Douluo: When the piano sounds, the hidden weapon returns to the factory

The carriage rolled over the last section of white jade path inlaid with moonstones and came to a steady stop in front of a magnificent palace. The plaque above read "Eastern Palace".

Feng Yao was the first to leap off the carriage. He held Ye Lingling's soft hand with his left hand, while Dugu Yan clung tightly to his right arm—the two women's skirts brushed against the white jade railing as they alighted.

"Relax," Feng Yao said with a chuckle, his soul power emanating from his fingertips. "You've come to see your sisters, not to pay homage to the Empress."

In the shadows of the palace eaves, the auras of two titled Douluo slithered like venomous snakes. It was She Long and Ci Xue. But when they saw the two women flanking Feng Yao, they knew that Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling had a close relationship with Feng Yao, and their guard suddenly dissipated.

When Feng Yao gently pushed open the study door, Qian Renxue was standing with her back to the three of them in front of the glass window. The sunlight gilded her figure, which was draped in a light blue robe, and the lingering scent of ambergris still clung to the ends of her hair.

"Greetings, Tai!" Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling subconsciously bent their knees, but were supported by Feng Yao's soul power.

“They’ve been thinking of you for a long time.” Feng Yao’s fingertips gently caressed the gold foil fragment from a memorial on the imperial desk. “I think it’s time.”

As Qian Renxue turned around, a cryptic smile played on her lips, and golden soul power surged through her body like a tide. In the dazzling light, the outline of "Xue Qinghe" rippled like water, her golden hair swelled like a waterfall, her purple pupils transformed into gilded vertical pupils, and even her voice was tinged with a languid allure.

Qian Renxue's gaze swept across Feng Yao's face, and a knowing smile suddenly appeared on her lips. Her body shone with golden light like the rising sun, and the "Xue Qinghe" skin melted away in the holy light, revealing her originally breathtaking face.

“Since we are sisters,” she said, her golden hair cascading down to her waist, “there’s no need for such formalities.”

Feng Yao's gaze lingered among the three beauties before finally settling on Qian Renxue. Golden light flowed around her, her golden hair like molten gold foil from the sun, and her sacred and inviolable aura always took one's breath away upon first sight—even after seeing her countless times, one would still be awestruck by her otherworldly beauty.

A look of amazement flashed in the eyes of both women, and for a moment they forgot to speak.

Qian Renxue's lips curled slightly, and golden light rippled gently with her breath. A playful light flickered in her golden eyes as her gaze swept back and forth between the three of them, leaving them speechless for a moment.

An eerie silence fell over the hall. The three stunning beauties exchanged glances, Qian Renxue's golden pupils flickered slightly, and she unusually lowered her eyelashes. She subconsciously cast a pleading look at Feng Yao. The awkward atmosphere left everyone present at a loss for words; neither Qian Renxue, Ye Lingling, nor Dugu Yan were experiencing this for the first time.

Feng Yao felt Qian Renxue's gaze and couldn't help but laugh, "They just wanted to meet the person in question, so they wouldn't always blame me for hiding you. After all, they can't stay strangers forever. Now that they know you, they won't blame me for avoiding them before."

Upon hearing this, Qian Renxue narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at Feng Yao, saying, "If it's not your fault, is it mine?"

Seeing this, Dugu Yan stepped forward and pointed at Feng Yao, saying, "Of course it's your fault. Grandpa told you to have less contact with His Highness the Crown Prince."

Ye Lingling slowly spoke and stood beside Qian Renxue, saying, "I can be a witness."

Upon hearing this, Feng Yao, seeing the three of them united, couldn't help but agree repeatedly, saying, "Alright, alright, it's my fault, it's my fault."

A holy smile curved Qian Renxue's lips, and Feng Yao quickly seized the opportunity to introduce her: "This is Qian Renxue, daughter of the former Pope."

"The Pope's daughter?!" Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling exclaimed in surprise. The two women looked at the stunning blonde woman in shock, finding it hard to connect the person before them with the legendary Pope's daughter.

Dugu Yan couldn't help but ask curiously, "Sister Qian, with your noble status, why would you..." She was about to finish her sentence when she suddenly caught a glimpse of Feng Yao's furious wink, and the rest of her words caught in her throat.

Qian Renxue's eyes gleamed with golden light: "There are some things they'll find out sooner or later. I came here because I don't want to see one person too often; she's also the current Pope."

The two women simultaneously recalled the scene from several years ago in front of the Papal Palace—that figure standing on the high platform, so majestic that no one dared to look directly at him.

Dugu Yan carefully examined Qian Renxue's profile. Aside from the dazzling blonde hair, the contours of her eyes and brows were indeed strikingly similar to Bibi Dong from her memory. This discovery made her hold her breath.

Ye Lingling clearly sensed something as well, and she subtly tugged at Dugu Yan's sleeve.

