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Word Count: 3,228 Words
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Within the resplendent Supreme Pontiff's Palace, Ling Bai studied the mysteries of the God Bestowed Spirit Ring in deep concentration.
Ye Guyi, absorbing the ring, had begun to tremble. The tremors grew more violent by the second, and a feverish flush bloomed across her skin as she endured a pain that felt like her bones were being scraped clean.
Bibi Dong watched her closely, glancing sideways from time to time. Faint approval flickered in the depths of her eyes. Ye Guyi was pushing herself against her own limits. Every extra second she held on would nudge the spirit ring's age a little higher.
70,000 years. 80,000 years. 90,000 years...
The pitch-black spirit ring slowly took on a smear of blood-red. Ye Guyi had reached the very edge of what she could endure. Her lovely face twisted in agony, and beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down her cheeks.
The Holy Angel was ultimately not a Seraphim. Forcing her seventh spirit ring all the way to a hundred thousand years was an almost impossible feat.
The seventh spirit skill was among the most crucial for any Spirit Master. A 100,000-year Avatar and a 10,000-year Avatar were worlds apart. Ling Bai was quietly feeling a pang of regret on Ye Guyi's behalf when Bibi Dong suddenly moved.
Divine power poured into the God Bestowed Spirit Ring, and pitch-black shifted to blood-red in an instant. A wild, primeval ferocity surged through the Supreme Pontiff's Palace. Ye Guyi's aura spiked sharply, and a third pair of angelic wings tore through the skin of her back.
The Holy Angel was the same as the Seraphim in this respect. At Martial Spirit Awakening, both possessed only two wings. Upon reaching the Spirit Saint realm at seven rings, another pair would grow. Only after stepping into the Titled Douluo realm could they manifest the complete angelic form.
Stimulated by the bloodline of the Angel of Finality, Ye Guyi had already awakened four wings ahead of schedule. Now she skipped an entire step and transformed directly into a six-winged Holy Angel. Her future prospects were as bright as dawn.
Bibi Dong nodded in satisfaction. Then, catching Ling Bai's meaningful gaze, she snorted coldly and turned her head aside.
Amusement flickered through Ling Bai's eyes. Her Holiness the Supreme Pontiff was truly a tsundere at heart. Her words were always sharp and unyielding, dismissing Ye Guyi as inferior to Qian Renxue, yet the moment she discovered Ye Guyi was in trouble, she still couldn't stop herself from lending a hand.
It was most likely because of her past. She was like a mother who had never learned how to express love, who couldn't sit calmly with her child and talk through her feelings. Saying all the wrong things was her way of showing she cared. Her love simply meant wanting her child to become strong. Only with strength could one live according to their own will.
BOOM—
An angelic silhouette rose into the air. Ye Guyi's eyes snapped open, alight with golden fire, and a holy aura swept across the entire Supreme Pontiff's Palace. Her seven spirit rings flared to life around her, yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, and red, as her spirit power climbed steadily upward.
She had broken through to Rank 70 long before, simply delaying the absorption of her seventh ring. At the Mingdu Spirit Guidance Master Tournament, she had slain more than a few Duskwater Alliance Evil Spirit Masters. Combined with this 100,000-year ring, her spirit power leapt straight to Rank 76.
As her spirit power finally settled, Ye Guyi raised her head and looked at the peerlessly stunning Supreme Pontiff seated upon the throne above. Complex emotions churned in her gaze. The Supreme Pontiff looked down from on high, meeting the Holy Angel's eyes directly. She expected no gratitude. She simply did what she believed was right.
Just then, a cold, clear voice rang out in Ling Bai's mind:
"Rakshasa First Trial passed! Reward: Rakshasa Affinity 100%!
When the inheritor's spirit power breaks through to Rank 99, the Rakshasa God Position shall be inherited at Jialing Pass!"
The God Position had been settled. The day of inheritance would not be far off. Ling Bai and Ye Guyi took their leave of Bibi Dong, and the Six Great Worships of Spirit Hall escorted them out of the illusion.
Though she had obtained a 100,000-year seventh spirit ring, Ye Guyi was not in high spirits. Her mind was a chaotic blur. These past two days had dealt a near-devastating blow to the beliefs she had held all her life. The Seraphim she had worshipped turned out to be Death Abyss Douluo. The angelic bloodline she had taken such pride in was mingled with the blood of the Rakshasa.
