"Aren't you afraid Ning Fengzhi will send assassins after you?"
After Ning Fengzhi left, Bo Saixi elegantly sat across from Ye Tian, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"That man called Jian Chenxin is a 97th-ranked Title Douluo."
"To deal with you, he probably wouldn't even need to summon his martial soul."
"Yeah." Ye Tian took a sip of the tea Bo Saixi had poured earlier.
The tea had cooled, but he drank it all in one go.
His sharp gaze lifted to the pitch-black night outside.
"But where is truly safe?"
"This continent may be vast, but in the end, it's just a game of power."
"If you don't become a player, you're doomed to be a side character."
"A player? Someone who controls the game? Your perspective is quite unconventional."
Bo Saixi rested her chin on her hand, pondering as she spoke.
Then, she raised her delicate eyebrows slightly.
"So, you plan to face all of this head-on, unafraid even of death?"
At this thought, Bo Saixi was deeply moved.
This was what made Ye Tian's life meaningful!
Striving for the unification of the continent, dedicating his entire life to it.
Even if his life was short, its breadth was enough to be remembered in the annals of history.
In contrast, she—
Though her cultivation was exceptional, in the long river of time, she was just another face in the crowd.
The gears of time would wash everything away.
In another hundred or two hundred years, who would still remember her?
Seeing Bo Saixi lost in her emotional reverie, Ye Tian leaned back strategically and said flatly,
"Your Eminence Bo Saixi, stop overthinking."
"If I can't beat them, can't I just run away?"
He could shoulder the blame for colluding with the Spirit Hall, but he wasn't about to throw his life away.
"…That's true too." Bo Saixi sighed, a trace of disappointment in her voice.
She had almost forgotten that Ye Tian could always choose to flee.
But… this didn't seem to align with Ye Tian's image.
After all, how could someone striving to unify the continent fear death?
Perhaps Ye Tian simply believed his life shouldn't end in a small place like Heaven Dou City.
He still had to personally build this Douluo Continent!
Thinking this way, Bo Saixi looked up and said,
"Even in such a dire situation, you won't ask for help from someone like me, who's right beside you?"
She leaned forward slightly, staring at him.
"Even if I no longer have the strength of an Ultimate Douluo, I could still thrash that little brat Jian Chenxin."
"Cherish this offer. In another two or three months, I might not even be as strong as a Title Douluo."
Bo Saixi lowered her head, looking at her hands.
Ever since receiving the Sea God's enlightenment years ago, she had soared to the 99th rank as an Ultimate Douluo
But once she chose to leave the Sea God, the power that wasn't originally hers would fade away.
Her true strength was only that of an 82nd-ranked Spirit Douluo—pitiful compared to the lofty Supreme Douluo.
But Bo Saixi didn't care.
Since she had chosen a new life, there was no point regretting past decisions.
After all, she didn't have ambitions like Bibi Dong's to unify the continent.
An 82nd-rank cultivation was enough.
"You want to help me?" Hearing this, Ye Tian chuckled.
"What, you're not willing?" Bo Saixi lazily stretched, then shot him an annoyed glare.
"I'm still a powerhouse, you know. Shouldn't you be grateful for my assistance?"
Then, she pursed her lips.
"But your attitude right now is downright arrogant. You won't even say a simple 'please.'"
"I never thought Your Eminence Bo Saixi could get angry too." Ye Tian found her expression both amusing and exasperating.
"Humans have emotions. Isn't it normal for me to have a temper?"
Bo Saixi glanced outside.
Seeing no one around, she casually closed the door.
A faint smile on her face, she crossed her arms.
"Ask me properly now, and maybe I'll agree to use the last of my strength to protect you for these two months."
"No thanks." Ye Tian waved his hand, shutting her out outright.
It wasn't that he couldn't swallow his pride—
He just didn't want Bo Saixi dragged into this mess.
She had finally mustered the courage to break free from the Sea God and seek a new life.
He couldn't let his personal actions put her in danger.
Truthfully, Ye Tian had his own plans.
Though Bibi Dong hadn't sent any new messages yet, he knew that once the Spirit Hall's offensive against the Upper Three Sects began, it would be a fight to the death.
