Chapter 290: Re‑Encounter with Qian Renxue

Two Mountains is a renowned pinnacle in the Soul Master World, but few people enter it.

On one hand, Two Mountains lies among towering ranges at a very high altitude and is extremely difficult to climb; ordinary people can hardly ascend it.

Moreover, Two Mountains holds a lofty status in the Soul Master World, symbolizing the highest realm of a soul master, and only top experts fight decisive battles here.

Back then, Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu, the two Limit Douluo, fought their decisive battle on Two Mountains; after countless clashes, Tang Chen finally managed a slight edge.

Since then, Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu have been called the Two Mountains by the Soul Master World, an almost insurmountable peak that no one has scaled in nearly a thousand years.

Yang Xiong rode his sword to Two Mountains, and the scene before his eyes truly took one's breath away.

Two Mountains consists of two massive peaks linked together; the whole mountain appears to be made of stone, and because of the extreme altitude, the stones are even covered with a layer of ice and snow.

Moreover, the stones look jet‑black, with faint streaks of lightning; perhaps because of the great height, they seem close to the cloud layer, feeling the strike of lightning, reminiscent of the stones of the Sea God Island's Raging Wave Absolute Peril.

Yang Xiong went straight to a summit and sat down quietly.

After a quarter of an hour, a powerful aura seemed to fly down from the sky in the distance; golden light illuminated the whole world, like a sun descending.

The newcomer is Qian Renxue, who immediately arrived at the opposite summit.

Compared with the time of the Heaven Dou Palace Coup, the present Qian Renxue appears countless times stronger, her face full of confidence and equally noble, especially the Six‑Winged Angel behind her bears six golden wings, dazzlingly splendid.

"Yang Xiong, you're surprisingly punctual; I didn't expect you to actually dare to accept the challenge."

Yang Xiong laughed: "There's no such thing as daring or not daring. Back then I dared to challenge you, so I certainly wasn't a shrinking turtle. As for you, hiding in the Douluo Hall all these years—has your combat experience improved? You won't be as weak as you were back then, I hope."

Qian Renxue snorted coldly: "All these years, and you've only just cultivated to Title Douluo, without even obtaining the Ninth Soul Ring. Shall I give you more time, let you acquire a soul ring first, then we can have the decisive battle?"

Yang Xiong's eyes showed a hint of disdain: "Back then you were also a realm above me, yet I easily defeated you, right? I hope that besides being verbally tough, your strength isn't as pitiful as it was then."

Qian Renxue's expression flickered, but she quickly calmed again.

"Yang Xiong, you and I have known each other since childhood. I've always wanted to ask you something: when we first met, you tried to set me up with a girlfriend. When exactly did you realize I was the impostor Crown Prince Xue Qinghe?"

Yang Xiong laughed: "Actually, the first time I saw you I knew you weren't male, but I didn't expect you to be an undercover agent of the Spirit Hall."

"But the Xue Ye Emperor has so many sons; there's no need to promote a woman to Crown Prince, so I already thought your intentions were bad. Unfortunately the Sect Leader trusted you too much, and achieving this level means you have extraordinary backing behind you—though it wastes the Sect Leader's painstaking effort."

Qian Renxue snorted: "What's Ning Fengzhi? He barely qualified to become my teacher. Back then I was just playing along, pretending to be a disciple. Ning Fengzhi fell for it only because his wisdom was lacking; he was duped."

Yang Xiong shook his head: "You've been educated by the Sect Leader since childhood; you should know how much effort the Sect Leader poured into you. Perhaps that's the Spirit Hall's way of dealing with the world."

Qian Renxue said: "Yang Xiong, I consider that I've never shown any flaw. How did you discover something was off about me back then, and why didn't you point it out clearly?"

"If you had told Ning Fengzhi earlier, I probably couldn't have stayed hidden for so many years."

Yang Xiong laughed: "I've been familiar with medicines since childhood; basically I've been soaking in Medicine Baths and tempering my body, so I can identify various herbs by scent."

"Although you disguise yourself in male clothing, there's a faint trace of feminine fragrance on you; a normal man wouldn't have that scent."

Qian Renxue's expression flickered: "Then I'll ask you another question. Since you discovered my abnormality early, why did you still trade with me, and why did you point out that the Xue Beng Prince has been biding his time, developing quietly to confront me?"

Yang Xiong's mouth curled with disdain: "What sort of scum is Xue Beng? This decadent fellow, though a prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, commits every evil, oppresses men and women. If your identity were ever exposed, the Xue Beng Prince would become the sole heir of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family."

"Rather than let such a person ascend, it's better to use your status. I suppose you'd be eager to eliminate this threat to you, right?"

Qian Renxue's face darkened: "So Yang Xiong, you intend to use a proxy to kill, knowingly using me, an enemy infiltrator, to eliminate people you dislike."

