Bibi Dong's Summons

Lin Beiya understood Little Angel's goal in making this trip, so absorbing the Head Soul Bone that went with the Angel God Suit was quite necessary.

At any rate, Little Angel's undercover mission in Heaven Dou had become a certainty.

Spirit Hall had officially entered the Bibi Dong era, but Lin Beiya didn't pay it much mind. After all, it had little to do with him, tucked away in the Worship Hall. Keeping his head down and growing stronger was the way to go.

Judging by his first two Soul Rings, he would use other Gold Cloths in the future, each bringing an even greater boost to all his attributes. But that was for later. For now, the twenty percent increase in cultivation speed was what mattered most.

The matter of the Clear Sky Sect shutting its gates had come to an end. Qian Renxue sought Lin Beiya out again only a week after entering the Angel Temple.

In the Central Garden, Qian Renxue's eyes held a trace of reluctance.

"We had a deal. You have to come visit me often, or else..."

"Or else what?"

Lin Beiya didn't like the suffocating air of parting, so he gave Qian Renxue a mischievous grin, hoping to steer the mood elsewhere.

Sure enough, seeing Lin Beiya refuse to play along, Little Angel immediately put on an angry face.

"If you don't come visit me, I'll bite you to death when I get back!"

Watching her put on a look of gritted teeth, Lin Beiya smiled.

"Don't worry. I'll come find you by the time I get my third Soul Ring at the latest. After all, I have to give this back to you."

Lin Beiya handed the Aries Gold Card to Qian Renxue. As he envisioned it, once he broke through and obtained a Soul Ring, the Sacred Cloth would return to the Divine Statue and reappear in a stronger form. Then he would have to lend it to her again.

At the sight of the gold card, Little Angel's eyes lit up. She would have to be constantly careful to conceal her identity on this trip, and there would surely be plenty of worldly scheming to deal with. She was worried that all of it would make her neglect her cultivation, so the boost to her cultivation speed from the Sacred Cloth would certainly help.

"Thank you, Bei Ya."

"Why say that? Don't neglect your physical training, either. I'm sure you felt the benefits when you absorbed your third Soul Ring."

"Mm, I will."

Neither of them brought up their parting again, but the moment came all the same. Someone behind them was already calling for Little Angel.

Qian Renxue pressed her lips together, then summoned her courage and looked behind Lin Beiya.

"Bei Ya, there's something over there."

"Hmm?"

His senses were already sharp enough that he would have noticed anything behind him right away.

Though he hadn't sensed anyone approaching from behind, he still followed Little Angel's fair finger and looked back.

Feeling Little Angel rush toward him as soon as he turned his head, Lin Beiya was utterly bewildered. He had no idea what the girl was up to.

After confirming there was nothing behind him, Lin Beiya slowly turned around, intending to ask Qian Renxue why she had tricked him.

But halfway through turning, he felt a warm softness brush his cheek. At the same time, he felt Qian Renxue's trembling lips.

Lin Beiya froze in place, staring blankly at Little Angel as she pulled away after a fleeting kiss.

"Uh..."

"Bei Ya, wait for me."

It seemed she had used up every last bit of her courage. Face crimson, Little Angel turned and went straight to her guard, leaving him with just those words.

Touching the warmth still lingering on his cheek, Lin Beiya let out a quiet laugh and wore a helpless expression.

"That girl, pulling a sneak attack on me."

If she'd had the guts to face me head-on, I wouldn't have just stood there like an idiot and let her get away with it, would I?

He waved to Little Angel as she walked away and watched her leave the Worship Hall. Lin Beiya's feelings grew complicated.

He and Qian Renxue had spent three years together. It was impossible to say he felt nothing for her.

But with Qian Renxue still so small, he truly had no improper thoughts about her. He wasn't some scoundrel who thought that even a death sentence would be worth it.

Now that Little Angel had finally broken the unspoken barrier between them, he had to think about their future.

According to the original story, Tang San would shatter Qian Renxue's painstakingly planned coup in Heaven Dou, a scheme nearly twenty years in the making. In the end, her divine position would be broken, leaving her unable to advance to Titled Douluo. For someone as proud as her, it would be a devastating blow—no better than a fate worse than death.

Since he had accepted the girl's feelings in his heart, he could no longer treat himself as a bystander. He had to build a bright future for the woman he loved.

He began figuring out how to nip every threat to Qian Renxue in the bud. Even the sorrow of parting couldn't trouble him.

There was still plenty of time, and he had ample room to act. He was sure that as his strength grew, he would be able to cut down each of these threats one by one.

After Little Angel left, Lin Beiya's life didn't change much. He still went back and forth between the academy and the Training Ground; the only difference was that someone was no longer there to keep him company.

That day, after lunch with Shi Nuo, Lin Beiya handed him the Taurus Gold Card and planned to return to Douluo Hall as usual.

But just after leaving the academy gates, Lin Beiya was stopped by a figure who seemed both familiar and unfamiliar.

The figure was unfamiliar because he had never dealt with the person before. But the person was familiar because his appearance was so distinctive.

Clad from head to toe in a gold uniform that made it impossible to tell whether he was male or female, the person held up a delicately arched orchid finger, making Lin Beiya shiver all over.

"You're Lin Beiya, right? His Holiness the Pope wishes to see you."

The person was none other than Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan. His fine voice lacked even a trace of masculine energy.

Lin Beiya's heart sank slightly. The storm of power had finally blown his way, though he hadn't wanted any part of it.

Since he was in Spirit Hall, Lin Beiya didn't want to sour things with Bibi Dong, either.

After all, Little Angel had the entire Worship Hall behind her. It made sense that Bibi Dong would be wary of them and hesitate to act rashly. But whether the same could be said if the target were him was anyone's guess.

Though Qian Daoliu was publicly backing him, Lin Beiya couldn't tell whether Bibi Dong would dare make a move against him.

"Understood. Sorry for the trouble, Elder Ju. Please show me the way."

"Come with me."

Lin Beiya followed the veteran who had served two generations, walking at an unhurried pace to Pope Hall. At the other's gesture, he nodded and slowly stepped inside.

Bibi Dong had changed greatly from the gloomy woman he had first met. Now that she had avenged herself and ascended the throne, she looked confident and elegant, while the Nine-Curve Coronet lent her an air of majesty.

When Lin Beiya arrived, Bibi Dong slowly set down the memorial she had been reading and looked down at him from her throne on the raised dais.

"My greetings, Your Holiness the Pope."

"Mm."

Bibi Dong answered, then curled the corner of her mouth and said:

"This should be our second meeting. I believe that, unlike the first time, we will get along very well from now on."

Leaving aside their distant exchange of glances at Qian Xunji's funeral, this really was only the second time he and Bibi Dong had met.

Hearing a hint of esteem in her voice, Lin Beiya couldn't relax his furrowed brows. Was she planning to openly vie with Qian Daoliu for him?

"Thank you for your concern, Your Holiness the Pope. We both belong to Spirit Hall, so naturally we'll get along harmoniously."

Bibi Dong wasn't surprised by his words. If anything, the amusement in her eyes grew stronger.

"You slippery little fox. You're quite clever. You must know what I meant by what I just said."

"Join Pope Hall. I can be your teacher!"