I have added this story to my Patreon. You can support me and read the latest and advanced chapters there. It also fed and motivate me to write more chapters!
Link: Patreon.com/AVRKingsTL
—------------------—
Yue Guan gently tapped on the carriage door, and after receiving permission, slowly pushed it open, gesturing for the four to enter.
Supreme Pontiff Bibi Dong sat in the center of the carriage, wearing a simple purple-gold robe, with Hu Liena seated beside her.
Once Xuan Ming and the other two entered the carriage, Bibi Dong slightly raised her hand, signaling for everyone to sit down.
"Xuan Ming, this journey to Spirit City is long, and I'm concerned about unforeseen events. Although your strength is extraordinary, it's easy to dodge an open spear but hard to guard against a hidden arrow. I wish to keep you by my side to ensure absolute safety." Bibi Dong's voice was gentle but brooked no argument.
The shadow from before had remained silent, surely waiting for this stretch of road. She didn't believe the other party would dare to act in Spirit City; if they did, even if they truly killed Xuan Ming, the Seven Great Families would be declaring war on Spirit Hall.
Even the Clear Sky Sect wouldn't dare to do such a thing, let alone the Seven Great Families.
Xuan Ming didn't answer but looked at Xue Qinghe.
If he didn't agree, Bibi Dong would be angry, and Hu Liena would also be angry.
If he agreed immediately, Qian Renxue would get angry.
Xue Qinghe felt his gaze, and his previously troubled mood eased slightly. "Thank you, Supreme Pontiff, for your concern. However, the Royal Fighting Team is accompanied by School Master Ning of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and Sword Douluo, so safety should not be an issue. Please rest assured, Your Holiness, we will arrive safely in Spirit City."
Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow at his words. "What if I insist on keeping him here?"
Xue Qinghe was startled. "Supreme Pontiff, you must be joking, this…"
"Joking? Now that he's here, whether he stays or not is probably not up to him." Bibi Dong's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority.
Xue Qinghe's expression hardened. He hadn't expected her to be so forceful and was momentarily speechless.
"Yue Guan, go inform School Master Ning and the Royal Fighting Team that Xuan Ming will be personally guarded by me from now on. I will be responsible for his safety, so they need not worry." Bibi Dong ordered.
"Yes." Yue Guan acknowledged the command and turned to walk towards the back of the convoy.
"Does Crown Prince still have something to say?" Bibi Dong looked up and asked.
Xue Qinghe frowned slightly. "Since Supreme Pontiff values Xuan Ming's safety so highly, I naturally support it. However, Xuan Ming is a man after all, and staying here alone might invite criticism. Perhaps I should stay as well?"
Bibi Dong's lips curved slightly. "Unfortunately, Crown Prince, there's no room here."
Xue Qinghe glanced around the spacious carriage. "Is that so? I find it quite spacious. Or is it that Supreme Pontiff has some inconvenience?"
"As expected of the Crown Prince, you guessed correctly." Bibi Dong said calmly.
Xue Qinghe's expression froze. "Supreme Pontiff, you must be joking."
"I am not joking."
Xue Qinghe was silent for a moment, then turned his gaze to Xuan Ming. "Xuan Ming, do you think I should stay?"
Xuan Ming pondered, "What the Crown Prince said makes sense. It is indeed not entirely appropriate for me to be here alone."
If Qian Renxue stayed, Bibi Dong and Hu Liena would at least show some restraint; if she left, the situation might truly get out of control.
"Supreme Pontiff, did you hear that?" Xue Qinghe looked at Bibi Dong with a hint of triumph.
Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes. "So what if I heard? This is the Supreme Pontiff's carriage. Whoever I want to stay, stays. Whoever I don't allow to stay, who would dare to linger for another moment?"
Xue Qinghe's expression changed slightly. "Supreme Pontiff, acting this way might be undignified, don't you think?"
"And so?" Bibi Dong retorted. "Crown Prince, will you step down yourself, or shall I ask you to step down?"
Xue Qinghe's eyes narrowed. "Supreme Pontiff, you…"
Before he could finish, Xuan Ming gently pressed her hand and shook his head slightly.
In the past, Bibi Dong might have shown some consideration for Xue Qinghe's identity, but now, even if she directly exposed Qian Renxue's undercover identity, Bibi Dong wouldn't care!
Xue Qinghe took a deep breath. "In that case, I will take my leave."
With that, Xue Qinghe stood up, exited the carriage, and, escorted by two red-robed archbishops and Sacred Imperial Warriors, headed towards the rear of the convoy.
"Do you have to be like this?" Xuan Ming asked somewhat helplessly.
"I was about to ask you, what are you doing?" Bibi Dong asked.
"Don't forget what's going to happen next."
"You should have found an opportunity to break up with her back in Tiandou City!"
"But even now you haven't distanced yourself from her. What are you thinking?"
Gold Crocodile Douluo absolutely had to be crippled; this was a crucial step for her to reclaim the Supreme Pontiff's authority!
And once Xuan Ming crippled Gold Crocodile, Qian Renxue would be the one caught in the middle.
"Being so entangled will only make her hatred for you painful. Don't you know that?" Bibi Dong said.
Xuan Ming sighed, "I know."
"Then what are you thinking?" Bibi Dong asked, puzzled.
"Are you perhaps trying to deliberately torment her?"
"I've tried, several times." Xuan Ming looked at Gu Yuena.
"Even she helped me scold her, but it was useless."
From the start of the qualifiers, he had been looking for opportunities to distance himself from Qian Renxue, but no matter what he said or did, Qian Renxue would act as if nothing had happened and approach him the next day.
