Douro Continent

Chapter 656 The Angel's Ninth Test, Inheriting Divine Influence

Seeing the surprise, and even a hint of worry and fear, in Xiao Wu's eyes, Tang San chuckled and said, "Silly girl, don't be so nervous. Let me finish what I have to say! This separation I'm talking about is only very short."

"But brother, don't you need us to become the Sea God? I still need to complete the Sea God's trial with you!"

Tang San laughed, "Of course. Not only do you have to go, but Mu Bai and the others also have to go. Senior Poseidon said that without your help, I wouldn't be able to become the Sea God. The temporary separation I mentioned means I need to go to the Star Dou Great Forest first, and then return to Sea God Island. You know my flying speed; it's much faster than everyone else's. If you come with me to the Star Dou Great Forest and then head to Sea God Island, it will probably be slower. It would be better if you wait for me at the beach where we came back, and have the clansmen left there summon enough Demon Soul Great White Sharks. I'll reunite with you after I complete the Clear Sky Hammer's spirit ring in the Star Dou Great Forest. This way, we can save as much time as possible. The actual time we'll be separated probably won't even be ten days."

After hearing Tang San's explanation, Xiao Wu finally breathed a sigh of relief and lightly punched Tang San's chest. "You're so mean, you just scare me."

Tang San chuckled and said, "I'm innocent! Who knew you'd react so strongly, not even letting me finish?"

Xiao Wu pouted and playfully punched Tang San's shoulder. Seeing her charming appearance, Tang San couldn't help but feel extremely fond of her and gave her a heavy kiss on her pouting lips.

Without further delay, after bidding farewell to their parents, Grandmaster, and Xue Beng, the Shrek Seven Devils split into two groups and, under the cover of night, quietly left the Heaven Dou Empire's camp. This was Xue Beng's idea. Tang San held a very high position in the army, and if the soldiers knew he had left, it would likely affect morale. Therefore, he was instructed to leave quietly, with strict secrecy, both to avoid affecting their own morale and to prevent the Spirit Empire from finding out.

Just as Tang San and his companions left the military camp, and Tang San was preparing for his final sprint toward becoming the Sea God, in the Elder Hall of the Spirit Empire, Spirit City, another person had already reached the final moment.

Martial Soul City, Elder Hall.

Standing quietly in the center of the Elder Hall, facing the enormous six-winged angel statue, Qian Renxue was enveloped in a golden glow.

Unlike when she first arrived, she is no longer someone who can only worship in front of the angel statue, but has become the core of this hall, just like the angel statue.

"Are you ready?" an aged yet calm voice asked.

Qian Renxue slowly raised her head, and it could be seen that her eyes were completely golden, radiating a divine light.

"Yes, I'm ready." Qian Renxue's voice lacked its former emotion, sounding indifferent and cold, as if it didn't come from a human mouth.

Another figure slowly emerged from behind the angel statue, tall and imposing. His aged voice became clearer with his appearance: "My existence is to await this day. I have waited for this day for over a hundred years. Follow me."

Emerging from behind the angel statue was none other than Qian Daoliu, the Angel Douluo, the Grand Elder of the Spirit Empire and one of the three peerless Douluos of the past.

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared behind Qian Daoliu, and he was enveloped in a golden aura. Nine spirit rings were neatly arranged on his body, and three pairs of pure white wings also appeared at the same time. It was his super martial spirit, the Six-Winged Angel.

Apart from his wings, Qian Daoliu's entire body was enveloped in gold, but compared to Qian Renxue's own gold, it seemed to lack something. However, after his martial soul was released, he replaced Qian Renxue and the angel statue, becoming the core of the entire Elder Hall.

A diamond-shaped golden gem appeared on Qian Daoliu's forehead. Without any apparent movement, he was already in front of the angel statue. A strange golden light shone from the diamond-shaped gem on his forehead, illuminating the angel statue's brow.

Suddenly, a golden vortex appeared between the angel statue's eyebrows, and the entire statue seemed to tremble slightly.

