Chapter 413: Meeting Bibi Dong Again, a Final Kindness
"Why is there no one in the Papal Palace today?" Dai Yao asked, noting the absence of guards as he observed the palace grounds with curiosity.
Ferdinand glanced around subtly before transmitting a message to Dai Yao. "It's the Pope's orders. I don't know the specifics, but her recent behavior has become increasingly erratic, and those who defy her are executed without hesitation. So, be careful not to anger her."
Hearing this, Dai Yao's heart tightened. He would never forget that Bibi Dong, with whom he had once fought side-by-side, was still, at her core, the ruthless Rakshasa God from the original story.
The misstep in the City of Hell had driven them into opposing camps, and the spirit beast faction's interference had only widened the rift. Dai Yao knew that his return would require a choice at this crossroads.
With a sigh, he replied, "I understand, Ferdinand. When did you first notice her change in behavior?"
Ferdinand pondered briefly. "If I remember correctly, it started when you first appeared as the 'Shura Emperor' and went to the Heaven Dou Empire. For a while, her personality seemed softer, less harsh, as if she'd been touched by some newfound kindness. But now, she's just…gone back to her old self."
Listening to Ferdinand's explanation, Dai Yao fell silent. He understood the reason for her transformation. He had helped to lift a portion of the darkness from Bibi Dong's heart, easing her nature. But when the spirit beast faction revealed his identity to Hu Liena, their fragile trust had shattered beyond repair.
"Alright, I'll leave you here." Ferdinand halted before the doors of the Papal Palace and gave Dai Yao a small smile.
Dai Yao nodded, bidding Ferdinand farewell. He looked up at the grand doors before him—massive barriers that separated him from Bibi Dong.
"It's time to resolve this," he said to himself.
He pushed open the doors and entered the hall he had walked through countless times before. A tall figure stood with her back to him on the Papal Throne, holding her staff. Her flowing purple hair and imposing presence filled the room, her gaze alone commanding all in her path.
"So, you've come," Bibi Dong's cool voice echoed through the hall as she turned toward him, her distant gaze falling on Dai Yao. Her slender fingers clenched slightly as her eyes hardened. With a wave of her hand, the doors shut with a resonant thud, sealing the hall.
"I'm back," Dai Yao replied softly, his tone filled with an unspoken melancholy at her cold reception.
Bibi Dong seated herself, resting her head upon her slender hand and crossing her legs. Her gaze, layered with a complex mix of emotions, shifted momentarily to a bitter chill as she closed her eyes and spoke.
"So, you've finished your revenge?" she asked.
"Yes. It's all settled," Dai Yao answered calmly.
The Emperor and Empress of Star Luo—those who had wronged him the most—were dead. As for the others, they were insignificant and easily dispatched if they ever crossed his path again.
Hearing this, Bibi Dong let out a faint sigh of relief, as if a weight had been lifted. Dai Yao's vendetta was concluded, freeing her of any remaining burden for what she planned to do next. After all, Dai Yao had once been the light that pierced her despair.
"That's good…" she murmured.
Dai Yao had come prepared to reveal the entire truth to Bibi Dong: why Hu Liena knew his identity, and which powers were scheming against him. But her cold demeanor filled him with hesitation. Bibi Dong had clearly made a decision.
As long as he had his Chaos Green Lotus Martial Spirit, he felt confident he could escape any threat. Her Rakshasa powers could never fully bind him.
"Is there something you needed from me, Your Holiness?" Dai Yao asked with measured calm.
The phrase "Your Holiness" made Bibi Dong's heart clench involuntarily. Her hand tensed around her staff, her gaze flickering. She had once allowed him to call her by name, finding "Your Holiness" overly formal. Hearing it again reminded her of the cold distance now between them, a divide she knew they would never bridge.
But who was to blame for that distance?
Was it not Dai Yao who had disregarded her countless warnings?
Her mood steadied. She looked down at him, the cool authority in her gaze betraying no emotion. "Are there any other matters you wish to settle?"
Dai Yao paused, feeling the weight of her question as if it were his final meal. Looking up, he met her cold gaze and answered, "Nothing urgent, really. There are still a few things to address, but none are very pressing."
"Good," Bibi Dong said softly, raising her staff. With a resonant crack, an invisible force burst forth, and dark red blood surged across the floor, spreading from the point of impact. In moments, the once-grand Papal Palace transformed into a blood-soaked sea filled with floating skeletons. At its center, a scythe radiating immense malevolence hovered, a weapon so terrifying that just looking at it made Dai Yao's scalp tingle.
