Squelch—
Blood gushed like a spring,
erupting wildly from Bibi Dong's severed neck.
The sight was utterly horrifying.
Chen Xin, Feng Bailong, Yu Yuanzhen, and even the Titan Giant Ape and Azure Bull Python—all froze in place.
Their gazes fell first upon the headless, blood-spraying figure of Bibi Dong,
then turned toward the white-robed youth standing calmly amid the chaos—his expression icy cold.
The Pope, Bibi Dong…
Had been beheaded?!
And again, by Li Zhexian.
...
In a nearby hollow,
the Spirit Master in the flower-and-grass cloak could barely contain his excitement as he scribbled furiously:
"In the 684th year of the Spirit Master Era,
the sword path masters Chen Xin and Feng Bailong clashed in a world-shaking battle against Pope Bibi Dong and her legions…"
"Five years after the battle at the Pope's Palace,
Lord Sword Wine, Li Zhexian, once more beheads Pope Bibi Dong…"
...
"Your Holiness!"
Yue Guan (Chrysanthemum Douluo) and Gui Mei (Ghost Douluo) rushed toward her in panic.
The next moment—
Bibi Dong slowly turned around.
Her head, still attached by only a strip of flesh, swayed as she moved,
blood dripping down her body in crimson streams.
Her complexion was pale as paper,
and her venomous eyes locked straight onto Li Zhexian.
Even battle-hardened veterans like Chen Xin felt a chill crawl down their spines.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei were so terrified that they staggered back two steps.
"What in the hell… is she?"
Dugu Bo abandoned his slaughter, flashing in front of Li Zhexian protectively, his expression grave.
Chen Xin, Feng Bailong, Yu Yuanzhen, the Titan Giant Ape, and the Azure Bull Python all formed a defensive line before the youth.
"Rumor has it…"
"Gods cannot die nor decay."
Chen Xin's voice was low, hand tightening around the Seven Kill Sword.
"This Pope Bibi Dong must be a Limit Douluo undergoing god trials.
She already possesses a fragment of divinity—beyond the bounds of mortals."
"Beheading her is not enough to kill her."
Behind them,
Li Zhexian exhaled softly,
his gaze calm.
So it was another immortal body after all.
A pity—he had hoped this sword would end her once and for all.
"Li… Zhe… Xian…"
The voice that came from between Bibi Dong's lips
was as cold and biting as a wind from the deepest abyss.
She raised a bloodstained hand,
straightened her own head,
and pressed it back onto her neck.
Dark-purple flesh tendrils wriggled forth,
stitching head and body together with living thread.
Within mere breaths,
the decapitation wound had completely mended.
Only her peerlessly beautiful face remained pale,
her aura slightly unsteady.
"Chen Xin… all of you…"
"Chen Xin… all of you…"
"Hand over Li Zhexian to me,
and I, the Pope, swear upon my name—"
"I will no longer move against the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan,
the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, or the Wind Sword Sect."
"Those two Spirit Beasts' rings,
and even that humanoid beast—
I shall abandon them all."
"As long as…"
Her body was drenched in blood,
spider-webbed purple lines crawling over her cheeks.
Her voice sharpened into a deranged shriek—
"As long as you give Li Zhexian to me!!!"
Since her ascension as Pope,
when had she ever suffered such humiliation?
Once—she had been nailed to the Pope's Palace gates.
And now—beheaded in public!
Both times—
by the same boy!
Her shrill cry sent shockwaves through the air,
making Li Zhexian's hair and robes flutter violently.
He stared at the nearly deranged Bibi Dong,
a faint tingling creeping across his scalp.
Fine.
He could admit it—
this woman's talent was unmatched,
but her temperament… far too lacking.
The tempting offer she dangled before the others—
didn't worry Li Zhexian in the slightest.
"Heh…"
Chen Xin let out a faint chuckle.
"Bibi Dong, spare us your tricks."
"If you want to fight, then fight. Why waste words?"
The black silk covering Feng Bailong's eyes swayed in silence.
He said nothing—
his figure fading into the breeze,
waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Dugu Bo and Yu Yuanzhen both sneered, unmoving.
"Human woman!" The Titan Giant Ape slammed its fists together with a thunderous boom.
"You underestimate spirit beasts far too much!"