Having just finished dealing with the Clear Sky Sect, would Bibi Dong withdraw to the Spirit Hall to recuperate for a few years before targeting the other sects?
Obviously not.
Strike while the iron is hot.
Bibi Dong wouldn't give the Upper Three Sects a chance to catch their breath.
Once the weapon was drawn, she had to cripple them.
So, if he wasn't mistaken, Bibi Dong was already secretly marching toward the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Once Ning Fengzhi received news of the attack, he'd be too busy scrambling to defend his own sect to worry about Ye Tian.
For now, he was safe.
Moreover, Ye Tian had already devised a plan.
Once he publicly announced the alliance between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Spirit Hall, he'd quietly slip out of Heaven Dou City.
That way, he wouldn't need Bo Saixi's protection.
Hearing Ye Tian's rejection, Bo Saixi lightly tapped her forehead.
"Getting you to say a single pleading word is so difficult."
Then, with a resigned sigh, she spread her hands.
"Fine. Since you gave me those pills, I'll reluctantly use the last of my strength to help you once."
"Is this what they call 'self-persuasion'?" Ye Tian pressed his lips together, staring at her.
"Think what you want." Bo Saixi huffed.
With a graceful spin, she lifted her skirt slightly and curtsied.
"Imperial Preceptor Ye, I'm tired. Goodnight."
"Uh—Your Eminence is too polite." Ye Tian hurriedly returned the gesture. "Sleep well."
...
...
Over the next few days, Heaven Dou City returned to its usual tranquility.
Aside from the white mourning banners still hanging in the streets—marking the late Emperor Xue Ye's passing—the city had resumed its bustling trade.
During this time, Ye Tian spent his days helping Qian Renxue handle official documents, making the days pass swiftly.
One morning, under pleasant sunlight—
Ye Tian stepped out of his bedroom, looking slightly fatigued. He stretched and yawned.
"Those ministers really love submitting memorials. Being emperor isn't all it's cracked up to be."
"No wonder Her Majesty always pesters me to handle paperwork."
"She's got it easy—just idling in the mourning hall, burning incense now and then."
"What, regretting becoming Imperial Preceptor?"
Bo Saixi was always an early riser.
At the moment, she was tinkering with the stove Ye Tian had used for alchemy in the courtyard, seemingly trying to cook.
But after days of fiddling, she'd produced nothing edible.
Too proud to ask Ye Tian for help, she stubbornly kept at it.
Seeing this, Ye Tian laughed.
"Regret's useless. You made your choice—now you grit your teeth and keep going."
Hearing this, Bo Saixi finally gave up, lightly clapping her hands.
"Cooking's too hard. I'll just buy meals from now on."
As a former prodigy, she'd devoted all her focus to cultivation.
Not knowing how to cook was understandable.
Ye Tian stepped closer, teasing,
"You won't even ask me for help?"
"What, should I sweetly call you 'big brother' too?" Bo Saixi raised her eyes mischievously, a playful glint in them.
Ye Tian shuddered, quickly waving his hands.
"Your Eminence, spare me. I couldn't handle that."
Bo Saixi smugly crossed her arms, looking down at him.
"Good. Know your place."
Ye Tian sighed, gazing at the sky.
"Lately, I've felt like something's missing."
"Missing a pretty girl bringing you breakfast?" Bo Saixi arched an eyebrow, grinning.
"Yeah. It's been a while since Xiao Wu brought me breakfast." Ye Tian felt a pang of melancholy.
Though he still lived at Shrek Academy, he hadn't seen Xiao Wu in days.
It was as if she was avoiding him.
"What, lover's quarrel?" Bo Saixi asked in a singsong voice, clearly enjoying the gossip.
Ye Tian's expression turned bitter.
"Next time we meet, we might be enemies."
He had a rough idea why Xiao Wu had suddenly stopped bringing him meals.
Perhaps she'd learned something about him from Ning Fengzhi.
"Enemies?"
Bo Saixi's eyes filled with confusion.
"Just two days ago, you two were fine."
"I even thought a girl like her might be your type."
"How could you become enemies so quickly?"
Ye Tian fell silent for a moment.
