Douluo Hall

The weeping inside the Crystal Palace gradually subsided, leaving only the soft, broken breaths of mother and daughter clinging to each other.

Qian Renxue was the first to compose herself. She gently wiped the tears from Bibi Dong's cheeks, then dabbed at the corners of her own reddened eyes. Their eyes held the tenderness of those who had found what they had lost.

She helped Bibi Dong down from the altar and told her everything that had happened over the past ten thousand years.

How she had fought to protect the last wisp of her remnant soul, wandering from place to place with the remnants of Spirit Hall; how the Dragon God's will had appeared of its own accord and set a ten-thousand-year pact.

How she had awakened ten thousand years later and traveled the continent with Gu Yuan, witnessing the changes in the world for herself and recovering the Rakshasa God Fragment; how, at last, she had reached the Star Dou Forest and used the source of Life Lake together with the Annihilation God Core to bring about this resurrection across ten thousand years.

She also told her about the earth-shaking changes the continent had undergone over the past ten thousand years.

The Heaven Dou Empire had split into the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Dou Ling Empire. The three great empires stood like the legs of a tripod, yet were constrained at every turn by Shrek Academy. The Tang Sect, founded by Tang San, had risen and then declined, while Shrek Academy had become the holy land of the Soul Master World. His statue stood enshrined at the very center of Shrek City, worshipped by Soul Masters across the continent.

Meanwhile, the Spirit Hall of old had been nailed to history's pillar of shame, made synonymous with "evil" and "cruelty" in the history books. All the remaining Soul Masters had been forced to bear the slur of "remnants" and eke out a living in the shadows for a full ten thousand years.

Qian Renxue spoke calmly, yet every word struck Bibi Dong's heart like a heavy hammer.

She listened in silence, passing from initial shock to surging hatred, then to utter coldness, until at last only the clarity of one who had passed through life and death remained.

Her entire life had been spent in hatred. She hated Qian Xunji for destroying her life, Yu Xiaogang for misunderstanding her, Tang San for destroying everything she had devoted her life to building, the injustice of the heavens and earth, and the cruel tricks of fate.

She had thought that dying at Jialing Pass would be the end of her hatred. She had never imagined that when she awoke ten thousand years later, her enemy would have reached the peak of the Divine Realm and become the faith of the entire Douluo Continent.

And the daughter she had owed so much to had waited in the darkness for a full ten thousand years, just for her to return, just to bring her back to life.

Bibi Dong lifted a hand and gently caressed Qian Renxue's cheek. Her fingertips trembled faintly with coolness, and her eyes were filled with guilt and heartache that would not fade.

Only at the very end had she realized that the most precious thing in her life had always been right beside her.

"Xue'er, you've suffered so much." Bibi Dong's voice was still hoarse, yet carried a tenderness she had never shown before.

Qian Renxue shook her head and smiled at her. Then she turned to look at Gu Yuan and Gu Yuena, who stood some distance away, and softly said to Bibi Dong, "Mom, Lord Gu Yuan gave us the chance to start over. Without him, I could never have brought you back to life on my own."

Following her gaze, Bibi Dong looked toward the man in the dark-colored brocade robe.

From the moment she had awakened, she had felt the boundless pressure emanating from him, a presence that towered above all living beings.

She could clearly sense that, before him, the Annihilation God Core within her was like a stream facing an ocean. It could not even muster the thought of resistance.

What shook her even more was the aura of destruction she could sense in him, so similar to her own, yet countless times purer and more boundless than it had been at her peak. It was the supreme law that truly commanded the birth and death of the universe.

She had lived a lifetime and seen countless powerful figures, yet even Tang San, who possessed two gods in one, had never made her feel such overwhelming pressure.

Bibi Dong slowly straightened and smoothed her long purple dress. In that moment, the dignity and bearing of Spirit Hall's Pope returned in full.

She faced Gu Yuan, slowly bent her knees, and offered a solemn gesture of respect, neither servile nor proud.

"Bibi Dong greets Lord Dragon God."

She did not prostrate herself as Di Tian and the others had. Instead, she chose the most solemn gesture she could offer to express her respect.

