"Don't look at me like that."
Nan Feng spoke calmly. "Over the past tens of thousands of years, I've seen plenty of other humans inherit the Rakshasa legacy. Unfortunately, they were too stupid and too arrogant. Before they could grow strong, the Angel God's descendants wiped them out."
"But you're different, Bibi Dong."
Nan Feng's voice suddenly turned grave and seductive. "I see something in you that none of the previous Rakshasa inheritors possessed—boundless hatred and boundless patience."
"In you, I see true hope."
Bibi Dong drew a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the storm raging in her heart. Her voice came out hoarse. "...What hope?"
"The hope of becoming a god!" Nan Feng said, his voice low.
"Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts are powerful, of course, but our fate is destined to be tragic. Either we're reduced to ashes beneath the Heavenly Tribulation that comes once every hundred thousand years, or we become Soul Rings for you humans."
"As for taking human form and cultivating anew? Hah. That's just giving up all our strength and placing our lives in the hands of greedy humans. It's suicide."
"I don't want to die beneath the Heavenly Tribulation, and I don't want to die without meaning."
Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes. As a clever person, she had already guessed at her opponent's intentions, but the thought was so insane that she couldn't believe it.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Nan Feng looked down at her, his eight spear-like spider legs drawing slightly together as he made an extremely humanlike "shrug."
"I want to work with you."
"I'll help you become a god, and you'll help me transcend."
"Haven't you been scheming to get my Soul Ring and Soul Bone? No problem. I can give them to you."
"If you agree to my terms, I can even—sacrifice myself for you!"
"What did you say?!" Bibi Dong's pupils contracted.
Sacrifice?!
That was the ultimate sacrifice a Soul Beast could make: willingly giving up its life and offering its soul and power to a human without reservation!
"Why?"
Once the shock passed, Bibi Dong didn't let herself get carried away. Instead, she watched Nan Feng with even greater wariness.
"There are no gifts without a reason in this world, especially when they involve giving up your life. You rule Death Canyon and have a hundred thousand years of cultivation. Why would you willingly sacrifice yourself for a human?"
"Why?"
Nan Feng snorted. His enormous compound eyes revealed an intensely humanlike mix of irritation and disgust.
"Because you're a pain in the neck!"
Bibi Dong froze, clearly not expecting that answer.
"An entire year! Three hundred and sixty-five days!" Nan Feng's voice was filled with deep resentment. "You're like a fly that can't be driven away or swatted dead. You pester The Emperor every few days. One day you use poison, the next you set traps, and the day after that you lure other Soul Beasts here to throw a party..."
"I've lived for a hundred thousand years, and I've never met a human as annoying as you!"
"..."
Bibi Dong's mouth twitched. It was the first time she'd ever been insulted by a Soul Beast for a reason like that.
"Second," Nan Feng continued, his tone turning somewhat resigned, "you've spent the past year proving how persistent you are. As the saying goes, you don't fear a thief who steals from you; you fear a thief who has you in his sights. With a thief as gifted and ruthless as you fixating on The Emperor, do you think I can ever have a moment's peace?"
"Besides, at the rate you're growing, it'll probably only take a few years for you to reach level ninety-five or higher. By then, I really might become your Soul Ring."
"Since I'm going to die either way, and you'll torment me until then, I might as well make it quick and use my life to gamble for a chance to transcend the Divine Realm!"
His explanation made sense. It had the pride of a mighty being, tempered by a concession to reality.
But Bibi Dong still hadn't let her guard down completely.
She was a woman with an overwhelming need for control and would never allow anything beyond her control to exist.
"I don't believe you'd trust me so easily," Bibi Dong said coldly. "Once the sacrifice is complete, you'll be nothing but a wisp of a remnant soul. If I refuse to keep my promise then, there'll be nothing you can do."
"You're right. The Emperor doesn't believe a single punctuation mark in human promises." Nan Feng waved one of his enormous pincers. "That's why I have a safer plan."
"During the sacrifice, I'll place the source of my soul inside the Soul Bone I produce. A Soul Bone is a physical object, and it'll serve as the vessel for my soul. If you try to kill me once I'm no longer useful, or if you fail to help me become a god, I can detonate the source of my soul inside it at any time."
"The blast from a hundred-thousand-year Soul Bone exploding inside your body... Bibi Dong, you know exactly what would happen, don't you?"
Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes and quickly weighed the situation.
Using his soul to inhabit a Soul Bone as leverage? It was indeed the last resort a Soul Beast had to defend itself.
An ordinary Titled Douluo might really be at his mercy.
But...
