Nan Feng, whom Bibi Dong had knocked unconscious with a slap, slept it off. When he woke, Hu Liena hurried over to tell him about the Elder Hall's latest decision: the Saintess would inherit the Pope's position, and Spirit Hall had declared war on the Clear Sky Sect.
"Woohoo!"
"The good times are finally here!"
At last, Nan Feng could walk through Saintess Hall in human form.
Bibi Dong wouldn't kill him. Nan Feng had been sure of that for a long time.
Feelings could be erased and cultivated. For three years in Slaughter City, he'd stayed by Bibi Dong's side, caring for her every need. On top of that, they'd spent three years playing little games in their dreams. By now, he'd nearly erased her feelings for Yu Xiaogang.
Her earlier outburst was simply a normal reaction to having her lies exposed.
But it would've been a joke to say Bibi Dong hadn't noticed anything before.
She knew, but didn't want to admit it. It was just like her feelings for Yu Xiaogang: she knew she'd loved the wrong person, but refused to acknowledge it. Instead, she doubled down. Stubborn, domineering people had that sort of flaw.
Even when they were wrong, they just kept going.
At least someone who wouldn't turn back until they hit a wall still had a chance to change course. But Bibi Dong was the kind who'd rather smash headfirst into it than turn back!
Even now, Bibi Dong still harbored expectations of Yu Xiaogang. But that wasn't because she loved him. It was because she couldn't bring herself to deny her past.
Put simply, Bibi Dong didn't want to admit she'd been blind.
She was stubborn to the bitter end.
Being wrong was one thing. Whether you admitted it was another.
It was like college students who'd coasted through four years, joined the ranks of the unemployed, and then complained that jobs were hard to find. "So what if I can't do anything? Is that my fault? The school never taught me!"
"How can other people do it? Who cares if they can?"
"What are you here for again?"
Bibi Dong was getting ready for the afternoon's Coronation Ceremony when she spotted Nan Feng peeking around the doorway. She looked annoyed.
"Am I not allowed to come?" Nan Feng walked in as if no one else were there.
The maids who were helping Bibi Dong with her makeup and hair promptly left.
They had no idea where the man in front of them had come from, but judging from the new Pope's attitude, the two knew each other.
The relationship between the Pope and some strange man was none of their business.
"Your makeup looks awful," Nan Feng remarked.
Bibi Dong's expression darkened. "If you're so good at it, do it yourself!"
"I can't." Nan Feng spread his hands and flopped down in a nearby chair.
"Then keep your mouth shut." Bibi Dong scowled and began arranging her hair ornaments herself.
"You look better without makeup. You're naturally beautiful. Why pile on all this unnecessary stuff?" Nan Feng asked, baffled.
Thanks to Soul Power, people on Douluo Continent were rarely ugly.
Female Soul Masters in particular had such good skin that the beauty industry never stood a chance.
"It's the rules." The compliment improved Bibi Dong's mood, but she still didn't give Nan Feng a friendly look.
"Different occasions call for different makeup. There are strict standards for all of it."
"So you paint yourself up like this so nobody will have a crush on you?" Nan Feng said.
Bibi Dong's eye twitched. "Keep running your mouth, and I'll put you to sleep for another two days."
"Fine, fine. I'll stop." Nan Feng shrugged.
"Then, if I may ask, beautiful Pope, what do you plan to do with me?"
"Do with you?" Bibi Dong glanced at Nan Feng.
"What do you want me to do with you?"
"At least give me an Honorary Elder position," Nan Feng said.
"Or Honorary Pope. I'm not picky."
Bibi Dong gave him a speechless look. "Have you lost your mind, or are you still asleep?"
The Elder Hall had to vote on a proposal to appoint an Honorary Elder. It wasn't up to her to give the position to whomever she pleased. Spirit Hall was the authority of the Spirit Master World. She couldn't just do as she liked.
She'd only just taken the throne, and hardly any of the elders even paid attention to her. Until they saw what she could do, they wouldn't be quick to take sides. In fact, quite a few were already thinking of taking advantage of the fact that she hadn't truly taken power yet to secure more benefits for their families.
Qian Daoliu had merely placed her on the Pope's throne. That old man wouldn't care what she managed to accomplish from there.
"What do you mean? You're not going to give me anything?" Nan Feng looked bewildered.
"I'm your little lover! I can't even be an Honorary Elder?"
Bibi Dong's eye twitched.
What the hell did he mean, little lover?!
"I don't have that much authority yet. Keeping you around is no problem, but if you want an Honorary Elder title, you'll have to earn some achievements yourself—something the Titled Douluo elders in the Elder Hall can't argue with. Otherwise..." Bibi Dong stood up and turned to glance at her own back.
"You'd better settle for being my pretty boy."
"Achievements?" Nan Feng paused.
"What kind?"
"Being a theoretical master?"
Bibi Dong's face darkened. "My patience has limits!"
Damn it! Did he have to rub salt in the wound?
"What else can I do?" Nan Feng asked innocently.
"Come on, I'm just a Level 40 Soul Ancestor."
After a year of seclusion, and fully absorbing the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent Inner Core, he'd gone straight from Level 30 to Level 40. He'd finally unlocked the Dog Talisman he'd been dreaming about, but he was still a long way from becoming a Level 90 Titled Douluo.
"Spirit Hall is preparing to attack the Clear Sky Sect and avenge the Pope. If you've got the guts, go to the front lines and see if you can earn some merit," Bibi Dong said casually.
"The front lines?" Nan Feng pondered.
"If I kill two Clear Sky Sect elders, could I get an Honorary Elder position?"
Bibi Dong's eye twitched. "The Clear Sky Sect elders are all Soul Douluo, and the kind who can trade blows with Titled Douluo. Forget you—even a Titled Douluo couldn't guarantee a clean kill."
A Titled Douluo would certainly beat a Soul Douluo, but winning a fight and killing someone were two different things.
If they couldn't win, couldn't they run?
And when the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul was pushed to its limits, its destructive power was no joke!
A Soul Douluo with the Clear Sky Hammer who was willing to die could absolutely take a lower-level Titled Douluo down with him!
The incident with Tang Hao had happened while she was still in Slaughter City. The Titled Douluo who'd gone to hunt him down had been struck so hard that his leg was broken, and the Clear Sky Sect's Old Sect Master had been angered to death. Qian Xunji had wanted to start a war with the Clear Sky Sect then and there, at least to cripple the sect.
But when the Titled Douluo elders in the Elder Hall saw that veteran Titled Douluo with his broken leg, they all said the time wasn't right.
Put simply, nobody wanted to risk their life.
What if they ran into someone who didn't care about dying?
The Clear Sky Sect might no longer be the greatest sect in the world, but its Martial Soul was still formidable.
Nobody wanted to take on the Clear Sky Hammer head-on.
Before you continue