So Good at Reading People
"You little brat! You fucking--" Zhao Wuji's angry curse was interrupted by an even more surging toxin, and his body stiffened.
At that moment, in extreme pain and despair, Yu Xiaogang subconsciously released his non-aggressive Martial Soul, Luo Sanpao.
A foul stench instantly filled the air as Luo Sanpao's "Hypnotic Fart" spread throughout the cramped dungeon.
The scent had almost no effect on Tang San, whose will was strong and who was protected by the Mysterious Heaven Skill. Instead, it became the last straw that broke Zhao Wuji's back. Zhao Wuji, who was already close to breaking free from the poison's restraints, was suddenly hit by this hypnotic gas, and his consciousness became dizzy, his resistance greatly reduced. The poison of the Man Faced Demon Spider quickly spread throughout his body, and its sharp spider legs ruthlessly pinned him to the wall, completely destroying his last struggle.
Zhao Wuji's burly body trembled violently a few times before collapsing weakly, only able to gasp for breath. He felt his vast blood and Soul Power being frantically drained away as if a dam had burst. The anger and disbelief in his eyes were eventually replaced by a deathly silence.
Tang San's expression was indifferent. He accelerated the circulation of his Mysterious Heaven Skill, guiding the two energies that had been devoured into himself.
One was a faint but unsettling pure light power, while the other was vast and wild. The dark light on the Eight Spider Lances Tang San erratically, like a satiated demon, its surface glowing ever deeper, while the two pierced bodies withered away at a visible speed.
In just a dozen breaths, the former Yu Xiaogang and Immovable Wisdom King had been completely transformed into two horribly withered, skin-covered-bones mummy hanging on the Eight Spider Lances, one large and one small, swaying slightly in the darkness.
Tang San slowly retracted his Eight Spider Lances, his shriveled corpse falling limply to the ground with a soft thud like dry firewood hitting the ground. He quietly felt the significantly increased Soul Power and renewed vitality within his body, his eyes unfathomable under the purple light, without the slightest ripple, as if he had only done something insignificant.
The dungeon fell silent again, with only a faint stench of blood and the lingering stench of Luo Sanpao mingling together, permeating the suffocating darkness.
The Rakshasa God watched this scene with satisfaction, nodded, and then descended to Rakshasa God's Trial.
The First Trial of the Rakshasa God's Trial was to kill his master and devour the bloodline of the Holy Light Dragon within Yu Xiaogang.
Completed!
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In the dead of night, the only sound in the empty corridors of the Spirit Hall was the chaotic and hurried footsteps of one person. Bibi Dong was almost staggering as she ran, her robes billowing in the wind. Her usually composed face was now distorted in a frightening way, and her beautiful eyes were filled with broken madness and incredulous panic.
She flung open the heavy iron door of the dungeon like a gust of wind, and a strong stench of blood and a lingering, nauseating odor rushed out. The guards, seemingly already under orders, silently made way, their eyes lowered, but beneath that respect lay a cold indifference.
Bibi Dong's gaze instantly became fixed on the withered, twisted, and almost unrecognizable corpse in the corner of the cell.
Those tattered clothes, those barely discernible outlines... were like a red-hot iron, branding her retina with intense pain, causing Bibi Dong unbearable agony, and she even wished that what she was seeing was just her own hallucination.
"Ugh..." A suppressed sob escaped her throat, as if all her strength had been drained away in an instant. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed heavily onto the cold, dirty ground.
"Xiaogang... brother?"
Her voice trembled as she called out the nickname she used when she was young and passionately in love.
He reached out, seemingly wanting to touch it, but then abruptly stopped a few inches from the withered corpse, as if afraid that his touch would shatter it further.
How could this be... how could this happen?
He was fine during the day... no, he was just locked up here, but she never imagined it would end like this! She thought it was only temporary, that she still had a choice...
But the corpse before her, in the most cruel and humiliating way, proclaimed how ridiculous all her wishful thinking and self-righteousness were!
"Ah--!!!"
A piercing scream, so sharp it was almost inhuman, suddenly erupted, shattering the deathly silence of the dungeon. Bibi Dong curled up, her shoulders trembling violently, and she could no longer suppress her devastating sobs.
At that moment, her mind went completely blank; all that remained in her world was that withered corpse and utter despair.
Therefore, she didn't even notice the cold and scrutinizing gazes cast upon her by the Spirit Hall subordinates behind her.
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Why?
Why did Xiaogang die?!
Who is it?!
This thought, like a venomous snake, suddenly burrowed into Bibi Dong's chaotic mind, instantly igniting all her crazy and twisted hatred!
The sharp, mournful sound abruptly stopped.
Bibi Dong suddenly raised her head, her tear-streaked face fiercely scanning everyone around her.
"Who killed Brother Xiaogang?!" Her voice was shrill and piercing, filled with overwhelming anger and suspicion. "Was it you?! Did you do it?!"
