A suffocating pressure surged toward Ning Li in an instant. He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. The figure before him was like a beast poised to devour him—he trembled, lips quivering, unable to speak, cold sweat pouring down his back.
"My elder brother is pushing for a breakthrough for the safety of the Empire—and for the safety of your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect as well! Or… do you intend to follow the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's example and taste the pain of extermination?"
With that, Qian Renxue withdrew her martial soul.
The pressure vanished, and Ning Li exhaled in relief. His knees gave out, and he collapsed to the ground like a puddle of mud.
Qian Renxue turned to Emperor Xue Ye and offered an apology. "I ask His Majesty's pardon. I, Xiao Xue, lost my composure when he insulted our sect, my brother, and my future sister-in-law. I acted in haste and hope Your Majesty will forgive my discourtesy."
"It's nothing, it's nothing!"
Emperor Xue Ye chuckled. The moment Qian Renxue revealed her strength, the only word he had for his daughter-in-law was satisfaction. He turned to Ning Fengzhi and said, "Sect Master Ning, your son needs better discipline."
Ning Fengzhi nodded with a shadowed expression. All of his carefully planned disruption had crumbled the moment Qian Renxue released her power.
A soul douluo—at such a young age—with a martial soul so similar to Xiao Yu's, clearly a divine-class martial soul… there was no way Emperor Xue Ye would let such a daughter-in-law slip away.
What made Ning Fengzhi truly uneasy, though, was the voice from Sword Douluo, transmitted via soul power: "This woman is strong. If it came down to a real fight, I'd say the odds are fifty-fifty."
Below, Tang San couldn't help clenching his fists. He hadn't expected even Xiao Yu's sister to be strong enough to crush him. For someone as proud as him, it was a bitter slap to the face.
It seemed that the journey to Seagod Island could no longer be delayed.
Tang San silently made up his mind: he had to head for Seagod Island as soon as possible, take the Sea God's trials, inherit the Sea God's position, and return in full force to eliminate all these outstanding enemies.
This continent could only have one protagonist—and that was Tang San!
"Saintess Hu Liena of Spirit Hall, His Excellency Chrysanthemum Douluo, His Excellency Ghost Douluo have arrived!"
Just then, the voice of the official in charge of the ceremony echoed from outside the hall. The expressions of everyone inside changed.
The brothers Yu Tianheng and Yu Tianxin, whose clan had been exterminated by Spirit Hall, even visibly tensed, veins bulging—if not for the knowledge that they couldn't possibly defeat Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo, they'd have already transformed and charged forward.
Even Emperor Xue Ye looked startled. He had sent invitations to Spirit Hall out of courtesy, but since there had been no reply, he assumed they wouldn't come.
After all, nearly every important guest at this wedding held a grudge against Spirit Hall. It would've made perfect sense for Spirit Hall to stay away.
"Invite them in, quickly!"
After a brief moment of surprise, Emperor Xue Ye regained his composure and gave the command with a wave of his hand.
No matter what, they were still guests. Even in war, envoys were seldom mistreated.
"There's no need, Your Majesty. We're already here."
Just as his words fell, a cold, feminine voice came from outside the hall. Chrysanthemum Douluo, Yue Guan, stepped in first, with Hu Liena and Ghost Douluo following behind.
Clearly, they had ignored the Heaven Dou court officials' attempts to stop them and forced their way in.
Their blatant disrespect caused the officials of the Heaven Dou Empire to scowl—and Emperor Xue Ye's face darkened.
"Everyone's here, I see."
Chrysanthemum Douluo swept a glance across the gathered crowd, revealing a sinister smile. Combined with his already feminine features, it made Xiao Yu's back crawl.
"Chrysanthemum Guan, you sissy! Go find yourself a seat and stop delaying the auspicious hour for the bride and groom!"
Dugu Bo, who had always had a terrible relationship with Chrysanthemum Douluo, immediately barked out in disdain.
"You venomous old freak!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo's gaze turned cold. Though he knew full well he was effeminate, that didn't mean others could insult him to his face.
"Your Excellency Poison Douluo, you misunderstand—we're not here to attend a wedding celebration."
From behind Chrysanthemum Douluo, Hu Liena stepped forward with a graceful sway. Her soft smile exuded charm and allure.
She might not have been the most beautiful woman present, but she was certainly the most seductive. Even Tang San was briefly dazed, while his flirtatious friend Dai Mubai and the still fire-troubled Ma Hongjun were already fantasizing about one hundred and eight different positions in their minds.
Hu Liena paid no attention to the greedy, lust-filled gazes—her eyes were fixed directly on Qian Renxue.
Now officially named by Bibi Dong as her candidate for Pope, Hu Liena held a status in Spirit Hall that far surpassed the platinum bishops, second only to the elders.
From Bibi Dong's own lips, she had already learned Qian Renxue's true identity.
No longer blinded by romantic feelings, Hu Liena saw through the situation in one glance. With Qian Renxue's pride, even if this were a sham, she would never consent to a marriage with a nobody.
The only reasonable explanation was that both the bride and groom had been switched.
Qian Renxue's perception was razor-sharp, and she met Hu Liena's stare with unflinching hostility.
Within Spirit Hall, the person Qian Renxue hated most was her mother, Bibi Dong. Hu Liena was a close second.
This woman had stolen everything that should have belonged to Qian Renxue—her status, her honor, her authority, and even… her mother's love.
Emperor Xue Ye snorted coldly. "Since the Holy Maiden and the two titled douluo have not come for Qinghe's wedding, then please step back for now. As Poison Douluo said, do not delay the auspicious hour of the newlyweds."
"Your Majesty,"
Hu Liena replied with a sweet smile and a slight bow, offering some token respect. "We are only here for one matter. A few words, no more—we won't delay the crown prince's lucky hour."
She didn't wait for the emperor's approval before continuing on her own.
"Lately, the soul master world has been rocked by turmoil. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was annihilated, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect suffered heavy losses. On behalf of Spirit Hall, I express our strongest condemnation of the criminals responsible for destroying these two sects!"
Hearing Hu Liena lie so brazenly with a straight face, Ning Fengzhi nearly exploded with rage.
Yu Tianheng and Yu Tianxin clenched their fists so tightly that their palms were bleeding.
As for little princess Ning Rongrong, if not for Oscar holding her back, she might've flipped the banquet table.
But Hu Liena's expression didn't change. She remained calm, ignoring the hateful glares around her.
She continued, "Spirit Hall is deeply concerned about the current state of the soul master world. Considering that the Seven Great Sects were established long ago, in order to better maintain order, we have decided to reopen the re-election of the Seven Great Sects."
"All existing sects will be given one year to prepare. A year from now, every sect on the continent may register for the 'Seven Great Sects Tournament,' through which the new Seven Great Sects will be selected and ranked according to strength!"
(End of Chapter)
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