Bibi Dong gripped her scepter so tightly it creaked, staring fixedly at the Sky Screen. Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, standing by her side, were so intimidated by her aura that they fell silent, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Qian Daoliu was just as surprised. Golden Crocodile Douluo and the other Worshippers didn't know the details of Bibi Dong's background, but Qian Daoliu did.
Bibi Dong was only third. What kind of monsters were the top two? Could the Akademiya really have two Peerless Douluo under the age of fifty?
In Heaven Dou City, at Blue Tyrant Academy, Qian Renxue's expression grew complicated when she saw Bibi Dong's name appear on the Sky Screen.
Yu Xiaogang's expression was equally complicated, and he had turned a little pale. He'd thought of a possibility: the Sky Screen might expose what had happened between him and Bibi Dong.
Liu Erlong was simply jealous. Her lovesick mind had always believed Yu Xiaogang refused to be with her because of Bibi Dong, not because they were siblings—and close blood relatives at that, being first cousins.
Just then, the Sky Screen updated with an image of Bibi Dong. She was dressed in the Spirit Hall Pontiff's regalia, holding a scepter and looking exceedingly noble.
That distinctive air about her was something few people could pull off.
Of course, that sort of air could also stir a desire to conquer in certain people. If they could conquer the Pontiff of Spirit Hall, their vanity would be through the roof.
But the images that appeared next would douse the eager men's ardor with a bucket of ice water.
The Sky Screen promptly showed two more images, both depicting Bibi Dong in her Martial Soul Avatar form.
Her half-human, half-spider form alone was enough to make many people back away at once, let alone the venom in her Death Spider Emperor True Body form, which could corrode a person in an instant.
The contrast was stark: the lofty, beautiful, noble Pontiff on one side, and the ugly, terrifying, revolting form of her Martial Soul Avatar on the other.
When Bibi Dong saw the images displayed on the Sky Screen, her expression darkened further. She rarely used her Martial Soul Avatar because she didn't want people to see her ugly appearance.
Now, this Sky Screen had exposed that appearance to the entire Douluo Continent.
She suspected the Sky Screen was targeting her, but there was nothing she could do about it.
At the same time, she wondered whether the Sky Screen would make public the matter she least wanted to remember. If it really did expose it...
Bibi Dong couldn't predict what would happen.
Ouyang Kong, who was almost at Heaven Dou City, watched the Sky Screen start its rundown of Bibi Dong and thought that if it exposed everything about her, the story of Douluo Continent would fall apart.
Still, it had little to do with him. All he had to do was rebuild the Akademiya with Nahida by his side.
Sensing Ouyang Kong's gaze, Nahida smiled sweetly. As expected, the Lesser Lord Kusanali's smile was the most healing thing in the world.
Inside Blue Tyrant Academy, Qian Renxue saw that quite a few people had been frightened by Bibi Dong's Martial Soul Avatar form, and she couldn't help feeling secretly pleased.
Sethos, Tighnari, Nefer, and even Dori and Collei showed little reaction.
Even Collei had dealt with plenty of monsters. Bibi Dong's Martial Soul Avatar form alone wasn't enough to frighten her.
"The Martial Soul system is pretty interesting. Wouldn't this fall under the research of your Amurta as well?"
Nefer asked Tighnari.
"Mm. Amurta studies biology, ecology, medicine, pharmacology, and so on. Martial Souls are a new research subject, but they're based on the human body, so the research falls under our Amurta.
Miss Nefer, which Darshan did you graduate from?"
"I didn't graduate. If I had to say, I'd count as Haravatat. I study history and lies."
"Haravatat studies the origins and composition of knowledge. It's not limited to history and lies."
Nefer smiled and didn't argue with Tighnari. Their conversation, however, left anyone unfamiliar with the Akademiya utterly baffled.
Just then, the Sky Screen continued with Bibi Dong's basic information.
[Affiliation: Spirit Hall]
[Age: 48]
[Martial Souls: Death Spider Emperor, Soul-Eater Spider Emperor]
[Soul Power Level: 98]
[Identity: Pontiff of Spirit Hall, heir to the Rakshasa God]
Quite a few people knew that Bibi Dong had Twin Martial Souls, but aside from Qian Daoliu, no one else knew she was the heir to the Rakshasa God.
Sure enough, when he saw this information revealed on the Sky Screen, Golden Crocodile Douluo's eyes widened.
"Big brother, Bibi Dong, she... did you know about this?"
Qian Daoliu nodded.
"Sigh! This was one of the reasons I didn't make a move against her."
Golden Crocodile Douluo gave a self-deprecating laugh. He had never taken Bibi Dong seriously, believing that any one of the Worshippers in the Worship Hall could keep her in check. Now, he looked like a complete fool.
"Big brother, if Bibi Dong receives a reward from the Sky Screen and accelerates her path to godhood, then..."
Qian Daoliu understood what Golden Crocodile Douluo meant. After a moment of thought, he let out another sigh. "Sigh, it's time to call Xue'er back."
Only a god could stand against a god. The only solution Qian Daoliu could think of was to call Qian Renxue back to complete the Angel God Trial and inherit the Angel God's divine position.
In the Pontiff's Palace, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo were surprised too. They had only just learned that Bibi Dong was also an heir to a god.
But Bibi Dong wasn't happy at all. The revelation that she was the heir to the Rakshasa God did her no good.
All she could do now was hope that the reward from the Sky Screen would make up for the cost of having her secret exposed.
In Heaven Dou City, at Blue Tyrant Academy, Qian Renxue looked shocked as well.
"She's the heir to the Rakshasa God? Does Grandpa know about this? If he does, why didn't he tell me? The Rakshasa God! The name alone makes her sound like an evil god!"
Qian Renxue's thoughts were tangled, but she kept her face carefully composed and showed no sign of anything amiss.
"A god's heir—is it like Cyno inheriting Hermanubis's power?"
Sethos asked.
"It shouldn't be that simple. The gods here should mean gods with divine authority, like the Seven Archons, not the ordinary kind of gods.
A god's heir should inherit more than just power. They should inherit divine authority as well.
Your Highness, the crown prince, I wonder if I'm right."
Nefer suddenly called out Qian Renxue, making her heart skip a beat. Had Nefer seen through her disguise?
Qian Renxue watched Nefer's ever-present smile, but couldn't read anything from it. She could only feign confusion. "Huh? Why are you asking me, Miss Nefer? I don't know anything about this either."
"Is that so? What a shame!"
Elsewhere, jealousy was practically written all over Liu Erlong's face.
But soon she comforted herself. So what if you're about to become a god? Yu Xiaogang is still here by my side. I'm the winner in this, and Bibi Dong is the loser.
On Sea God Island, Bo Saixi furrowed her brow as well. Bibi Dong was a god's heir. If she became a god, she might attack Sea God Island again, and Bo Saixi had to be on guard.
But if an heir to the Sea God appeared, she would have to sacrifice herself to pave the way for the new god. She was reluctant to do that, too.
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