Heart-to-Heart

"Brush!"

A pale blue gleam suddenly appeared, and a sharp, Scythe Blade phantom slashed upwards in an instant.

Su Cheng remained calm, tilting his head back slightly to avoid the attack by the narrowest of margins.

His face remained expressionless, only his hair fluttered gently in the strong wind.

Bibi Dong, who had suddenly stood up, gritted her teeth.

His gaze darkened, and his five fingers, like hooks, reached forward to grab. The sharp fingertips left afterimages, accompanied by a piercing whistling sound.

The aura emanating from him was so strong that it had returned to its former peak.

And this was only the offensive she had created before she even used her Martial Soul.

Su Cheng remained unmoved. He turned his upper body to the side, dodging in a strange and contorted posture, his effortless manner Bibi Dong.

Behind him, the sofa was instantly torn apart, the shockwave sweeping across the floor and leaving five bottomless holes.

Bibi Dong retracted her five fingers, brought them together into a fist, and then swept them horizontally.

"Boom--"

With a loud bang, the huge square table was smashed to pieces by a small, fair fist.

Undoubtedly, this attack missed again.

Looking at Bibi Dong's gradually reddening face and increasingly excited aura, Su Cheng sighed inwardly.

He suppressed his instinctive reaction before the next palm strike came and did not continue to dodge.

That's right, those previous actions were just instinctive bodily reactions.

Now, Su Cheng's body and mind are in perfect harmony, and his offense and defense are as natural as breathing.

Even the circulation and absorption of energy no longer require mental control; it can operate on its own.

Their reaction speed in combat, within a limited space, is on a completely different level from that of ordinary people.

"Laugh--"

Sharp fingertips pierced the chest an inch deep, and hot blood mixed with faint golden sparks flowed out.

Why didn't you dodge?

"You need to let off some steam."

"Hmph, this kind of tactic is only effective against me."

Bibi Dong glanced away and sneered, but still pursed her red lips and circulated her Soul Power.

The next moment, cool, soft, delicate fingertips gently brushed across the wound. Compared to that, the pain seemed insignificant.

Before long, the hole in his chest had completely healed, and apart from the tear in his clothes, there were no other signs of injury.

She was simply venting her emotions.

In order to recover from their injuries as quickly as possible, the two spent almost every day together over the past year.

Apart from Su Cheng going out to look for Qian Renxue half a year ago, and occasionally visiting Zhu Zhuqing at the Spirit Hall Academy, they have always stayed together.

Bibi Dong had already gotten used to this kind of life and even forgot about the existence of Ah Yin and the others.

Or rather, she tries to avoid thinking about those troubling things.

However, Bibi Dong's bad mood at this moment was not only because Su Cheng was about to leave Spirit City to go to the Blue Silver Grass Forest to see his old lover.

Most importantly, now that he has recovered from his injuries, it also means that the days when the two of them could spend time together like this are gone forever.

Su Cheng understood this principle to some extent as well, which is why he let the other party vent their emotions.

"You should think about how to explain this to that little girl, Zhu Zhuqing."

Bibi Dong quickly composed herself.

After their fight, they stopped talking about sleeping.

She turned and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking towards the back mountain of Spirit City.

Spring has come again, and the gentle breeze and warm sunshine remain as ever.

"Ever since Xiao Xue left, Zhu Zhuqing has been secretly overjoyed, though she hasn't said it. Now that you're going to see someone else, and a married woman at that, how can she feel good about it?"

"... I will explain it to her clearly."

Upon hearing Bibi Dong mention the words "married woman" again, Su Cheng's eye twitched.

He couldn't say much, so he could only ignore it.

However, Su Cheng wasn't too worried about Zhu Zhuqing.

Ever since she risked her life to block that sword for Zhu Zhuqing, she has become incredibly obedient.

Although she usually maintains a somewhat aloof demeanor, she is actually extremely concerned about him.

Even his personality has become much more cheerful, but he has become much more diligent in his cultivation.

"Su Cheng ..."

After a while, Bibi Dong spoke again.

His voice was soft and slow, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Su Cheng looked up.

Bibi Dong's light white dress was tinged with a pale golden halo by the sunlight, making her look gentle and pure.

