Douluo Continent: Long Live the Spirit Hall

Hu Liena gave a soft snort, seemingly quite dissatisfied, yet her petite body moved quite proactively closer to Yan, a smile playing on her delicate face. "Senior brother, but the teacher really did scold me again, I'm so unhappy."

Yan casually pushed open the door in front of him and asked, "What's going on this time? Did you go and seduce someone?"

"No, they just made the pastries according to the method you taught me and shared them with everyone. They just gave them to the teacher at the end."

Hu Liena stuck out her little tongue lightly. The comfortable life she had enjoyed for the past six months had restored her former liveliness, making her completely different from when Yan first met her.

Ultimately, she's still just a child. A little over a year ago, she had a happy and fulfilling family with loving parents and a brother. How could she not be lively and adorable? However, with the dramatic changes in her family, she and her brother have both grown up, which naturally led to the coldness she displayed when she first met Yan. That was all to protect herself.

However, after being taken in as a disciple by Bibi Dong and receiving love from elders, her life became comfortable and happy again, and she naturally became cheerful and lively. Then, her true nature was revealed, and she became the mischievous little witch she is now.

"You're just making a scene."

Yan looked down at Hu Liena, who had an innocent look on her face, and then reached out and pinched her delicate little nose hard. He was sure that this little devil was doing it on purpose, and was probably digging a pit for him.

However, Yan didn't say much. After giving Hu Liena some instructions, he released her, then pushed open the palace door in front of him and stepped into the main hall alone.

Wearing a magnificent black robe with gold trim and a nine-curved purple-gold crown, Bibi Dong sat before the table. Scattered on the ground were scrolls of paper, and the surrounding area was in a mess, as if the pope had just lost her temper.

Yan picked up some rolled-up papers from the ground, examined them, and then walked closer to the table. The pastries Hu Liena had given him were on the other side, but they were also affected and almost spilled.

He casually picked up a piece of pastry and tasted it. The slightly sweet fruity flavor was quite good, and it was indeed the kind of flavor that Bibi Dong liked.

What are you doing here?!

Bibi Dong seemed to only then notice Yan's arrival. She brushed her long hair from her forehead with her slender hand, sighed, and spoke. Her voice was filled with deep weariness, unlike the Bibi Dong that Yan usually knew.

Yan shook his head and smiled, "You almost spilled the pastries Nana brought. She thought you didn't like her anymore, so she tricked me into coming here."

Chapter 47 The Infiltration Plan

"I know Nana is being filial, but do you think I don't know that all of this was orchestrated by you? You've studied my preferences so thoroughly. What are you up to?"

Bibi Dong seemed to have been stimulated by something today. Normally, even if she knew about such things in her heart, she would not say them out loud. On the contrary, she was quite pleased with it, after all, her relationship with Hu Liena was really good.

As for Yan, after spending so many days together, she had developed some feelings for him. Although she had some reservations about his 'cleverness', she wouldn't say anything so harsh.

Yan showed no sign of unease and replied naturally, "My intention is simply to wish the Pope a better life. Everything Nana and I have now comes from you, so of course I hope you will be better off."

"You never speak the truth, and you're too calculating. I've figured it out; only cultivation can get you completely absorbed in it..."

Bibi Dong shook her head. Over the past few months, she had come to understand Yan better. He was a 'simple' person.

Yan was so simple that after becoming her disciple, he spent most of his time cultivating and reading, making the most of every minute of his time. His self-discipline even made Bibi Dong feel ashamed.

Everything he did was for his own better and faster progress, including arranging for merchants to amass wealth and helping her control the Spirit Hall, all for this purpose.

"Let's not talk about this anymore."

Yan shook his head. He had come to see Bibi Dong, not to take the blame upon himself. He casually flipped through the few scrolls of paper in his hand and spoke again: "What exactly happened that made you so distraught? This is not like the Pope I know."

Bibi Dong did not answer Yan's question immediately, which naturally made Yan take a second look at her. He noticed that she was quite agitated today, and this matter was indeed not simple.

In the past few months, Yan has helped Bibi Dong analyze and handle a lot of Spirit Hall affairs. He even participated in some secret matters such as those related to the Slaughter City. Normally, Bibi Dong wouldn't deliberately hide things from him unless it involved some secrets.

