Chapter 32 – The Sovereign and the Spider, The Law and the Hunter
The Bedroom of Bibi Dong.
The inner chamber of the Supreme Pontiff is sealed. Not even the Ghost or Chrysanthemum Douluos are permitted entry. Inside, the air is thick with a purple, nauseating miasma—the physical manifestation of the Rakshasa God's corruption.
Bibi Dong sits on a meditation platform, her breathing labored, her skin pale and veined with black lines. "It's... too much today, Lakan," she rasps, her eyes flashing between sanity and a cruel, bloodshot void.
Lakan walks toward her, his expression unusually soft, though his signature smirk remains. "I told you, beautiful. You shouldn't try to carry the trash of a God all by yourself. It's bad for your complexion, and frankly, it's insulting to my skills as your Holy Son."
(Operation Start)
"I need to work on the source," Lakan says, his voice turning serious. "And for the Baybayin to take hold, there can be no barriers between your skin and my soul power."
With a flick of his wrist, the corrosive energy in the room snaps. The sheer pressure of the Rakshasa's malice causes Bibi Dong's silk robes to disintegrate, leaving her exposed. The scene is silent, bathed in the eerie purple glow of her spirit.
The first step is Spiritual Anesthesia. Lakan's eyes flare into the Gaze of the Adarna. "Stay still. Stone-Soul Pressure!"
The thrashing purple malice inside her spiritual sea instantly petrifies. Bibi Dong's eyes glaze over, her body becoming as rigid as a statue. The pain vanishes, replaced by a cold, absolute silence.
The second step is Inscribing the Blueprint. Lakan moves close, his fingers glowing with a golden, liquid-like soul power. He begins to "write" on her skin.
On her chest, he carves ᜑ (HA).
On her left and right temples, he places ᜊ (BA) and ᜎ (LA).
"There," Lakan whispers, leaning in so close his breath tickles her ear. "Restoring your breath, balancing your mind. You really are a masterpiece, you know? It's a tragedy I have to draw on you, but I suppose my handwriting only adds to your perfection."
He taps the glyphs, adding a Kudlit dot. The energy frequency in the room shifts from a low, heavy growl to a high-pitched, divine hum.
The third step is The Surgical Severance. Lakan's hands move in a blur—Gunting (Scissor) strikes. He snips the invisible threads connecting the Rakshasa's ego to her own. The "parasite" is severed.
Step 4: The Mark of New Creation. Near her solar plexus, Lakan begins the permanent upgrade. He carves ᜃ (KA) for wholeness, ᜏᜒ (WI) for the pure source, and ᜇ (DA) to connect it all. This is her new Sub-Dantian.
As the final Mutya ng Kalinawan (Pearl of Clarity) dissolves into her lips, the purple miasma vanishes, replaced by a soft, iridescent glow. The "Evil Thoughts" are gone.
The Stone-Soul Pressure wears off. Bibi Dong's eyes snap open. Clarity—pure, human clarity—returns to her gaze for the first time in twenty years. She feels the new "Clean" energy circulating from her solar plexus, washing away the Rakshasa's filth.
Then, she realizes she is naked.
And then, she realizes Lakan is also naked, his shirt discarded during the heat of the soul-infusion, his Batong-Pilak muscles glowing with a faint silver light.
"Lakan!" she gasps, her face flushing a deep crimson. She instinctively tries to cover herself, but her eyes accidentally trail downward. Her thoughts betray her: How can it be so big when he's only eleven—? No! That's not it! I'm naked! Even Xiaogang hasn't seen...
Lakan doesn't look embarrassed. He stands there with his arms crossed, looking at her with a look of pure, narcissistic satisfaction.
"Oh, stop it," Lakan chuckles, his voice silky and flirty. "You're acting like you've seen a ghost. Though, I suppose staring at perfection can be overwhelming. Truly, between your new God-King potential and my... aesthetic advantages... we really are the only two people on this continent worth looking at, aren't we?"
Bibi Dong stares at him, her heart hammering—not from the Rakshasa's corruption, but from something far more dangerous. "You... you arrogant brat," she whispers, though there is no heat in it. She reaches out, her hand trembling as she touches the glowing KA glyph on her stomach. "You saved me. Truly."