If one regarded the Rakshasa God Bibi Dong as an Evil Spirit Master, then her ancestor had received Qian Renxue's gift to ascend to a Holy Angel. Strictly speaking, that made Ye Guyi the descendant of an Evil Spirit Master as well.
Ling Bai saw the bewilderment written across her face. A knot in the heart could only be untied by the one who had tied it. No matter how much sense an outsider tried to speak, it would all be in vain.
As they flew toward Nine Treasure City, Ye Guyi asked him a question.
"What kind of person do you think the Rakshasa God is?"
"That..."
He thought back over Bibi Dong's life. Twin Martial Spirits. Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall. Supreme Pontiff of her generation. Empress of an empire. A 1st-Class God, the Rakshasa God. The Evil God universally acknowledged by the world. The chief culprit of a continental war.
The titles she bore were far too many, and the earth-shaking deeds she had done beyond counting. Yet the things she had truly yearned for... perhaps she had never obtained a single one.
Ling Bai knew that Ye Guyi still believed in him. She wanted an answer about right and wrong from his lips, hoping to use it as a mirror to reflect what lay within her own heart.
But when it came to right and wrong, everyone carried an iron scale within them. Ye Guyi waited quietly. At last, three words drifted past her ear, so soft they seemed ready to scatter on the wind.
"A pitiful person."
Every pitiful soul had their hateful side. Ye Guyi turned to gaze back at the ancient battlefield of Jialing Pass, and a soft, mournful sigh slipped from her lips.
...
One month later, in the main hall of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
Outside the windows, a rare downpour lashed the Heavenly Soul Empire. Every raindrop fell fat and heavy, like a waterfall pouring from the sky, drowning the world in a white curtain of rain.
Ling Bai lounged against a luxuriously soft snow-fox sofa, marking and annotating a thick stack of data tables. A tender, pale hand reached from behind him toward his mouth, and a woman crooned in a coaxing, syrupy voice:
"Idol, say ah~"
Ling Bai opened his mouth on instinct. A piece of washed, sliced fruit slipped between his lips. He chewed twice. Mm. Sweet as honey!
"Master~"
From the other side, a paler hand reached over and pressed a piece of meticulously crafted, fragrant pastry between his lips.
On the surface, everything was peaceful, harmonious, and tranquil. Behind Ling Bai, however, undercurrents churned and silent warfare raged.
Yu Mengdi and Na Na were dressed in form-fitting maid outfits. Yu Mengdi's curves were generous and soft, the white uniform straining with every breath. Na Na's lithe, athletic figure filled her dark dress with a coiled, dangerous elegance. The two women glared at each other, already as incompatible as fire and water, their gazes a silent war of reprimand.
Yu Mengdi's lashes fluttered in rapid code. You're breaking our agreement. We said one day each!
Na Na's expression dripped with disdain. Opportunities belong to the prepared maid. Just give up already!
Yu Mengdi's eyes narrowed into a cold sneer. Only an angel can properly serve an angel. Do you even understand what it means to be descended from the Angel Legion?!
Na Na's gaze sharpened. Truce. Those two mermaids just walked in. United front against outsiders.
Li Jing and Li Ya sashayed forward, their steps swaying in perfect unison, and halted before Ling Bai. "My Lord," they said in soft, gentle voices, "Teacher Lin says she has completed your request. Efficiency has increased by five percent, and she has added an extra conversion-type Spirit Guidance Device. The spirit power collected from the Spirit Dueling Arena can now have its attributes completely stripped."
"Mhm."
The two mermaid princesses knelt at his sides, one on his left and one on his right, and devoted themselves wholly to the massage. That formal, kneeling service made Yu Mengdi's and Na Na's eyelids twitch uncontrollably. The fruit plates nearly flew from their hands as they howled inwardly:
Do you two really have to compete this hard!
The sisters knelt and worked with meticulous precision, without a shred of the dignity a 100,000-year spirit beast ought to have possessed. They had witnessed firsthand how Ling Bai butchered sea spirit beasts without mercy. Now their mother, the Sea Princess, had her fate entirely in his hands. Who could guarantee he wouldn't slaughter the donkey once the millstone stopped turning?
After a quiet discussion between themselves, Li Jing and Li Ya had reached a shared conclusion. They would do everything in their power to win Ling Bai's favor. Since he wanted them to serve as maids, they would hold themselves to the highest standard a maid could achieve.
