Chapter 317: "Don't Call Me Pope, Call Me Bibi Dong"
The Outer Edges of the Star Dou Forest
At an inn in a nearby town, Chrysanthemum Douluo anxiously gazed toward the depths of the Star Dou Forest.
After the Two Yi Stasis Field was broken, he and Ghost Douluo had fled from the forest and arrived at their designated meeting point. This mission was particularly important; not only did they have the Golden Generation of the Spirit Hall, but also the exceptionally gifted Dai Yao. If anything happened to them, they couldn't imagine how to face the Pope.
Just then, Chrysanthemum Douluo's ears twitched as a faint rustling emerged from the distant forest.
Disheveled figures began to appear in his view. Amid the town residents' shocked stares, Chrysanthemum Douluo rose into the air, his face lighting up with relief as he spotted the battered Spirit Hall team emerging from Di Tian's clutches.
"Children, thank heavens you're safe…" Chrysanthemum Douluo said in relief.
But their faces held no joy at their narrow escape; instead, a shadow of gloom and sorrow clouded their expressions.
Chrysanthemum Douluo was taken aback and asked, puzzled, "Nana, what happened? How did the mission end? Did you capture that rabbit?"
Hu Liena looked down, unable to meet his gaze, and spoke in a voice tinged with guilt.
"Elder Chrysanthemum, we failed the mission. Just as we had cornered Tang San and the rabbit, the rabbit chose to sacrifice itself."
"Sacrifice?!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo exclaimed in shock. Even Ghost Douluo, who had been hidden, revealed himself.
Twenty years ago, they had witnessed a hundred-thousand-year soul beast sacrifice itself, and now, yet another hundred-thousand-year soul beast had done the same. It was unbelievable, almost madness.
And both times, it involved the Tang family.
Could it be that the Tangs possessed some kind of constitution that attracted hundred-thousand-year soul beasts?
Regardless, their mission had failed once again. Though the intervention of the Titan Giant Ape and Sky Azure Bull Python had complicated matters, failure was still failure.
While Chrysanthemum Douluo was reflecting on their defeat, Hu Liena continued with a pained voice:
"The hundred-thousand-year soul beast chose to sacrifice itself to Tang San. In that instant, the whole world froze. Like everyone else, I couldn't move or think. But when we came to, the blood-red soul ring from that hundred-thousand-year soul beast had somehow ended up on Dai Yao…"
"You mean Dai Yao seized the hundred-thousand-year soul ring that was meant for Tang San?!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo's voice trembled, his eyes widening in shock. It had been years since he'd felt this level of astonishment. Even when Dai Yao defeated the Spirit Hall's Golden Generation, he had only remarked, "The young are formidable."
A hundred-thousand-year soul ring!
And on a Soul Emperor!
To gain a hundred-thousand-year soul ring as his sixth ring… They, the Title Douluos, knew better than anyone what this meant!
A hundred-thousand-year soul ring held transformative power. Just one could determine the strength of a Title Douluo.
Twenty years ago, Tang Hao had just entered the rank of Title Douluo and had defeated multiple opponents and even the previous Pope in a cross-rank battle. While part of that was due to his powerful martial soul, no one could deny that the blood-red hundred-thousand-year soul ring had been decisive!
The rarity of a hundred-thousand-year soul ring couldn't be overstated.
Now, Dai Yao had received one as his sixth soul ring, meaning his power would advance by leaps and bounds. With the strength he'd shown previously, a Soul Emperor could now rival a Soul Douluo!
"Where is Dai Yao?"
Chrysanthemum Douluo scanned the weary crowd for Dai Yao, but to his surprise, he was nowhere to be found. Turning to Hu Liena, he inquired further.
"Dai Yao… he…"
Hu Liena's voice broke, and she stumbled over her words, unable to continue.
"What happened to Dai Yao?"
Ghost Douluo stepped forward, anxious. Their stricken expressions filled him with dread. Dai Yao was the husband of his prized disciple, Zhu Zhuqing! If anything happened to him, how could he face his disciple?
Hu Liena struggled to speak, so Yan sighed and stepped forward.
"After Dai Yao obtained the hundred-thousand-year soul ring, a middle-aged man in black suddenly appeared. As soon as he arrived, he declared he was there to kill Dai Yao."
"We didn't abandon Dai Yao; it's just that this man was terrifying. One look from him, and I felt a brush with death itself. His aura… it was as intense as the Grand Priest's…"
"Impossible! The Grand Priest is one of the two pillars of the current soul master world! No one could match him, except perhaps Tang Chen from long ago!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo dismissed Yan's suggestion outright.
