Chapter 25: The Shattered Crown
"I gave birth to her from my belly."
"She owes me her whole life!"
Bibi Dong's voice dripped with venom, each word calculated to crush Qian Renxue under the weight of so-called ethics and maternal obligation. Her poisonous tone was not only aimed at Qian Renxue—it was a warning to Qin Chuan as well.
She wanted to remind him that this was a matter of blood and kinship. That he had no right to interfere.
And for a moment, it worked.
Qian Renxue's body froze. Her pretty face paled, and her lips trembled. That fact—undeniable and cruel—was a chain she could never quite break. Bibi Dong was her mother. That truth alone weighed heavier than any blade.
But Qin Chuan remained unmoved.
His hand stayed firm on Bibi Dong's wrist, tightening slightly.
His expression was cold and merciless.
"Bibi Dong," his voice rang out, calm yet filled with cutting disdain. "Are you sure you've ever treated Xue'er as your daughter?"
"Did you raise her?"
"Did you ever truly love her?"
Each question struck like a blade. And for a brief moment, Bibi Dong faltered.
In that instant of distraction, Qin Chuan pushed her away.
Bibi Dong stumbled back several steps, barely regaining her footing.
"If you never raised her," he said icily, "what right do you have to lecture her?"
He stared down at her with scorn as she stood there in disheveled disgrace. The once-regal Pope now looked utterly pathetic.
Meanwhile, Qian Renxue stood silently, her eyes fixed on Qin Chuan. In her chest, her heart pounded with a strange mix of disbelief and emotion.
All her life, she had wandered alone in the Tiandou Empire. All her battles, all her scars, had been borne in silence. She had always endured—licking her wounds in the dark, never knowing what it meant to be protected.
And now…
Now someone stood in front of her.
Now someone was willing to take her side, even against the Pope.
So this… this is what it feels like to be protected…
Her chest tightened.
Her eyes shimmered.
"It feels… so good," she murmured in her heart.
"Heh…"
Bibi Dong laughed darkly.
She straightened her spine, but her Nine-Curved Cloud Crown slipped from her head and fell to the floor with a clatter.
Her long black hair unraveled in a cascade, making her appear like a broken ghost. Her face twisted with resentment and poison.
Her eyes locked onto Qin Chuan—and Qian Renxue behind him.
The two figures overlapped in her vision, forming one unbearable image.
It made her blood boil.
Why? Why would Ah Chuan abandon me for such a trivial thing?
Why would he go straight to that little bastard when he was hurt?
Slut!
They're all sluts!
Her thoughts twisted with fury as she raised her trembling finger, aiming it at Qin Chuan.
No—
Not at him.
At Qian Renxue.
The target of her hatred.
She laughed wildly, her voice full of madness.
"You little bastard!"
"Do you even know who he is?!"
Her finger jabbed toward Qin Chuan again, and for the first time, his brow furrowed slightly.
"That man you're clinging to—he's your successor!"
"You actually seduced your successor. Tell me, aren't you even filthier than me?!"
Qian Renxue's face turned deathly pale again.
This—this was the one thing she could never bring herself to speak of.
And Bibi Dong knew it.
She saw the shame in her daughter's eyes and fed on it.
"See that guilt? Even you admit it now, don't you?" Bibi Dong sneered. "You Qian family people are all the same—two-faced beasts! Shameless, rebellious, born filthy!"
She laughed like a demon, her voice echoing with malice.
Her tangled hair swayed as she leaned forward, glaring at Qin Chuan.
"You called me lowly and dirty, right?"
"Then what about her? She broke the rules of ethics, coveted her own inheritance—and you fell for it!"
"Don't tell me… you just want her youth?"
"Or have you been secretly grooming her all along? Waiting for me to slip up so you could shift all the blame?"
"What a beautiful scheme, Qin Chuan! No wonder you went straight to that whore after leaving me!"
"That's enough," Qin Chuan's voice cut through the madness like a sword. His face had gone pale with disgust.
It was just as he expected.
Bibi Dong would never admit fault.
No matter how far she fell, she would always find someone else to blame.
And she always knew exactly where to strike.
"Xue'er," he said softly, "let's go."
Without waiting for a reply, he supported Qian Renxue's injured body and turned to leave.
But Bibi Dong screamed behind them, her voice shrill and wild.
"You can't leave!!"
Her soul power exploded.
Nine soul rings burst into the air around her.
She had only one thought in her twisted mind:
KILL THE BASTARD.
If I kill her, Ah Chuan will return to me!
It was no longer about power or pride.
It was obsession.
Pure, poisoned obsession.
"Boom—!"
Her sixth black soul ring lit up violently.
A sharp, purple-black spider thorn shot through the air, aimed directly at Qian Renxue's back.
But at that critical moment—
Qin Chuan moved.
He wrapped his arms around Qian Renxue from behind and threw himself into the attack's path.
Golden-white light burst from his body as his Holy Spirit Martial Soul activated.
It shimmered, condensed, and formed into the Holy Spirit Armor, wrapping him entirely.
The venomous thorn struck—but it could not pierce the armor.
Qian Renxue's heart jumped in terror.
She spun around, eyes wide, grabbing at his shoulders in panic.
"Brother Qin Chuan! Are you okay?!"
"Don't scare me—please, come with me to the Tiandou Empire. We have the best healing spirit masters!"
"Don't… don't let anything happen to you!"
Tears shimmered at the corners of her eyes, and her voice trembled with desperation.
But in that moment, Qin Chuan noticed something strange.
Qian Renxue—who just moments ago had seemed weak and gravely injured—was suddenly brimming with energy.
There was no trace of frailty.
Was she… pretending?
The thought flashed across his mind like lightning.
But he didn't dwell on it.
Instead, he gently pushed her down and shook his head.
"I'm fine," he said calmly. "The Pope underestimated me."
Qian Renxue let out a long sigh of relief.
But then, as if suddenly remembering something, her expression froze.
And just like that, the vitality vanished from her face again.
She slumped slightly, her voice turning feeble.
"Brother Qin Chuan, let's go… we can't stay here…"
Qin Chuan's brows twitched slightly.
Confirmed.
He didn't say anything else, just smiled faintly.
Turning back, he looked at Bibi Dong, whose face was now twisted in disbelief.
"Your Holiness," he said flatly, "goodbye."
Then, without another word, he helped Qian Renxue walk out of the Pope's Palace.
Behind them, Bibi Dong stood frozen in place.
Her attack had failed.
She didn't even notice that Qian Renxue had turned her head slightly—and smirked at her.
So Ah Chuan is this strong now?
Bibi Dong murmured to herself.
She hadn't used her full strength, true—but as a Level 98 Super Douluo, she was only one step away from becoming a Peak Douluo.
Even most Super Douluo would struggle to block such a strike.
Yet Qin Chuan, only Level 91, had not only endured it—he did so effortlessly.
As her thoughts churned, Bibi Dong's expression shifted.
Mixed emotions twisted within her.
They had once been so close.
Even if they'd never shared a bed, they had once been partners.
And yet she had never realized—
"Ah Chuan… you've been hiding your strength all this time… just for today?"
She stood there in silence.
Hair disheveled.
Eyes empty.
Heart shattered.