One day later.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei, both gravely injured and ignoring their wounds, traveled nonstop at full speed while carrying the unconscious Pope Qian Xunji. Eventually, they returned to Spirit City.
Along the way, Gui Bao regained consciousness, so he took over the duty of carrying Jin Ming's lifeless body.
Time was of the essence.
They didn't waste time entering through the city gates; instead, they flew directly over the hundred-meter-high city walls, heading straight for the Pope's Palace.
Consecration Hall
Beneath the lifelike, angelic statue of the six-winged Seraphim, an elderly man with long golden hair—identical in color to Qian Xunji's—knelt on a prayer mat, praying with utmost devotion.
The old man had a handsome face with features 70% similar to Qian Xunji's. He was tall, though not robust, appearing only in his thirties or forties—yet he was over a hundred years old.
He radiated a calm, serene aura that brought peace to those around him.
His name was—
Qian Daoliu.
A pinnacle-level Rank 99 Limit Douluo, one of the three known Limit Douluo in the world. He was known as Sky-Invincible, the Grand Priest of the Spirit Hall, the head of both the Douluo and Consecration Halls, former Pope of Spirit Hall, and the father of the current Pope, Qian Xunji.
The moment Yue Guan and the others flew over Spirit City's wall, Qian Daoliu sensed it.
"What's going on? Why are they in such a rush?"
He frowned slightly.
A moment later, his vast spiritual power surged forth, sweeping over the group.
His calm expression instantly changed into a grim scowl.
"Golden Crocodile, something's happened!"
He transmitted a message to Golden Crocodile Douluo, the Second Consecrator.
Then, in a flash, he vanished from the Consecration Hall and reappeared in the Pope's Palace.
Yue Guan and the others had just arrived, gently laying down Qian Xunji and Jin Ming's corpse.
"G-Great Priest!"
Seeing Qian Daoliu, the three—Yue Guan, Gui Mei, and Gui Bao—immediately fell to their knees, trembling with fear, their foreheads pressed to the ground.
"All his bones are shattered, meridians severed, internal organs damaged, half-paralyzed, breath hanging by a thread, spirit in disarray... If this isn't treated immediately, he may not survive."
Qian Daoliu appeared beside the bed.
A single glance told him everything about Qian Xunji's condition. His expression darkened considerably.
Without hesitation, he released his martial spirit.
A moment later, a towering six-winged Seraphim—several hundred meters tall—manifested, enveloping the entire Pope's Palace in golden radiance.
Holy and gentle light descended upon Qian Xunji's body.
Gradually, a bit of color returned to his deathly pale face. Though the healing was temporary, it stabilized his condition, allowing Qian Daoliu to breathe a sigh of relief.
With time and the help of healing-type Spirit Masters, recovery was likely.
The sacred light not only filled the Pope's Palace but spread across Spirit City.
The citizens, unaware of what had happened, thought an angel had descended. One by one, they knelt in reverence and began to pray devoutly.
The divine presence of the Seraphim was sensed by all powerful Spirit Hall members. The Elders and Consecrators immediately rushed toward the Pope's Palace.
Not far away—
Within the Holy Maiden's Hall, Bibi Dong was meditating.
Her violet eyes snapped open as she felt the surge of divine energy.
She turned her gaze toward the Pope's Palace, though she didn't go herself—she merely extended her spiritual sense to observe.
Soon, she understood what had transpired.
"Hahahaha! Qian Xunji, you finally got what you deserved! Serves you right!"
Bibi Dong's lips curled into a mocking sneer, her face full of gloating and scorn.
Moments later, her expression turned vicious:
"A perfect opportunity... I mustn't let it go. As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot. Scum like you belongs in hell—just wait, I'll send you there myself!"
Beside the Orphanage, by the Blue Lake
Ye Qifeng sat holding a book borrowed from Hu Liena.
Looking toward the center of Spirit City, he stared at the enormous, glowing six-winged angel spirit.
Ye Qifeng gaped:
"That… must be Qian Daoliu's martial spirit. If he's summoned it, something major must've happened. Based on the timing, Qian Xunji must've gone after Ah Yin, only to be crushed by Tang Hao."
"Hmm… if that's the case, then Qian Xunji is as good as dead. Feeding scum to spiders? Not bad. He got what he deserved."
Consecration Hall
In a warm, girlishly decorated room…
A young girl—around nine years old—dressed in a golden dress, sat cross-legged on her bed, eyes closed, diligently cultivating.
She had lustrous golden hair cascading down freely, skin fair as snow, and delicately beautiful features with a proud, noble air distinct from Bibi Dong's elegance.
She was the Young Mistress of Spirit Hall—
Qian Renxue.
Also Qian Daoliu's granddaughter.
Suddenly, her six-winged Seraphim spirit stirred within her.
She opened her slightly slanted, phoenix-like eyes, revealing a pair of gem-like azure pupils.
"That's Grandpa's spirit energy. Did something happen? Should I go take a look?"
She hesitated, then shook her head.
"No. With Grandpa around, no matter what happens, he'll take care of it. I need to focus. I must grow stronger—I can't let him down."
Though curious, Qian Renxue was a disciplined child, especially when it came to her grandfather's words.
To her, her grandfather was the most important person in the world—even more than her father, who was often too busy with Spirit Hall matters to spend time with her.
Her grandfather had always been there for her since childhood.
He was the one she trusted and loved most.
Inside the Pope's Palace
Yue Guan, Gui Mei, and Gui Bao were in a miserable state.
After stabilizing Qian Xunji, Qian Daoliu didn't immediately retract his martial spirit.
He turned around, glaring at the trio with a dark, murderous aura like a ferocious tiger.
The three trembled, lowering their bodies even further, not daring to breathe.
"Hmph!"
Qian Daoliu snorted coldly.
The pressure of a Limit Douluo erupted from him, tangible and oppressive, slamming into the three like a mountain.
Boom!
The three were hurled backward, crashing into the palace walls and landing hard on the ground—already wounded, their injuries worsened dramatically.
Pfft—
All three coughed up blood, struggling to their knees again, trembling as they bowed before Qian Daoliu, too terrified to utter a word of complaint.
"What's going on here?"
A coarse, puzzled voice came from the entrance.
An elderly man in golden robes with a sturdy build strode in—it was Golden Crocodile Douluo, the Second Consecrator.
He had been playing with his newborn granddaughter and arrived slightly late.
His eyes immediately fell on the lifeless body of Jin Ming.
Golden Crocodile froze.
The next moment, his body trembled violently, as if struck by a massive blow.
He couldn't accept what he was seeing.
In seconds, he broke down.
Trembling, he cradled Jin Ming's body in his arms and wailed:
"Son! What happened? How did this happen? Get up! You can't die! If you're gone… who will protect Yue'er...?"
Soon, all the Titled Douluo-level experts arrived one by one.
Upon seeing the Pope barely alive and Jin Ming's corpse, every single person was shocked to the core.
Then, seeing the sorry state of Yue Guan, Gui Mei, and Gui Bao, they looked at them with pity.
They knew—if the Pope died, those three would likely be buried with him.