"What? Is there any difficulty in this matter?"

Yan didn't stop there, but asked again, realizing that this was an opportunity, an opportunity to 'understand' Bibi Dong more deeply.

Yan has memories of his past life and is quite clear about some of Bibi Dong's secrets. However, after coming into contact with Bibi Dong, he has to carefully consider every word he says, for fear of revealing that he knows too much.

Don't be fooled by his current favor with Bibi Dong; it's all just a facade. If the Pope knew that someone knew about the secret chamber and the daughter, Yan feared he would die a silent death.

Therefore, during the past few months of getting along with Bibi Dong, Yan was very careful with every reply, afraid that his casual answers might reveal something.

However, guarding against thieves all the time is not a solution. The best way is to gain more trust from Bibi Dong, and then, after the relationship between the two becomes closer, to learn more information by chance. Ideally, this chance should be something that the Pope can accept.

Bibi Dong remained silent for a long time, and finally, as if she had made a decision, she spoke with a complicated expression: "It is a message from the Hall of Worship. They are preparing to launch a key step in the infiltration plan to replace Xue Qinghe, the eldest son of the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family, and seize the Heaven Dou throne."

"Wasn't the infiltration plan already halted?"

Yan frowned slightly after hearing this. He knew a little about this plan. It was a strategic plan formulated during the time of the previous Pope, Qian Xunji. The original intention was to seize the throne of the Heaven Dou Emperor and then cooperate with the Spirit Hall to divide and suppress the three upper sects.

When this plan was first formulated, Tang Chen, the former sect leader of the Clear Sky Sect, had been missing for many years, and the Clear Sky Sect was in a slight decline. However, Tang Hao had risen to prominence, and the seven major sects were united as one, which greatly affected the Spirit Hall's plan to control the Soul Master world.

In this situation, it would be very difficult to break the deadlock from the outside. So Qian Xunji thought of using the disguise soul skill of the Angel Set Soul Bone to send a suitable person to replace the prince of the Heaven Dou Royal Family and support the prince to ascend the throne, thus triggering a crisis between the royal family and the three upper sects.

Qian Xunji's plan was excellent, and he had already chosen his daughter, Qian Renxue, whom he had secretly given birth to. A year before he was seriously injured by Tang Hao, he sent the nine-year-old Qian Renxue to infiltrate Xue Qinghe's side to observe the latter's daily routine.

However, no one expected what happened next. Less than a year after Qian Renxue went undercover, news of Qian Xunji's death spread within the Spirit Hall. The infiltration plan was temporarily shelved, and Qian Renxue stayed in the Heaven Dou Empire to observe Xue Qinghe, never replacing him.

This situation has continued until now. Some time ago, Yan discovered this plan in a document and tried to persuade Bibi Dong to abandon the plan from another angle. However, today, the Hall of Worship announced that the plan was about to be launched.

After listening to Bibi Dong's account, Yan understood why the Pope had lost her composure. The matter involved Qian Renxue, who was, after all, her daughter. Even if she was unwilling to acknowledge her, she was not entirely without feelings for Qian Renxue.

"That old bastard Qian Daoliu is going too far."

Bibi Dong rarely lost her composure. She slammed her hand on the table. "Does he think he's still the Arbitration Elder of the Spirit Hall? He retired long ago. What right does he have to interfere in the Spirit Hall's plans? What a load of bull! He's just going against me."

"There's no use in worrying about this here."

Yan remained silent until Bibi Dong calmed down slightly before speaking again: "If the infiltration plan is launched, it will inevitably require the investment of resources, which is inconsistent with our established plan."

Even if they succeed, all we'll gain is a nominal Heavenly Dou throne. And whoever takes it, let alone whether they'll obey, is another matter. If this scheme is exposed, while all our previous efforts might be wasted, the losses will be enormous, and it will also damage the prestige of the Spirit Hall.

Yan wasn't optimistic about this infiltration plan. The two great empires within the Douluo Continent adopted a system of noble enfeoffment, where the emperor and nobles jointly ruled the world. The emperor's power was limited, and those nobles weren't idiots. If the emperor cooperated with the Spirit Hall, it would easily provoke a backlash from those guys.

