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"Qian Daoliu! Why didn't you kill those two old monsters, Dai Tianxing and Zhu Lingyun?"
Inside the Worship Hall, Bibi Dong glared coldly at the man before her, her beautiful face covered in frost as she questioned him with undisguised displeasure.
The man before her wore golden ceremonial robes, his hair a shimmering gold, and his eyes a pair of golden-brown irises. Beneath those eyes was a faint wrinkle, barely noticeable unless one looked closely.
Though he appeared about the same age as Dai Pojun, in truth, his years far exceeded even the combined age of Dai Tianxing and Zhu Lingyun.
This golden-haired middle-aged man was none other than the Great Worship of the Worship Hall, Elder of Judgment—Qian Daoliu, the true ruler of Spirit Hall.
Although Bibi Dong bore the title of Pope, in both strength and prestige Qian Daoliu far surpassed her.
It could even be said that if Qian Daoliu so much as raised his arm, every Titled Douluo of both the Worship Hall and the Elder Hall would stand behind him. Even most of the soul masters within Spirit City would take his side.
If the soul masters of Spirit City were forced to choose between Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong, apart from Hu Liena and her two companions, almost all would side with Qian Daoliu.
Such was the weight of his authority. And he was not just any Titled Douluo—he was a Level 99 Peerless Douluo. Alongside Tang Chen of the Clear Sky Sect and Bo Saixi of Sea God Island, he was hailed as one of the three great Peerless Douluo, his title: Invincible in the Sky.
At this moment, Bibi Dong was seething with a thunderous rage. She didn't care in the least that Qian Daoliu was her father-in-law, and she spat angrily:
"With your strength, even if you couldn't kill Dai Tianxing and Zhu Lingyun outright, you should at least have gravely injured them! Why didn't you take action?"
Qian Daoliu, kneeling in devotion before the statue of the Angel God, whispered a prayer before replying flatly, his tone calm and detached:
"Of course I could have killed Dai Tianxing and the others. But then what? Don't forget, alongside Dai Tianxing came three hundred thousand soldiers of the Star Luo army.
If I were to strike him down by force, those soldiers would surely fight to protect their leader. And if Dai Tianxing were to die, the remaining Star Luo army would fight like cornered beasts. At that point, what we would face would be three hundred thousand soldiers blinded by rage!
Tell me, do you think I, together with a handful of Worship Elders, could slaughter three hundred thousand men?"
He paused, then raised a cup of coarse tea to his lips and took a sip before continuing:
"Don't forget, the White Tiger Army's artillery is no trivial matter. You yourself endured hundreds of shells in their bombardments. Tell me, even if you went all out, how many of those shells could you withstand?"
"I…"
For a moment, Bibi Dong was speechless, unable to form a reply. In the past two and a half days, she too had endured hundreds of bombardments.
Though her ninth soul skill could preserve her life, those attacks still consumed her soul power.
Moreover, even though she possessed an undying soul skill that made her impossible to kill below the level of a god, Qian Daoliu did not. If he were struck by thousands of shells, even if it didn't kill him, he would still be seriously injured.
And Qian Daoliu had long intended to sacrifice himself to Qian Renxue, so that she might ascend to the Angel Godhood. At such a time, he could not afford any injuries.
"Even so, you shouldn't have just let them escape…"
"Bibi Dong, didn't you also let Tang Hao slip away?"
At his words, Bibi Dong's brows furrowed, her eyes locking onto Qian Daoliu. Her lips parted, ready to retort, but he cut her off.
"Don't think I don't know. You deliberately allowed Tang Hao to hammer our soul masters to death in Spirit City, all for the sake of targeting the Clear Sky Sect.
Tang Hao was already heavily injured. With your strength, you could have stopped him. If you had joined forces with the elders, you could even have killed him. But instead, you allowed him to massacre my Spirit Hall's soul masters.
And now you have recklessly provoked war, nearly bringing Spirit City to ruin because of your actions. To be frank, Bibi Dong, you have disappointed me greatly!
Sometimes I even wonder if I should never have been so soft-hearted, sympathizing with your hardships, and granting you the Pope's seat to make up for how Qian Xunji wronged you!"
"Silence!!!"
Suddenly, Bibi Dong's furious roar shook the entire Worship Hall, her voice echoing like thunder.
"Qian Daoliu! If you dare mention that man again, don't blame me for showing no mercy! Even if I cannot defeat you, I will never let you live in peace!"
"Very well, very well. I won't mention him again." Seeing her enraged, Qian Daoliu had no choice but to steer the conversation away.
"Let's talk business. You must immediately order the main force to withdraw. Although I've driven back Dai Tianxing for now, I don't know how long my presence alone can suppress them.
You know as well as I do, the people of the Star Luo Empire are fervent warmongers. They may very well launch another bombardment on Spirit City, and we must be prepared."
"…I understand."
Bibi Dong let out a sigh, turning to leave the Worship Hall. She now pinned her hopes on Yue Guan and Gui Mei handling matters swiftly. If they could eliminate the Clear Sky Sect's Titled Douluo, then even retreating would not matter.
As he watched her leave, Qian Daoliu sighed helplessly. He had once believed that time would heal the wounds in her heart, that he could eventually act as a bridge to reconcile Bibi Dong with her daughter, Qian Renxue. But now, he realized he had underestimated the depth of Bibi Dong's hatred.
"Alas… it seems now is not yet the time for Xiaoxue and Bibi Dong to meet."
Time passed swiftly. Three days slipped by in silence. After leaving the Worship Hall, Bibi Dong dispatched flying soul masters carrying her personal orders to the Clear Sky Sect, commanding Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo to retreat.
Meanwhile, within the Clear Sky Sect, after five and a half days of recuperation, both sides once again confronted each other.
Dai Weisi stood atop the Clear Sky Fortress, gazing up at six figures in the sky. The grievously wounded Demon Bear Douluo had now recovered under the care of healing-type soul masters.
Stepping forward, his aged face twisted into a sinister grin as he fixed his gaze on Tang Xiao, who stood upon the fortress.
"Hmph, Tang Xiao, you've lost an arm and your cultivation has fallen to level eighty-seven. Let's see if you can still withstand my attacks!"
"Demon Bear Elder, don't get cocky. Even with one arm, I can still crush you. This time, luck won't save you."
Tang Xiao released the Clear Sky Hammer, joining with the three remaining elders of the sect to form the Clear Sky Battle Formation, prepared to resist Demon Bear Douluo head-on.
At the same time, Ghost Leopard Douluo and Spirit Kite Douluo also attacked fiercely, flanking Demon Bear Douluo, clearly intent on challenging the formation as well.
Elsewhere, Dai Pojun and Zhu Yaqin unleashed their Netherworld White Tiger, facing off against Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.
Shifting his gaze from them, Dai Weisi turned to Serpent Spear Douluo, She Long. He exchanged a glance with Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuqing before the three of them leapt down from the fortress together, landing before him.
"Elder Serpent Spear, allow us to be your opponents!"
"Perfect! Let's resume our battle. I still need to avenge Ci Xue! Dai Weisi, this day next year will be the anniversary of your death!"
"We'll see about that." Dai Weisi sneered. "Last time, you didn't exactly gain the upper hand."
"Hmph, don't get too smug. I was injured back then. Now that I've fully recovered, you don't stand a chance!"
As he spoke, She Long summoned his martial spirit, the Serpent Spear, pointing it directly at Dai Weisi's heart.
(End of Chapter)