Inside the prayer room of Spirit Hall, silence reigned .
The Angel Goddess statue that once stood as the centrepiece had long been removed.
Instead a Symbol that seemed to represent the Angel Goddess is erectedIt was a towering cross-shaped monument, with an eye at the centre half-open and half-shut, as if caught eternally between sleep and awakening. Behind it, twelve wings spread like a halo of stone feathers, casting layered shadows across the chamber.
Under that gaze, 'Julia' knelt.
Her blonde eyelashes trembled faintly as she pressed her palms together. She seemed devout, but beneath that devotion lay something deeper an aura that made the room feel both sacred and watchful.
The moment Bibi Dong stepped into the prayer hall, she froze.
She intended to call out—to announce her presence—but the tranquil solemnity around 'Julia' made her pause.So she stood silently in the doorway, purple robes brushing the marble floor, observing the young woman bathed in the monument's dim, divine light.
'Why does she look… so familiar?'
Julia's posture, her aura, even the quiet confidence in her kneeling form—it all triggered emotions Bibi Dong could not name.
Finally, the prayer ended.
'Julia' rose gracefully, turned, and bowed."Your Holiness. You summoned me?"
Bibi Dong quickly collected her drifting thoughts and put on a poised smile.
"Julia, how was your latest patrol?"
'Julia's' lips quirked into a small, nonchalant smile—too casual for someone standing in front of the Pope."I was able to wash my sword with another evil soul master's blood."
Bibi Dong blinked.Violence delivered with such serene tone—.
But before she could comment, 'Julia' straightened and cut the conversation short.
"Your Holiness, since you called me by letter, I assume the matter is important."
"Actually…" Bibi Dong cleared her throat, her expression softening. "I want you to participate in the next Continental Elite Young Soul Master Competition. I wish for you to represent Spirit Hall."
The request hung in the air, but the atmosphere of the room seemed to thicken.
'Julia' raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced."You want me to participate in a show-off competition?"
Her tone was light, but her words cut like a blade.
"I recall your disciple should be participating in the next tournament. With her talent, she will easily reach Soul King by then. And with her brother and the other young talents of Spirit Hall Academy, I doubt the championship is beyond their reach."
Bibi Dong's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
'Julia' noticed—and pressed further, almost teasingly.
"Oh… don't tell me you want me to recreate a scene of invincibility, just like Jiang Mo did in the last competition?"
The name Jiang Mo struck like a needle.
Bibi Dong's fingers tightened around her scepter. Her nails tapped the crystal head softly, rhythmically—an unconscious sign of irritation. That child, Jiang Mo… talented, arrogant, and above all, openly tied to the Elder Hall. A reminder that even after everything she achieved, the Elder Hall was a force she had yet to fully suppress.
The Pope's purple eyes darkened a fraction.
Meanwhile, 'Julia's' eyes shimmered, just a faint flicker.
But Bibi Dong did not notice it.Her mind had wandered into deeper waters—Elder Hall politics, internal pressure, the precarious balance of power. She had been pushing the limits of her authority for years, yet the Elders still held leverage.
'Julia' watched her quietly.
'Julia' stood quietly, her purple eyes glimmering like half-hidden stars beneath the monument's gaze.
'Julia' said softly as she stepped closer, her boots echoing faintly in the silent prayer hall:
"Your Holiness Pope… do you want to know a secret?"
Bibi Dong stiffened. Her heartbeat unconsciously quickened.Still, she nodded.
'Julia' leaned in, her breath brushing against the Pope's ear, her voice a whisper woven of velvet and danger:
"It is said that when one recalls the most precious thing in their heart… and prays sincerely to the Angel Goddess… the Goddess will reveal a path forward."
She paused.
"But the real question is…"Her tone dipped into something darker, older."…can a person discover what is truly precious in their heart?"
A faint shiver ran down Bibi Dong's spine.
Then Julia slowly extended a finger, pointing at the massive cross-shaped monument—the symbol Renxue had installed in secret. The half-open, half-shut eye at its center seemed carved from something more ancient than stone.
In that moment—Bibi Dong felt it.
Her breath hitched.
Memories surged, unbidden and merciless:
The innocent admiration she once felt for her teacher...twisted into revulsion and hatred.
The sweet, fragile love she once had for Yu Xiaogang...shattered into betrayal.
And then—The gentlest memory of all.A newborn child with golden hair, reaching out toward her…
A daughter she never embraced, Never loved.
Pain sliced through Bibi Dong's chest.
Under 'Julia's' calm exterior, a strange warmth spread across her chest—Renxue's sentiment, bleeding through.
'Mother… still struggling?'
That tiny flicker of humanity vanished instantly from 'Julia's' expression, replaced by a perfectly neutral smile.
Meanwhile Bibi Dong's pupils trembled as the invisible chill wrapped around her spine. It was as if the monument had stripped away every mask, every layer of authority, and forced her to face the one thing she always avoided: Her heart..
Her composure cracked so abruptly that even she didn't realize she was retreating. She turned away, almost fleeing, her robes fluttering like a shadow trying to escape the light.
She left the prayer room in haste—something she never did after becoming the Pope of Spirit Hall.
'Julia' remained where she stood.
Her figure bathed in the pale light filtering from the stained windows, her lips curved into an unreadable smile. The purple glow in her eyes shimmered—gentle, chilling, divine, and inhuman all at once.
(AN: Bibi Dong had called for Julia , but someone else had returned to Spirit Hall wearing the same face of Julia)