Bibi Dong's intent was clear, yet Dai Yao did not rush to escape. Shielded by his Chaos Green Lotus, he had nothing to fear. He channeled its energy, confirming he was unhindered. With calm, he looked toward Bibi Dong and asked, "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"
Bibi Dong noticed his unexpected composure, chalking it up to his vast battle experience. She cast her gaze over the blood sea, a twisted sense of comfort filling her as if she had finally returned to her natural element.
Turning back to Dai Yao, she asked, "Would you like to know why I'm doing this?"
Dai Yao, finding the blood's sinister energy unsettling, met her eyes and said, "Go on."
With a soft scoff, her cold eyes glinted with suppressed rage. "I warned you—don't get close to Liena, and don't reveal your true identity to her. Yet you ignored me, allowed her to learn who you really are, and even let her plead with me on your behalf! Did you ever take my words to heart?" she demanded sharply.
Dai Yao did not respond, only meeting her gaze in silence. He had never anticipated that the Fourteenth Worshipper, the Lion Douluo from the spirit beast faction, would reveal his secret to Hu Liena. As a result, he had no defense to offer when Bibi Dong reproached him.
Although he had since pieced together the larger scheme, his discovery was met with threats from the mysterious figures who held Zhu Zhuqing and Feng Wutong's lives as leverage, forcing his silence. By the time he had uncovered the spirit beast faction's hand in it, Bibi Dong had already shut him out.
The miscommunication had turned into a gulf, exacerbated by the meddling spirit beasts. But perhaps, Dai Yao thought, the heart of the issue lay in Bibi Dong's deep-seated mistrust of him.
With a detached look, Dai Yao said, "So, you want to kill me?"
The cold tone of his voice made Bibi Dong catch her breath. She was incredulous at his lack of remorse, and a wave of disgust washed over her as she thought of the friendship she had once offered him.
Yet she calmed herself, satisfied that he would soon meet his end. "If it were just Liena, I might have spared you," she said evenly. "But there was another matter—a person, rather—that made my decision for me. The sole heir of the Six-Winged Angel Clan, Qian Daoliu's granddaughter, Qian Renxue. She may not admit it, but I know she, like Liena, harbors feelings for you…"
Dai Yao sighed softly. He had realized that Qian Renxue's feelings had shifted when he saved her and escorted her safely home. Though he had tried to avoid entanglement, there had been no other choice at the time.
Bibi Dong's gaze, frosty and unyielding, sharpened as she continued. "I could forgive your involvement with Liena, but not with Qian Renxue. Do you even know…?"
She stopped abruptly, the words caught in her throat.
Dai Yao finished the sentence for her. "That she's your daughter?"
The blood sea fell silent, save for the faint bubbling of crimson pools. Dai Yao's voice echoed in the eerie stillness as Bibi Dong's eyes widened, her body trembling slightly as she whispered, "How…how did you know that? Did she tell you?"
"Do you really believe," Dai Yao replied calmly, "that someone like Qian Renxue would reveal a secret that haunts her every waking moment, even if we were close?"
Stunned, Bibi Dong's facade fell away as she scrutinized him, a mixture of suspicion and anger twisting her expression. "Then how did you find out?" she demanded, her voice steely.
Aside from the elders of the Hall of Worship, no one knew of her connection to Qian Renxue—not even Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo, who had only suspicions. Qian Renxue would never confide in Dai Yao, and the elders would never reveal such a dark family secret.
Dai Yao glanced at her, a fleeting sympathy for her struggle. But the blood pool's grisly nature dispelled any empathy he felt.
Instead of answering directly, he said, "Do you remember the story you once told me in the Zombie World? I know that you were that girl. And I know it was Qian Xunji who cast you into the darkness, forcing you from Yu Xiaogang and subjecting you to the nightmare you've never spoken of since."
"So, that's why you despise Qian Renxue." Dai Yao's voice cut through the silence like a blade. "Tell me, am I right?"
Hearing this, Bibi Dong froze. Having her deepest wound exposed was like reopening an old scar, the pain of which was suffocating. After a moment of labored breathing, she burst out, "How—how do you know about this?"
Dai Yao sighed and spoke slowly. "In fact, I've known all along. Even before I joined the Spirit Hall, I was aware of everything."
Bibi Dong's expression went blank, the shock and disbelief still evident on her face. She stared at him, her voice trembling with incredulity, "What… what are you saying?"
Her skin prickled. The implications of his words were overwhelming. If Dai Yao truly knew all of this—about her past, about her relationship with Qian Renxue—then had his actions all along been his way of saving her?
The cryptic words he had spoken to her, once so hard to decipher, now seemed clearer. Dai Yao must have been trying to save her. But why had he also done things that made her so furious? She needed an explanation.
What she could not fathom was how he knew her secret. Aside from a few elderly figures in the Hall of Worship, everyone who had known was long dead.
