The mourning horns sounded one after another, reaching from the noble and sacred Papal Palace all the way to the city gate of Wuhun City.
A bright red flag was draped over the tightly sealed coffin lid, with gold thread outlining the six-winged emblem of the Spirit Hall in the center of the red flag.
Bouquets symbolizing prayer and remembrance surrounded the heavy, sealed coffin, and a somber atmosphere permeated the entire Wuhun City.
People from different factions and with different intentions gathered in the square where the six-winged angel statue stood. Whether they were sincere or not, they all wore heavy and sorrowful expressions as they listened to the eulogies delivered by the cardinals on the high terrace, their faces filled with grief.
Qian Daoliu stood with his hands behind his back, his expression solemn and dignified, listening to the cardinals' sermons.
The other elders from the Hall of Offerings also made an unusual appearance.
They were all dressed in long golden robes, their aura restrained and profound. Led by Qian Daoliu, they stood in a row on either side of him, causing many inquiring gazes to shift away with apprehension.
But some people still secretly glanced in this direction out of the corner of their eye.
Behind the row of revered elders, who exuded a profound aura, stood Qian Renxue and Qian Yuelong, dressed in simple white court dresses, holding hands.
This is the second time in more than two years since Qian Renxue's Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony that the "Divine Child" Qian Yuelong, who has been the subject of much gossip among the high-ranking members of the Spirit Hall, has made an appearance.
Out of respect for the elders' authority, they dared not openly scrutinize her, but Qian Yuelong still felt one probing gaze after another falling upon her, especially lingering on her face for a long time.
It wasn't until the coffin containing Qian Xunji was carried away by two titled Douluo elders from the Elder Hall, and amidst the heartfelt respect of everyone, that it headed towards the Douluo Hall, where countless heroic souls of the Douluo Continent were buried.
With her eyes red throughout, Qian Renxue finally couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She let go of her sister's hand and began wiping away the tears that had spilled out.
From this day forward, she truly had no father.
Qian Yuelong's attention immediately shifted from the cardinal who was announcing another important matter. She touched the exquisitely crafted openwork gold bracelet on her right wrist, and a clean piece of silk cloth with small floral patterns appeared in her hand.
"Sister, wipe your tears," Qian Yuelong said softly, handing over a handkerchief.
Dejected, Qian Renxue took the bracelet and wiped her eyes, unaware that her younger sister had acquired a new bracelet in just two days.
"...Effective from this day forward, Bibi Dong, the disciple of the former Pope, is the new successor to the Pope of our Spirit Hall. She will be formally appointed as the new Pope of our Spirit Hall after the mourning period concludes!"
The cardinal's sudden loud voice drew the attention of both Qian Yuelong and Qian Renxue.
A look of astonishment appeared on Qian Renxue's still-childish face. She even forgot to wipe away her tears and murmured, "The new Pope, how could it be her?!"
Ah, it's probably because the stepmother is good enough.
Qian Yuelong's gaze flickered for a moment before landing on Bibi Dong, who was dressed in the formal attire of the Holy See. She glanced at the gold bracelet on Bibi Dong's wrist and felt a bit conflicted about her appearance.
After returning from the Hall of Worship that day, she began to rack her brains about how to get her scumbag father's soul out of Bibi Dong.
According to the procedure, Bibi Dong will first undergo a formal interrogation, leaving her no time to absorb and digest her father's cultivation and soul. However, getting Bibi Dong to agree is still a big problem.
Although she could exchange something else for Bibi Dong, she didn't want to reveal more of her trump cards too early.
In my previous life, the public library at the cultivation university contained cultivation techniques for all fifteen levels. In order to find a suitable technique for myself, in addition to the advice of my mentor, my own judgment was even more important.
Cultivators naturally possess powerful memories. Those with exceptional talent can read ten lines at a glance and remember everything they read, even reciting them backwards. With her top-grade Heavenly Spiritual Root aptitude, she naturally memorized all the cultivation manuals she had read. After returning home, she spent the night selecting the ones suitable for her, while the useless manuals were naturally packed away and left to gather dust in a corner of her vast memory palace.
If she couldn't think of any other way to achieve the best of both worlds, she planned to find a cultivation manual related to mental power and trade it to Bibi Dong.
Of course, we can't give you the top-tier one; something slightly better than the spiritual cultivation manuals passed down here will do.
Before Bibi Dong's stance becomes clear, she doesn't want to cultivate a powerful enemy skilled in mental attacks.
Just as Qian Yuelong was about to give up and go to Bibi Dong to trade for the mental power manual after chatting with 886 for ages without reaching a conclusion, Bibi Dong unexpectedly came to her and 886.
He didn't show up, didn't communicate, but knocked on her door in the middle of the night, deliberately using some of his soul power to wake her up. When she cautiously and suspiciously opened the door, she saw a hollowed-out gold bracelet on the floor in front of the door.
886 examined it and found it to be a soul tool capable of containing both living and dead objects, with a size of 80 cubic meters. The soul tool was empty except for a brocade pouch imbued with spiritual energy, inside which was... a dying, lifeless soul.
Who would send a bunch of dead souls for no reason?
—Of course, only Bibi Dong, who had captured Qian Xunji's soul.
The answer instantly came to mind for the one-man rule.
Unexpectedly, Qian Yuelong, clutching the brocade pouch, exchanged bewildered glances with 886.
Pulling herself out of her reverie, Qian Yuelong looked at Bibi Dong, who had already begun promoting herself, and wrinkled her chubby cheeks. She then tugged at Qian Renxue's layered puff sleeves, whose mood had calmed down considerably, and whispered, "Sister, my legs are numb. Are yours numb too?"
Although the child's voice was deliberately lowered, which was inappropriate for the occasion, everyone present was highly skilled, especially the elders who were less than two and a half meters away from the sisters. Upon hearing the child's words, they secretly cast their gazes at them.
Having stood there for almost three hours, Qian Yuelong pretended not to notice the stares and said matter-of-factly, "Sister, sister, I can't stand it anymore, why don't we take a walk first?"
Qian Renxue, who was about to say she was fine but hadn't managed to get a word in edgewise, was speechless.
Distracted by her younger sister, Qian Renxue immediately forgot about Bibi Dong and secretly glanced at the backs of the elders who were standing ramrod straight. She looked troubled and said, "This, this is not a good idea, is it?" Although she was not in the mood to stay here any longer, her grandfather had not left.
Qian Yuelong pretended to be on the verge of tears: "But my feet hurt so much from standing, they don't even feel like my own feet anymore."
She's only two and a half years old!
Standing for so long without any physical training is already quite impressive!
No one could stop her from sitting down!
Qian Renxue suddenly remembered that her younger sister hadn't started her physical enhancement class yet, and hesitated, saying, "Then... shall I get you a small stool? No one should notice if you sit in the back..."
Anyway, with the elders blocking the way, no one should see it, right?
The titled Douluos present, who not only had excellent eyesight but also possessed a wide range of mental energy, were speechless. They heard it.
—A side note—
I've revised the previous chapter a bit. Those of you who have already read it can go back and reread it! *kiss*
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com