Seeing this, Qian Renxue, whose eyes were completely golden, was slightly surprised. Clearly, this was the first time she had ever seen such a situation.

"Child, come with me." Qian Daoliu turned around, beckoned to Qian Renxue, and then suddenly accelerated, his body crashing into the huge angel statue.

Qian Renxue did not release her martial spirit, but her body floated up lightly and followed closely behind Qian Daoliu as she crashed into the angel statue.

A bizarre scene unfolded: when Qian Daoliu's body suddenly crashed into the enormous angel statue, there was no violent collision. Instead, it was as if he had struck a layer of water; a flash of light, and he vanished.

Qian Renxue was in the same situation, following closely behind Qian Daoliu, and disappeared into the angel statue.

The vortex between the god's eyebrows slowly disappeared, and the illusory feeling also vanished. Amidst the flashing light, everything returned to calm, but Qian Daoliu and his grandson Qian Renxue also disappeared into the receding golden light.

Surrounded by gold, Qian Renxue realized she had entered a strange world. The first thing she felt was endless warmth enveloping her body. Everything around her seemed unreal, with illusory golden ripples constantly flashing, as if she were passing through a tunnel formed by illusory light.

Qian Daoliu was ahead, guiding Qian Renxue forward. It seemed like an eternity had passed when the surrounding scenery suddenly cleared, the illusory feeling disappeared, and reality returned.

Qian Renxue was surprised to find herself and her grandfather in a grand hall. The moment she appeared there, she immediately noticed the hall's strangeness.

All around was an endless night sky, dotted with countless stars, and the great hall where he was located seemed to be floating in this night sky.

The hall was hexagonal, with six enormous golden pillars supporting the roof. There were no walls; everything around was emptiness. Countless strange patterns were engraved on the ground, the roof, and even on the six enormous golden pillars. These patterns were all based on the shape of angel feathers.

In the very center of the hall stood a three-meter-tall statue of an angel, identical in appearance to the one in the Elders' Hall, only much smaller. This angel, however, was not golden, but a dull, lifeless gray. Before the statue, a similarly gray longsword was planted in the ground. Six wings were spread behind it, lifelike in appearance.

"Grandpa, where is this?" Upon arriving in this strange world, Qian Renxue's voice finally regained some of its human quality.

A strange smile appeared on Qian Daoliu's face. "This is the true Temple of Angels, the place where the Angel God's legacy is passed down. Child, come here." As he spoke, he beckoned to Qian Renxue.

Led by Qian Daoliu, Qian Renxue walked to the angel statue. Qian Daoliu took her hand and looked at the rhombus-shaped golden gem that had also appeared on her forehead. "You will restore the glory of this place and bring angels back to the mortal realm. This is where you will complete the final test of the Nine Trials of Angels, and it is also where you will truly inherit the angelic divine position and enter the realm of gods. It has been countless years since a god has appeared on the Douluo Continent. You will eventually become the strongest on the continent and lead the Spirit Empire to its peak."

Hearing Qian Daoliu's words, Qian Renxue's eyes gradually brightened, and a strong light shone in her golden eyes. At this moment, a figure suddenly appeared in her mind, the figure that had once defeated her.

Qian Renxue will never forget the man who defeated her. His wisdom and strength made her regard him as her greatest enemy.

"Tang San, I'm about to become the God of Angels. What about you? Have you already fallen far behind me? I will definitely come to find you. I will settle our score myself. When we meet again, you will only have two choices: submit or be destroyed. Besides Grandpa, you are the only man I don't dislike. I hope you won't disappoint me."

"Xiaoxue." Qian Daoliu's voice startled Qian Renxue from her thoughts.

"Grandpa, what should I do?" Qian Renxue's gaze hardened again. For some reason, the mere thought of Tang San's name ignited a burning passion within her. She first met Tang San under Ning Fengzhi's guidance, and the last time she saw him, they were enemies. For some reason, despite Tang San ruining her decades-long infiltration of the Heaven Dou Empire, Qian Renxue didn't hate him; instead, she admired him even more. She didn't want to kill Tang San, but rather to conquer the only man she truly admired.

