No Surfing with the Wind, Heaven's Law Won't Tolerate

"As for whether those elders will cooperate..." Nan Feng paused.

"Do you think what maintains loyalty is sentiment? Morality? The face of the former Pope?"

"It is profit!"

"Whether it is a Platinum Cardinal or a Titled Douluo elder, they are human too. They need to cultivate, they want to become stronger, and they want to secure benefits for their own families and descendants!"

"The reason Martial Soul Hall can attract so many soul masters is precisely because one can obtain more benefits and greater profit here. And why is Martial Soul Hall able to secure so much profit?"

"Because Martial Soul Hall is powerful; Martial Soul Hall possesses a glory that stands high above the rest! And this glory is what makes the Seven Great Sects and the two great empires afraid to offend us lightly!"

"But now, Qian Xunji has thrown that glory away. He has become a liability!"

"And you!"

"If you can lead them to snatch that glory back, if you can lead them to plunder more resources and trample the Clear Sky Sect beneath your feet."

"Even if you pointed at Qian Xunji's ashes and cursed him for being a pig, that old thing Golden Crocodile would have to grit his teeth and applaud you from the sidelines, no matter how displeased he might be!"

"Because you represent the victory of Martial Soul Hall! You represent their interests!"

"As for obedience?"

Nan Feng let out a disdainful scoff. "Who needs their obedience? What I want is their fear! Their submission!"

"As long as you are strong enough, as long as you can win."

"Even if they hate you in their hearts, they will still have to kneel and shout 'long live' to your face!"

"This is the way of the tyrant!"

"This is what it means to be an Emperor!"

Bibi Dong was left somewhat dazed by this barrage of words.

The way of the tyrant... an Emperor...

This completely overturned the survival rules she had followed for the past decade—treading carefully, as if walking on thin ice.

But looking at the fanatical crowd outside and listening to the thunderous cheers, she had to admit—Nan Feng was right.

In this world, even those high-and-mighty Titled Douluo are base at their core.

The more unyielding you are, the more they fear you.

The more tyrannical you are, the more they submit.

"However..."

Within the Sea of Consciousness, Nan Feng changed his tone, a hint of playfulness creeping in. "This tyrannical style of play also has one fatal flaw."

"What is it?" Bibi Dong asked.

"That is—you can only win; you cannot afford to lose."

Nan Feng spread his hands. "Once you walk this path, you have placed yourself upon an altar. Gods cannot make mistakes, and Emperors cannot fail."

"Once you lose, even if it is just a minor setback, those same people who just lifted you to the heavens will instantly trample you into the mud, and you will immediately become the incompetent trash you once described."

"I have established a banner of invincibility for them, and they are excited and fanatical because of it. But if this banner wavers, even by a fraction, they will fall into chaos, or as you said, scatter like birds and beasts."

"After all, one must bear the weight of the crown they wear."

Hearing this, the veins on Bibi Dong's forehead couldn't help but throb.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to drag this guy out of her Sea of Consciousness and beat him to a pulp, and asked through gritted teeth:

"Nan Feng, are you schizophrenic? Or do you think I'm easy to fool?"

"When I wanted to kill Qian Xunji before, who was the one acting timid and obstructing me at every turn? Who insisted on forcing me to drag Qian Renxue in as a protective talisman? Who told me never to act without absolute certainty, and that I could only move once there was a margin for error?"

"You were as cautious as a tortoise hiding in its shell back then, so why are you now egging me on to play this game where I can only win and never lose?"

"Isn't the contrast between your behavior then and now a bit too extreme?"

Facing Bibi Dong's interrogation, Nan Feng felt no guilt whatsoever; instead, he rolled his eyes as if it were only natural.

"Big sister, circumstances change."

"What was the situation back then? That was regicide! That was treason! If we failed, or if the matter was exposed, both of us would have died without a burial place! How could I not be cautious when our heads were on the line?"

"But now?"

"You are already the Pope! Your backside is already firmly planted in that seat! Plus, we just performed a grand play of dual personalities, and we still hold Qian Renxue as our 'get out of jail free' card."

"In the current situation, what does it matter if we mess up a little?"

"Will Qian Daoliu kill you? No. Will Golden Crocodile kill you? He wouldn't dare."

"At most, you'll lose a bit of face; at worst, you just walk away from it all."

"Since our lives are not in danger, why not be bold?"

"In this life, one should be cautious when necessary, but when it's time to be bold, you must be bold!"

"If we don't act boldly when the wind is at our backs, what was the point of all that 'crouching' and developing earlier? Do you really want to live a life of stifled resentment forever?"

"Besides..."

Nan Feng looked through Bibi Dong's eyes at the crowd of spirit masters still in a state of fanaticism, his tone turning profound:

"I don't think we will lose."

