Three days later.
Spirit City, the square before Pope Palace.
Unlike the grandeur and splendor of previous papal coronations, this ceremony felt especially grim and hurried.
There were no congratulations from the Seven Great Sects, no envoys from the two great empires, and even the flowers and ceremonial cannons were pitifully few.
On the high platform sat a lone papal throne, looking especially out of place.
The square was packed with Soul Masters belonging to Spirit Hall, from Platinum Cardinals to ordinary palace guards. The crowd stretched out in a sea of black, yet not a sound could be heard.
Qian Xunji's death had come suddenly, and Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile had no desire to make a grand affair of it. On top of that, only three short days had passed between the announcement and the ceremony. Even many of Spirit Hall's branch cardinals hadn't made it, much less Soul Masters from other factions.
Papal coronations had always been held on the same scale as the coronation ceremonies of the emperors of the two great empires. By that measure, Bibi Dong's ceremony was rather shabby.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. That old man really is stingy."
Rested and recovered, Nan Feng watched the shabby scene outside through Bibi Dong's eyes from within the Sea of Consciousness and couldn't help grumbling. "A dignified Spirit Hall papal coronation, and he's made it look like a village chief's meeting. He's afraid you'll gain too much prestige and become hard to control later, isn't he?"
"Just as expected."
Bibi Dong stood behind the entrance to Pope Palace, dressed in the brilliant golden robes that symbolized supreme power and wearing the Nine-Curved Purple Gold Crown. Her expression was calm.
"Qian Daoliu may have compromised, but he has no intention of letting me truly control Spirit Hall."
"He wants me to be a stopgap puppet. He wants to keep me tangled up in trivial affairs, or even use the people below to keep me in check."
"Too bad... he underestimates me."
"Boom—boom—boom—"
The ninety-nine ceremonial cannons might have been a poor showing, but their echoes still rang through the sky.
As the final cannon blast faded, the heavy doors of Pope Palace slowly swung open.
Sunlight spilled through, illuminating the figure who stepped out of the shadows.
Holding the Pope Scepter, Bibi Dong walked with measured steps. Her gaze swept over the nearly ten thousand Soul Masters in the square. Though their numbers were great, she could clearly sense that most of them showed little reverence. Their eyes held more scrutiny, suspicion, and even disdain.
A woman not yet thirty—what made her fit to be Pope?
What gave her the right to command these long-established powerhouses?
Qian Daoliu did not appear on either side of the high platform. Only Golden Crocodile Douluo stood there with several other Elders and worshippers.
Golden Crocodile Douluo watched Bibi Dong approach, a flicker of mixed emotions passing through his clouded old eyes.
He knew Qian Daoliu's calculations, and he knew what this shabby coronation meant.
If the ceremony had been held according to the usual standards, the people below would truly believe that Bibi Dong had the support of the masses. Then it would be easy for her to seize control of Spirit Hall.
But with the coronation so rushed and even somewhat shabby, not only would the upper ranks know something was amiss; the people below would all have their own agendas, too.
There was no doubt this would make Bibi Dong's job much harder. Just to win people over and seize the Pope's authority, she would have to spend considerable time and effort.
Put simply, although Qian Daoliu had let Bibi Dong take this position, he didn't want her to do too well.
He had appointed Bibi Dong as Pope mainly to keep her within a safe range and prevent her from getting out of control. He also wanted papal affairs to tie her down and delay her access to that Evil God inheritance.
Even if Spirit Hall was to grow and prosper, that could wait until later—until Qian Renxue had grown up.
Bibi Dong was merely managing it for a while.
If she did too well and truly seized control of Spirit Hall, it would be much harder for Qian Renxue to take power later.
"Is that the new Pope?"
"How is she a young woman? She's far too young!"
"I heard she used to be the Holy Maiden, and she's certainly talented, but this is too absurd. His Holiness Qian Xunji has only just passed, and they've put a woman under thirty in power. Spirit Hall is probably finished..."
Whispers rose and fell through the crowd.
The Soul Masters in Spirit City, many from its outskirts, and all the cardinals whose cultivation was above Soul Saint had gathered.
So much had happened in just a few days. First, Qian Xunji had been attacked by Tang Hao of the Clear Sky Sect and died of his injuries. Then the Holy Maiden, Bibi Dong, had succeeded him as Pope.
The first event alone was shocking enough. Tang Hao was only in his early forties, yet he had already reached the Titled Douluo realm—and single-handedly hammered the Spirit Hall Pope into the ground.
With talent and strength like that, Tang Hao's name as the Clear Sky Douluo had already spread across the continent.
Of course, no one dared discuss it carelessly. After all, Tang Hao had reached the Titled Douluo realm by stepping over Spirit Hall's Pope.
