Douluo Continent: My Martial Soul is the Black Dragon, I am the Lord of the Gods

……

Just as she was in shock, the surrounding environment began to undergo strange changes.

That twisted space, filled with decay, decay, and darkness, seemed to have been washed clean by rain. The dark atmosphere quickly faded, the oppressive dark red sky gradually became clear, the cracked earth began to heal, the filthy slime dissipated, and the nauseating smell in the air was replaced by a freshness like that after a rain.

The entire Angelic Realm seemed to awaken from a nightmare, restoring its original appearance, imbued with a sacred and solemn aura.

Sunlight streamed through the clouds, warm and gentle.

The dramatic change in the environment symbolizes that the darkness in Qian Renxue's heart has been dispelled, and her mind has once again taken control of this inheritance space.

Xuanming sensed the changes around him, then glanced at Qian Renxue, still immersed in the immense shock and fear, and sighed softly. Ignoring the holy sword still embedded in his chest, he asked in a weary tone:

Are you calm now?

Qian Renxue suddenly looked up, her eyes blurry with tears, not understanding what he meant.

Xuanming sighed, "If you're still angry, you can stab me a few more times. Now... if you don't stab me now, you'll miss your chance."

These words finally broke down Qian Renxue's last psychological defenses.

"Waaah..." Qian Renxue could no longer hold back. She suddenly released her grip on the sword hilt, rushed forward and hugged Xuanming tightly, burying her face in his shoulder and bursting into tears.

All the grievances, fears, regrets, and the complex emotions she herself couldn't quite sort out erupted completely at this moment.

Xuanming swayed slightly as she hugged him, a sharp pain shooting through his chest wound, causing him to frown involuntarily. He closed his eyes, his voice low and hoarse:
"Keep your voice down...it's too noisy."

"If you don't do it... I need to rest for a bit."

In order to awaken Qian Renxue's mind, which had been completely corrupted by darkness, he had almost exhausted his mental energy. Now, he was truly tired.

Qian Renxue heard his voice getting softer and softer, and the last "take a rest" was barely audible. Coupled with the feeling that his body seemed to be going weak, she was terrified!

"Xuanming! Xuanming! Don't sleep! Don't die!!" She shook him violently, her cries growing more piercing, thinking he was about to die from his severe injuries.

Xuanming was so dizzy from being shaken that he barely opened his eyes a crack. Looking at Qian Renxue, who was crying her eyes out and looking panicked, he sighed helplessly.

He raised his still-mobile hand, bent his finger, and flicked Qian Renxue's forehead lightly.

"Boom!"

A crisp flick on the forehead.

Qian Renxue's crying stopped abruptly. She covered her forehead and stared at him blankly.

Xuanming gave her a weak glare. "Keep your voice down... let me sleep for a while."

After saying that, he could no longer hold on, his body went limp, and he leaned against Qian Renxue, falling into a deep sleep.

Qian Renxue stood frozen in place, feeling the steady breathing and warm body temperature of the person in her arms, and then touched her still slightly sore forehead. For a moment, her mind went blank.

He's not dead?
He was just... asleep?
Because waking her up would have been too taxing, she... fell asleep?
The immense emotional contrast left her stunned. After a long while, she slowly lowered her head, looking at Xuanming's slightly pale profile as he slept, and then at the angelic holy sword still embedded in his chest, though it didn't seem to have caused a fatal wound. An indescribable feeling, a mixture of lingering fear, relief, bitterness, and some inexplicable emotion, filled her heart.

She carefully adjusted her posture to make Xuanming more comfortable, then sat silently in the restored realm of clarity, guarding him without daring to move, for fear of disturbing his slumber.

Only occasionally would she reach out and gently touch her forehead, where the sensation of that flick on the head seemed to still linger.

On the edge of the Angel's Secret Realm, in the shadows.

Sendou Ryu stood there quietly, witnessing everything that happened.

He watched his granddaughter sink into madness and despair, watched Xuanming forcibly awaken her mind in a near-self-harming manner, and watched the complicated entanglement between the two of them.

His feelings were extremely complicated.