Sisters of one heart could cut through gold. With the mermaid clan's natural advantages at their disposal, the pair launched a relentless campaign of charm. Graceful water performances one day, enchanting little songs the next, each routine more elaborate than the last. Sooner or later, they were determined to out-compete every other maid in the household!
Yu Mengdi and Na Na were so angry they nearly spat fire, but there was nothing they could do about the mermaid princesses.
Clack, clack, clack!
Footsteps echoed through the hall. Ning Fengyu shuffled in, rubbing at her sleepy eyes. Still half-drowsy, she looked up and saw Ling Bai surrounded on all sides by four maids. Her almond eyes snapped wide open.
Sleepiness. Doubt. Clarity. Shock. Each flashed across her face in quick succession.
Good grief. At worst I'm just lazy, but you brat are purely degenerate!
She threw all concern for her image to the wind and flopped bonelessly onto a nearby sofa. A huge yawn escaped her as her pale calves dangled over the edge, swinging idly back and forth, dazzlingly white.
Ling Bai glanced over and chuckled. "Your Excellency Azure Emperor, at this hour you should be in the rear garden, calmly sensing the pulse of the plants."
Ning Fengyu forced herself to roll over. Her nightdress slipped a fraction lower, the full, rounded curves beneath seeming on the verge of springing free.
"The rain's coming down that hard. Could you really bear to let a beauty like me get drenched?"
She pointed at her own face, a gorgeous visage as dewy with collagen as a twenty-year-old girl's, her cyan-gold eyes brimming with pitiful appeal.
Ling Bai scoffed. A Titled Douluo afraid of a little rain. Could an excuse get any more half-baked?
"You should learn from Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan. A bit of rain does nothing to cool their passion for battle. They've already dragged Xiao Feng off to the Spirit Dueling Arena to spar.
Don't say I didn't warn you. Teacher said if you don't break through to Rank 95 within three months, you won't have a single easy day for the next three years."
"Relax, I know my limits. Handling the old man is a piece of cake," Ning Fengyu drawled lazily.
Years of unspoken understanding let Ling Bai catch her meaning in an instant. Her spirit power had absolutely reached the critical threshold. She could step into Rank 95 whenever she wished. She was holding it back because the training load between Rank 94 and Rank 95 was worlds apart.
"You might as well die of laziness!"
Ning Fengyu pretended not to hear. "Xiao Di, grab me a piece of fruit."
She munched away with her usual carefree air. "Did you hear from Big Sis? There have been especially many people coming to deliver gifts this month. Tianyuan Sect, Vajra Gate, Hornet Sect, Rock King Hall, Soul Heaven Academy... They're all spending like it's nothing. A million spirit gold coins just to start."
"I don't know everyone who's sent gifts, but I know very clearly who hasn't."
The Body Sect had been brutally exterminated, and the factions led by Shrek Academy had made no attempt to hide their support of Ling Bai. For the first time in history, the sects of the Heavenly Soul Empire were truly frightened, terrified that one day Ling Bai would knock on their doors with a smile and politely announce he had come to inspect for Evil Spirit Masters.
One after another they stood up to condemn Death Abyss Douluo Du Busi, eagerly hunting down every petty villain who dared slander the Holy Evil Douluo. They sang praises of his many great deeds and virtues, and expressed their loyalty through that oldest and most timeless of methods. Lavish gifts.
Under the Heavenly Soul factions' tireless efforts to build him up, Holy Evil Douluo was practically acknowledged as the greatest man in all of history. Even Sea God Tang San had to step aside.
As for those aloof factions that had neither sent gifts nor chosen a side, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan quietly dispatched outer sect disciples to keep watch. At the first sign of suspicious movement, say, slandering the Holy Evil Douluo or voicing support for the Body Sect, Holy Evil Douluo Ling Bai would seriously consider wiping out those 'resurgent Evil Spirit Masters' ahead of schedule.
"Your Excellency Holy Evil, what have you and Teacher Lin been tinkering with down there these days?" Ning Fengyu asked, boredom creeping back into her tone.
"A secret."
"Isn't it just that enormous Spirit Guidance Device you're building under the clan's Spirit Dueling Arena? Come on, what's it for?"
"Stop snooping."
"Tch."
Ning Fengyu pushed herself upright and smoothed her cyan-gold hair. "Then when do you plan to go hunting for the Seraphim's ninth spirit ring?"
