CHAPTER 340: CHAPTER 340: THE SITUATION HAS CHANGED, QIAN RENXUE

Spirit Hall City.

Compared to ten thousand years ago, Spirit Hall City now covers a much larger area, and the height of its buildings has nearly doubled.

Commerce was booming, with more common folk and traveling merchants bustling about.

As Dan Heng and the others entered the city, they immediately drew a lot of attention.

This group was made up entirely of handsome men and beautiful women, with an extremely high turn-around rate.

Ye Guyi wore a veil over her face and enthusiastically introduced the surroundings to everyone.

"See that food stall over there? Their grilled fish is the best!"

"That jewelry shop next to it? It’s all cheap trinkets, but they’re so pretty!"

"But that third one down the street? That one’s super annoying!"

Ye Guyi spoke like a local tour guide, eagerly explaining every detail.

Zi Ji looked at her in surprise, "You’ve been here before? And why the veil?"

Ye Guyi twirled around like a butterfly and giggled.

"I’m kind of famous, you know. Can’t let people see me~" Her big eyes sparkled mischievously. Just wait until they all find out who I really am—they’ll be stunned!

Just imagining the moment made her puff up with pride, practically glowing with excitement.

Zi Ji leaned toward Bi Ji and muttered, "She’s definitely having an episode."

"..."

Bi Ji smiled helplessly.

"Let’s split up for now? We’ll meet later at the Hall of the Pope. I’ll take you guys to some amazing food!"

Ye Guyi grabbed Tang Ya and said excitedly.

Tang Ya glanced toward Gu Yuena, knowing who the real leader here was.

Gu Yuena gave a slight nod and smiled, "Sure, let’s split up."

Ye Guyi cheered and dragged Tang Ya off.

Bei Bei and Huo Yuhao followed behind them.

Bi Ji then turned to Zi Ji and said, "Let’s look around too. Longlong and Bao’er might find something they like."

Zi Ji, holding Longlong in her arms, looked hesitantly at Gu Yuena, not really wanting to go.

"Come on, come on~" Bi Ji coaxed her gently and led her away.

Shui Bing’er also went with them.

Chrysanthemum Douluo and Sea God Poseidon exchanged glances but didn’t leave right away.

"Mr. Dan Heng, even you can’t locate those Evil Soul Masters?" Chrysanthemum Douluo looked at him with hope.

Dan Heng shook his head, "Those Evil Soul Masters are excellent at hiding. Even I can’t detect them from afar..."

Not only him—even when using planar willpower, the enemy was still difficult to pinpoint.

That could only mean one of two things:Either they were no longer within the Douluo plane,Or they had some means of blocking planar perception.

Chrysanthemum Douluo sighed and didn’t press further. He left with Sea God Poseidon and Electrolux.

This left Dan Heng and Gu Yuena with some personal time alone.

Gu Yuena held Dan Heng’s hand like a newly-in-love couple, swaying it as they strolled and talked intimately.

Now that everything was out in the open between them, there were no more secrets.

"Husband, I originally wanted the soul beasts to become gods and fight back against the Divine Realm. But now... I don’t even know what the future holds..."

Gu Yuena said softly, gazing at Dan Heng.

It was all Dan Heng’s fault—he had exiled the Divine Realm completely.

Now that the soul beasts were no longer oppressed, they also no longer had an enemy to fight.

Dan Heng was silent for a moment, then said:

"Actually, when I exiled the Divine Realm, the God of Asura told me a secret."

Gu Yuena kept walking beside him, curiosity piqued.

"A secret?"

Dan Heng nodded.

"Back then, the Divine Realm was no match for the Dragon God. Even with the Three Realms Judgment Sword, they might not have been able to kill him."

Gu Yuena stopped walking, realizing this was a huge revelation.

"But it was the Dragon God himself who regained his clarity at a critical moment."

"Knowing that his madness couldn’t be reversed, he chose to die. He foresaw that soul beasts might face the same fate as him if they ever became gods. But it was too late to change anything—he only hoped for a swift death."

"So, the Three Realms Judgment Sword killed him, and he split into you and the Golden Dragon King. But in his final moments, the Dragon God cursed all soul beasts. Until a new Dragon God is born, the curse would prevent any soul beast from becoming a god."

Dan Heng finished speaking.

Gu Yuena’s face instantly turned pale.

Her lips parted slightly, breathing fast.

Who could’ve imagined that the reason soul beasts couldn’t become gods... was because of the Dragon God himself?

Their enemy wasn’t just the Divine Realm—but also the Dragon God!

"How could this be..." Gu Yuena murmured.

Had anyone else said this—even Di Tian or the Golden Dragon King—she would’ve suspected they were brainwashed.

But because it was Dan Heng, she believed him.

If this news got out, it would shake the entire world.

"But... Di Tian and the others have become gods," Gu Yuena said uncertainly.

"That’s because they participated in god position trials. That’s the only loophole around the curse—soul beasts with over 100,000 years of cultivation who transform into humans."

