The sun was committing its final, fiery act for the day, bleeding brilliant streaks of crimson and gold across the western sky.
Within the sacred confines of the Spirit Hall compound, the shadows were already lengthening, creeping up the polished marble corridors, swallowing the excessive ornamentation in soft, deepening layers of twilight.
Bibi Dong walked with an intentional, measured pace towards her private chambers, savoring the unnatural peace and calmness that had settled over the Spirit City now that the Supreme Pontiff was gone and the elders were deployed.
It was the calm before a self-imposed storm, a brief respite before she plunged headlong into the maelstrom of her own making.
Her mind was a tireless machine, methodically processing the volatile information she had just secured. It's truly unexpected, this acceleration.
The events she had foreseen through the lens of her previous life's memories—the conflict, the sacrifice, the birth of the twin gods' heir—all of it was happening years, perhaps even a full decade, earlier than her predicted timeline. Time, the most critical resource, had just been drastically shortened.
And so, Tang San, the destined one, the favored child of the heavens, will be born earlier as well, she thought, the realization settling into her like a cold, hard stone. Her core prediction remained unchanged, only the schedule was expedited.
Qian Xunji will surely use every resource at Spirit Hall's disposal to hunt Tang Hao and Ah Yin now that the Pope's personal mission is fully engaged.
She pictured the terrifying confrontation in her mind's eye, a clash of colossal soul powers that would shake the foundations of the Douluo Continent.
Xunji will be grievously injured afterwards, that much is historically documented, but now… She paused, the recent surge in his aura throwing a wrench into her calculations. He is so much more powerful now. That terrifying stable level 96 aura. It's possible Tang Hao could be at a severe disadvantage, or even worse, completely overwhelmed.
A dangerous, exhilarating thought—sharp and gleaming like a freshly drawn rapier—pierced through her strategic planning.
Can I use this catastrophic chance to kill that hateful person? To eliminate Qian Xunji when he was most vulnerable, wounded from the fight with Tang Hao and unable to draw upon the full strength of the Hall?
The thought was immediately followed by a chilling, practical assessment: the risk was astronomical. Even mortally wounded, Qian Xunji possessed a Divine-level Spirit Bone that made him invulnerable to an attack not backed by truly overwhelming, ultimate power.
It was an urge driven by pure, incandescent hatred, and she had to learn to cage it until the perfect, blood-soaked moment arrived.
Suddenly, a faint, high-frequency vibration rippled through the pocket of her robes.
She stopped instantly, her body locking into a rigid, defensive posture honed by instinct. Her eyes narrowed, and she drew out the small, communication soul device—a specialized piece of technology only accessible to the highest ranks.
As she activated the screen, the notification displayed a familiar, pre-arranged code. It was a message from Ah Rou, the 100,000-year-old Soft Boned Rabbit, whom Bibi Dong had given her the same soul device for her contact.
It also involves deal based on mutual understanding of their species' plight and, more importantly, a shared ambition to survive the cruel power dynamics of the human world.
Bibi Dong pressed the playback function, and Ah Rou's familiar, soft and low voice, whispered from the device.
"Bibi Dong, it is Ah Rou. I have good news for you. The hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast—the one you are interested in, the Abyssal Dark Panther—can die within the next two days, perhaps even sooner. I checked the condition earlier. The immense energy drain on it's core is now terminal. You can come tomorrow to verify and prepare."
A wave of pure, unadulterated euphoria washed over Bibi Dong, so intense it almost made her tremble. It was the thrill of the hunt, the promise of ultimate power realized years ahead of schedule. She quickly formulated a concise, coded response, her fingers moving swiftly across the device.
"Okay. Tomorrow. I will come. My gratitude is assured."
Her mood, which had been tempered by the grim realities of Qian Xunji's breakthrough, soared instantly. If she was lucky, she could complete her Title Douluo breakthrough tomorrow, obtaining her critically needed ninth soul ring.
