A Great Battle Looms
Meanwhile, Bibi Dong, having returned empty-handed, had already returned to Spirit City.
The moment she landed at the entrance of the Pope's Palace, her icy aura caused the two cardinals waiting at the door to involuntarily take a half step back, lowering their heads and not daring to look her in the eye.
Bibi Dong walked straight into the main hall.
Those two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings that were about to be obtained could have accelerated her progress towards godhood considerably. She had gone to great lengths, mobilizing five Titled Douluos to venture deep into the core area of Star Dou Great Forest.
Just when they were about to acquire their Soul Rings, Tang San appeared out of nowhere and intercepted them.
Not only did they lose their Soul Rings, but they also lost the loyal Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan.
What made her even more uneasy was Tang San's strength. The young man's growth rate had exceeded her expectations.
The terrifying speed of his advancement instilled a deep sense of crisis in Bibi Dong.
Bibi Dong slowly turned around, sat down on the throne, and then called out to the outside of the hall, "Send down the order that all legion commanders and Titled Douluos be summoned to the Pope's Palace for a meeting early tomorrow morning."
The next morning, the Pope's Palace was packed with people.
The commanders from various legions and the Titled Douluo loyal to the Spirit Hall stood silently, each with a solemn expression on their face.
They all knew that the Pope had returned from the Star Dou Great Forest, and they also knew that the Soul Hunting had not gone smoothly.
Summoning them at this time is not merely to provide an update on the current situation.
Bibi Dong's gaze swept over the crowd below, and her authoritative voice rang out:
"By my decree, the entire army of the Spirit Hall Empire is to be reorganized and prepared for war. All Soul Master legions must complete their organization and training within three months, and all regular troops must complete their expansion within one year. Within one year, I require you to complete all preparations for the expedition."
"Those who disobey, those who stand against you, will be crushed. On this continent, there can only be one voice."
Everyone simultaneously knelt on one knee. "Yes!"
Once the order was issued from the Pope's Palace, it quickly spread to the surrounding areas.
Emergency mobilizations were launched across the Spirit Hall Empire, with supplies beginning to converge on the border and the army undergoing reorganization.
The smaller sects within the Spirit Hall Empire also received conscription orders one after another.
Most forces chose to obey, while those that did not obey orders were Thunderclap suppressed by Bibi Dong.
Five days later, Tang San and his companions returned to the Blue Hao Prince's Residence in Heaven Dou City and met Dugu Yan.
Nine months have passed, and Dugu Yan's aura has indeed become much stronger.
Tang San could sense that the fluctuations of Soul Power within her body were much stronger than before.
Dugu Yan has already passed three Life and Death Arena trials, and all three opponents were Titled Douluo level.
According to the rules of the Life and Death Arena, killing an opponent allows you to absorb their energy.
The energy from three Titled Douluo- level beings propelled Dugu Yan from level 94 to the peak of level 95.
Reaching the peak of level 95 from level 94 in nine months is an astonishing rate of improvement for any Titled Douluo.
The night of their long-awaited reunion was more intense than expected.
Tang San's physical strength, after being tempered by multiple Soul Bones and Soul Rings, has reached a level that even he himself is somewhat surprised by.
Especially after absorbing the Soul Rings of the Sky Azure Bull Python, the Titan Giant Ape, and the Three-headed Qianjun Ant Emperor, his strength and endurance increased dramatically.
Dugu Yan, Shui Bing'er, and Xiao Wu underwent Tidal Body Tempering on Sea God Island, so their physical strength is also quite strong.
But Tang San was even more formidable; previously, he could only barely handle the combined attack of four people.
But now he was able to stay awake all night, only letting them go when the four surrendered.
Dugu Yan's gaze, which once held a hint of defiance, now only showed resignation.
When I woke up the next day, the bedchamber was in a mess.
Tang San lay on his back, his arms wrapped around several sleeping figures around him.
He gently applied pressure with his palm, waking all four of them, who were still somewhat tired.
After breakfast, the five of them went to the secret room.
Tang San took out all the Soul Bones and placed them one by one on the stone table.
In addition to the three Evil Spirit Orca Soul Bones and one Demon Soul Great White Shark Soul Bone obtained previously, there is now a 60,000-year-old right leg bone obtained from killing Ghost Douluo, and a 100,000-year- Qian Jun Ant Emperor Torso Bone.
The Soul Bones were lined up on the stone table, each radiating a unique energy fluctuation.
Tang San's gaze swept over the Soul Bones, then he said, "Bing'er, you now have a skull and left and right leg bones, but you're missing torso bones and left and right arm bones."
He picked up the dark brown, 100,000-year-old Qian Jun Ant Emperor Torso Bone and handed it to Shui Bing'er. "Take this Qian Jun Ant Emperor Torso Bone for now. The main function of the torso bone is to connect the limb Soul Bones, thereby strengthening the body. The attribute requirements are not as high as those for the limb Soul Bones. But don't rush to absorb it yet. Wait until you can't find a more suitable one before considering absorbing it."
Shui Bing'er nodded, reached out and took the torso bone, then put it into her Storage Soul Tool.
Tang San picked up the Ghost Douluo's right leg bone and turned to Dugu Yan: "Yan Yan, you now have the Devouring Soul Demon Spider's Head Soul Bone, the Man Faced Demon Spider's right arm bone, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's left arm bone, and the Evil Spirit Orca's torso bone. You're still missing your left and right leg bones. This Ghost Douluo's right leg bone has dark and evil attributes, which are quite compatible with you. It should greatly enhance your speed and evil power."
Dugu Yan took the right leg bone, sat down cross-legged, placed the bone against her right leg, closed her eyes, and began to absorb the Soul Bone.
An hour later, Dugu Yan opened her eyes.
She could feel a significant increase in her speed.
"The right leg bone skill is called 'Shadow Rush,' which increases speed by 100% and dark/evil attributes by 50% when activated."
Tang San nodded. With her speed doubled and the amplification from the dark attribute, combined with her Eight Spider Lances, Dugu Yan's speed and mobility reached a new level.
This added an extra layer of insurance for her upcoming Life and Death Arena tests, giving her more options when facing speed-type opponents.
"The other Soul Bones, as before, should be kept for now. If we really can't find suitable ones later, then we can use them."
Tang San put those Soul Bones back into his Storage Soul Tool.
Over the next few days, Tang San kept weighing one thing.
He is now strong enough to not be afraid of Bibi Dong. After the battle in the Star Dou Great Forest, he has a clearer understanding of his own combat strength. In the entire Spirit City, only Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong can stand against him head-on.
The problem is, he doesn't know where Qian Renxue is being held.
Since Bibi Dong dared to use her to blackmail Qian Daoliu, she wouldn't leave her in a place where she could be easily found.
Spirit City is so large and so heavily guarded. If she were to sneak in rashly, and her whereabouts were exposed, it would only put Qian Renxue in an even more dangerous situation.
Tang San suppressed his impatience and refocused his attention on the present moment.
When you have enough power, many things will fall into place.
The content of the Fourth Trial is already there; once you become a god, you will be able to find a solution to all problems.
Just as Tang San was preparing to go into seclusion, a familiar aura wafted from the front courtyard of the Prince's Mansion.
Tang San sensed the identity of the person almost the instant the aura appeared. He stood up and walked towards the front hall.
Tang Chen had already arrived at the front hall.
Tang San quickly went to greet him, "Great-grandfather, what brings you here? Is something the matter?"