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At the foot of Sea God Mountain.
Bibi Dong had just fully absorbed the energy of the deep sea crystal, and was feeling a qualitative leap in her body's resilience, preparing to begin absorbing the second god-bestowed spirit ring.
Suddenly, she felt something and looked up, only to see Xuan Ming returning, holding a… gigantic, ice-sealed Evil Spirit Orca King?!
Bibi Dong's purple eyes instantly widened.
How much time had passed? He had… captured a Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beast alive?! And in such a way that it had no power to resist?!
Xuan Ming gently placed the ice sculpture of the Evil Spirit Orca King on the ground and said to Bibi Dong, "Its spirit ring and Spirit Bone are yours. After you absorb the god-bestowed spirit ring and adjust your state to the best, then deal with it."
Bibi Dong looked at the ice sculpture of the Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beast in front of her, which exuded a fierce aura but was completely frozen. She then felt the enhanced resilience in her body from the deep sea crystal, and the two powerful god-bestowed spirit rings before her. Her mood was extremely complex.
"Am I… living off you?" Bibi Dong said in an odd tone.
Xuan Ming was slightly taken aback, "We don't need to say such things, do we?"
"We…" Bibi Dong's eyes held a complicated look.
She really didn't know how to describe their relationship. She couldn't let go, but she also couldn't cross that line.
Xuan Ming looked at the complex and unclear struggle in Bibi Dong's eyes, watching her hesitant expression. The dam of "reason" and "avoidance" that he had built up in his heart for a long time collapsed at this moment.
He understood everything.
He understood Bibi Dong's unwillingness and reluctance, yet her inability to approach him frankly due to past events, a contradiction.
He also understood that he had always used "giving choices" and "not wanting to bind" as excuses, but in reality, he was avoiding facing this heavy and complex emotion, avoiding taking responsibility for the possible consequences.
He always felt that he wasn't strong enough, couldn't give a definite future, and couldn't handle this complicated relationship.
But now, he didn't want to run anymore.
Whether it was rogue or shameless, he accepted it!
Under Bibi Dong's astonished gaze, Xuan Ming stepped forward, without the slightest hesitation, reached out and cupped her cheeks, lowered his head, and kissed her deeply.
Xuan Ming's kiss came suddenly, yet it carried an undeniable firmness.
Bibi Dong was completely stunned, her mind a blank. She could clearly feel the warm touch on her lips, and Xuan Ming's familiar and reassuring aura.
This was different from any previous time.
The first time in the secret chamber, Xuan Ming's consciousness was muddled. The subsequent times were more her own persistent demands driven by obsession. But at this moment, Xuan Ming's eyes were clear, his actions proactive, without the slightest hesitation.
He no longer responded to her closeness with silence and forbearance as he had in the past, nor did he push away the decision-making power by seemingly offering choices.
It was no longer avoidance, no longer ambiguity, but a clear declaration of his choice, his… greed.
An indescribable mix of bitterness and palpitations surged into her heart, Bibi Dong's body trembled slightly, and her eyes uncontrollably welled up with a hint of moisture. She subconsciously wanted to push him away, but her arms were weak and powerless. Finally, her raised hand slowly dropped, turning into a gentle grip on his lapel.
The kiss lasted for a long time, until both of them were a little out of breath. Only then did Xuan Ming slowly pull back a little, his forehead resting against hers, his ice-blue eyes as deep as the sea, clearly reflecting Bibi Dong's somewhat hazy purple eyes.
"I was wrong before." His voice was low and steady, "I thought that not responding, not committing, was giving you the freedom to choose. But now I understand, that was just me running away."
He raised his hand and gently stroked Bibi Dong's cheek, his movements imbued with unprecedented tenderness and certainty.
"I am greedy, I can't bear to let go, whether it's you, or Nana, or anyone else I care about." His words were so direct they were almost shameless, yet his eyes were open and serious, "I don't want to pretend to be magnanimous anymore, nor do I want to make you suffer because of my avoidance."
