When she heard Yue Guan's words and the details he brought, Bibi Dong's eyes instantly widened.
The one thing she least wanted to happen… had still come to pass.
Qian Renxue and Xiao Yan were now standing on the same side.
This meant her plan now had a very high chance of failing.
Bibi Dong stayed silent for a long time, a gloomy shadow flickering across her face, before she questioned Yue Guan coldly:
"Yue Guan, can you guarantee this?"
"This… I can't be completely sure. This was told to me directly by that fellow, Bloodstab."
Hearing Yue Guan's uncertain tone, Bibi Dong finally calmed down a little and regained her usual composed and dignified demeanor.
"Yue Guan, you may have been deceived. Continue searching for that Xiao Lin, and find a way to bring him back to me."
Her voice carried no anger—only an unnervingly calm tone.
"Your Holiness the Pope… you mean to say that Bloodstab lied to me?"
"That's entirely possible. Heaven Dou City is her territory, she holds the home advantage. Whether she lied or not doesn't even matter if it turns out to be true."
Bibi Dong explained, "If Xiao Yan really had joined Qian Renxue's faction, then Dugu Bo wouldn't have had to leave with Xiao Lin at all. With Dugu Bo's protection, plus Bloodstab's secret aid, Xiao Lin would never have faced danger—and naturally, wouldn't have needed Dugu Bo to take him away for protection."
"Your subordinate is guilty!" Yue Guan bowed his head.
"It doesn't matter. Just continue to Heaven Dou City. Under no circumstances can you allow Qian Renxue to make contact with Xiao Yan—or with Xiao Lin and the others, either."
Bibi Dong waved her hand dismissively. She still had use for Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo, so she couldn't be bothered to punish him for such a small matter.
"But… Xiao Lin's appearance is unpredictable. I can't just remain in Heaven Dou City forever…"
Yue Guan knew about Bibi Dong's plan to hunt the Titan Giant Ape and the Azure Bull Python.
If he stayed away, how could her plan proceed?
"Keep in touch through letters when necessary. For the next two years, I will be in seclusion."
With that, Bibi Dong turned and left the Pope's Hall. Yue Guan had no choice but to disappear again in a flash.
Although Bibi Dong had seen through Bloodstab's little scheme, she still felt a pressing sense of urgency deep inside.
She absolutely could not allow Qian Renxue and Xiao Yan to stand together!And more importantly, she had to become a god before Qian Renxue.
This thought weighed heavily on her heart.
Qian Renxue was, without a doubt, the most gifted person she had ever seen in her life. Even with her own twin spirits, Bibi Dong still fell short in comparison.
And Qian Renxue also bore the inheritance of the Angel God, her cultivation smooth and effortless.
This only made Bibi Dong more desperate. All she could think about now was continuing to clear her next trial.
"Have you decided? To accept the next test?"
Suddenly, the voice of the Rakshasa God resounded in her mind.
Bibi Dong, who had already made up her mind long ago, did not hesitate in the slightest and answered decisively.
"Yes."
"With your talent, you don't need to be this impatient. Besides, I haven't heard that the Sea God has even chosen an inheritor yet.
"Though… it's hard to say. That boy, the Sea God, looks harmless on the surface, but in truth he's extremely cunning—worse than me… cough cough."
"I'll ask one last time. Are you certain?"
"I am certain."
Even though she heard the Rakshasa God's assurance, Bibi Dong dared not gamble anymore.
She detested situations filled with uncertainty—just like what had happened in that secret chamber more than twenty years ago.
"Very well then. Rakshasa God's Eighth Trial—
Gather all soul bones on your body. The average age of those soul bones must exceed ninety thousand years.
Reward for passing the God's Trial: All soul bones will increase in age by ten thousand years."
When the eighth trial was confirmed, Bibi Dong's heart skipped a beat.
This mission wasn't impossibly difficult, yet it was harsh in its demands.