"Or perhaps you've long had a scheme; the Heaven Dou Imperial Family is almost wiped out by me, and the Xue Ye Emperor is aged, so the Heaven Dou Imperial Family may soon have no successor."

"In that case, whether it's the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect or your newly founded Body Sect, the next generation would face no threat; you might even control the Heaven Dou Imperial Family and ultimately dominate the entire Heaven Dou Empire."

"Indeed, you're a schemer; you guessed my intention so easily. Whether it's the Body Sect or the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, we don't need the Heaven Dou Empire to become the hegemon; otherwise how could our thousands of soul masters realize my ambition?"

"Yang Xiong, I've watched you grow up; I didn't expect your mind to be so deep. It's a pity you're not a direct line of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect; otherwise, with the strength of the Body Sect and the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, we might surpass the former Clear Sky Sect."

"Qian Renxue, are you underestimating my Body Sect? Since I dared to leave the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, I have absolute confidence in the Body Sect. Not to mention the old Clear Sky Sect, the Body Sect aims to surpass the former Spirit Hall."

"You're delusional; the depth of our Spirit Hall far exceeds your imagination. Only by the three top sects joining forces can you barely contend with the Spirit Hall."

"Your Body Sect lacks a genuine inherited martial soul; it's merely a coalition of third‑rate families. How can you dare to despise the millennial inheritance of our Spirit Hall?"

"Moreover, don't forget that the true inheritance of our Spirit Hall isn't those ordinary Title Douluo, but the Angel God lineage—my Six‑Winged Angel, which is the genuine Divine Level martial soul inheritance."

"Qian Renxue, perhaps you're mistaken about something. The Spirit Hall is indeed powerful, but not solely because of your Six‑Winged Angel lineage; you've recruited countless talents from the Two Great Empires and have a complete personnel cultivation system. Otherwise, relying only on that single Six‑Winged Angel seed, no matter how strong, would still be just one person."

"Just as your Spirit Hall has many Title Douluo, the only true martial soul of the Six‑Winged Angel is Qian Daoliu; the others aren't the Spirit Hall's inherited martial souls, otherwise the Spirit Empire wouldn't have Bibidong as emperor."

"So what? Gods can decide everything, and my Qian family inherits the Angel God; the Angel God will become the strongest existence in the world."

Yang Xiong's expression suddenly changed.

"Qian Renxue, you've asked me so many things; I also want to ask you: which stage of the Angel God inheritance assessment have you reached? Why challenge me at a time like this?"

"Yang Xiong, you actually know a lot. To be frank, I've already completed the seventh trial of the Angel Nine Examinations; I'm now only one step away from the Angel God inheritance. Once I reach Level 99, I can receive the Angel God's final inheritance."

"That's precisely why; losing to you back then has been a lifelong humiliation, so I challenge you now to avenge that single defeat, and then my life will have no regrets."

Yang Xiong's expression shifted slightly upon hearing this; he hadn't expected Qian Renxue to think that way. Indeed, in the original work, Qian Renxue harbored a grudge over her defeat by Tang San, causing the Angel God inheritance to go awry, and even after becoming a god she could not achieve fulfillment.

Now Qian Renxue is challenging me early, clearly to push her strength to the limit and break her inner shackles, perhaps using the chance to breakthrough to Level 99.

Moreover, judging by Qian Renxue's current appearance, she must have absorbed at least five soul bones from the Angel God Armor, essentially reaching the pinnacle of her body.

"What of the Angel God's inheritance? I want to see whether this Angel God inheritor is truly invincible, and whether your talent is indeed stronger than I imagined."

"That's enough reminiscing; let me see your true strength."

"Yang Xiong, Martial Soul Asura, Level 90 strong‑attack battle soul master!"

"Qian Renxue, Six‑Winged Angel, Level 98 strong‑attack battle soul master!"

As Qian Renxue's words ended, eight black and one red soul rings flashed into existence, and a massive Six‑Winged Angel appeared behind her. The angel's radiance was supremely holy; at that moment, golden light seemed to emanate from Qian Renxue, as if no darkness in the world could conceal it.

Yang Xiong's body turned golden, a blood‑red silhouette emerged behind him, and five black and three red soul rings manifested.

Even though Qian Renxue's strength was formidable, she was unusually surprised by Yang Xiong's soul‑ring configuration.

"Interesting. It seems you, Yang Xiong, are also a divine inheritor. Then I'll let you witness the power of the Six‑Winged Angel, so you'll know the Angel God is the true orthodoxy of all soul masters on the Douluo Continent."

"I don't care about what's orthodox; I only know that, with your current ambition, you're unfit for the Angel God's sanctity."

(End of Chapter)