myself by leaving myself in a foreign country at eight just for your approval—you don't deserve it."
"You never loved me, only took out your anger towards Father on me."
"Grandfather told me not to meddle, but a blood feud can't be left alone," Qian Renxue cast a glance at Bibi Dong.
"If you didn't kill Father, all the better…"
"..."
The atmosphere froze solid.
"You're threatening me?" Bibi Dong spat the words through clenched teeth.
Her hair floated up, her face twisted and terrifying. Behind her, a giant spider's silhouette shimmered.