It was completely a persistent, clingy attitude!
"The more I tried to distance myself from her, the closer she got, as if she had a rebellious streak." Xuan Ming said helplessly.
"I've used every method I could. I've made her cry several times, but the problem is it's completely useless."
Gu Yuena nodded. "Really, completely useless."
Bibi Dong frowned deeply. "That troublesome? Then it seems there's only one way."
"What way?" Xuan Ming asked.
"At that time, you expose her along with her identity as Xue Qinghe." Bibi Dong said.
Xuan Ming was stunned. "Are you serious?"
"This is something she's worked on for over a decade, and it's the thing she cares about most. If you destroy years of her efforts, then regarding the Gold Crocodile matter, she'll at least have a righteous reason to hate you." Bibi Dong said.
Xuan Ming hesitated. "Won't that be too much?"
"Long pain is worse than short pain." Bibi Dong said.
"Being entangled will only make her more miserable. You choose."
Xuan Ming was silent for a moment. "Alright."
"However, if she's exposed, won't your Spirit Hunting Plan have to be launched early?"
The plan to exterminate the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was decided by Bibi Dong when she first took office.
If Xue Qinghe could successfully ascend the throne and bring the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School under her control, then only the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would need to be eliminated as a deterrent.
If her undercover mission failed, then both sects had to be eradicated.
Once the Upper Three Sects disappeared, Spirit Hall would become the sole ruler of the Spirit Master's world.
At that time, Bibi Dong would use Spirit Hall's prestige to re-select the Seven Great Sects, stabilize the Spirit Master's world, and simultaneously annex the border kingdoms of the Two Great Empires that had been secretly expanding for years, establish the Spirit Empire, and declare war on the Two Great Empires.
The usurpation plan was the best strategy—with the Tiandou Empire initiating the war, it would hold the moral high ground, whereas Spirit Hall directly acting would be legally considered rebellion.
But if the best strategy failed, Spirit Hall would never abandon the alternative.
"You want me to spare the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School?" Bibi Dong said.
"Is that possible?" Xuan Ming asked.
"That depends on you." Bibi Dong said.
"If you can persuade the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School to submit to Spirit Hall, then I naturally won't need to act against them. But if this plan fails, Spirit Hall must strike first, otherwise, keeping them would mean giving the Tiandou Imperial Family allies."
The history of Spirit Masters on the Douluo Continent is not long, or rather, there is a historical discontinuity.
Before the establishment of the Tiandou Empire a thousand years ago, the continent was composed of numerous small states, with sparse historical records.
The Xingluo Empire only gradually rose from the southern regions eight hundred years ago.
The confrontation between the Two Great Empires has actually existed for less than five hundred years.
It was only in the last two hundred years that the Tiandou imperial power gradually decentralized, while the Xingluo Empire grew stronger due to its unique competitive system.
But a powerful and unified Empire would never tolerate an organization like Spirit Hall.
No matter which side won, once the continent was unified, Spirit Hall would inevitably perish.
In recent centuries, Spirit Masters have increasingly participated in wars, even becoming crucial to determining victory or defeat.
To prevent Xingluo from growing too quickly and annexing Tiandou, Spirit Hall began secretly balancing the Spirit Master forces of the Two Great Empires two hundred years ago.
The Seven Great Sects of the Spirit Master's world are all located within Tiandou territory, which is a result of Spirit Hall's intervention.
Among them, the Six-Winged Angel Family contributed the most. Two hundred years ago, the previous Elder of Spirit Hall's Elder Palace, Qian Daoliu's father, almost slaughtered all the Titled Douluo within Xingluo territory, severely weakening Xingluo's Spirit Master forces.
Decades ago, Qian Daoliu, as the Elder, carried out another purge of the Spirit Master's world.
Besides suppressing Xingluo, Spirit Hall had also consistently aided Tiandou at the Spirit Master level to maintain the balance between the Two Great Empires.
However, the Six-Winged Angel Family only wanted to maintain the status quo—relying on their powerful Spirit inheritance, as long as they carried out a purge of the Spirit Master's world every few decades or centuries, Spirit Hall's transcendent status would be eternally secured.
And as the core Six-Winged Angel Family, they would naturally always remain supreme.
They never looked down on the mundane World; otherwise, they could have rallied Spirit Masters to unify the continent thousands of years ago, instead of waiting for the birth of the Two Great Empires before stepping forward as the masters of Spirit Masters to establish Spirit Hall.
Even the current growth of Spirit Hall was entirely driven by her efforts.
Qian Daoliu didn't care about these things at all, but the Elders of the Elder Palace were quite invested—after all, the Spirit Master's world only recognized strength. The Six-Winged Angel Family had a stable and powerful inheritance, but they did not.
Although they themselves were powerful, their next generation might not be so.
And the plan she proposed would allow them to also gain a hereditary status and benefits similar to the nobles of the Two Great Empires.
She was able to firmly hold the position of Supreme Pontiff and control the power of Spirit Hall precisely because she deeply understood human nature; not everyone was born to reside in the clouds, unstained by dust, like the Six-Winged Angel Family.
More people desired tangible status and accessible wealth and glory.
The Spirit Hunting Plan was proposed by her at the beginning of her reign and approved by the Elder Palace.
Spirit Hall had been preparing for this for years. Once Qian Renxue's identity was exposed, the extermination campaign against the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had to be launched immediately!
Strike first!
Otherwise, once all parties realized Spirit Hall's intentions and prepared themselves, things would become difficult.