Salas had originally been in an excellent mood.
However, the moment he read a certain letter, that good mood vanished without a trace.
The contents of the letter informed him that the renowned Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo, had already joined Spirit Hall—yet not the Supreme Pontiff Palace faction, but the Hall of Worship instead.
This meant that the Hall of Worship's strength had grown once again.
For Salas, who had long since aligned himself with the Supreme Pontiff Palace under Bibi Dong, this was unquestionably bad news. It made him instinctively uneasy about his future.
Salas had joined Spirit Hall when he was still very young. Back then, the Supreme Pontiff was not Bibi Dong, but the current High Priest—Qian Daoliu.
Because of that, Salas understood far better than most just how terrifying the true power hidden beneath Spirit Hall's surface really was.
Aside from the High Priest, Qian Daoliu, there were several Consecrated Elders with cultivation exceeding Rank 95, along with a number of Titled Douluo who stayed hidden in the shadows.
More importantly, from top to bottom, Spirit Hall's key positions—large and small—were almost all firmly controlled by members of the Hall of Worship.
The reason Salas specifically distinguished the Hall of Worship was because, after Bibi Dong became Supreme Pontiff, Spirit Hall had split into two factions.
Before that, the Supreme Pontiff Palace and the Hall of Worship had effectively been one entity. All authority was held by the Qian family, and there was no internal division to speak of.
By tradition, when a Supreme Pontiff stepped down, they would become the High Priest—assuming the previous High Priest had already passed away or was no longer present.
But Qian Xunji's case was an exception.
The High Priest, Qian Daoliu, was still alive, yet Qian Xunji had died prematurely, never making it to the day he could abdicate and inherit the title of High Priest.
Moreover, Qian Xunji's death was highly unusual. Many of the Consecrated Elders either knew or could guess the truth behind it.
If his death had truly been caused by Tang Hao, then Qian Xunji would have discovered something amiss the moment he returned to Spirit Hall. It was impossible that, after being gravely injured, he would simply return and quietly cultivate in seclusion without raising any alarm.
In that sense, Bibi Dong's rise to power had involved no small amount of luck.
One of the key reasons she survived was that Qian Daoliu had sensed the aura of a divine being on her. He realized that she had already caught the attention of a God and could not be killed outright—especially at a time when Spirit Hall was temporarily leaderless.
Qian Daoliu devoted himself entirely to guarding the statue of the Angel God within the Hall of Worship and had no desire to reclaim the position of Supreme Pontiff.
If he could not kill Bibi Dong, then he had no way of knowing where she would go or what she might do. Allowing her to remain as Supreme Pontiff, bound by the responsibility of the position, was the safest option. That way, he could keep her under watch and ensure she never slipped beyond his control.
When Qian Renxue eventually became a God, she could simply eliminate Bibi Dong, resolving everything at once.
It was precisely because of these extraordinary circumstances that Bibi Dong had ascended to the position of Supreme Pontiff—and that Spirit Hall had since split into two opposing factions.
"Damn it!"
Salas swept the documents on his desk onto the floor, his expression twisted with resentment.
"If I'd known that woman Bibi Dong would be this useless, I never would've given in to temptation and joined her side!"
As the thought crossed his mind, his heart ached faintly.
Just moments earlier, Salas had been considering the current state of Spirit Hall and his own prospects.
In the future, it was highly likely that the Hall of Worship would reclaim control over the Supreme Pontiff Palace. When that happened, Bibi Dong would almost certainly be forced to step down.
At that point, as someone who had defected to the Supreme Pontiff Palace, Salas would inevitably be targeted. Even if he escaped execution, he would almost certainly be recalled to Spirit Hall. At the very least, he could forget about continuing his comfortable life as the local overlord of Heaven Dou City.
From what he had seen during the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament, the Hall of Worship had already produced two astonishing geniuses—Yin Zhang and Qiangu Yunying.
If one also counted the High Priest's granddaughter, whom he had only heard of but never personally met, then the future of the Hall of Worship was practically overflowing with talent.
In contrast, the Supreme Pontiff Palace showed no such promise—its future looked bleak and lifeless.
Hu Liena?
She barely counted. Even if she had potential, waiting for her to mature would take far too long. By then, it would already be over.
"If only I'd stayed with the Hall of Worship…"
Salas let out a long sigh.
The current arrangement of the two great Spirit Temples was, in truth, quite balanced.
The Heaven Dou Empire's Spirit Temple was overseen by Platinum Archbishop Salas, a representative of the Supreme Pontiff Palace faction.
Meanwhile, the Star Luo Empire's Spirit Temple was controlled by Platinum Archbishop Wei Hu, who belonged to the Hall of Worship faction.
Just then, a knight entered the room.
"Lord Salas," he reported respectfully, "there is a man and a woman outside claiming to be Yin Zhang, disciple of the Second Consecrator, and Qiangu Yunying, granddaughter of the Seventh Consecrated Elder. They request an audience with you."
Yin Zhang and Qiangu Yunying?
Salas was extremely familiar with those names. Yet upon hearing them now, his first reaction was suspicion.
The Spirit Hall Academy team had left Heaven Dou City three months ago. How could Yin Zhang and Qiangu Yunying still be here?
Surely this wasn't some kind of joke?
But in his heart, Salas knew such a thing was virtually impossible.
Anyone daring to impersonate those two and play a joke on him would never live to see the next day.
Salas nodded slightly. "Understood. I'll come shortly. Go and welcome them in first—make sure you treat them with the utmost respect."
"Yes!" the knight replied, turning and hurrying off.
Looking at his own aging reflection in the mirror, Salas's eyes flickered with calculation.
"Since they've come straight to my doorstep, why not use this chance to reconnect with the Hall of Worship?"
"No… if I act too eagerly, won't they think I'm shallow and opportunistic? No, I need to conceal my intentions."
Having made up his mind, Salas cleared his throat and strode toward the temple's main hall.
At that moment, Yin Zhang and Qiangu Yunying were being led inside by the knight.
Standing within the grand hall, the two of them took in the resplendent, golden surroundings and couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion.
After spending three months cultivating at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, it felt like they had been living in a primitive world. Returning to Heaven Dou City—and stepping into the Spirit Temple—felt like re-entering civilization.
"Xiao Zhang, what kind of person do you think this Salas is?" Qiangu Yunying asked, knowing Yin Zhang was quite familiar with him.
Yin Zhang chuckled softly and lowered his voice. "Salas? Just an old man who's picked up all the bad habits of Heaven Dou's nobility. We're only here to deliver a letter. Once that's done, we'll leave Heaven Dou City and travel around. Wouldn't that be much better?"
Qiangu Yunying laughed lightly. "That's true."
They had only been inside for a minute, their curiosity still fresh, when footsteps echoed through the hall.
"Greetings," a voice rang out arrogantly. "I am Salas, the master of this Spirit Temple—and one of the only two Platinum Archbishops of Spirit Hall."