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Inside the magnificent, golden-lit Supreme Pontiff's Palace, a stark contrast to its sacred splendor was the cold, grim expression on Bibi Dong's face.
Her pretty face was like frost as she glared down at the two incompetent fools kneeling before her.
Below the throne, Yue Guan, Gui Mei, She Long, and Ci Xue knelt in terror.
The biting killing intent in the air made the four of them tremble, their backs soaked with cold sweat.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei, in particular, were shaking uncontrollably. Beads of sweat dripped from their foreheads as they kept their heads bowed and eyes shut, not daring to meet Bibi Dong's furious gaze.
To them, the current Bibi Dong was a remorseless demon who could snatch their lives away at any moment.
Bibi Dong spoke softly, "Failed again? Hmm?"
At the sound of that "Hmm," Yue Guan and Gui Mei kowtowed desperately, pleading, "We were incompetent, Your Holiness! Please forgive us, Your Holiness!"
"Hmph. To prevent this very failure, I specifically sent Elder She Long and Elder Ci Xue to assist you, yet you returned in utter defeat."
"Explain yourselves, Elders! What excuse do you have this time? You had better make it a good one. Perhaps I'll be merciful and make your punishment less painful."
As she finished speaking, a terrifying Spirit Pressure erupted, enveloping the four men. The icy, malevolent Spirit Power made them feel as if they had been plunged into a frozen cavern, the cold chilling them to the bone.
Finally, Gui Mei spoke, his voice trembling. "Your Holiness, we brought Elder She Long and Elder Ci Xue along, so the mission should have been foolproof."
"However, we never anticipated that old scoundrel Dai Tianxing would summon the Fifth and Sixth Elders of the Clear Sky Clan. The power of the Clear Sky Hammer was too immense; our two Elders were no match for them. That is why we failed."
Hearing this, Bibi Dong's brow furrowed, and she sneered, "Hmph! How wonderful! First Dugu Bo, and now the Clear Sky Clan. Why must everyone oppose my Spirit Hall? Sooner or later, I will eradicate them all and unite the Douluo Continent!"
Yue Guan and Gui Mei were stunned, shocked by the sheer scale of Bibi Dong's ambition.
"Those old bastards from the Clear Sky Clan are indeed troublesome. However, with the strength of Elders She Long and Ci Xue, even if they couldn't win, they should have been able to hold them off for some time."
"And what of the one thousand Spirit Masters I gave you? The weakest among them was a Spirit King. Were they not even able to capture Dai Weisi?"
Gui Mei explained, "Your Holiness, you may recall a year ago I reported that the Star Luo Empire had developed a new type of weapon, one capable of killing a Spirit Emperor, perhaps even a Spirit Saint."
"Yes, I have a vague recollection. What of it?" Bibi Dong nodded. Gui Mei had indeed told her, but she hadn't paid it much mind. A Spirit Emperor, while formidable, was nothing compared to a Titled Douluo, so she had dismissed the matter. Furthermore, soon after their return, news arrived of the alliance between the Star Luo Empire and the Clear Sky Clan. In her eyes, the Clear Sky Clan was a far greater threat, so she had focused all her attention on them, ignoring the new weapon.
"This time, the Star Luo Empire deployed an even newer weapon, one with enough power to heavily wound a defense-type Spirit Douluo in a single shot!"
"What?!" Bibi Dong shot up from her throne, her face grim.
A Spirit Douluo was a high-tier combatant, even within Spirit Hall. She could dismiss threats to Spirit Emperors, but a weapon that could critically injure a Spirit Douluo was something she could not ignore.
"Your Holiness, not only can that weapon cripple a defense-type Spirit Douluo in one blast, but with a sufficient number of shells, it could even pose a threat to a Titled Douluo. Ghost Douluo and I gave it our all and barely managed to withstand a hundred rounds. As for those thousand Spirit Masters... they were obliterated by the shelling."
"Such a powerful weapon... Could it be an ancient Spirit Tool?"
"I do not believe so, Your Holiness," Gui Mei replied. "The weapon emits no Spirit Power fluctuations. Moreover, even an ordinary person can operate it!"
"An ordinary person can operate it..." Bibi Dong sank back into her throne, seemingly aging decades in an instant.
"Damn it! For the past year, we focused entirely on the Clear Sky Clan and ignored the Star Luo Empire. A grave miscalculation. Now that they have mastered and begun to mass-produce this new weapon, we..."
Bibi Dong sighed. She didn't know what to do. A full-scale assault on the Star Luo Empire would result in catastrophic losses for Spirit Hall, leaving them vulnerable to an attack from the Heaven Dou Empire. The risk was too great.
"The most urgent task now is to focus on my own cultivation. Once I inherit the throne of the Rakshasa God, it won't matter if the Star Luo Empire creates a weapon that can kill a Titled Douluo in one shot. It would be utterly useless!"
Having made her decision, Bibi Dong waved her hand in frustration. "Send spies to monitor the Star Luo Empire's every move. As for you four, I'll give you five seconds to disappear from my sight. Otherwise, you will regret it."
"Thank you, Your Holiness!"
Yue Guan and Gui Mei choked out their thanks before scrambling out of the Supreme Pontiff's Palace. Once outside, they gasped for air, still trembling with fear despite the warm sunlight on their skin.
Subsequently, agents were dispatched to closely monitor the Star Luo Empire and the movements of Dai Weisi and his companions.
...
Two days passed in a blur. Dai Weisi and his entourage arrived at the outskirts of Spirit City.
"This is Spirit City. Only Spirit Masters are permitted entry," Dai Weisi instructed his men. "You will make camp here. In my absence, follow Uncle Li's orders." He then turned to Li Hu.
"Uncle Li, these thousand men are under your command. If I am in danger, I will fire a signal flare. The moment you see it, you are to order the White Tiger Legion to bombard Spirit City!"
Li Hu bowed deeply, clasping his hands. "Your Highness, rest assured! If you are in any danger, I will risk my life to save you!"
"Good. I trust your judgment."
With that, Dai Weisi, led by Dai Tianxing and his wife, walked into Spirit City.
"Hee hee, Your Highness the Crown Prince, it's been a long time!"
He had barely taken a step inside the city when he heard a charming voice. Turning, he saw it was Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling. Behind them stood a white-haired elder, smiling and nodding at him. It was none other than Dugu Bo.
"Miss Dugu, Senior Dugu! It has indeed been a long time," Dai Weisi said with a smile. With Dugu Bo present, his safety was all the more secure.
Dugu Yan smiled. "I should be the one thanking you, Your Highness. Without your help, my grandfather and I would never have been able to turn the toxins in our bodies to our advantage."
"I was merely doing a good deed. Being able to help you, Miss Dugu, is all the reward I need."
Dai Weisi replied, while covertly assessing Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling. Compared to their original counterparts, both had grown significantly stronger. Dugu Yan's Spirit Power had reached level 47, making her much stronger than Yu Tianheng. Ye Lingling's Spirit Power had reached the impressive rank of 43, also a considerable improvement.
(End of Chapter)