The Grand Elder's gaze was like two invisible swords, piercing the void, locking onto Qian Renxue's location. In his deep, usually tranquil eyes, there now surged a killing intent so intense it was almost tangible.
The aftermath of the soul power explosion had yet to settle. Sensing the Elder's murderous intent, the beast in the chamber let out a low growl.
Amid the suffocating air, the powerful breaths of several figures approached the chamber. Alarmed by the sudden outburst, the Second Elder, Chen Yi, and four Douluo heads arrived.
"Elder, what happened?!"
The Second Elder led the way, his robust figure appearing at the door, eyes filled with shock and expectation as he surveyed the storm-ravaged room. He knew his elder brother well—his cultivation had long since reached a transformative state. Even if he had missed the chance to earn the Douluo title in his youth, nothing mundane could have triggered such a violent outburst.
Something major must have happened!
But the Grand Elder ignored their questions, eyes still locked in the distance, clearly waging a fierce internal battle.
Moments ago, he had probed with his immense spiritual power in the living room—though "Xue Qinghe's" disguise was flawless, he had faintly sensed something off. Out of caution, he had quietly left a trace of spiritual power on the target for future observation.
He hadn't expected that such a small move would yield such a huge surprise so soon.
The young master of Spirit Hall?!
As soon as the seal delivered its message, the Grand Elder instantly understood the other's true identity.
"Heh…"
He sneered inwardly, "After all this time, it turns out to be you, little girl."
The ace hidden deepest within Spirit Hall, born with level 20 soul power, the genius most likely to inherit the Angel God's position…
With this, most of his doubts were cleared, though a few new ones arose.
Why would such a prodigy, who should be training for godhood in Spirit Hall under Qian Daoliu's direct tutelage, hide in the Heaven Dou Empire as "Xue Qinghe," posing as Xue Ye's son for years?
"Pity, what I want isn't insignificant…" The Grand Elder's eyes flashed coldly.
"Is this Spirit Hall's plan to seize not just Heaven Dou, but the entire continent? Even so… what can I do?"
But this wasn't the most important issue to him.
After confirming Qian Renxue's identity, a dangerous, almost irresistible thought surged within him:
Should he seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and kill her here?
For the Body Sect, the fact that Chen Yi was the Thunder God's successor was the highest secret, never to be exposed. If Spirit Hall—especially Qian Daoliu—learned of this, endless pursuit and assassination would follow.
Any threat to the Angel God's inheritance would become a target for Spirit Hall's extermination.
Likewise, for Qian Renxue, soon to become Chen Yi's greatest rival on the path to godhood, the Body Sect would surely want to remove her as an obstacle.
He had previously accepted Ghost Douluo not only for his martial soul, but to try to learn more about Spirit Hall's young master.
And now, the Angel God's heir, Spirit Hall's hope for the future, had delivered herself right to his doorstep!
This was a gift from the heavens—how could he not feel murderous intent?
Qian Renxue, with only ten years of cultivation, was at most a titled Douluo; her bodyguard was an ordinary titled Douluo—no different from ants in his eyes. Crushing them would be effortless. (TL: Lol Sorry elder, but this girl wasted her cultivation time. She's still at Soul Sage.)
But as his killing intent peaked, his gaze fell upon Chen Yi, who had just arrived, worry and doubt written across his young but already sharp face.
Looking at Chen Yi, the Grand Elder's murderous intent was soon replaced by deep reluctance.
He couldn't do it.
Qian Renxue was indeed Qian Daoliu's greatest hope, but wasn't Chen Yi also the hope of the Body Sect?
More importantly, he was the sect's only true chance to rise.
If he acted now and killed Qian Renxue, Qian Daoliu, having lost his last heir and hope, would surely go mad.
A level-99 invincible Douluo ruling the soul master world for millennia—who could withstand that?
Even if the Body Sect emerged victorious, it would be a pyrrhic victory—the sect's foundation built over centuries would be destroyed, countless disciples and elders lost.
The long-awaited opportunity for the sect's rise would be wasted in a moment's rashness.
He could not afford this cost—neither could the sect.
"Ah…"
The Grand Elder quietly exhaled the turbid air in his heart, forcibly suppressing the last traces of killing intent.
He turned, facing the crowd with a calm, slightly hoarse voice:
"It's nothing. My cultivation was a bit unsettled just now, and my mind wavered, disturbing you all. No need to worry."
Everyone looked at the Grand Elder, doubts still in their hearts.
What had shaken a Spirit Peak Douluo to such a state?
But seeing he was unwilling to explain, they could only suppress their questions.
Chen Yi, with his keen mind, noticed the direction of the Grand Elder's earlier gaze—the area where the Heaven Dou Empire's envoys resided.
Connecting the Grand Elder's unmistakable killing intent and his now forced composure, a bold guess emerged in his mind:
"Could it be… the Grand Elder discovered that Xue Qinghe is actually Qian Renxue in disguise?!"
Thinking this, Chen Yi gasped inwardly.
"Good grief! The Grand Elder is that ruthless?"
He remembered that in the original story, Qian Renxue's Angel God soul bone had powerful camouflage, even making it hard for god-level spiritual senses to penetrate.
"During this period, did the Grand Elder's spiritual power break through yet another threshold?"
As Chen Yi puzzled over this, the Grand Elder took out a faintly glowing piece of white jade.
His eyes closed slightly, vast spiritual power condensed into a delicate knife, carving into the jade.
Once finished, he handed the jade to Hong Yue with a solemn expression:
"Hong Yue, this is of utmost importance—the future of the sect may depend on it. Set out at once and deliver it directly to the sect master. There must be no mistakes!"
Hong Yue, seeing his grave expression, was filled with awe. She accepted the jade with both hands and replied solemnly:
"Yes, rest assured, Elder. Hong Yue will not fail you!"
Before she finished, her figure blurred and vanished, racing out of Grand Martial Academy toward the Body Sect.
The Grand Elder slowly turned, his cold gaze settling once more in Qian Renxue's direction, his eyes deep as an abyss.
He soon looked at Chen Yi, who was frowning in thought.
"The young master of Spirit Hall… the inheritor of the Angel God…"
The Grand Elder's mind oscillated between distant threats and nearby hopes, thoughts surging before settling into a bottomless pool.
"Enough—now is not the time to act… Make the most of this opportunity."
...
Bonus chapter at 500 PS