She currently didn't possess many soul bones, though she did have two that had just reached the hundred-thousand-year threshold.
These were her left and right arm bones, dropped from a Death Spider Emperor that had lived over a hundred thousand years.
That spider's soul power had only barely reached one hundred thousand years, yet it dropped two soul bones.
Its strength had been immense—but Bibi Dong was uncertain about the exact age of those bones.
If they counted as only fifty-thousand-year bones each, then her eighth trial would be in serious trouble.
"Damn it… do the soul bones from the Titan Giant Ape and Azure Bull Python together even add up to two hundred and fifty thousand years?"
A trace of panic flashed across her flawless face.
Perhaps this was the price of trying to rush through the God's Trials.
"I must continue searching. Other hundred-thousand-year soul beasts must be located to ensure absolute certainty."
But since she had already dispatched Ghost Douluo to investigate that unknown three-headed hound soul beast, she didn't have enough men left to keep searching herself.
After some thought, Bibi Dong went to the Spirit Hall's library.
She had to find records of soul beasts with high enough cultivation age that also wouldn't be too dangerous to hunt.
Meanwhile—
Thanks to Qin Ming's invitation letter, the group from Shrek Academy had hurried to Heaven Dou City.
As Yu Xiaogang and the others had just entered the capital, Ma Hongjun and Oscar were already left stunned by the city's prosperity.
"Wow! So this is the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire—Heaven Dou City! It's amazing!"
Ma Hongjun was practically drooling, his eyes straining wide as if they would burst from their sockets.
Everywhere he looked, the girls here were far more elegant and beautiful than the ones back at Shrek Academy.
"It really is amazing."
Oscar too was craning his neck, trying to take in every passing girl. The girls here looked fresh and radiant.
Female soul masters, once they absorbed spirit rings, often became even more attractive.
Though not every girl in Heaven Dou City was a soul master, the average quality here was definitely among the best in the empire.
Suddenly, a group of students from Heaven Dou Royal Academy passed right in front of them.
These noble-born youths, both men and women, were laughing and chatting—handsome men, gorgeous women.
Ma Hongjun and Oscar's eyes stayed glued to the female students the whole time.
"Heaven Dou City isn't anything special."
Dai Mubai frowned at his two companions, instantly rejecting their behavior.
He considered Ma Hongjun and Oscar his future helpers in defeating Davis. He couldn't let them be ruined by Heaven Dou City's charms.
"Boss Dai, easy for you to say. We're just inexperienced. Why don't you treat us to some entertainment here?"
Ma Hongjun smirked.
"Tch, a bunch of degenerates."
Zhu Zhuqing snorted coldly, turning her head away.
She really didn't want her eyes sullied by them.
"Enough, all of you. Stop bickering."
Yu Xiaogang's sharp voice rang out, cutting through their banter.
With his order, the four of them fell silent.
"Xiaogang, I'll go ask those students for directions to Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
"Uh… fine."
Yu Xiaogang nodded in agreement.
Originally, he had wanted to ask himself—after all, he was a famous figure, a true Master.
But then he remembered Zhao Wuji's mocking words, and instantly wilted, letting Flender go instead.
"Hello, students. I am Flender. We've received an invitation from your teacher, Qin Ming, to participate in the exchange competition. Could you tell me how to get to Heaven Dou Royal Academy?"
"Exchange competition? Never heard of it. With just you people?"
The Royal Academy students glanced skeptically at Flender, then looked over the group behind him—Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and the others.
Just these kids… and they wanted to challenge the Emperor Team?
Martial Soul Data Panel:
Tang San:
Martial Soul: Blue Silver King
Destructive Power: A (endless control ability; without absolute strength to destroy the Blue Silver Grass, one would eventually be bound, suffocated, etc.)
Speed: A- (the grass regenerates at incredible speed, creating a field in an instant)
Range: A
Endurance: S-
Precision: A
Growth Potential: A+
Special Energy: S (noble life energy)
End of Chapter