"I'm already working on it."
Ling Bai gathered up his experiment data and set the sheets aside. "As far as I know, there aren't any sea spirit beasts near the Douluo Continent's coastline that would suit the Seraphim.
And among the continent's top-tier spirit beasts actually worth my time, there are really only two. The Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King Di Tian, and the Evileye Tyrant Emperor, the Evil Emperor…
Both are Limit Douluo-level Great Beasts that have condensed Yin-Yang Complement twin spirit cores. I'm leaning toward the Evil Emperor, and Teacher agrees."
Ning Fengyu nodded. "Compared to Di Tian's Ultimate Darkness, a spiritual attribute at least won't clash with the Seraphim. You're also still missing a skull spirit bone. Off the top of my head, there really isn't a spirit beast better suited to you than the Evileye Tyrant Emperor."
"Honestly, what I value most is its spatial ability," Ling Bai said. "The legends say the Evil Emperor once stepped into the Star Dou Forest and fought a world-shaking battle against the Beast God Di Tian. Its Innate Spirit Skill, Space-Time Light, was potent enough that even Di Tian was forced to give ground.
My future third spirit core will be a spatial spirit core, but my grasp of the spatial attribute isn't especially deep. If I can claim the Evil Emperor's spatial insights for myself, it should save me an enormous amount of effort."
"The Evildemon Forest sits inside Sun Moon Empire territory, though." Ning Fengyu patted her towering chest. "Ever since we broke out of the Mingdu Western Mountains, the whole empire's been under martial law. War could break out at any moment. If Linglong Pavilion hadn't moved fast enough, we'd have been blown to scrap by Spirit Cannon fire. Just to be safe, why not drag the old man and Big Sis along?"
"Forget it." Ling Bai shook his head. "Aunt Ya is buried in work. The clan's affairs, big and small, all rest on her shoulders. Teacher's busy researching pills. Can't you tell he doesn't even have time to train you anymore?
I've got the Thousand Illusion Charming Appearance for disguise, and going alone means a smaller target. Once I've cleared what's on my plate, I'll head to the Evildemon Forest and hunt the Evil Emperor... hmm?"
He and Ning Fengyu stiffened at the same instant. Li Jing and Li Ya froze mid-massage. All of them were Titled Douluo-level cultivators who had caught the faint sound buried beneath the downpour's roar.
"The Earthdragon Sect is here, begging for help!"
"Spirit King cultivation. Sounds like a young woman." Ning Fengyu's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "One of your romantic debts?"
"Don't talk nonsense." Ling Bai had already guessed who it was. "Li Jing, Li Ya, bring her in."
The two mermaid princesses slipped out of the hall. Before long they returned, supporting a young woman between them. Her ink-black hair clung wetly to her cheeks, her clothes were soaked through, and her complexion was as white as paper. She looked as though she were suffering from some grave illness, and her aura was so faint it barely registered.
"Nan Qiuqiu?"
Na Na recognized her at once. It was the Earthdragon Sect's young sect master, Nan Qiuqiu. Their two teams had clashed in the opening round of the Spirit Master Tournament.
The dazzling radiance of those days was gone. The moment she saw Ling Bai, a faint spark of light returned to her eyes. She bit her bloodless lips and dropped to both knees with a heavy thud, her voice trembling so badly it was almost unintelligible:
"The Sun Moon Empire has imprisoned many of the participating Spirit Masters from the three great empires. They mean to hold them as leverage, to force the major factions to stay out of any future war.
They transferred us from Mingdu to Sunrise City for detention. Along the way, my mother used an Earthdragon Sect secret method to shatter my shackles, and that was the only reason I escaped with my life. I fled the whole way, and only once the border guards finally lowered their guard was I able to cross back into the Heavenly Soul Empire.
My mother, my friends, so many Spirit Masters from the three empires... they're enduring every torment imaginable in Sunrise City!
Your Holiness Holy Evil, every street and alley of the Heavenly Soul Empire rings with tales of your deeds. You are the radiant, righteous Seraphim. Please, save the Earthdragon Sect! Qiuqiu is willing to work like a horse, to toil like an ox, to be your slave, your maidservant..."
Yet another one offering to serve as slave and maid.
Yu Mengdi and Na Na exchanged a look, so exasperated they wanted to cry but no tears would come.
Big Sis, the maid competition is already brutal enough!
And now you want to shove your way in too?!