She didn't even consider the obvious signs on Yu Xiaogang's body that he had been devoured by some God of Evil Soul Skill or Soul Bone. At this moment, she didn't need logic or evidence.
A woman driven to utter madness is utterly irrational.
Or rather, in her subconscious, regardless of who the direct murderer was, the Spirit Hall, which imprisoned Yu Xiaogang in this dungeon and sent him to the murderer, was an accomplice in his death!
However, she wasn't wrong; Qian Xunji did indeed do it on purpose.
Chapter 225 Understanding People's Hearts Too Well
Just as Bibi Dong was holding Yu Xiaogang's withered corpse, her mental world completely torn apart and overwhelmed by boundless pain, despair, and insane hatred, an invisible yet incomparably pleasurable consciousness quietly touched the depths of her violently trembling soul.
In the distant Divine Realm, the true form of the Rakshasa God leaned lazily against her throne, a vessel formed from countless resentments and despair. Her crimson eyes gleamed slightly as she "observed" with interest the tiny yet astonishingly powerful human soul in the lower realm.
"Oh?" A soft hum, filled with pure surprise followed by a surge of intense interest, rang out.
Rakshasa God clearly sensed that the wave of negative energy erupting from Bibi Dong's soul—its purity, its concentration, its extreme hatred and pain that almost led to self-destruction—far surpassed that of the boy named Tang San who had cruelly murdered his master and provided her with some amusement!
This is simply... unbelievable.
That man named Yu Xiaogang, a mere level 29 Soul Grandmaster, was cowardly, incompetent, and indecisive; in the eyes of someone like her, he was no different from an ant. His death, however, could actually generate such... delicious nourishment?
"The death of Yu Xiaogang... the impact is actually this big?" Rakshasa God murmured, his tone filled not with pity, but with the surprise and amusement of someone who had discovered a rare treasure.
She savored the torrent of energy emanating from the lower realm: it was a love that had been forcibly suppressed for years and then completely spiraled out of control; it was the extreme pain of unrequited love; it was the madness of witnessing a beloved die in the most tragic way; and the destructive urge that followed, enough to incinerate everything...
"Truly..." The Rakshasa God's lips curled into an uncontrollable, cruel yet pleasurable arc, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "... Fantastic!"
Her divine duty is to govern all negative emotions and behaviors in the world, such as evil thoughts, resentment, betrayal, and killing. Regardless of whether Bibi Dong is her chosen successor, simply being able to witness such a grand tragedy of extreme distortion is enough to give her supreme enjoyment.
She never hid her preferences, which was completely different from that of the Asura God always touted order and judgment but was actually just as cold and ruthless.
"Hypocrite." Rakshasa God thought disdainfully of her old rival, then turned all her attention back to Bibi Dong. She watched as that hatred eroded Bibi Dong's last shred of reason, how it pushed her into deeper darkness, and how it paved a bloody path for her to the position of Rakshasa God Position.
"Hate, suffer, go mad..." The Rakshasa God's divine will, like the sweetest poison, silently seeped into the depths of Bibi Dong's consciousness. It wasn't manipulation, but encouragement, a catalyst. "That's it... such pure power... this is the most suitable aptitude for my Rakshasa God Position!"
She rejoiced in witnessing this painful blossoming and anticipated that it would bear even more twisted and destructive fruit. The more Bibi Dong suffered and hated, the higher her compatibility with the Rakshasa God Position became.
For her, this was undoubtedly a... wonderful drama. And now, she was the most satisfied audience member and... driving force in this drama.
certainly...
The Rakshasa God could simultaneously curse the Asura God for being hypocritical while taking in Tang San, an Asura God who had smuggled himself from another world.
I don't know what the Asura God did. Previously, Tang San had a surge of fortune, vaguely showing signs of becoming the chosen one of this world, but his fortune rapidly dissipated along the way...
Normally, a soul from another world would be lucky enough not to be rejected by the consciousness of that plane, let alone become a chosen one.
As the God of Law Enforcement, it was already abnormal for the God of Asura God to allow a soul from another world to enter Douluo Star. The Rakshasa God felt that the guy Asura must have a secret.
However, judging from the way he's throwing Tang San at him now, it's clear he's failed.
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Bibi Dong went mad, Qian Xunji didn't bother to pay any attention to her from beginning to end.
This whole affair was a setup for Bibi Dong.
Qian Xunji never truly trusted Bibi Dong, who had betrayed him.
Unless she can completely let go of Yu Xiaogang, she will only be trapped in this situation.
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The truth was laid bare before Bibi Dong. When she learned that the one who killed Yu Xiaogang was none other than Tang San, Yu Xiaogang's disciple whom she had never taken seriously, the shattered madness in Bibi Dong's eyes instantly coalesced.
She has a good memory and still remembers the child that Yu Xiaogang brought with him when he came to Spirit City to find her.
It was no longer a aimless spread, but rather a specific, clear, and deeply hated target.
