"It's really unexpected. That little kid who had almost no presence in the Soul Master Competition back then has actually grown to this level in just a few short years."
Bibi Dong slowly came to a stop, her right hand lightly gripping a scepter that was styled similarly to the one she had during her time as Pope.
Embedded in it was a pale green gemstone, exuding an aristocratic aura that gave people a sense of being unattainably lofty.
"The shameless Rakshasa God actually chose quite a decent successor." Seeing that the other party did not speak, Bibi Dong let out a light laugh.
"Hmph, speaking from on high."
"Do you think I'm still the same helpless brat from back then?" Zhu Zhuqing lightly swung the Rakshasa's Scythe, dark divine power swirling around her body as oppressive air waves spread outward.
"No, I don't think that." Bibi Dong spoke calmly. "Today, I'm here to put a final period on the matter of the Rakshasa God's influence over me."
"Just with you?" Zhu Zhuqing sized Bibi Dong up and down, sneering. "Although I don't know how you managed it, what you have is only a second-level god's divine position."
"How great the gap is between the two, I think as fellow god-level beings..."
"Pope Your Excellency, you wouldn't be unaware of that, right?"
"Hehe, indeed." Bibi Dong was not annoyed, speaking lightly. "The difference between a second-level god and a first-level god is unimaginable, but that's for later—not now."
Both at level 101 did not mean the current Rakshasa God was necessarily much stronger than her, who had condensed her own god position independently.
Moreover, when it came to Rakshasa divine power, compared to Zhu Zhuqing, she herself was the one who knew it inside and out.
As she spoke, the scepter in Bibi Dong's hand emitted a dim purple glow.
It seemed to represent endless darkness and fear.
"A divine tool!"
Sensing the light released by the scepter, Zhu Zhuqing's alarm bells rang loudly as she quickly pulled back the distance.
The Rakshasa's Scythe swung down.
A dark red blade of light capable of tearing space shot out, arriving with lightning speed toward Bibi Dong.
"Divine skill—Eternal Wound"
"Hmph, this skill—I know it better than you do!"
"Divine skill—Eternal Wound"
In Bibi Dong's hand, the scepter condensed into the phantom of a scythe, which she lightly slashed.
An attack almost identical to the one Zhu Zhuqing had released suddenly burst forth.
"Boom!"
The two collided, black air currents sweeping through.
The erupting energy spread wantonly, as if the entire sky of the Star Luo Empire had been shrouded in night.
The next moment, both attacks vanished simultaneously.
After several exchanges.
Zhu Zhuqing appeared behind Bibi Dong, the scythe slashing toward Bibi Dong's neck with the intent to eliminate the enemy completely.
"Divine skill—Nether Slash"
Bibi Dong smiled faintly, her right hand slightly raised. The scepter suddenly flashed with intense light.
Black energy fluctuations spread outward with the scepter at the center, blocking the edge of Zhu Zhuqing's scythe.
The two forces met, producing a deafening roar.
Below, the ground kicked up flying sand and stones. The vibrating sound caused the trees to sway crookedly in all directions.
One a second-level god, one a first-level god.
Both at level 101, yet after this bout of fighting, they were surprisingly in a state of evenly matched power.
At this time, in the Heaven Dou Empire outside the Star Luo Empire.
Fasnuo Province.
Compared to the battle between Bibi Dong and Zhu Zhuqing—this fight meant to put a final end to the karma affecting the Rakshasa God.
This side was relatively much quieter.
Of course, that was if one ignored the scene of a certain pink-haired Ning Rongrong being surrounded by several Limit Douluo-level existences.
"Rongrong, what exactly is going on here?" Ning Fengzhi was truly a bit angry. If he could manage her and beat her, he would definitely lock up this Ning Rongrong who had sidelined him for confinement.
It wasn't just Ning Fengzhi—even Qian Daoliu, who had been transferred over together, was showing signs of anger.
Clearly, he had thought of something. Such a massive army movement, and an orderly retreat at that.
It was obvious that Ning Rongrong alone could not have done it, and she had concealed it from him.
In other words, the current development of the situation very likely involved his precious granddaughter Qian Renxue.
Good grief—not a single one of them was easy to deal with.
Plans, plans.
So it turned out that they, these few Limit Douluo, were the ones actually being planned against!
"Now that things have come to this, how much longer do you plan to keep hiding it from us?" Qian Daoliu looked at Ning Rongrong and let out a long sigh.