On one hand, seeing Qian Renxue finally escape the abyss of depravity, regain her sanity, and even benefit from the misfortune, seemingly undergoing a transformation, he should feel gratified and relieved. Xuanming's appearance, though tragic in its process, seems to have had a result... that isn't so bad.

This man, whom he had always regarded as the greatest threat, never seemed to have any real intention of harming Qian Renxue. Even when the holy sword pierced his chest, he ultimately chose to awaken her rather than destroy her.

On the other hand, a deep sense of regret gnawed at his heart like a venomous snake.

If it weren't for his tacit approval and indulgence back then, if he hadn't placed too much importance on the family's honor and so-called "legitimacy," things might not have developed to this point.

Bibi Dong wouldn't have become so extreme, Qian Xunji might not have died, Qian Renxue wouldn't have grown up lacking maternal love and filled with twisted hatred, and she certainly wouldn't have ended up in this deeply entangled relationship of love and hate with Xuanming.

Perhaps they deserved a more peaceful future.

Unfortunately, it's all too late.

Time cannot be turned back, and choices made cannot be changed.

Seeing Xuanming fall into a deep sleep due to exhaustion of his spiritual power, and seeing Qian Renxue looking at him with a blank expression, Qian Daoliu knew that he could no longer remain silent.

He slowly emerged from the shadows, his steps slightly heavy.

Sensing the presence, Qian Renxue looked up abruptly and saw Qian Daoliu. A complex emotion flashed in her eyes, but more than that, it was a sense of reliance and confusion born of surviving a catastrophe: "Grandpa..."

Qian Daoliu walked to her side, his gaze first falling on the sleeping Xuan Ming, looking at the Angelic Holy Sword still stuck in his chest, a barely perceptible fluctuation flashed in his eyes, then he looked at Qian Renxue, his tone gentle but resolute: "Xue'er, it's good that you're alright."

He paused, as if making up his mind: "There are some things that Grandpa has kept from you for a long time. Now, it's time to tell you."

Qian Renxue's heart tightened suddenly, a sense of foreboding washing over her.

Without hesitation, Qian Daoliu told Qian Renxue everything that had happened back then. He told her about Bibi Dong's ordeal, Qian Xunji's actions, his own silence and indulgence, and the root of all this tragedy.

"...So, your mother, Bibi Dong, hates the Spirit Hall, hates the Angel Clan, hates me, and...can't face you. All of this is not without reason." Qian Daoliu's voice was filled with deep weariness and remorse.

"Grandpa never dared to tell you because he was afraid of hurting you and hurting your pride. But now, I have to tell you. If you must hate someone, hate Grandpa. What happened back then was ultimately my fault."

The amount of information was enormous, exploding in Qian Renxue's mind like a thunderclap.

All the questions and contradictions of the past seemed to find their answers in this moment. Why was her mother so cold and even hostile? Why did her father die? Why was her grandfather always so secretive about certain things...?

She found herself unable to hate Bibi Dong.

She seemed to be able to understand some of the woman's pain and despair.

She could no longer hate Xuanming. He avoided the topic time and time again, even telling her not to get involved, saying it was someone else's business...

Looking back now, he probably knew all along, but he just didn't want to be the one to reopen this bloody wound, and he didn't want her to bear this cruel truth.

She recalled how, back in Tiandou City, she had repeatedly pressured Salas to uncover the truth behind her father's death.

If her identity hadn't been exposed later, forcing her to return to the Elder Hall, she probably would have continued the investigation relentlessly.

And Grandpa... his long-standing concealment, while intended as protection, is also a deeper form of harm.

Qian Renxue sat there blankly, her eyes vacant. The enormous shock was hard for her to process, and her heart was filled with confusion, sadness, and an indescribable sense of relief.

Some of the beliefs that once sustained her seem to be crumbling, but something new is quietly growing.

Qian Daoliu felt a pang of pain in his heart as he looked at his granddaughter's distraught state, but he knew that this was a necessary growing pain.

He could no longer leave this problem to the future, to Xuanming to solve.

This man, whom he once considered a threat, had already done more than enough for Qian Renxue. (End of Chapter)