"Use your blood." Qian Daoliu pointed to the round, transparent gem on the hilt of the dull longsword in front of the angel statue.

Qian Renxue took a deep breath. She knew that the final moment had finally arrived. She slowly raised her right hand and covered the gem. Suddenly, her thumbnail swept across her middle finger, and instantly, a strangely colored blood spurted from her cut middle finger by her angelic soul power, staining the gem on the hilt of the sword.

Qian Renxue's blood had a strange color; it wasn't human red, but a pale pink mixed with a faint gold. This unusual blood even had a slight fragrance.

Suddenly, Qian Renxue felt her right hand tremble. Her cut middle finger was violently sucked onto the transparent gem. The smooth gem, at this moment, was like a vampire thirsting for blood, frantically devouring Qian Renxue's blood. Blood gushed out from the wound, causing Qian Renxue's body to tremble involuntarily.

One after another, spirit rings emerged from Qian Renxue's body. With a whoosh, six enormous wings burst forth from her back, unfurling in the air. As her blood was being consumed, her martial spirit was forced out on its own.

Qian Daoliu stood aside, nervously watching everything unfold before him.

As more and more of Qian Renxue's blood flowed out, the gem on the hilt of the longsword gradually lit up. At first, the gem shimmered with the same pinkish-gold light as Qian Renxue's blood. But as time passed, the pink in the light gradually faded, turning into pure gold. The golden light flowed, extending downwards along the gem, gradually permeating the strange longsword.

A feeling of weakness began to creep into Qian Renxue's mind, but she remained steadfast in her posture, even urging her soul power to accelerate the output of her blood.

Gradually, Qian Renxue discovered that she could no longer move her body, and the feeling of weakness was getting stronger and stronger. However, the golden light emitted by the long sword in front of her also began to grow stronger and stronger. The surging golden light illuminated the entire Angel Temple, and all the patterns engraved on the Angel Temple around her began to come alive. The faint light flowed around them, as if they had come to life, and the pale golden light was slowly increasing.

Qian Daoliu laughed, his eyes filled with a burning light, and murmured, "I've waited for this moment for far too long, Tang Chen. You're still one step behind me! Although I couldn't become a god at level 100, my descendant did. I never thought I'd surpass you at this moment. It's a pity I don't know if you're still alive. If you were, what kind of expression would you have when you see my granddaughter become a god? Haha, hahahahaha."

Qian Daoliu seemed to lift his right leg with some difficulty, took a step forward, and came between the gray angel statue and the longsword that had gradually turned golden.

The burning passion in his eyes gradually turned into tenderness as he gazed at Qian Renxue. "Child, this is your final test, and also your grandfather's final test. No matter how much pain you endure, you must succeed. In the future, if you encounter a peerless Douluo named Tang Chen, you must defeat him for your grandfather. He is your grandfather's lifelong rival."

"Grandpa, what are you doing?" Qian Renxue managed to call out, a strong sense of unease suddenly welling up inside her. The source of this unease was Qian Daoliu's kind and calm gaze.

Qian Daoliu smiled slightly, "Silly child, there are always gains and losses; this is my destined fate. As the guardian of the Angel God, my existence is for the inheritance of the Angel God. Without me, you cannot complete this final process. Don't be sad; you cannot move now, nor can you stop me. Remember my words: lead the Spirit Empire to glory. If you encounter Tang Chen, help me defeat him."

As he spoke, a burst of intense golden flames suddenly rose from Qian Daoliu's body. The flames had no temperature, but in that instant, they illuminated the entire temple. The faint golden patterns on the temple had turned into intense golden light. Qian Daoliu even replaced the angel statue and became the center of the temple.

"Grandpa, no—" Qian Renxue cried out and struggled desperately. But just as Qian Daoliu had said, she couldn't move an inch at all. Her whole body was being drawn to the gem on the long sword, and she couldn't move an inch.

