Chapter 41: The Pontiff's Incompetent Barking
Inside the Supreme Pontiff Palace, the air was heavy and suffocating.
Bang—!
After more than a year of relative calm, Qian Xunji once again smashed a priceless jade teacup. The Titled Douluo-grade famous tea, worth a fortune, splattered across the golden, polished floor.
"Say that to me again."
Dressed in a gold-embroidered red robe, wearing a Nine-Curved Purple Gold Crown, and with a golden holy garment as armor underneath, Qian Xunji's left hand was clenched into a white-knuckled fist. His right hand pointed forward, veins bulging on his forehead. His usually handsome, evil, and indifferent face was twisted into a ferocious expression, contorted by extreme, unrestrained rage.
Opposite him, a middle-aged man dressed entirely in black, his face covered by a black cloth, knelt on one knee.
He was trembling with palpable fear. "Your... Your Eminence... During this trip to Yelincheng, the Holy Maiden and... and Yu Xiaogang... their words and actions were intimate. It seems…"
"It seems what?" Qian Xunji's voice was a low, dangerous snarl, his rage escalating with every word.
The spy's body shook, and he pressed his forehead to the cold floor. "It seems they are already in love, and... and have been for quite some time."
"Useless! You are useless!" Qian Xunji roared. "I told you to secretly protect the Holy Maiden, to watch her! Did you throw your eyes into a dog's belly?!"
Golden light, the holy power of the Seraphim, pulsed violently around Qian Xunji. In the blink of an eye, he crossed the hall and appeared directly in front of the masked man, his leg swinging up in a vicious kick.
He drove his boot directly into the spy's chest.
The masked man was only a Spirit Douluo. How could he possibly be Qian Xunji's opponent? But even if he had a trace of resistance, he dared not dodge. It would only earn him a worse fate.
He was instantly kicked away, his body flying like a broken doll, and he crashed heavily against a towering golden pillar in the hall.
Ignoring the severe, bone-jarring pain in his chest, he quickly scrambled back onto his knees and begged for mercy, his voice choked with blood.
"Supreme Pontiff, please forgive me! The Holy Maiden... she usually hides it very well! Every time they met this past year, it was always with Yu Xiaogang in the library, and your subordinate also…"
There was one more thing he didn't dare to say, which was that he also didn't expect the dignified, divinely talented Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall, the successor to the Supreme Pontiff, to actually fall in love with a well-known, universally acknowledged good-for-nothing from the Spirit Master circle. It was a failure of imagination on his part.
"Also what?!" Qian Xunji bellowed. He was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling. "Now get out! Get out of my sight and continue monitoring them!"
No matter how angry he was, he couldn't actually kill the masked man.
After all, he was a Spirit Douluo. In any force on the continent, he was an indispensable, high-end power. He was someone who could, potentially, grow into a Titled Douluo.
Qian Xunji, for all his flaws, was not so foolish as to truly destroy such a valuable asset over this matter.
"Your subordinate obeys! Thank you, Your Eminence!" The masked man heard this as if he had been granted a great pardon. He respectfully assented, then scrambled to his feet and scurried away, half-crawling out of the hall, not daring to show his back to the enraged Pontiff.
Looking at the departing back of the masked Spirit Douluo, Qian Xunji seemed lost in thought, his rage cooling into something far more sinister and cold.
"Supreme Pontiff... should I…"
A voice, low and familiar, spoke from the shadows. The "background character," the personal Guardian Douluo who had once suggested killing Qin Xuan, walked to Qian Xunji's side. He made a slow, deliberate throat-slitting gesture, his eyes fixed on the door where the spy had disappeared, though his true meaning was clear: Should I kill the problem... Yu Xiaogang?
"No need." Qian Xunji raised his hand to interrupt, and a strange, chilling smile suddenly appeared on his evil and indifferent face. "I have a better idea."
As things stood, it was no longer possible to marry Bibi Dong through normal, conventional means. His public proposal had been met with her private, cold disdain.
He understood that "good disciple" of his better than anyone.
Once she made up her mind about something, once her stubborn heart was set, no one could change it.
Nor could he, the Supreme Pontiff, lower himself to pursue his own disciple like some common suitor. That would compromise his dignity. It would be a stain on his authority.
The only reason he hadn't taken Bibi Dong by force already was out of concern for the aftermath. He feared she would seek death, that her spirit would break, ruining his perfect prize.
But now... now it was different.
With Yu Xiaogang as a weakness, he thought, the smile on his face widening, she will have something to live for. Something to protect.
With this trash as her emotional anchor, Bibi Dong will never be able to escape my grasp again.
He would have her. He would have her body, and he would break her spirit, and he would use her lover as the chain to keep her bound to him. It was a perfect, flawless plan.
Just as Qian Xunji was savoring these pleasant, dark thoughts, a Guardian Knight in full, shining armor rushed into the hall, his steps urgent. He knelt on one knee, his fist striking his breastplate.
"Supreme Pontiff!"
"Speak!" Qian Xunji waved his hand, his mood greatly improved. In a flash of golden light, he returned to the Supreme Pontiff's throne and sat down. His two personal Guardian Douluo, shadows of his will, stood guard on either side. His majestic and calm facade was perfectly restored.
"Second Majesty... has returned," the Guardian Knight said respectfully.
Qian Xunji was stunned. His mind, which had been entirely focused on Bibi Dong, drew a blank.
"...Second Majesty?"
He stared at the knight. When did Spirit Hall have a Second Majesty? Why have I never heard of this title?
The two personal Guardian Douluo exchanged nervous glances. A hint of surprise and dawning realization was in their eyes. One of them leaned in and reminded him, his voice a low whisper: "Your Majesty, have you forgotten? A year ago... in the Elder Palace... you and Qin Xuan…"
"Oh. That kid."