"What's wrong?"

"... Don't you think this kind of life is good? Just live peacefully for now, don't think about so many things, and don't do anything big."

"Even if you want to settle that A Yin in Spirit City, it's up to you. There's nothing I can do about it. Why take the risk?"

"In fact, whether those gods exist or not, and what the structure of the Divine Realm is, has nothing to do with us."

"We can live for a very long time to come, there's no need to rush."

Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, Bibi Dong lowered her eyelids, her long eyelashes blocking the sunlight and casting a shadow over her eyes, concealing the tension in her expression.

It took her a great deal of determination to express these true thoughts.

If she had only a vague understanding of Su Cheng's goals and thoughts before, she had probably guessed a thing or two.

After this period of soul-to-soul exchange, she clearly understood many things better, and Su Cheng would occasionally talk about them.

In the past, she was willing to support the other party in doing those big things, completing their grand plans, and laying out their plans on the mainland because at that time, this was the only bargaining chip she had.

The Spirit Hall granted to her by her status as Pope was her only advantage over the others.

But after nearly a year of close interaction, her relationship with Su Cheng had far exceeded the boundaries of friendship.

Her act of risking her life to save him that day made Su Cheng trust her exceptionally.

Therefore, those chips from the past have become dispensable.

She no longer wanted to take any more risks, and she was very content with her current life.

Bibi Dong was terrified of losing everything she had.

Even Qian Renxue's full-force attack nearly killed Su Cheng, let alone those even more powerful deities.

After that incident, Bibi Dong finally woke up to reality.

Su Cheng is not omnipotent.

He could get injured, and he could die.

No one in this world is invincible.

Whether it's those high and mighty gods or Su Cheng, a mortal who wants to break free from the constraints of order.

After listening to what Bibi Dong said, Su Cheng silently walked to her side and also turned his gaze to the window.

"You're wrong, stability is just an illusion."

"Choose your Rakshasa God, the Asura God's legacy from the Slaughter City, to forge the first Angel God of the Spirit Hall, and even the Sea God Island far overseas..."

"This continent has produced so many powerful figures and left behind so many Godhood Inheritance, all of which prove that this planet is no ordinary one. The gazes of the gods occasionally fall upon it."

"How long do you think we can keep this a secret, given our unique nature and our presence in this world?"

"They might have even noticed us already."

At this point, Su Cheng sighed.

"Unless we are willing to be ordinary Soul Master, or choose the path of Godhood Inheritance."

"But the question is, are you willing to accept this?"

"The cultivation methods of Soul Master have a limited lifespan. Although I do not pursue eternity, I am far from having lived enough for now. Moreover, what difference will this small planet be from being a cage to us thousands of years from now?"

"If I choose to inherit the divine position, it would only be a bigger and higher cage, which is not what I want."

After hearing his words, Bibi Dong fell silent.

After a long while, she turned to look at Su Cheng and asked, "Isn't there any other way?"

Her beautiful eyes held a pleading look, and for a moment she appeared somewhat weak.

She wasn't originally such a timid person.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have chosen to burn her soul without hesitation a year ago.

But when the long-awaited beautiful future finally becomes within reach, a soft spot appears in one's heart.

"No, that won't work."

Su Cheng looked directly into her pleading gaze, hardened his heart, and shook his head. He said bluntly, "Even without the reasons I just mentioned, I cannot stand idly by."

"Stand by and do nothing?" Bibi Dong was slightly taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"This world has given me a lot of help. If it weren't for those fortuitous opportunities, how could I, a mere piece of trash with less than level one of Innate Soul Power, have reached this point in such a short time?" Su Cheng said calmly.

"Although I can't understand why such a good thing would fall on a Soul Master with such poor talent, and why someone like me was chosen as the most crucial pawn."

Upon hearing this, Bibi Dong, who had been racking her brains to decipher the deeper meaning of Su Cheng's words, instinctively retorted, "No, you're wrong. You possess many unique qualities. Your understanding is different from most people in this world. No, it's completely different from everyone else. Cultivating Soul Power and ascending to godhood—anyone would choose such a path to heaven. Only you have the courage to walk the path you want to walk."

"Maybe."

