Douluo: Emerald Poison Emperor

Without a doubt, that immense and divine figure was none other than the Grand Worship of the Spirit Hall—this generation's High Priest of the Angel God, and one of the three Ultimate Douluos of the era. Alongside Tang Chen, he was one of the twin titans of the soul master world: the Angel Douluo Qian Daoliu.

Qian Daoliu's aura enveloped the entire Spirit City. Countless devout soul masters knelt to the ground under the sacred power laced with fury, whispering prayers to the Angel God.

Even many soul masters who originally did not believe in the Angel God were overwhelmed by the divine light radiating from Qian Daoliu. They, too, fell to their knees, becoming believers under the influence of the overwhelming power.

Qian Daoliu appeared before Qian Renxue and Chen Ming. Seeing his long-unseen granddaughter, Qian Daoliu's eyes welled with tears as he held his longsword. Ignoring the presence of an outsider, he pulled Qian Renxue—his only direct bloodline in the world—into a tight embrace. His sacred soul power continuously poured into her body.

Chen Ming stood silently to the side, observing Qian Daoliu without saying anything.

Despite being over a hundred years old, Qian Daoliu showed no signs of aging—an age that was still youthful for an Ultimate Douluo. Not only was there no trace of decline, but he looked remarkably young, appearing no older than someone in their twenties.

Standing before Qian Renxue, he seemed less like her grandfather and more like her elder brother.

The Angel God's weapon, the Angelic Holy Sword, floated quietly beside him, detached from his hand. Flames and divine energy cloaked the sword, forming a sheath around this artifact that had followed the Angel God in battles across the continent.

Chen Ming could sense much from the Angelic Holy Sword. Though he had not actively activated his spiritual eye, it was as if the sword's history came alive in his mind.

Slaying evil beasts, mending space rifts, defeating a massive black dragon, and finally ascending to the Divine Realm alongside the Angel God under the gaze of countless onlookers—only to be returned to the Douluo World by the Angel God in the end.

Throughout history, successive Grand Worship had wielded the Angelic Holy Sword, vanquishing humanity's enemies one by one. Countless heresies, evils, and distortions had been eradicated by generations of Worshippers. Even among the high priests at the 99th rank, more than one had sacrificed their lives in this endeavor.

Blood, sacrifice, glory, life, and faith... The Holy Sword was imbued with countless legends widely known across the continent, as well as many forgotten stories hidden within it.

The sword had been passed down in the Douluo World for ten thousand years, accumulating ten thousand years of faith. This faith seemed dormant within the sword, like a volcano ready to erupt at any time. The will and spirit of successive Worshippers and the Angel God had fused into it, forging the invincible edge of the Holy Sword.

As Chen Ming gazed at the Angelic Holy Sword, he felt as though it was gazing back at him. Among the flames entwined around the sword, faint figures seemed to emerge, their eyes fixed on Chen Ming. His spirit was involuntarily drawn into the world within the sword.

It was a realm of light, flame, and divinity, containing hundreds of wills and sword intents.

A figure, formed of faith, appeared before Chen Ming. Wielding a longsword, it demonstrated the swordsmanship and will be passed down by the Angel lineage.

The swordsmanship was wild and unrestrained, consisting of only nine moves. Except for one defensive strike, the other eight were pure killing techniques. Its core philosophy was: break all defenses, and speed is invincible. No matter how many techniques you have, I will destroy them with one strike.

These moves targeted not only the physical body but also soul power, mental strength, and even the soul itself.

When combined with the Angel lineage's sacred flame, the nine moves unleashed devastating power capable of annihilating all evil and heresy, erasing everything about an enemy from body to soul.

With just one glance, Chen Ming memorized the nine moves of the Angel God's swordsmanship. What appeared next were the interpretations and refinements of this swordsmanship by successive High Priests.

Even though they all inherited the Angel God's lineage and martial soul, every High Priest had their path. The Seraphim martial soul was versatile, excelling in offense, agility, defense, control, and even support. Thus, the swordsmanship of successive High Priests varied as well. Some techniques were intricate and ever-changing, others simple and straightforward. Some focused on life-risking attacks, while others relied on stillness to counter-movement.

It was as if Chen Ming were being flooded with the insights and wisdom of countless swordmasters. His heart surged with a newfound understanding of swordsmanship. Though he had never wielded a sword in battle, a faint sword intent had already taken root in his heart.

The Angel God had created the original nine moves, but the sword intents and techniques of the successive High Priests merged under Chen Ming's comprehension into an evolved form of the nine moves.

Altogether, there were now eighteen techniques of the Angelic Sacred Sword. Each move represented the pinnacle of the Douluo World, honed through countless trials.

When Chen Ming reopened his eyes from his spiritual eye, he found Qian Daoliu and Qian Renxue staring at him in astonishment. Lowering his head, Chen Ming realized that at some point, the Angelic Holy Sword, which had been floating beside Qian Daoliu, had entered his hand. Gentle, sacred power emanated from the sword, replenishing the energy he had lost recently.

Sensing the budding sword intent of the Angel lineage within Chen Ming, Qian Daoliu remained silent for a long time. He looked at Qian Renxue, then back at Chen Ming.

In his heart, Qian Daoliu repeatedly confirmed that his son, Qian Xunji, had only fathered a daughter and that he had no grandson. The young man before him did not possess the Angel martial soul but rather a special scorpion martial soul with fire attributes, lacking the unique divinity of the Angel lineage. He shouldn't be related to them... right?

As Qian Daoliu thought this, he glanced at the Angelic Holy Sword in Chen Ming's hand. His previously calm emotions were now filled with confusion.

In the ten thousand years of Douluo history, there had been instances of outsiders wielding the Angelic Holy Sword. However, none had ever been so close to the sword as Chen Ming was now.

To put it bluntly, Qian Daoliu, as the current High Priest of the Angel God, had both the authority and ability to use the Angelic Holy Sword. Yet, even so, the sword rarely paid attention to him.

The Angelic Holy Sword only allowed Qian Daoliu to use it briefly when necessary before returning to the Angel God's statue to rest.

"Youngster," Qian Daoliu began, thick-skinned as he addressed Chen Ming, "I am Qian Daoliu. May I ask, are you perhaps a twin martial soul wielder? For example, do you have a Seraphim martial soul in addition to your Scorpion Emperor martial soul?"

Though reluctant to admit it, after much thought, Qian Daoliu had to acknowledge the possibility. He concluded that Chen Ming's closeness to the Angelic Holy Sword was likely due to one of two reasons:

First, Chen Ming possessed a more powerful Angel martial soul than his lineage.

Second, Chen Ming was the reincarnation of the Angel God.

Otherwise, Qian Daoliu could think of no other explanation.

Surely it couldn't be that Chen Ming was more powerful than the Angel God, to the point that the Angelic Holy Sword had no choice but to submit?