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--- Chapter 177 ---
Spirit Hall.
Bibi Dong and Hu Liena returned to the magnificent palace, walking side by side. However, the fox girl noticed that her esteemed teacher was not in the right state of mind. Bibi Dong was staring blankly at the sky with a dull, expressionless face.
'After the Dao Meeting, my teacher has become unusually quiet,' Hu Liena thought to herself. 'Though she sometimes likes this, this time it feels different.'
'It is as if my teacher is in a state of peace.'
Many readers might say that the pope's student was a little too silly, but that couldn't be further from the truth. She had only become a bit foolish due to being affected by 'love-brain disease.'
The truth is, Hu Liena is thoughtful and well-respected among the Golden Generation and the students of Spirit Hall. She possesses a high talent in cultivation and politics, allowing her to understand people around her.
Ultimately, Hu Liena is also Bibi Dong's disciple, and the pope taught her how to discern people and how to react to them.
While Bibi Dong never openly shares her emotional struggles, anyone with discerning eyes and a keen mind can observe that her mood fluctuates unpredictably, giving her an aura of coldness and evil.
As Bibi Dong's only disciple, Hu Liena was acutely aware of this. However, out of immense respect (consequence) and filial piety, the fox girl dared not address the issue.
After all, Bibi Dong could be terrifying when angered.
When the female pope truly erupted in her anger, even the Title Douluos at her side didn't get spared. Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo could attest to this, as they were the closest Title Douluos to Bibi Dong and were under her direct control.
Unfortunately, the duo has no choice in this matter. Bibi Dong is not only their superior in status, but also strength.
Not to mention, they boarded Bibi Dong's pirate ship when she was on the rise, and couldn't just change to the Worshipper Hall.
"We are back?" Bibi Dong finally said something. She blinked a few times and looked around in realization, feeling somewhat lost.
After Bibi Dong's exchange with Han Yuan last night, the whispers in her mind have gone quiet; no, they disappeared completely, giving her a rare chance of peace.
The mental torture vanished into thin air, returning Bibi Dong's sense to normal, which feels like walking on clouds now.
Of course, there are also some realizations of the horrible things she had done in the last two decades. Honestly, it made her feel her heart gripped in horror.
The despair comes after even more sickening.
All those suppressed emotions come at once.
If Bibi Dong weren't a strong-willed person, she would have thrown up several times on her journey back.
However, all that couldn't compare to the guilt in Bibi Dong's heart, which became even more evident when she realized what a horrible mother she was.
As an orphan, Bibi Dong longed for motherly love as well. So, she wished to prevent her children from experiencing the same loneliness. Yet, she still did it.
"Xiao Xue..." She mumbled wistfully.
Her daughter.
She didn't know how to face her.
Bibi Dong put aside these complicated feelings of hers and then recalled something, "Nana."
"Yes, teacher?" Hu Liena responded softly, afraid of angering her.
"Where is Elder Ghost?" Bibi Dong asked in confusion.
Hu Liena tilted her head for a moment. 'Elder Ghost? My teacher rarely calls Ghost Douluo that.'
'What happened to her?' Even then, Hu Liena bit her lips and answered with some hesitation, "Elder Ghost left our group when we reached the Heaven Dou Empire's border."
"As for his destination, I don't know."
Bibi Dong's eyes widened as a memory of herself giving a signal to Ghost Douluo at the Dao Meeting resurfaced. Her poor heart skipped a beat as that signal was an order to assassinate Han Yuan.
The sound of a pindrop seems to fall in this quiet corridor. Yet, Bibi Dong's heart is beating nervously, louder than she has ever felt before.
"Stupid!" She couldn't help but curse herself.
'Why did I make such an idiotic move?'
'Isn't this basically throwing Ghost Douluo into a pitfall?'
Let alone killing Han Yuan, Bibi Dong doubts the Ghost Douluo could harm the corner of Han Yuan's clothes. Last night, she already attacked Han Yuan, wanting to eliminate him, but he reacted unbelievably fast and countered her with a weird spiritual attack.
Then, everything went dark.
After waking up, Bibi Dong realized that Han Yuan had subdued her and cleansed the dark whispers in her mind. It's hard to believe a mere Spirit King could subdue her, but he did. At the tender age of ten!
Simultaneously, she was uncomfortable. The thought of ordering Ghost Douluo to kill her benefactor is sickening.
