"Dong'er, it's settled. Go ahead and do what you need to do. I've got everything covered," Nan Xuan said to Bibi Dong.
"Mm. Thank you, Xiao Xuan," Bibi Dong said gratefully from a room within Spirit Hall.
After chatting briefly, the two ended the connection.
Spirit Hall, Qian Xunji's secret chamber.
"Qian Xunji, this was where you tried to violate me back then. Today will be the day you die," Bibi Dong said bitterly as she looked at the heavily wounded Qian Xunji lying on the bed.
After being severely injured, Qian Xunji had not wanted anyone to know that three of them had failed to defeat one person, so he had chosen this place to recuperate. But he had never imagined that Bibi Dong would appear here.
Qian Xunji had awakened the moment Bibi Dong approached him. He was truly afraid. Facing someone he had nearly harmed in the past, he was no match for her in his current wounded state.
"Oh, Teacher, since you're awake, that makes things easier," Bibi Dong said with a playful smile.
What Qian Xunji saw now was not a smile, but a grim reaper coming to claim his life.
Bibi Dong did not waste any more words on him. She directly summoned her martial souls: the Death Spider Emperor and the Soul-Eater Spider Emperor.
The Death Spider Emperor martial soul spat out a mass of webbing that wrapped around Qian Xunji, then slowly devoured him.
"Ah! No! No, please spare me!"
Bibi Dong paid no attention whatsoever to Qian Xunji's pleas.
Seeing that she had no intention of stopping, Qian Xunji could only place his last hope in his father, Qian Daoliu, who was in Douluo Hall.
"Stop hoping. He won't come, because you're not worth it." After saying that, Bibi Dong switched martial souls.
The Soul-Eater Spider Emperor devoured his soul, along with his memories.
"Someone like you truly deserved to die." After devouring all his memories, Bibi Dong gave him her final judgment.
Bibi Dong pushed open the secret chamber's door and took a deep breath. The matter she had suppressed for so many years had finally been resolved, and she felt relieved.
After adjusting her state of mind, Bibi Dong headed for Pope Palace.
Inside Pope Palace, Qian Daoliu had sent a Title Douluo, who announced to everyone below, "We have just received word that Pope Qian Xunji suffered severe injuries after battling Tang Hao and has succumbed to his wounds."
As soon as the Title Douluo from Douluo Hall finished speaking, the entirety of Pope Palace erupted into chaos.
"Silence. Furthermore, by order of the Grand Consecrator, the current Saintess of Spirit Hall and Pope Qian Xunji's sole disciple, Bibi Dong, shall inherit the position of Pope."
After delivering the decree, the Title Douluo from Douluo Hall left immediately. He had no desire to stay here and deal with a pile of trouble.
Once the decree had been read, Bibi Dong sat upon the papal throne, crowned and holding a scepter. An aura belonging to an empress spread outward.
Looking at the still disorderly crowd below, Bibi Dong released her Soul Power.
"This is Soul Power pressure that only those above level 90 possess. If I'm not mistaken, she's only twenty-four years old," a Soul Sage said in shock.
The two Title Douluo, Ju and Gui, exchanged a glance, then knelt on one knee and respectfully called out to Bibi Dong, "We are willing to pledge our loyalty to Your Holiness the Pope."
With two Title Douluo taking the lead, the others below naturally could no longer hesitate.
"We are willing to pledge our loyalty to Your Holiness the Pope."
Bibi Dong smiled faintly at the sight.
After handling some matters here, Bibi Dong went to see Qian Renxue, the daughter of her enemy. Yet after being influenced by Nan Xuan's values, she no longer cared about such things.
"You're Xue'er, right?" Bibi Dong asked gently as she crouched before the golden-haired girl.
Qian Renxue did not answer. She already knew her father was gone. Her mother had died before, and now her father was gone too. At only seven years old, she felt utterly helpless, and her eyes were red from crying.
Bibi Dong gathered her into her arms, then stood and headed toward Momo Treasure Appraisal House in the northern part of the city.
"Where are you taking me?" Qian Renxue knew this person would not dare harm her, but she still did not dare casually follow someone else.
"I'm taking you outside to look around and meet a strange person," Bibi Dong said with a smile.
"All right, then. With Grandpa around, you wouldn't dare do anything to me anyway, would you?" Qian Renxue said to Bibi Dong with a hint of childish pride, completely unconcerned for her safety in Spirit City.
Bibi Dong merely smiled and said nothing.
Qian Daoliu, watching from afar, felt rather embarrassed. He had been unable to see through the girl's lover before, and now he could not quite see through the girl herself either. Xue'er, I hope you behave yourself. Otherwise, Grandpa truly won't be able to protect you.
Spirit City, northern district.
Bibi Dong carried Qian Renxue to Nan Xuan's Momo Treasure Appraisal House.
"Huh? Why did we come here?" Qian Renxue asked Bibi Dong in confusion as she looked at the recruitment notice above the door.
"Oh? Xue'er knows this place?" Bibi Dong was rather surprised. Nan Xuan had not operated this place for seven years, so how could seven-year-old Qian Renxue possibly know it?
"Of course. The people outside said the owner here is very mysterious, and that he's some kind of representative of the Network World in Spirit City." Qian Renxue smiled as if that were obvious.
Just as she finished speaking, the door opened.
"You little girl, you even know about the Network World? Don't tell me you already have your own account?" Nan Xuan pushed open the door and smiled at Qian Renxue, who was only as tall as his leg.
