Chapter 88: Bi Bi Dong

Among the two great empires, the Starfall Empire is revered by everyone as the strongest empire, whereas the Tiandou Empire has constantly been in a state of turbulence.

The Tiandou Empire's only advantage is that the Three Upper Sects' sects are located within its borders.

In the Three Upper Sects, although the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family and the Clear Sky Sect never take part in political struggles, the Clear Sky Sect has been shifting its core base toward the Starfall Empire under the Spirit Hall's influence, yet the wealthiest Seven Treasure Glazed Sect has consistently backed the Tiandou Empire.

Nevertheless, Starfall has always been stronger than Tiandou; without the Spirit Hall, Starfall might have already annexed Tiandou, and the reason Starfall is so powerful is precisely its competitive system.

The Starfall royal family operates on a rule of might above all; members must clash bloodily, and only the victor may inherit the throne, while the losers are usually eliminated.

This mutual slaughter within the royal house has created a might‑first environment throughout the Starfall Empire, giving the populace a fierce, martial spirit; thus, even though Starfall lacks titled Douluo champions, its overall combat power remains high.

"So the real enemy of the Starfall Empire is not the opposing Tiandou Empire but the Spirit Hall; as long as the Spirit Hall disappears, Tiandou becomes a palm‑held object. Do you understand, Wei Si?"

In the room the Spirit Hall arranged for the Starfall royal family, the current generation's Duke of the Netherworld wore a solemn expression as he faced Dai Weisi.

Dai Weisi is now eight years old, the Starfall emperor's eldest son, and currently the most likely heir to the throne; he is also the most concerned about it.

"Uncle, don't worry, Wei Si understands," a blond child with blue eyes replied, while a short‑haired black‑haired little girl stood behind, looking at them with a cold expression.

For this new Pope's enthronement by the Spirit Hall, the Starfall emperor sent the Duke of the Netherworld to attend, and Dai Weisi and his eldest daughter Zhu Zhuyun were also brought out to foster their bond.

"Alright, as long as you understand, the martial soul city is thriving; you may take Zhuyun out for a stroll."

"No need, I'm not interested," Zhu Zhuyun cut them off coldly.

Dai Weisi showed no reaction, still smiling, while the Duke of the Netherworld was incensed; he first paid his respects to Dai Weisi, then, with a cold face, led Zhu Zhuyun out of the room.

The Zhu noble family of Starfall possesses the Netherworld Spirit Cat martial soul, which can fuse with the Dai family's White Tiger martial soul of the Starfall royal house to perform the martial soul fusion technique—Netherworld White Tiger—granting a power that surpasses its level; the two families are closely linked by generations of intermarriage.

However, due to the White Tiger royal family's blood‑thirsty regulations, the Zhu family is bound by the rules, and women who marry into the royal house must also compete, with failure resulting in eradication.

The White Tiger martial soul is ultimately the foundation of the Netherworld Spirit Cat clan; as long as the Zhu family exists, and the Starfall Empire endures, Zhu women can only live for the Dai family.

Dai Weisi knew Zhu Zhuyun would be beaten again; it had been a full year since she awakened her martial soul, and she had struggled for a year, but what good did it do? Childish and laughable! Dai Weisi fell silent for a moment, a hint of bitterness appearing on his face; this damned Starfall royal house is obsessed with blood‑line slaughter, and Zhu Zhuyun would never willingly enter such a killing field. Her younger sister seemed about to be born as well.

But he is male, and his innate ruthlessness quickly resurfaced as a smile; a hint of ferocity glinted in his blue eyes. He does not want to die, so he must win! Zhu Zhuyun luckily has only one sister; his family actually has two!

The second brother, Dai Tianling, is no threat; his innate soul power is only level five. Look at his third brother, Dai Mubai, whose martial soul awakened after four years—Dai Mubai, you must never surpass your elder brother, or else…

After thinking for a while, Dai Weisi felt a suffocating pressure in his heart, so he left the room for some fresh air.

Dai Weisi aimlessly watched the myriad people in the martial soul plaza, the lively clamor ringing in his ears, his gaze drifting. Unlike Dai Tianling, who was born of a concubine, Dai Mubai and he are true full‑blood brothers.

Even if he is ruthless, he is still only an eight‑year‑old child; recalling that at two years old his first cry was for his brother Dai Mubai, Dai Weisi remains somewhat bewildered—can the White Tiger royal family's rules truly not be changed?

He, too, has ever wanted to resist like Zhu Zhuyun, but Dai Weisi is more rational; his own resistance would only result in being beaten, serving no purpose.

After an unknown amount of walking, the noise gradually faded, and Dai Weisi's gaze suddenly fixed on a striking figure in the garden pavilion.

The black‑and‑white, exquisitely crafted short skirt could not conceal the golden‑haired girl's radiance; her black silk legs were long and slender. The girl gently closed her eyes, her exquisite face resembling a halo of sun and moon, dazzling and mesmerizing, her delicate curves utterly perfect.

The hazy moonlight draped over her body, beautiful as a painting.

Dai Weisi stared blankly, mesmerized—what a beautiful girl. Is she also out here to clear her mind because she's in a bad mood?

"Who? Come out!"

The girl opened her eyes and suddenly looked toward Dai Weisi's direction.

Dai Weisi was first startled by his keen perception, then became enchanted by those beautiful eyes.

The deep violet eyes were profound and captivating, their gaze flowing; the pale pink‑tinged golden pupils were both gorgeous and divine. Dai Weisi truly could not find words to describe such eyes—the girl's eyes seemed to enclose a spring scene, a hidden spring that one could not help but dive into.

There is a poem that says: "Purple eyes lightly awaken a hazy intention, like mist, like smoke, layers upon layers of charm. A lingering gaze holds inner feelings, a single turn of the autumn wave carries endless meaning." It is not an exaggeration, and it is even hard to fully describe the beauty of these eyes.

The White Tiger lineage of the Starfall Empire's pursuit of eyes is so pathological it reaches an extreme; one could say the White Tiger lineage's XP is simply eyes.

Dai Mubai was born with innate double pupils, and the White Tiger lineage immediately deemed him to have a regal bearing, extraordinary from birth; because of these eyes, the Starfall emperor placed great expectations on Dai Mubai.

Even Dai Weisi, because he admires his double pupils, often can't help but sneak into Dai Mubai's palace to see him, which has kept the brothers' relationship quite harmonious.

Dai Weisi snapped back to his senses, his heart pounding.

"I… you… hello, I am Dai Weisi, invited to attend the Pope's enthronement ceremony; are you also an invitee? I mean no harm, just passing through."

Qian Renxue gave Dai Weisi a deep look, said nothing, then her figure flickered and she vanished within the pavilion.

Everything happened in an instant; Dai Weisi instinctively stepped forward a few paces, a hint of self‑reproach rose on his face, yet he still hadn't asked her name.

Dai Weisi entered the pavilion; a faint, almost intangible fragrance lingered. He sat for a while before finally standing up to leave the area:

"Perhaps she is also a guest attending the ceremony; we might meet again at the banquet later, and then I can explain to her."

For some reason, the girl's splendid eyes resurfaced in his mind.

The sun had just peeked over the horizon, a wash of fish‑belly white spreading across the sky, gradually giving way to a soft orange hue.

Once bustling and noisy, the martial soul city was now empty; aside from a few shops selling daily necessities, the vast majority of stores had closed for the day.

Because today was the Spirit Hall's new Pope Bi Bi Dong's enthronement ceremony.

Saint Bi Bi Dong will today hold her coronation on the martial soul plaza before the Spirit Hall, appearing before the common folk to win their hearts.

The Spirit Hall awakens martial souls for civilians free of charge each year and provides subsidies to civilian soul masters; consequently, the populace is in high spirits, and even before dawn a large portion had already arrived at the martial soul plaza.

The crowd streamed endlessly, craning their necks, waiting for the new Pope's appearance.

In front of the Pope Hall, two rows of Hall Guard Knights marched from the Pope Hall's entrance to the martial soul plaza and then lined up down the mountain, their bright silver armor and heavy knightly swords maintaining order and lending the Pope Mountain greater majesty.

The people, under the pressure of the Hall Guard Knights, moved in orderly fashion toward the martial soul plaza.

The square plaza's floor was paved with massive, even bluestone slabs, each seeming to bear the weight of ages; aside from a noticeable renovation mark in the center, the stones appeared relatively new.

Upon close inspection one can see a faint, luminous sheen on the stones; though not true jade, they are far beyond ordinary rock, revealing the Spirit Hall's terrifying wealth.

The towering stone pillars rose into the clouds around the perimeter, their shafts carved with martial soul motifs from successive generations of the Offering Hall, vivid and lifelike.

In the very center of the plaza stood a massive six‑winged angel statue, the symbol of the Angel God, compassionate and benevolent, gazing down over all things.

Along the plaza's edge, flags fluttered and rustled; each bore a unique martial soul emblem, displaying the symbols of the Seven Great Sect Gates.

Nine Spirit Hall elders, including Ju Douluo and Gui Douluo, stepped onto the high platform at the very center of the martial soul plaza; as time passed, the crowd had packed the platform so tightly it was impassable.

Ju Douluo looked up at the sky, nodded at Gui Douluo, then stepped forward a few paces and, in a sharp voice, proclaimed loudly:

"Welcome, distinguished guests of Starfall, Tiandou, and the Seven Great Sect Gates, to the martial soul plaza."

The Moon Gate channeled soul power, and the piercing voice echoed across the entire martial soul plaza.

A group of people slowly came from one side of the Spirit Hall Plaza toward the central platform, making their way through the dense crowd to an open space directly in front of the platform.

This was an exclusive viewing area set up by the Spirit Hall for the invited guests, located even closer to the platform.

Here the area was divided into three sections: one for the Star Luo Empire, one for the Heaven Dou Empire, and one for the Seven Great Sects, each furnished with luxurious sofas and tables laden with various snacks, and everyone took their seats.

The Star Luo Empire was represented by the Netherworld Duke, Davis, and Zhu Zhu Yun; the Heaven Dou Empire by the Snow Star Prince, Xue Luo Chuan, and an elegant blue-haired woman. Apart from the Clear Sky Sect, which did not come, the heads of the other six great sects each brought their talented juniors to see the world.

Ning Fengzhi smiled and nodded toward the positions of each side, with Sword Douluo seated beside him; none of Ning Fengzhi's sons had any talent, so it was inappropriate to bring them to such an occasion.

Yu Yuan Zhen sat loosely in his seat, gazing at the Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo on the platform, while the six-year-old Yu Tian Xin, who had just awakened his martial soul, stood behind him, saying, "Did that Qian Xunji really get beaten to death by Tang Hao of the Clear Sky Sect?"

Ning Fengzhi wore a gentle smile, "Sect Master Yu, choose your words carefully; the former pope suffered only serious injuries."

"Hmph, what serious injuries? The Clear Sky Sect not sending anyone is almost certainly the case," Yu Yuan Zhen said, curling his lip in disdain.

The several sect masters of the Four Lower Sects dared not join the discussion, sitting upright and attentively watching the platform.

At this moment, the Netherworld Duke of the Star Luo Empire was locked in a verbal duel with the Snow Star Prince, seeming like old rivals in a war of words; the blue-haired woman from the Heaven Dou side was saying something to Xue Luo Chuan, who wore a respectful, student-like expression; Zhu Zhu Yun curiously surveyed the Spirit Hall Plaza, while Davis wandered absentmindedly among the various factions' areas, looking for something.

Just then, a group emerged from the side door of the Pontifical Hall—twelve red-robed bishops whose rank was just below that of the white gold bishops—walking slowly forward until they stood before the hall's doors, splitting to left and right, six on each side.

"Welcome, Your Holiness the Pontiff!"

The nine Title Douluo also knelt on one knee toward the Pontifical Hall, shouting "Long live!" three times.

"Long live, long live, long live!" The threefold shout rang out like a collapsing mountain and tsunami throughout Spirit Hall City.

The Hall Guard knights also raised their weapons in unison, shouting "Long live!"

It was not only the voices of the neatly arrayed Hall Guard knights on Pontifical Mountain, but also the shouts of everyone within Spirit Hall Plaza who were forbidden to approach the Pontifical Mountain.

To them, the Pontiff of the Spirit Hall was the supreme faith.

The massive hall doors slowly opened, and the six martial soul emblems on the two doors gradually drifted off their tracks.

Everyone's gaze involuntarily converged on the direction the doors were opening, and their hearts raced faster and faster.

Clad from head to toe in a resplendent golden robe, wearing a nine-fold purple-gold crown and holding a scepter, Bibi Dong emerged first from the Pontifical Hall with a solemn expression, her whole person giving an illusory sense of towering infinitude.

No one even noticed her exquisite beauty; at this moment she embodied only the dignity of a generation of Spirit Hall Pontiffs.

The golden robe fit perfectly, its splendid fabric flashing with gemlight, adorned with over a hundred red, blue, and gold jewels.

The purple-gold crown atop her head shone with myriad rays, all light at this moment converging solely on her; all members of the Spirit Hall dropped to one knee, proclaiming, "We greet Your Holiness."

Finally, the common folk who had come to Spirit Hall Plaza, moved by the stirring, fervent atmosphere, bowed down toward Bibi Dong; looking out, all that could be seen was a sea of black.

Aside from feeling the grandeur of the scene, the members of the Seven Great Sects showed little reaction; only the Snow Star Prince and the Netherworld Duke wore grim expressions, their eyes betraying apprehension—how could the Spirit Hall have won such popular support? Is Bibi Dong the Pontiff of the Spirit Hall or the emperor of a third empire? The two Chrysanthemum Ghost Title Douluo gazing at the radiant Bibi Dong curled their lips in faint smiles, everything proceeding as the Young Master had ordered.

Qian Renxue leaned against the window of the Pontifical Hall, watching Bibi Dong ascend to the Pontiff's throne; now she had Bibi Dong as a shield, and Bibi Dong's ascension as Pontiff could be said to mark a fresh beginning of an era.

Those who had transmigrated found themselves on the Douluo Continent, and their first question would not be "What year is it?" but "Who is the Pontiff of the Spirit Hall?", for no one bothers to remember the Douluo Continent's calendar.

Night fell quietly, the Spirit Hall blazed with brilliant lights, and a grand banquet was about to begin.

Outside the palace, a long red carpet stretched from the steps to the end of the road.

Entering the banquet hall of the Spirit Hall, a massive crystal chandelier emitted dazzling, brilliant light that shone upon the golden walls and luxurious carpet, refracting dreamlike, illusory colors.

Inside the hall stood enormous round tables arranged in a semicircle, divided into nine tiers of white, yellow, purple, black, and red.

The red tables were the most numerous, occupying four tiers, with adults seated at the red tables and children at the outer white tables.

Musicians in the corner played a graceful melody, notes drifting through the air, adding an elegant atmosphere to the banquet.

The tables were laden with all kinds of delicacies, fragrant in the air—golden-crisp roasted spirit beast meat, vividly colored fruits, and exquisite pastries, making mouths water.

With the ringing of the bell, the banquet officially commenced.

Qian Renxue was happily savoring the exquisite dessert before her, each spoonful she lifted to her mouth making her eyes narrow in enjoyment, like a docile, lazy little cat.

Ye Feng, whose hair was a mix of dark green and black, held various desserts in his arms, a flamboyant sword slung across his back, and a wooden gourd hung at his waist.

Apparently due to his soul power level, the few strands of greenish hair at his forehead had multiplied, and now about half of it had turned green.

The Porcupine and Snake Spear Title Douluo, as usual, followed behind her.

After eating for a while, Qian Renxue went to the outermost area, preferring the children's table; although the colors differed, the dishes were the same.

Meanwhile, the younger generation beside the white tables seemed to be sparring.

Yu Tian Xin, who bore a blue dragon-shaped soul mark on his brow, and Davis of the White Tiger clan began to argue.

This was truly a dragon‑tiger showdown; in fact, these juniors simply wanted to seize the chance to display themselves, while the adults present were all top‑tier soul masters, making this a genuine reputation.

If they truly earned the title of genius, the benefits awaiting them at home would be plentiful; moreover, Davis also wanted to ascertain the talent of the younger generation of the Seven Great Sects—Xue Luo Chuan's talent was merely average, and his martial soul, a mere swan, was not something Davis regarded highly.

The ancestral martial soul of the Snow clan of Heaven Dou was actually a white swan goose, a fine top‑tier martial soul, but the imperial family's ease caused it to degenerate gradually into a swan, and each generation of royal offspring became worse than the last.

"My Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul is the number one beast martial soul in the world, Davis; your White Tiger martial soul, while not bad, is far inferior to a dragon martial soul!"

"Hmph! You, a Soul Scholar without even a first soul ring, dare to act arrogant!"

Not long after, Yu Tian Xin was deliberately held back by Davis to a draw, letting Yu Tian Xin win to the acclaim of the crowd, who congratulated the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family on producing an unparalleled new star.

Elder Thunder Douluo Yu Yuan Zhen was still here, and he had to give face; the Netherworld Duke was merely a Soul Douluo, and he didn't want to end up suffering for it.

Xue Luo Chuan was famed as the most politically adept child of the Snow Night Emperor, seemingly intent on taking the refined route; he went over and lavished praise, then on the spot became sworn brothers with Yu Xin Tian, starting to address each other as elder and younger brother.

Qian Renxue watched excitedly from the side; Yu Tian Xin was so amusing, he actually thought he had won by his own strength, unaware that Yu Yuan Zhen now wished nothing more than to give him a thrashing right away—how embarrassing.

Just then, a figure flew from the red tables toward Qian Renxue.

The Snake Spear Douluo behind her instantly stepped forward, blocking her like a fleeting shadow, his movement extremely swift.

The figure crashed heavily onto the white table.

"Bang—" The figure's outline became clear: it was the Snow Star Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Xue Luo Chuan and the blue‑haired woman who had been conversing nearby stared for a moment, then rushed over.

"Uncle, what happened?"

"How are you, Snow Star Prince?"

Tang Yue Hua wore a look of helplessness; how could she not be here a moment later, this spoiled brat stirring up trouble again—indeed, it was no mistake that the Snow Night Emperor had sent her to keep an eye on the Snow Star Prince.

The Snow Star Prince spat out a mouthful of blood, his appearance wretched and disheveled, far from his former arrogant and overbearing self.

Following, Bibi Dong's icy voice came: "The young master of the Spirit Hall is not something just anyone can usurp."

Bibi Dong held a scepter, wore a nine-fold purple-gold crown, her pink-purple eyes filled with icy killing intent, a white halo emerged from her body, gathered into a line and shot straight at Prince Xue Xing's body.

"Cough cough cough"

Prince Xue Xing coughed a few times, his face grew increasingly pallid, and he spat out several mouthfuls of fresh blood again.

It turned out that Prince Xue Xing had taken a liking to Qian Renxue, who was freeloading at the banquet; on the spot, his lust overrode reason, and he wanted to take her from Bibi Dong for a good time, not expecting Qian Renxue's identity to be extraordinary.

Now it's messed up; he had been playing the spoiled nobleman and ended up provoking a killing star, having thought that, relying on his status as a prince, taking a little girl would be easy.

How was he to know that was the Spirit Hall's young master?! No one even informed him! He never expected Bibi Dong to act directly.

"Your Holiness, this might be a misunderstanding," Tang Yuehua suddenly stood up and said.

"A misunderstanding? What a fine 'misunderstanding'! When did it ever become the place for a concubine to speak out of turn when the Pope is speaking with Prince Xue Xing?"

Prince Xue Xing's expression changed, "Your Holiness, Miss Tang Yuehua is a friend of His Majesty; she is certainly not my concubine."

Tang Yuehua is someone the Night Emperor likes; if the Night Emperor found out, he'd probably have him killed.

Ye Feng raised his eyebrows, "Huh? Tang Yuehua? Isn't that Tang San's aunt? He's currently with the Spirit Hall faction," he immediately said to Qian Renxue.

"Sister Xue'er, this Tang Yuehua is from the Clear Sky Sect!"

Qian Renxue heard the name, naturally understood, nodded, but said nothing, instead sending Ye Feng to fetch her dessert.

Even if they wanted to take down Tang Yuehua, they couldn't do it directly in the Spirit Hall's presence; they still needed to put on a show, otherwise the Night Emperor would surely come to question them; although the Spirit Hall isn't afraid, they wouldn't want to become the focus over a woman.

Seeing Bibi Dong's decisive move, Prince Xue Xing felt an irrepressible surge of fear in his heart, ignoring the pain in his lungs from breathing, he hurriedly said.

"This is my fault; I'll leave now, I'll leave now."

Prince Xue Xing stumbled to his feet, supported by Xue Luochuan, and hobbled out with Tang Yuehua.

Bibi Dong had the servants clean up the messy white table, set out a new spread of dishes, then turned to offer a toast and apology to everyone.

Under Ning Fengzhi's high-EQ handling, the originally tense atmosphere eased again.

Bibi Dong took a few steps toward Qian Renxue, inevitably feeling some resentment; it had been a whole month since they last saw each other, and this child didn't even know to come back and visit her.

"Mother, good evening."

The resentment in Bibi Dong's heart suddenly vanished, and she pleaded pitifully: "Xue'er, from now on don't run around; wouldn't it be better to stay obediently by Mother's side?"

Qian Renxue shook her head: "My cultivation isn't finished yet; once I attain godhood, I naturally won't leave."

Upon hearing of godhood, Bibi Dong's expression turned slightly odd; a month ago, an Asura God had come to her door, opening the Eight Trials of Asura for her, the first trial being to obtain the Slaughter God Domain.

Bibi Dong's ninth soul ring is now a 100,000-year god-bestowed soul ring; a god-bestowed soul ring can only possess one soul skill, and Bibi Dong's ninth soul skill is Indestructible Body, allowing her to reform even if her body is shattered to pieces.

As long as the opponent is not of god level, they can never truly kill Bibi Dong while she is in the state of her ninth soul ring.

And the second trial is to send Qian Renxue to the Slaughter City; after thinking it over, Bibi Dong still didn't say it, as she didn't really want Qian Renxue to leave her.

After hearing Bibi Dong's complaints, Qian Renxue had her attend to the guests, then left the banquet herself, and absentmindedly forgot about Ye Feng, whom she had sent to fetch dessert.

Davis stared fixedly at Qian Renxue's retreating back, realizing she was the Spirit Hall's young master.

Qian Renxue recalled what Bibi Dong had just said to Prince Xue Xing, pursed her cherry lips, and a mysterious glint flickered in her purple eyes.

She turned and walked toward her own room, softly saying:

"Uncle Citu, bring that woman back; she's from the Clear Sky Sect."

"Besides, Prince Xue Xing's departure seemed somewhat arduous; could you trouble yourself to see him off?"

Qian Renxue lightly pursed her cherry lips, the curve deepening, she said with deep meaning: "Send him off farther..."

"And cleanly."

Citu Douluo lowered his head, responding concisely.

"Yes."

……

Prince Xue Xing and Xue Luochuan are dead.

On the way back to the Tian Dou Empire, the carriage encountered a soul beast attack while crossing the mountain range.

At the scene, they found the two and over a dozen guards' remains in tatters, their bodies mangled by soul beasts into bloody pulp, unrecognizable without their clothing; moreover, there were several corpses of powerful ten-thousand-year soul beasts slain by the guards.

Directly kill the 6800 brothers, first off a prince and an imperial son.

(End of chapter)