Meeting with Pope Bibi Dong

Of course, Xu Mochen was not the type to lose his composure at the sight of a beautiful woman. Furthermore, he could not be certain if this woman's intellect was as absurd as it was in the original work. If she truly possessed the "love-struck brain" depicted in the story, then Xu Mochen figured he could consider employing some "honey traps" to seize the opportunity to extract a wealth of intelligence on Martial Soul Hall from her... Cough, cough, just kidding.

However, if Hu Liena's intelligence proved higher than in the original work and she wasn't so love-struck, then such an approach would likely backfire. Besides, with Xu Mochen's own methods, why would he ever need to sacrifice his looks to obtain information?

That said, one had to admit that Hu Liena was, after all, the direct disciple of Bibi Dong. The knowledge she possessed was certainly incomparable to that of an average soul master. Moreover, no matter how mature this young girl appeared, she was roughly the same age as him, making her relatively easier to handle. If he could find other ways to pry useful intelligence out of her, it might prove immensely helpful for his own development on the Douluo Continent.

Meanwhile, as Xu Mochen secretly sized up Hu Liena, she was doing the same to him. It had to be said that Xu Mochen was exceptionally handsome. On the surface, he looked like a pretty boy with sword-like brows and star-bright eyes, yet the noble aura radiating from his entire being, combined with the cold, profound depths hidden within his eyes beneath that breezy, pleasant smile, made him impossible to fathom.

Furthermore, the way he looked at her clearly lacked the dazed, drooling reaction of other peers who would immediately be captivated by her appearance and the seductive aura she emitted. The gaze revealed within his formulaic smile seemed more like he was weighing and contemplating her every word and action!

It seemed the teacher's warning was correct; this prince from the Sun Moon Empire was definitely not as simple as he appeared on the surface. Whether in terms of mental acuity or combat prowess, he was clearly far beyond the vast majority of his peers!

It seems the task the teacher assigned will be somewhat difficult to complete. Thinking this, Hu Liena did not shrink back from the challenge; instead, she became filled with fighting spirit! Her personality was such that she only grew more courageous with every setback, never admitting defeat!

This time, she was representing Martial Soul Hall to engage in a confrontation with a prince from a distant, mysterious, and powerful nation on another continent. The success or failure of this encounter concerned the future destiny of Martial Soul Hall! And she, absolutely, could not afford a single mistake!

At this thought, Hu Liena couldn't help but secretly cheer herself on: Come on, Nana! You absolutely cannot let this little guy look down on you or Martial Soul Hall!

And so, harboring their own distinct thoughts, Hu Liena and the others led Xu Mochen's group to the front of the Pope Palace. The guards before the palace seemed prepared, slowly pulling open the heavy doors from both sides. Immediately after, the lead guard used his thick soul power to announce in a loud voice: "Guests from the Sun Moon Empire, His Holiness the Pope has been waiting for you all in the Pope Palace for some time!"

Following this, Hu Liena and Xu Mochen's party walked smoothly into the Pope Palace. As Xu Mochen stepped inside, he began to secretly observe everything around him.

It had to be said that the interior of the Pope Palace was truly magnificent. White marble reliefs covered the aged walls and the towering ceiling, appearing vivid and lifelike. Colorful metal statues and oil paintings recording the history of Martial Soul Hall were lined up one after another along the base and surface of the walls on both sides.

The windows were made of multicolored stained glass. On the exquisitely carved marble seats lining both sides sat five powerhouses, each radiating intense soul power fluctuations. Behind every seat, several Martial Soul Hall clergy members and attendants stood with heads bowed in service.

Judging by the aura and positioning of these individuals, it was clear they were all Titled Douluo! In other words, they were all Elders of Martial Soul Hall! It seemed that Martial Soul Hall had pulled out all the stops to welcome the Sun Moon Empire; counting Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, there were a full twelve Elders present to greet him!

However, by comparison, Xu Mochen was more focused on the figure seated in the center at the head of the hall, upon a chair even wider, more luxurious, and more imposing than those of the Elders. The figure was not tall, dressed in a magnificent purple robe inlaid with gold patterns, wearing the Nine-Curved Purple Gold Crown, and holding a scepter about two meters long embedded with countless gems.

Fair skin, beautiful yet cold eyes, a near-perfect countenance, and the noble aura that radiated from her body from time to time made her look truly extraordinary!

Combining the original work with the intelligence he had gathered, the identity of this woman was obvious—she was the Pope of Martial Soul Hall! The main villain of the original story! The successor of the Rakshasa God! Bibi Dong!

From the sensation he got from her, Xu Mochen could determine that she also possessed a divine aura. However, unlike the chaotic depth he carried or the noble softness of Qian Renxue, her aura was filled with cold, evil intent!

It seemed that this Pope had, in all likelihood, already obtained the inheritance of the Rakshasa God! Yet, this gave Xu Mochen other concerns. If he were to eliminate Tang San, it would mean that Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong would ascend to godhood, and with no other opponents left besides himself, they would eventually join forces!

Even with his successful inheritance of the Purple Imperial Chaos Dragon King position, he dared not guarantee a certain victory against this mother-daughter duo! And he had zero confidence in whether the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Guidance Weapons could threaten god-level powerhouses. If he failed, all the efforts of the Sun Moon Empire would inevitably go down the drain! After all, the strength of a god-level powerhouse was not on the same level as a level-99 powerhouse; it was a fundamental change in essence.

So, what should he do? Was he really supposed to let Tang San grow, just so he could keep Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue in check? But the moment this thought crossed his mind, he dismissed it instantly!

