His Holiness the Pope's Plan is Exceedingly High!

"Ugh!" Zhao Linchuan let out a muffled grunt as Bibi Dong viciously bit down on his shoulder!

It was as though she wanted to pour all her worry, reluctance, and anger into that single bite.

Tears surged forth once more. She lifted her head and looked at him through tear-blurred eyes, her voice choked and fractured. "Zhao Linchuan! If you don't come back... I'll resent you for the rest of my life! For the rest of my life!!"

She forcefully pushed him away and rubbed her tear-dampened lips, yet her gaze was incomparably earnest. "You must hide well! Hide deep! I'll wait for you for three years!"

"After three years, if you don't come..." She drew a deep breath, as though exhausting all her strength. "Then never come back! Don't put yourself in danger again! Promise me!"

Having said that, she suddenly rose onto her toes and, with resolve and a heart full of love, pressed a brief yet searing kiss onto Zhao Linchuan's lips!

Like butterfly wings brushing against each other, it parted at the first touch.

Then she turned away resolutely. Her wine-red hair traced a mournfully beautiful arc through the air as she ran toward the Saintess Hall without looking back.

All she left behind was a faintly trembling silhouette that vanished at the end of the corridor.

Zhao Linchuan stood where he was, his fingertips slowly brushing over the lingering softness and faint salty tang on his lips.

He gazed in the direction Bibi Dong had disappeared, his eyes as deep as an abyss. All traces of his usual flippancy had faded away, leaving only a rock-solid determination and boundless sharpness gathering in his gaze.

"I will definitely return."

"When that day comes, the skies over Spirit Hall... will surely change because of me!"

His silent vow quietly echoed above Spirit City, where the lingering might of the thunder had finally faded.

Inside the Pope's Palace, Chong Yue respectfully reported, "His Holiness the Pope, Zhao Linchuan has finished procuring the supplies he needed and has left Spirit City."

"Mm..." Qian Xunji's gaze fell upon Chong Yue. "What did he take with him?"

"This..." Chong Yue hesitated, seemingly wanting to speak but holding back.

"Speak freely," Qian Xunji said flatly.

"Your Holiness, that boy... took two Thousand Year Soul Bones, along with some... miscellaneous items..." Chong Yue carefully chose his words.

Ye Hai sneered from the side. "Miscellaneous items? What exactly were they?"

Chong Yue reported truthfully, "A 'Ruyi Hundred Treasures Pouch' capable of holding living creatures, a large amount of durable Spirit Beast leather, heavy iron chains forged from refined steel, high-quality ironwood, and... all kinds of medicines."

He paused, lowering his voice. "Among them were quite a few... medicines with extremely insidious and vile effects."

"He even cleared out nearly all the quicklime powder in the general storage!"

"Hahaha!" Ye Hai could not help bursting into mocking laughter, full of contempt. "What is he trying to do? Open a general store? Or play house like a child?"

"Lime and lowly drugs—does he plan to go around tripping people up?"

A cold smile curled Qian Xunji's lips. "No need to concern ourselves with him. Let him fuss about as he pleases."

"Your Holiness." A cold glint flashed through Ye Hai's eyes as he made a throat-slitting gesture. "Should this subordinate..."

"No need." Qian Xunji interrupted him, calculation gleaming in his eyes. "There is no need for us to dirty our own hands over this."

"Doesn't that Gu Rong most enjoy secretly snuffing out talented geniuses?"

"Go spread the news. Say that Zhao Linchuan has accepted the Saintess's warm invitation and is currently a guest at Spirit Hall."

Ye Hai instantly understood, a sinister smile appearing on his face. "This subordinate understands!"

"Once that boy dies to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's schemes, we will 'grieve bitterly' and announce his status as a Saint Child candidate, cementing Gu Rong's crime of ambushing and killing Spirit Hall's Saint Child!"

"Brilliant! Your Holiness's plan is truly brilliant!"

Chong Yue, however, frowned slightly, with a trace of concern in his voice. "Your Holiness, what if he... what if he truly persuades the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and gets them to sign that Treaty of Humiliation you gave him?"

"Then let him brave the City of Slaughter." Qian Xunji did not even raise his eyelids, as though he were merely sending someone to an ordinary trial ground.

Ye Hai and Chong Yue both sucked in a sharp breath upon hearing this!

The City of Slaughter was a true deathtrap, a place where survival was almost impossible!

Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Chong Yue pressed on. "Your Holiness... what if he... what if he truly makes it through the City of Slaughter?"

Given the monstrous strength and disposition Zhao Linchuan had displayed, it was not impossible!

Qian Xunji finally raised his eyes, a cruel smile flitting across them. "Then, while he has just emerged, with killing intent running wild and his mind unstable, unable to control himself, arrange a few... hm, 'experienced' women for him."

"Help him 'pass on' his martial soul bloodline." His fingers lightly tapped the armrest of his throne, his voice carrying a chilling calm. "Then let him... die 'comfortably' on a woman's belly."

"Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!" Fanatical light erupted in Ye Hai's eyes as he praised excitedly. "That way, we can completely crush that girl Bibi Dong's hopes and make her wholeheartedly loyal, while also adding a powerful martial soul with limitless potential to Spirit Hall!"

"Killing two birds with one stone! Your Holiness is wise! This plan is truly unfathomable!"

Amid the three men's cold calculations and praise, Zhao Linchuan had already ridden his Sword, transforming into a streak of azure light as he tore through the sky toward the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

His foremost goal was to complete Qian Xunji's seemingly "impossible" task, leaving behind no leverage and clearing the way for his future plans within Spirit Hall.

One day later, deep within a deserted mountain range inside the Heaven Dou Empire.

Zhao Linchuan selected a mountain peak with broad visibility and relatively elevated terrain.

He took out the durable Spirit Beast leather and high-quality ironwood he had purchased. His hands moved swiftly, his motions practiced and precise.

Before long, twelve enormous Specialized Kites with sturdy structures were completed.

Their frames were supported by ironwood, and their specially made coverings would not be easily pierced by lightning.

He took out heavy refined-steel chains and carefully secured each kite tightly.

"Up!" Zhao Linchuan shouted, azure Soul Power surging from both hands as he slammed them against the ground.

A powerful updraft was triggered by his Soul Power, carrying the twelve massive kites soaring into the sky with a howl!

With one hand, he gripped the thick main chain that gathered the ends of all twelve iron chains, while with the other, he effortlessly held up a massive boulder the size of a house.

Azure Light flashed, and he shot upwards with the boulder and kites, ascending straight into the sky ten thousand meters above!

In the stratosphere, where fierce winds howled and the air was thin, Zhao Linchuan steadily suspended the boulder and firmly secured it with the refined-steel main chain.

The twelve enormous kites spread out beneath it like twelve silent giant birds, their iron chains gleaming with a cold metallic sheen beneath the sunlight.

"The airflow here is stable. The Lightning Conductor won't drift around." Zhao Linchuan looked at his masterpiece with satisfaction, the corner of his lips lifting slightly. "Next, all I need to do is wait for a... sufficiently violent thunderstorm feast."

He turned, transformed into an azure streak of light, and flew toward the nearby Heaven Dou City, intending to find somewhere to stay and await the right moment.