Snake Lance Douluo's corpse slid down the tree-trunk and crashed to the ground; malefic qi gushed from His body, and in an instant he crumbled into dust.
It was the fate he deserved—His jealousy and greed had run too deep; death was a fitting end.
Chu Feng turned, walked calmly up to Qian Renxue and studied her carefully.
"What's wrong?" Qian Renxue asked.
"Good—he didn't drain too much of your spirit power, or your ascension would've been ruined."
"Hm? You mean Elder Snake Lance could affect my divine force? But His strength isn't that high."
She couldn't understand; she'd sensed something off about Snake Lance earlier, yet His rank had clearly stayed the same.
Still, in battle he had displayed uncanny power—strength enough to stand against the Angel God.
While she wrestled with the thought, she looked around—and only then realized Bibi Dong had vanished.
"Where did His Holiness go?"
The question slipped out instinctively; deep down she still cared about her less-than-ideal mother.
"Did she enter some kind of Void Tunnel? I'm sure I saw a pair of formless black hands."
Hu Liena grew a little bolder; though the hellish wails underfoot hadn't ceased, she had to worry about her teacher.
Chu Feng lifted His gaze to the firmament—the moonlight hung upside-down, tinged with faint crimson.
Snake Lance Douluo's death hadn't altered the Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land; immortal qi still waned and spiritual power withered.
"You saw right—that was the manifestation of another god. Most likely he was the one who incited Snake Lance's fall."
Chu Feng mused, intrigued: an entire Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land had lured such a foe—so even gods could covet.
"A god? Like Miss Qian Renxue? Then Teacher is in grave danger!" Hu Liena exclaimed.
"If that's so, we must find her at once."
Alarm flickered across Qian Renxue's face; blood ties were hard to ignore, and their rift wasn't beyond repair.
Chu Feng rubbed His chin. "If I'm right, the mastermind is the Rakshasa God—he should know Bibi Dong well."
"The antithesis of the Angel!"
As the Angel God, her greatest nemesis was none other than him.
But how had Bibi Dong forged a connection with the Rakshasa God?
Chu Feng had no time to explain; he needed to build an array and use Daoist power to force open a path to the Rakshasa Realm… Meanwhile—
Bibi Dong pressed forward through dark-violet miasma; sandstorms lashed at her mercilessly.
Bats, ghosts and skulls flickered into view, shrieking cries that clawed at her soul.
Buildings around her were carved with scenes of demons parading at night, their eroded facades exuding desolation.
Soon she reached a dilapidated palace whose aura felt familiar, though its location did not.
Outside stood two devil statues wielding scythes, pitted and broken—horrific yet forlorn.
"Welcome, Lord Bibi Dong; our master has waited long."
A cold wind drifted from the hall and spoke; it coalesced into two half-human fiends, hideous faces wearing false smiles.
"So the Rakshasa God finally shows himself."
Bibi Dong looked almost eager, striding head-high into the Rakshasa Temple.
At the center loomed a mottled purple-gold throne, from which waves of murderous qi surged.
The name Rakshasa denotes fiends that devour men and corpses, sowing evil—hardly benevolent.
Yet in Douluo he holds a God Position, and the World must revere him; even those who don't seldom rival him.
Boom!
Malefic qi erupted; the temple shook as a woman in tight black armor lounged atop the throne, nine tendril-like limbs swaying at her shoulders, each tipped with a glowing purple skull.
"You stand before me—why not bow? You owe me no small favor."
The Rakshasa God stroked her serpent-patterned face, haughty beyond measure.
"I am Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall, not of any god—why should I bow?"
Bibi Dong removed her broken papal crown, letting rose-gold hair spill freely.
Displeased, the Rakshasa God turned to smoke, reappeared behind her and struck her back.
Pain shot through Bibi Dong's body, yet she held firm.
The Rakshasa God stepped in front, lifting her chin.
"Think you undertook the Rakshasa Nine Trials because you killed Qian Xunji?"
"No—it was I. Didn't you notice? Every tragedy since you touched Rakshasa power was arranged by me."
Each word enraged Bibi Dong, but she could summon no spirit power.
Before a true god, a Titled Douluo's might was laughable.
Moreover, as Douluo's first Divinity, the Rakshasa God's strength amassed over eons was unimaginable.
Yet Bibi Dong held fast. "So, as a god stirring trouble in Spirit Hall—what are you afraid of?"
"You've always been inscrutable, but something has you rattled."
Her shrewd gaze pierced the Rakshasa God's odd little mind.
The Rakshasa God flicked a hand irritably. "Had you not let that boy Chu Feng in and ruined my plan, I'd have no time for you mortals."
In the original tale she would cede her God Position to Bibi Dong to escape the karmic chains of Douluo World and roam other realms to indulge her desires—perhaps found her own World, revel in slaughter—anything but stay in Douluo.
There she succeeded; now, because of Chu Feng, the outcome was uncertain.
"I never guessed the Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land could affect this; you think Chu Feng can stop me claiming your God Position? Even gods have worries?"
Bibi Dong looked almost pleased, delighting in the barb—and in her mind Chu Feng's stock rose.
Enraged, the Rakshasa God slammed out a palm, hurling Bibi Dong back and grievously wounding her.
"Since you understand, here is your choice: accept my Rakshasa power—kill Qian Renxue and Chu Feng—and you may keep the God Position and my twenty millennia of divine force. Isn't that the perfect way to exact vengeance upon the World?"
The Rakshasa God had gone mad, laying all her cards upon the table.
Bibi Dong wiped blood from her lips, her face hardening.
The sordid bargain was tempting and feasible—yet why should she obey the Rakshasa God?
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