Su Cheng didn't dwell on this issue.

The path is one's own choice, and one's own journey. There are many reasons why one ends up in this situation, but thinking about them too much is pointless.

He then continued the previous topic, "This game of chess is of paramount importance to Him. Although I am merely a piece on the board, I can determine the fate of the players. I am His piece, but also His future ally."

Su Cheng looked up at the endless, high, clear blue sky.

The "world" he spoke of might be some kind of instinctive will of the planet beneath his feet, or it might represent some higher, more distant existence; he wasn't quite sure.

In fact, Su Cheng preferred the latter.

That kind of profound and mysterious Source Power of extremely high status, as well as the Simulation of destiny involving the level of gods, could not have been conceived by the power of a single planet.

"If I choose to concede defeat, I might be able to save my life, but He will have no other options left."

At this point, Su Cheng paused, then suddenly turned and smiled, "However, you really don't need to get involved in this matter; it's just my own wish."

"..."

Bibi Dong didn't say anything more, but just stared at him, her eyes filled with a complex and unfathomable expression.

Don't you understand?

The comfort and joy I feel right now, and the seemingly attainable bright future, are all because of your existence.

Since you've made this choice, all I can do is continue to walk alongside you.

Although my strength is insignificant...

Bibi Dong let out a long breath and smiled, "Do you still remember what I said to you in the back mountain more than a year ago?"

"I remember." Su Cheng nodded, not understanding why she suddenly brought this up.

"Then let me tell you a few more stories."

Bibi Dong took a deep breath, her eyes becoming somewhat hazy, as if she were lost in a long memory.

Many years ago, I had a very bizarre dream.

"In my dream, after many years of cultivation, I finally completed the divine test and became a true Rakshasa God. But just when I was at my most triumphant, all my hard work was destroyed by a mere mortal."

"Hehe, that person clearly has terrible talent and pitifully weak strength, yet he always manages to come up with some strange and bizarre things, making me, the Pope of the Spirit Hall, run around in circles, and even planting hidden dangers on my path to godhood."

"Moreover, he also cultivated another powerful Angel God, specifically to oppose me."

Su Cheng was slightly taken aback.

He didn't know before that Bibi Dong also possessed some memories of that experience.

"A few years later, I had another dream. But compared to the first one, this one was much clearer."

"It's been almost twenty years..."

"Twenty years of experiences converged in a dream. When the dream ended, that long life vanished like smoke."

"Thinking about it now, it's truly despairing..."

Su Cheng remained silent.

He just stood there quietly to the side.

"... In my dream, I met a very important person when I was nineteen years old, and that was the beginning of the whole story."

"He spent a very long time teaching me so many things. How lucky I am to have met such a person at the best age of my life."

"But at that time I didn't know that he was supposed to hate me."

"Because he knows what I will become in the future: selfish, greedy, foolish, arrogant..."

"But, in my most desperate moment, he still stood up and shielded me. It's just a pity that in reality, there has never been such a person to save me at that time."

"Later I realized that it was at that moment that I truly fell in love with him."

"That person was like a ray of light, illuminating my whole world."

Bibi Dong's voice became somewhat choked up.

Perhaps it's because of regret that I didn't meet the right person at the right time.

Or perhaps it's because of unrequited love, an inability to express one's feelings, leaving one to wait patiently, unsure if that seed will ever have a chance to take root and sprout.

Su Cheng said softly, "Maybe he just wants to use you? Twin Martial Souls with Innate Full Soul Power, a top-tier talent among Soul Master, anyone would be tempted, right?"

"If they're really using me, then that's fine too."

Bibi Dong's expression quickly returned to calm.

The fleeting emotion I felt just moments ago seems to have been an illusion.

"However, compared to a Peerless Douluo is knowledgeable and knows when to advance and retreat, wouldn't the Pope the Spirit Hall, who is blinded by hatred, ignorant and foolish but powerful, be more suitable to use?"

"Qian Xunji's strength and schemes are utterly insignificant in that person's eyes."

"He could have waited a few more years; there was no need for him to risk offending the Spirit Hall by doing something unnecessary."

Her voice became low and firm, "So, whatever this person wants to do, I will do everything I can to help him achieve it."