"..."

In reality.

Bibi Dong slowly retracted her sky-filling killing intent and pressure.

She looked at the group of spirit masters below who were still roaring "Long live the Pope," a trace of complexity flashing in her eyes, though it was quickly replaced by determination.

Since she had already boarded this pirate ship, she could only follow this path to the end.

Just as Nan Feng said, to have the wind at one's back and not ride it would be an affront to the heavens.

Moreover, she did not believe she would lose!

Elder Hall, conference chamber.

The atmosphere was heavy.

The massive oval table was filled with the core leadership of Martial Soul Hall. Aside from the Second Worship, Golden Crocodile Douluo, who sat at the head of the left side, and several other worships, the powerful elders of the Elder Hall—including Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei—were all in attendance.

Everyone's gaze was focused on the figure who had just taken her seat at the head of the table.

Bibi Dong.

Even when facing a group of veteran Title Douluos whose seniority far exceeded her own, her aura showed not a hint of timidity; instead, it carried a biting majesty that had settled after being worshipped by ten thousand people in the square just moments ago.

"Your Holiness the Pope."

Golden Crocodile Douluo was the first to speak, breaking the silence. He rested his hands on the table, his cloudy old eyes lifting slightly, his tone flat yet concealing a sharp edge:

"At today's ceremony, Your Holiness's demeanor was truly convincing. That declaration was indeed heart-stirring."

"However..."

Golden Crocodile Douluo changed the subject. "War is not child's play, nor can it be won with a few impassioned slogans. Now that the words have been spoken, the eyes of the entire world are fixed on Martial Soul Hall."

"Since Your Holiness intends to assemble a great army to attack the Clear Sky Sect within three days, you must surely have a foolproof plan in mind?"

"I wonder how Your Holiness intends to attack? How will you fight? If the Upper Three Sects act in concert, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan intervene, how shall we respond?"

This series of questions was both an interrogation and a test.

If Bibi Dong could not produce a practical and feasible battle plan, everything that happened in the square just now would turn into a complete farce, and her standing in the hearts of these high-level figures would instantly plummet to the bottom.

At the head of the table, Bibi Dong's expression remained unchanged, her fingers tapping lightly on the tabletop.

Originally, the plan she had prepared was a classic "boiling a frog in warm water."

Utilizing the sheer scale of Martial Soul Hall, she would cut off the Clear Sky Sect's economic sources, blockade their external forces, and plot slowly, dragging the Clear Sky Sect down over the course of three to five years.

This was the safest plan, the one that dealt the most damage to the Clear Sky Sect with the least loss to Martial Soul Hall, and it fit the previous political logic perfectly.

But now...

No.

It was too slow, too soft.

This plan might have been considered the wisdom of a seasoned statesman in the past, but after she had just made such wild claims about "blood debts paid in blood," bringing out this limp, soft-hearted proposal would only make this group of old foxes laugh until their teeth fell out.

"Nan Feng," Bibi Dong said coldly in her heart. "You created this mess, you fix it. Change the plan."

"Fine, give me the body, I'll take over."

"No," Bibi Dong subconsciously refused. "This is the Elder Hall, I am the Pope now. Every step must be taken with caution; I cannot let you out to act like a hooligan."

"Do I look like a rogue who only knows how to throw tantrums?"

In the Sea of Consciousness, Nan Feng's voice carried a hint of helplessness. "Please, use your brain. Dealing with an old stubborn mule like Qian Daoliu requires unpredictability to make him feel out of control; dealing with those fanatical believers below requires incitement to make them feel resonance."

"Acting like a hooligan is just a disguise; being shameless is just a means."

"And now, facing a room full of old foxes who eat people without spitting out the bones, what do you think they believe in?"

"They believe in—ruthlessness, decisiveness, and methods that bring them tangible benefits!"

"Give me the body."

"That 'boiling a frog' plan of yours is the wisdom of a statesman in times of peace, but in the current situation, it's nothing but a stinking, long-winded foot-binding cloth. The current situation requires a sharp blade to stab directly into the Clear Sky Sect's main artery!"

"Are you sure?" Bibi Dong was still hesitant.

"Certain, positive, and absolute!" Nan Feng retorted irritably. "Hurry up, don't dawdle. If you let that old thing Golden Crocodile wait too long, our momentum will weaken."

Bibi Dong took a deep breath.

Although she held reservations about this Old Spider's character, she had to admit that as far as his methods went... he had never disappointed her yet.

"Fine."

Bibi Dong took a deep breath and voluntarily relinquished control of her body. "It's yours. If you mess this up..."

"I'll be going to the Rakshasa Secret Realm for a honeymoon with you, right?"

"You know it!"