Confrontation at Pope's Palace, Forcing Bibi Dong to Abdicate

Confrontation at Pope's Palace, Forcing Bibi Dong to Abdicate

Pope's Palace.

Bibi Dong sat high upon the Pope's Throne.

A chilling aura blanketed every corner of Pope's Palace.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei stood bowing beneath the throne. Both kept their heads lowered, not daring to meet Bibi Dong's gaze.

"The mission has been arranged. The two of you will carry it out!"

"Remember my orders. Do everything in your power to intercept and kill the talented youths traveling from Heaven Dou City to our Spirit Hall."

"The one named Tang San, who performed exceptionally in the preliminary rounds, is the top priority of this mission. Do you understand?!"

Bibi Dong's cool voice echoed through Pope's Palace.

As her indifferent voice rang out, her icy gaze swept over Yue Guan and Gui Mei.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei bowed even lower, their voices anxious and deferential. "We understand, Your Holiness. We guarantee we'll carry out your orders!"

Bibi Dong gave a satisfied hum. "Now that you know your mission, leave and see it done!"

"We obey!"

Thud, thud, thud...

Yue Guan and Gui Mei had only just spoken when heavy footsteps sounded outside Pope's Palace.

The footsteps drew closer, and Yue Guan and Gui Mei both looked toward their source.

A young man in his twenties slowly entered Pope's Palace.

The chilling aura surrounding him was every bit as formidable as Bibi Dong's.

When they saw the man named Qian Renyu enter, Yue Guan and Gui Mei both caught their breath.

Others might not know, but as Title Douluo elders, they knew all too well what Qian Renyu represented within Spirit Hall.

He was the son of the previous Pope, Qian Xunji, and the grandson of the current Grand Pontiff and Spirit Hall's strongest, Qian Daoliu.

He held the position of young lord throughout Spirit Hall.

And yet this young lord was deeply at odds with the Pope they revered.

They had watched it all unfold over the past twenty-odd years.

It was as if an irreconcilable hatred lay between them.

Bibi Dong's expression turned even colder. As Qian Renyu entered Pope's Palace, her aura began to surge.

"Qian Renyu, this is the inner sanctum of Pope's Palace!"

"No one may enter without my permission. You have trespassed into the inner sanctum of Pope's Palace. What is your defense?!"

Bibi Dong rebuked him coldly.

Her beautiful, icy eyes fixed on Qian Renyu's face, and something vicious stirred deep within her.

The higher-ups in Spirit Hall knew Qian Renyu was the son of the previous Pope, but they didn't know what lay between him and her.

Others might not know the truth, but Bibi Dong could never forget it.

Qian Renyu was her son, too.

But she couldn't summon even the slightest bit of motherly love for him.

Neither for Qian Renyu nor for his twin sister, Qian Renxue.

When the two had been young, she would have sent them to be reborn long ago if Qian Daoliu hadn't stopped her.

Qian Renyu's face was composed. He was just over twenty, with sharp brows and bright eyes, and a resolute face as if carved by a knife and chisel.

There was a faint resemblance between him and Bibi Dong.

Yet few had ever noticed it. They had paid more attention to Bibi Dong's dissatisfaction with him, and to his resentment toward her.

Ignoring Yue Guan and Gui Mei, Qian Renyu walked straight to the steps below the throne. His calm gaze settled on the Pope's Throne beneath Bibi Dong.

"This position was mine to begin with!"

"If it belongs to me, why shouldn't I come here?!"

Qian Renyu's voice was icy. With every word he spoke, Bibi Dong's face darkened further.

Qian Renyu couldn't have cared less.

He hadn't heard every detail of the mission Bibi Dong had assigned Yue Guan and Gui Mei, but he knew what she had ordered them to do.

The Spirit Master Tournament finals were about to begin. Bibi Dong had clearly sent Yue Guan and Gui Mei to kill Tang San.

If Bibi Dong had been handling this matter properly, he wouldn't have needed to show up in person now.

But that wasn't the case. Bibi Dong only put on a show of doing the right thing. She never followed through to the bitter end.

The plan to kill Tang San would ultimately fail. Qian Renyu didn't care about that part.

With Sword Douluo Chenxin helping him, Yue Guan and Gui Mei simply weren't capable of completing the mission.

But after Tang San arrived in Spirit City and the Spirit Master Tournament concluded, Bibi Dong still wouldn't see the matter through.

Not long afterward, Yu Xiaogang would come to ask for the secrets of Twin Martial Souls. After failing, he would learn that Bibi Dong had ordered Tang San's death and declare that he would destroy Spirit Hall at any cost.

When the Spirit Master Tournament finals ended, Bibi Dong would have had the power to keep Tang San there, but she would choose not to. She would give him ample time to grow stronger.

