She was not tall. A luxurious black robe embroidered with gold patterns draped over her, a Nine-Curved Purple Gold Crown rested on her head, and she held a scepter about two meters long, encrusted with countless precious stones.
Her fair skin and nearly perfect features made her seem utterly unlike anyone else.
The intangible nobility and holiness radiating from her were especially striking, enough to make anyone feel an urge to bow down before her.
Grandmaster was seated. After the woman entered the room, she stopped as well. Their gazes met in midair.
Something more appeared in Yu Xiaogang's indifferent eyes: regret, memories, and, above all, melancholy.
The woman's expression shifted in an instant. Though she looked to be only around thirty, she was actually a year older than Grandmaster and had long since passed fifty.
The scepter in her hand touched the ground with a soft chime.
"You've come." Her voice was gentle and melodious, easily making people feel as though they were basking in a spring breeze.
But Grandmaster's gaze grew strained. He braced both hands on the table and stood, turning toward her. "Yes, I've come. How have you been?"
A faint smile appeared on the woman's face. "What could be wrong with being second to none? As the ruler of Spirit Hall, even the emperors of the two great empires must show me respect.
"What do you think could be wrong with me?"
Grandmaster sighed. "Bibi Dong, I know how much you've suffered."
"Bibi Dong? If you hadn't said it, I might have forgotten that name. Call me the Pope, or address me as Your Holiness. I'm no longer that foolish Bibi Dong from long ago."
Yes, the beautiful, graceful woman before him was the supreme ruler of Spirit Hall, the object of every Soul Master's reverence: the Pope.
She was the youngest Pope in Spirit Hall's history, having assumed the position before she was forty.
At first, many people questioned her.
But as time passed, under her diligent leadership, Spirit Hall grew more rapidly and became more united.
Many already believed she would be the greatest Pope in Spirit Hall's history.
"Yes, Your Holiness." Grandmaster's pupils contracted slightly, and pain welled in his eyes. He turned away and stopped where he had been sitting earlier, cradling a cup of tea in his hands as though lost in memories of the past.
Watching Grandmaster's back, the Pope's indifference faded. A trace of reluctance flashed in her eyes. She lifted a foot as if to approach him, but in the end, she stopped herself.
"Why have you come to see me? It's been twenty years since we last met, hasn't it?" The Pope's voice was still as calm as before.
Grandmaster took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil inside him. Even he hadn't expected seeing Bibi Dong again to affect him so deeply.
When he turned back, the excess emotion had vanished from his eyes, leaving only his usual indifference.
"Your Holiness, I've come to ask you for something."
"Oh?" The Pope looked at Grandmaster in surprise. "You're asking me for help? That doesn't seem like you. I suppose time really can change a person. Go on."
"Your Holiness, I want to know how you overcame the hurdle posed by your Twin Martial Souls."
The Pope's pupils contracted slightly. "You don't need to know. What would it mean to you?"
Grandmaster didn't hide the truth. "I took on a disciple. He's been studying under me for seven or eight years. Fortunately, he has the same Twin Martial Souls as you.
"This child is exceptionally gifted. I hope to raise him into a great powerhouse."
"Why should I help you? So you can raise a powerhouse who'll oppose me?" The Pope's voice suddenly turned cold.
Grandmaster replied solemnly, "Of course not. If you're willing to tell me how you managed it, I can promise you that my disciple will never oppose Spirit Hall."
A smile touched the Pope's lips. "So even you, the Grandmaster of theoretical knowledge, don't know everything. Yu Xiaogang, you're too late. Just a few days ago, I sent people to ambush the team representing the Heaven Dou Empire along their route. Their target was your disciple from the Clear Sky Sect. So there's no need for you to learn the secret of Twin Martial Souls."
Grandmaster's body shuddered violently. He spun around and glared at the Pope. "What did you say?"
The Pope didn't conceal anything. She said calmly, "Platinum Bishop Salas sent word that a Clear Sky Sect disciple had appeared. He was exceptionally gifted.
"He'd reached level forty at such a young age, had Twin Martial Souls, and possessed a fourth Soul Ring of ten-thousand-year caliber. He might even have a Spirit Bone. He was close to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Heaven Dou Empire.
"Someone like that, if he can't be brought under Spirit Hall's control, must be eliminated."
"You..." Grandmaster rushed forward and seized the Pope by the shoulders with both hands. His eyes were instantly veiled in red, and his entire body trembled violently.
Seeing the savage look in Grandmaster's eyes, the Pope froze. "Is he really that important to you?"
With her strength, she could have easily thrown Grandmaster aside, but she didn't. She simply let his burning hands grip her shoulders.
Grandmaster's breathing grew ragged. He spoke one word at a time. "Bibi Dong, listen carefully. If anything happens to Tang San, I'll destroy Spirit Hall at any cost. I have no children of my own. He's like a son to me."
