After bidding farewell to the two Title Douluo who had been promoted from enshrined elders to sect elders, Ning Rongrong left Vast Sea City together with Kurumi.
"Speaking of which, you changed your mind again?" While walking on the road back, Tokisaki Kurumi's face showed surprise.
"No, I'm just making a stop at Heaven Dou Imperial City first. It's on the way."
"What are you going there for?" Tokisaki Kurumi didn't understand.
"You'll know when we get there. It's the imperial capital after all. There might be lots of good food, and who knows, maybe I can pick up one or two catgirls for you to pet on the way."
"That would be for Ning Fengzhi!" Tokisaki Kurumi's face darkened. "If you don't want to say, fine. I don't believe you're actually buying catgirls for Ning Fengzhi."
"Didn't Qian Renxue ban the slave trade in the Heaven Dou Empire shortly after she became emperor?"
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." Ning Rongrong laughed carelessly. "Actually, I'm going to find Princess Xue Ke and ask her for a small favor while I'm at it."
"That puppet princess?" A trace of confusion appeared on Tokisaki Kurumi's face. "What do you want with her? To reveal your cards? But Qian Renxue isn't even on the throne right now."
"Revealing or not doesn't matter. Do you think Spirit Hall and Qian Renxue are unaware of what's going on with the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School? Both sides are just pretending not to know."
"This time I'm just going to see what kind of relationship Xue Ke and Qian Renxue have."
"Besides that, there's another purpose: to get an official commendation document for Dugu Bo."
"A commendation?" Tokisaki Kurumi stopped walking, practically wanting to slap a question mark on her forehead. "What are you even talking about? I don't understand a single word."
"A commendation is an official document praising someone's achievements." Ning Rongrong smiled. "I told you to read more books, or one day you'll be sold and still help count the money for the seller."
"Who could predict humans have so many twists and turns?" Tokisaki Kurumi asked. "Why do you want that for Dugu Bo?"
"Our Pavilion Master Dugu helped the Heaven Dou Empire wipe out several hundred thousand troops. Shouldn't he at least get a hero title?"
"What's the use of that thing? And isn't it a little late?" Tokisaki Kurumi complained.
The war between Heaven Dou and Star Luo ended one or two years ago. Giving Dugu Bo credit now?
"It's mainly for Dugu Yan's sake. Of course… I'm also a bit worried Dugu Bo might do something rash."
"The enemy of my enemy is my hero."
"The legitimacy of this document will make both Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan feel much better."
"That's a bit self-deceptive! You kill people and then erect a monument for your own actions? Both whore and saint?"
Ning Rongrong: "…"
Why does your perspective feel so strangely refreshing!
"Anyway, I just don't want anything to happen to Dugu Bo or Dugu Yan."
For the sake of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School, there could not be even a one-in-ten-thousand chance of being left with only ornamental Title Douluo. She had to pay close attention to the physical and especially mental health of these two dangerous individuals.
"Kurumi, why do you care so much!" Ning Rongrong said. "Just watch and learn properly, or one day you'll be sold and not even know it."
"If I can be sold, the only one who could sell me is you." Tokisaki Kurumi retorted, hands behind her head, completely unbothered. "I don't want to think about complicated stuff. As long as I have no morals, I can't be kidnapped by morals."
"So that's why, back when you were still a Dark Devilgod Tiger, neither grandma nor uncle loved you?"
"That was because I was notoriously ferocious!" Tokisaki Kurumi's fur bristled.
"Fiercely cute? Fiercely cute?"
Tokisaki Kurumi: "…"
"Let's go, let's go, hurry to Heaven Dou City. I'll take you there." Tokisaki Kurumi grabbed Ning Rongrong's hand. "Seriously, you can spatial jump like it's just strolling around. When are you ever going to get things done?"
"A little kitty who explodes the moment she can't win an argument is really fun!"
"Tch…"
Tokisaki Kurumi said nothing. She directly opened a portal, tossed Ning Rongrong inside, clapped her hands with a look of disgust, then stepped through herself.
"Where did you teleport us to?"
