Chapter 291. Tang Chen stepped onto the Spirit Hall (part 1)
Qian Xunji glanced at Qian Daoliu and said, "Alright then, old man, do you hope Poseidon loves you or hates you?"
Qian Daoliu, hearing Qian Xunji's words, said, "Nonsense, of course I hope she loves me."
"But, if you make her marry you, marry a man she doesn't like, so she can never be with the man she loves, won't she hate you?"
"Do you want a woman who shares your bed to hate and loathe you?" Qian Xunji smiled.
"Ah, this..." Qian Daoliu hesitated. Qian Xunji smiled wickedly, "I know, if Poseidon is forced to marry you without loving you, it will only make her hate and loathe you more and more. This must be unacceptable to you, Father."
Qian Daoliu nodded. He was a gentleman and could not accept Poseidon marrying him without loving him, let alone accept her growing hatred towards him!
"But we can't just watch Poseidon marry Tang Chen. With Seagod Island and the Clear Sky Sect united, they pose a huge threat to our Spirit Hall. So, we must break up this true love between Poseidon and Tang Chen, right?" Qian Xunji continued.
"But… Xixi and Tang Chen are truly in love. Xixi's happiness is all I need. What you're doing will only make Xixi unhappy for the rest of her life," Qian Daoliu voiced his concerns. Qian Xunji laughed, "When Tang Chen and Poseidon fell in love, did they consider your feelings? For the happiness of the one you love, you decided to let them be together, but that's just your self-pity, old man. They don't care about you at all."
Hearing Qian Xunji's words, Qian Daoliu felt as if struck by lightning.
Yes, he could let Xixi and Tang Chen be together, but would Xixi and Tang Chen care about him?
No, they wouldn't. They would only happily nestle in each other's arms, while he silently watched them be happy from a corner.
"So, since you can't have happiness, why should they have it? Why not just destroy it?" Qian Xunji said. "People are selfish. As the saying goes, if I can't have it, no one else can either."
"If I can't have it, no one else can either," Qian Daoliu murmured.
"So, Father, you can't accept that Poseidon married you with hatred in her heart, and you can't accept that Poseidon and Tang Chen are happily together again. If I don't go to hell, who will? I, Qian Xunji, will bear all this burden for you, and bear the hatred of Poseidon and Tang Chen." Qian Xunji said with a look of resignation.
"Besides, you didn't get nothing, right? Think about it, what did your nemesis Tang Chen get besides Xixi's heart? Can you eat a heart? On the contrary, you didn't get nothing either. Think about it, your beloved goddess became your daughter-in-law and even gave birth to your grandson with your bloodline. Isn't that a gain? Tang Chen will be so angry he'll want to ascend to heaven."
Qian Daoliu was silent for a moment, then looked at Qian Xunji and said, "If I don't go to hell, who will? I think you're just lustful. You even dared to lay a hand on the woman I love. Get out of here—" Although he said that, Qian Daoliu had already tacitly approved of Qian Xunji's plan.
After all, after eating so much dog food (a Chinese idiom for witnessing public displays of affection), Qian Xunji's words had stirred up the jealousy in Qian Daoliu's heart, a man of integrity.
Tang Chen, if I can't have him, neither can you.
A few days later, Tang Chen had replenished his energy and blood, and began to gather people from the Clear Sky Sect, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, and other forces to go to the Spirit Hall.
Meanwhile, a wedding was being held at the Spirit Hall.
Under the witness of Qian Daoliu, Poseidon and Qian Xunji exchanged vows.
It's worth mentioning that when Poseidon saw Qian Daoliu, she was so embarrassed she could have dug her feet out of a three-bedroom apartment.
This wasn't entirely Qian Daoliu's fault, as it was the Sea God's arrangement, but her former friend was now her father-in-law, and Poseidon didn't know how to face her old friend.
Qian Daoliu, looking at Poseidon in her wedding dress, was also stunned. Poseidon was so beautiful; it was a pity she wasn't his woman. If she were, he would definitely cherish her.
However, marrying Xunji was fine too; at least the goddess was his daughter-in-law, better than her marrying into the Tang family.