She closed her eyes for a fleeting second, envisioning the moment of absorption: the colossal soul power surging into her body, the terrifying, primal roar of the fallen soul beast echoing in her spiritual sea.
How much more powerful will I become? What devastating new ability will this ring grant as this Abyssal Dark Panther have the similar nature as of my martial soul?
Her mind, however, never strayed far from caution. She made a mental note, stamping it with absolute priority: Aura Restraint.
Upon achieving the Titled Douluo level, her raw spiritual and soul power would be so immense that even Super Douluo like Qian Xunji, the nine worshippers with the extremely perceptive Limit Douluo, Qian Daoliu, could sense the shift.
If her true power level became known too soon, her years of patience and deception would be wasted. She would have to practice an obscure, complex restraining technique to mask the terrifying density of her aura. She needed to look powerful, but not too powerful; she needed to look like the future, not the present ultimate authority.
With these few, critical thoughts swirling in her head, she arrived at the simple, unadorned chamber door. She pushed it open and stepped inside, immediately locating the faint, silvery sheen of her clone meditating on the cushioned mat, its soul power quietly circulating.
In a fluid motion, she walked towards the clone, and their spiritual energies merged, a sensation like cold water rushing into a warm body. The memories of her clone's calm, focused meditation flooded her mind, washing away the adrenaline of the throne room.
She saw her children, Renxue and Yorrichi, seated diligently at a small, sturdy table, heads bowed over an ancient Soul Master tome. A slight, endearing furrow of confusion marked their young brows as they wrestled with the esoteric language of the text.
This sight—this peaceful, intellectual struggle—made her lips quirk into an involuntary, loving chuckle. The real world was here, in this room, and it was infinitely more precious than the politics of the Hall.
She quietly dispersed the remaining soul power of the merged clone, shaking off the meditative state, and sat up, her eyes immediately focusing on her children. She crossed the room and sat gently on the edge of the bed beside the table.
"And what grand mystery has perplexed my brilliant scholars today?" she asked, her voice soft, utterly devoid of the commanding coldness she used in the Hall.
Renxue immediately pointed a small, delicate finger at a passage describing the classification of plant-type soul beasts. "Mama, what does 'ephemeral' mean? And why is it so hard to distinguish between a Soul Vine and a Spectral Willow?"
Bibi Dong took the tome, her long, elegant fingers tracing the words. Patiently and with genuine love, she began to teach, explaining the complex terms with simple, vivid analogies, connecting the concepts to the world around them.
For the next half hour, the chamber was filled only with the low murmur of her instruction and the rapt, focused attention of her children. This was her true sanctuary, the purpose for which she fought.
The quiet warmth of the teaching moment gave way to the practical demands of the evening. It was now time for dinner. The three of them walked to the dining hall, a large, but often cavernous space reserved for the inner core of the Spirit Hall's leadership.
As they sat, the inevitable, empty chair at the head of the long table was a glaring presence. Qian Xunji was, as usual, absent. This time, however, Bibi Dong was not restless; she was perfectly calm. She knew exactly where he was and what he was doing.
Xunji must be pouring every fiber of his immense soul power and all available resources into finding Ah Yin and Tang Hao, she thought, a cold, clinical curiosity replacing any emotional reaction.
Let's see just how far his personal obsession will drive him, and how much he will bleed for it. The absence of the hateful figure only enhanced the serenity of the meal.
After a quiet, pleasant dinner, they retired to their chambers. It was bedtime.
Tonight, instead of the usual tales of righteous heroes or strategic warfare, Bibi Dong chose a different path. She sat between her children on the large, soft bed, pulling the covers around them, and began to narrate a romantic story—a poetic tale of a powerful, ancient soul beast who fell deeply, irrevocably in love with a human Soul Master, forsaking her potential immortality for the fleeting joy of a shared life.
It was a thinly veiled, carefully sanitized allegory of Tang Hao and Ah Yin. She watched her children, wanting to gauge their reactions, to understand their nascent moral compasses before the grand drama of the world forced them to choose sides.
Renxue, still very much a child, reacted with pure, delightful excitement. Her eyes were wide, her face alight with innocent wonder.
This was a new kind of story, a beautiful departure from the standard heroic epics. She loved the idea of forbidden love, of immense power used for romantic devotion, and she leaned into her mother, eager to know every twist and turn of the heart's journey.
Yorrichi, however, was different. Though his body was that of a small child, his mind was ancient, weighed down by the knowledge of a brutal, unforgiving past life.
As he listened, his brow furrowed, and his analytical adult mind engaged in a deep, internal dialogue that far surpassed his years.
Is it truly possible? he pondered, the simplicity of the story jarring against the complex cruelty of reality.
Will society truly accept such a thing? The human world only sees the soul beast as a tool for power, a means to gain soul rings and powerful abilities. It's a brutal, necessary step to ascending the ranks.
He sighed internally, a vast, world-weary sound that his small lungs couldn't possibly articulate.
The current world is a cruel one, just like my old world, only the victims have changed.
He recalled his past life's constant, bloody struggle: the demonic invasion, the horrific loss, the unending cycle of violence where demons ruthlessly hunted and consumed humans.
Here, in this new, old world, the dynamic was inverted, yet the cruelty remained: humans ruthlessly hunted and slaughtered soul beasts with the same savage efficiency, justifying it with the need for power and survival.
Yorrichi, in his past life, had always found solace and distraction from his endless sorrow in nature and animals. He cherished the quiet dignity of the wild, the simple, uncorrupted existence of creatures untainted by human politics.
He found the sheer variety of soul beasts in this new world unique and wondrous. Yet, after learning the cold truth of the Soul Master system and the soul rings, he felt a crushing sense of helplessness.
He could do nothing for them now; he could only watch the coming tragedy unfold from his gilded cage. Renxue, in her innocence, could not yet differentiate the beauty of the story from the dark reality it reflected, but Yorrichi knew she would learn eventually, and the knowledge would be painful.
Bibi Dong, while continuing her hypnotic narration, subtly observed her children. Renxue was a picture of pure, emotional engagement, her happy expression shining, eager for the continuation.
Yorrichi, however, was clearly thinking deeply. She could guess, with her profound understanding of his intellect, that he was likely wrestling with the social implications, the conflict between love and the current society's view of soul beasts.
Her heart swelled with a quiet, fierce pride. While Renxue possessed a beautiful, untainted spirit, Yorrichi's sharp, analytical thinking—his ability to immediately grasp the logical and ethical complexity of the scenario—was what she valued most. He was a strategic mind in the making, and that was a trait essential for the one she intended to one day rule alongside her.
She finished the tale, ending on a bittersweet note of enduring love and sacrifice. Renxue and Yorrichi both clapped enthusiastically for their mother's beautiful and original story.
"It was a very good one, Mama!" Renxue exclaimed, bouncing slightly on the bed. "I love their devotion!"
Yorrichi, still contemplative, added, "The magnitude of their love must be immense to defy the world, Mom. It is truly admirable."
After exchanging loving goodnights and tucking them in securely, Bibi Dong extinguished the main light, leaving only the soft glow of a night lamp. She watched them drift off, their breathing slowing to the rhythm of sleep.
Finally alone, Bibi Dong turned her attention fully to the promise of the coming day. Her anticipation was a tangible, thrilling heat in her soul.
She was excited for tomorrow, for the chance to meet Ah Rou again, to finalize their pact, and most importantly, for the chance to seize a power that would change everything.
The 100,000-year soul ring was not just an increase in cultivation; it was a stepping stone to revenge, a shield for her children, and the crown jewel that would validate her destiny.
Tomorrow, the true hunt began.
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Author's Note:
Sorry for the delay guys. Comment and share ur thoughts on how this chapter is and what needs to proceed. Don't be shy and your support is the motivation for writing more chapters for u.