Douluo Continent: Long Live the Spirit Hall

"What's going on? This Golden Bird doesn't have a soul bone?"

Yan looked at the pile of ashes in front of him. A knife was stuck in a few pale golden feathers. The body of the Fiery Golden Bird was burned to ashes when he subconsciously released his martial soul to vent his soul power. But strangely, such a powerful soul beast did not produce a soul bone.

"No, something seems different?"

Yan noticed some changes in his body; his back was itchy. He picked up a mirror to examine it, but all he saw were a few golden lines on his back, nothing else. It seemed he didn't have the luck to acquire an external soul bone.

"Well, it's enough to have obtained such a powerful spirit ring. Moreover, I have refined the origin of the True Sun Fire. Now, my flames should be no worse than the Ultimate Flame."

Yan wasn't too disappointed. The chances of a low-age soul beast producing a soul bone were already very low. Since he hadn't gained anything, he could only blame it on bad luck. He quickly calmed down and focused on the flame he had just gained control of.

Boom!

Yan stretched out his palm, and a ball of golden-red flame instantly appeared, constantly flickering. The rays of sunlight were absorbed by this flame, making it even brighter and more dazzling. The surrounding temperature continued to rise, and even the air itself became slightly distorted.

Chapter 59 Soul Tool Fragments

"By absorbing the power of the sun, this soul skill increases the power and range of my flames by a percentage. When combined with my first soul skill, which increases strength, speed, soul power, and other amplifications by a percentage, we can achieve a doubling of my combat power."

Yan felt the power of the golden-red flames in his palm, and a smile appeared on his lips. With two rings, his two soul rings flashed and pulsed, and surging flames erupted from his body, sweeping wildly in all directions.

"This feeling is really great. Standing under the sun, it feels like my soul power is almost inexhaustible."

Flames surged around Yan, and countless rays of sun energy from the sky above his head were drawn into his true fire, constantly amplifying the power of his flames in every aspect. "It feels like stacking buffs, one red, one blue."

Yan gave a rough evaluation of his two soul skills. The two amplification-type soul skills were extremely powerful, each possessing the ability to gather the power of fire and light, thereby amplifying his various attributes to the current limit that he could withstand. The multi-directional amplification of 100% greatly improved his combat power.

This boost also has its drawbacks. While it increases attack range by a percentage, he lacks ranged skills, making him vulnerable to being outmaneuvered by players skilled in kiting tactics. Of course, once he gets close enough to engage such opponents, their fate will certainly be grim.

But Yan no longer cares about these things. Now he has enough background and support, giving him the capital to develop cautiously in the early stages.

He doesn't need to care about his current combat strength. As long as he focuses on cultivating and grows to a sufficient level, he can save his ranged skills for after the fifth ring.

"The amplification of your two soul skills is quite good, but their power is too weak in the early stages. To win in a battle, you must get close to the opponent. I was really careless before."

A voice rang in his ears. It was Qian Renxue, who had finished refining the Sun Worm Soul Ring at some point, and came to his side to examine the Flame Commander Martial Soul, which resembled a flame war god.

Qian Renxue could tell at a glance that Yan only had amplification-type soul skills, and his ranged combat power in the early stages was quite average. In her previous battles, she could have won by simply kiting him. However, she lost the previous battle in such an inexplicable way, and she was really annoyed when she thought about it now.

"Most hundred-year soul skills become less effective after reaching the Soul Saint level. And now that I have the strong support of the Spirit Hall, do I still need to fight with others?"

Yan turned his head and asked a question. Qian Renxue was slightly taken aback before smiling. Yan's words actually made a lot of sense. With the cultivation and protection of the Spirit Hall, he could ignore the shortcomings of having few ranged means and weak combat power in the early stage, and no longer needed to fight with others to stand out.

"The Sun Worm, did it also fail to produce a soul bone?"

Yan noticed that the remains of the sun worm not far away had also turned into a pile of ashes, which showed that the true fire of the sun was indeed extremely domineering.

Qian Renxue and Yan explained briefly, "These insect-like soul beasts can only produce torso bones and skulls, and these two types of soul bones are extremely rare. But there's nothing to regret. I'm already very happy to have such a powerful soul skill. Besides, I don't lack soul bones."

