Chapter 23: Golden Blood and Mother's Wrath
Qian Renxue looked up.
Her gaze met Bibi Dong's without flinching.
"Pope, what's the matter?"
Her voice echoed coldly throughout the grand Pope's Palace—detached, distant, and devoid of emotion.
Bibi Dong, seated high on the Pope's throne, gazed at Qian Renxue. Her expression flickered with a rare moment of trance and inner conflict.
It had only been a little over a decade since they last met. But now… she had truly grown.
For the briefest moment, Bibi Dong even saw a shadow of her younger self on Qian Renxue's face.
But she quickly suppressed the thought, burying it beneath layers of indifference.
Standing up slowly, she looked down at the girl beneath her, a sneer curling across her lips.
"A bastard is still a bastard. Born to be a seductive little vixen."
The sarcasm was biting.
But Qian Renxue had long since grown numb to cruelty and venom. Her years in the Tiandou Empire had taught her the full spectrum of human warmth—and coldness.
She didn't react with anger.
Instead, her sharp voice struck back like a dagger.
"That's still better than being blind for decades, mistaking trash for gold. Hilarious, really."
Bibi Dong's expression darkened.
"He told you everything?" she asked coldly.
"What else?" Qian Renxue replied, her eyes gleaming with disdain.
A smirk tugged at her lips.
"How else would I know our 'noble' Pope has such a lowly side?"
She took a step forward, her voice tinged with malice.
"I should ask on behalf of Brother Qin Chuan—was the trash's spit really that sweet?"
"You insolent—!"
Bibi Dong exploded with fury. She could tolerate Qin Chuan's cold stares and scorn, but not from others—especially not from this child, born in disgrace.
Especially not from her.
In a flash, Bibi Dong's soul power surged. Nine dazzling soul rings appeared in succession, their brilliance shaking the air.
Her terrifying aura burst forth like a tsunami, crashing through the vast hall and crushing toward Qian Renxue.
"Get out!"
***
Outside the Pope's Hall.
Qin Chuan had sensed the rising pressure inside, and when the explosion of soul power hit, his face immediately turned grim.
That madwoman—
She really dared to attack Qian Renxue!
Rage burned in his chest as he bellowed at the knights barring his path.
The palace knights paled.
But they didn't dare move aside. Their duty kept them rooted, despite their trembling bodies.
Ju Douluo, Yue Guan, stood nearby, casting a glance at the towering Pope's Hall.
His brows furrowed as he turned to Qin Chuan and spoke with difficulty.
"Grand Elder, please calm down. Her Holiness is the young master's mother. She would never truly harm her."
"Out of my way!" Qin Chuan roared.
In the next instant, he moved.
Nine soul rings flared to life around him. The surge of soul power struck like a storm, blasting the palace knights off their feet and to the floor.
"Grand Elder, please—!"
Ju Douluo Yue Guan stepped forward, his expression tight with anxiety.
But before he could finish—
"Ju Huaguan, are you going to stop me too?"
Qin Chuan's cold eyes locked onto him, his nine soul rings glowing with terrifying energy. His aura far surpassed that of an ordinary Rank 91 Titled Douluo.
Yue Guan's heart clenched.
Before he could respond, Qin Chuan's shout rang again.
"Then get out of my way!"
Suddenly, an energy broadsword materialized in Qin Chuan's hand, glowing with golden light as it slashed downward.
The manifestation of the Holy Spirit Martial Soul—
It could morph into any weapon, any form his thoughts desired.
A storm of soul power poured into the blade, pressing down toward Ju Douluo like a thunderclap.
Ju Douluo instantly activated all nine of his soul rings.
Unlike traditional soul masters, Qin Chuan's soul rings didn't grant specific skills. They served as vast soul power reservoirs that empowered his Holy Spirit Martial Soul.
It was like a Dantian—a core of energy—but far more expansive.
"Boom—!"
A brilliant yellow light erupted from Yue Guan.
A massive chrysanthemum bloomed into existence, its petals shimmering as they burst through Qin Chuan's energy wave.
In the next instant, countless chrysanthemums sprouted along the length of the broadsword, blooming with soft light. Their interwoven petals tangled around the weapon, rendering it immobile.
The strike halted in midair.
It was Yue Guan's martial soul: Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum, a top-tier plant spirit born from a legendary immortal herb.
Even though it had not reached divine rank, its power was undeniable.
"Please, Grand Elder," Yue Guan said, sweat dotting his brow. "Her Holiness would never truly hurt the young master. She is still his mother…"
He knew better than anyone that Qin Chuan's strength wasn't dependent on his position as Grand Elder—or his connection to the Pope.
Even when he was just a Soul Douluo, he had fought Titled Douluos on equal footing.
Though never tested against a Super Douluo, few would question his capabilities.
The broadsword trembled violently.
The chrysanthemums entwined around it began to wither, their light fading.
One by one, they detached and vanished into the air.
"Chrysanthemum Douluo," Qin Chuan said coldly, taking a step forward. "I'll ask you one last time. Are you going to stop me?"
One step.
Another.
With each footfall, the pressure around him grew heavier.
***
Meanwhile, inside the Pope's Palace.
Bibi Dong's soul power erupted like a storm, and her figure vanished in a blur of afterimages.
In a flash, she appeared before Qian Renxue and raised her hand.
Her fingers clamped around Qian Renxue's throat.
A red mark bloomed across the girl's flawless skin.
"Look at you, little bastard," Bibi Dong sneered. "After all these years, still so weak. Still under my control."
But Qian Renxue merely tilted her head, her breath shallow yet eyes blazing.
Her lips curled into a mocking smile.
"Yes… And you're still the same."
"Rotten."
A violent gleam flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes.
With a burst of strength, she lifted Qian Renxue from the floor and slammed her into the palace wall.
"Bang—!"
Qian Renxue's body crumpled to the floor.
Golden blood oozed from her lips, trickling down her chin and pooling like starlight on the ground—sad and eerily beautiful.
"Seems I've failed as a mother," Bibi Dong laughed coldly, stepping forward.
Her glossy leather boots clicked ominously against the marble floor.
She crouched beside Qian Renxue, grabbing her chin and forcing her head up.
Their eyes met once again.
"Then today," she hissed, her smile twisted, "I'll finally do my duty as your mother."
"You're not qualified!"
A deep voice thundered from outside the hall.
Resonating like judgment itself.
A man's voice.
Qin Chuan had arrived.