Those were the real reasons he had come to Pope's Palace now.

If Bibi Dong couldn't handle these matters properly, Qian Renyu wouldn't allow them to happen right under his nose.

As someone who had crossed over from another world, Qian Renyu knew all too well the devastating blow a grown Tang San would eventually deal to Spirit Hall.

If you don't pull out the weeds by their roots, they'll grow back with the spring breeze.

Qian Renyu didn't want that to happen after coming to this world.

The same went for all the times Bibi Dong would show mercy to Yu Xiaogang in the years to come. Those things would never happen either.

A useless piece of trash like Yu Xiaogang deserved to be buried in the earth as soon as possible.

His very presence in this world was a waste of air and a blight on the Douluo Continent!

If Bibi Dong couldn't be a good Pope, if she couldn't fulfill the duties expected of one, then she had no reason to keep the position.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei sucked in a sharp breath. Once they were sure they hadn't misheard, they stared at Qian Renyu in disbelief.

They couldn't believe what they were seeing, and they couldn't believe it as they turned their eyes toward Bibi Dong either.

The young lord, Qian Renyu, was here to force the Pope to abdicate!

Bibi Dong's expression turned utterly cold, and her breathing grew much more ragged than before.

Qian Renyu's words had stoked her fury.

"You came here today to force me to step down?"

"Do you think you have the strength to hold the position of Pope, Qian Renyu?!"

Bibi Dong rebuked him again, her aura beginning to swell.

The Pope's Scepter clenched in her hand creaked.

Her jade-like hands gripped the Pope's Scepter tightly, their tightening hold betraying her fury.

Qian Renyu gave a cold laugh, ignoring Bibi Dong's helpless rage. "Before, I hadn't become a Title Douluo, so I never considered it."

"But now I've become a Title Douluo. It's only right that this position be returned to its rightful owner!"

Boom—

Bibi Dong's aura erupted completely.

She sprang to her feet and looked down at Qian Renyu. "Insolence!"

"You're nothing but a mere Title Douluo, and you dare covet the position of Pope!"

Qian Renyu remained composed. Soul Power surged from him, and the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul appeared behind him.

It silently shielded him from Bibi Dong's oppressive Soul Power. A cold, indifferent smile touched his lips.

"An ordinary Title Douluo may not be able to claim the position of Pope, but I never said I was an ordinary Title Douluo!"

"Since I'm here to return the position of Pope to its rightful owner, I should let you see what my true Martial Soul is."

Yue Guan and Gui Mei froze at the same time.

Their astonished eyes locked on Qian Renyu.

The Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul was the inherited Martial Soul of Spirit Hall's papal lineage—a genuine god-level Martial Soul.

Could it be that the young lord, Qian Renyu, had another true Martial Soul? Was he a Twin Martial Souls wielder, too?

Had his true Martial Soul never been revealed to the world?!

Bibi Dong had the same thought as Yue Guan and Gui Mei.

She remembered clearly that she had been there when Qian Renyu and Qian Renxue awakened their Martial Souls.

She was certain Qian Renyu didn't have Twin Martial Souls. So what was going on now?

Qian Renyu said nothing more. Bathed in the sacred light of the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, he slowly raised one hand and clenched it in the air.

A crisp sound rang out from the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.

Fine cracks appeared across it, spreading with astonishing speed.

In the blink of an eye, the god-level Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, revered by all, broke into countless motes of light that drifted through Pope's Palace.

At the same time, the motes slowly turned crimson, dazzling as the sun hanging high above the heavens.

A brilliant red halo burst across Pope's Palace. A golden-red ring of light illuminated behind Qian Renyu.

A massive Brilliant Golden Throne emerged slowly from within the golden-red halo, radiating dazzling splendor.

The gigantic throne stood ten zhang tall. Countless gems were embedded in its towering backrest, and the faint outline of a person could be seen upon it. A sharp, awe-inspiring, terrifying pressure spread from the throne.

At the top of the backrest sat a half-moon-shaped scarlet gem, gazing down upon the world like half the sun.

Its dim orange-red glow carried a weight of oppression and despair, as if doomsday itself had descended.

On the wide seat, two crouching lion-like carvings occupied the armrests, roaring. Countless exquisite patterns seemed to flow down from the backrest, covering the throne.

The instant the throne appeared, a pillar of golden light descended upon Qian Renyu, enveloping his entire body.

The golden light spread, and Bibi Dong, Yue Guan, and Gui Mei could no longer see Qian Renyu clearly.

As if he had vanished into thin air, he left no trace within Pope's Palace.

But in the next moment, Qian Renyu appeared in midair before the floating throne.

He slowly sat down.