Are you kidding? If the Sea God and Asura were not constantly breaking the rules to tip the scales for Tang San, he might consider it, but now? Forget it. He feared that even if he joined forces with Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue, it wouldn't be enough to withstand a strike from Tang San and the previous Sea God and Asura combined! Once his identity was exposed, they would have even more reason to strike at him directly! It seemed this all required careful deliberation.

Hu Liena, Chrysanthemum Douluo, and Ghost Douluo arrived before Bibi Dong. Hu Liena knelt on one knee and said, "Teacher, disciple Hu Liena has brought the honored guests." Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo also bowed slightly toward Bibi Dong.

Unlike the original work where Elders would kneel to Bibi Dong at every turn, in reality, unless they had committed a grave error, Elders of Martial Soul Hall only needed to perform a slight bow, and the Consecrated Elders were exempt from even that.

Yet, for some reason, Xu Mochen keenly noticed that when Hu Liena called Bibi Dong "Teacher," the gazes of some surrounding Elders suddenly revealed a hint of malice! It was as if they were very dissatisfied with Hu Liena addressing Bibi Dong as "Teacher."

At this moment, Xu Mochen remained calm. With elegant and proper manners, he stepped forward to Hu Liena's side, bowed slightly, and said in a clear voice: "This Humble One is Xu Mochen, Prince of the Sun Moon Empire, hailing from the Sun Moon Continent across the ocean from the Douluo Continent. I have come to pay a visit to establish friendly relations and facilitate free trade between our lands!"

"I have long heard that Your Holiness the Pope is the leader of all soul masters on the Douluo Continent, holding a position of supreme nobility, and that Martial Soul Hall is the sacred land for soul masters. Therefore, I hope to establish diplomatic relations with Martial Soul Hall for our mutual prosperity."

Generally speaking, other soul masters on the Douluo Continent who were not Titled Douluo were required to kneel before the Pope, or at the very least, kneel on one knee. However, while Xu Mochen was willing to observe diplomatic etiquette, he had his own basic principles!

The Pope of Martial Soul Hall was the Pope of the Douluo Continent, not the Pope of his Sun Moon Continent! Moreover, even the Holy See of the Sun Moon Cult on the Sun Moon Continent had long been purged and infiltrated by the Imperial Family, becoming a puppet of the throne with more symbolic than practical significance. Even ordinary citizens of the Sun Moon Empire did not need to bow to the Pope; in fact, when the Pope met the Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire, they were the ones who had to bow in return! This was to show that ecclesiastical power was subject to secular imperial power, and that natural human rights were superior to divine rights!

Bibi Dong, seated at the head of the hall, was not angered by the fact that Xu Mochen and his party did not kneel. Instead, she smiled and said to Xu Mochen with a hint of majesty: "Your Highness, there is no need for such formalities. Our sect is deeply honored that you have traveled from afar to visit us. We have already heard of your nation's intentions, and we are very willing to establish diplomacy and reach a cooperation with your country."

"Regarding the outside world, I presume Your Highness has heard many malicious slanders and smears against our Martial Soul Hall from other forces! Please do not take these baseless rumors to heart. Here, our sect guarantees that we will welcome our distinguished guests from afar with the highest level of hospitality!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Mochen replied respectfully: "Your Holiness is overthinking it. We would naturally not harbor hostility toward Martial Soul Hall because of those rumors. If we truly believed them, we would not have made the special trip to visit Your Holiness!"

"However, besides establishing diplomatic relations, we have one other request. If your sect is willing to agree, our nation is prepared to offer your sect special treatment that no other country possesses."

"Oh? I wonder what other additional requests your nation has for our sect? Please rest assured, if this matter is within my power, our sect will certainly not refuse your nation's wishes."

Bibi Dong was slightly startled. Although she had anticipated that the Sun Moon Empire would want to establish diplomatic and trade relations with Martial Soul Hall, she had not expected them to propose additional requirements. She wondered what Martial Soul Hall could possibly possess that would be valued by this distant Sun Moon Empire?

As Bibi Dong spoke, Xu Mochen immediately put on an expression of admiration and said sincerely: "I believe Your Holiness is somewhat aware of the situation on our Sun Moon Continent. Because the quality of our martial souls and the number of soul masters are far inferior to those on your continent, our knowledge regarding martial soul cultivation is not yet comprehensive."

"Your continent is filled with powerful soul masters, and your sect is the sacred land of cultivation in the eyes of all soul masters on the continent. I believe your sect must possess the most profound knowledge of martial soul cultivation on the Douluo Continent! This Humble One, unworthy as I am, has long admired your sect's deep foundation in martial soul cultivation. Therefore, I hope to obtain Your Holiness's permission to remain at Martial Soul Hall and receive the Douluo Continent's style of soul master education alongside the young geniuses of Martial Soul Hall!"

Although these words were not spoken loudly, they were like a Soul Guidance bomb dropped into the Pope Palace, instantly causing an uproar! The Elders sitting to the side began to whisper to one another. They never expected that this prince from the overseas Sun Moon Empire would actually want to stay at Martial Soul Hall! To receive the guidance and training of Martial Soul Hall!

What were they to do? Should they agree or refuse? If they really allowed the prince of the Sun Moon Empire to learn the knowledge of Martial Soul Hall and take it back to the Sun Moon Empire, wouldn't that mean the various soul master knowledge accumulated by Martial Soul Hall over generations would be leaked?

But if they refused, what if they offended the Sun Moon Empire? Although some Elders were wary and hostile toward the influx of various Soul Guidance Weapons from the Sun Moon Empire into the Douluo Continent, that did not mean they wanted to tear their faces off with the Sun Moon Empire over it!