Hah, you foolish beast, Bibi Dong sneered inwardly. You've underestimated the power of a god. Once I inherit the Rakshasa Godhood, wiping out a mere remnant soul in a Soul Bone will be child's play!
Once she became a god, she would make the rules!
Then she could twist that old spider into any shape she pleased.
At the thought, a trace of cunning flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes, but she solemnly nodded. "Fine, I agree. Once I ascend to godhood, I'll take you with me."
"Agreed!"
Nan Feng laughed inwardly. Hook, line, and sinker!
As expected, she was arrogant.
Put his soul inside a Soul Bone? Only an idiot would do that!
That would be like living under someone else's roof, always at the landlord's mercy.
What he planned to do was completely fuse his soul with Bibi Dong's Martial Soul!
That wouldn't work with other Soul Masters, because a Martial Soul would reject an outside soul.
But Bibi Dong was different. Her First Martial Soul was the Death Spider Emperor!
Same origin, perfect compatibility!
All he had to do was use the sacrifice to install his soul—the "software"—into Bibi Dong's Martial Soul, the "hardware." Then he'd be part of her Martial Soul, and could even be called part of her soul.
After that, did she think she could erase him?
Only if she wanted them both to die together!
"Since we've reached an agreement, let's begin."
Nan Feng stopped wasting words. He was nearly at his limit.
If he didn't make the sacrifice soon, his bluff about being in "peak condition" would be exposed.
Boom—!!!
In an instant, a terrifying blood-red field erupted from Nan Feng, sealing off the entire nest.
This was the voluntary sacrifice of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!
The domineering field locked down the space around them. Nan Feng's enormous body began to burn, transforming into a torrent of pure energy that surged into Bibi Dong.
There was no pain, and nothing resisted it.
In fact, because they shared the same origin, the energy was even more docile than Bibi Dong had expected.
A Soul Ring glimmering with an eerie red light slowly took shape beneath her.
The sacrifice went astonishingly smoothly.
Since the Soul Beast had offered itself willingly, the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring—which would normally take days or even months to absorb—merged completely with Bibi Dong in less than a day.
When the final wisp of energy settled, Bibi Dong, who had been sitting cross-legged in the nest, suddenly opened her eyes.
Level ninety-two!
Immense Soul Power surged through her body. The blood-red Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring pulsed quietly, radiating a heart-stopping aura.
"So this is... the power of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring?"
Bibi Dong looked at her hands, the corners of her mouth lifting into a smug, wild grin. "Death Spider Emperor, you ended up as nothing but a stepping stone for me! Once I finish the Rakshasa God Trial, I'll use your soul to make the first offering!"
But before her smile could fully bloom, it froze on her face.
A strange dizziness struck without warning.
Then came a powerful feeling of weightlessness—the sensation of her consciousness slipping out of sync with her body.
"What's... happening?"
Bibi Dong's heart lurched. Instinctively, she tried to raise her right hand to her forehead.
But what she lifted was her left foot.
"?!"
Bibi Dong's eyes widened in shock. To her horror, she realized she was losing control of her body!
She was thinking, "Stand still," but her body seemed to have a mind of its own. It stretched leisurely, then even rolled its neck, producing a series of crisp cracks.
Then that familiar voice, which should have been sealed inside the Soul Bone, rang out in the deepest part of her mind—right next to her soul:
"So this is what a human body feels like? Tsk, tsk. A little fragile, but it feels pretty good."
"The few pounds of flesh on this chest are a bit heavy, though. I'm not used to it."
For a moment, Bibi Dong felt as though thunder had struck her. An unprecedented wave of shame and fury shot straight to her head.
"Death Spider Emperor?! How can you control my body?! Aren't you supposed to be inside the Soul Bone?!"
"Get out! Get out of me!!"
In the face of Bibi Dong's hysterical screams, Nan Feng, who had successfully taken over, looked utterly innocent—and infuriating.
"The Soul Bone?"
"Did I ever say I was inside the Soul Bone?"
"You... You tricked me?!" Bibi Dong felt her soul trembling. She fought desperately to regain control of her body, only to discover that her First Martial Soul, the Death Spider Emperor, was now tightly entangled with this fellow's soul. There was no way to separate them!
"Don't put it like that. We're partners, after all."
Nan Feng shrugged, responding innocently from within her Sea of Consciousness:
"As for why I can control your body... Uh, I'm not entirely sure either."
"Maybe we're just incredibly compatible? After all, you're the Death Spider Emperor, and I'm the Death Spider Emperor too. We're family. Your body is my body, so why make a distinction between us?"
"Besides, I gave you my life, for heaven's sake!"
"I'll kill you!!!"
Bibi Dong had completely lost it.