He couldn't control them! These juniors had all grown wings too stiff to bend anymore. He couldn't beat them, and he couldn't teach them.
"Rongrong, was this matter decided together by you and Little Xue?"
"The Star Luo Empire wasn't as simple as the plan we initially discussed."
"Sigh..." Ning Rongrong let out a soft sigh. "Yes, it's fine to tell you now."
"Anyway, it's already reached this point." Ning Fengzhi, Qian Daoliu, and the others exchanged glances.
Indeed, only they were the ones laboring and toiling as the grunts?
Before they could think further, Ning Rongrong's voice rang out again:
"The Star Luo Empire is covered by a massive array, similar to the one Tang San set up on the Sun Moon Continent."
"What!"
Ning Fengzhi and Qian Daoliu were stunned.
"You mean... sacrifice?"
Ning Fengzhi and Qian Daoliu exchanged a look. Ning Fengzhi directly spoke up: "Rongrong, do you know that the Star Luo Empire still has nearly half its territory and citizens? This kind of做法..."
Thinking back to the holographic projection he had seen of the Sun Moon Continent, Ning Fengzhi's entire body trembled.
Yes, as the sect master of the number-one sect on the continent, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School—though cunning, strategic, decisive from a thousand miles away, and fond of buying cat girls—none of that mattered.
But to use one of the two great empires of the entire continent as a chess piece? That was something he absolutely could not do.
At the very least, these were living people—not thousands or tens of thousands, but...
Ning Fengzhi didn't dare think further.
"Rongrong!"
"There are so many ordinary people involved!"
Sword Douluo spoke up.
"So what." Ning Rongrong's eyelids shifted slightly. "We don't have time anymore."
"Gu Yuena's situation is still unknown, and the gates of the Divine Realm could open at any moment."
"I don't want to be too passive when the time comes. I killed a great general under the Asura God, and even our Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School has unclear ties with the Star Dou Great Forest."
"The Divine Realm—I mean the Divine Realm Committee—those people might not let us off."
"Is... isn't there any other way?" Although Bone Douluo had always had a ruthless, cut-the-weeds-and-destroy-the-roots personality, Ning Rongrong's method of using an entire empire as a sacrifice truly made one's hair stand on end.
"The one who made the decision was Qian Renxue." Ning Rongrong glanced at Bone Douluo, then turned her gaze to Qian Daoliu, who had remained silent. "Qian Renxue wants to break through to God King. She knows very well what she has to do."
"During this time, having you lead the army to attack the Star Luo Empire was actually to see how many people you could save. Everyone in the territories you captured counts as saved."
"You've already saved nearly half of the Star Luo Empire's people, and moreover..."
"The so-called plan isn't something I'm carrying out—it's the Abyss's Wisdom Emperor."
"She is about to begin. That's why I used the teleportation array to bring everyone back."
"At most, Qian Renxue and I simply turned a blind eye to the development of this matter."
"Father, I know you, the two grandfathers, and even Senior Qian Daoliu would most likely not agree with this. But nothing in this world is perfect."
"You intend to open the Abyss passage?" Qian Daoliu's brows furrowed tightly.
"That's right. By using the Douluo plane to devour the Abyss plane, it will help Qian Renxue achieve God King status, and I can also borrow the power of heaven and earth to break through my current realm."
"Di Tian's side is already prepared, and Lan Fozi and Xue Di have also decided to participate."
"There is only one chance."
"The seven great virtues representing good, and the seven deadly sins representing evil, will all appear when humanity falls into despair."
"And..."
"Enough, Rongrong. Do you know what will happen if it fails?"
"Don't forget—you yourself told me that the Crimson Plane has a half-step God King existence, and you've even fought her before."
"If she enters the Douluo Continent, then..."
"Then she will become the consumable for Qian Renxue's breakthrough to the God King realm. God King is not a realm that can be reached so easily. Qian Renxue never told you, right? Under normal circumstances, she actually has no confidence in reaching God King."
"Moreover, it's not just her—Bibi Dong has also made her decision."
"What has that woman done?"
Qian Daoliu felt he could no longer keep up with these young people's thinking.
"She gave up breaking through to first-level god. Reaching second-level god, she plans to find a way to defeat Zhu Zhuqing, thereby reclaiming the first-level Rakshasa God divine position."
(End of chapter)