Bibi Dong… oh, Bibi Dong!
You truly brought this upon yourself.
When Qian Renxue learned that Bibi Dong had even tried to stab Ye Yu in the back, her heart still burned with anger.
Although Ye Yu survived, and even struck back to kill her—if his strength had been any less, he might well have been assassinated.
Compared to a mother who had only ever cursed her since childhood, Ye Yu was far more important in Qian Renxue's heart.
As for Bibi Dong and Yu Xiaogang, Qian Daoliu had never told her about Qian Xunji's secret identity as the "Chamber Douluo."
He merely told Qian Renxue that Bibi Dong's hatred for her father Qian Xunji—and for her—was all because Bibi Dong had once loved Yu Xiaogang, only to have that relationship forcibly torn apart.
So when Bibi Dong chose to betray Ye Yu for Yu Xiaogang's sake, Qian Renxue was not all that surprised.
But now that Bibi Dong was dead, Spirit Hall naturally fell back under Qian Daoliu's control.
Just as Bibi Dong had once considered, Qian Renxue's true identity could not be exposed.
As long as she had to appear before the world as "Xue Qinghe," the supposed heir of the Heaven Dou Empire, there had to be a way to prevent the common people and Spirit Masters alike from doubting whether Spirit Hall and the Empire would one day return to bloodshed.
Thus, Qian Daoliu made his decision: Hu Liena, as the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall, would marry the disguised Xue Qinghe—his granddaughter Qian Renxue.
On the surface, this would serve as a public declaration: Spirit Hall and the Heaven Dou Empire were now bound by marriage, and there would be no more wars between them.
At the same time, since Qian Renxue had already ascended the throne as Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire and unified the continent, she would naturally need to take a consort and produce heirs.
But her true identity as a woman meant she could not bear children. And she also wanted to give children to Ye Yu.
To avoid exposing her identity—and to silence all rumors—there was only one way: formally wed Hu Liena, and in the future, any children she bore with Ye Yu would be raised under Hu Liena's name.
Because of Hu Liena's special position, Qian Renxue would only marry her, and never take any other concubines. That much, at least, could be explained to the outside world.
When Hu Liena, the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall, learned that she would have to marry "Xue Qinghe" for the sake of her sect, she felt some disappointment.
But she could not refuse.
For the sake of Spirit Hall, and for Ye Yu, she accepted.
Soon after, the Heaven Dou Empire's armies finished conquering the Star Luo Empire, the Running Wolf Kingdom, and the Starlight Principality.
Thus, the entire Douluo Continent was unified!
On the battlefield, Ye Yu and his mirror clone Ye Xiuquan had displayed overwhelming might. With a mere gesture, they summoned an endless forest of massive, crystalline blue trees that reshaped the land itself. The sight was so vast, so miraculous, it seemed a divine wonder.
With Ye Yu's strength revealed, the Creation Temple now stood as one of the continent's greatest forces, with believers everywhere—its prestige no less than Spirit Hall itself.
And the Creation Temple's mountain gate had finally been completed.
At last, with all battles ended, Ye Yu felt it was time to settle the greatest matter of his life.
Within the Creation Temple, he invited countless guests to witness his wedding.
There was Uncle Wang Hongshan and his family, who had raised him; the Poison Douluo Dugu Bo; the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy Board of Education members; Ning Fengzhi's family; Qian Daoliu and other guests from Spirit Hall; and of course, Qian Renxue, disguised as Emperor Xue Qinghe.
This wedding, Ye Yu decided, would be the one moment where he married all the women beside him.
Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, Huo Wu, Shui Bing'er, Shui Yue'er—and even Zhu Zhuyun, sister of Zhu Zhuqing.
He hadn't planned it that way. But Grand Duke Zhu Xuanfeng of the Hell Spirit Cat Clan was too ambitious, willing to sell his own daughter for glory.
Faced with Zhu Zhuyun—so similar to Zhu Zhuqing, yet more mature and breathtaking—and the two sisters together in his bed, Ye Yu had made the same mistake many men would have made.
And in truth, it also served to secure the loyalty of the Hell Spirit Cat Clan.
For the peace of the continent, Ye Yu had paid a heavy price indeed.
Before countless guests, the ceremony began.
At the center stood Dou Dou, the famous master of ceremonies from the Great Spirit Arena of Suotuo City, smiling as he asked:
"Ye Yu, do you vow to marry Lady Dugu Yan, Lady Ye Lingling, Lady Zhu Zhuyun, and the others? No matter what the future holds, to love them always, to never abandon them, to guard them for all your life?"
"I do!" Ye Yu replied firmly, his handsome face resolute.
"Ladies Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, Zhu Zhuyun, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, Huo Wu, Shui Bing'er, and Shui Yue'er—do you vow to remain loyal to Mister Ye Yu, no matter what may come, to walk hand in hand with him for all your lives?"
"We do!" eight voices rang out together, unwavering.
"Very good! Then let us begin the bows."
Dou Dou smiled, guiding the ritual.
"First bow—to Heaven and Earth!"
"Second bow—to your parents!"
"Third bow—to each other!"
Under his guidance, Ye Yu and his brides bowed to Heaven and Earth, then to Wang Hongshan and Dugu Bo who sat in the honored seats, and finally to one another.
After that, naturally came the bridal chamber.
On Douluo Continent, a land of mixed East and West, the marriage rites also combined traditions: vows first, then the bows, then the bridal chamber.
By the time the vows and rites ended, the sun was setting in a blaze of crimson.
It was time.
Among the guests, Qian Renxue—watching as Ye Yu married Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, Ning Rongrong, and the others—smiled on the surface, but her heart ached.
Of all Ye Yu's women, she had known him the longest, and believed her bond with him was the deepest.
By strength and by status, she should have been his rightful wife.
But for the sake of the common people, she had to hide as Xue Qinghe, never able to marry Ye Yu before the eyes of the world.
The same bitterness gnawed at Hu Liena.
She too could have been wed to Ye Yu, celebrated by thousands of guests, showered with blessings.
But for the sake of Spirit Hall, and for Ye Yu himself, she could only "marry" Qian Renxue, becoming the Heaven Dou Empress.
Thus, beneath the witness of countless guests, Ye Yu's grand wedding came to an end.
Not long after, Qian Renxue—as Emperor Xue Qinghe—formally wed Hu Liena.
At the ceremony, they looked every bit the golden couple, smiling as they received blessings.
But when night fell, and the bridal chamber awaited—
Ye Yu slipped quietly into the palace, climbing onto the dragon bed.
There, lying on the wide, soft mattress, faces shyly flushed beneath their bridal veils, were Hu Liena in her wedding dress and Qian Renxue in hers, her disguise discarded at last.
Ye Yu smiled faintly, his handsome features lit with warmth.
"Xue'er, Nana—I'm here."
By day, Qian Renxue was the groom, and Hu Liena the bride.
But tonight, he was the true groom.