Over the next few days, Qian Renxue would sneak over to Saintess Hall from time to time and watch from a distance.
Sometimes, she even deliberately made a noise, pretending to have been discovered by accident.
In truth, she was testing Bibi Dong's reaction.
If Bibi Dong still gave her that cold look, she would turn and run.
If Bibi Dong looked confused, she would come closer.
And although Bibi Dong really didn't want to deal with Qian Renxue, even with Nan Feng controlling her body, there was one problem.
Nan Feng had threatened that if she didn't cooperate with his plan, she could forget about killing Qian Xunji. They could see who could outlast the other.
But if she missed this opportunity, who knew when another would come?
Ten years from now? Or twenty?
Besides, if she didn't kill Qian Xunji, the Rakshasa Secret Realm couldn't be opened. Bibi Dong couldn't inherit the Rakshasa God's power, and revenge would remain a distant dream.
Unless she was willing to kill Qian Renxue and use her soul as a substitute. That would not only open the secret realm but also deal the greatest possible blow to Qian Xunji and Qian Daoliu.
But clearly, she couldn't bring herself to do that. If she could, she would have done it already.
So Bibi Dong had no choice but to cooperate with Nan Feng.
The two of them took turns at the wheel.
After half a month of this, even Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo were convinced that Bibi Dong had gone into cultivation deviation.
Especially whenever Bibi Dong changed, the Soul Power from her Twin Martial Souls would briefly clash. That completely confirmed the supposed flaw of conflicting Twin Martial Souls.
Meanwhile, during that time, Qian Xunji's injuries had stabilized, and Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo had stopped standing guard by his side every day.
Bibi Dong felt the time had come.
"Nan Feng, get ready to act."
But the reply she expected never came.
The Sea of Consciousness was utterly silent. The man who was usually so talkative didn't say a word.
"Nan Feng?" Bibi Dong furrowed her brow, a foreboding feeling rising in her heart. "Are you pretending to be dead?"
"I'm not pretending to be dead. I'm contemplating life."
After a long while, Nan Feng's lazy voice finally drifted in. "I'm thinking about a very serious question."
"What question?"
"When the crafty hare is dead, the hound is cooked; when the birds are gone, the bow is put away," Nan Feng said wistfully.
"Little Dongdong, the only reason we're getting along so harmoniously is that you want to kill Qian Xunji, and I can stop you. So you have no choice but to cooperate with me."
"But..."
"Once Qian Xunji is really dead and you've had your revenge, what about me?"
"What are you getting at?" Bibi Dong's gaze sharpened.
Nan Feng stretched in the Sea of Consciousness. "I mean, you're a ruthless woman with no real bottom line. Once Qian Xunji is no longer your target, will you turn around and find some way to get rid of this parasite living inside you?"
"After all, I'm an uncontrollable factor, aren't I?"
Bibi Dong fell silent for a moment, then gave a cold laugh. "You're overthinking it. I told you that if you help me become a god, I'll help you transcend. It's a deal."
"A deal? That assumes both sides have equal power." Nan Feng scoffed.
"Breaking promises and killing the donkey after it's done the work are among humanity's greatest traits. When it comes to promises from humans, this Emperor doesn't believe a single word."
"Besides..."
Nan Feng paused, his voice turning ominous.
"After killing Qian Xunji, your next step will be to open the Rakshasa Secret Realm and inherit the Rakshasa God's power."
"That's the power of a god. Who knows whether Rakshasa might have some way to rip me out of your Martial Soul—or even erase me outright?"
"We're in the same boat now, but when you reach shore, I'll still be treading water."
"I value my life. I don't want to be the hound that gets cooked."
Bibi Dong's heart sank at his words.
This guy... he was perceptive enough to see even that.
It was true. She had been considering it.
No powerful person would willingly let another uncontrollable soul live inside their body.
Once she killed Qian Xunji, devoured his soul, and opened the Rakshasa Secret Realm, her next target would be this Death Spider Emperor!
If she could use divine power to erase this "old lecher" once and for all, all the better.
If she couldn't, then at the very least, she would find a way to suppress him completely and take back absolute control of her body.
Since he had seen right through her, Bibi Dong stopped pretending.
"So what?"
Bibi Dong's voice was cold. "Are you planning to keep that bastard alive forever, so you can use him to threaten me?"
"That's one possibility," Nan Feng replied leisurely.
"After all, you can't do anything to me right now. And as long as Qian Xunji is alive, you won't want to die."
"Even if you can't become a god, you can still live another eighty or a hundred years. This Emperor can just chalk it up as a failed investment. You can forget about the Rakshasa Secret Realm, and the two of us can keep loving and hating each other until the end of our days. Wouldn't that be fun?"
"You!!!"
Bibi Dong trembled with rage.
That bastard! That shameless lecher!
"What do you want?!" Bibi Dong forced down her anger.
"Little Dongdong, it's not what I want. It's what you want," Nan Feng said helplessly.
"Whether it was the sacrifice before or the threats now, I've only been trying to stay alive. I don't want to die. I'd rather cling to you like a parasite and eke out a miserable existence than give up."
"I'd like to trust you. I'd like to cooperate, so we can both benefit. But sadly, you won't even grant me my most basic need—the chance to live. You're constantly thinking about how to destroy me."
"If I don't help you, you can't become a god. If I do help you, I'm committing suicide."
"What can I do? I'm desperate too."
Bibi Dong fell silent for a moment, then took a deep breath. "Then what do you want?!"
"It's simple. Think of a way to make me trust you," Nan Feng said leisurely.
"So I don't have to worry about you killing the donkey once it's done the work, or about you deciding to get rid of me at any moment."
"If we can't solve this, then we can spend the rest of our lives like this."
Bibi Dong was on the verge of breaking down.
She regretted more than anything that she had been tempted by the small advantage of that sacrifice back then!
And now this old lecher had latched onto her!
Yet she was completely powerless against him!
"Shameless! Despicable! Vile!"
"Nan Feng, you miserable bastard! I hope you die a horrible death!"
Bibi Dong gritted her teeth, wishing she could split open her own skull, drag out that disgusting soul, and stomp it to pieces.
Why had she believed this old spider's lies back then? The sacrifice, helping her become a god—it had all been bait!
It was poison wrapped in sugar. Easy to swallow, impossible to spit out, and always ready to erupt inside her.
"Go on, keep cursing."
Nan Feng's infuriating voice sounded again. "You'll feel better once you get it off your chest. We've got a long life ahead of us, after all. You'll need some way to vent."
"Long nights, alone in bed, unable to sleep. With a thoughtful big brother like me to keep you company in the Sea of Consciousness, chat with you, help raise your child, and fight for you, this is a deal most people would kill for."
"Look, you'd be getting by on your own anyway, and the two of us can make do together. Give it a few decades, and you'll be old while I'll be tired. Then we can both return to dust. Wouldn't that be lovely?"
"You..." Bibi Dong's chest heaved, her eyes red-rimmed.
She couldn't wait it out.
Every second that Qian Xunji remained alive—still clinging to life in Pope Palace—felt like ants were gnawing at her all over.
Ten years? Twenty years?
No. She couldn't wait another day!
"Fine..."
At last, Bibi Dong seemed to have all the strength drained from her. She slumped against the headboard, the fury in her eyes giving way to deep helplessness.
"You win."
"Nan Feng, you win."
Bibi Dong's voice was hoarse, her surrender almost pleading. "As long as you let me kill Qian Xunji, as long as you let me take my revenge... I'll agree to any condition."
Seeing that she had nearly reached her limit, Nan Feng finally dropped his flippant tone.
His string of shameless tactics had pushed Bibi Dong's mental defenses to the breaking point.
Now, to kill Qian Xunji, she was willing to pay any price.
In the Sea of Consciousness, the enormous phantom of the purple Spider Emperor slowly opened all eight of its ghostly green eyes and fixed them on Bibi Dong's soul.
"Bibi Dong, you're a clever woman."
"You should understand that the biggest problem between us is a crisis of trust."
"I don't believe you'll spare me after becoming a god, and you don't believe I'll sincerely help you."
"There's no resolving this suspicion."
"Unless... we can eliminate the possibility of betrayal at its source."
Bibi Dong looked up sharply. "What do you mean?"
"The Soul Blood Pact," Nan Feng said calmly. "Not simple parasitism like what we have now, but a true fusion of the essence of both our souls."
"It's a forbidden pact passed down from ancient Soul Beasts. Once formed, we'll truly be two souls in one body, sharing life and death."
"If I die, your soul will shatter in an instant. If you die, I'll be reduced to ashes too."
"Even if you become a god one day, trying to separate me from you will inflict irreversible damage on your divine soul. You might even fall from your divine throne—or die."
"Only when the price of killing me is too great for you to bear can I believe you won't kill me."
"That's what I want—peace of mind."
Bibi Dong's pupils contracted.
The Soul Blood Pact? Sharing life and death?
It meant she would forever lose absolute control over her own soul. It meant this old spider would truly become an inseparable part of her life!
This was more complete than parasitism. It was practically... selling half her soul to this spider!