Qian Daoliu consoled himself.
Late at night, Poseidon was in the house when Qian Xunji entered. Looking at the stunningly beautiful Poseidon, he chuckled wickedly, "Madam, we can begin."
Poseidon had lost her previous demure demeanor; her face had regained its usual indifferent, aloof expression.
"Begin what?" Poseidon asked, looking at Qian Xunji.
"Madam, don't joke around. We're already married," Qian Xunji said playfully.
"Yes, we've completed our wedding ceremony. But Qian Xunji, do you think I'll love you?" Poseidon asked.
Qian Xunji feigned ignorance, asking, "What do you mean by that?"
Poseidon said, "I have my reasons. Marrying you was just a temporary measure. But Qian Xunji, you should be realistic. I don't love you. My heart already belongs to someone else."
"So, what are you trying to say?" Qian Xunji asked.
Poseidon stood up, constructing a soul power barrier around the bed, and said calmly, "You can consider our engagement as a play. You and I just need to act it out well, but—"
"A play doesn't have to be real!"
Qian Xunji said, "So, you're using me as a tool."
"You can also understand it that way," Poseidon said, "I can guide you to break through realms you can't reach, in exchange."
"No, I don't need it. Do you think I need the guidance of the High Priest of the Angel God, what would I need the guidance of you, the High Priest of the Sea God?" Qian Xunji said.
"It's fine if you don't need it. Just don't touch me, pretend I don't exist in the Spirit Hall." Poseidon said.
Qian Xunji didn't react to Poseidon's request, as it was within his expectations.
"Master, should this servant force Poseidon a little?" Xiao Dongzi asked with a fawning expression.
"What a good lackey, but there's no need," Qian Xunji shook his head and said, "Your only purpose is to lure Poseidon from Seagod Island, but if I let you do everything for me, what's the point of my sense of conquest?"
At this moment, a murderous aura spread from outside the Spirit Hall.
The sharp murderous aura was mixed with a rough voice.
"Qian Xunji, Qian Daoliu, get out here! Poseidon, are you there?"
Qian Xunji raised his head, looking at the distant sky through the skylight of the Papal Palace.
Two sources of killing intent emanated from the sky, one from Tang Hao, the other from Tang Chen.
The three Title Douluos, Tang Xiao on the left, Tang Hao on the right, and Tang Chen in the center, walked towards them from the horizon.
Qian Xunji swept his divine sense across the area outside Spirit City; the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the Clear Sky School—the various forces of the two great empires—had gathered here for the first time!
Clearly, Tang Chen had assembled them all.
Behind Qian Xunji, the door opened, and Poseidon's excited voice said, "Brother Chen, Tang Chen has come to see me!"
Suddenly, Poseidon's fervent excitement was doused with cold water.
The sea god's eerie voice reached Poseidon's ears: "Tang Chen is here. Play your part well, don't reveal your true thoughts, or you will lose your faith, and I will punish Tang Chen, making him pay the price."
"Why? Why? Lord Sea God, Tang Chen and I are so close, why can't you grant us our wish?" Poseidon questioned bitterly.
"This is a test for you. If you succeed, you can be together; if you fail, you will be punished."
Poseidon felt helpless.
She approached Qian Xunji and made a request, saying, "Hold me."
"What are you doing? Didn't you tell me not to touch you?" Qian Xunji said with a wicked smile.
Poseidon wanted nothing more than to kill Qian Xunji. Why was the sea god letting this shameless fellow have his way?
Her heart was filled with helplessness.
Tang Chen, Tang Hao, and Tang Xiao looked down at the Spirit Hall below.
At this moment, several streaks of light flashed, and Qian Daoliu, Qian Xunji, and Poseidon arrived above the Spirit Hall.
When Tang Chen saw Qian Xunji and Poseidon appear, his pupils trembled violently. What did he see?
He saw Poseidon nestled sweetly in Qian Xunji's arms, both wearing their wedding attire.
If seeing this through a spirit tool could comfort Tang Chen by suggesting the Spirit Hall had manipulated things, seeing it for himself was far more devastating. When Tang Chen saw Poseidon nestled in Qian Xunji's arms, his heart shattered.