She was Spirit Hall's final Pope and had once been a Rakshasa deity. Even facing the Dragon God, she still had her own pride.

But she also understood that the man before her was her savior, the only one who could help her and Xue'er avenge their blood debt—and their only hope of opposing the Divine Realm and Tang San in the future.

"I died at Jialing Pass ten thousand years ago, and my divine soul was extinguished. I should have vanished from heaven and earth completely. It was you, my lord, who gave me the chance to live a second life. Bibi Dong will never forget this kindness."

Bibi Dong raised her head. Her violet-gold eyes held not a trace of flattery, only unwavering resolve. "I know your goal, my lord: to overturn the order established by the Five Great God Kings of the Divine Realm, take revenge on Tang San, and revive the Dragon Clan and the Soul Beast Clan. Tang San and I, along with Xue'er, share a blood feud that can never be reconciled."

"From this day on, I, Bibi Dong, swear upon my Martial Soul to serve Lord Dragon God. In the battle against the Divine Realm and the overthrow of Tang San's rule, Xue'er and I will gladly serve at your vanguard, even at the cost of our lives."

As her words fell, dark-purple Annihilation runes slowly appeared behind her. A divine soul oath flew from between her brows and settled before Gu Yuan.

This was the most supreme of oaths. If she broke it, her very essence would collapse, and she would never be reborn.

Gu Yuan looked at the woman before him, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

He had long since seen through Bibi Dong's life in Qian Renxue's memories.

This woman had lived a life of sorrow, yet possessed a mind and a grasp of power far beyond ordinary people, along with astonishing talent and ruthless resolve.

She had risen step by step from a woman crushed by fate to the position of Spirit Hall's Pope, and achieved a divine inheritance on her own. She was no ordinary person. With her and Qian Renxue working together, he would not need to spend another thought on the game being played in the mortal world.

Gu Yuan raised a hand and gave a slight wave. The divine soul oath became a streak of light and merged into his own divine soul.

He spoke calmly, his voice carrying an undeniable weight. "Rise. Since I promised to bring you back to life, I will keep my word. We are allies on the road ahead. There's no need to stand on ceremony."

"Thank you, my lord." Bibi Dong slowly rose. Her aura stirred faintly as she began to examine her body and probe the strength of her newly reborn flesh.

She needn't have worried, but the moment she examined herself, even Bibi Dong, who had seen countless storms, could not stop her pupils from contracting. Shock and disbelief appeared on her face.

Her Twin Martial Souls had undergone an earth-shaking evolution.

Her original Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul had completely transformed. Dark-purple Annihilation law runes now coiled around the Spider Emperor's body, and its eight legs were like the sharpest divine weapons. The slightest movement could tear space apart and annihilate life.

Its attributes had evolved from death and poison into the ultimate Annihilation attribute. It now wielded the most fundamental laws of life and death: at a single thought, all things withered; at another, all life was extinguished. It was more than a level stronger than her Rakshasa Divine Power had been.

Her other Martial Soul, the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor, had evolved even more astonishingly. Its original Spirit Shock and devouring abilities had been amplified countless times. Its six compound eyes could see through every illusion in the world and command the ultimate laws of shadow and spirit, evolving into the ultimate Shadow attribute.

Even a quasi-god-level expert, once enveloped in her shadow, would have their divine soul devoured and sink into eternal damnation, without even a chance at reincarnation.

What shook her even more was the unprecedented transformation of her Soul Rings.

At the height of her power, she had possessed two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red Soul Ring. Even after attaining the Rakshasa Godhood, her Soul Rings had never undergone any fundamental improvement.

But now, each of her two Martial Souls had nine Soul Rings, and every one, from the first to the ninth, was a dazzling red. Even the weakest was a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring!

Gu Yuan had reforged these Soul Rings specifically for her using the Dragon God's Power combined with the source of Life Lake. Every one matched her Martial Soul and laws perfectly, without the slightest rejection.

Her cultivation had also stabilized at the peak of level 99, the limit of a Limit Douluo, only one step away from godhood.

With the Annihilation God Core, her divine foundation had already been forged. Once she fully fused with it, she could step straight into godhood.

