The Star Dou Great Forest

At the foot of the mountain beneath the Pope's Palace.

A convoy of luxurious carriages set off toward the Star Dou Great Forest.

Qian Guxing, Bibi Dong, and Hu Liena rode in the same carriage.

Hu Liena hadn't needed to come, but she had clung to Bibi Dong and begged so persistently that Bibi Dong had let her come along.

At that moment, Bibi Dong held Qian Guxing in her arms while Hu Liena sat beside them, giggling foolishly as she brought grapes one by one to his lips.

Leaning against the Pope while Spirit Hall's future Holy Maiden fed him in person—if outsiders saw him being treated like this, they would surely be awestruck. Who knew how much of a sensation it would cause?

"Teacher, actually, for something like obtaining a Soul Ring, you could have just let Sister Ling Yuan take me. There was no need to make such a grand expedition."

Qian Guxing knew Bibi Dong cared deeply about him, but he hadn't expected her to set aside Spirit Hall's affairs and personally lead three Titled Douluo-Chrysanthemum, Ghost, and Ling Yuan—and several hundred elite Soul Masters to the Star Dou Great Forest with such fanfare for his sake.

With a force like that, no one would have questioned it if they said they were going to hunt a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

Bibi Dong, however, didn't think much of it. She rubbed Qian Guxing's head and said mildly:

"It doesn't matter."

Her manner really did have something of a domineering CEO about it.

Qian Guxing felt like a beauty whose charms could bring disaster to a nation and its people.

Being too handsome is a burden too.

Qian Guxing was feeling rather pleased with himself.

Spirit City wasn't very far from the Star Dou Great Forest.

After seven days of travel by carriage, they reached the forest's edge.

Along the way, no blind fools came to make trouble for them.

Even if any had, the hidden guards would probably have killed them on the spot before they could make a move.

At last, the convoy stopped at a town outside the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Pass on my order. We'll rest and prepare here for the night, then enter the Star Dou Great Forest tomorrow."

Bibi Dong's cool voice rang out.

The convoy of several hundred people began carrying out her order with astonishing efficiency.

As the undisputed hegemon of the Douluo Continent, Spirit Hall had astonishing wealth, as did Bibi Dong, its Pope. They planned to reserve the best hotel in Soul Hunting Town for themselves.

But unexpectedly, a problem arose.

"Your Holiness, according to the innkeeper, his establishment has already been reserved," a hidden guard reported upon his return. "Judging by the insignia we observed, it's the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow slightly.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was one of the Upper Three Sects. Ever since the Clear Sky Sect had sealed its mountain and withdrawn from the world, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had been the foremost sect on the surface.

Thanks to its Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect possessed astonishing wealth.

With the two Titled Douluo, Sword and Bone, holding the fort, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was enjoying unrivaled prominence.

In recent years, Ning Fengzhi had told everyone he met that the Upper Three Sects were branches nourished by the same Qi, while maintaining ambiguous ties with the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. How could Bibi Dong fail to see through his schemes?

In the original story, Bibi Dong launched the Soul Hunting Operation, wiping out the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon and dealing the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect a devastating blow. Sword and Bone fell, and Ning Fengzhi died a tragic death!

Now, under Qian Guxing's influence, Bibi Dong's state of mind had grown much more peaceful. Her obsessions with founding the Spirit Hall Empire, destroying Spirit Hall, and taking revenge on the Qian Family had all faded away.

That didn't mean Bibi Dong would choose to back down, however. She was the Pope; she couldn't yield to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. If word got out, Spirit Hall would lose face.

"Pass on my decree. Tell the people of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to find somewhere else to stay."

Qian Guxing marveled inwardly at Bibi Dong's domineering manner. As expected of Her Majesty the Empress, she acted swiftly and decisively, and her presence was overwhelming.

Why would the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect be in the Soul Hunting Forest at this point in time? Qian Guxing wondered.

The original story had focused mainly on Tang San.