"Xixi—could what you said in the spirit tool be true? Have you forgotten our vows of eternal love?" Tang Chen questioned angrily.
Poseidon looked at Tang Chen and the eight black and one red spirit rings beneath him, feeling both disappointed and guilty.
Disappointed because, although marrying someone who could become a god wasn't her intention, she still hoped Tang Chen could truly find the opportunity to become a god and return to marry her.
Decades later, when she saw Tang Chen again, she discovered that he hadn't become a god; instead, he, like her, had become a high-ranking priest of some deity.
Of course, regardless of whether Tang Chen became a god or not, Poseidon still loved him.
Her guilt stemmed from the fact that she had to choose the Sea God over her love for Tang Chen, thus forcing her to accept the Sea God's test and dragging Tang Chen into it.
"Tang Chen, I... I'm telling the truth. Back then, I rejected Qian Daoliu, and I rejected you too. I didn't believe you could become a god, and you didn't either," Poseidon said. "I loved Qian Xunji, not you, so what the soul tool said is true."
"What—" Tang Chen coughed up blood in anger.
After receiving Poseidon's acknowledgment, Tang Chen nearly had a stroke.
"Poseidon, don't you love me anymore? No, I believe you have your reasons. Was it the Spirit Hall, those two despicable bastards Qian Xunji and Qian Daoliu, who threatened you?" Tang Chen hypnotized himself.
Then, Tang Chen directly targeted Qian Xunji and Qian Daoliu.
"Qian Daoliu, I've always trusted you, but I never expected you to treat my Clear Sky Sect like this. I, Tang Chen, have returned to settle scores with your Spirit Hall. From this day forward, all affection and ties between us are severed," Tang Chen declared.
Qian Daoliu stroked his white beard and said, "Then let's sever all ties. We shouldn't have been friends in the first place. The Spirit Hall may forgive you, but you won't forgive my Spirit Hall either."
"Hmph." Tang Chen's sharp gaze fell on Qian Xunji, and he said angrily,
"Qian Xunji, what methods did you use to threaten Xixi? Tell me honestly."
Qian Xunji sneered, "Tang Chen, you old dog, and who are you? Why should I answer your question?"
"Hahahaha, good, good indeed, Qian Xunji of the Spirit Hall. Even your father wouldn't dare speak to me like that, and you, a junior, dare to talk to me like that? Since that's the case, I'll collect the debts of Poseidon and the Clear Sky Sect today." Tang Chen laughed angrily.
The Killing God Domain was even more terrifying, almost covering the entire Spirit Hall. Those below the rank of title in the Spirit Hall couldn't stand firm, and even those above the rank felt the terrifying pressure of the Killing God Domain.
Looking at their great-grandfather's (grandfather's) imposing figure, Tang Hao, Tang San, and Tang Xiao clenched their fists, a surge of pride welling up within them.
This was none other than the incomparably domineering and peerless Tang Chen!
Even from afar, one could see the Spirit Hall shrouded in a blood-red cloak under Tang Chen's Killing God Domain. The entire Clear Sky Sect chanted in unison:
"Long live Tang Chen! Long live the Clear Sky Douluo! The Clear Sky Sect, peerless under heaven, will crush the Spirit Hall!"
"Long live Tang Chen! Long live the Clear Sky Douluo! The Clear Sky Sect, peerless under heaven, will crush the Spirit Hall!"
"Long live Tang Chen! Long live the Clear Sky Douluo! The Clear Sky Sect, peerless under heaven, will crush the Spirit Hall!"
In short, Tang Chen was the backbone of the Clear Sky Sect, the very belief that he was its pillar.
Tang Chen's domineering and majestic image had long been deeply etched into the hearts of every generation of Haotian disciples.
Now, as Tang Chen displayed his divine power, the Haotian Sect wished they could finally unleash the shadow of years of oppression from the Spirit Hall.
While Poseidon felt Tang Chen's terrifying killing aura, she saw Qian Xunji seemingly unaffected by it.
(End of this chapter)