Chapter 384: "A Truly Absurd Charge for Love" – The Real Culprit?
Perhaps because he was so familiar with his surroundings, a faint light of clarity returned to Yu Xiaogang's once lifeless eyes.
For the past three months, he had been confined in a secluded courtyard, surrounded by an eerie silence.
He couldn't leave, nor could he hear any voices. His only sign of life was the food placed on the table every time he blacked out from an attempted escape.
He could sense the passage of time, feel the warmth of the sun and the chill of the night, but to him, it was nothing more than a different kind of solitary confinement.
He was on the verge of madness until Bibi Dong reappeared before him.
Bibi Dong spoke only to herself, pouring her thoughts into him the way he had once obsessed over instilling his theories into others. She told Yu Xiaogang she would avenge him, yet no matter how hard he searched his mind, he couldn't think of a single enemy worthy of vengeance.
Many had mocked him, sure, but never to a degree that warranted revenge. Instead, all he wanted now was to escape from Bibi Dong's grasp.
He realized too late that choosing to seek her out had been his greatest mistake she was his true calamity.
Between fear and Bibi Dong's increasingly deranged actions, Yu Xiaogang gradually grew numb. His words fell on deaf ears.
She barely acknowledged him, responding in ways that made it clear she was speaking not to him, but to some imagined version of him, sending chills down his spine.
He longed to flee, but he couldn't. The ominous, suffocating aura radiating from Bibi Dong kept him frozen in place.
At last, she led him out of the courtyard. From the murmurs of those around them, he learned that Spirit Hall had declared itself an empire and aimed to unify the continent. But what did that have to do with him? His soul power was sealed, rendering him useless.
So why had she brought him to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan? Was she planning to recruit them in his name? That would make sense.
Spirit Hall had already displayed its might by wiping out the Clear Sky Clan, and if unification was the goal, dealing with the remaining two great clans was inevitable.
"Xiaogang, we're here. What I promised you I will accomplish soon."
Bibi Dong's voice was suddenly as gentle as silk, and her gaze upon him softened with an almost motherly tenderness.
"Once this is over, you'll release me, right?" Yu Xiaogang's voice was hoarse from disuse, and speaking made his throat sting.
"Mm, I promised. Once I've finished here, you'll be free until the war ends."
Bibi Dong pressed a hand to her temple, her expression briefly conflicted as if she were battling some unseen force.
"Fine. I hope you keep your word."
Yu Xiaogang inhaled deeply. The moment this ordeal was over, he would beg his father to send him somewhere isolated somewhere he would never have to see Bibi Dong again.
The farthest, coldest reaches of the world would be preferable to staying near her. What did reputation matter? What of his beast transformation? None of it concerned him anymore.
"Alright then, Xiaogang. Make sure you stay close to me from now on."
Yu Xiaogang's confusion deepened as Bibi Dong casually flicked her wrist, releasing a surge of divine energy into the air. A dazzling burst of light exploded like fireworks above them. Before he could process what was happening, he was pulled to her side and enveloped in her domain.
No, not one domain two.
Her Death Domain spread outward, encased by a second layer of faint white killing intent.
A growing unease crept up Yu Xiaogang's spine, but he reasoned that she was merely being cautious. After all, she planned to confront the clan alone.
With Bibi Dong's divine power surrounding them, they moved swiftly toward the first line of disciples standing guard outside the clan's perimeter.
These disciples had just gathered, alerted by the commotion in the sky. Their wary gazes fixed on the approaching figures.
Then, they saw Yu Xiaogang.
One of the disciples, who recognized him, furrowed his brows and opened his mouth to scold him, about to tell him that he had no place here.
But in the next instant, he and the dozen others around him were swallowed by Bibi Dong's Death Domain.
They barely had time to react.
A corrosive darkness engulfed them. Their bodies, their clothes everything was consumed in the black mist.
They crumpled to the ground, the only remnants of their existence the belongings that clattered noisily onto the earth, adding to the eerie silence.
Yu Xiaogang froze, his head snapping toward Bibi Dong, who stood just a step away.
"Bibi Dong… what are you doing?"
"I'm avenging you, Xiaogang. You saw it, didn't you? That man was looking at you with disdain."
Bibi Dong's voice carried a hint of grievance, as if she truly believed he had already accepted this. She had told him, hadn't she? Hadn't she made it clear she was here to seek revenge for him? He hadn't objected. He had stopped refuting her words long ago. So why was he angry now?
Yu Xiaogang's mouth hung open in shock. His eyes widened in disbelief, his whole body trembling. Even lifting his hand felt like an impossible effort.
"I know you don't like witnessing such violence, Xiaogang. But today, the only way to keep you safe is to keep you by my side."
