"Sano led a team to assassinate that An Lan, but it's been days and there's still no word."
"Take some men and investigate what's going on—now!"
In Heaven Dou Imperial City, inside the Spirit Hall Sanctuary, Platinum Bishop Salas felt an ominous foreboding deep in his heart. Something had clearly gone wrong.
Without delay, he summoned his subordinates and issued the order.
Soon enough, Spirit Hall's Soul Masters tracked the trail from the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena all the way to the outskirts of the city.
There, they discovered the forest where Sano and the Spirit Hall team had ambushed Ye Yu.
The ground appeared to have caved in.
Massive patches of scorched earth had sunken deep underground.
Signs of a fierce battle were evident.
Under the excavation efforts of Spirit Hall's Soul Masters—
A total of thirty-eight charred corpses were recovered.
Most were burnt beyond recognition.
Upon hearing the news, Salas rushed to the scene.
The moment he identified the body of his nephew Sano, his legs gave out, and he dropped to his knees.
Grief consumed him as he threw his head back and howled in anguish.
"No! Sano!"
"Who did this?! Who dared strike you down so viciously?!"
Although Sano was nominally his nephew—
Salas's older brother had died young during a failed assault on Sea God Island.
But in truth, Sano's mother had long been having an affair with Salas.
Sano wasn't his brother's son—
He was Salas's only son.
A fact that could never be made public.
And now, the white-haired had sent off the black-haired.
Salas was devastated, his eyes bloodshot with fury.
"An Lan! That cursed An Lan must be backed by someone!"
"It was that person who killed Sano and all our Spirit Hall Soul Masters here!"
"To dare strike down our Spirit Hall disciples so ruthlessly—is a blatant insult to the authority of Spirit Hall!"
"I will report this to Her Holiness the Supreme Pontiff immediately!"
"I request the issuance of a Spirit Hall Execution Order!"
The Spirit Hall Execution Order—
A decree of absolute extermination, reserved only for the gravest of enemies.
It mobilized the entire strength of Spirit Hall to hunt the target down to the ends of the earth.
In the past, this order had been used only against the most vile of Evil Soul Masters, the kind who slaughtered entire towns and cities.
Of course, Tang Hao had also once been the target of such an order.
Though some suspected Qian Daoliu knew Tang Hao wasn't the true killer of Qian Xunji—
And others believed Bibi Dong, upon becoming Supreme Pontiff, had merely used it as a political maneuver—secretly grateful to Tang Hao for granting her vengeance.
Either way, that order against Tang Hao had been thunderous in declaration, but light in follow-through.
But now, with his son Sano slain—
Platinum Bishop Salas returned to the Spirit Hall Sanctuary in Heaven Dou City and immediately drafted a heavily embellished report.
He exaggerated the circumstances, describing Sano and over thirty Spirit Hall Soul Masters being brutally killed.
He sent it straight to Bibi Dong.
But naturally, matters in the Heaven Dou branch of Spirit Hall couldn't escape the notice of Qian Renxue.
Soon, she received a copy of the report Salas had submitted to Bibi Dong.
After reading its contents, Qian Renxue's expression turned strange.
Because she knew very well—
This "An Lan," who had recently risen to fame at the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena—
Was none other than Ye Yu, the young man who had pledged loyalty to her.
According to Salas's report—
He claimed that, in an effort to recruit genius Soul Masters for Spirit Hall, he had sent his nephew to the Arena multiple times to invite Ye Yu to join them.
This had allegedly annoyed Ye Yu.
In response, Ye Yu had lured Sano and the others outside the city...
Where a powerful Soul Master backing him ambushed and annihilated them all.
Salas claimed this hidden Soul Master not only scorned Spirit Hall but likely harbored a personal grudge.
He insisted Spirit Hall must respond with overwhelming force—and that an Execution Order must be issued!
To this, Qian Renxue could only sneer.
Who do you think you're fooling, Salas?
She knew full well that Dugu Bo, the man behind Ye Yu, did indeed have past conflicts with Spirit Hall.
However, according to the investigation—
Sano and his group had been burnt to cinders by lightning and then buried in a collapsed area of the forest.
That suggested their killer was a powerful lightning-type and earth-type Soul Master protecting "An Lan" from the shadows.
But Dugu Bo clearly wasn't either of those.
Given what she knew of Salas—and the current corrupt culture festering within Spirit Hall—
Qian Renxue could easily deduce the truth.
Salas had tried and failed to recruit Ye Yu.
Believing Ye Yu could become a threat in the future, he had dispatched his nephew Sano to eliminate him.
But instead, they had all been slaughtered in turn.
And since there was no evidence that Dugu Bo had intervened...
There was only one explanation:
Ye Yu had done it himself.
This left Qian Renxue truly astonished.
After all, according to Salas's own report—
Sano was a Soul Emperor, leading a team that included 15 other Soul Emperors, 12 Soul Kings, and 10 Soul Elders.
And yet... Ye Yu had managed to kill them all.
Just how powerful was he?
Qian Renxue's admiration for Ye Yu grew even deeper.
And now that she understood what had really happened—
Naturally, she would never allow Salas to initiate a Spirit Hall Execution Order against Ye Yu.
"Anyone who belongs to me, Qian Renxue, is off-limits to others!"
Without delay, she drafted a formal letter, which she entrusted to Bloodthorn Douluo to deliver back to Spirit City.
The letter firmly opposed and refuted Salas's request to issue an Execution Order against "An Lan."
Although Salas was a Platinum Bishop—
Given Qian Renxue's status...
The Execution Order was never approved.
Salas could only rely on the local Spirit Hall forces in Heaven Dou City if he wanted revenge for his son Sano.
However, even though the request had been denied...
The mere fact that Salas had attempted to pursue such an order...
Told Qian Renxue that he wasn't going to let this matter rest.
Worried that Ye Yu might not be aware of the full situation—
Qian Renxue personally visited him the next day, inviting him out for tea at Clearwind Teahouse.
Inside a private room—
Dressed in flowing golden robes, Qian Renxue was disguised in her Xue Qinghe persona. Her delicate, handsome face carried a gentle smile.
As she elegantly demonstrated the art of tea preparation—
She smiled and spoke softly:
"Ye Yu, I heard you haven't been attending classes at the Royal Academy lately. Have you been training hard all this time?"
"Cultivating diligently is good, but don't forget to take care of your health."
"But recently, things might get a bit chaotic in Spirit City."
"I heard a rising star in the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena—someone named An Lan—defeated that genius, Feng Xiaotian."
"Unfortunately, he's somehow gotten entangled in the death of Platinum Bishop Salas's nephew, Sano."
"Sano and more than thirty Spirit Hall Soul Masters mysteriously died just outside the city."
"Salas was furious. He believes it's related to An Lan."
"He even tried to apply for a Spirit Hall Execution Order."
"Though it was rejected, I doubt he'll let things go quietly."
"There may be trouble stirring soon in Heaven Dou City."
"So if you're staying home to focus on training... that might actually be a good thing right now."
Qian Renxue seemed to be simply sharing idle gossip—
As if casually mentioning what she'd heard around the capital.
But her real intent was clear: she was subtly warning Ye Yu to stay vigilant.
And Ye Yu—
Could hear the hidden meaning between her words. His feelings grew complicated.
Qian Renxue... Did she already realize that An Lan is me?
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin