The Three Pope's Decrees:
Execution of the traitor, Salas!Tang Sect replaces the White Tiger Clan as one of the new Lower Four Sects!Yu Xiaogang, Honorary Elder of Spirit Hall and Honorary Elder of Tang Sect, is appointed as the new Platinum Bishop of Spirit Hall's Tian Dou City Branch!
The first two decrees were expected—there were no issues with them.
But the third one?
That was a massive problem!
It was the fourth highest rank in Spirit Hall, below only the Pope, the Grand Worshippers, and the Elders—standing at the pinnacle of the Douluo Continent's power structure!
Yu Xiaogang's previous title of Honorary Elder was just a formality, granted as a courtesy to the Upper Three Sects.
In reality, it was an empty title—
Spirit Hall would politely acknowledge him, but would never truly value him.
But this?
Being made a Platinum Bishop was completely different!
As Spirit Hall soul masters respectfully invited Yu Xiaogang to assume his new post,
Zhao Wuji and Wang Dali finally realized something was off!
Wang Dali ruffled his short hair, recalling last night's events.
Yu Xiaogang had seemed to be helping Tang Sect, acting with Tang Sect's interests at heart.
But now that he thought about it…
Didn't Yu Xiaogang sound a lot like Spirit Hall's mouthpiece?!
"Xiaogang! What's going on?!"
Liu Erlong frowned.
"You… you're still involved with Bibi Dong?"
Wang Dali & Zhao Wuji:
|ω`)
Oh?
Is there some drama here?
Yu Xiaogang's stiff expression twitched slightly.
Then, he gazed deeply into Liu Erlong's eyes.
"Erlong, I swear… My heart belongs only to you."
One sentence—
And the fierce and straightforward Liu Erlong turned bright red, steam practically rising from her head!
Her love-struck mind overloaded, and she forgot to press him any further.
Effortlessly pacified!
Yu Xiaogang took his official letter of appointment, waving off the Spirit Hall soul masters.
Then, he turned to Zhao Wuji.
"I don't know what Bibi Dong's true intentions are," he said.
"But if I become Tian Dou City's Platinum Bishop, then what happened last night will never happen again."
"For the sake of Tang Sect, I am willing to bear this burden."
…Really now?
Zhao Wuji couldn't help but scoff internally.
If not for the fact that Yu Xiaogang was gripping that appointment letter so tightly—he might've actually believed him!
But after everything that had happened last night, Zhao Wuji had matured significantly.
He stopped Wang Dali, who was about to speak, and instead grinned broadly.
"Well then, in the future, we'll be counting on Platinum Bishop Yu to look after us in Tian Dou City!"
"Of course," Yu Xiaogang said with composure. "As an Honorary Elder of Tang Sect, I will continue to support you all whenever I can."
After exchanging pleasantries, Zhao Wuji personally sent off Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong.
The moment they left—
His face turned dark.
He spat on the ground, baring his teeth in disgust.
"I see it now. There's no way last night's events didn't involve Yu Xiaogang!"
"Then why were you being so polite?!"
Wang Dali grumbled.
"If it were me, I'd have just punched him straight to the ground!"
Zhao Wuji shook his head.
"Would you rather Spirit Hall appoint someone we don't know as the Platinum Bishop?"
"With Yu Xiaogang in the role, at least we understand what we're dealing with."
"For now, he won't make a move against Tang Sect."
"My job is to hold on until the Sect Master returns—if that means enduring some nausea, so be it."
"And hey, I have to admit, he and his 'teacher' really are alike—sly and full of tricks."
Wang Dali smirked, giving Zhao Wuji a thumbs up.
"Old Zhao, you're ruthless!"
Zhao Wuji grinned.
"I don't have a choice."
"But Yu Xiaogang won't have it easy either!"
"Come on, let's find Old Bai."
"Tell him to dig deep—let's uncover just how 'deep' Yu Xiaogang and Bibi Dong's history really is."
Wang Dali's eyes lit up with excitement!
