Bibi Dong: Something Wasn't Right... Something Wasn't Right

"I said, I'm—not—going! Are you deaf?!"

The words exploded through the hall like a thunderclap!

Not only was Bibi Dong on the throne stunned, even the attendants standing in the corners of the hall, staring at their noses and keeping their thoughts to themselves, turned pale in horror. They instinctively held their breath, wishing they could vanish on the spot!

"You—!"

Bibi Dong shot to her feet from the throne, her fingers tightening around her scepter until it creaked, her knuckles turning white from the force.

Boundless fury instantly crushed the last shred of her reason!

Not only had Qian Renxue refused, she actually dared speak to her like that?!

An exceptionally eerie violet light flashed through her eyes, as though something evil and violent had been ignited in an instant!

"Boom—!!"

A terrifying Soul Power pressure erupted from Bibi Dong like a volcano, sweeping out without restraint!

The dreadful aura of a Title Douluo filled every corner of the hall!

Qian Renxue bore the brunt of it. She was merely a Soul Ancestor—how could she withstand such might?

She let out a muffled groan, as if struck by an invisible giant hammer. Her petite body was instantly blasted off the ground and sent flying backward before crashing heavily onto the smooth, icy floor.

The attendants in the corners fared even worse. Their legs gave way beneath the dreadful pressure, and they all dropped to their knees with a "thud," faces deathly pale and bodies trembling. None of them dared raise their heads.

Bibi Dong looked down from above at Qian Renxue, sprawled on the floor with blood at the corner of her lips yet still stubbornly raising her head to look at her. There was not a trace of pity in Bibi Dong's heart—only the fury of being defied and a twisted sense of pleasure.

She sneered, her voice like the freezing wind of the abyss.

"Very good! You little bitch, you dared scorn the Pope and defy my decree. Your crime... deserves death!"

Her figure flickered, vanishing from the throne. In the next moment, she appeared before Qian Renxue, a hand wrapped in Soul Power ruthlessly reaching for Qian Renxue's slender throat!

She moved as fast as lightning, her attack vicious and absolute. She truly intended to take Qian Renxue's life!

Qian Renxue's pupils shrank sharply as the shadow of death descended upon her!

That hand was about to touch her throat.

"Buzz—!!"

A dazzling, incomparably sacred golden light appeared out of nowhere, blocking the space before Qian Renxue!

"Bang!"

Bibi Dong's palm slammed hard against the golden barrier, producing a muffled boom.

The barrier did not budge. Instead, it erupted with a gentle yet irresistible rebounding force, forcibly knocking Bibi Dong back several meters!

The golden light faded, revealing a tall white figure standing within it, straight as a pine.

It was Qian Daoliu!

He shielded Qian Renxue behind him. His gaze was calm, yet it carried an inviolable authority as he looked at the livid Bibi Dong and spoke in a deep voice.

"Bibi Dong! Since Xue'er has already made her choice, as the Pope, you should not make things so difficult for a child! Much less... harbor murderous intent!"

"Grandfather!"

When the Qian Renxue who had escaped death saw her grandfather's familiar, towering back, the tension in her body suddenly eased. Her eyes burned as the grievance and lingering fear of surviving the ordeal flooded her heart.

"Qian—Dao—liu!"

Bibi Dong steadied herself and stared at the suddenly appearing Qian Daoliu, as well as Qian Renxue firmly protected behind him. Her eyes nearly spat fire as she forced his name out through gritted teeth.

Him again! This old bastard was always protecting that little bitch!

Qian Daoliu said no more, not even sparing the enraged Bibi Dong another glance.

He bent down and gently helped the injured Qian Renxue to her feet, sending a stream of warm, pure Soul Power into her body to stabilize her injuries.

Then he took Qian Renxue's hand, turned around, and walked toward the hall's exit.

His steps were steady, as though the surging killing intent and pressure within the hall did not exist.

"Stop!" Bibi Dong shouted.

Qian Daoliu did not stop walking, nor did he turn his head.

Only his calm voice, filled with absolute power, echoed through the hall.

"I will not interfere with the affairs of the Pope's Palace. But Xue'er... is my granddaughter. Whoever wishes to harm her must first ask the sword in my hand."

When his words fell, he and Qian Renxue had already disappeared into the light beyond the hall doors.

"Aah—!!"

Watching helplessly as Qian Daoliu took Qian Renxue away, seeing her long-prepared killing move so easily neutralized and her plan completely ruined, Bibi Dong could no longer suppress the fury and frustration roiling in her chest!

She abruptly raised her scepter and smashed it down against the floor!

"Rumble!"

The entire Pope's Palace seemed to tremble!

Spiderweb-like cracks spread from the tip of her scepter across the sturdy floor!

The attendants in the hall were frightened out of their wits. They lowered their heads even further, not daring to breathe loudly.

Only after a long while did the storm slowly subside.

Bibi Dong stood where she was, her chest rising and falling slightly, her exquisite face somewhat distorted by rage.

Yet the madness in her violet eyes gradually receded, replaced by deep, cold calculation.

Something was wrong... terribly wrong!

With her understanding of Qian Renxue, there was no way Qian Renxue would have been so resolute, or even refused her arrangements with an unprecedented sense of "confidence"!

Much less dared to speak disrespectfully to her!

Who was it? Who had influenced her from behind the scenes? Who had changed her mind?

Qian Daoliu? Golden Crocodile and those old men?

They would certainly protect Qian Renxue, but given the way they thought, they would not necessarily directly teach Qian Renxue to rebel against her. They were more likely to persuade her indirectly or simply offer protection.

There had to be someone else!

Bibi Dong's gaze sharpened.

She slowly turned and walked back toward the throne, her steps steady. She had already regained her usual coldness and majesty.

"Attend me," she said coldly.

An attendant scrambled forward on hands and knees, prostrating himself on the floor as he stammered, "P-Pope... Your Holiness..."

"Investigate," Bibi Dong said as she sat back on the throne, lightly tapping the armrest with her fingers. A cold glint flickered in her violet eyes. "Find out whom Qian Renxue has been in contact with at the academy over the past two days."

Her instincts told her that the key to the problem lay there.

"Yes! I will handle it at once!"

As though granted a pardon, the attendant hurriedly kowtowed, then quickly backed out of the hall.

The empty hall returned to silence, with only Bibi Dong seated alone upon the raised platform.

She gazed at the enormous Angel relief carved into the ceiling, a cold and cruel curve forming at the corner of her lips.

Whoever it was, if they dared ruin her plans and interfere with her control...

They would certainly pay the price!

That night, deep within the Pope's Palace, inside the Pope's private chambers.

The misty vapor had not yet fully dispersed, and the air carried the faint fragrance of expensive perfume.

Fresh from her bath, Bibi Dong wore only a loose, soft silk robe. Her damp long hair was casually gathered with a simple jade hairpin.

Several strands playfully draped beside her long, fair neck and delicate collarbones.

The collar of her robe was slightly open, revealing a stretch of skin as smooth and pale as white jade beneath it, gleaming enticingly under the lamplight.

Barefoot, she stepped across the thick velvet carpet and slowly made her way to the broad desk.

Several dossiers recently delivered by the attendants had already been neatly arranged across its surface.

Without the heavy papal robes and imposing crown she had worn during the day, Bibi Dong now possessed less of that suffocating pressure, but more of a languid yet dangerous, bewitching beauty.

She sat down elegantly, reached out, picked up the top dossier, and slowly unfolded it.