"Xiao Wu's mother died at the hands of the Spirit Hall."
"Ah… a 100,000-year soul beast…" Bo Saixi instantly understood.
She knew that 100,000-year soul beasts possessed intelligence on par with humans.
Yet most ended up as the ninth soul ring of Title Douluos.
"So, Xiao Wu harbors absolute hatred for the Spirit Hall?" Bo Saixi mused.
"Yes." Ye Tian nodded, guilt creeping into his voice.
This was an irreconcilable conflict.
Worse still, the one who'd taken Xiao Wu's mother's soul ring was Bibi Dong—his wife.
Ye Tian was grateful to Xiao Wu for saving him once.
He wanted to repay her.
But the divide between their factions was too vast.
Xiao Wu was avoiding him now, when he hadn't even revealed his true identity.
To her, he was just a 'Heaven Dou politician,' not a Spirit Hall member.
But once his real identity and ties to Bibi Dong came to light—
Xiao Wu would probably want to kill him.
The only way to break this deadlock was to resurrect Xiao Wu's mother.
At this thought, Ye Tian let out a wry laugh.
Resurrecting someone dead for twenty years?
Was that even possible?
…Wait.
Ye Tian's expression suddenly sharpened.
…It might be possible.
If a soul beast willingly sacrificed itself to become a soul ring, resurrection was feasible.
And as someone familiar with the original plot, Ye Tian knew—
Xiao Wu's mother had voluntarily offered herself to Bibi Dong to protect Xiao Wu!
That provided the foundation for revival.
To resurrect a soul beast, five things were needed:
Yearning Heartbroken Red (which he already had—obtained from Xiao Wu months ago). Holy Soul Grass (to awaken the soul—rare but not impossible to find). 10,000-Year Nine Veins Ginseng King (to rebuild the body—though other spirit herbs could substitute). Ancient Spirit Beast Core (to merge soul and body—the hardest to obtain). The original soul bone (which Bibi Dong had absorbed, but Ye Tian could extract it surgically).
The biggest hurdle was the Ancient Spirit Beast Core.
In the original story, Tang San had obtained one in the Slaughter City and used it to revive Xiao Wu.
But Ye Tian had no idea where Tang San was now—let alone how to get the core from him.
"What a pain." Ye Tian sighed inwardly.
Still, since there was a chance, he had to try.
It would repay Xiao Wu's kindness and resolve her hatred for the Spirit Hall.
A win-win.
After careful consideration, Ye Tian concluded that the top priority was finding the Ancient Spirit Beast Core.
The rest could be managed.
Even the soul bone wasn't a concern—though Bibi Dong had fused with it, his medical skills could extract it safely.
(And he'd compensate her, of course. No reason for her to lose out.)
This was another kind of mutual benefit.
Having made up his mind, Ye Tian returned to his room and wrote a coded letter for the covert guards to deliver to Bibi Dong, explaining the plan.
"What are you thinking about?"
Bo Saixi was puzzled by his prolonged silence.
"Your Eminence, have you ever heard of an Ancient Spirit Beast Core?"
Ye Tian raised an eyebrow, looking at her.
As a former Supreme Douluo and high priestess of Sea God Island, her knowledge must be vast.
"Huh?" Bo Saixi blinked in surprise.
Thinking she hadn't heard clearly, Ye Tian repeated,
"An Ancient Spirit Beast Core."
"How do you know about that?" Bo Saixi's eyes widened.
"So you have seen one?" Ye Tian's interest was piqued.
"Not seen, but I know its origins."
"As the name suggests, it's the core from a spirit beast's body."
"But our Douluo Continent only has soul beasts, not spirit beasts."
"Spirit beasts are extraterrestrial—records say they come from a world filled with 'spiritual energy.'"
"In ancient times, a rift suddenly appeared in the northern lands, unleashing many spirit beasts—what we now call 'ancient' ones."
"What happened afterward is lost to history."
"But one thing's certain: they're extremely rare."
"I know one used to live in the Slaughter City. But after its destruction, that serpent probably died too."
"There's one other place that might have one, though I'm not sure."
"Where?" Ye Tian's eyes lit up.
(End of Chapter)