Qian Renxue seemed to sense their thoughts, and a smile, not quite a smile, appeared on her lips.

Feng Yao quickly tried to smooth things over: "Xue'er, shouldn't the key to the royal treasury be in your hands now?"

Qian Renxue nodded, then subconsciously looked at Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling and smiled, "It's time to give you two sisters a gift. Although it was wrong of me to avoid you, it was indeed because of me that I kept avoiding you."

Feng Yao waved his hand repeatedly and said, "I don't think there's anything good in the Heavenly Dou Treasure Vault, but there is something I really want, it's a real treasure."

"The precious treasure you want?" Qian Renxue looked at Feng Yao with a strange expression.

A hint of disdain flashed in Qian Renxue's golden eyes. She had already explored the Heaven Dou Treasury—it was filled with gold, silver, and other common items, as well as rare materials, piled up like mountains. Although these were exactly what the Spirit Hall needed, there weren't many things in the treasury that a Spirit Master could actually use.

"Aside from a few pieces of ten-thousand-year-old soul bones that are somewhat worth looking at, the rest are just ordinary resources," Qian Renxue said softly.

Feng Yao chuckled, "Tian Dou possesses a national treasure called the Vast Ocean Universe Cover." He lowered his voice, "Legend has it that it's a sacred relic left behind by the Sea God."

"A relic of the Sea God?!" Qian Renxue exclaimed in surprise—if it truly involved a deity, its value would be no less than the angelic divine armor passed down from her ancestors!

She suddenly moved her lips slightly and transmitted her voice towards the outside of the hall: "Uncle She, retrieve the key to the treasure vault." Her voice carried an unusual urgency.

Feng Yao raised an eyebrow: "So eager?"

Qian Renxue poked his forehead and said irritably, "If it really is a divine artifact recognizing its master, maybe Xiao Feng can become one of the chosen ones by the gods."

Suddenly, Dugu Yan grabbed Feng Yao's sleeve and blurted out, "Do gods really exist in this world?"

Feng Yao gestured towards Qian Renxue with his chin: "Look, isn't this person right in front of you a living example? Xue'er is a descendant of a god."

The two women's pupils constricted sharply. Feng Yao slowly explained, "Actually, there's no need to be too surprised. So-called gods are actually just powerful Soul Masters, Soul Masters who have broken through the level 100 barrier."

"Level 100?!" Dugu Yan exclaimed in surprise. At this moment, Qian Renxue also slowly spoke up: "Ancestor, it was indeed level 100 that made one a god." "Let's go, we can talk as we walk. Let's go see that national treasure first, and then I'll tell you some stories about gods," Feng Yao said with a light laugh.

Qian Renxue led the group into a dusty side hall. She Long's figure emerged from the shadows.

Feng Yao frowned slightly, his spiritual power spreading out like a spider web—behind the palace pillars, on the beams, and under the floor tiles, a full ten breaths lurking like venomous snakes.

"Are they all on our side?" Feng Yao transmitted his voice.

A cold glint flashed in Qian Renxue's golden eyes: "The old guards are raising fish at the bottom of the moat." She Long suddenly thrust his spear into the floor tile.

Amidst the deafening roar of the turning mechanism, the palace floor tiles collapsed, revealing a bottomless keyhole. She Long grinned maliciously, holding the massive black iron key. The surge of soul power that erupted when he inserted it caused Dugu Yan to stagger backward.

Feng Yao looked at the enormous key and couldn't help but feel speechless. He wondered what the Tian Dou royal family was thinking when they came up with such a big key.

Amidst the roar of machinery, the entire floor tile collapsed and deformed.

"They certainly know how to pick a place to hide their treasures," Feng Yao thought to himself, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the cracked tunnel in the ground.

Qian Renxue leaped in first, and the walls gradually glowed with a ghostly blue phosphorescence. Dugu Yan curiously touched the glowing bricks, a slight coolness seeping into her fingertips: "Is this...made of a special metal?"

As they went deeper, the tunnel gradually transformed into a treasure-filled tomb passage. Not far away, there were piles of crystal ore several feet high, and all sorts of rare and precious treasures and special metal materials were piled up into small mountains.

Feng Yao's fingertips traced the mountain of gold coins. This strategic reserve, enough to arm a Soul Master Corps of hundreds of thousands, finally made him understand why the Tang Clan in his previous life could directly amass an army.

Qian Renxue pointed in a direction and smiled at Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, "There are many pieces of jewelry over there. Feel free to choose whatever you like."

Upon hearing this, Dugu Yan's eyes lit up, while Ye Lingling felt a little embarrassed. Soon, Dugu Yan pulled her around, as opportunities to explore the treasure vault were rare.