"If you feel disgusted, if you can't accept it, you can push me away now. But if you also… still have a little bit of reluctance…"
He didn't say anything more, just looked at her deeply, waiting for her response.
Bibi Dong's heart pounded violently, as if it would burst from her chest. She looked at the face so close to her, at the eyes that no longer avoided, clearly reflecting her own image. Past grievances, schemes, unwillingness, struggles… surged into her heart like a tide, yet strangely began to calm down as they touched his undisguised frankness at this moment.
She suddenly realized that she seemed to… have always been waiting for such an unreasonable "I just want it," rather than those "rational" and "choices" that seemed to be for her own good but actually pushed her away.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them again, her purple eyes were filled with a complex yet clear sense of relief.
"Xuan Ming…" she whispered, her voice carrying a barely perceptible tremor, "You truly are a… scoundrel."
After saying that, instead of pushing him away, she actively tilted her head back and kissed him again, with a force that was almost retaliatory, yet full of release.
This time, it was no longer a one-sided taking or forcing, but a kiss of response, entanglement, as if all the suppressed emotions and struggles of the past were melting into it.
The barrier between Xuan Ming and Bibi Dong seemed to completely dissolve with that kiss.
Bibi Dong said no more, closing her eyes again, her state of mind completely different from before, clear and serene. She began to guide the power of the Sea God's god-bestowed spirit ring, a golden halo enveloping her, and the absorption process was unusually smooth.
Not far away, Gu Yuena's figure quietly hid behind a tree, her silver-purple eyes calmly observing everything that had just transpired.
She saw the kiss, and saw Xuan Ming's determination to finally stop running away.
For her, Xuan Ming making a clear choice was far more important than getting bogged down in formalities. Ambiguity, being neither close nor distant, was the deepest harm to everyone.
Since they couldn't let go, then they should hold on tight, and bear the consequences together.
This was a matter of mutual consent, no one needed to bear all the responsibility, and no one needed to feel indebted.
She didn't show herself to disturb them, just watched quietly for a while, then quietly left.
She understood his choice and accepted the outcome. The rest was up to time… Time quietly flowed, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.
During this month, energy fluctuations were constant at the foot of Sea God Mountain.
Bibi Dong first spent a full seven days, fully impacting the seventh spirit ring of the Soul Eating Spider Emperor. With the increased resilience brought by the deep sea crystal and the god-bestowed spirit ring lent by Xuan Ming, she finally set the seventh spirit ring of the Soul Eating Spider Emperor at a terrifying 400,000-year lifespan, and her Martial Soul True Body gained an ultimate amplification.
Subsequently, she only took a few days to absorb the Ten Thousand Year spirit ring and Spirit Bone of the Evil Spirit Orca King, and her strength soared again.
Finally, she spent nearly half a month, fully impacting the ninth spirit ring of the Soul Eating Spider Emperor. Relying on her extremely solid foundation and powerful mental force, she forcibly pushed the lifespan of this second god-bestowed spirit ring to an astonishing 700,000 years!
By this point, all of Bibi Dong's twin spirits' spirit rings were collected, her Spirit Bone set was complete, and her mutated Slaughter God Domain gained even more power. Her state had been adjusted to an unprecedented peak.
The time to depart for Slaughter City had matured.
Before departing, Xuan Ming thought of something.
Tang Chen.
That man, once the invincible Clear Sky Douluo of the land, now fallen to become the Slaughter King. Their purpose in going there was to seize the Asura God Power within him, and as a result, Tang Chen would undoubtedly die.
And Bo Saixi… that High Priest of Sea God Island who had waited for Tang Chen for decades on Sea God Island.
Ever since he arrived at Sea God Island, Bo Saixi had taken care of him in every way, many aspects even exceeding her duties as High Priest. Although he didn't quite understand why Bo Saixi was like this, he remembered this kindness.
Now, he was going to kill the man she had waited for half her life… In terms of reason and emotion, it seemed he should tell her the truth.
Even if she would hate him for it and seek revenge, that was her right.
Thinking of this, Xuan Ming went alone, once again ascended Sea God Mountain, and walked towards the magnificent Sea God Temple.