Bibi Dong looked at Grandmaster coldly. "Yu Xiaogang, do you remember how you treated me back then?"
Judgment Hall.
At that moment, Qian Xun'an was still searching through the records concerning his elder brother's murder.
He went through them one by one, afraid he might miss some detail.
Just then, a Soul Douluo wearing a bamboo hat appeared inside Judgment Hall.
They were Shadow Guards established by Qian Xun'an in Judgment Hall. He had stationed them throughout Spirit Hall to keep watch over every aspect of it.
Since Judgment Hall existed to deal with all violations of Spirit Hall's laws, Qian Xun'an naturally had to keep a close eye on the entire organization.
The Shadow Guard approached Qian Xun'an and immediately dropped to one knee. "Hall Master, I was keeping watch at Pope Hall when I saw someone arrive to meet with the Pope."
"Who was it? Why was it worth reporting to me?" Qian Xun'an asked calmly.
The Shadow Guard answered at once. "That useless elder, Yu Xiaogang, whom Pope Qian Xunji drove away back then!"
At this, Qian Xun'an narrowed his eyes and murmured, "So it really is as I thought. I'd like to see what those two adulterers are planning!"
Inside Pope Hall.
Grandmaster held Bibi Dong's hands and looked at her. Then he snapped, "I wasn't the one who chose to leave you back then. Qian Xunji forced us apart!"
Feeling Grandmaster's breath against her, the Pope's cheeks flushed slightly, and her breathing grew unsteady. "And what happened after that? After Qian Xunji died, I went looking for you. Why wouldn't you accept me?
"For your own younger sister? How ridiculous. Truly ridiculous.
"You wouldn't accept me because of your own younger sister. I may owe you my position as Pope, but I hate you. You're the person I hate most in this life.
"I want you to suffer. I won't just kill your disciple; I'll kill Liu Erlong, too. No, I won't kill her. I'll torment her and make you suffer."
The Pope's emotions were clearly growing more agitated. Her eyes were as cold as a viper's.
Grandmaster looked at Bibi Dong and spoke again. "Do you know how devastated I was after leaving Spirit Hall?"
"You and the Pope were engaged. My rival was the Pope—the Pope! I was nothing but a useless man who hadn't even reached level thirty. How could you expect me to compete with him?"
"When I was at my lowest, I met Er Long. That was when I finally understood what true love was.
"When I realized I could never beat Qian Xunji, I gave up. I gave up on you, on our past, and on everything between us.
"By the time you found me, I was already with Er Long. There was no going back for us."
Grandmaster looked at Bibi Dong and spoke through his tears.
At that moment, Bibi Dong burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha..."
Standing before Grandmaster, Bibi Dong laughed wildly and bitterly...
She laughed and laughed, as if she had gone mad.
"Bibi Dong, you..." Grandmaster looked at Bibi Dong, bewildered.
Tears spilled from Bibi Dong's eyes. She pointed at Grandmaster. "You don't know. You have no idea!
"You have no idea how much I gave up for you!"
"Heh heh heh... You think Tang Hao really killed Qian Xunji? You're wrong. After Tang Hao wounded him, his injuries were severe, but they weren't fatal.
"I was the one who killed him—in that secret chamber... with my own hands!"
At these words, Yu Xiaogang's eyes filled with utter shock. He could hardly believe it.
"I killed the Pope for you, became the most powerful person in Spirit Hall for you, and cleared every obstacle between us for you. But what about you?
"When I went to find you, you were with your own younger sister. You scum! I'll kill you right now!"
In a fit of rage, Bibi Dong grabbed Yu Xiaogang by the throat and lifted him into the air.
Yu Xiaogang dangled in Bibi Dong's grasp.
Yu Xiaogang looked at Bibi Dong and said, "Dong'er, if you want to kill me, then do it. This is... what I owe you!"
Bibi Dong glared at Yu Xiaogang and roared, "Yu Xiaogang, do you really think I don't dare kill you?"
Just then, a soft knock came from outside.
"Get out! Didn't I say not to disturb me without my permission?" the Pope roared.
The person outside evidently hadn't expected the usually gentle Pope to lose her temper like this. "Your Holiness, the two elders have sent word. They failed to complete the mission and await your instructions."
"What? They failed?" The Pope's expression changed. She looked sharply at Grandmaster. "Your disciple seems to be very lucky."
As she spoke, Bibi Dong lowered Yu Xiaogang to the ground.
Grandmaster coughed twice, then looked at the Pope and said,
"You sent people to kill Tang San, but surely it wasn't only because of his talent. With Spirit Hall's strength, would you really fear one Soul Master? If I'm not mistaken, it's because of his father, isn't it?"
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