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"Oh? The Spirit Hall isn't trying to snatch the fruits of victory?"
Hearing this, Ning Fengzhi was momentarily stunned, speaking with some surprise.
If not for that reason, why would his disciple bring up this matter out of the blue?
"Master, I have an important matter to discuss with you..."
As she spoke, Qian Renxue glanced toward the maidservants waiting at the side of the hall.
"You may all withdraw now~"
Understanding, Ning Fengzhi waved his hand at the maidservants in the hall.
"Yes, Sect Master!"
The maidservants bowed respectfully, exited the hall, and closed the doors behind them.
"Qinghe, speak your mind."
Now that only the three of them remained in the hall, Ning Fengzhi said.
Upon hearing this, the two exchanged a look. Then Qian Renxue gave Chu Chengzhou a clear "you explain" glance.
Nodding slightly, Chu Chengzhou turned to Ning Fengzhi and asked: "Father-in-law, may I ask if you harbor any deep grudges or enmities with the Spirit Hall?"
"Grievances and enmities? If we're being honest, there aren't any profound hatreds."
"After all, before Uncle Sword and Uncle Bone joined the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, the sect did have Titled Douluos without interruption—but that was all. Our overall strength couldn't compare to the Blue Electric Tyrant Dragon family, let alone the Hao Tian Sect. We were far from being the Spirit Hall's primary target."
"And in recent years, since the former Spirit Hall Pope Qian Xunji fell to Tang Hao's hands, aside from forcing the Hao Tian Sect to seal their mountain and retreat from the world, they've actually remained low-key—not stirring up trouble."
"One could say that while there have been minor conflicts between our sect and the Spirit Hall, nothing truly significant."
"By the way—young man, why ask this? Could it be you've gotten involved with someone from the Spirit Hall?"
"I recall the Spirit Hall's Saintess Hu Liena possesses the Killing God Domain. Did you two get close during your training in Slaughter City?"
As he spoke, Ning Fengzhi's expression darkened as he looked sternly at Chu Chengzhou.
Clearly, he hadn't known before that one of his good son-in-law's girlfriends was the Spirit Hall's Saintess.
"Eh~ well, that is to say... let's not discuss that. Today, Brother Qinghe and I came to see you about matters unrelated to Hu Liena."
Chu Chengzhou waved his hand, attempting to change the subject.
"BAM—"
"Young man, don't think that just because you're powerful, you can do whatever you please! If you dare mistreat Rongrong, don't blame me for not showing mercy!"
Ning Fengzhi slammed his hand on the table fiercely, issuing a stern warning.
"Mhm mhm—you can rest assured. I cherish Rongrong more than I can express!"
Seeing his father-in-law on the verge of exploding, Chu Chengzhou hurriedly reassured him.
"Hmph! Stop beating around the bush—just say what you came here for!"
Snorting coldly, Ning Fengzhi said with a stern expression, then turned his gaze toward Qian Renxue beside them.
At this moment, Ning Fengzhi was thoroughly confused. If the Spirit Hall wasn't planning anything, why had these two come together to bring up the Spirit Hall with him?
Could it be that his disciple Xue Qinghe's ambitions had grown so large that after swallowing Star Luo, he now aimed to destroy the Spirit Hall?
"Do you know about the daughter of the former Spirit Hall Pope Qian Xunji? You should be aware of this."
Chu Chengzhou asked.
"I've heard of her—she died young."
Ning Fengzhi nodded.
Naturally, he knew this matter well. After all, every member of the Spirit Hall's Angel Family who didn't die young would inevitably achieve at least Level 90—becoming Titled Douluos without exception.
Fortunately, the Angel Family had always been small in numbers. Otherwise, the continent would have long belonged to the Spirit Hall and the Angel Family.
One could say that every Angel Family member was closely watched by powers across the continent—especially this daughter, who was not only Pope Qian Xunji's biological child and the direct granddaughter of the Invincible of the Sky Qian Daoliu, but also the Angel Family's sole heir of her generation.
In fact, when news of her early death spread, Ning Fengzhi and other leaders of factions opposed to the Spirit Hall had all secretly rejoiced.
After all, Qian Xunji had already died at Tang Hao's hands, and the next generation's heir had died young. The Angel Family was left with only Qian Daoliu. If he couldn't produce another heir in his old age, the Angel Family bloodline would end.
It was only because the Spirit Hall was so powerful—and had recently used the Hao Tian Sect to demonstrate its might—that the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect hadn't sent out celebration invitations and beaten gongs and drums in public rejoicing.
Chu Chengzhou continued: "This daughter's name is Qian Renxue. She didn't die young. What you don't know is that eighteen years ago, she came to the Tian Dou Empire."
Hearing this, Ning Fengzhi's pupils contracted sharply.
The Pope's daughter willingly faked her death to vanish, living under an assumed name—her ambitions must be enormous!
Although Qian Xunji had died back then, his grandfather Qian Daoliu was still alive and well—in fact, Qian Daoliu held all the power in the Spirit Hall. It was absolutely impossible for her to be neglected after her father's death.
If someone claimed there was no shocking secret behind this, Ning Fengzhi wouldn't believe it even if beaten to death!
Suddenly, Ning Fengzhi grasped a crucial point.
Qian Renxue—the Angel Family's sole heir and a prodigy of her generation—had faked her death eighteen years ago and come to the Tian Dou Empire, with unknown intentions.
And this young Chu Chengzhou—how could he possibly know this secret that would certainly be considered highly confidential even within the Spirit Hall itself? Plus, accompanying Chu Chengzhou today was Xue Qinghe, who seemingly had no connection to this secret.
No wonder—the Spirit Hall hadn't reacted at all to Tian Dou's campaign to conquer and absorb Star Luo. They had simply turned a blind eye.
No—that wasn't right. The Spirit Hall had already responded. The consecutive deaths of Prince Xue Xing and high-ranking military officers must have been their doing.
He had wondered where all these unknown powerful experts had come from in the already crippled Star Luo Empire. They were all the Spirit Hall's hidden hands at work!
"Haha... what an excellent Spirit Hall! And you—you truly are an outstanding disciple I, Ning Fengzhi, have taught!"
Suddenly, Ning Fengzhi burst into laughter.
He, Ning Fengzhi, who prided himself on being wise, had ultimately been made a fool of.
This truly proved the saying: "Even the wisest may err once in a thousand considerations!" Their spy had even become an emperor!
And to think this wasn't something he had discovered on his own—it was the very people involved who had come to tell him. How absurd!
But Ning Fengzhi understood—he hadn't lost without reason. After all, who could have imagined the Spirit Hall had planted this seed eighteen years ago?
"What do you intend to do?"
Then, Ning Fengzhi's face—whose expression had been a mix of sorrow and relief—settled into a stern look. His eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at Xue Qinghe... no, Spirit Hall's Young Miss Qian Renxue.
Seeing this, Qian Renxue deactivated the Angel Skull's disguise soul bone skill, removed the head covering and mask she wore, and revealed her originally stunning beauty. She then stood up, stepped forward, and bowed deeply to Ning Fengzhi:
"Once a teacher, always a teacher!"
"It was I, Qian Renxue, who became your disciple—not Xue Qinghe. Your disciple Qian Renxue humbly begs for your forgiveness."
"And no matter what happens, I will forever respect you as my teacher."
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