"Elder, you can ask the others. They'll tell you the same!"
Yan pointed to the many Soul Sages and Soul Douluos behind him, insisting.
Chrysanthemum Douluo glanced toward them, and to his astonishment, though their expressions were grim, they nodded without hesitation.
Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo both felt a shock in their hearts.
Could that man in black really be a Rank 99 Ultimate Douluo? With so many witnesses, they were beginning to believe Yan's account.
Regret welled up within them. Even with all his talent, if Dai Yao had fallen into the hands of an Ultimate Douluo, his fate was all too clear.
"The heavens truly envy the talented…"
Chrysanthemum Douluo sighed in anguish.
Ghost Douluo's hands trembled. "Chrysanthemum Guan, if that man is truly an Ultimate Douluo, then going in ourselves would be suicide. I'll return to the Spirit Hall at once to ask for the Pope's intervention, or maybe the Grand Priest himself, to rescue Dai Yao!"
In a flash, his shadow disappeared, leaving no trace.
Spirit City, Pope's Palace
"What?!"
Bibi Dong abruptly rose, staring down at the kneeling Ghost Douluo. Her beautiful face was flushed with shock and anger, and her hand gripped the Pope's staff tightly, trembling.
"You're saying Dai Yao is dead?"
In that instant, her overwhelming soul power erupted, causing the entire Pope's Palace to tremble and resonate with a mournful sound.
Ghost Douluo was terrified. The sheer pressure Bibi Dong exuded crushed any thought of resistance. Such a powerful aura — only the Grand Priest could possibly exceed it.
Lowering his head even further, Ghost Douluo recounted everything that had happened in the Star Dou Forest. At last, he pleaded:
"Your Eminence, Dai Yao received a hundred-thousand-year soul ring as his sixth ring, an unprecedented feat. For such a prodigy, time is of the essence. I request that the powerful in the palace band together to search the Star Dou Forest for any trace of Dai Yao."
"There's a chance… that he may have survived…"
Boom!
Bibi Dong felt as if thunder had exploded in her mind. Dai Yao, standing against an Ultimate Douluo — how could he have survived?
She seemed to lose her strength all at once, leaning on the Pope's staff just to remain standing. Gasping for breath, her pupils were vacant, and her face showed unbearable pain and disbelief.
Scenes from the God of Rakshasa's trials flashed through her mind like projections, playing over and over.
After emerging from a chamber that was nothing less than hell, her heart had been filled with darkness and despair. Dai Yao was the single beam of light that had pierced her heart of darkness.
Upon returning to reality, Bibi Dong recognized the vast difference in status between her and Dai Yao, and therefore never acted on any special feelings for him. But now, hearing of Dai Yao's presumed death, her heart felt as if it had shattered.
Once, Yu Xiaogang had been her reason for living. Now, Dai Yao, little by little, had also become her reason for enduring, even more so than Yu Xiaogang!
Standing up, her eyes filled with a fierce resolve, she gritted her teeth and said, "Let's go. We're heading to the Star Dou Forest immediately to find any trace of Dai Yao!"
This was a serious decision, especially as she was in the middle of her divine trials. Leaving on her own accord would come at a significant cost. But with Dai Yao's life hanging in the balance, every moment that passed increased the risk of his death.
"Yes!"
Sensing Bibi Dong's determination to save Dai Yao, Ghost Douluo felt a chill, nodding in affirmation.
Just as they were about to leave, the doors of the Pope's Hall opened. A somewhat disheveled figure entered, casting a wary glance behind him as though something terrifying was in pursuit.
"Dai Yao?!"
Ghost Douluo exclaimed in shock upon seeing the figure.
"You're alive?!"
Dai Yao turned, giving Ghost Douluo a quizzical look. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Seeing Dai Yao alive, Bibi Dong returned to her usual composed demeanor, but a hint of relief and joy flickered in her star-like eyes as she silently observed him.
"Weren't you taken by an Ultimate Douluo? How are you unharmed?"
Ghost Douluo examined Dai Yao's body, confirming his existence, then looked at him in disbelief.
Dai Yao, prepared with a plan on his way back, feigned realization and explained, "Ah, about that… Originally, he did intend to kill me, but after he grabbed me, he seemed to sense something. He said, 'Oh? So you're his successor…' and then just let me go."
Dai Yao then cast a meaningful glance at Bibi Dong.
Bibi Dong immediately grasped Dai Yao's meaning. Because of the presence of the Killing God Domain, the Ultimate Douluo must have mistaken him for the inheritor of the God of Asura and released him.