Qian Daoliu had turned entirely golden. The golden flames were self-ignited, igniting not only his soul power, but also his body, his soul, and everything else. This purest angelic flame was gradually engulfing him. Behind him, the gray angel statue was frantically absorbing the energy erupting from the flames.

"Xiaoxue, listen to me. There's something I've never told you. It wasn't your mother's fault that she treated you badly and even tried to abandon you when you were little. However, it was precisely because of your existence that I didn't kill her. Your father didn't die at the hands of Haotian Douluo Tang Hao. Tang Hao only severely injured him. The one who truly killed your father was your mother, Bibi Dong."

"What?" Qian Renxue stared blankly at her grandfather, even forgetting the golden flames rising from his body.

Qian Daoliu sighed, "Everything that happened has happened. I know the whole story. Bibi Dong is a genius, but your father's methods to keep her were indeed somewhat underhanded. However, no one expected that she would launch her attack after so many years of forbearance. By then, you would have lost your father, and I don't want you to lose your mother as well. After you become the Angel God, you need to think carefully about how to face her. There's something I must remind you of. If there is anyone on the Douluo Continent who has the potential to become a god, it is your mother. Her true nature has been devoured by evil. Once she succeeds in breaking through, she will become the Rakshasa God, the exact opposite of you, the Angel God. But you are her daughter, and deep down, she still loves you. You must reclaim control of the Spirit Empire. As for Bibi Dong, that's up to you. I suggest you don't make things difficult for her. If you and she can join forces, then sweeping across the continent will be an incredibly simple matter."

"She killed my father! She killed my father!" Qian Renxue stood there, lost in thought, oblivious even to the weakness that vanished as a powerful energy surged into her body. Qian Daoliu smiled with satisfaction. He had his reasons for telling Qian Renxue this crucial news at this moment; only in this way would his granddaughter be distracted and not overwhelmed by grief over his death.

"My child...you...are...grandfather's...pride...always...you always have been...you must...hold on...to...this...final...hurdle...and...become...an...angel..."

Qian Renxue only woke up when Qian Daoliu's voice became intermittent. In front of her, Qian Daoliu's body was being gradually engulfed by the golden flames. The last thing she saw was her grandfather's kind eyes.

"Master—Master—" Qian Renxue cried out in pain, struggling desperately. Suddenly, her hand was pulled by that strange suction force, moving from the gem at the hilt to the hilt itself. With a loud hum, the longsword stuck in front of the angel statue was actually pulled out by her.

A burst of golden light erupted instantly, turning the entire Angel Temple into a dazzling golden ball of light, illuminating the night sky and everything around it like the sun, and also engulfing Qian Renxue's body.

Inside the Angel Temple, all the patterns were engulfed in intense golden flames. Qian Renxue felt her body shift and her position change. The gray angel statue had now turned completely golden, its arms outstretched, tightly embracing her body.

The next moment, Qian Renxue felt as if something had merged into her body. The diamond-shaped gem on her forehead shone with dazzling light, and massive energy fluctuations surged and erupted continuously. Amidst the violent roars, she could no longer care about her grief. The shocking scene turned her vision completely golden, and even her soul turned golden. She temporarily lost the ability to think.

A majestic voice resounded from all directions, and all the golden light solidified completely inside the Angel Temple at that moment.

"The angel descends."

The golden light on the temple suddenly dimmed, and the angel statue in the center had disappeared, leaving only Qian Renxue. Behind her, the three pairs of six wings had completely transformed into golden wings and spread out. Her eyes were closed, and her long golden hair flew behind her head. Her right hand held high the ancient sword that she had just drawn, and her whole body was radiating intense golden flames.

Starting from the tip of the longsword, feather-like patterns began to spread downwards, covering the sword and gradually reaching Qian Renxue's body, her face, and her entire body. With a soft ding, all her clothes disappeared, revealing her perfect figure.

The strange patterns, like the clothes on Qian Renxue's body, gradually slid down, enveloping her entire body. Strange golden light shone and sparkled, constantly bursting out with dazzling brilliance.