"Li Zhexian has done great kindness to Star Dou!"
"If you wish to harm him,
you'll have to step over my corpse first!"
Mist swirled around the Azure Bull Python,
its blue eyes surging with tide-like waves.
Seven Titled Douluo stood tall and unyielding—
not one wavered.
Bibi Dong's face grew colder still.
She lowered her gaze,
glancing down at the battlefield below—
Where seven Spirit Douluo and more than twenty Spirit Sages
lay dead, their bodies blackened by Dugu Bo's poison;
only two or three remained barely breathing.
Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply.
When they opened again,
her gaze pierced past Chen Xin and the others,
fixing once more upon Li Zhexian.
"Li Zhexian."
"Pray that you never fall into my hands."
"Otherwise…"
"I will make you understand…"
"that even death can be a luxury."
With a sharp wave of her hand,
a shroud of dark purple Spirit Power swept across the battlefield like a curtain.
When the light faded,
Bibi Dong, along with Chrysanthemum Douluo, Ghost Douluo, and the few surviving subordinates,
had vanished completely.
...
The world suddenly grew quiet and clear again.
Chen Xin and the others slowly exhaled.
To have fought such a crazed and powerful Pope—
the pressure was beyond imagination.
Li Zhexian sheathed his Qinglian Sword and smiled freely, cupping his hands in gratitude.
"Many thanks to the four seniors for your aid today!"
The outcome of this battle
left him quite satisfied.
The Spirit Hall had lost many Soul Saints and Spirit Douluos—
a wound they would not recover from easily.
As for keeping Bibi Dong here…
Even if it had been possible,
the cost to their side would have been immense—
and as the one she hated most, Li Zhexian would have been the first to die.
The Titan Giant Ape and Azure Bull Python spoke solemnly and with gratitude:
"For this great kindness, the Star Dou Forest will never forget!"
Had Li Zhexian not brought these four Titled Douluo,
the three Spirit Beast siblings would truly have perished.
"Zhexian, honored guests," said the Titan Giant Ape,
"come with my brother and me back to the Lake of Life.
Tonight, let us hold a feast in celebration—shall we?"
Li Zhexian exchanged a glance with Chen Xin and the others,
then called over the Spirit Master who had been frantically taking notes during the battle.
All of them smiled and nodded.
...
When they returned to the Lake of Life,
and Xiao Wu saw Li Zhexian, Da Ming, and Er Ming safe and sound,
she was so overjoyed that tears streamed down her face as she thanked them repeatedly.
That night,
by the lakeside deep within the Star Dou Great Forest,
the group lit a bonfire and raised their cups in celebration beneath the starry sky.
Two days later,
everyone went their separate ways.
Chen Xin, Yu Yuanzhen, and Feng Bailong returned to their sects,
while Li Zhexian and Dugu Bo took the Spirit Master back to Heaven Dou City.
For the next month,
Li Zhexian enjoyed a rare period of peace and leisure.
He would often drink and chat idly with Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, and Yu Tianheng,
or visit a noodle stall to eat while listening to storytellers recount the "Battle of Star Dou."
Despite the calm, his cultivation never ceased.
After five years of steady progress,
his Spirit Power finally broke through to rank 60.
...
In the courtyard,
Li Zhexian suddenly opened his eyes.
At that instant,
a whirlwind of Spirit Power surged around him.
Plum blossoms fell like snow, scattering beauty through the air.
The white-robed youth sat cross-legged beneath the rain of petals,
his bright eyes flickering with a trace of hesitation.
"My sixth Spirit Ring…"
"Where should I go to hunt it?"
...
That day,
Li Zhexian was, as usual, eating noodles with Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling.
Across from them, the storyteller was passionately retelling the newly embellished tale
of the Battle of Star Dou.
As applause and cheers rose around them,
Li Zhexian suddenly felt a chill touch his nose.
Sensing something strange,
he lifted his head—
to see that although it was a bright September day,
snowflakes were falling thick and slow from the sky.
"It's… snowing?!"
Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling's beautiful eyes widened in astonishment.
All around, the diners and passersby began exclaiming in surprise.
Before long,
citizens of Heaven Dou City poured out from their homes,
staring up in wonder and disbelief at the miraculous sight—
snowfall in September.