Douluo Continent: The Underworld Emperor Halosa Lets Three Fly

Chapter 114 Qian Renxue's New Life: First, Get to the Bottom (Part Two)

The fleeting, chilling killing intent in Qian Renxue's eyes was like a pebble thrown into a deep pool; though it only caused a slight ripple, it was enough to set off alarm bells in Harosa's heart.

She quickly suppressed her impulse, her pure face regaining its composure, but doubts in her heart grew like vines.

Why did he take the initiative to propose dealing with "Tong"? Qian Renxue's mind raced.

Logically, maintaining the existence of "Tong" and keeping the two in check would best serve the interests of Harosa, an outsider. Harosa's suggestion at this moment is tantamount to cutting off one of his protective shields. Could it be that during his seclusion, he reached some kind of tacit agreement with that chaotic "Tong"?

They even conspired to completely eliminate him, the "A," and then divide the spoils among themselves?

This thought sent a chill down Qian Renxue's spine. However, reason quickly prevailed. She dismissed the guess.

The essence of "Tong" is a chaotic, evil, and irrational aggregate. Although it is an intelligent entity, its actions are unpredictable, let alone its ability to cooperate with others. While Harosa is mysterious and unpredictable, he demonstrates clear and shrewd thinking. Cooperating with "Tong" carries far more risks than benefits, akin to seeking help from a tiger.

He's not stupid.

Could it be that something unexpected happened to "Tong" during his seclusion? Qian Renxue's self-light once again shone on the bound gray-haired figure inside the altar.

I glanced at Harosa's hair again; it was also gray and white, really ugly.

Just then, Harosa's voice rang out again, filled with obvious dissatisfaction and accusation, confirming her suspicions: "While you were in seclusion, this 'Tong' lady wasn't idle. She attempted to break the seal more than once, and the energy she unleashed nearly tore the magic array apart!"

Harosa pointed to several visibly dimmed and even cracked golden divine runes on the edge of the altar, his tone tinged with lingering fear and anger: "That commotion almost blew this temple apart! If I hadn't broken through at the last minute and barely managed to draw upon the power of rebirth to reinforce the nearby weak points, I'm afraid I would have been torn to shreds on the spot!"

His greyish-white eyes sharply locked onto Qian Renxue, his voice rising as he questioned her without any politeness: "You! Didn't you confidently claim before that even if your divine consciousness left your body, the power of the magic array alone would be 'enough to suppress' you? What is this situation now? Is this what you call 'no problem'?!"

When her lie was exposed to her face, Qian Renxue's flawless spiritual body stiffened slightly, and a rare, barely perceptible trace of guilt flashed across her beautiful face.

She subconsciously tilted her head to avoid Harosach's aggressive gaze, her long golden hair fluttering slightly as she forced herself to remain calm and argued, "This—perhaps 'Tong's' strength has increased again during the gap in the seal's loosening? After all, she's been stealing—"

"Ha!" Harosar scoffed, interrupting her. "Growth? Lady Qian Renxue, do you even believe that yourself? You set up the seal, you control the Holy Sword, and you (the Holy Sword) are drawing upon the demonic essence! She could 'grow' to the point of almost breaking free right under your nose? Or do you think I couldn't sense how precarious the seal was at the time?"

Harosa crossed his arms, adopting a "let's see what else you can say" attitude, his dissatisfaction almost overflowing from his gray eyes.

Qian Renxue's face flushed slightly, a manifestation of the intense fluctuations in her divine consciousness and emotions reflected in her energy body. Having been mercilessly exposed by Harosa, her pride as an angel god stung.

She took a deep breath (her thoughts fluctuated), knowing that further arguing would only make her look more embarrassed, so she simply admitted frankly: "—Alright. I underestimated the intensity of 'Tong's' counterattack after losing its sustained suppression, and I also overestimated the stability of the magic array after operating for a long time. This was something I didn't consider carefully."

She quickly adjusted her mindset, suppressing her embarrassment, and her voice became clear and decisive again: "Since the 'Tong's' unusual activity is so intense and a hidden danger has emerged, then let's do as you say and deal with her first! Otherwise, my subsequent seclusion will be difficult to proceed smoothly."

Seeing that she had given in, Harosa decided to stop while he was ahead and didn't press the matter further. He simply snorted, "It should have been like this a long time ago. So, how do you plan to 'deal with' this troublesome neighbor?" He pointed to the ominous figure emanating from the center of the altar. "Let me make this clear first: my strength is weak. I only recently broke through to the second level of godhood. I can't possibly defeat an existence of this level head-on. Don't expect me to rush in as cannon fodder." He made his "going through the motions" attitude very clear.