"Grandma, you may not need it, but I do."

Yan shook his head in disappointment. Qian Renxue certainly didn't lack soul bones. As the successor of the Angel God, she had a complete Angel God's Armor waiting to be inherited, so she naturally wouldn't be short of soul bones. And Yan, like Qian Renxue, possessed the True Fire of the Sun. If the Sun Worm produced soul bones, their effect on him would be immense.

Qian Renxue reached out and ruffled Yan's brilliant red hair, then said, "By the way, when I was refining this soul beast's soul ring, I got some interesting information. It seems that this soul beast's lair is nearby."

The soul rings refined by soul masters contain the soul energy of soul beasts, so it's normal to sense fragmented information during the refining process. However, the lair of the sun worms mentioned by Qian Renxue piqued Yan's interest.

Some powerful soul beasts have a hobby of collecting spoils of war, and the soul bones of soul beasts are difficult to swallow and digest. There have been rumors that treasure hunters have obtained soul bones from the lairs of powerful soul beasts.

Although the Sun Worm is only a five-thousand-year-old soul beast, its combat power, possessing the True Fire of the Sun, surpasses that of ordinary ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts. There should be quite a few good things in its lair.

A hint of anticipation flickered in Yan's eyes. Qian Renxue smiled and reached out to lift him up. A gentle breeze blew, and Yan was suspended in mid-air. He felt as if his dignity had been robbed. Before he could even kick his limbs, he was embraced in a warm hug.

The sun worm's nest was located among the pine trees on a steep cliff, in an enlarged crevice cave. When Yan arrived at the cave, which still carried a faint warmth, he was almost suffocated by the smog.

Apart from a few water-type or highly intelligent soul beasts, the vast majority of soul beasts do not have the habit of bathing or grooming. Since soul beasts often live in units of years, one can imagine the smell inside the insect nest after many years.

There's another crucial point: the sun worms are accustomed to hot and warm environments, so their nests are quite hot. Just imagine an air-conditioned room filled with a strong, pungent odor—that would be absolutely unpleasant... Yan finally understood why the young lady had thrown him in while she herself hadn't.

"Damn, what a waste of my time! All I got were some ores, really..."

After exploring the cave for a while, Yan was extremely annoyed. There was no soul bone as he had imagined, only a pile of miscellaneous stones. Among them, a few pieces reacted to soul power, which should be relatively precious minerals. This made Yan curse out loud.

He covered his nose as he gathered his spoils, piling up anything in the cave that was a different color from the cave walls, and then prepared to put everything into his storage soul tool.

"Buzz..."

With a slight fluctuation of soul power, almost all the miscellaneous items were sent into the storage bracelet, except for a long, narrow stone that remained in place.

"The storage soul tool cannot be stored in it. This seems to be a fragment of a soul tool. It should be a soul tool related to space, which is why it cannot be stored in the storage soul tool."

Yan squatted down and patted the long, narrow stone that was about half his length. He tentatively injected his soul power into the stone, and wisps of blue and white light patterns appeared on the surface of the stone, but they were chaotic and could not be gathered together.

"Never mind, let's take it back first."

Yan didn't want to stay in the cave any longer, so he bent down, picked up the stone, and walked out of the cave.

However, instead of a warm and generous embrace from the young lady, he was met with a wicked hand grabbing him by the back of his neck. He was carried around like a chick, and finally thrown into a large pool of water for a forced wash. It was truly a humiliation.

Chapter 60 Elders' Meeting

Wuhun City, the Pope's Palace.

Inside the Papal Palace council hall, three figures sat facing three different directions, and Hu Liena, the only one in the entire hall who wasn't seated, felt immense pressure.

She glanced cautiously at Pope Bibi Dong, who sat regally in the main seat, and at the dashing Qian Renxue diagonally opposite her. Then she felt that her senior brother Xiao Yan in front of her made her feel safer.

Inside the council chamber, Bibi Dong, Yan, and Qian Renxue's seats formed an isosceles triangle, with Bibi Dong at the head of the table, and Yan and Qian Renxue sitting on either side of the long table. The council chamber had been deathly silent for quite some time.

Bibi Dong's sharp gaze remained fixed on Qian Renxue's face, but Qian Renxue glared back at her without yielding an inch, while Yan simply sat there as if it were none of his business.

