Douluo:Peerless Tang Sect: Douluo of Peaceful Heaven

"This fellow cultivator, my name is Qian Zhiya. It's a pleasure," said the elderly woman, addressing Hong Zhen directly. With his strength at the Soul King level, he clearly appeared to be the leader of Zhu Ziyang's group.

"Greetings, Senior. I'm Hong Zhen, City Lord of Anyang and a viscount of the empire," Hong Zhen responded politely. After all, one doesn't strike someone who greets you with a smile.

His introduction was subtly calculated—revealing both his identity and serving as a gentle show of strength.

As expected, Qian Zhiya's eyes twitched with surprise and caution upon hearing his title. A trace of seriousness flashed in her cloudy gaze before she smiled.

"So it's City Lord Hong—I've heard of your name."

Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan nearly laughed aloud.

Heard of his name? Come on! A Soul King like Hong Zhen isn't exactly famous.

But this was the way of the soul master world—courtesy often served to mask diplomacy.

"You flatter me, Senior," Hong Zhen said, following the flow with practiced humility. Then he added,

"May I ask if you and your companion are also here for the soul beasts?"

"Yes."

Qian Zhiya nodded without hesitation. "My granddaughter recently broke through to Soul Elder. That 3,000-year Saberfang Shadow Wolf is just right for her third ring."

As she spoke, she couldn't help but cast a proud look at the girl beside her. Clearly, she had full confidence in her granddaughter's strength.

For most ordinary soul masters, absorbing a 3,000-year soul ring as one's third was unthinkable—but Qian Zhiya clearly saw no issue.

The girl, for her part, stared intently at Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan. She had realized that these two youths—who appeared about her age—both gave her a sense of inscrutability. Were they stronger than her? Impossible… right?

Upon hearing Qian Zhiya's words, Zhu Ziyang's group quietly relaxed.

So their target isn't the same one. No need to fight. Maybe we could even team up.

"Haha, we're here to find a fourth soul ring for this brother of mine," Hong Zhen said, patting Zhu Changhe on the shoulder. "We've got our eyes on that Thornspine Razorhog."

Zhu Changhe stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Qian Zhiya.

"What a coincidence!"

Qian Zhiya's smile deepened. She, too, felt relieved. Clearly, she wanted to avoid unnecessary conflict even more than they did. Outnumbered and unsure of the others' strength, she was eager to defuse any potential tension.

"If I may, why don't we join forces and take down these beasts together?" she suggested.

"We'd be honored," Hong Zhen replied with a broad smile.

"Then shall we act now?" she asked.

"Gladly."

Hong Zhen nodded.

The two of them leapt forward simultaneously and charged into the battlefield where the wolves and the boar were still locked in a tense standoff.

Zhu Ziyang, Jiang Nannan, and Zhu Changhe remained on the ridge, observing for now.

They were already familiar with Hong Zhen's martial soul—the Glacier Mammoth—so Zhu Ziyang focused on the elderly woman's power instead.

He watched as five soul rings appeared behind her—two yellow, two purple, and one black. That configuration was far stronger than Hong Zhen's three yellow and two purple.

What caught his attention most, though, was the pair of white wings that unfurled from her back, releasing an intense light-attribute aura that radiated holiness.

"What martial soul is that?" Zhu Ziyang murmured.

The golden-haired girl standing quietly nearby overheard him. She glanced over, eyes flashing with pride and amusement, and a subtle smile curled on her lips.

"What's your name?"

Zhu Ziyang asked, turning to face her suddenly.

Startled, the girl stiffened slightly and frowned. "Why should I tell you?"

"You should introduce yourself before asking a lady's name, shouldn't you?"

"I'm Zhu Ziyang. And you are?" he said, undeterred.

"Hmph! I'm Qian Lingyi!"

She huffed, lifting her chin like a proud little peacock, her snowy neck arched in defiance.

"Your surname is Qian?"

Zhu Ziyang's expression shifted slightly. A possibility flashed through his mind, and he asked carefully,

"Is your martial soul the Angel?"