What drew even more attention was the new Pope.
Tang Hao was undoubtedly formidable, but he had killed Spirit Hall's Pope. There was no way that matter would end peacefully.
As the greatest Soul Master faction in the Soul Master World, Spirit Hall was also the force that set its rules. Everyone had a feeling that this humiliation would soon spark a war between Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky Sect.
The Holy Maiden, Bibi Dong, had been famous across the world for many years. After all, she was a generation younger than Tang Hao. Now, still under thirty, she was another rising star in the Soul Master World after the "Clear Sky Twin Stars."
But ever since Spirit Hall's expedition overseas ten years ago ended in a crushing defeat, Bibi Dong had made no more waves in the Soul Master World for many years. It was as if she had vanished.
Now she had suddenly reappeared and was about to become Pope. Not only were many inside Spirit Hall unwilling to accept it; plenty of people outside were, too.
After all, the Pope held absolute authority in the Soul Master World. Qian Xunji had been Spirit Hall's greatest genius in his day, yet even he hadn't reached the Titled Douluo realm and taken the papal throne until he was in his fifties.
Now a woman under thirty was to become Pope and receive the obeisance of the entire Soul Master World. What gave her the right?
On the high platform before Pope Palace.
Bibi Dong walked step by step toward the throne that symbolized supreme power. She didn't sit down at once. Instead, she turned and looked down at the sea of black-clad figures filling the square.
The whispers in her ears buzzed like flies, while the doubtful, disdainful, scrutinizing gazes pricked her like countless needles.
Yet Bibi Dong's expression remained as calm as still water.
Good. Just like this.
Bibi Dong thought coldly to herself.
Question me. Look down on me. The more you think I'm unfit, the more you think I'm just a pretty vase who rose to power on the former Pope's coattails, the less wary you'll be.
Qian Daoliu wants me to be a puppet with no real power. Then I'll go with the flow and play the part of a seemingly weak and incompetent Pope.
Once you've all let your guard down, once I've gained full control of the Pope's authority... I'll make every last one of you kneel at my feet and tremble!
Show weakness to the enemy, and secretly advance your plans.
That was the most important rule of survival she had learned during her long years of house arrest.
Only when the prey was at its most complacent could the hunter strike a fatal blow.
Bibi Dong took a deep breath, ready to rein in her aura and deliver a proper, perhaps even somewhat lackluster, inauguration speech—to play the part of the "mediocre Pope" to the very end.
But then.
Just as she was about to speak—
"Hold back? Hold back my ass!"
Nan Feng's furious, impatient roar suddenly exploded in the Sea of Consciousness!
"Playing the pig to eat the tiger? Have you gotten addicted to being a pig?!"
"Where are we? Spirit Hall! The place on the entire continent that venerates strength above all! Why play at keeping a low profile with these Soul Masters who worship the strong? Why show weakness to the enemy?!"
Bibi Dong furrowed her brows and snapped inwardly, "Shut up! This is a strategy! If I reveal my full strength now, I'll inevitably put every faction on guard! A cautious approach is the best course!"
"Cautious my ass!"
Nan Feng scoffed. "You're just a coward! Small-minded!"
"For all this time, I've been tortured by the Rakshasa Evil Thought and had my soul humiliated by that old pervert Qian Daoliu. And now I have to stand here and put up with the contempt of this bunch of insects?"
"I've had enough!!"
Nan Feng's voice brimmed with wild, unhinged dominance. "What is a Pope? The Pope is heaven! The one and only truth!"
"An Emperor should stand openly atop everyone's heads, leaving them too afraid even to look up!"
"You want to play the pig to eat the tiger? Sorry, but The Emperor has no interest in that!"
"Today, I'm going to show these blind fools what absolute domination looks like!!"
"Nan Feng! Don't you dare—!!"
Before Bibi Dong could react, a terrifying power from the depths of her soul erupted in an instant!
It was Nan Feng's soul origin, the frenzied will of the hundred-thousand-year Death Spider Emperor!
Although Bibi Dong was the body's owner, the two of them were now deeply fused in soul. If Nan Feng was determined to make trouble, stopping him would take a great deal of effort.
But with all these eyes on her, how could she possibly fight him inside her Sea of Consciousness? Wouldn't that just make her go mad in front of everyone again?
In the instant Bibi Dong hesitated, Nan Feng had already seized partial control of her body—limited to control over the burst of Soul Power!
BOOM—!!!
In the real world.
Bibi Dong, who had been preparing to "show weakness," stiffened abruptly.
The next second—
An icy, overbearing, terrifying pressure, as if it had come from the depths of the underworld, erupted from her and swept across the entire square before Pope Palace like a tsunami!