The backgrounds of other people were often covered in just a few sentences.

Qian Guxing knew he was the same age as Tang San because the year he was born was also the year Tang Hao gravely wounded Qian Xunji, Bibi Dong devoured Qian Xunji, and Bibi Dong ascended to the papacy.

Moreover, judging by the timing, Qian Guxing was younger than Tang San. Tang San should have been born early in the year, while Qian Guxing had been born near its end.

After working it out carefully, a name surfaced in Qian Guxing's mind.

Could the one who made the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect turn out in such force be that Little Demoness, Ning Rongrong?

Ning Rongrong had level-nine Innate Soul Power and was a few months younger than Tang San in the original story. Judging by the timing, it was indeed time for her to hunt for her First Soul Ring.

Just as all sorts of guesses ran through Qian Guxing's mind...

Inside the inn.

A Spirit Hall hidden guard conveyed Bibi Dong's verbal decree to the people of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Upon hearing the message, a middle-aged man with a gentle, refined bearing looked rather displeased. Beside him stood a swordsman in white robes with white hair and a tall, skeletal old man.

The three were Ning Fengzhi, master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect; Sword Douluo Chen Xin; and Bone Douluo Gu Rong.

"Spirit Hall has gone too far!"

Bone Douluo Gu Rong had a cantankerous temperament. Feeling stifled and humiliated, he could hardly wait to fight his way out.

"Uncle Gu." Ning Fengzhi hurriedly stopped Bone Douluo.

In recent years, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had enjoyed considerably more prestige thanks to the Clear Sky Sect sealing its mountain.

But Ning Fengzhi knew exactly how much the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was worth. Otherwise, he wouldn't have proclaimed that the Upper Three Sects were branches nourished by the same Qi, nor would he have sought favor with the Heaven Dou Empire's imperial family.

Wasn't it all to form alliances and counteralliances to keep Spirit Hall in check and prevent it from growing too powerful?

Now that the Pope of Spirit Hall was traveling and needed to commandeer the inn, the question was whether the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect should yield it.

If they did, it meant the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was backing down.

If they refused, the Clear Sky Sect was a warning from the past.

To put it plainly, the two sides weren't contesting an inn. This was Spirit Hall testing the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's obedience.

"Uncle Gu, Uncle Jian, bring Rongrong. Let's go pay our respects to His Holiness the Pope together."

Ning Fengzhi took a deep breath and ultimately decided to back down.

Spirit Hall's waters were unfathomably deep.

Leaving aside Peerless Douluo Qian Daoliu, whose survival was unknown,

the Titled Douluo experts Spirit Hall had out in the open alone could utterly crush the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

That was without mentioning Spirit Hall's terrifying influence among Soul Masters.

The monthly stipends it gave low-ranking Soul Masters alone were enough to win over the vast majority of them.

Bone Douluo was angered by those words, but there was nothing he could do.

Sword Douluo's eyes flickered. A swordsman's edge wouldn't permit him to back down, but he was already bound by worldly ties and had long since ceased to be a swordsman and nothing more.

For the sake of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Sword Douluo, who would rather break than bend, had to learn to bow his head as well.

And so Ning Fengzhi brought the two Titled Douluo, Sword and Bone, and ordered someone to fetch six-year-old Ning Rongrong from her room. They left the inn and came before the Pope's convoy, where Ning Fengzhi said to the guards:

"Ning Fengzhi, master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, requests an audience with His Holiness the Pope."

When Bibi Dong received the message, she gave a cold laugh. Qian Guxing also started to leave her arms.

But Bibi Dong pressed him firmly back down:

"It's just a meeting with Ning Fengzhi. We'll stay like this."

Qian Guxing was dumbfounded. What would it look like for the Pope herself to meet the master of one of the Upper Three Sects with him in her arms?

But Bibi Dong gave Qian Guxing no chance to object and ordered:

"Bring Ning Fengzhi here."