Inside the Pope's Palace.
The three members of the Golden Generation knelt on one knee, heads bowed so low even their breathing caught in their throats.
Dozens of heartbeats later—
The deep violet Spirit Power enshrouding the throne pulsed like a living thing,
expanding and contracting,
until at last it gathered like rivers flowing into the sea,
drawn into the lips of the figure seated upon the throne.
When the final strand of Spirit Power was absorbed, her form came into sharp focus.
She wore a gown of pure white woven with golden thread,
the two-meter Pope's Scepter held in one hand,
her black hair bound beneath the jeweled Pope's crown,
revealing a face as if carved from cold jade—perfect and flawless.
She raised her eyes slightly. The crystal crown cast fragmented shadows on her eyelids, tempering her already condescending gaze with another layer of coldness.
She was none other than the contemporary Pope of Spirit Hall—
and the youngest Pope in its history—
Bibi Dong.
"Did you understand what I said?" Bibi Dong's voice was like a cold current sweeping through the hall.
Xie Yue and Yan bowed their heads even lower.
"We obey your will! The championship of the Spirit Master Tournament will belong to Spirit Hall!"
Bibi Dong's expression remained indifferent.
Sweat gradually beaded upon Xie Yue's and Yan's foreheads.
At last, the Golden Generation's core, the only girl among them, lifted her head.
Her face was not striking at first glance,
but the faintly upturned fox-like eyes at their corners carried a charm that could bewitch souls.
"If Li Zhexian manages to reach Spirit City alive, when we meet him in the tournament, I will cripple him."
"…Good." Bibi Dong finally inclined her head.
"Leave."
"Yes, Your Holiness / Teacher."
The three bowed deeply, retreated several steps, and only then dared turn to leave at a brisk pace.
The vast Pope's Palace fell silent again,
leaving only Bibi Dong and her unmoving, statue-like attendants.
Resting her cheek on her hand, she slowly closed her eyes.
She didn't know how long passed before a guard's announcement came from outside the palace.
"Greetings, Your Holiness. Elder Yu Xiaogang requests audience."
Bibi Dong's eyes suddenly opened. A purple light flashed and disappeared.
"Enter."
Tap, tap—
tap, tap—
Yu Xiaogang stepped into the hall.
He looked up at the figure upon the throne.
His eyes carried memory, remorse, and a trace of melancholy.
"You… are you well?"
Bibi Dong stared at Yu Xiaogang. Her chest slightly rose and fell. After a few deep breaths, she returned to her calm state. Her tone was cold to the bone.
"Since you have seen the Pope, why don't you bow?"
A hint of pain flashed across Yu Xiaogang's face. "Yu Xiaogang greets Your Holiness the Pope."
Bibi Dong said indifferently: "Twenty years since you last set foot in Spirit City. Why have you returned?"
"Your Holiness, I came to ask you—
How did you overcome the defect of twin Martial Souls?"
Across the history of the Douluo Continent,
only two twin Martial Soul users had been recorded.
The first—
when he attempted to attach a Spirit Ring to his second Martial Soul,
the Martial Souls clashed and tore him apart, leaving not even bones behind.
The second was Bibi Dong, who was right in front of him. She had not only overcome the conflict between her Martial Souls but had also become an unfathomably powerful expert.
And Tang San… was the third Yu Xiaogang knew of.
"So there are things even the great theorist does not know." Bibi Dong said coldly.
"But tell me—
why should I reveal it to you?
So you can raise a powerful enemy to stand against me?"
Her expression suddenly turned to cold. A killing intent that felt substantial spread.
"You should be grateful that you still have Sword Wine.
Otherwise, the very first target of the powerhouses I sent out
would have been your disciple, Tang San.
But no matter—one by one, they will all die."
"You..." Yu Xiaogang suddenly stood up, clenching his fists.
Bibi Dong looked at Yu Xiaogang's angry expression. The curve of her lips grew wider and wider.
"Ha… ha ha ha ha!"
Laughter reverberated in the sacred hall. Its majesty remained, but it was soaked with a chilling madness.