As consciousness gradually returned and her soul awoke in agony, Qian Renxue felt a tingling sensation throughout her entire body, as if a million ants were gnawing at her flesh.

Pain is often easy to bear, but the tingling sensation is far more terrifying than pain. The horrifying tingling caused Qian Renxue unbearable pain, even robbing her of the ability to think. The tingling sensation seemed to emanate from her very bones, and she was enduring extremely intense suffering within it.

She wanted to scream, but no sound came out; she wanted to scratch, but her body couldn't move an inch. This unprecedented pleasure plunged her into endless agony. Her mind was on the verge of collapse.

At this moment, she couldn't possibly consider the possibility of what Qian Daoliu had said earlier, nor could she even release the grief of her grandfather's sacrifice for her to inherit the divine title. But she understood one thing: if her soul couldn't bear this pain, then she would completely collapse. Not only would she fail to inherit the divine title, but she would also turn to dust in this angelic temple.

Gradually, Qian Renxue's consciousness began to become somewhat blurred. Suddenly, a figure appeared in her soul—the noble Bibi Dong, dressed in a long robe.

Bibi Dong stared at her with cold, noble eyes, her voice echoing deep within Qian Renxue's soul, "Didn't you want to surpass me? Didn't you hate me? I'm waiting for you. I killed Qian Xunji. If you want revenge, come find me."

Qian Renxue's spirits jolted, and she even shook off the intense tingling sensation. "Bibi Dong, I hate you, I hate you. You don't deserve to be my mother at all. But I won't kill you. I will take away the power you want most and make you taste the pain too."

Bibi Dong's figure gradually blurred before her eyes and disappeared into nothingness. What Qian Renxue saw was her disdainful gaze.

The power of her soul suddenly increased, and Qian Renxue's willpower instantly became stronger. Her soul, which had been on the verge of collapse, solidified again, frantically resisting the pain brought by the tingling sensation.

Time passed second by second, and the pain in his body became more and more intense. The willpower he had managed to muster earlier began to dissipate, and his soul became unstable again.

No, I must hold on! Qian Renxue screamed frantically deep within her soul, but the ever-increasing pain made her soul as fragile as a storm.

Her soul became ethereal again, and at that moment, another faint phantom appeared deep within her mind.

"Child, don't give up, you must hold on. This is an opportunity your grandfather risked his life for!"

This time, the phantom that appeared was Qian Daoliu. Golden flames burned on his body, and his hopeful and encouraging gaze constantly stimulated Qian Renxue's soul, causing her scattered soul to solidify again.

"Grandpa, I won't give up. I will succeed. Don't worry. I will become the strongest and fulfill your last wish. Grandpa, give me strength so I can endure this pain."

Inside the Angel Temple, Qian Renxue's body trembled violently. With each tremor, the golden patterns on her body intensified. Her body also underwent continuous changes under the influence of the golden patterns and the rising golden flames.

Qian Renxue, who was already in her thirties, gradually became younger. She looked like she was eighteen or nineteen years old, but her figure was fuller than before. Her waist was extremely slender, but her chest was high and firm. A perfect curve appeared at her waist and hips, and her round buttocks extended down to her long and straight thighs. Especially under the cover of the golden light patterns, she looked like a dream.

The golden rhombus-shaped gem on her forehead had shattered at some point, leaving a golden brand on her forehead. The brand resembled a six-winged angel, as if a miniature angel statue had been embedded in her forehead.

The moment this mark appeared was the first time Qian Renxue's soul was about to give way, and the moment her body changed and became younger was the second time she was about to give way.

At this moment, Qian Renxue had become incredibly sacred, her entire body radiating golden flames. In particular, her six wings on her back seemed to be forged from golden flames, and each flap of them caused a distorted golden light to flash around her.

Suddenly, a sharp shriek erupted from Qian Renxue, and the tingling sensation she felt intensified, putting her soul, which she had just managed to stabilize, in danger once again.

Outside her body, as a layer of golden mist suddenly burst open, six strange golden bones appeared around her body, both inside her and in the void.