However, Bibi Dong couldn't reveal Dai Yao's possession of the Asura Domain; otherwise, his identity as the Asura Emperor would be exposed.
Ghost Douluo still wanted to probe further, but Bibi Dong stopped him.
"Elder Ghost, I understand what Dai Yao is saying. Please leave us; there's more for Dai Yao and me to discuss."
Ghost Douluo had intended to ask Dai Yao more about the mysterious man in black since an Ultimate Douluo's sudden appearance could profoundly affect the balance of power on the continent.
However, Bibi Dong's stern command jolted him into understanding her intention. Dai Yao had seized the hundred-thousand-year soul ring she had planned for herself. Knowing Bibi Dong's temperament, he feared what might happen to Dai Yao now.
"Your Eminence, Dai Yao surely didn't mean to—"
"Leave!"
With a piercing gaze and an icy tone that cut through him like a blade, Bibi Dong sent a chill into Ghost Douluo's heart. Shaken, he slowly backed out of the hall.
Bibi Dong turned away, returning to the raised throne of the Pope. She slowly sat down, crossing one long, graceful leg covered in her purple silk stockings over the other.
Resting her head in one hand, she closed her eyes and spoke in a soft but steely voice:
"Well? Give me an explanation."
Dai Yao's heart tightened. The real test had come; explaining his acquisition of the hundred-thousand-year soul ring to Bibi Dong would require the utmost care.
Taking a deep breath, he began his account, detailing everything from Tang Yin's joining of the team to the encounter with Xiao Wu, then the fusion of Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo's martial souls to hold off the Titan Giant Ape and Sky Azure Bull Python, and finally, Xiao Wu's sacrifice.
Step by step, he recounted everything that had transpired in the Star Dou Forest.
"Bibi Dong, that hundred-thousand-year soul beast had already begun the sacrifice process, which couldn't be stopped. And as I needed a soul ring myself, I had no choice. I threatened that soul beast with Tang San's life, forcing it to redirect its sacrifice to me…"
Dai Yao stole a glance at Bibi Dong on the throne, only to see her face expressionless, which intensified his unease.
He tried to portray the acquisition of the soul ring as a mere twist of fate.
When he finished, Bibi Dong sat in silence, processing his words. Dai Yao knew that any further explanation would only arouse her suspicion.
The silence thickened, as if time itself had paused, and Dai Yao's uneasiness grew. Logically, his story was seamless, so why wasn't Bibi Dong reacting?
After a long moment, Bibi Dong finally opened her eyes, staring directly at him.
"Is that all?"
Her voice was soft, but something in her tone sent a wave of dread through Dai Yao.
What she had said was perfectly logical. In fact, the lack of flaws in his story was precisely what aroused her suspicion.
Dai Yao hesitated but nodded.
Bibi Dong watched him intently, a flash of faint disappointment crossing her gaze. After a pause, she closed her eyes again, then spoke in a detached voice:
"So… you chose to deceive me?"
A buzz resounded in Dai Yao's mind, like a muted thunderclap. What did Bibi Dong mean by that?
Did she truly see through his lie?
If so, why was she giving him this chance? Was she offering him a final opportunity to confess, or merely testing him?
He was trapped.
If he admitted to lying, it would cast doubt on how he had truly acquired the hundred-thousand-year soul ring. But if he insisted he hadn't lied, it would only create hidden dangers, and being exposed in the future would bring dire consequences.
At that time, the price he'd pay would be unimaginable!
No one knew his plans because they were based on his knowledge of the original plot. Who would believe someone with foreknowledge of the future?
Admitting he'd lied, however, would mean placing trust in Bibi Dong. A beautiful figure lying peacefully in his arms during that past life in the zombie world drifted through his mind.
Even if this gamble failed, he was confident enough in his current strength to make his way in the world.
He took out a blue soul bone from his treasure pouch — a hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor soul bone from Tang San's mother. This was his contingency plan.
With both hands, he respectfully offered the soul bone, saying with gritted teeth:
"Your Eminence, I had no other choice when I took that hundred-thousand-year soul ring. I also need this soul bone, so I can only offer this hundred-thousand-year soul bone as my apology."
Upon hearing Dai Yao's words, an unexpected, sweet smile crossed Bibi Dong's face as she sat on her throne.
It was a smile she had often worn in her youth, a smile she hadn't shown since emerging from the darkness of that secret chamber.
"I've told you several times already, don't call me 'Your Eminence.' Call me Bibi Dong…"
With a soft chuckle, she gazed at Dai Yao, her eyes sparkling with newfound interest.
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