Inside Pope Palace, at Golden Crocodile Douluo's command, everyone's hearts were in turmoil, but none dared linger. They bowed and filed out.
In the vast hall, only the white funeral banners hanging high, the empty, luxurious coffin, and the lonely figure who had stood with his back to the doors remained.
"They're all gone."
Golden Crocodile Douluo walked up behind Qian Daoliu, his voice low.
Qian Daoliu slowly turned around. In that instant, he seemed no longer the Peerless Douluo who shook the world, but merely an old man in his twilight years who had lost his son.
"Golden Crocodile... tell me, did I make a mistake?"
Qian Daoliu looked at the coffin. "Lately, to keep Bibi Dong under control and stop her from losing her mind, I had Xue'er lie. I had her curse her own father and say he was dead."
"But now... Xunji really is dead."
"When Xue'er wakes up and learns everything, what will she think? Will she believe... that her lie came true? That she caused her father's death?"
Qian Daoliu's voice trembled slightly. "She's only nine... I truly don't know how to tell her."
Before the death knell had rung, he had used his Soul Power to put Qian Renxue to sleep, then had Guangling Douluo take her straight to the depths of Worship Hall, shutting out every sound from the outside.
It was a kind of protection, and also a kind of escape.
"Grand Pontiff!"
Golden Crocodile Douluo furrowed his brow and said gravely, "Xue'er is the young mistress of the Angel Clan. She was born into Spirit Hall, born to this position. There are some pains she simply has to bear!"
"Nine isn't that young. At her age, we were already fighting for our lives in Soul Beast Forest."
"Better a short, sharp pain than a lingering one. If you hide the truth from her now, she'll only suffer more when she hears it from someone else later."
Qian Daoliu closed his eyes and drew a deep breath, then finally waved a hand, helplessly.
"Forget it... I can't say it."
"Go, Golden Crocodile. Tell her what happened."
"I'm going to Douluo Hall to arrange Xunji's funeral."
Meanwhile, at Saintess Hall.
Bibi Dong dismissed everyone and returned to her bedchamber alone.
As the heavy doors slowly closed, the dignity and coldness she had maintained in front of others instantly fell away.
Buzz—!
A purple-black light emerged from her body, instantly coalescing into the peerlessly beautiful Spider Emperor Avatar.
The moment Nan Feng appeared, he sprawled across Bibi Dong's soft bed, limbs splayed, then rubbed his cheek against the pillow with a contented sigh.
"Ah... lying down really is the best."
Nan Feng let out a relaxed sigh. "All that acting these past few days has left my back aching. Especially last night, when that Rakshasa Evil Thought tormented me all night. My brains nearly boiled."
Bibi Dong looked at the man who had taken over her bed. The vein at her temple twitched, but in the end, she resisted the urge to kick him off.
After all, they were in this together now. Besides, without his schemes, she never could have taken the position of Pope so smoothly.
Bibi Dong went to the table, sat down, poured herself a cup of cold tea, and drained it.
"Last night..."
Nan Feng rolled onto his side, propped his head up with one hand, and looked at Bibi Dong with a gossipy grin. "When that old Qian Daoliu burst in, did he see anything exciting?"
"For example... you having a meal?"
"He did." Bibi Dong set down her teacup. "By the time he rushed in, Qian Xunji had already breathed his last."
"In that instant, I could clearly feel the killing intent erupting from him. He was so furious, he wanted to tear me to pieces."
"But just as you predicted."
Bibi Dong gave a cold laugh. "He held back after only a moment. And when I opened the Rakshasa Secret Realm, he disappeared."
"Hahaha! I knew it!"
Nan Feng slapped the bed and laughed. "That old man has served Angel God his whole life. His reverence for the gods is carved into his bones. When it comes to an evil god like Rakshasa, he really doesn't dare take the gamble."
"But..." Bibi Dong furrowed her brow, recalling what had happened in the hall. "Though Qian Daoliu held back, that old Golden Crocodile Douluo won't be so easy to deal with."
"In the hall just now, he looked at me as if he wanted to swallow me whole."
"Golden Crocodile is Qian Daoliu's most loyal follower, and the most devoted dog of the Six-Winged Angel Clan. Though he's been forced to accept my succession, he'll surely obstruct me at every turn and throw obstacles in my way."
