According to Bibi Dong's plan, all she had to do was take Jialing Pass, sweep through the two empires, and unifying the continent would be only a matter of time.
When that happened, she would be the sole ruler of the continent.
Even after becoming a god, she would be the supreme Rakshasa God.
But now...
As she watched the smiling girl on the Sky Screen, and the man who could sever Cangming with a casual swing...
The wildfire in Bibi Dong's heart felt as if someone had doused it with a bucket of ice water.
"How... are we supposed to fight this battle?"
Bibi Dong's voice was hoarse.
If Skywater City really intervened, if Neuvillette and Furina really sided with the Heaven Dou Empire...
Forget her, Bibi Dong.
Even if that old coot Qian Daoliu came out of hiding, and joined her, a Rakshasa God inheritor, they probably still wouldn't be enough to withstand a single sword strike from that Water God projection.
"That's ridiculously strong..."
Beside her, Hu Liena stared blankly and murmured to herself.
Just then...
Princess Xue Ke, who had been standing in a corner ever since she was brought back due to the upheaval at Spirit Hall, suddenly pointed at Furina on the Sky Screen and cried out.
"Huh?"
"Isn't that my master's wife?"
Her voice rang out particularly sharply in the deathly silent hall.
Whoosh—!
Everyone's gaze instantly locked onto Xue Ke.
Bibi Dong whirled around. The aura she unleashed in that instant nearly drove Xue Ke to her knees.
"What did you say?!"
Bibi Dong fixed her eyes on Xue Ke, her voice urgent.
"Are you saying that this Furina and Neuvillette are... that kind of couple?"
Startled, Xue Ke stammered,
"Y-yes."
"When I was in Skywater City, I often saw them together."
"Although the City Lord looks very stern, he treats Sister Furina especially well. He's never refused anything she wanted."
"Everyone secretly calls her the City Lord's wife, or our master's wife..."
Boom!
Bibi Dong's mind went blank.
If that was true, then things were even more complicated.
Neuvillette wasn't just powerful in his own right. He was also in a relationship with Furina, the wielder of the second Divine Artifact.
This wasn't simply a matter of one plus one equaling two.
It was two God King-level combatants joining forces!
But then another question surfaced in Bibi Dong's mind.
"Wait."
Bibi Dong furrowed her brow, her eyes filled with confusion.
"If Furina is his lover..."
"Then what about Snow Empress?"
Everyone on the continent knew that Snow Empress, the overlord of the Far North, was now in Skywater City, and seemed to have a close relationship with Neuvillette.
The Golden Ranking List had even revealed that Neuvillette had given Snow Empress a token of love.
"Could it be..."
Bibi Dong's expression turned strange.
"Neuvillette actually has the best of both worlds?"
"On one side, Snow Empress, wielder of Ultimate Ice."
"On the other, Furina, who holds a Supreme Divine Artifact."
"This man..."
One shocking piece of gossip after another assaulted Bibi Dong's worldview.
She suddenly realized that she hadn't only lost in terms of strength. She seemed to have lost catastrophically in the game of life, too.
At that moment, Bibi Dong couldn't even bring herself to think about the battle plans for Jialing Pass.
Her mind was full of these tangled relationships.
After all, the successive revelations about Neuvillette and Furina had shaken even the iron-fisted Pope's worldview.
Then the Sky Screen showed Furina and Neuvillette's sweet everyday life, further confirming the suspicions.
They were rubbing their relationship in everyone's faces!
The Worship Hall.
Qian Daoliu stood before the massive Angel Statue with his hands behind his back.
But he wasn't praying.
He was eavesdropping.
Not far away, Qian Renxue was quietly talking with Shui Bing'er, who had just come from Skywater City.
"Bing'er, is Neuvillette really that powerful in person?"
There was a hint of defiance in Qian Renxue's voice, but far more wariness.
Shui Bing'er gave a wry smile.
"What you've seen may only be the tip of the iceberg."
"My teacher's unfathomable nature isn't just about his strength."
"It's about his understanding of the rules."
"As for Lady Furina..."
Shui Bing'er paused, a hint of reverence in her eyes.
"In Skywater City, she's the embodiment of joy and justice."
"But if you truly anger her, that sword..."
Shui Bing'er didn't finish, but her meaning was clear.
Eavesdropping nearby, Qian Daoliu felt a chill run down his back.
He had always thought that, as a Rank 99 Peerless Douluo and the Angel God's representative, no one on the continent could do anything to him as long as he stayed out of sight.
He had kept himself holed up in the Worship Hall, waiting for Qian Renxue to become a god.
He had thought of himself as the strategist lurking behind the scenes.
But now...
The real players had flipped the board.
"There are monsters like this hiding on the continent..."
Qian Daoliu glanced at the majestic Angel Statue behind him.
He suddenly felt an absurd sense of doubt.
If Neuvillette or Furina came knocking, could their Angel God really protect Spirit Hall?
He had been confident before.
Now, he was panicking.
As the entire continent sank into shock and suspicion...
The scene on the Sky Screen shifted once more.
[Divine Artifact Ranking List: Second Place — Review Complete.] [Heavenly Reward: Issuing Now!]
A grander pillar of light, accompanied by a sacred melody, descended straight from the Sky Screen. It ignored the distance between places and enveloped Skywater City.
This reward was clearly extraordinary.
The pillar contained not only surging energy, but intertwined laws as well.
[In view of the perfect compatibility between the wielder, Furina, and the Divine Artifact.] [A special evolution of the Divine Artifact is hereby granted!] [Divine Artifact renamed: Blade of Still Waters and Judgment!]
As the light faded, the long sword, which had originally resembled flowing water, underwent a drastic transformation.
The blade grew longer and more slender. It was no longer purely liquid, instead taking on an elegant shape that combined a cane with a rapier.
Countless tiny water-jade fragments intertwined to form the blade, making it look like a magnificent work of art.
The most eye-catching change was at the hilt.
The water-blue gemstone that had originally been set there had transformed into a tiny, exquisitely detailed opera house.
On closer inspection, countless phantom seats could be seen inside the miniature theater, along with a stage where a lone performer danced.
[Added a Supreme-exclusive authority: Phantasmagoric Sea Theater!] [Description: Using the sword as a medium, forcibly unfolds the "Theater Domain."] [Effect: All living beings within the domain will be forcibly drawn onto the "Judgment Stage." Here, all lies will fail and all disguises will be stripped away. The truest "emotions" in their hearts, along with the "sins" they have committed, will take shape as a "Water Curtain Drama" performed onstage for all to judge.] [Note: The graver one's sins, the stronger the mental suppression they will suffer in the theater. They may even be directly killed by the backlash of their own sins.]
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