Wondrous State

Shi Nuo nodded, revealing everything without the slightest intention of holding anything back.

"Your Holiness, Beiya and I had intended to stroll through Martial Soul City to relieve the boredom brought on by days of cultivation."

"But by evening, six men led by that Mantis Martial Soul Soul Emperor blocked us on the Commercial Street, claiming someone had paid for our lives."

"We were already hanging by a thread, but at the very last moment, Beiya erupted with golden light and instantly killed two Soul Kings."

Having given a rough account of the events, Shi Nuo began to wait for the Pope's verdict.

As Bibi Dong listened to the little fatty's narration, a flash of shock crossed her eyes, though she did not doubt the truth of the matter.

That her opportunistic disciple could instantly counter-kill two Soul Kings while only at the Soul Grand Master stage left her feeling extremely surprised.

One had to know that even she, with her Twin Martial Souls and Innate Full Soul Power, could not have accomplished such a feat at the Soul Grand Master stage.

She certainly needed an outstanding disciple to solidify her reputation and status, but... this disciple seemed a bit too outstanding.

"I understand. You are injured as well; go and get some rest."

"Yes, Your Holiness."

Glancing once more toward his good brother's room, Shi Nuo bowed and limped his way out of the Pope Hall.

Bibi Dong watched the tightly closed door, a complex look flashing in her eyes. Although Lin Beiya had confessed everything to her, he was, after all, a man of Qian Daoliu's previously. She could never truly trust him—or rather, ever since the incident in the secret chamber, she had ceased to trust anyone at all.

Turning to walk toward her own quarters, Bibi Dong began to calculate how to handle this matter in her heart.

Ignoring it entirely was clearly impossible; otherwise, those with ulterior motives would no longer have any reservations and would jump out to sabotage her at every turn. That was not what she wanted.

However, Demon Bear was a man of the Elder Hall. To contend with Qian Daoliu, she still needed to win over this group, so overly severe punishment seemed unfeasible.

"Sigh... this really has presented me with a difficult problem. It seems I must obtain my ninth soul ring as soon as possible; strength is the foundation of everything."

The next day, the citizens of Martial Soul City watched in astonishment as squads of Martial Soul Hall guards began a city-wide search for fugitives, leaving the commoners in a state of panic, fearing that the criminals hidden in the shadows would suddenly strike.

The Soul Ancestor who had acted first and been injured by the Crystal Wall had already been found by the guards, but regrettably, they only found a corpse, which provided no help to the progress of the case.

As for the leading Soul Emperor and the two Soul Ancestors who had fled with him, they had vanished without a trace, as if they had evaporated into thin air.

Logically, after the assassination attempt, Bibi Dong had immediately ordered the city to be sealed and strictly screened all entries and exits; these people should not have had the opportunity to escape.

After searching house by house to no avail, the captain of the guards had no choice but to report to Bibi Dong for the Pope's final decision.

"Is that so? I understand. You may go."

"Yes, Your Holiness."

After dismissing the guard captain, Bibi Dong immediately ordered someone to summon Yue Guan.

Chrysanthemum Guan had also heard of the attack in Martial Soul City last night. He guessed that Bibi Dong calling him over must be related to this matter, so after bowing, he tentatively asked:

"Your Holiness, do you require me to hunt down those criminals?"

"No need. This morning, the guards found the corpse of one of the Soul Ancestors involved in the assassination at a street corner. You need only bring the body before Demon Bear."

"Hmm?"

Bibi Dong's words made Yue Guan pause for a moment, but he immediately understood. She had already confirmed that Demon Bear was behind this, but since she could not easily fall out with him or start a war just yet, she wanted to use the Soul Ancestor's corpse to give him a warning.

The meaning was clear: I know you did it, but I will not pursue it further this time. Should there be a next time, it will all be settled together.

"Yes, this subordinate understands."

Without offering any suggestions, Chrysanthemum Guan immediately took his orders and walked out of the Pope Hall.

Bibi Dong clenched her fingers until they turned pale. Although this incident was aimed at her opportunistic disciple, it had also invisibly dampened her spirit within the Martial Soul Hall.

To those old fogies in the Elder Hall, she was still just a beneficiary who had risen to power through nepotism; while they feared her, there was little respect to speak of.

At this moment, her desire to break through to Title Douluo reached its peak.

In the days that followed, the search intensity of the Martial Soul Hall guards gradually relaxed, and the commoners breathed a sigh of relief, believing the villains were no longer in Martial Soul City, and returned to their daily lives.

The attack had come to an end, but Lin Beiya, who had been expected to wake up within these few days, showed no signs of movement.

Bibi Dong sent healing-type soul masters to re-examine him several times, but the answer was always that his injuries had healed and his soul power had recovered; why he would not wake up remained unclear.

The doctors' words only added to the restlessness in Bibi Dong's heart. At this stage, she still needed Lin Beiya, a disciple capable of suppressing his contemporaries. Although Hu Liena also had good talent, it was clearly not enough.

If Lin Beiya were to lie there forever, it would be a massive blow to her prestige. A teacher who could not protect a genius disciple would be nailed to the pillar of shame forever.

As for the protagonist of the event, he was currently in a mysterious and profound state.

Lin Beiya felt as if he were situated in an endless galaxy, with stardust fragments drifting past him from time to time. He was like a speck of dust in the Milky Way, drifting slowly along with the gravitational pull of massive celestial bodies.

"Is this... the Cosmo?"

The power that had suddenly erupted from his body at the final moment of the battle was still fresh in his mind, and everything before him told him that his strength had crossed into a brand-new stage.

But no matter how hard he tried, he seemed unable to regain control of his body, nor could he pull himself out of this state.

Just as Lin Beiya was at a total loss, a small, pitch-black vortex slowly unfolded, centered on his sea of consciousness. Then, with the momentum of a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, it began to absorb the stardust fragments drifting past to strengthen itself.

Lin Beiya did not know how much time had passed, but countless ages had already gone by in this galaxy—so long that even he had forgotten the passage of time.

In the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, a woman with exquisite features, dressed as a maid, brought a sumptuous lunch before a man dressed as a nobleman.

The man possessed an elegant temperament and revealed a gentle, spring-breeze-like smile upon seeing the maid.

"Just leave it on the table; I will dine once I finish this passage. Thank you for your hard work, Xiao Xue."

"Yes, Your Highness the First Prince."

The maid followed the man's instructions, placed the meal on the dining table in the room, and then bowed and quietly withdrew.

This person was none other than Qian Renxue, who had accepted an undercover mission to infiltrate the Prince's Mansion. After exiting the study, her pretty face, hidden beneath a simple disguise, was filled with worry.

Returning absent-mindedly to her quarters within the Prince's Mansion, Qian Renxue beckoned toward the shadows of the room.

A slightly plump middle-aged man slowly stepped out from the shadows and cupped his hands toward Qian Renxue.

"Miss, what are your orders?"

"Return to Martial Soul Hall and investigate exactly what has happened. It would be best to find out whether Lin Beiya is safe."

"Yes, Miss."

After receiving the order, the plump man flashed and disappeared, leaving only Qian Renxue to her worries.

The night before last, when she had wanted to cultivate, she discovered that the hidden Aries Gold Card had vanished, and she immediately realized that this meant Lin Beiya had recalled the Sacred Cloth.