"You... you're simply unreasonable!" Yu Xiaogang gnashed his teeth and growled, flicking his sleeve and turning around.
Looking at his resentful back, Bibi Dong's laughter gradually receded. In the empty and silent hall, only her heavy breathing remained.
She recalled the reports from her spies—
"His Highness and the famed Heaven Dou genius Sword Wine grow ever closer. it even seems she has revealed her true face, and now travels at his side."
Every word of this was like a poisonous snake gnawing at her heart and guts. The Pope's Scepter, forged from a rare metal, let out a groan in her tightly clenched hand, unable to bear the weight. Clear fingerprints were deeply branded into it.
In the depths of her demonic violet eyes surged agony… and a desire for utter destruction.
"My happiness… long since burned to ashes…"
"You wretch…"
"You shall not claim even a shred!"
—
The journey seemed calm and peaceful.
Ten days slipped by, more than half the distance covered.
With five hundred royal knights leading the way and Crown Prince Xue Qinghe personally attending, the cities they passed through all greeted them with a grand ceremony. The journey was smooth and unobstructed the whole way.
On the eleventh day, Li Zhexian, Yu Tianheng, Feng Xiaotian, and the others disliked the stuffiness of the carriages.
Each of them mounted their wind-chasing steed and rode on the outskirts of the knight formation.
Li Zhexian was bouncing with his horse's back, leisurely and unhurriedly drinking his wine. Feng Xiaotian suddenly reached out with a wicked grin, wanting to slap Li Zhexian's horse on the rear.
Whoosh—
At that moment, a wisp of fire flicked his finger away. Huo Wu immediately called out to Li Zhexian, "Hey, Li Zhexian! I know you still have those plums!"
"I helped you teach him a lesson. Give me two more!"
"Really don't have any left." Li Zhexian replied lazily.
Catching Feng Xiaotian's sheepish look, a thought stirred in his mind.
A wisp of invisible sword qi condensed and poked the horse's butt under Feng Xiaotian.
Hee—
The horse let out a startled neigh and stood up on its hind legs. It spread its four hooves and galloped wildly.
"Ahh—!" Feng Xiaotian let out a cry and flusteredly tightened the reins. But the invisible sword qi was following like a shadow and was still poking the horse's butt. The horse was completely out of control.
Seeing the scene,
Li Zhexian burst out laughing.
Huo Wu's eyes curved into crescents as she laughed.
Yu Tianheng, Yufeng and the others could not suppress their laughter either.
Even the usually aloof members of Skywater Academy,
who seldom mingled with other teams,
couldn't help but smile.
However, the relaxed atmosphere came to an abrupt halt.
The team took a shortcut, turning into a narrow mountain pass. With hills standing tall on both sides, they could save dozens of miles of travel by passing through here.
But suddenly—
all sound vanished.
Only the monotonous echo of the horse hooves hitting the ground remained.
An inexpressibly heavy sense of oppression, like a mountain, poured down on them.
"Everyone, be on guard! There's an ambush!" The guard commander's sharp shout tore through the silence.
Before his words fell, on the hills on both sides, dense, countless black figures emerged like locusts.
But what made everyone suck in a cold breath was the two figures leading the way.
One of them wore spotlessly white clothes. His face was covered by a flowing mist. In his hand, he held a demonic blooming fairy flower.
The other's figure was unpredictable and erratic, like a faint specter that could dissipate at any time.
The moment these two appeared, the expressions of the accompanying teachers of the five teams changed drastically. F
rom these two, they felt a terrifying, irresistible sense of oppression. Even the flow of Spirit Power within their bodies became sluggish.
Titled Douluo.
Without question—
both were Titled Douluo!
Li Zhexian's expression changed slightly. He knew that such a terrifying lineup had to be the work of Spirit Hall.
"The Pope is insane!"
"Li Zhexian!"
In the chaos of the people and horses, Xue Qinghe rushed quickly toward Li Zhexian, going against the scattering, retreating flow of people.