Not to mention, she promised to marry her daughter and disciple to this benefactor of hers.
Isn't she basically trying to kill her son-in-law?
Damn it, what a stupid woman I am!
Meanwhile, Hu Liena has a strange expression. 'Did my teacher just scold Ghost Douluo by calling him stupid?'
Of course, the fox girl didn't know Bibi Dong was blaming herself.
Bibi Dong looked far into the distance and sighed, 'If Ghost Douluo is still alive, I will compensate him. If he dies...'
'I will hold a funeral and try to make amends later...'
Naturally, she hoped Han Yuan could spare her subordinate.
...
...
Back to the forest area near the White Dragon River, Han Yuan had a lazy but annoyed look on his handsome face.
"An ambush, really?"
"Now, of all time?"
Han Yuan lowered the Twilight Shield and stared at the ambusher, that is, Ghost Douluo.
The ghost-like man has entered his 'Martial Soul's true body state,' and become a three-meter-tall purple-white ghost with terrifying blue flame eyes. Countless black, spiritual tendrils come from his body, giving him a sense of death.
Yet, this ghost-like man was sweating cold right now.
Because a ten-year-old kid just parried one of his most powerful sneak attacks, that would kill, if not seriously injure, Super Douluo. If Sword Douluo were in the same position, he'd definitely lose an arm!
'I go all out because I wanted to finish this job as quickly as possible, but you actually parried my attack?' Ghost Douluo was speechless.
Di Yating likewise has a weird expression, 'Aren't you a little, puny Title Douluo courting death by ambushing Han Yuan?'
Not too long ago, when Di Yating ambushed Han Yuan, she also failed miserably. But unlike this blind Title Douluo, she didn't look down on Han Yuan because of his low cultivation level.
She looked down on him because he was a brat.
After all, she knew Han Yuan was the inheritor of Thunder God's, and he couldn't be a normal person if he could achieve such an achievement at a young age. So, she saw more than his cultivation base.
Then, again, norms can't be associated with an anomaly like Han Yuan.
Ghost Douluo didn't know what the white-haired woman was thinking, but he could see contempt and disgust in her eyes.
It was understandable, as a pure-blooded true dragon, Di Yating hates the weak, and she hates weak humans even more.
Ghost Douluo was furious. 'That must be a life-saving skill from Dao Academy, right?'
'He couldn't possibly use that shield twice.'
'Then, I can just attack again!'
With that in mind, Ghost Douluo was spirited again and burst with a more dangerous aura, rupturing the surroundings with his ghostly spirit energy, causing the tree and other vegetation to wither.
Swooosh!
As an Agility-Attack System Title Douluo, Ghost Douluo was proud of his speed, and countless afterimages appeared from thin air, overwhelming Han Yuan's senses.
Any of these afterimages is tangible, and can attack at any time.
Han Yuan scratched his neck lazily and glanced to the left, "Hey, can we end this already?"
"I wanted to take a bath and have lunch."
Ghost Douluo, who was about to attack Han Yuan from the left, was left stunned midair. Unfortunately for Ghost Douluo, Han Yuan's right hand was used to scratch his neck, and he also held Twilight Shield, which was ready to launch a counterattack.
Thus, the second effect of Twilight Shield's 2nd spirit skill was 'naturally' triggered.
And to make it worse.
Ghost Douluo's previous attack contained dark elements because of his martial soul's attributes.
His body placement also positioned the Twilight Shield right between his legs.
[Fallen Dragon's Reflection!]
A spirit skill that absorbed the enemy's elemental attack, followed by a 300% return of elemental and physically charged counterattack.
A bright gray hue appeared on the Twilight Shield and burst with a roar of Fallen Dragon's Rage.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOARR!
BAAAAAAANG!
Kacha!
The sound of unfortunate eggs breaking reverberated, mourning the loss of precious sacks.
CRACK!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRGHHHHHH!!!"
A man's sad, bloodcurdling cry echoed in the sky, followed by an explosion as a small mountain not far away was reduced to pieces, causing a rising cloud of dust.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
"..." Han Yuan watched the explosion and the mountain turning into rubble.
Then, he stared at Twilight Shield and glanced at Di Yating, "Trust me, I didn't do that on purpose."
"..." Di Yating's mouth twitched in disbelief.
Like I'd believe you!