Neither of the two spoke first as they stared at each other, and the oppressive atmosphere made Hu Liena, who had little experience in such situations, feel like she couldn't breathe.

"Nana, you can go out now."

Yan leaned back slightly, tilted his head back, and gave an instruction to Hu Liena, who was standing there. Hu Liena secretly breathed a sigh of relief, bowed respectfully to Bibi Dong, and then quickly left the council hall.

Hu Liena only breathed a long sigh of relief after she walked out of the hall, her small hands covering her wildly beating heart, her back completely soaked with sweat.

Hu Liena left, leaving only three people in the Papal Palace council chamber. Bibi Dong slowly stood up and walked step by step towards Qian Renxue. Qian Renxue remained calm, her gaze fixed directly on Bibi Dong.

A complex light flashed across Bibi Dong's eyes. Suddenly, all her imposing aura seemed to vanish in that instant. She sighed and said, "You're willing to come to the Papal Palace now. You've finally given up that ridiculous infiltration plan, haven't you?"

Qian Renxue's eyes flickered, and she coldly replied, "The infiltration plan is my father's brainchild. The Spirit Hall has invested a lot in it, and it is impossible to give up completely. However, I will take charge of the next part of the plan myself, and it will not take up too many of the Spirit Hall's resources."

"Do you know what you're saying?"

Bibi Dong's gaze sharpened again, and her hand, which had been loosely gripping the scepter, clenched tightly. Her powerful aura stirred up a storm of oppression in the council hall. "You'll take responsibility? This was Qian Daoliu's idea again. You're just a twelve-year-old child. What responsibility do you have? It's a joke."

Although Qian Renxue's face was pale, she still looked up at Bibi Dong, her slender fingers pointing at Yan sitting on the other side, her clear voice echoing in the council hall, "I don't think I'm incapable. If I'm still young, then what about him?"

"Well, Your Holiness, Teacher, what Sister Xue'er means is that she feels it would be a waste to completely abandon such a large amount of resources invested in the plan, so she is preparing to revise the subsequent plans."

Yan was originally just watching the show, but then he was forced to get involved in the struggle between the mother and daughter. Under these circumstances, he could only say, "To be more specific, we don't need to replace Xue Qinghe, but we can place some people around him to gain his trust."

Although the Heavenly Dou royal family doesn't engage in the same life-or-death struggles as the Star Luo royal family, internal strife is constant. With proper planning, continuously weakening the royal family's authority could be beneficial for future actions. Sister Xue'er plans to handle this small matter herself in her spare time from cultivation.

After hearing Yan's explanation, Bibi Dong didn't reply, but just kept staring at Qian Renxue, who also stared back defiantly. The two looked at each other for a long time before Bibi Dong said slowly, "Just make sure you don't fall behind in your cultivation. Go out."

Her voice betrayed a weariness, clearly indicating that she didn't know how to get along with Qian Renxue. The once innocent Bibi Dong had died before Qian Renxue was born, and no matter how much she cared for the daughter in front of her, she couldn't help but think of the owner of the other half of the girl's blood, the guy who had brought her a lifetime of shadow.

After hearing Bibi Dong's words, Qian Renxue didn't say much. She just got up, turned around, and walked towards the palace gate. The first meeting between the mother and daughter after a long separation ended unhappily.

"You should go out too. I want to be alone."

Bibi Dong seemed to have lost all her strength in an instant, and slumped into a chair. Yan wanted to say something, but she waved him away.

When she was left alone in the vast council hall, Bibi Dong couldn't help but lower her head, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face. Who could imagine that this iron-fisted pope could also have such a vulnerable side?

The Elders' Hall is the largest building within the Papal Palace, representing the most powerful force within the entire Spirit Hall.

Normally, only Title Douluo can enter the Elder Hall. Of course, there are some special cases or individuals. Yan was one of those who were granted special permission to enter. When he entered the Elder Hall, the first thing he saw was the enormous statue of an angel.

The angel statue, originally located in the Spirit Offering Hall, was moved to the Elder Hall of Spirit City. This was a prerequisite for Qian Daoliu's agreement to cooperate, as the inheritance of angels requires the power of faith, and the Elder Hall was extremely suitable for this purpose.

