Bibi Dong's voice, calm and even, cut through the tense silence of the forest. The three soul beast kings, their immense bodies rigid with anticipation, waited for her condition.
Xiao Wu's eyes were wide with a mix of fury and fear, while Da Ming and Er Ming held their breaths, bracing themselves for an impossible demand.
"My condition," Bibi Dong began, her maroon eyes locking onto Da Ming's, "is simple. I want your help to kill someone."
Da Ming, a being who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years, had expected a request for a treasure, an ancient herb, or a priceless relic. But to ask them to kill a human? It was an unexpected, but not unwelcome, surprise. He straightened, his gaze filled with a new, cautious curiosity.
"We can consider it," Da Ming rumbled, his voice a low, gravelly sound. "If the person is within the power level of a Titled Douluo, we can act. But if it's a Limit Douluo, we cannot provoke them." He was the most intelligent of the three, and he had always kept a close eye on the structure of the human world.
He knew of Qian Daoliu, the elder of Spirit Hall, a being whose power was second only to a god. He knew that to provoke him would be to invite annihilation. "Who is the person you want us to kill?" he asked, his tone filled with a mix of suspicion and intrigue.
Bibi Dong's lips curled into a cold, chilling smile. She then uttered the name that had haunted her for years, the name that had driven her to this very moment. Her voice was no longer calm; it was a torrent of ice and fire, a raw, unyielding expression of her hatred and her pain.
"I want you to help me kill the current Pope of Spirit Hall," she said, each word a venomous curse. "Qian Xunji."
The air in the clearing grew still, the silence now a living thing. The three soul beasts, despite their immense power and their vast experience, visibly trembled. They were not trembling from fear of her words, but from the sheer, unadulterated killing intent that poured from Bibi Dong.
It was a cold, pure hatred, a malevolent force that seemed to warp the very air around her. It was the deepest form of human hatred, a rage that made their own fury feel like a child's tantrum.
They looked at each other, their faces filled with a shared sense of surprise and confusion. Ah Rou, whose throat was still in Bibi Dong's gentle but firm grip, felt the pressure of the hand on her throat lighten, allowing her to speak.
"Why?" she exclaimed, her voice filled with a genuine shock. "Why would the Saintess of Spirit Hall want to kill the Pope? He is your leader, your guardian! Why would you betray your own kind?"
Xiao Wu, seeing her mother's better state, heaved a sigh of relief. She then looked at Bibi Dong with a new sense of curiosity, her rage temporarily forgotten. "Yes, why would you do that?" she asked, her voice soft and full of genuine wonder.
Bibi Dong heard their questions and their confusion, and a quiet sense of satisfaction filled her. They were starting to see her not as a simple hunter, but as a complex being with her own motives.
She then released her grip on Ah Rou, her hand dropping to her side, her face once again a mask of calm composure. Ah Rou, now free, gasped for a fresh breath of air, her body trembling with a mixture of relief and disbelief.
"My reasons are my own," Bibi Dong said, her voice loud and clear, a command that silenced all further questions. "You do not need to understand them. You only need to know that I will not fail. And I will need your help to do it."
Xiao Wu, seeing her mother released, let out a cry of joy. She ran to her mother and wrapped her arms around her, a deep sense of love and relief flooding her.
She then looked back at Bibi Dong, her eyes filled with a fresh wave of rage. She charged forward, her fists clenched and her body radiating a powerful soul power.
"Fight me!" she screamed. "You hurt my mother! We will see who is stronger!"
Da Ming's voice, a low rumble of command, cut her off. "Stop, Xiao Wu! We have a deal!"
Xiao Wu faltered, her body trembling with the desire to attack, but the wisdom of Da Ming's words and the oath he had made held her back. She turned to him, her eyes filled with a deep sense of disappointment.
Da Ming, however, was not looking at her. His eyes were fixed on Bibi Dong, a silent acknowledgment of the human's immense cunning. How bold this human girl is, he thought, a sense of reluctant admiration filling his heart.
She is ruthless, yes, but she is a woman of her word. She keeps her promises, and so I must keep mine. He knew that having a favor from a woman like her, a woman whose ambition knew no bounds, would be a great asset in the future.
"I will wait for your call," Da Ming said, his voice now a more composed tone. "Do not do anything foolish. My oath is not for a fool."
Bibi Dong smiled, a true, warm smile that reached her maroon eyes. It was a smile of victory and satisfaction. "Since I have released her, you can trust my words. But I have another request as well."
She then looked at them with a look of serious sincerity. "I need a 100,000-year-old soul ring. With it, I can become a powerful and influential human in the world, and I can fulfill my revenge. Can you help me find it?"
Da Ming frowned. This human's demands were unending. "What will I get in return if I help you with this? What will our kind get?" he asked, his tone skeptical.
Bibi Dong's voice lowered, becoming a soft, persuasive whisper that carried a promise of a better future. "When I become the Pope, I will restrict the humans from entering your area. I will make a rigid rule, a law of the land, that will minimize the killings of soul beasts from humans and will not do it indiscriminately."
The four soul beasts near her, their species that had been hunted for millennia, all visibly trembled. It was a promise they had only ever dreamed of, a wish they thought would never be granted. They knew that they can't fully stop humans from killing them for the soul rings but this can be the first step for them to achieve. Perhaps there is also a hope that in the future the soul beasts and humans can co-exist together but it's wishful thinking for now.
Xiao Wu's eyes, which had been filled with rage just moments ago, were now filled with tears. "Will you? Will you really do this?" she asked, her voice a small, hopeful whisper.
Da Ming, a creature of logic and reason, took a moment to think. He knew that the promise was an incredible one, one that could change the very nature of their relationship with the human world.
He looked at Bibi Dong's face, her expression a mix of sincerity and unwavering resolve. He knew that she can do it. He knew that her word was her bond. He then made his decision.
"I can help you absorb a 100,000-year-old soul ring," he said, his voice now a calm and accepting tone. "I know one who is on the verge of death. But it will take some days."
Bibi Dong's heart soared with a profound sense of triumph. Her plan was working. She was not only winning over her enemies, but she was creating a future that was even better than the one she had lived before. "Thank you, Da Ming. I am in your debt."
She then took out a small, jade token, a soul artifact she had used with Dugu Bo. She handed it to Ah Rou, who took it with a flustered expression. "Call me with this. I will come immediately."
Da Ming then raised his voice, a powerful sound of command. "After you become the Pope, we will discuss the terms. We will have a new treaty, a new understanding in between our kind and yours."
Bibi Dong thought for a moment. This was a reasonable request. She knew that she would be able to fulfill her promise, and she knew that it will take time but she will help somehow to minimize the killings of soul beast for them.
"Then we will decide later what to do," she said, her voice filled with a sense of understanding and respect. She then looked at Ah Rou, whose expression was still a mixture of confusion and gratitude. She then said, her voice soft and low, a sound that only the four of them could hear, "I am sorry for hurting you."
Ah Rou's eyes widened in surprise. An apology? From a human? It was a rare and precious thing, an act of humility that she had never expected. "I... it's good to have a conversation with a human who doesn't dislike soul beasts," she said, her voice filled with a newfound sense of respect.
"It is rare for us." Xiao Wu, Da Ming, and Er Ming all nodded their heads in agreement, a silent acknowledgment of her words. It was true. Humans like her were a rare commodity, and they had just made a bargain with one. A very, very powerful one.
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Author's Note:
Twin Blades of Apocalypse is my original novel. It's an epic tale of a hero heroes born to fight a world on the brink, exploring the true meaning of power, destiny, and unbreakable bonds.