Dan Heng explained.

Truthfully, he didn’t fully understand the Dragon God’s thinking either.

That curse alone had suppressed soul beasts for tens of thousands of years.

Di Tian, who was once a divine being, had fallen into becoming a fierce beast.

Now the Divine Realm, governed by the likes of the Asura God, had a choice: risk helping soul beasts and potentially creating another insane Dragon God...Or take the safest path—completely prevent soul beasts from becoming gods.

It was obvious what they’d choose.

That’s how soul beasts ended up in their current godless state.

Gu Yuena bit her lip, momentarily dazed and speechless. She clung to Dan Heng’s chest, as if only from his warmth could she summon the courage to face this truth.

Dan Heng gently stroked her back.

"It’s okay. I’ll always be with you."

Gu Yuena gave a soft "mm" and held him for a while. When she lifted her head again, the confusion and disappointment were gone from her face.

"Husband, the Dragon God failed—but I’ll succeed."

"I’ll make sure soul beasts can become gods. I’ll break that curse!"

Her voice was resolute.

"I’ll help you," Dan Heng said with a nod.

At the same time, he couldn’t help but wonder—what caused the Beast God to go insane later? What triggered it?

"But for now, shouldn’t we enjoy our date?"

Gu Yuena smiled playfully, pulled Dan Heng along, and the two walked into a store to browse together.

...

That afternoon, as the agreed time approached...

Dan Heng and Gu Yuena made their way toward the Hall of the Pope.

From a distance, they saw Zi Ji already arguing with a soul master at the main entrance.

Things were about to get physical.

Neither Dan Heng nor Gu Yuena hurried over—they strolled leisurely.

Now that they weren’t hiding their strength, solving problems was going to be... straightforward.

At the hall’s entrance, Zi Ji had shoved Longlong into Bi Ji’s arms. Hands on her hips, she angrily shouted:

"I want to see the Pope! Who are you to stop me?!"

The man blocking her was a stocky middle-aged soul master with a strong build. Arms crossed, he replied coldly:

"I said no, and I mean it!"

"You’re not part of the Pope’s Hall. You think you can just demand to see the Pope? Who do you think you are, the Grand Elder?!"

"As long as I, Cheng Gang, stand guard here, you’re not getting in!"

He snorted coldly, his attitude firm.

Bi Ji tried to mediate, "Zi Ji, calm down. Let’s talk this out. Mr. Cheng Gang, we’re here to investigate the Evil Soul Masters. We share the same goal as Spirit Hall..."

"You guys...?"

Cheng Gang was momentarily stunned. He looked at Biji up and down, then grinned widely."You girls should just go home and raise children."

Biji blushed and sighed helplessly.

Watching the scene from nearby, Ye Guiyi chuckled secretly, quite pleased with herself:Do they really think I’m that easy to meet?

It’s only because I’m hiding my identity right now that you even get to see me!

If I revealed myself directly, it would take some serious trouble just to get an audience with me!

All this is just me humbling myself to mingle with the commoners!

The more she thought about it, the more amused Ye Guiyi became.

Seeing Cheng Gang speaking so arrogantly, Ye Guiyi cleared her throat and was just about to speak—

When suddenly, an unexpected turn of events erupted!

Zi Ji’s arm transformed into a dragon’s claw and struck toward Cheng Gang.

Cheng Gang sneered coldly, "I’ve known something was off about you from the start! Couldn’t hold back any longer, huh? Want to test your strength against me? Do you even know what my Title is? It’s Giant Strength!"

As he spoke, he caught Zi Ji’s dragon claw with one hand, and nine soul rings rose beneath his feet.

He was a full-fledged Titled Douluo!

Ye Guiyi was stunned for a moment. Wait—why is Zi Ji acting so bold? She’s starting a fight with Cheng Gang right in front of the Spirit Hall?!

And that guy is the Giant Strength Douluo, no less!

"Elder Cheng! Stop—!"

Ye Guiyi cried out in alarm.

But before she could finish speaking—

Zi Ji’s dragon claw suddenly slammed down on Cheng Gang. His face turned red, his body shrank, bent over, fell to his knees, and with a loud bang, collapsed to the ground!

Zi Ji snorted, "With that little strength, you dare to challenge me?"

Biji exclaimed, "Zi Ji! You... you’ve caused trouble now! We need to leave—fast!"

Before the Spirit Hall soul masters could react, Biji grabbed Zi Ji, turned, and ran.

They weren’t afraid of the Spirit Hall itself, but they didn’t want to cause trouble for Dan Heng and the others!

Especially Zi Ji—she’d already been scolded many times for acting out before.

"What an idiot."

Poseidon (Sea God) chuckled and, along with the others, stepped aside, letting the Spirit Hall soul masters go chase after Zi Ji.

Chrysanthemum Douluo looked gloomy and muttered,"If you ask me, it’s just that Spirit Hall in this era is too full of itself! The Pope isn’t even accessible? A Titled Douluo acting like a glorified doorman?"