Qian Renxue slowly said, "The royal family is extravagant. Although the items in the treasury are very valuable, there are not many that Soul Masters can actually use. The highest-grade Soul Bones are only those over 50,000 years old. Most of the Soul Bones have been used by the royal family to win people's hearts. The remaining quantity is small, but they are all rare treasures."

"Xue'er, all your hard work over the years has paid off. You've filled the last gap in the Spirit Hall's strengths, which is also its only weakness," Feng Yao said softly.

“Yes, although the Hall accounts for 70% of the Soul Masters on the continent, the Soul Master subsidies still rely on funding from the two great empires. Getting these 70% of Soul Masters moving around would require an astronomical amount of resources. Now, with the resource support from the Heavenly Dou and Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Schools, unification is only a matter of time,” Qian Renxue said softly.

Just as Feng Yao was about to follow Qian Renxue toward the inner treasury, two figures radiant with light blocked their way.

"Is it pretty?" Dugu Yan twirled her skirt, a phoenix-tail hairpin carved from starlight ore adorning her hair. Ye Lingling wore a pair of deep-sea pearl earrings, the nine-hearted begonia blossoms beside her ears shimmering with a halo that complemented the pearls.

Jewelry matching seems to be a skill that women are born with. Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling have a good eye. They casually picked out some pieces, which made the jewelry look dazzling and added a lot of elegance.

Feng Yao nodded with a gentle smile, her eyes filled with tenderness: "Very beautiful."

Qian Renxue's fingertips unconsciously caressed her hair, her golden eyes following the shimmering light that flowed through the two women's hair. This usually proud angel showed a rare hesitation at this moment—women dress up for those they love, she wanted to join this dress-up game, but she couldn't let go of her pride.

Feng Yao seemed to have read Qian Renxue's mind. His voice, as soft as a feather, brushed past her ear as he said, "Next time, Xue'er, would you like to wear it only for me to see?"

Upon hearing Feng Yao's telepathic message, Qian Renxue's snow-white earlobes turned a sunset hue. She lightly bit her lip and nodded almost imperceptibly, as if trying to conceal her sudden surge of joy.

After the two women put away the selected ornaments, Qian Renxue led the three to the deepest part, where a large number of floating glass crystal pillars appeared before them, each containing a different kind of soul bone.

"The collection of the emperors of the Heavenly Dou Empire," Qian Renxue said softly. "Although there are many of them, they are mostly low-aged soul bones. In all the years of the Heavenly Dou Empire, there are only four soul bones that are over 50,000 years old."

"Four pieces? That's so few?" Dugu Yan couldn't help but say. As far as she knew, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was much richer than the Heavenly Dou Royal Family back then. Of course, this wealth only referred to the wealth in terms of soul bones.

Feng Yao slowly said, "The Empire and the Sect are completely different organizations. The Sect will only accumulate more and more Soul Bones, which can be passed down, through its own high-level Soul Masters. The relationship between the Empire and Soul Masters is more like an employment relationship. The Empire needs to use its own resources to win over more high-level Soul Masters to support the Empire. The number of Soul Bones will only decrease and not increase."

Dugu Yan nodded with a look of realization.

"This is also why Tian Dou has basically been at a disadvantage in its battles against Xing Luo. Compared to Tian Dou, Xing Luo has its own high-level soul master power," Ye Lingling said slowly.

The group chatted as they slowly walked to the crystal lamp that enveloped the Vast Ocean Universe Cover. A blue light, like the tide of the sea, surged out, making everyone's hair flutter—the Vast Ocean Universe Cover was emitting a phantom image of thousands of miles of waves on the crystal platform.

It was an extremely strange object, entirely translucent blue, three-dimensionally triangular. It appeared to be carved from sapphire, only the size of a palm. A shimmering blue light emanated from it, and strange energy fluctuations constantly emanated from it. On this blue triangle, ripples like water waves rippled; these patterns didn't seem carved, but rather alive, shimmering with rings of blue light that enveloped the entire palace in a soft, precious glow.

Qian Renxue casually opened the glass lamp and took out the Vast Ocean Universe Cover, which resembled a triangular crystal. After taking it out of the glass cover, the blue light became even stronger, rendering everything around it a sea-blue color.

Qian Renxue carefully sensed it and her face showed surprise. She could clearly feel that although the aura was different, the feeling that the Vast Ocean Universe Cover gave her was similar to that of the Angelic Divine Armor.

"Xiao Feng, do you know how to use it?" Qian Renxue asked in confusion.

Feng Yao shook his head slightly and said, "I don't know. I've only heard of the legend of the sea god. You can try it with your mental power."

Feng Yao looked at Qian Renxue with some anticipation. If he remembered correctly, the Sea God and the Angel should be old acquaintances. He wondered if Qian Renxue could get some benefits from the Sea God.

Qian Renxue nodded, carefully observing the peculiar object with its shifting light and shadow. She cautiously released her spiritual energy, probing into it.

(End of this chapter)