Chapter 31: Wings of Judgment
"For me?"
Qin Chuan was momentarily stunned, clearly confused.
"Yes," Qian Renxue explained patiently. "She's trying to provoke you on purpose—hoping you'll get angry and return to her, so she can manipulate things her way."
Then, with a subtle glance at him, she asked cautiously,
"Brother Qin Chuan, you're not actually going to go back to her… are you?"
Qin Chuan couldn't help but laugh, both amused and exasperated.
"Of course not."
Hearing that, Qian Renxue finally relaxed and smiled in relief.
"That's good."
Bang, bang, bang—
Suddenly, the sound of knocking came from the door.
Qian Renxue quickly adjusted her posture, once again taking on her disguise as Xue Qinghe. She glanced at Qin Chuan and called out in a calm, authoritative voice,
"Who is it?"
At this time, most of the teams were off competing in the city. Who would visit now?
"Your Highness, it's Zhu Zhuqing," came a soft voice from outside.
"What is it?" Qian Renxue frowned, her tone laced with a trace of impatience.
"Zhuqing is returning to Xingluo. She wanted to say goodbye to His Highness the Crown Prince and Lord Qin Chuan," the voice replied, somewhat forlornly.
"Go," Qin Chuan said with a nod to Qian Renxue.
The door opened.
Zhu Zhuqing stood there quietly in a sleek black dress. Her face looked weary and pale, her body thinner than before. She carried an air of fragile elegance that evoked sympathy.
"Come in," Qian Renxue said with a soft nod.
"No need, Your Highness," Zhu Zhuqing replied lowly. "I only came to say a few words and then I'll be on my way."
Qin Chuan, still sitting on the sofa, looked at her calmly.
"Once you return, follow through with our previous arrangement. Start gathering loyal supporters immediately. I'll come find you in no more than a month—once my business here is finished."
"…Understood." Zhu Zhuqing's lips trembled slightly, but she nodded.
"Alright then. You may go." Qin Chuan waved his hand, signaling the end of the conversation.
Zhu Zhuqing hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head in a deep bow to both Qin Chuan and Qian Renxue before silently turning away.
"You really are such an unromantic person," Qian Renxue said, rolling her eyes as she returned from closing the door.
Qin Chuan glanced at her and smirked.
Women…
In the days that followed, Qin Chuan remained secluded in his room.
Qian Renxue, on the other hand, attended the ongoing tournament battles and each night would return to give him a detailed account of the day's matches.
As expected, the results offered little surprise.
Despite replacing a team member, the Shrek team still pushed through to the top three.
That night, Qian Renxue returned, visibly energized by the day's battles.
"Can you believe it?" she said with some regret. "Such a genius… and yet, soon he'll die. What a waste. He could have been put to good use."
Qin Chuan, meditating on the bed with his eyes closed, slowly opened them and said calmly,
"Isn't it a beautiful thing to eliminate a future threat before he becomes a real problem?"
Qian Renxue chuckled,
"You make a good point."
Then she leaned slightly closer.
"Brother Qin Chuan, are you really sure something big is going to happen in the arena tomorrow?"
Her brows furrowed slightly.
"That's the Pope's Palace… would he really dare to make a move there?"
Qin Chuan nodded without hesitation.
"I don't know how he'll get in… but he'll go there. I'm sure of it."
Qian Renxue pouted slightly.
"Mysterious… so boring."
Qin Chuan ignored her and resumed meditating, taking a long, steady breath.
He needed to be at his peak—only then could he deal with what was coming.
If events unfolded according to the original timeline…
Then after tomorrow's final match, Xiao Wu's true identity as a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast would be revealed.
And in that moment, chaos would erupt in the Pope's Palace.
Haotian Douluo—Tang Hao—would break his long seclusion and appear to rescue Tang San.
But Qin Chuan wouldn't let Tang San escape so easily.
Tomorrow was his chance.
His best shot to kill Tang San.
The Next Day
Just past noon.
Qin Chuan sat in meditation, his eyes closed.
Suddenly—
A sharp twitch ran through his right eyelid.
His eyes snapped open.
He stood up and walked to the window, gazing at the distant sky.
"…It's starting," he murmured.
Sure enough, only moments later, a powerful wave of energy exploded from Wuhun Mountain in the distance.
Boom—!
Even from far away, the force was overwhelming. The hotel suite trembled violently as if heaven itself were angry.
Qin Chuan's fists clenched involuntarily.
He had seen it—a massive golden hammer crashing down from the sky.
Several figures rose in response, engaging the hammer's wielder in a fierce midair battle.
But in just a few seconds…
They were all sent flying.
A familiar, domineering voice echoed through the air:
"Bibi Dong, wait. One day, I'll repay every debt Spirit Hall owes me. That day isn't far away!"
Qin Chuan sneered.
Just as I expected… everything is proceeding as planned.
Now it was his turn.
He took a deep breath and leapt out the window.
The hotel was six or seven stories tall, and he had been on the top floor. For a normal spirit master, such a fall would mean serious injury, if not worse.
But just as his body plummeted toward the ground—
Swish—!
The sound of fabric tearing rang out behind him.
A pair of massive, three-meter-wide snow-white wings suddenly unfurled from his back.
These wings, formed by his Holy Spirit Martial Soul, granted him the power of flight.
With a powerful flap, his descent curved into a graceful arc, and his body shot upward into the sky.
Whoosh—!
The wind howled in his ears as he soared.
And yet, his sharp eyes instantly caught a figure leaping over rooftops at high speed.
A tall man in black, with a rugged face.
Tang Hao.
Just as he expected.
Tang Hao was carrying two figures under each arm—Tang San and Xiao Wu.
Qin Chuan's gaze turned ice-cold.
The wings on his back trembled.
He dived straight toward Tang Hao.
At the same time, his Holy Spirit Sword materialized in his hand, glowing with immense spiritual pressure.
The nine soul rings around him flared to life, pouring boundless energy into his body.
The sword lit up, the engraved flame pattern coming to life with roaring heat.
With a single swing, he released his strongest attack yet.
Boom—!
The flaming energy erupted like a raging dragon, its claws stretched wide as it charged at Tang Hao.
Tang San, fleeing in haste, suddenly stopped midair.
He turned instinctively.
And what he saw made his pupils shrink in fear—a burning dragon hurtling toward them like judgment from the heavens.
Tang Hao's eyes narrowed.
He was already badly injured after fending off multiple Spirit Hall powerhouses.
Still, he couldn't let his guard down.
He had no choice.
The massive Clear Sky Hammer appeared in a flash, and he met the fire dragon head-on.
Meanwhile, inside the Pope's Palace…
Bibi Dong's face twisted with fury.
"Enough! Don't you think I understand?" she roared.
"If Tang Hao were that easy to kill, he'd be long gone by now! This isn't the time to deal with him."
Her eyes glinted coldly.
A new storm had begun.