Qian Renxue wasn't angered by Harosa's "giving up" attitude; in fact, she found it quite reasonable. Her mental state was much more stable now, and she felt more confident, so she began to explain her plan in detail:

"To completely eliminate 'Tong,' the key lies in severing its foundation, cutting off its lifeline." Qian Renxue's gaze pierced through the altar's light barrier, as if looking directly at the chaotic core of "Tong." "The first step, and the crucial one, is to completely annihilate the evil divine consciousness belonging to 'Tong' that is attached to my divine body! This is her 'spirit.'"

"The second step is to rapidly and massively deplete the primal energy of the Demon Plane!" Her tone was resolute. "For the past twenty thousand years, I have been driving the Angelic Holy Sword to continuously absorb it, and nearly half of the Demon Plane's primal energy has been consumed! The Demon's primal energy is the foundation of the Demon Plane's will. Once a plane's primal energy is massively and rapidly drained in a short period, its will will inevitably fall into an unprecedented state of weakness!"

Qian Renxue's gaze shifted to Harosa, her heterochromatic eyes gleaming with wisdom: "As for 'Tong,' she is essentially a deformed product created by the demonic plane's will to oppose and exploit me; she is an extension and manifestation of the plane's will! When the plane's will weakens, 'Tong's' power source will be severed, and her very existence will become extremely unstable, like a rootless duckweed! At that point, dealing with her remnants after she's been stripped away will be much easier."

Harosa listened quietly, quickly analyzing the feasibility of the plan in his mind. Hearing this, he immediately grasped the key point: "So, what do you need me to do?"

He didn't believe that Qian Renxue's detailed explanation of the plan was out of kindness; there must be a reason why she needed his help.

Seeing that he was so cooperative, Qian Renxue stopped beating around the bush and pointed to the Angelic Holy Sword, which hovered above the altar and radiated divine power: "To annihilate 'Tong's' divine consciousness, I need to fully mobilize the power of the Angelic Holy Sword to carry out the most direct and thorough divine purification and judgment of order! This will inevitably provoke 'Tong's' most frenzied counterattack!"

Her expression turned serious: "At that time, 'Tong' will fight for control of the divine body at all costs, and the chaotic energy that erupts will far exceed any previous impact! The magic array in its current state will absolutely not be able to withstand it without the active suppression of the Angelic Holy Sword!"

The magic circle will collapse instantly!

Qian Renxue's gaze finally settled on Harosa, her expression leaving no room for argument: "Therefore, I need you. Use your divine artifact to temporarily replace the Angelic Holy Sword and maintain the basic structure of the magic array! I don't need you to exert the same suppressive effect as the Holy Sword; I just need you to stabilize the framework of the magic array and hold out until I'm engaged in a decisive battle with 'Tong's' divine consciousness!"

Harosa remained outwardly calm, but countless thoughts raced through his mind in an instant.

A hint of "worry" appeared on his face as he asked, half-jokingly, "A temporary replacement? It sounds alright, but will it harm my precious artifact? Like being corrupted by the power of this chaotic plane, or 'purified' by the residual holy power of your holy sword?"

His tone was somewhat joking, but his eyes were fixed on Qian Renxue's reaction.

Qian Renxue rolled her eyes at him, her alluring gaze carrying a divine arrogance mixed with a hint of helplessness: "If a divine artifact were this fragile, it wouldn't be worthy of being called a divine artifact. Besides, it was merely a brief energy transfer and structural stabilization, not meant to withstand the full force of 'Tong' or the backlash of the plane's will. The Demon Plane's status is ultimately lower than the Douluo God Realm; its chaotic energy wouldn't be enough to damage a true divine artifact in a moment."

She paused, then added, "Furthermore, your artifact's attributes lean towards death and ending, which, to some extent, resonates with the 'devouring' characteristic of this sealing array that draws upon the demon's essence. The burden might be less than you imagine."

Harosa understood and said no more. He knew that the die was cast and he had no choice but to accept it.

With a thought, the Netherworld Chant, a sword entirely gray-black with a blade entwined with a profound aura of death and mysterious runes of rebirth, appeared out of thin air in his hand.

As soon as the sword appeared, it emitted a deep, resonant sound, as if sensing the dense atmosphere of death and chaos in the area, and exuding an eager excitement.

"Understood." Harosa gripped the Underworld Chant tightly, a hint of decisiveness and calculation flashing in his greyish-white eyes. "Then let's begin!"

His gaze swept over the "Tong" within the altar, which seemed to still be "asleep" but whose dark aura was faintly surging, then looked at the Qian Renxue divine consciousness avatar floating in the air, shining with golden light, and finally settled on the angelic holy sword that symbolized order and judgment.

A great war is about to break out!