"If you don't like what happens next, you can close your eyes. I promise, it will be over soon."
Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at Yu Xiaogang's reaction, as if she had imagined something in her own mind. Once again, she was lost in her own world of unread messages and self constructed logic. When dealing with Yu Xiaogang, she operated on an entirely different wavelength, yet when interacting with others in Spirit Hall, she seemed perfectly rational.
She didn't even try to conceal her energy fluctuations. Just as Yu Xiaogang was about to speak, she abruptly turned her head toward the path leading up the mountain, reacting with impressive speed.
"Xiaogang, if you can't stand the sight of blood, remember to close your eyes."
With that, her body shot forward, and the divine energy encasing Yu Xiaogang dragged him along. The rush of wind filled his mouth, making it impossible for him to form a complete sentence.
"Holy shit. Incredible."
In Tian Dou City, within the courtyard, Han Li struggled to find words to describe what he was witnessing. In the end, he settled for the simplest and most honest reaction.
He was staring at the glowing screen before him. Next to him sat Qian Renxue, who had only just left but had been called back again.
The two of them watched as Bibi Dong, wielding twin scythes and her domain unleashed, charged toward the peak of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan like a war goddess, cutting down anything in her path without breaking stride. Their expressions varied.
In fact, Han Li's reaction was even more intense than Qian Renxue's.
A few months ago, Han Li had already seen his "obedient son's" recorded playback of the situation. He knew Bibi Dong had lost her mind, but witnessing it firsthand today was a completely different experience.
First came the unread responses, followed by her act of playing the meek little woman. Then, within seconds, she flipped the script, pulling out her scythes and charging into battle like an unstoppable force.
To top it off, she was dragging along a wailing Yu Xiaogang. Even with all the insane things Han Li had seen in his past life's online forums, this scene would easily make the top three most absurd displays. It was completely surreal.
He snuck a glance at Qian Renxue, thinking that perhaps he shouldn't have called her back to see this.
Qian Renxue, noticing his glance, spoke indifferently, "Not bad. The simulations in my god trials were even more extreme. I've already experienced three scenarios worse than this."
Han Li clicked his tongue and chose to stay silent.
He had forgotten that Qian Renxue's seventh trial involved facing her own darkness, and her eighth trial had a judgment phase. Given that she had prior knowledge of certain truths, Bibi Dong had undoubtedly been featured prominently in her visions.
Then there was the ninth trial harder and more brutal than any before it. The fact that she had succeeded meant she had passed all of it. Thinking back, while he had helped accelerate her progress, he had also unintentionally increased her trial's difficulty. Fortunately, the outcome was in her favor.
"Keep watching. In my god trials, I even killed you once. You definitely wouldn't want to know the details."
Qian Renxue's voice carried a hint of amusement.
Han Li suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, but seeing that she had no intention of elaborating, he had no choice but to shift his attention back to the glowing screen before him.
At the peak of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's stronghold, Bibi Dong finally stepped onto the last stone step.
Her foot landed in a pool of fresh blood, but strangely, not a single drop clung to her shoes.
At the forefront of the crowd, Yu Yuanzhen stood his ground. Yet, for some reason, his figure seemed slightly hunched.
His left arm was gone. Blood continued to drip from his wounds, soaking through his blue robes.
Having just broken through to Rank 96, he had, of course, attempted to fight back. But it had only taken a single move for him to lose his arm.
He could tell that Bibi Dong was holding back. If she had wanted him dead from the start, he wouldn't have lasted long enough to be dragged to the peak.
Bibi Dong's lips curled into a faint smile. Beside her, Yu Xiaogang was shouting at her in fury, his face streaked with tears of blood.
Opposite them, some of the clan members stood like Yu Yuanzhen, their eyes filled with pure hatred as they glared at Bibi Dong. Others had already fallen to their knees, their foreheads slamming against the ground in desperate pleas. Some had even wet themselves out of fear, hoping to cling to life.
"Xiaogang, this is merely the interest for all the years they have looked down on you and insulted you. Are you satisfied yet?"
Amidst the cacophony of voices, Bibi Dong reached out and pulled Yu Xiaogang up, ignoring his curses and pleas. She lived entirely within her own world.
The peak fell into dead silence. It was as if an invisible hand had seized everyone's throats, rendering them speechless.
How utterly absurd.
Bibi Dong alone had slaughtered nearly half of the clan, all because they had looked down on Yu Xiaogang?
Just moments ago, many of them had watched Yu Xiaogang curse Bibi Dong with the vilest words imaginable. Some had even started to see him in a new light, believing that, at the very least, he had the backbone to stand up against her.
But now, in the most grotesque twist of irony, they realized this coward was the very reason their clan was being annihilated.
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