"Of course I do. When I was six, my father bought me a custom account card. It even has my martial soul pattern on it." Qian Renxue looked at Nan Xuan with a proud expression.
Nan Xuan smiled, then looked toward Bibi Dong and gestured for them to come inside.
The three went up to the second floor. Nan Xuan poured Bibi Dong a drink and poured Qian Renxue a glass of milk.
"You still haven't told me why you brought me here. The strange person you mentioned isn't him, is it?" Qian Renxue did not know Bibi Dong's name, nor did she know what to call her, so she could only indicate Nan Xuan with her eyes.
"Am I strange? How did I not know that?" Nan Xuan asked with a smile as he sat down.
"I brought you here to help you relax. I was your father's only student, and I've now inherited your father's position as Pope. As for him, I brought you here so you could get acquainted with him. Your grandfather has already agreed to let me take you as my disciple, so he is your grandmaster," Bibi Dong said to Qian Renxue with a smile.
Qian Renxue held her cup of milk in both hands and lowered her head.
"What? Do you think she's a bad person? That she stole everything that belonged to your father?" Nan Xuan asked jokingly.
Bibi Dong was a little worried when Nan Xuan said it so directly, fearing the situation would get out of control. But she had not expected Qian Renxue to say this.
"No. I know Father went to capture Tang Hao, one of the Haotian Twin Stars, and his soul beast wife. And Father was also killed by them..." As Qian Renxue spoke, her eyes welled with tears.
Seeing this, Bibi Dong hurriedly pulled her into her embrace.
"Xue'er, do you want to see your father one more time?" Nan Xuan asked with a smile, stroking Qian Renxue's head.
"Really?" Qian Renxue asked tremblingly.
"Of course it's real. If you don't believe me, we can go right now." Nan Xuan used a soul skill to pull the two of them into the Network World.
"You can forcibly pull us into the Network World... Could you be the God of the Network?" Qian Renxue covered her mouth in shock and whispered, as though she had already forgotten why she had come here.
"Shh. This is a secret between us. You can't tell anyone else, all right?" Nan Xuan needed to earn Qian Renxue's trust, so he had to give her something special.
"Not even Grandpa?" Qian Renxue asked weakly.
"Mm, not for now at least. Maybe when you become a Title Douluo, you can tell him." Nan Xuan lightly tapped Qian Renxue's little nose, comforting her.
"I'm level twenty-four now. If I gain a level every year..." Qian Renxue calculated thoughtfully.
Seeing such an adorable Qian Renxue, Bibi Dong could not help feeling sorry for her. It was all that beast of a father's fault. Otherwise, she would not have ended up like this.
"All right, stop calculating. Look who that is up ahead." Nan Xuan interrupted Qian Renxue's plans and pointed at a light screen before them.
Qian Renxue looked in the direction Nan Xuan pointed, and her eyes immediately turned red.
"Father, I miss you so much!" Qian Renxue shouted toward the light screen, then ran over.
As Qian Renxue embraced it, the light screen dispersed, revealing Qian Xunji's appearance.
"Qian Xunji" did not speak. He simply picked Qian Renxue up and smiled.
Not long after Qian Renxue had told him everything, "Qian Xunji" dissipated.
"Grandmaster, can you let me stay with Father a little longer?" Qian Renxue pleaded to Nan Xuan with hopeful eyes.
Looking at Qian Renxue, Bibi Dong said softly, "Xue'er, a fake will always be fake. He has already left you, and naturally, he would want you to live every day happily rather than live amid endless longing for him."
Qian Renxue nodded, seeming to understand but not fully.
Nan Xuan shook his head with a smile. With a wave of his hand, the three arrived in the Spirit City area of the Network World.
"Xue'er, look. Isn't your father in first place on the Male God Ranking List? And there are so many people below mourning him." Nan Xuan pointed to Qian Xunji's stunning portrait on the enormous display screen. Its only flaw was that it had become a black-and-white photo.
"Pfft." Bibi Dong had tried her hardest to hold back her laughter, but she truly could not contain it.
Fortunately, Qian Renxue's attention was not on her at the moment.
Qian Renxue stared blankly at the avatar her father had once used in the Face-Sculpting Competition, now turned black and white. She initially felt that something was off, but her father really had passed away. Still, why did she continue to feel that something was not right?
Seeing Qian Renxue's bewildered expression, Nan Xuan was holding back laughter inside. Fortunately, he was practiced at it and did not laugh aloud.
"Ahem. Xue'er, if you miss your father in the future, you can come here to see him." Nan Xuan composed himself and said to Qian Renxue.
"Mm, thank you, Grandmaster." Qian Renxue was deeply grateful for everything Nan Xuan had done for her. She had already seen her father one last time, so she had no regrets.
"Since that's settled, let's head back first," Bibi Dong said to the two of them.
With a wave of Nan Xuan's hand, they returned to Momo Treasure Appraisal House.
"I never thought Grandmaster was actually the God of the Network. You're really amazing!" Qian Renxue praised Nan Xuan innocently.
Nan Xuan stroked Qian Renxue's head and said with a smile, "You'll become a god someday too. Remember to cultivate properly with your teacher. If your cultivation results are good enough, I'll arrange a special gift for you in the future."
"Really? Then I'll definitely cultivate hard, hehe." Qian Renxue hugged Bibi Dong's leg and said with a smile.
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