Qian Xunji suddenly realized. The memory, which he had forcefully buried, came rushing back.
He recalled, with renewed anger, that a year ago, under the direct, unassailable orders of his father Qian Daoliu, he had been forced to become sworn brothers with Qin Xuan.
It had caused quite a stir in Spirit Hall at the time, a scandal whispered in every corner.
Some people thought Qin Xuan was incredibly lucky. Others, the more astute ones, thought Qin Xuan was highly regarded by the High Priest himself and had limitless, terrifying prospects.
At that time, Qian Xunji had been incandescent with rage. If not for his father Qian Daoliu's immovable face, and the cold, hard fact that Qin Xuan was about to be sent to the City of Slaughter to die... he would have long since exploded.
To make him, the heir of the Angel Clan, the dignified Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall, become sworn brothers with a mere five-spirit-ring kid...
Every time he thought about it, he felt that his old man was too focused on Qin Xuan, this dying person, and had lost his mind.
Wait.
His blood ran cold.
Qin Xuan... is back?
"What did you say?!" Qian Xunji finally reacted, his voice no longer calm. He suddenly shot to his feet, his newly restored composure shattering completely. He was unable to control his shocked emotions, and his voice was a disbelieving shout.
"That kid, Qin Xuan... He's back?!"
How? How could he come back?
How could he possibly come back?!
That ghost place, the City of Slaughter, where Spirit Abilities could not be used... a place that even he, a Titled Douluo, wasn't confident he could pass through...
How did that kid, with only five spirit rings, manage to get out?!
Could it be... A horrifying, new thought struck him, eclipsing even his plans for Bibi Dong. That promise I made... in the hall... in front of everyone...
Could it be that he really has the Slaughter God Domain?
Does this mean I... I really have to marry Bibi Dong to that kid, Qin Xuan?!
Anger. Confusion. A white-hot, possessive jealousy. Pure, unadulterated killing intent. Various other emotions, all dark and violent, quickly filled Qian Xunji's heart, choking him.
In front of the Elder Palace, the atmosphere was a stark contrast: ancient, solemn, and silent.
"Stop."
Two Guardian Knights in heavy, ornate golden armor stepped forward, their halberds crossing to block the path of Qin Xuan and Jingni.
In an instant, the one hundred other Guardian Knights standing guard around the plaza simultaneously raised their longswords, the sound of a hundred blades being drawn a single, sharp shing. The pressure of one hundred Spirit Kings, all acting as one, flooded the square.
One of the Guardian Knights, the captain, recognized Qin Xuan. He took a half-step back, his voice respectful but firm: "Second Majesty. This is a forbidden area of Spirit Hall. You are the Supreme Pontiff's sworn brother and the disciple of the Sixth Priest and the Seventh Priest, so you naturally have the right to enter."
His gaze then shifted to Jingni, who stood silently by Qin Xuan's side, her hand resting on her swollen belly. The knight's face showed some difficulty. "But... this one…"
Although Jingni remained expressionless, her senses, honed as a Heaven-rank assassin, were screaming.
She was inwardly shocked.
Because she found that none of these guards... these mere guards... were weak.
They were all Spirit Kings. An entire company of 100 Spirit King cultivators was being used as... doormen. This "Spirit Hall" was a behemoth far beyond her imagination.
Qin Xuan gave Jingni a reassuring look, a slight squeeze of her hand, before turning his cold, indifferent gaze to the Guardian Knights.
"What? Are you going to stop me from taking my wife to see my Master and my Second Master?"
His expression was indifferent, but his tone was filled with the cold displeasure of a superior being questioned.
In this World where the strong prey on the weak, being gentle and kind to low-level subordinates was foolish. His loyalty was to the powerhouses of the Elder Palace, not their servants.
They wouldn't feel any gratitude towards him for being polite. On the contrary, he would gradually lose their reverence, their fear, in their hearts.
"This…"
As expected, as soon as he spoke, the Guardian Knights immediately shivered. The captain's face went pale.
With a thud, he knelt on one knee. "Your subordinate knows his sin!"
The other 100 Guardian Knights, all composed of Spirit Kings, performed the same action in perfect, disciplined unison. Then, at the leading knight's frantic signal, they cleared the way, creating a wide, respectful path to the entrance.
The two entered the vast, silent hall.
The Sixth Priest, Qian Jun Douluo, holding his Coiling Dragon Rod in his right hand and wearing a simple purple robe, seemed to have received news of Qin Xuan's return. He was already waiting there.
He was standing alone in the center of the massive hall, in front of the towering Seraphim statue. His back was to the main entrance, his head looking up at the angelic figure.
As for the other Priests, in their endless pursuit of higher realms, they were all in seclusion, deep in arduous cultivation.
Last time had been an exception. It had just happened to be the day of sacrificing to the Angel God, a day all were required to attend.
Excluding the now-secluded Seventh Priest, Jiang Mo, the other Priests—with Qin Xuan's current strength and status—were not yet important enough for them to grant a personal audience.
"Master." Qin Xuan brought Jingni to a stop a few meters behind him and bowed respectfully.
"You're back."
A majestic and calm voice echoed through the empty hall. Qian Jun Douluo slowly turned, holding his Coiling Dragon Rod, his old, powerful eyes landing on Qin Xuan.
Neither in his words nor in his ancient, weathered expression could any emotion be discerned.
He took a single step, and in the blink of an eye, his form flickered. He arrived directly in front of Qin Xuan and Jingni, his gaze sweeping over his returned disciple, and then, with great interest, over the new, pregnant woman at his side.
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