Moreover, the infiltration plan has a major flaw: once the imposter's identity is exposed, all previous efforts will be in vain.

Qian Renxue in the original novel is a perfect example. She hastily launched her attack and Tang San discovered her identity. Not only did her twenty years of hard work go down the drain, but the Spirit Hall also lost some of its supporters, severely damaging its positive image. These indirect effects were considerable.

Chapter 48 Response

“Once the infiltration plan is launched, we will be in a very passive position. This is not a good thing, and we must stop them.”

After learning a little about the situation, Yan shook his head. If the infiltration plan were to be launched, the Spirit Hall would definitely have to invest a lot of resources to help Qian Renxue, who replaced Xue Qinghe, gain an advantage in the competition for the throne, and they would not let anyone find out about it. The losses would be considerable.

More importantly, indulging in power struggles is a waste of Qian Renxue's talent as a future angel god. She was supposed to have better conditions to become a god than Tang San, but it took her much longer to become a god. This was because she wasted too much time on the infiltration plan.

“I know that, but Qian Daoliu has a very high reputation in the Spirit Hall. I am not yet firmly established, so it would be difficult for me to refute his plan.”

Bibi Dong also looked worried. The person who was implementing the infiltration plan was her daughter, Qian Renxue. This made her feel complicated and unwilling to start the plan. But the more important point was that Qian Daoliu's attempt to bypass her to start the plan challenged her authority and would cause unrest among the people of the Spirit Hall.

Since Qian Xunji's death more than a year ago, and Bibi Dong's initial rise to power, the latter has only been in power for a little over a year. Even with Yan's help in dividing and winning over many elders, she still has not fully taken control of the Spirit Hall.

The Angel Clan, represented by Qian Daoliu, is the true master of the Spirit Hall. As descendants of the Angel God worshipped by the Spirit Hall, they naturally possess immense authority. If these two groups were to clash now, it would be extremely disadvantageous for Bibi Dong. However, letting the conflict rage on would also be a blow to her authority and would give some restless individuals an opportunity.

Yan sorted through the pile of scrolls and found the message from the Hall of Worship. "No, I think the key to this plan is not Grand Elder Qian Daoliu, but the person who will implement it. Does the Pope know anything about Qian Renxue?"

Having learned about the subsequent developments, Yan, from God's perspective, naturally knew the truth behind this infiltration plan: it was nothing more than a product of Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong's quarrel.

Although Qian Renxue is Bibi Dong's daughter, the latter has always been indifferent to her because the birth of this child was not of her own volition.

When Qian Xunji was still alive, Bibi Dong was merely indifferent. After Qian Xunji died, she simply seized the throne of the Pope and fought for power, never caring about Qian Renxue in the slightest.

The death of her father and the indifference of her mother, despite their mother-daughter relationship, made them seem like enemies to Qian Renxue. It was precisely because of this that Qian Renxue insisted on launching the infiltration plan; she wanted to prove to Bibi Dong that Bibi Dong was wrong.

That's right, even Bibi Dong didn't know that it wasn't Qian Daoliu who was determined to launch the plan, but rather her daughter, Qian Renxue. Of course, she would find out this in the future, but the Pope would not change her attitude towards her daughter, nor would she admit any wrongdoing.

“Qian Renxue, she is the daughter of the previous Pope. She calls me sister. I think, it shouldn’t be her, she’s only a child under twelve. Maybe it’s Qian Daoliu, it must be him, he’s the one using that child.”

When Bibi Dong mentioned this name, her hands unconsciously clenched, and a complex look appeared in her eyes.

Yan noticed Bibi Dong's loss of composure. After all, she was her daughter, and mother and daughter were like enemies. Bibi Dong hadn't held power for many years and couldn't be as hard-hearted as she was now. So she kept blaming Qian Daoliu, feeling that this old man was opposing her.

In fact, Qian Daoliu had already retired at this time, preparing to cultivate Qian Renxue into a god. How could he possibly be wholeheartedly launching this infiltration plan that would waste Qian Renxue's talent?

"Alright, leave this to me. I'll go to the Hall of Offerings myself. Whether it works or not, wait for me to come back."

After thinking for a moment, Yan said this, then took Bibi Dong's jade-like hand and placed a pastry in her palm, "Don't let Nana's good intentions go to waste."

