The intelligence gathered from the Elder Hall's secret council was heavy with the weight of destiny, yet Bibi Dong knew she had a few hours of tactical flexibility before the sun dipped below the horizon and she was required back at the training grounds. Her spirit was restless; the revelation of the Blue Silver Empress's pregnancy had shifted the internal clock of her revenge, and she needed a distraction that might also yield a strategic advantage.
Using the rapid, tearing speed of her soul agility, she bypassed the borders of the Spirit City and made her way toward the southern trade hub of Star Luo City. The Star Luo Empire's capital was always a hive of chaotic energy, a stark contrast to the rigid, sanctified order of the Spirit Hall.
After masking her presence with a low-level concealment technique and adopting the appearance of a dignified, ordinary woman in her late thirties, Bibi Dong strolled through the bustling markets.
She suppressed her Titled Douluo aura, leaking only enough spirit energy to mimic a middle-ranked Soul Emperor—strong enough to be respected, but common enough to avoid the scrutiny of the Empire's high-level guardians.
The auction house she selected was a prestigious one, a towering structure of obsidian and gold leaf. As she entered, the atmosphere was already thick with the scent of expensive incense and the frantic energy of the wealthy.
She took a seat in a shadowed corner of the mezzanine, leaning back lazily. The variety of people amused her. There were the bloated merchant kings draped in excessive jewels, the arrogant young masters of minor sects trying to look unimpressed, and the desperate cultivators hoping for a miracle.
On the stage, the host was a woman dressed in a daring, crimson silk gown that left very little to the imagination—a "sexy" display designed to distract the wealthy male clientele into overbidding.
Glued eyes and shallow hearts, Bibi Dong thought, watching a group of men in the front row practically drooling as the host gestured toward the first item. Is this the world my son will inherit?
A sudden, unexpected worry flickered in her mind. She imagined a future Yorrichi—tall, powerful, and perhaps just as easily swayed by a pretty face and a silk dress.
No, she corrected herself firmly, a small frown marring her disguised face. I will build character within them. Renxue will have the dignity of an Empress, and Yorrichi will have the discipline of a Saint. Then, she shook her head, a soft sigh escaping her lips.
But if he grows up and chooses to be a rogue... can I truly stop him? If he wants to chase the wind and the beauty of the world, it is his path. She rubbed her temples. All headaches for the future. For now, let's see if this Imperial city has anything of actual worth.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" the host's voice rang out, melodic and artificially bright. "We have concluded the minor lots. Now, we move to the treasures of the evening—the items that change destinies!"
Bibi Dong straightened her posture, her eyes narrowing as her spiritual sense sharpened. The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly; the casual chatter died down, replaced by a tense, hungry silence.
The first item was a suit of Dragon-Scale Inner Armor. "Tested against the elements!" the host cried. "It can withstand five full-power strikes from a Soul Douluo, and even survive a single, direct blow from a newly ascended Titled Douluo!"
The bidding was ferocious. It started at 50,000 Gold Soul Coins and climbed rapidly, eventually selling for a staggering 420,000 to a merchant prince from the northern borders.
The second was a Spirit-Calming Censer, an artifact that emitted a constant, soothing frequency. "Perfect for large-scale cultivation rooms to prevent spirit deviation!" The bids were more measured but steady, academies competing fiercely for the prize. It closed at 280,000 Gold Soul Coins.
A high-level Destructive Spear followed, forged from meteoritic iron, selling for 550,000$
Bibi Dong remained unimpressed. To a woman who wielded the power of twin spirits and a 100,000-year ring, these were mere toys. She began to wonder if her journey had been a waste of time.
"And now," the host said, her voice dropping to a theatrical whisper, "we present Lot Number Eight. A mystery from the deepest trenches of the Sunken Sea."
Attendants brought out a small velvet pedestal. On it sat a stone the size of a human heart, of a pitch-black colour so deep it seemed to absorb the torchlight around it. Its surface was matte, devoid of any luster, looking like a piece of common coal.