"How did you know?!"

Qian Lingyi's eyes widened. She stared at him, shocked.

"You… do you know others with the Angel martial soul?"

Her reaction confirmed it—she and her grandmother were Angel martial soul users.

Zhu Ziyang smiled faintly.

"No. You and your grandmother are the only two I've ever met."

"That doesn't make sense! If you don't know any Angel soul masters, how can you recognize the Angel martial soul?"

Qian Lingyi's eyes sparkled with disbelief. She refused to accept his explanation.

"Is it really that hard?"

Zhu Ziyang shrugged casually.

It really was.

The Angel martial soul was one of the rarest in the entire continent. Very few had even heard of it, let alone seen it firsthand.

Zhu Ziyang had figured it out through a combination of deduction and historical knowledge.

In ancient times, there was once a powerful soul master clan known as the Papal Lineage of the Spirit Hall, whose family members were all Angel martial soul holders.

The Angel martial soul wasn't a single form, but a concept encompassing many variations—Light Angels, Flame Angels, Ice Angels, Thunder Angels, and even the mythical Six-Winged Angel, known as the divine martial soul.

Qian Renxue, the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall ten thousand years ago, possessed the Six-Winged Angel.

But when Spirit Hall was destroyed, the Papal clan was nearly wiped out. Since then, the Angel martial soul had virtually disappeared from the continent.

Now, this pair—a woman named Qian Zhiya and her golden-haired granddaughter Qian Lingyi—not only bore the same surname as that ancient clan, but their martial souls matched historical records perfectly.

It wasn't much of a stretch to assume they were descendants of the Spirit Hall's Papal lineage.

"Hmph!"

Qian Lingyi snorted, clearly displeased. "So what if you guessed it? That's boring!"

Zhu Ziyang didn't mind her attitude. As rare and powerful as the Angel martial soul was, it held no special significance for him.

He simply smiled and turned away.

When Qian Lingyi noticed he wasn't paying attention to her anymore, she grew bored and stepped back to watch the ongoing battle.

"Brother, is the Angel martial soul really that special?"

Jiang Nannan leaned in and asked curiously.

"Absolutely."

Zhu Ziyang began to explain.

"You know about Spirit Hall, right?"

"Mm-hmm. It ruled the Douluo Continent ten thousand years ago, didn't it? Our history teacher mentioned it."

"Right. The Angel martial soul was the inherited soul of the Papal clan—the ruling bloodline of Spirit Hall. Every pope had an Angel martial soul. Back then, it was considered the number one martial soul on the continent."

"Then… are these two their descendants?" Jiang Nannan asked in surprise.

"It's possible," Ziyang nodded. "And fun fact—our Shrek Academy has a longstanding grudge with the Angel clan."

"Huh?!"

Jiang Nannan's eyes widened. She hadn't learned about that in any of her classes.

Truthfully, not many people in modern Shrek cared about ancient feuds. Aside from a few die-hard traditionalists, most viewed the conflict between the Sea God and Spirit Hall as a historical tale.

"Ten thousand years ago, Spirit Hall was destroyed by the original Shrek Seven Devils, who led the two great empires to victory," Ziyang explained.

"Why?" Jiang Nannan asked.

"For faith!"

This time, it was Qian Lingyi who answered, appearing beside them once again. Her expression burned with passion.

"The Sea God coveted the Angel God's faith and ambushed the Angel God to steal it!"

"That's… the first I've heard of that."

Zhu Ziyang was intrigued. "Can you tell me more?"

"Hmph! You're from Shrek Academy—why should I tell you?"

Qian Lingyi turned up her nose and rejected him outright.

"Fair enough," Ziyang said with a shrug. "If you don't want to, I won't press."

But Jiang Nannan wasn't so forgiving.

"Honestly, I doubt you know the full truth yourself," she said with a faint smile.

"Of course I do!" Qian Lingyi shot back defensively—but her shifting gaze and flustered tone revealed the truth.

Zhu Ziyang stifled a laugh.

She really doesn't know.