Only Bibi Dong, Chrysanthemum Douluo, and Ghost Douluo remained in the Pope Palace.
"How is the task I assigned you progressing?" Bibi Dong asked.
There was a barely detectable urgency in her tone.
Chrysanthemum Douluo immediately showed delight: "Reporting to Your Holiness the Pope, after the last feeding, that 96,000-year Spirit Beast has remained in its cave for over a month without emerging. It must be in the process of evolution.
When it emerges next time, it will surely be a 100,000-Year Spirit Beast!"
A smile finally appeared on Bibi Dong's stern face.
Having tasted the benefits of a 100,000-Year Spirit Beast, Bibi Dong's greatest ambition was to continue hunting them.
But 100,000-Year Spirit Beasts were rare and hard to find. She had searched through all the major Soul Hunting Forests and the Star Dou Great Forest, and although she found some traces, she hadn't succeeded in hunting any.
Bibi Dong felt she didn't have enough time. She needed to focus entirely on the God Test; the Rakshasa God's test was perversely cruel, and she couldn't afford too many distractions. She couldn't spend all her time searching for Spirit Beasts everywhere.
Thus, the heavy responsibility of finding Spirit Beasts fell to Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.
So far, they hadn't achieved much.
But the Spirit Hall's influence was vast. Numerous dangerous places, Spirit Beast forests, and special natural wonders were under their control.
Several Spirit Beasts close to the 100,000-year level had been found.
In this situation, Bibi Dong conceived the idea of prompting these Spirit Beasts to evolve into 100,000-Year Spirit Beasts.
Now, one was finally about to succeed!
"One 100,000-Year Spirit Beast is far from enough. Besides the Spirit Beasts in the Soul Hunting Forests we control, we need to intensify the search elsewhere!"
Bibi Dong issued another order.
Her ambition was great; she wanted the remaining five Spirit Rings of her second Martial Soul to all be 100,000-year ones.
The first four Spirit Rings she had already absorbed, though not 100,000-year ones, were quite compatible with her Martial Soul, which was why she had chosen to absorb them.
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo naturally bowed in agreement.
The two of them were Bibi Dong's loyal lackeys; serving her was their job.
"By the way, I just went to Slaughter City and encountered Tang Hao and Tang Xiao, along with two Titled Elders from the Clear Sky Sect. They were protecting Tang San as he trained in Slaughter City.
I killed one of them.
But the power of Tang Hao's Slaughter God Domain was beyond my expectations. Send out orders to closely monitor the Clear Sky Sect's movements. Report to me immediately if anything happens!"
A cold light flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes as she remained resentful about the battle that had occurred.
Although she had killed a Titled Douluo, she couldn't feel happy about it.
After this battle, Tang Hao and the others would probably become even more cautious!
Her Rakshasa Domain had been enhanced through the God Test, so why could Tang Hao's Slaughter God Domain counter it?
Bibi Dong couldn't understand.
Could it be the King of Slaughter?
Bibi Dong began to suspect.
But the King of Slaughter had no reason to help Tang Hao, especially since the Spirit Hall had an agreement with Slaughter City.
How could Bibi Dong have guessed that the King of Slaughter had been deceived?
She pondered for a while but still couldn't determine the reason for Tang Hao's strength.
"However, Tang Hao's injuries will only worsen this time. Next time we meet, I will definitely kill him!"
Bibi Dong then thought of her own injuries and the loss of Divine Power.
She sighed helplessly; she would need to cultivate quietly for some time.
This was precisely why she had postponed the Soul Hunting Operation.
Below, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo exchanged a glance, both filled with shock and awe.
Bibi Dong had spoken lightly of killing one of the enemy's Titled Douluos, but there had been four Titled Douluos present.
The Pope was likely injured; otherwise, she wouldn't have conceded to Qian Renxue.
"Yes, Your Holiness!"
The two dared not dwell on it further and could only bow their heads in acknowledgment.
After a moment, they withdrew from the Pope Palace, and Bibi Dong immediately began cultivating to recover from her injuries as quickly as possible.
As time passed and Bibi Dong focused on her recovery, various rumors began to swirl like a whirlwind throughout the martial world.
In the end, none of the news was as explosive as the rumors about Bibi Dong.
Especially within the Spirit Hall and its various branches, a tense atmosphere emerged.
The information they received suggested that the Pope was severely injured and on the brink of death.
Bibi Dong held high prestige within the Spirit Hall. Her aloof beauty, formidable strength, and decisive methods had earned her great popularity.
The sudden news that the Pope was near death shocked everyone.
After the previous meeting in the Pope Palace, many Titled Douluos were preoccupied with heavy thoughts, as their original plans had been disrupted.
Their troubled expressions did not go unnoticed by the Soul Masters in Spirit City, leading to speculation: Had something truly happened to the Pope?
After two more days of escalating rumors, Chrysanthemum Douluo could no longer remain idle.
With Bibi Dong in seclusion for cultivation, all reports were directed to him.
He knew full well that Bibi Dong was indeed injured, but her condition was not as dire as the rumors suggested.
The rapid spread of information throughout the Spirit Master World indicated that someone was deliberately fanning the flames.
Left with no other choice, Chrysanthemum Douluo returned to the Pope Palace.
After knocking gently, he was granted entry by Bibi Dong.
"Your Holiness, reports from the various Spirit Hall branches indicate that the battle between Your Holiness and the Clear Sky Sect is being widely circulated, with some even claiming that Your Holiness..."
"Claiming what?" Bibi Dong's voice was cold.
Chrysanthemum Douluo lowered his head and replied, "They claim that Your Holiness is severely injured and may follow in the footsteps of the previous Pope!"
"Hmph! The Clear Sky Sect certainly knows how to glorify themselves!"
Bibi Dong let out a cold laugh.
Even Qian Xunji couldn't have been killed by Tang Hao.
If not for her, how could Qian Xunji have died?
Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, Bibi Dong asked, "Has the Clear Sky Sect made any moves?"
Chrysanthemum Douluo quickly responded, "The Clear Sky Sect has taken no action. I believe they are not the ones spreading these rumors!"
Bibi Dong grasped his meaning immediately.
"The Clear Sky Sect lost a Titled Douluo. I doubt they have the audacity to boast about it. Only the King of Slaughter witnessed the battle that day. How do you think this information leaked?"
Bibi Dong lightly tapped the Pope Throne.
Chrysanthemum Douluo's mind raced, and he promptly answered, "Could it be the hidden Evil Soul Masters? During the battle between Tang Hao and Yu Yuanzhen, neither of them detected the Evil Soul Master lurking nearby. This Evil Soul Master is highly skilled at concealment. Combined with the fact that he seized Tang San's External Soul Bone twice in a row, he must have been secretly tracking the Clear Sky Sect members..."
The more he spoke, the more logical his reasoning seemed.
Bibi Dong nodded in agreement.
She, too, had noticed that a hidden force was stirring up trouble.
It was highly likely the work of that Evil Soul Master organization.
In the past, news on the continent had never spread this rapidly.
But it didn't cause such huge waves.
However, in recent years, Bibi Dong felt that the Spirit Master World had undergone great changes and had become much more lively.
Someone was desperately stirring up conflict between the Clear Sky Sect and Spirit Hall.
It seems I still need to be cautious!
Bibi Dong thought seriously. Before her injuries healed, she would absolutely not take any risks.
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