"Hmph, Pope, this has nothing to do with you. Just take care of your own Spirit Hall."
Qian Renxue gave Bibi Dong a cold glance and walked out without looking back. The doors of the council hall slammed shut behind her.
Bibi Dong calmly walked to the corpse of the black-clad Soul Sage, observing it carefully. The mangled mess of flesh and blood didn't cause the slightest change in her expression.
"Interesting. On this corpse, I sense only sword wounds… hmm, and a strange smell of gunpowder. But I don't feel even a trace of the divine soul power of the Seraphim."
Bibi Dong fell into silent thought. No wonder the one she once considered a mistake now placed such importance on this Shen An. Even if he relied on external aids, the fact that a Soul Elder could kill a Soul Sage was enough to shock anyone.
"Someone, investigate Shen An's whereabouts," Bibi Dong ordered toward the hall entrance.
Meanwhile, Qian Renxue made her way directly to the Elder Hall.
This was the largest structure within the Pope's domain, symbolizing the true power core of the Spirit Hall.
As she stepped inside, she instantly felt her pores contract. Her eyes naturally fell on a towering ten-meter statue of a six-winged angel cast in pure gold.
In front of the statue stood a man. Though motionless, he emanated a sacred aura that inspired reverence.
"Grandfather," Qian Renxue called softly.
The gray-robed man turned. He appeared only in his thirties or forties, with handsome features and a calm, comforting presence.
"For you to return despite the risk, this person must be important," he said, gently stroking Qian Renxue's golden hair.
After a moment of hesitation, Qian Renxue nodded. "Grandfather, his talent is the highest I've ever seen. With his help, even if I'm absent from the Spirit Hall for a long time, I may still have a chance to challenge Bibi Dong."
In her eyes, her grandfather was a man of righteousness and virtue, never abusing his immense strength—a truly perfect powerhouse.
But he was also deeply committed to the honor of the Angel Clan. He believed their role was a divine one.
Qian Renxue, being the most talented person on the continent, should be wholly devoted to the path of godhood—not distracted by worldly "emotions."
This was why she didn't dare speak the full truth—that Shen An was her only friend—for fear that her grandfather would disapprove.
Qian Daoliu nodded slightly. "Remember, you are the most gifted on the entire continent. These others are merely stepping stones on your path to divinity. There's no need to care too much about them."
Qian Renxue lowered her gaze. Her eyes dimmed. As expected, keeping quiet had been the right choice.
"With me in the Spirit Hall, you have nothing to worry about. But compared to that so-called usurpation plan, I'd rather you focus on your cultivation. This is a world where the strong devour the weak. Power matters far more than status."
"Yes, Grandfather. I always remember your teachings. I never slack off in my training," Qian Renxue replied obediently.
"But the plan is already in motion. Give me a few more years, and I will surely gain control of the Heaven Dou Empire. I will openly reclaim the Spirit Hall from her hands and restore glory to our Angel Clan."
Qian Daoliu gently stroked her hair, believing his granddaughter would elevate the Angel Clan to new heights.
However, he didn't believe for a second that Shen An was just some tool in her words. He'd lived too long to be easily deceived.
Looks like this old man should make a move too—see what kind of person can impress my granddaughter so deeply…
A few days later, outside Shen An's courtyard.
Shen An and Zhu Zhuqing's silhouettes weaved around each other in fierce sparring. He had swapped his Nine-Leaf Swordgrass for a wooden sword—he worried that one wrong move might accidentally injure her.
Zhu Zhuqing was desperate to improve. Since her Martial Soul evolved, few in the battle arena could challenge her.
She had come to a realization: if she wanted to grow, she had to learn from the strongest—and that person could only be Shen An.
(Excluding Tom and Jerry, of course. Those two didn't count as people.)
While the two fought intensely, Tom and Jerry were bored, stacking Gold Soul Coins into a three-bedroom apartment.
Tom sighed in bliss—he was rich, and Shen An treated him so well that he was starting to feel spoiled.
Jerry, understanding Tom's thoughts perfectly, nodded in agreement. Honestly, he could read that cat like a book. That's how he'd avoided getting caught all these years—he knew everything about that silly feline.
To lighten Tom's slacking-induced gloom, Jerry sneaked up behind him, aimed, and delivered a heavy kick to Tom's rear. Who knew how high Tom flew?
Soon, the courtyard turned chaotic: pans, wrenches, frying pans, books—countless random items were being tossed around as they chased each other.
Shen An felt something was off. Why do random objects keep flying at me? And why are they all aimed at my head?
It was exhausting. Not only did he have to deal with Zhu Zhuqing's agile and relentless attacks, but he also had to knock away random objects inexplicably targeting him.
Zhu Zhuqing knew there was a big gap between her and Shen An. Seeing him distracted, she didn't hesitate to exploit it.
Her movements grew faster, and with her teleportation skills, she was like a rainstorm—omnipresent and inescapable.
"Bang!"
No, it wasn't Zhu Zhuqing who hit him. She didn't yet have the power to hurt Shen An.
It was a shot put thrown by Tom.
Zhu Zhuqing immediately stopped, looking at the big bump swelling on Shen An's head—and burst out laughing.
"TOM!"
Shen An roared and ran over, grabbing Tom by the scruff of his neck—a cat's ultimate weak spot.
Tom instantly went limp, blinking at Shen An with an embarrassed expression.
Shen An pointed at the big bump on his head. Tom, understanding immediately, thoughtfully reached out and pressed on it—the bump instantly disappeared, only to swell up somewhere else.
Tom was startled, but then pretended it was normal and grabbed his Meow-Meow Hammer, using it to pound the bump back down.
"Thud, thud, thud!"
The bump went down—then immediately popped up again.
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Seeing Tom's enthusiastic hammering, Shen An panicked. He didn't want his head to become a testing ground for Tom's strength.
"You and Jerry better behave, or I'll give all your hidden snacks to Jerry." Shen An threatened.
Tom's eyes widened in horror. Sharing his snacks with Jerry? That was a death sentence.
Tom immediately nodded obediently, raising his paw in a vow to be a good kitty.
Only then did Shen An relax. But as he pulled out a mirror and saw the massive red bump on his head, he couldn't help but wonder—
Am I slowly turning into Tom?
Is it because of my cultivation? Or… the longer I stay around Tom, the more I'm influenced by him?