"Tang San, that treacherous and ungrateful beast!!!"
Bibi Dong practically gritted her teeth as she uttered the name, each word dripping with deep-seated resentment. Yu Xiaogang, who had so carefully protected and mentored his disciple, had ultimately ended his life in such a cruel God of Evil way! This betrayal was a hundred times more painful than any stranger's murder!
The long-suppressed despair, pain, self-blame, and unvented rage finally found an outlet. All the negative emotions, like rivers flowing into the sea, transformed into a burning killing intent towards Tang San, a desire to incinerate him to ashes!
Bibi Dong turned around abruptly, not even having time to straighten her disheveled robes and red, tear-stained eyes, and rushed straight towards the Pope Palace.
With a loud bang, she practically abandoned all manners, slamming open the palace doors and walking straight to Qian Xunji, who sat on the throne. The deliberate respect and aloofness she usually maintained vanished, leaving only the most direct and frantic demands of a woman completely consumed by hatred.
"Your His Holiness the Pope!" Her voice trembled slightly with excitement and hatred. "The villain who murdered Yu Xiaogang and desecrated the dignity of my Spirit Hall has been identified! It is Tang San, the Fallen Soul Master! This fiend is already a human-beast hybrid, violating human ethics, and now his crimes are even more heinous, arousing the wrath of both gods and men! I beg Your Majesty to allow me to go there personally, and I will surely capture and kill this bastard!"
Bibi Dong knelt on one knee, her head held high, her eyes burning with an almost obsessive flame—a resolute determination to achieve her goal.
Qian Xunji looked down at the disheveled and frantic woman below.
Qian Xunji's voice now carried the unique majesty of Pope, along with a hint of sacred indifference. "I am aware of it. Tang San is a vicious and wicked boy who has fallen into evil ways, harming his teachers and elders. He is a disgrace to the Soul Master World. His actions are intolerable to Heaven."
Qian Xunji's gaze fell on Bibi Dong, his bright golden eyes now possessing an inhuman quality. He tilted his head and continued, "Since you have volunteered, I, the Pope, will grant your request. I order you to personally lead the team, sparing no effort, to hunt down the Fallen Soul Master Tang San, regardless of life or death, and to completely eliminate this scourge as a warning to others!"
"Thank you, Your His Holiness the Pope!" Bibi Dong said heavily, each word seemingly squeezed out from between her teeth.
After bowing, she turned and left, her eyes filled with nothing but hatred, a cold and hard killing intent.
She could finally vent the pain that was tearing her apart, in a legitimate way.
And the target is only one— Tang San!
She wanted to repay that boy a thousand times, ten thousand times, for all the pain he had inflicted on Xiao Gang!
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This matter was also presented to the Worship Hall and placed before Qian Daoliu.
This Peerless Douluo, invincible in the sky and once the Sea God the Spirit Hall, finished reading all the reports and remained silent for a long, long time. The only sounds in the hall were the soft tapping of his fingertips on the table and a long, complex sigh.
"I still remember..." Qian Daoliu's voice was low, carrying a hint of distant reminiscence, "Bibi Dong, how she looked when she first came to the Spirit Hall. A little girl, timid, hiding behind Xun Ji, with big eyes, looking at everything with a mix of fear and curiosity."
Qian Daoliu's gaze seemed to pierce through time and space, seeing the lonely and helpless girl who was brought back to the Spirit Hall many years ago. She was special, ever since then. She was personally adopted by Pope Qian Xunji, who gave her the best resources, the highest status, and even defied public opinion to exceptionally confer upon her the title of Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall, bestowing upon her boundless honor.
"This is a child that my Spirit Hall... raised from a baby." Qian Daoliu's tone was heavy with indescribable sorrow and a hint of barely perceptible heartache.
He just couldn't understand it.
Why? Why is it that this Holy Maiden, whom they poured countless efforts into nurturing and who was destined to inherit the Spirit Hall Spirit Hall lead it to a brighter future, is still obsessed with that good-for-nothing named Yu Xiaogang? She gave up her position as Holy Maiden for him, and has even gone to this point of madness?
A mere Soul Grandmaster, stuck at level 29 his entire life, unable to break through, a self-deceiving charlatan spouting empty theories! What's so great about him? What makes him worthy of being the pearl carefully nurtured by the Spirit Hall? What exactly did Bibi Dong see in him? Talent? Potential? Or just that laughable and pathetic pride?
Qian Daoliu once thought that it was his son, Qian Xunji, who did not understand people's hearts and whose methods were too violent and brutal, that pushed Bibi Dong further and further away, forcing her to become twisted in her heart, and making her even more obsessive and resentful about that old love.
But now, looking at the records in the dossier showing Bibi Dong's complete breakdown due to Yu Xiaogang's death and her frantic request to hunt down Tang San, Qian Daoliu suddenly understood.
How could his own son not understand human nature?