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The moment Qian Renxue finished speaking, the heated exchange between Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu stopped. Surprised, Qian Daoliu looked at her, and a brief silence filled the Pope's Hall.

After a moment, Qian Daoliu sighed and turned to Qian Renxue. "Xiaoxue, how did you learn of this? Was it Bibi Dong who told you?"

He guessed that since Bibi Dong was also undergoing divine trials, she might have informed her.

Bibi Dong: ???

Qian Renxue shook her head. "Grandfather, Mother didn't tell me. It doesn't matter who did. Just tell me if it's true. If it is, how can I take the trials in peace? You'd make me carry the guilt for life, Grandfather!"

Qian Daoliu had expected this reaction, which was why he'd never told her about his planned sacrifice.

But if it wasn't Bibi Dong, who else could have known about it?

"Xiaoxue," he said, "I had a reason for not telling you. Look at how you're reacting. Our Qian family has finally produced someone capable of inheriting the Angel God's position, and that someone is my granddaughter! How could I give that up? To make you the Angel God, I'd gladly sacrifice myself."

Qian Renxue knew how much her grandfather loved her, and that was precisely why she couldn't bear the thought of his sacrifice.

As Bibi Dong listened, a frown formed as a question weighed on her mind.

Hu Liena, watching her teacher closely, couldn't help but ask, "Teacher, is something wrong?"

Hu Liena's voice drew the attention of Qian Daoliu and Qian Renxue, and she immediately shrank under their gaze, feeling her low rank and strength in this setting.

Bibi Dong turned to Qian Daoliu, voicing her doubt, "Qian Daoliu, does the Angel God's trial absolutely require you to sacrifice yourself to complete it?"

The necessity of sacrifice puzzled her, something she'd only just realized. So far, from what she knew, the trials of the Rakshasa God and the Asura God didn't require sacrifice—she was completing hers alone, and she suspected Tang Chen's had been the same.

But the Angel and Sea God trials required it. Why?

Qian Daoliu gave her a deep look before answering. "My sacrifice isn't needed from the beginning, but once Xiaoxue completes the eighth Angel Trial, I must sacrifice myself to unlock the ninth trial."

"As for why, I don't know. Xiaoxue is the first to have ever been able to undergo these trials, so from the day I became the High Priest, I knew this was my destiny, a path set for me."

"Thankfully, the one to undertake the trials is my granddaughter. This way, I can at least ease some of her burdens during the first eight trials," he finished, a faint smile forming.

"Bibi Dong, you're currently undergoing a divine trial yourself, right? I could sense faint divine power from you just now, and it conflicts with Angelic Divine Power," Qian Daoliu said, his brows furrowing.

His own Angelic Divine Power was attuned to Bibi Dong's aura, which carried an opposing force, something dark rather than radiant.

Bibi Dong was unsurprised by his question; she had intentionally shown some of her Rakshasa power, thinking it might help make her case for Qian Renxue's choice.

"Yes," Bibi Dong confirmed. "I am undergoing the Rakshasa God's trials and have already reached the eighth one. And I am doing it alone; no sacrifice is required, which is why I had to ask."

Hearing this, Qian Daoliu was briefly stunned. No sacrifice required?

How ironic.

Then he offered an explanation. "Perhaps it's because the Angel God has perished, leaving limited power for the trials. That could be why I need to sacrifice myself."

As High Priest, he sensed that the Angel God had fallen. Every time he tapped into his Angelic Divine Power, its store seemed to diminish without replenishment. This had been a source of caution for him, particularly concerning Tang Chen.

If he used his full power, he wouldn't fear Tang Chen. But as High Priest, he had a duty to reserve his strength, in case someone capable of undergoing the trials appeared in his generation.

And since he and Tang Chen had once been close, he found no honor in fighting by hovering out of reach.

Bibi Dong, however, was unsatisfied with his answer. She shook her head slightly. The answer she sought was different because she knew that the Sea God hadn't perished either, yet Bo Saixi still had to sacrifice herself to unlock the ninth trial.

She felt an underlying scheme. Why must a High Priest or someone of comparable strength always be sacrificed?

Sacrifice seemed arbitrary in nature, yet the more "righteous" gods, like the Angel God and the Sea God, demanded it.

After a moment's silence, Bibi Dong shook her head. She couldn't probe further just yet but felt certain of one thing:

The necessity of sacrifice lay with the deity's own design.

And Bibi Dong's mistrust of the Sea God deepened. She couldn't shake the feeling that certain events in Spirit Hall were somehow linked to him—and perhaps this matter was no different.