Xue Tianyu watched Bone Douluo flee, then turned to Qian Renxue and said, "Xue'er, stay here and handle the aftermath. I'll go kill him."
"Bone Douluo seems to have spatial abilities. Can you catch up to him?"
"Don't worry. He can't escape." Xue Tianyu nodded.
He was already thinking, 'If it comes to it, I'll just switch to the Angel Spirit.'
Seeing his confidence, Qian Renxue reached out and caressed his face. "Then be careful."
With that, Xue Tianyu took off in pursuit of Bone Douluo.
Though Bone Douluo's escape techniques were indeed impressive, Xue Tianyu kept a tight chase the entire way.
The distance between them gradually shortened.
They had already left the bustling Heaven Dou Imperial City and entered a desolate, remote forest.
Seeing Xue Tianyu getting closer, Bone Douluo knew that if he kept fleeing like this, he'd eventually be caught.
He gritted his teeth and turned to face him, his ninth spirit ring lighting up instantly.
"Ninth Spirit Skill—Bone Dragon Transformation!"
"Roar!"
A thunderous dragon's roar echoed through the forest.
A massive wave of dragon pressure surged forth, slowing Xue Tianyu's speed significantly.
Bone Douluo had now transformed into a gigantic bone dragon.
"Kid, with that ice-type spirit of yours, you'll never catch up to me. Once I take this dragon form, I have spatial abilities!"
Xue Tianyu smiled calmly. "Is that so."
His eyes began to emit a faint golden glow.
A sacred light flared up behind him.
Then, the phantom of a twelve-winged angel appeared behind Xue Tianyu.
The moment it took form, a brilliant golden light burst out, illuminating half the night sky!
But what was most terrifying were the two radiant golden spirit rings hovering above the Angel Spirit!
"Second spirit!"
Bone Dragon's hollow eye sockets widened in shock—Bone Douluo was stunned once again.
And that second spirit... it was an Angel!
A Twelve-Winged Angel!!!
…
"Rongrong, you're being far too reckless!"
Sword Douluo, a Title Douluo himself, had easily tracked Ning Rongrong down.
Now, not far from Heaven Dou City, Ning Fengzhi was scolding her, while Sword Douluo Chen Xin stood silently nearby, eyes closed and sighing.
"I don't get it!"
Tears streaking down her face, Ning Rongrong glared fiercely at her father.
"Father, our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan has Grandpa Sword and Grandpa Bone—why should we be afraid of just one person?!"
"They're all Title Douluo! Two against one—how could we lose?!"
"And that Tang Hao—there's no way he could beat both Grandpa Sword and Grandpa Bone!"
Ning Rongrong screamed her truest thoughts, "I don't want to apologize!"
"If you keep forcing me, I'd rather die!"
Seeing such fiery resolve on her face, Ning Fengzhi's heart finally softened.
"…Forget it," he sighed and shook his head. "Just keep your distance from him from now on. Don't have any more contact."
There was no helping it—she was his own daughter.
'If we offend him, so be it. Worst case, we follow the Clear Sky Clan and seal off our clan.'
Seeing her father's change in attitude, Ning Rongrong burst into tears and threw herself into his arms.
"I knew it, you love me the most."
Sword Douluo, seeing the father and daughter reconciled, allowed a faint smile to form at the corner of his mouth.
Suddenly, a firework exploded in the sky toward Heaven Dou's direction.
As the firework bloomed and transformed, it unexpectedly formed the sigil of Spirit Hall.
Both Sword Douluo and Ning Fengzhi tensed up.
"Something's happening in Heaven Dou?"
"This is bad. Uncle Bone is still in the city!"
Ning Fengzhi's expression changed drastically—he should have brought Bone Douluo with them.
"Old Bone has spatial abilities as a last resort. If he can't beat Spirit Hall, at least no one should be able to catch him if he runs."
Sword Douluo Chen Xin didn't seem too worried.
"Good, then." Ning Fengzhi let out a breath of relief.
…
"How can you possibly have the Angel Spirit?!" Bone Douluo cried out in shock.
The Angel Spirit was supposed to be exclusive to the Qian Clan.
'Could this Xue Tianyu be a descendant of the Qian Clan?'
But there had been no word of a Holy Son in Spirit Hall.
Bone Douluo was flustered.
His Bone Dragon form was already somewhat countered by the Angel Spirit. Earlier, he had felt relieved it wasn't Qian Renxue chasing him.
But now… he had relaxed too soon.
There was only one thing he could do now—go all-out and use spatial transfer!
The bone dragon reared its head and roared once more. Behind it, a spatial wormhole appeared—one that only it could pass through.
Once the wormhole fully formed, he could instantly escape.
No one would be able to chase him.
But just then, the first golden spirit ring behind Xue Tianyu lit up.
He raised his index finger and pointed at Bone Douluo.
"Die."
To Bone Douluo's ears, Xue Tianyu's voice sounded like a death knell from the grim reaper.
Terrified, he poured everything he had into activating his spatial transfer.
But even the shortest time needed to form a wormhole was still a few moments.
Xue Tianyu's entire body was bathed in golden light, like a miniature golden deity.
"Angel's Judgment!"
In that instant, all the golden light on Xue Tianyu's body gathered onto his fingertip—then burst out like a beam cannon!
The terrifying pressure crushed every tree in its path. The ground itself was scorched into a sunken plain of charred earth.
The holy light pierced through Bone Douluo's body in an instant.
His skull exploded.
Before his eyes, a flash of his entire life played like a final memory reel.
In the very last second, he finally managed to force himself into the wormhole and escape.
Xue Tianyu watched Bone Douluo disappear and withdrew his Twelve-Winged Angel Spirit.
'After being struck by that holy light, he won't last more than a few minutes.'
Thinking about the unfinished matters back in Heaven Dou, Xue Tianyu turned and returned to the imperial city.
It had to be said—Qian Renxue was truly capable.
In just this short time, she had already returned to her disguise as Xue Qinghe and was handling the aftermath.
To all onlookers, it seemed that Spirit Hall had launched a sudden assault, the Emperor had died in the chaos, and it was Crown Prince Xue Qinghe who had turned the tide and stabilized the crumbling empire!
Very quickly, the voices supporting Crown Prince Xue Qinghe's immediate ascension grew louder and louder.
It wasn't until late at night that Qian Renxue finally finished dealing with everything.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty the Empress," Xue Tianyu teased.
At that moment, Qian Renxue had already returned to her female appearance.
After an entire night of exhaustion, she was on the verge of collapse.
Seeing Xue Tianyu teasing her, she gave him a playful punch on the chest.
"You still have the nerve to mock me? You want a beating!"
Xue Tianyu caught her delicate hand, his expression turning soft and gentle.
"You've worked hard, Xue'er."
Qian Renxue froze, eyes turning red.
More than ten years of pressure—all released in that one moment.
She felt an unparalleled sense of relief.
With a flirtatious glance, she pulled out a glowing pearl.
"What do you think of this pearl? Pretty?"
"It even glows."
Xue Tianyu curiously took the Inheritance Pearl.
At that instant, its golden light shone even brighter.
"Beautiful. What is it?"
Qian Renxue gently pushed his hand around the pearl with her slender fingers.
"It's for you."
She leaned forward, eyes closed, and pressed her soft lips gently to his forehead.
At the same time, a single tear traced down her cheek.
"Tianyu, promise me—stay by my side, always, alright?"
_____
Author's Note (the fanfic author's, not mine): The major plot arc is over. Next up—the finals! Please keep reading, everyone~ Much love and thanks!