The golden patterns on Qian Renxue's body instantly dissipated, revealing her smooth and translucent body. All the patterns turned into streaks of golden light and merged into the six strange bones.

Indeed, these six golden bones are none other than the renowned Angel Set, the treasure of the Spirit Hall. Before arriving here, Qian Renxue had already fused with five of them, leaving only the last body soul bone unfused. Now, during this inheritance process, both the fused and unfused bones appeared around her.

Each soul bone, immersed in the golden light patterns, began to undergo strange changes. The soul bones were no longer in the shape of bones, but gradually melted and merged with the surrounding golden light patterns, gradually turning into a water-like substance, transforming into a large stream of golden liquid, condensing into a huge ball of light, floating three meters away from Qian Renxue's chest.

Qian Renxue struggled to hold on, the sudden increase in pain almost causing her to collapse, but her mind was filled with the encouragement her grandfather had given her, and the shock of the scene of her grandfather's sacrifice, which constantly stimulated her soul to forcibly hold on.

But how long can this last?

boom--

The ball of light, formed from the six soul bones of the Angel Set and all the golden patterns and halos, struck Qian Renxue like a shooting star. In an instant, all the liquid flowed rapidly along the curves of her body, enveloping her completely.

In that instant, unparalleled pain suddenly struck Qian Renxue's soul, and almost instantly, her soul shattered.

The pain intensified, and even with Qian Renxue's stronger will, she wouldn't have been able to hold on any longer.

"It's over." Qian Renxue felt that her soul had cracked, and the crack was spreading rapidly, as if it would collapse in the next instant.

Is this how it ends? Have I ultimately failed to become the God of Angels? Resentment gnaws at her heart like ants. No, I refuse to fail like this. I must succeed, I must succeed—

Qian Renxue screamed frantically in her heart, but she still couldn't stop her soul from shattering. And at this critical moment, suddenly, a third figure appeared in her soul.

Qian Renxue was stunned. The two figures that had appeared earlier were Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu, who had helped her form two obsessions, thus enabling her to overcome two difficulties. She understood that although she hated Bibi Dong, Bibi Dong, like her grandfather, occupied an extremely important place in her heart. But besides them, was there anyone else who could form an obsession in her heart? Who exactly was this third figure? Could it be that there was someone more important to her than her grandfather and Bibi Dong?

The third figure gradually became clearer in her mind; it was a man, a young man.

His long blue hair cascaded down his back, and his blue eyes, which seemed to see through everything, were filled with a profound light of wisdom. His slender figure was noble and elegant, and a harp floated quietly in front of him.

He slowly raised his hand, his slender fingers caressing the harp strings. The crisp, tinkling sound transformed into a perfect melody that permeated Qian Renxue's soul. Or perhaps it was the sound of her soul shattering.

It was him! How could it be him? Qian Renxue was utterly shocked. She knew very well that the later an obsession arose in her heart, the more important that person was to her. This was also why she couldn't understand who else could appear after Qian Daoliu. In her heart, her grandfather was already the most important person.

But only now did she realize that long, long ago, another person had quietly entered her heart and imprinted himself on its deepest recesses. And now, he had only just appeared, forming the third obsession that helped her overcome the divine tribulation.

Qian Renxue wanted to cry. At this moment, her soul had reached an extremely fragile state, and she even wanted to give up everything in front of her. However, the harp music that kept permeating her heart was helping her, erasing the broken traces on her soul little by little.

The man always had a faint smile on his face, playing the piano with elegant and noble grace, as if he were telling Qian Renxue his innermost thoughts.

A flash of light and shadow appeared within Qian Renxue's soul, revealing her own naked body as she walked step by step towards the man gently playing the harp. Deep within this soul was her own original soul essence. And this soul essence had been drawn out by the man playing the harp. At this moment, all the tingling, itchy pain seemed to lessen. Tears streamed down the humanoid face formed from Qian Renxue's original soul essence.

Her lips parted slightly, and she called out, her voice choked with sobs…

"Tang San, why you...?"

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(End of this chapter)