As someone from ten thousand years ago, he didn’t realize how much the times had changed.

Even Titled Douluo were now reduced to guarding palace gates!

Let alone just guarding the Pope’s Hall.

Elsewhere, Ye Guiyi was dumbfounded.Wait—Zi Ji is actually this strong?

She had thought Zi Ji was at most a Soul Douluo.

But with this kind of performance... could this group actually be stronger than Spirit Hall?

If so, then how could she, as the Pope, possibly outshine them in front of others?

"Teacher!"

Tang Ya and the others quickly chased after Zi Ji and Brigitte.

Ye Guiyi glanced around, then quietly slipped back into the Pope’s Hall.

Chaos broke out inside Spirit City.

The Spirit Hall’s soul master teams never managed to catch Zi Ji and Bi Ji

Gu Yuena directly used her spatial divine power to teleport them to her side.

Inside a hotel room—

Zi Ji, who suddenly appeared, saw Dan Heng and Gu Yuena, and immediately lowered her head, looking quite guilty.

After a moment of hesitation, she took Long Long from Bi Ji’s arms and said:

"I’m sorry, Sister... I... I just couldn’t hold back..."

"It’s okay if you couldn’t. We’ve been suppressing you all this time, but from now on, we won’t anymore."

Gu Yuena smiled as she spoke.

"Huh?" Zi Ji froze, looking at Gu Yuena in disbelief.

If it were before, she would’ve been scolded for sure. Why wasn’t there even a single rebuke now?

"Sister... you’re not... trying to kick me out, are you? Please don’t..."

Zi Ji burst into tears instantly, nearly falling to her knees.

She blurted out all sorts of embarrassing pleas.

Gu Yuena held her forehead, exasperated, "It’s true! I’m not blaming you anymore. Just relax."

"!!!"

Zi Ji stopped crying instantly, smiled foolishly, and asked,

"Sister, you really won’t make me leave?"

Gu Yuena shot her a glare, "Unless you want to leave..."

"No no! I’m not going anywhere! I want to stay with you and brother-in-law forever! And help raise little Long Long too!"

Zi Ji declared without hesitation.

Gu Yuena shook her head slightly, "Anyway, as long as you don’t go around killing innocent people or acting recklessly, then even if you use your strength, it’s fine. From now on... things are different."

She glanced at Dan Heng and smiled softly.

Because now, they had Dan Heng backing them up.

Zi Ji’s eyes went wide. She was thrilled."That’s amazing! If I had known earlier, I would’ve just smashed that whole damn Pope’s Hall to bits! How dare they treat me like that! Who do they think they are?!"

"This is all Bi Ji’s fault! If you hadn’t said those things, I wouldn’t have been so angry!"

Zi Ji immediately blamed Bi Ji.

Bi Ji looked at her aggrievedly, "I... I was just worried, that’s all..."

Gu Yuena sighed and shook her head.

Outside the hotel.

Chrysanthemum Douluo was trailing behind Poseidon, about to enter the hotel. Just as he fell to the back of the group, a voice echoed in his mind.

"Elder Chrysanthemum..."

Chrysanthemum Douluo stopped, turned around—

In the crowd, a blonde woman was looking at him.

"!!!" Chrysanthemum Douluo froze instantly.

That was...

He quickly ran over. Halfway there, he dropped to his knees right in the street.

"Greetings, Young Mistress!"

A gentle force lifted him up.

Standing before him was none other than Qian Renxue, the Young Mistress of Spirit Hall from ten thousand years ago—Now the Angel God!

Qian Renxue nodded, "So you’ve finally come back. I didn’t expect to meet you here. Are you... doing well?"

Chrysanthemum Douluo sighed and told her everything that had happened.

Qian Renxue fell silent. She looked at the crowd around them and said slowly,"Actually, I’ve known... That’s why I came this time—precisely for this matter. The Holy Spirit Sect is growing too powerful. Even Spirit Hall..."

Elsewhere, Ye Guiyi revealed her identity and returned to the Pope’s Hall. She stopped the Grand Elder from ordering the pursuit of Zi Ji.

"Stop!"

Ye Guiyi pushed open the hall doors. Under the gaze of all the soul masters, she walked to the front.

Beside the throne, the Grand Elder smiled,"What’s wrong, Your Holiness?"

"That woman is called Zi Ji! She’s not some criminal, and she holds no ill will toward Spirit Hall. She’s only here to investigate evil soul masters! There’s no need to hunt them down!"

Ye Guiyi declared loudly.

Cheng Gang shouted,"That woman is stronger than me—she didn’t even show her soul rings! She’s definitely not simple!"

"Your Holiness, don’t let her fool you! Maybe she’s already been corrupted by evil soul masters!"

The surrounding soul masters burst out laughing.

Not a single one showed respect toward Ye Guiyi.

After all, she was the weakest among them.

The Grand Elder simply smiled and said:"Well then... let’s follow the Pope’s orders."(End of Chapter)