When he entered, only Qian Renxue and Qian Daoliu were in front of the angel statue; the latter seemed to be comforting the former. When Qian Renxue noticed him, her expression changed slightly, and she left before he reached the angel statue.

"The Grand Offering".

Yan did not stop Qian Renxue from leaving. Instead, he went straight to Qian Daoliu, bowed, and paid his respects. He had not come to cultivate a relationship with the young lady this time, but had something really important to do.

"You've arrived."

Qian Daoliu nodded to Yan, and after Qian Renxue had completely left the hall, he spoke again: "Xue'er and that... Pope, I can't really explain what's going on between them. Do you have any good ideas?"

"Great Master, these things can't be rushed. Only they can open their hearts to each other. But after all, they are family. After spending a lot of time together, they can always feel each other's care and affection. I think they will eventually be able to reconcile."

Yan didn't offer any constructive suggestions. In fact, there wasn't much of a good solution to this kind of situation. Both women had their own grudges. Arranging a major event like the Pope rescuing the daughter wouldn't be impossible, but that would be too contrived.

Moreover, the long-term cold war between Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong also had some benefits for Yan, as it allowed him to repeatedly switch between them as a bridge to communicate and delve into their hearts to cultivate feelings. Therefore, his reply to Qian Daoliu was quite perfunctory.

Qian Daoliu knew in his heart that letting nature take its course was the best approach, so he could only nod and say, "Sigh, now it's up to them to decide."

After a moment of silence, Yan spoke again: "Grand Elder, I have come here today for the upcoming Elders' Meeting, and I hope to obtain the full support of the Hall of Elders."

Chapter 61 The Discussion of the Holy Son

In the Grand Council Hall of the Elders' Hall in Wuhun City, an extremely solemn meeting was held, deciding the future fate of the Wuhun Hall.

The Elders' Council is the true highest authority of the Spirit Hall. Even the Pope is subject to its constraints, but ultimately it comes down to the power of the Elders.

Under normal circumstances, the Elders' Meeting of the Spirit Hall is held only in the council hall, where the Pope and the elders in power jointly decide on all matters.

However, there are some special cases that require a larger meeting to convene, bringing together all bishops, Soul Saints, and Soul Douluos who are qualified to attend the meeting to make a joint decision. This meeting is one such case.

The relocation of the angel statue from the Hall of Worship to the Elder Hall of Spirit City was naturally a major event for the Spirit Hall. Previously, when the Pope ascended the throne, the elders remained silent, and various factions harbored their own thoughts.

However, the new Pope Bibidon is very capable. She has made a breakthrough in just over a year, which has attracted the attention of many people.

Hundreds of figures sat in the semi-circular council hall. Those who could participate in this meeting were definitely high-ranking members of the Spirit Hall, either bishops who had governed a region, or experts who had reached at least the seventh-ring Soul Saint level, or both.

Soul Saint level experts are absolute masters in the Soul Master world, yet in this meeting they could only sit at the very end, causing many to appear somewhat anxious. At this moment, the most attention-grabbing figures in the council hall were naturally those in the center.

Pope Bibidon sat prominently at the head of the table, overlooking the assembly. The two seats to her left and right were unoccupied; these were the positions of the Holy Son and Holy Daughter, representing the papacy's successors. Bibidon had been on the throne for less than two years and, naturally, had not yet appointed an heir.

Beneath the Pope's throne, on a circular array of high seats, ten distinguished and powerful figures clad in red robes stood in various poses: Chrysanthemum Douluo holding flowers, Ghost Douluo lurking in the shadows, Demon Bear Douluo meditating with his eyes closed, Ghost Leopard Douluo trimming his nails... Each of these powerful figures at the pinnacle of the Douluo Continent harbored their own thoughts, awaiting the commencement of the meeting.

"quiet."

Seeing that the number of people seated below was almost complete, Bibi Dong gestured to the cardinals below to close the hall doors. With a soft thud of her scepter hitting the ground, a surge of soul power swept through the entire council hall, causing everyone, including those with numerous titles, to fall silent. Then, their gazes all turned upwards to look at Bibi Dong.

"I have gathered you all here today for a major event of our Spirit Hall."