Bibi Dong's Worries

A gentle breeze brushed across the barren mountain, where the faint scent of blood still lingered after the bandits had just been wiped out.

Two slender figures slowly stirred among the grass.

Ning Rongrong opened her eyes first. Her long eyelashes fluttered as her bewildered gaze slowly came into focus.

She saw an unfamiliar barren mountain, the blue sky, and a young boy standing quietly not far away.

Soon after, Zhu Zhuqing slowly awoke as well, her brows slightly furrowed and her body weary and weak.

The two girls looked at each other, their faces full of confusion.

"Where... are we?"

Ning Rongrong propped herself up and looked around, finding nothing familiar. "Weren't we at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? How did we get here?"

Zhu Zhuqing also rose slowly. A dull, stinging pain came from her leg, and she frowned slightly, just as baffled.

Both of them turned their eyes to the boy in front of them.

The boy before them looked very young, with clean, handsome features and a calm bearing. He appeared harmless to man and beast.

"Who are you? Did you save us?"

Zhu Zhuqing asked softly, her tone somewhat reserved.

Qian Lingye's expression was calm, his tone casual and natural.

"I was passing through these barren mountains when I happened to come across a group of bandits about to attack you. I took care of them while I was at it."

Hearing this, the two girls instinctively looked at the ravaged ground nearby. Mutilated corpses and fragments were plainly visible, making it easy to imagine the slaughter that had just taken place.

Thinking of how they had lain unconscious, at the mercy of others, and looking again at the clean, gentle boy before them, the two girls were suddenly gripped by belated fear, followed by overwhelming gratitude.

"Thank you for saving us, Senior!"

"Thank you so much. If it weren't for you, I can't imagine what would have happened to us today."

They thanked him sincerely.

Neither of them knew why, but even though this was their first time meeting the unfamiliar boy before them, they couldn't feel the slightest wariness toward him. Instead, they felt a faint, inexplicable sense of familiarity. They couldn't say why; it was simply an instinctive fondness from the bottom of their hearts.

Once she had recovered a little from the fright, Ning Rongrong's greatest concern was still her sect.

Her expression turned anxious, and she hurriedly asked, "Senior, can you tell me what's happened to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? We were unconscious for a long time, weren't we? The sect... is the sect all right?"

Her eyes were tense as she stared fixedly at Qian Lingye, her heart full of hope.

Qian Lingye looked at her anxious face and thought for a moment before saying, "The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect... is probably gone."

Boom!

Those few words exploded in Ning Rongrong's mind like a thunderclap.

Her face instantly turned deathly pale and ashen, and her entire body froze.

Gone?

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, with its thousand-year legacy, was gone?

The next second, all her strength crumbled completely. Ning Rongrong's eyes reddened, and her tears burst through the floodgates. She crouched on the ground and broke into loud sobs, her shoulders shaking violently as her hurt, fear, and helplessness all erupted.

Seeing this, Zhu Zhuqing hurriedly held her gently and comforted her in a low voice. "Don't cry, Rongrong. Don't panic. Uncle and the others are so strong; they'll surely be all right. Let's go back first. We'll know what happened once we get there."

With Zhu Zhuqing's comfort, Ning Rongrong finally managed to stop crying, though her eyes were red and her face was haggard and sorrowful.

Seeing the two young girls so upset, Qian Lingye didn't say much. He simply watched in silence.

Only then did Ning Rongrong remember to ask about their present situation. Choking back sobs, she asked, "Senior... where exactly are we now? Sorry for the trouble, but could you take us into the city? We'll find a way to contact our families."

"We're within Spirit City's territory," Qian Lingye said. "About ten thousand li from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, I'd say."

Ten thousand li!

Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing's pupils both quivered, and they were utterly stunned.

That far?

At their speed, even traveling nonstop, they might not make it back in a month.

What was more, both of them were in terrible condition. Ning Rongrong's Soul Power was almost completely depleted, leaving her weak and powerless, while Zhu Zhuqing's leg was injured, making her limp and severely hampering her movement.

Alone away from home, thousands of li from anyone they could rely on, the two of them were suddenly filled with fear and helplessness.

"Senior, could you take us part of the way? I... want to get into the city." Ning Rongrong looked up at him, her eyes full of pleading.

Qian Lingye nodded. "It's on my way. I'm heading back to the city too."

That bunch from Shrek Academy weren't much, but these two girls weren't bad at heart, and they had never done anything bad from beginning to end.

Seeing him agree, the two girls let out a long sigh of relief, feeling considerably reassured.

"May we know your name, benefactor?" Zhu Zhuqing asked softly.

Qian Lingye pondered briefly, then said casually, "Just call me Qian Lingye."

Having settled their plans, the three prepared to set off.

Zhu Zhuqing walked with a limp, her injury clearly affecting her movement.

Seeing this, Qian Lingye simply reached out to support her, helping her over to the carriage parked nearby. Gently supporting her waist, he lifted her into the carriage and settled her securely in her seat.

At that brief physical contact, she immediately felt his warmth.

Qian Lingye marveled inwardly that she truly was the best-endowed heroine, with an exceptionally outstanding figure.

Zhu Zhuqing's entire body instantly stiffened.

In all her life, this was the first time she had been so close to an unfamiliar man, let alone had such intimate contact.

A flush spread across the girl's cheeks, and her heart involuntarily skipped out of rhythm. She instinctively lowered her head, not daring to look up at Qian Lingye.

But on second thought, Qian Lingye looked even younger than she was. Much of her shyness faded at once, and she simply treated it as a younger brother taking care of his older sister and thought no more of it.

After settling the two girls, Qian Lingye climbed into the carriage. The driver cracked his whip, and the carriage slowly started moving toward Spirit City.

At the same time, deep within Spirit Hall's great hall.

Bibi Dong sat alone and upright on her throne, an old, yellowed star chart spread open in her hands.

She could never forget what she had seen above the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

That pitch-black rift tearing heaven and earth apart, the hand that had reached out of thin air and looked down upon all living beings, the terrifying sight of two three-hundred-thousand-year-old giant beasts bowing and kneeling, and the apocalyptic vision Ning Xuanyuan had projected at the end by burning his divine soul...

Every scene was etched deep into her heart, impossible to shake.

Her brows knitted tightly, her gaze exceptionally grave as she compared them again and again with the baleful star's path on the chart.

The more she compared them, the more alarmed she became.

The astral prophecy, the apocalyptic vision, the controlled exotic beasts, the attack from the void... every clue fit perfectly, matching without the slightest gap.

A terrifying existence beyond comprehension had truly appeared in this world.

It was not a Titled Douluo, not a Limit Douluo, nor any known ancient Soul Beast or mighty figure of a legacy.

It controlled beasts across thousands of li and crushed four of the continent's top experts with a raise of its hand. Its every move affected the fate of all heaven and earth.

Who was it?

Bibi Dong's mind raced through every top power, reclusive expert, and ancient remnant on Douluo Continent.

The Upper Three Sects, the Lower Four Sects, Spirit Hall, the Star Dou Great Forest, the Far North, the deep-sea secret realms...

She examined, considered, and ruled out every expert whose name she knew, one by one.

Not a single one could accomplish such a feat.

Unknown.

Completely unknown.

And it was precisely this unknown that made the chill in her heart grow ever deeper.

This was no simple beast calamity, nor a conflict between powers.

This was a catastrophe capable of destroying the entire continent!

After a long silence, Bibi Dong raised her hand and gave an order in a low voice.

"Chrysanthemum Douluo."

Before long, Chrysanthemum Douluo hurried into the hall and bowed, awaiting orders.

Bibi Dong's gaze was grave as she said, enunciating every word, "Send word to the grand elder, Qian Daoliu. Order him to continue doing everything in his power to divine heaven's secrets from the stars. Whatever the cost, he must find some clue to that Dark Sovereign."

At this point, she lowered her voice, her tone graver than ever before.

"This matter is no longer about conflicts between sects or the balance of power on the continent. Spirit Hall's survival is at stake, as are the lives and continued existence of every living being under heaven."

"Your subordinate obeys!"

Chrysanthemum Douluo had never seen Bibi Dong so serious. Not daring to say more, he accepted the order and immediately withdrew.

The great hall fell deathly silent once more.

Bibi Dong slowly leaned back on her throne, her face full of weariness and worry.

An unknown darkness hung overhead like a sword, and she had no idea when it might come crashing down.

Just as her thoughts weighed heavily on her and her heart was full of worry, a guard outside the hall bowed and reported.

"Your Holiness, the young master has returned to the city."

At those words, all the gloom surrounding Bibi Dong vanished in an instant.

Her tense features immediately softened, and a gentle, warm smile spread across her face.

"Let him in."