"I didn't just save you, Bibi Dong," Lakan says, stepping closer and taking her hand, his eyes locking onto hers. "I upgraded you. The Rakshasa wanted a slave. I wanted a Queen who could stand beside a Sovereign. Now, wrap yourself up before I decide that the view is too good to look away from."
Bibi Dong hurriedly pulls a spare robe from her spatial ring, her hands shaking. Her mind is a whirlwind. The hatred for the world is gone, replaced by a focused, icy ambition—and a very confusing, very warm feeling for the boy who just rewrote her soul.
During the final half-year, Spirit Hall transformed. With Bibi Dong's mind cleared of the Rakshasa's madness, she and Lakan drafted the Sovereign Code—a set of laws that would shook the continent's social structure.
1. The Meritocracy of the Soul: Noble titles no longer grant immunity. If a Spirit Master commits a crime against a commoner, they are judged by Spirit Hall law, not Imperial law.
2. The Merchant's Flow: Lakan implemented a standardized tax system for merchants under Spirit Hall protection, bypassing the corrupt Imperial tolls. This effectively started an economic migration toward Spirit Hall cities.
3. The Academy of the People: Branches of the "Flow" training were opened for low-level Spirit Masters, teaching the basic Hakbang Tatsulok (Triangular Pivot) to help commoners defend themselves against low-level spirit beasts.
"You're not just building a sect," Bibi Dong observed, looking at the bustling streets of Wuhun City from her balcony. "You're building a civilization."
"A Sovereign doesn't just rule," Lakan replied, leaning back in his chair, now a young man of eleven with sharp, masculine features and short, cropped hair. "He provides a better alternative to the current trash."
Before his training ended, Lakan finalized his masterpiece: Ang Kulungang Walong Sulok (The Octagon Prison).
During a spar with the entire Vanguard (The Golden Trio and the Shui Sisters), Lakan stood in the center. As they attacked simultaneously, he stomped his foot. The ground didn't just break; a dome of iridescent soul power erupted, shimmering with Baybayin glyphs. Inside this "Prison," the gravity fluctuated at 45-degree angles, and the air itself became a weapon. Lakan moved with such speed that it looked like he was teleporting. He neutralized all five of them in less than ten seconds without drawing blood.
Lakan visited Yue Guan to discuss a new Mutya formula for Eight-Gate Overdrive recovery. But the Chrysanthemum Douluo wasn't in his usual garden mood. He was sharpening his golden petals with a cold, focused intent.
"We'll have to delay the research, Holy Son," Yue Guan said, a rare, predatory smirk on his face. "I have a date with an Old Poison. It's time I reminded him that a snake's fangs are useless against a golden flower."
Lakan froze. Old Poison? Dugu Bo? In the canon, Yue Guan and Dugu Bo were bitter rivals who fought constantly. This was his chance. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was Dugu Bo's secret garden—the place where the Immortal Herbs grew. If Lakan could get there, he could evolve his Adarna's Gaze permanently into the Eyes of the Origin God.
"I'm coming with you," Lakan insisted. "And I'm bringing Bing'er, Yue-er, and Ling Yue. It's time the girls saw what a Titled Douluo battle looks like. Besides... I want to meet this 'Snake' myself."
The Elder's Hall
While the group set out for the border, the Elder's Hall was in an uproar. Qian Daoliu, the Great Priest, sat at the head of the table, holding the scrolls detailing Lakan's Eight-Gate Overdrive.
"Extraordinary," Daoliu muttered, his golden eyes narrowing. "The Clear Sky Sect's Explosive Rings rely on destroying one's own foundation for a temporary burst. But this 'Overdrive'... it uses the body itself as a pressurized engine. It is more stable, more precise, and far more terrifying."
He thought of his duel years ago with Tang Chen. The only reason he lost was the sheer, suicidal power of the Explosive Rings, and he didnt use the Power of the Angel God, as that was an honest duel between Gentlemen.
But Lakan's technique offered that same power with the refinement of a Sovereign.
"And this alchemy..." another Elder whispered. "The Daloy ng Mutya is making our Spirit Masters stronger by the day. The Heaven Dou Empire has no idea what's coming."
Qian Daoliu waved his hand. "Prepare a shipment. Send the high-tier Body Strengthening Elixirs and the initial scrolls of the Eight-Gate Overdrive to my granddaughter, Xue'er, in the Heaven Dou capital. She needs to be ready. If she is to lead this Empire, she must possess the same 'Flow' as our Holy Son."