Instead of answering, Dai Yao's gaze shifted to the blood pool, and his expression hardened as he looked at Bibi Dong. "I'll ask you one last question. Are all the souls in this blood pool those of condemned criminals, as I advised?"
Bibi Dong's expression faltered, and she looked down at the blood pool with a mix of emotions. Her voice quivered as she answered, "If I tell you, will you finally tell me the truth?"
For the first time since becoming Pope, Bibi Dong felt as though she had lost control of the situation.
"No," Dai Yao replied firmly. "Just answer me—have you sacrificed innocent civilians for this blood pool?"
Bibi Dong bit her lip, hesitated, then nodded, her beautiful eyes showing a hint of desperation as she whispered, "No. After your warning, I haven't used civilians. All of them were criminals on death row."
"This burden began with you; it should end with you. I intended to use your life to sever my ties to you," she admitted quietly, "but I never imagined it would come to this…"
Dai Yao observed her with a cool gaze. Her logic made sense: a cycle beginning and ending with him. But that didn't lessen his anger over her intent to kill him. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a moment.
If he told her the truth now, perhaps there was a chance to salvage their relationship. But he didn't want to.
Her intent to kill him had snuffed out any remaining warmth he felt for her. Call it pride, call it stubbornness—Dai Yao was tired.
Ever since joining the Spirit Hall, he had been maneuvered by others. Bibi Dong had used him to help her disciple escape the City of Slaughter. The spirit beast faction had plotted to control him, and the Hall of Worship had tried to bind him to Qian Renxue's path to godhood. He had faced nothing but cold calculation and manipulation.
Because he sympathized with Bibi Dong's tragic past, he had tried to pull her back from the abyss. But now, she wanted to see him dead. Even if they repeated this a thousand times, nothing would change. Her lack of trust in him had eroded his hope.
Even the smallest chance to explain himself had been denied. Each attempt to meet with her had been met with closed doors. Any warmth he had shown her now felt like a mockery.
His desire for revenge fulfilled, Dai Yao now only wanted to rest. The conflicts of the Spirit Hall were no longer his concern.
He looked at Bibi Dong, his detached gaze making her heart freeze over.
"Enough," he sighed. "Enough of all this."
"Bibi… no, Your Holiness. This will be the last time I call you by your name." He took a deep breath. "I never told Liena about my identity as the 'Shura Emperor.' There are things you don't know."
As she opened her mouth to question him, he raised a hand to silence her. "After today, I'll send you a letter explaining everything. Whether you choose to believe it or not will no longer concern me."
"Before I leave, I have one last gift for you. Think of it as thanks for helping me with my revenge."
He closed his eyes, gathering the endless torrent of soul power from within his Chaos Green Lotus Martial Spirit. Its strength, equivalent to that of a ninety-ninth-level Titled Douluo, surged forward, filling the blood pool and surrounding Bibi Dong in a sea of energy.
Dai Yao glanced at her struggling form as she sank deeper into the ocean of soul power, then spoke, his voice calm but resolute. "This soul power is enough for you to become the Rakshasa God without sacrificing more innocent lives."
Reaching the godly level required the sacrifice of a Titled Douluo at the ninety-ninth level. Since Bibi Dong lacked such a sacrifice, she had resorted to slaughter, using the life force of countless individuals to open the path to godhood. Now, Dai Yao's sacrifice fulfilled this requirement, preventing further bloodshed.
"With this soul power, our debts are settled. From this day on, there is nothing left between us."
Casting one last look at Bibi Dong, he summoned the Chaos Green Lotus and disappeared from the Rakshasa God's domain.
As she watched him vanish, Bibi Dong was consumed by a searing pain that seemed to tear her heart apart.
"No!"
Her hand stretched out towards where he had just stood, desperately grasping at empty air. Her anguished scream filled the hall.
Dai Yao hadn't explained anything in words, but his actions had revealed all.
Even though she had tried to kill him, he hadn't harmed her in return. How could someone like him betray her?
She didn't even try to fathom how Dai Yao had summoned such vast soul power or escaped from the Rakshasa domain. The heavy weight of regret crushed her, flooding her with sorrow.
If only she had trusted him, they would never have ended up here.
She had been like a mouse trapped in a well, suffocating in darkness and sinking deeper into the mire. Dai Yao had opened a door, letting in light and extending his hand to help her out. But instead of accepting his help, she had turned away—and, blinded by misunderstanding, had even tried to kill him.
Now that their positions had reversed, she finally understood Dai Yao's pain. She couldn't forgive herself.
Tears streamed down her face as she struggled to leave the blood pool and chase after him, but the overwhelming soul power binding her held her captive, trapping her in place.
All her efforts were in vain.
She could only watch helplessly as Dai Yao disappeared into the distance…
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