After he finished speaking, he stood up, leaving Bibi Dong with only her small yet tall back. Bibi Dong watched Yan's figure disappear into the distance, her eyes filled with complex emotions. Looking at the pastry in her palm, a hint of tears welled up in her eyes.

"Ouch, senior brother, be gentle, no..."

Yan pushed open the door and came outside the main hall. He grabbed a little head that was eavesdropping and immediately heard Hu Liena's pleading voice. Sure enough, this little girl had been eavesdropping outside the door all along.

After playing around with Hu Liena for a while, Yan let go of her and then whispered, "Nana, take good care of your teacher during this time. I have to go on a long trip."

Hu Liena stopped making a fuss at this point and grabbed Yan's arm with both hands, asking, "Senior brother, where are you going?"

"Hall of Offerings".

Yan quietly told Hu Liena his destination, and then they went with her to another hall inside the Papal Palace, where there were already quite a few people.

At this moment, in the Papal Palace's private training room, a group of children were cultivating in their respective pools, including Tuoba Hong and Xie Yue. Two figures with extraordinary auras sat to the side, watching over the children at all times, while two other figures sat at a desk handling administrative affairs.

"Young Master Yan."

When Yan and Hu Liena entered the training room, four figures who had not been cultivating looked over at the same time. Feng Lin quickly got up from the desk, preparing to hand over the things he had sorted out to Yan to handle.

Yan gained Bibi Dong's trust and handled some matters. With power in his hands, he naturally promoted his own people. Feng Lin and Li Ya were both arranged by him to enter the Papal Palace to assist him in handling general affairs.

As for why they were arranged to come to the training room, the two Title Douluos sitting here are excellent tools. Feng Lin and Li Ya are still capable of making progress. With the guidance of Title Douluos, isn't it better than staying at home?

"Grandpa Ghost. Grandpa Moon."

After arriving at the training room, Hu Liena immediately went to Gui Mei and Yue Guan and bowed. The two titled Douluo also showed their affection for Hu Liena.

Ghost Douluo Gui Mei and Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, these two titled Douluos, have a rather awkward position in the Spirit Hall. They have cultivation levels second only to the enshrined ones in the Hall of Worship, and their soul power has reached level 95. However, because they come from ordinary backgrounds and do not have family support, their influence in the Spirit Hall is very small.

Both of these individuals possess extraordinary martial souls. Ghostly Martial Soul is extremely unpredictable and can provide a certain degree of immunity to physical attacks, while Yue Guan's Martial Soul, Qi Rong Tong Tian Ju, is a rare and precious herb, the king among plant-type martial souls.

However, because of their humble origins, they took many detours in the early stages. Although they successfully broke through to the Title Douluo level, they lost a lot of potential and their strength was average among the same level of experts. However, the martial soul fusion skill, Yin-Yang Stillness Domain, which the two of them used together, was quite powerful.

In the later part of the original novel, after Gui Mei was ambushed and killed by Tang San, Yue Guan's status plummeted, and he eventually died at Tang San's hands.

Chapter 49 The Hall of Offerings

"Yan boy, I heard from Nana that you're planning a long trip to the Hall of Offerings?"

Yan was explaining some things to Liya and Feng Lin when suddenly a cold voice rang out. Turning around, he saw that it was the ghostly figure whose true appearance he couldn't see speaking.

"That's right, Elders, you must know something about the Hall of Offerings."

Yan nodded in response, saying that Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo were both of high seniority and strength within the Spirit Hall, and were the most likely candidates to become enshrined figures. They should have a deep understanding of the Enshrined Figures Hall.

Ghost Douluo's face was still unclear, but his voice was calm and concise. "Yue Guan and I are the closest to the elders in the Elder Hall, and we know them quite well."

"Among the many high priests, the others are not so bad, but the most crucial are the High Priest and the Second High Priest. Their cultivation is nearing the limits of the mortal realm; they are truly unfathomable. The Pope has sent you to the Hall of Priests; perhaps he will need our assistance."

Ghost Douluo didn't mince words and directly asked if he needed help. Meanwhile, Chrysanthemum Douluo's hand flashed with light, and when the light dissipated, a chrysanthemum petal appeared, with a confident smile on his lips.