Even Titled Douluo had a love for gossip!
The Next Day
The three Pope's Decrees were undoubtedly the top headlines of Tang Li Gazette.
But!
A tiny gossip column in the corner of the page—
Completely stole the public's attention!
"According to an anonymous source, Pope Bibi Dong once had a romantic relationship with Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang when she was still the Holy Maiden!"
"Moreover, Yu Xiaogang's famous book, 'The Ten Core Theories of Martial Souls,' was actually completed using research from Spirit Hall's archives!"
Pope Bibi Dong and Platinum Bishop Yu Xiaogang were once lovers.Yu Xiaogang's 'masterpiece' was based on Spirit Hall's research.
The public couldn't help but connect the dots.
Was there…
A secret deal at play?!
"Wait, so Yu Xiaogang was working at Tang Sect, then suddenly got promoted to Platinum Bishop?"
"And now we find out he and Bibi Dong had history?!"
"No way there isn't a deeper story behind this!"
And then—
Another shocking revelation spread like wildfire:
"When Spirit Hall besieged Tang Sect, Vice Sect Master Zhao Wuji originally intended to publicly release the Soul Spirit Equality Contract!"
"But the moment he made the announcement, Spirit Hall suddenly retreated."
"So… was Salas really 'acting on his own'?"
Conspiracy Theories Explode!
The rumors spread like wildfire—
And the public began to suspect that Salas was just a scapegoat!
Was Spirit Hall trying to cover something up?!
People love conspiracy theories.
And in no time—
Rumors spread like wildfire across the streets and alleys:
"Spirit Hall covets the Soul Spirit Equality Contract and tried to eliminate Tang Sect to seize it for themselves!"
Then—
Tang Li Gazette dropped a bombshell—
[Tragic! Tang Sect's Vice Sect Master Zhao Wuji Speaks Out: If Spirit Hall Wants It, Tang Sect Is Willing to Publicly Release the Soul Spirit Equality Contract!]
This was like igniting a fuse.
Public opinion exploded!
Countless civilian soul masters, who had benefited from Tang Sect's teachings and encyclopedias, were outraged on behalf of Tang Sect.
As the uproar grew, even Spirit Hall's own members started whispering about it.
Even Bibi Dongcouldn't ignore it.
For the first time, she felt the suffocating pressure of public opinion.
At this moment—
Tang Sect's Min Hall representatives arrived at Spirit Hall, requesting an exclusive interview with Bibi Dong
—to "clarify" the "misunderstanding" between Spirit Hall and Tang Sect.
Could Bibi Dong refuse?
If she didn't want to lose the people's trust, she had no choice.
[The Pope's Promise: Spirit Hall Will Never Covet the Talented! Only in Tang Sect's Hands Can the Soul Spirit Equality Contract Benefit the Continent!]
That night—
A powerful burst of soul power erupted from Spirit City, lingering in the air for a long time.
By their tenth month on Seagod Island,
Everyone—except for Xiao Wu and Tang Lan— had reached the peak of their current ranks.
Each of them held a God-bestowed Soul Ring, but none had absorbed it yet.
Among them—
Jing Ling, Dai Mubai, and Oscar—all soul spirit users—
chose to use their soul spirits' abilities as their next soul ring.
For Jing Ling and Dai Mubai, it was simple—
They had True Life-Bound Soul Spirits.
But for Oscar—
It was a slight regret—
His Mirage Beast had not become a Life-Bound Soul Spirit.
But Mirage Beasts were extremely rare.
Even after mobilizing the entire Extreme North, they had only managed to find a single 45,000-year-old specimen.
The odds of finding a stronger one were nearly impossible.
So, Oscar still chose to use the Mirage Beast's ability, "Mirage Clone," as his fifth soul ring.
Effect: Creates a mirage clone of the consumer.
The clone retains 75% of the consumer's power for 3 minutes.If Oscar uses it on himself, the clone's power increases to 85%.
Duration remains unchanged.
An Overpowered Ability?!
(End of Chapter)