"This stone," the host claimed, her eyes sweeping the crowd enchantingly, "is made from a non-destructible substance. Our best smiths and even high-level Soul Masters could not mark it. We believe it may contain an ancient battle technique, a legacy of a lost god, or perhaps the core of a primordial beast!"
The crowd erupted in murmurs. "If it's so great, why didn't the seller open it?" a man shouted from the back, his voice dripping with skepticism. "Is it really as hard as you claim?"
"We want proof!" another added loudly.
"Show us it's genuine! The base price is 100,000 Gold Soul Coins—we aren't paying that for a rock!"
The host smiled, though a hint of perspiration appeared on her brow. "Of course. We expected the doubt. We have invited a Level 78 Soul Sage to demonstrate."
A burly man stepped onto the stage, summoning a massive, gleaming longsword. He channeled his spirit power, the air vibrating with the pressure of a Soul Sage's full strength. With a roar, he brought the blade down in a vertical cleave directly onto the black stone.
CLANG—CRACK!
To everyone's horror, the stone didn't just dent; it shattered into seven jagged pieces that skittered across the stage. The Soul Sage stood there, blinking in confusion, while the crowd exploded in angry laughter and jeers.
"Scam!"
"Non-destructible? My grandmother's teacups are stronger!"
"Take it away! Waste of time!"
The host turned pale, stuttering apologies. "I... there must be a mistake in the testing... the seller assured us..." She sighed, looking at the broken shards. "Since the item is damaged, the base price is abolished. Does anyone want these fragments for... 500 Gold Soul Coins? As a curiosity?"
Silence met her plea. The crowd had already lost interest.
"1000 Gold Soul Coins," a clear, feminine voice rang out from the mezzanine.
Bibi Dong sat there, her hand raised slightly. The crowd turned to look at her, some snickering, others shaking their heads at the "fool" who would buy literal trash.
When my eyes first fell on that stone, Bibi Dong thought, her heart thumping with a strange, rhythmic resonance, I felt a pull. A gravity that my Spirit sensed even before my eyes did. She had been disappointed when it broke, but her instinct—the same instinct that had guided her through two lifetimes—was screaming that the "shattering" was a facade.
After the auction concluded, Bibi Dong ignored the mocking whispers of the departing guests. She paid the 1000 coins, took the small silk bag containing the black shards, and vanished into the evening streets.
Once she was high in the air, flying back toward Spirit City under the cover of the gathering clouds, she opened the bag. With one hand, she held the largest shard, and with the other, she brought a smaller piece toward it.
As the jagged edges touched, there was no sound, no flash of light. Instead, the two pieces simply merged. The seam vanished instantly, the black surface becoming perfectly smooth as if it had never been broken. She repeated the process with all seven shards.
In seconds, she was holding the heart-shaped black stone again—completely whole, indestructible once more.
Jackpot, she thought, a genuine, predatory smile spreading across her face. It wasn't that the stone was weak. It was that the stone chose to break to avoid being taken by the unworthy. It's maybe a sentient artifact, or at least one keyed to a specific frequency of spiritual energy.
She tried to probe it with her Soul Power, but the stone remained a silent, black void, refusing to reveal its secrets.
I can't solve the mystery yet, she mused, tucking the stone into her most secure storage tool. It requires time and a deeper analysis of the ancient texts. But to get a potentially God-level artifact for the price of a dinner... this journey was a triumph.
As the spires of the Spirit Hall appeared on the horizon, glowing like ivory needles under the first stars, Bibi Dong felt a rare sense of lightheartedness. She had the intel on the Empress, she had the plan for her revenge, and she had a new enigma to solve.
But more than the treasures, her mind turned back to the training grounds.
I wonder what my children are doing? she thought fondly. Maybe they are resting after the long day. I can't wait to see those lovely faces.
The Supreme Pontiff, the assassin of kings, and the architect of a continent's downfall accelerated, flying home not to her throne, but to her children.