This Annihilation Power was several times stronger than the Rakshasa God's had been at the height of her power.

"This..." Bibi Dong stared at her hands, feeling the Annihilation Divine Power surging ceaselessly through her body. Her fingertips trembled faintly.

She had never dreamed that after being reborn, she would not only be alive again but would also possess such terrifying power.

"The Annihilation God Core is perfectly compatible with your divine soul. Moonna and I reforged this body with Life Gold and a secret Dragon Clan technique. It was born capable of bearing the power of a God King." Gu Yuan calmly explained, answering her unspoken question.

"Your Twin Martial Souls were already extraordinary by nature. It was only that the Rakshasa Godhood you possessed back then was incomplete, so you could never bring out your true potential. Now that the Annihilation God Core empowers you, your Martial Souls have naturally undergone the most complete evolution."

"Thank you, my lord, for giving me a new life!" Bibi Dong bowed once more, her respect for him deepening.

She understood that the Dragon God before her had given her more than a new life. He had given her a road leading to the peak of the universe.

Beside them, Qian Renxue watched the light rekindling in her mother's eyes, and a heartfelt smile appeared on her face.

She had waited so long for this day.

"Now that you've been reborn, it's time to discuss our plans going forward."

Gu Yuan walked to the center of the hall, his gaze sweeping over the three of them as his expression grew serious.

With a wave of his hand, a screen of light appeared before them. It clearly outlined the entire Douluo Continent: the territories of the three great empires, the locations of the major forces, including Tang Sect, Shrek, Mingde Hall, and Body Sect, as well as every piece Spirit Hall's remnants had placed in the shadows across the continent.

"My goal has always been just one thing: to overthrow the rule of the Five Great God Kings of the Divine Realm, break the unjust laws they established, revive the Dragon Clan, and give the Soul Beast Clan a chance to survive. Tang San has planted many pieces across the Douluo Continent. They are the greatest obstacles we must remove."

Gu Yuan pointed to Shrek City on the screen, his voice cold. "Tang San has spent ten thousand years establishing his influence across the Douluo Continent. He has long since turned it into his own backyard. Shrek's influence runs deep. It controls the continent's finest Soul Master resources, and even the imperial houses have to act according to its wishes."

"More importantly, over ten thousand years he has brainwashed the Soul Masters across the continent, shaping himself into a savior and nailing Spirit Hall to the pillar of shame as evil."

"So we need to undermine the order he built from the very foundations, take away the people's hearts, hollow out his base, and turn ten thousand years of his work on the Douluo Continent into nothing."

Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong exchanged a glance, understanding in each other's eyes.

One had been a Crown Prince who spent years undercover in the Heaven Dou Empire; the other had once been Spirit Hall's Pope. Both were exceptionally skilled at forging alliances and winning people over through open strategy.

"I need you two to leave the Star Dou Forest and build a brand-new superpower on the continent, with the two of you at its core." Gu Yuan stated his plan, each word deliberate.

"A brand-new force?" Qian Renxue raised an eyebrow and asked softly.

"Do you mean restarting Spirit Hall, my lord?"

"No." Gu Yuan shook his head, immediately rejecting the idea.

"For ten thousand years, Tang San and Shrek have spared no effort in smearing Spirit Hall's name. In the eyes of the continent's Soul Masters, Spirit Hall is now synonymous with evil and cruelty. The moment we fly its banner, Shrek will move to encircle us. Even if we have the strength to fight back, it will disrupt our plans, alert our enemies, and draw Tang San's attention in the Divine Realm."

"So this new force absolutely cannot use the name Spirit Hall." Gu Yuan wrote three large characters in the center of the screen—Douluo Hall.

"Douluo Hall?" A glint flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes as she looked at the three characters. She instantly understood Gu Yuan's intention.

"Exactly. We'll call it Douluo Hall." Gu Yuan nodded slowly. "The name belongs to the entire Douluo Continent. It takes no side and carries none of the grudges of the past. Douluo Hall is just Spirit Hall under a different name."

Gu Yuan intended to create a neutral force that would shelter Soul Masters across the continent, especially those from common backgrounds. It would be the core of the future struggle against Tang San and the consolidation of the continent's strength.