Ning Rongrong stumbled out of the portal, completely disoriented.
"Probably in the direction of Heaven Dou City. Might be a bit far." Tokisaki Kurumi said nonchalantly.
"This isn't 'a bit' far!" Ning Rongrong's mouth twitched. "This smell… this is the Slaughter City, isn't it!"
"Oh, is it?" Tokisaki Kurumi scratched her head. "Why are there so few people?"
"Whatever, let's go eat something."
Without waiting for Ning Rongrong, she vanished with a whoosh.
Fifteen minutes later, Tokisaki Kurumi returned to Ning Rongrong's side.
She licked her lips. "As expected, the human world is still more interesting."
"But being able to awaken this ability is thanks to Master."
Ning Rongrong complained, "Don't push every bad thing you do onto me. That way of using it clearly evolved from your own ability. Don't blame me."
"And you actually didn't eat everything. That's strange!"
"Hehe, the people in the Slaughter City are bad people. Actually, neither you nor I are exactly good people, right?"
"Besides, some of them are just workers maintaining order, so I left them alive."
"Let's go." Tokisaki Kurumi prepared to open another spatial jump.
Suddenly, she discovered her ability wouldn't activate.
"Uh, what's going on?"
"Teleporting out from inside requires twice the zhenqi and comprehension of rules compared to teleporting in."
"How do you think I got out back then?"
Back then, she had briefly reached the absolute Extreme of Heart and Extreme of Skill through sudden enlightenment, which allowed her to open the portal.
"Then what do we do?" Tokisaki Kurumi turned her head, asking for Ning Rongrong's opinion.
"I told you not to run around randomly." Ning Rongrong rolled her eyes.
"I was wondering why your teleports always land near limit Douluo. Turns out it wasn't my fault."
You even blamed me for messing up the soul power inside you and causing teleport errors.
Clearly it's your innate Misfortune Poison Body.
"Wahhh—Master, don't blame me, okay?"
"Eek!" Ning Rongrong took a step back. "Don't make that sound. This is the Slaughter City. It'll make people think of certain inappropriate things."
"Then what do we do?" Tokisaki Kurumi threw up her hands.
"I'll use space, you use time. Then, borrowing the resonance of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, with both our mental and soul strength combined, we should be able to open a passage to the outside world."
"And stop messing around!"
"If you teleport us to the Far North and that Ancient Ice Phoenix gets us, we're both done for."
Second-class gods are manageable, but a first-class god—even a crippled one—is not something the two of them can handle right now.
"Got it, got it." Tokisaki Kurumi raised both hands above her head in surrender.
After confirming the black kitty wouldn't cause more trouble, Ning Rongrong began exerting force. The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda rested in her hand as zhenqi spread outward.
On Tokisaki Kurumi's side, black energy fluctuations appeared. Both of their pupils turned the same gold and blue-white, and the clock hands in their eyes spun rapidly.
The next moment.
Crack—
Space tore open. Ning Rongrong grabbed Tokisaki Kurumi's hand and quickly jumped in.
After they entered, the torn space healed at a visible speed.
A few seconds later, there was no trace left.
The moment the two stepped out of the portal, they immediately lost gravity.
They plummeted straight down from ten thousand meters in the sky.
The outline of the city below grew larger and larger as they fell faster.
The next second,
the two vanished again, reappearing on a slightly remote street inside the city.
"We're finally in Heaven Dou City." Ning Rongrong said helplessly.
"Mm, shall we go see Xue Ke now?" Tokisaki Kurumi asked.
"No!" Ning Rongrong shook her head. "Let's find somewhere to stay for the night and recover our energy first. I don't want to risk my life because I wasn't prepared if something unexpected happens."
"I'm not as tough as you, able to wander around hundred-thousand-year soul beasts and still survive."
"You make it sound like you don't wander around them all the time."
Hearing Ning Rongrong's words, Tokisaki Kurumi muttered under her breath.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing!" Tokisaki Kurumi put on a serious face. "I said, Your Excellency has a brilliant plan!"
Ning Rongrong: "…"