"A Level 98 Peak Douluo, with a hundred years of prestige in Spirit Hall... If he's determined to oppose me, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold on to the position of Pope."
"What's there to fear?"
Nan Feng lay on the bed with one leg crossed over the other, looking utterly shameless. "If that old crocodile dares to make things difficult for you, I'll take this avatar to the entrance of Elder Hall and throw a tantrum. Or I'll just grab his leg and bawl, asking him why he's bullying an orphan and her widowed mother. I refuse to believe he can keep a straight face and pick a fight with a madwoman."
"No." Bibi Dong cut him off coldly. "That was before. Now I'm the Pope. I represent the face of Spirit Hall."
"If the whole world learns Spirit Hall's new Pope is a hysterical shrew with no dignity, my time as Pope will be over. I'll even become a laughingstock to the two great empires and the Upper Three Sects."
She had clawed her way into this position to become an empress who ruled the world, not a clown for people to gawk at.
"Hmm... true."
Nan Feng stroked his chin, deep in thought. "You've got to keep up appearances once you're in charge. You can't be too down-to-earth. If the Pope is a lunatic, it'll be hard to lead the team."
"Then..."
Nan Feng sat up in one swift movement, a glint flashing in his eyes. "We'll go mad separately."
"Go mad separately?" Bibi Dong furrowed her brow, not understanding.
"It's simple."
Nan Feng patted the chest of his avatar. It was remarkably firm and springy. "Anyway, this Spider Emperor Avatar bound to you through the Soul Blood Pact is almost identical to your real body."
"It does have some obvious flaws. It can't cultivate, can't recover Soul Power on its own, doesn't have the Soul-Eater Spider Emperor Martial Soul or any Soul Bone Skills, and can't even use its eighth or ninth Soul Skills..."
Nan Feng counted the avatar's shortcomings on his fingers. "It's practically a blank account."
"But! None of that matters!"
"What matters is that this avatar is genuinely Level 97! And you don't have to split your attention to control it. I can pilot it myself."
"The Pope doesn't need to fight in person anyway."
"Even if you really have to fight, Level 97 is more than enough to deal with anyone below Titled Douluo. The first seven Soul Skills will do just fine."
"Next, we just need to find the right opportunity to show everyone, in full view of the crowd, that there are actually two Bibi Dongs."
"One is the noble, aloof, rational, and perfectly sane real Pope."
"The other..." Nan Feng pointed at himself, a mischievous smile on his face. "Is an avatar with an independent consciousness, a fractured memory, and a capricious personality, born from cultivation gone awry."
"That way, you'll have an alibi, and you'll be safer. You can pin all the blame on this uncontrollable avatar."
Bibi Dong was stunned, then instinctively objected. "How can that work? The Spider Emperor Avatar can act independently. That would be the same as exposing my trump card!"
"Nan Feng, this is our secret. We should keep it under wraps!"
"Hide it? Why?" Nan Feng asked, puzzled. "What's your trump card? The inheritance of the Rakshasa God! The Rakshasa Secret Realm that can devour everything! Nothing else is a trump card. It's a tool!"
"Little Dongdong, get a grip."
Nan Feng stood up and walked over to Bibi Dong, looking straight into her eyes. "Qian Xunji kept you under house arrest for so many years. Apart from the empty title of Holy Maiden, do you have any real foundation in Spirit Hall?"
"The Elder Hall answers to Qian Daoliu. The powerful elders watch Golden Crocodile's expression. Even most of the Platinum Cardinals below were promoted by Qian Xunji."
"You're a commander with no troops!"
"You can't hold on to the position of Pope just by issuing orders. Some things the Pope can't do, shouldn't do, or can't be seen doing—someone has to do them, right?"
"Who can you trust? Those fair-weather friends?"
"Only me!"
"Because you and I share one life!"
"Let this amnesiac avatar stand in the open as your blade, your black glove. If anyone dares to defy you, the Pope can't lay a hand on them—but can't I, a madman, still lay a hand on them?"
"..."
Bibi Dong was silent for a moment, then ventured, "Are you sure this isn't just because you want an excuse to come out and make trouble?"
"Little Dongdong!" Nan Feng's expression turned serious.
"What's that supposed to mean? I'm doing all this to help you!"
"..." Bibi Dong.
She had only suspected it before. Now she had undeniable proof.