Though her power was no less than his, Bibi Dong could feel the invisible suppression of Tang Hao's aura weighing her down, constraining her every move.
Tang Hao's invincible will was overwhelming. No matter who his opponent was, he always faced them with that same, unshakable dominance, the belief of one hammer to crush all before him.
She had always seen Tang Hao as her imaginary rival… but that mindset had already placed her at a disadvantage.
Still, she possessed something Tang Hao did not. It was dual spirits, and a bottomless sea of spirit power!
Moreover, her Death Spider Emperor spirit's ninth ability, Undying Body, made her virtually immortal.
No one could kill her.
Thus, she fought without fear.
Their battle raged like thunder, the sky trembling with each collision.
Yet amidst the explosions, Tang Hao's furious shout — "soul bone!" — reached everyone's ear.
Instantly, the surrounding powerhouses were shaken, their thoughts racing.
Tang Hao's wife… was a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast.
That meant her spirit bone was a hundred-thousand-year soul bone.
Had Spirit Hall truly taken it?
Dugu Feng's face remained calm, but inside, he was laughing.
The best part is all in my hands.
Even Ah Yin's final seed, born from her sacrifice, was still sealed within his Pearl, continuously providing energy.
The others, however, were more stunned by Bibi Dong's terrifying strength.
Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, Bone Douluo, all wore solemn expressions.
Bibi Dong wasn't even that old; to them, she was still a junior.
Even Ning Fengzhi, who looked young, was actually older than her.
Yet she could fight Tang Hao — the legendary Clear Sky Douluo, a man who had shaken the world more than ten years ago and that too as an equal!
Her power was beyond their imagination.
Meanwhile, at the foot of the mountain—
Five towering figures, each over two meters tall, stood side by side.
At the center stood a broad-shouldered man, his face carved with sharp, stern lines. He exuded the authority of a leader.
He was none other than Tang Xiao, current master of the Clear Sky Clan.
His eyes were sharp as lightning, scanning the battlefield above, his aura steady and immense.
Beside him stood four white-haired elders. They were the Clear Sky Sect's four Grand Elders.
Together, they were the five Titled Douluo of the sect.
"Now," Tang Xiao spoke calmly, "do any of you still wish to lift the sect's seal?"
The four elders exchanged uneasy glances.
"Sect Master, please stop mocking us," sighed Tang Ming, the Second Elder "Spirit Hall's strength far exceeds what we imagined… even the new Pope, Bibi Dong, is unbelievably strong."
The other three nodded silently, brows furrowed.
They had once thought Bibi Dong, a woman, had only inherited the papacy because of Qian Xunji's death and that Qian Daoliu had been forced to choose her.
But now, they realized how wrong they were.
This new Pope was a monster.
Tang Xiao's tone grew cold. "Years ago, the late Sect Master sealed our gates to quell Spirit Hall's fury. The clansmen were angry and that's understandable.
But we, as the sect's decision-makers, cannot drag our people to their deaths. You hate my younger brother, I know that. But you cannot deny his strength.
Bibi Dong has fought him this long without falling...and there are still so many Titled Douluo nearby, not to mention the unseen worshipers of Spirit Hall's Elder Hall.
If we open our gates now, it will be suicide!"
"Yes, Sect Master," the four elders responded, no longer daring to object.
"But," said Second Elder again, his long brows twitching in anger, "the one spreading rumors about our sect's power… we can't let him go unpunished!
That person deliberately provoked this conflict between us and Spirit Hall...his intentions are truly vile.
Thanks to him, it'll be near impossible for our people to hunt spirit beasts in the next few years!"
Tang Xiao frowned. "I believe Ning Fengzhi is also keeping an eye on that person."
He'd heard Tang Hao's shout earlier — Ah Yin and the soul bone are gone.
Tang Xiao didn't believe his brother would lie.
Whoever had stolen Ah Yin's remains and spirit bone must be the same one spreading these rumors.
A mysterious force with the means to track down Tang Hao's hidden treasures…
He couldn't yet imagine who it could be.
Still, he knew one thing that he had to meet Tang Hao soon.
Brother, it's not that I don't want to help you… but the world's too dangerous now. One wrong move, and our whole sect could be annihilated.
Tang Xiao sighed deeply.
"Ha! With five Titled Douluo, the Clear Sky Clan could crush Spirit Hall if they all fought!"
Dugu Feng said with apparent admiration, though his thoughts told a different story.
Clear Sky Clan really knows how to hide in their shells.
No one's even dead yet, and they're already trembling. Disappointing.
As Tang Hao fought for his life outside their gates, the mighty Clear Sky Clan dared not intervene.
Then a thought flashed across Dugu Feng's mind—
Wait… Bibi Dong didn't let her Titled Douluo join in… could she be setting a trap?
Luring them out?
Perhaps the worshipers of Spirit Hall are already waiting in ambush.
The corner of his mouth curled slightly. You can't underestimate that woman.
Old Scorpion, watching silently beside him, couldn't help but think—
So the young master really wants the Clear Sky Clan and Spirit Hall to wipe each other out, huh?
While everyone harbored their own thoughts—
A deafening explosion echoed once more across the battlefield.
And then...The massive hammer in the sky vanished.
"Bibi Dong!" Tang Hao's voice roared across the mountains. "Just you wait! The debts Spirit Hall owes me and I'll make sure to collect every one of them!"
And with that, he fled.
His body was covered in old wounds so he couldn't afford to keep fighting.
He spat his words, then turned and disappeared into the horizon.
At the center of the battlefield, bathed in flickering violet light, Bibi Dong stood in her Spirit Possession form.
She looked monstrous.
Her upper body was encased in purple carapace, even her face covered by a gleaming shell and only her six eyes, two large and four small beneath, gleamed coldly.
Her lower half had transformed entirely, becoming a massive, round abdomen from which eight thick, bristling spider legs extended, dripping with sickly green mucus.
It was a horrifying sight but also proof of how pure and powerful her bloodline was.
The more complete one's Beast Spirit transformation, the stronger the inherited might.
Her Death Spider Emperor had even granted her an immortal soul skill — that alone spoke volumes of its strength!
Gradually, the eight spider legs retracted, and her body returned to human form.
She would not show this monstrous appearance before others.
Moments later, the monstrous spider queen was gone and was replaced by the resplendent Pope of Spirit Hall.
Clad in a golden gown, holding a gem-encrusted scepter, her beauty was unmatched and yet her eyes gleamed with cold calculation.
She gazed toward the distant mountains and murmured,
"Tang Xiao. Tang Hao.
You think I won't strike as Qian Daoliu didn't?
You think I won't storm your gates?"
A faint, chilling smile crossed her lips.
"Good. Keep thinking that way.
I want you to believe it.
The more you think I can't touch you...the better!"