A Violet-Gold Divine Light Descended from Heaven; All Living Things Celebrated the Celestial Master

Spirit City, Pope Palace.

The grand hall was imposing, its air cold and solemn.

Hu Liena strode into the hall in her military uniform, still dusted with the grit of the front lines and bearing their aura of bloodshed and slaughter.

Her armor was stained with dried blood. All that remained of her usually alluring face was a soldier's steely resolve and efficiency.

"Teacher."

She stopped before the papal throne and dropped to one knee. Her voice rang out clear and strong, without the slightest hesitation.

Upon the throne, Bibi Dong wore an ornate papal robe. Faint ripples of dark purple divine power swirled around her, carrying the terrifying pressure of someone on the verge of crossing the threshold to godhood.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked at her most prized disciple. The coldness in her gaze softened a little.

"Rise, Nana."

"Yes."

Hu Liena rose at once, then took a scroll from her breast, its seal bearing the highest level of confidentiality in Spirit Hall. She presented it with both hands.

"Teacher, the latest intelligence from the Star Luo Empire's front lines: the Star Luo Emperor has assembled three hundred thousand troops at the border. He's also secretly allied with neighboring kingdoms like Balaque and Siville. They can form a massive coalition army at any time and reinforce Jialing Pass."

Bibi Dong did not take the scroll. She simply listened in silence.

To her, no matter how many mortal soldiers there were, they were nothing but numbers.

Seeing this, Hu Liena knew what her teacher was thinking. She paused, then continued with an even more important piece of intelligence.

"Also, my spy on Sea God Island sent back a secret report. Tang San... has passed the Sea God's Seventh Trial and pulled out the Sea God Trident. His Soul Power has already reached level eighty-three."

"Eighty-three?"

Bibi Dong lightly tapped the armrest of her throne with her fingertips. The "knock, knock" echoed especially clearly through the vast hall.

A sneer, cold to the extreme, curled her lips.

"He's nothing but a clown who thinks a bit of luck and a god's favor means he can rival the sun and moon?"

The killing intent in her voice nearly took physical form. The temperature in the whole hall seemed to drop.

"Once I complete the Rakshasa God's inheritance, he'll be the first one I kill. I'll grind his bones to dust, crush his Sea God Godhood along with them, and make sure he never knows rebirth!"

Bibi Dong's hatred had long since seeped into her bones.

She hated not only Tang San, but also Tang Hao behind him, and that hypocritical Divine Realm.

Feeling her teacher's undisguised, bitter killing intent, Hu Liena's own fighting spirit surged. She stepped forward and straightened her back.

Buzz!

With a soft hum, the phantom of an alluring, uncanny fox slowly materialized behind her.

It was her Martial Soul, the Demon Fox.

Unlike before, the phantom was now more solid, its eyes glittering with a soul-stirring red light.

Yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black.

Six Soul Rings lined up neatly beneath her feet. The profound black glow of the last three, Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings enveloped her in an overwhelming aura of pressure.

"Teacher, during my three months at the front, I personally killed three Soul Douluos from the Heaven Dou Empire. One of them was a level eighty-seven defensive-type Soul Douluo."

"My Demon Fox Martial Soul was tempered tremendously in actual combat. I'm now at the peak of level sixty-nine, ready to break through the Soul Saint bottleneck at any time."

Her voice was not loud, but it brimmed with confidence. This was what she had achieved through blood and fire; it was the pride of the Martial Soul Hall Saintess.

Seeing the light in Hu Liena's eyes, the frost on Bibi Dong's face melted away completely, replaced by a rare warmth and heartfelt pride.

"Very good, Nana. You haven't disappointed me."

She rose from the throne and slowly walked over to Hu Liena, then gently tidied her slightly tousled hair.

"You're the true future of Spirit Hall, the most dazzling genius in its history. At this rate, within three years, you'll become the youngest Titled Douluo Spirit Hall has ever had."

Receiving such high praise from her teacher, Hu Liena's eyes grew a little hot, but she forced herself to hold back her tears.

She was a warrior, not a little girl who needed comforting.

Just then, light footsteps sounded outside the hall.

"Nana, you're back!"

Xie Yue came hurrying in with an exquisite food box.

Seeing Hu Liena in her military uniform, a flash of concern crossed his eyes. He quickly went to her side.

"I knew you'd come to see Teacher as soon as you got back. You must be starving." He lovingly held the food box out to Hu Liena. "I had the imperial kitchen make your favorite osmanthus cakes. They're still warm."

At the sight of her brother, the layer of ice on Hu Liena's face finally melted away, revealing a faint, genuine smile.

"Brother."

She took the food box and softly said:

"Thank you."

"Silly girl, why be so polite with your brother?"

Xie Yue smiled and, as he always did, ruffled her hair. His eyes were full of concern and pride.

Bibi Dong quietly watched them, her gaze softening as well.

She had raised these siblings herself. In this cold world, they were among the few things she could hold dear.

After that brief moment of warmth, the mood turned serious again.

Bibi Dong turned and walked toward the enormous sand table in the center of the hall, a military map encompassing the entire continent.

"Come over. We still need to discuss the defenses at Jialing Pass."

"Yes."

Hu Liena and Xie Yue immediately joined her. The three of them gathered around the enormous map, their expressions grave.

"Now that the Star Luo Empire is making a move, Heaven Dou will surely respond in kind. Once Tang San completes the Nine Trials of the Sea God, he'll return to the mainland at once. Then the pressure on Jialing Pass will peak."

Xie Yue pointed to the fortress at Jialing Pass and analyzed the situation in a low voice.

Hu Liena added:

"Tang San has won over the Seven Sacred Pillar Guardians on Sea God Island. All seven are Titled Douluo. If they join Tang San in battle, our side will face a huge shortage of high-level fighters."

Bibi Dong listened to their analysis, her gaze moving back and forth across the map. At last, she planted her finger firmly on Jialing Pass.

"Give my orders!"

Her voice once again rang with the authority and decisiveness of the Pope:

"Order Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei to assemble ten thousand elite Soul Masters at once, bring every Soul Tool of war, and set out for Jialing Pass tonight! Before the coalition armies of Heaven Dou and Star Luo arrive, turn Jialing Pass into an impenetrable iron wall!"

"Yes!" Hu Liena and Xie Yue answered in unison.

Just as the three finished their discussion and were about to carry out their orders—

"Report—!!"

A frantic, shrill shout suddenly came from outside the hall!

The next instant, an attendant guarding the Pope Palace came stumbling into the hall, practically rolling across the floor.

He did not even have time to worry about the grave crime of losing his composure before the Pope. His face was as pale as paper, and his whole body shook like a sieve.

He dropped to his knees with a thud, his voice trembling with indescribable terror.

"P-Pope! Something's wrong! Something's wrong!"

Bibi Dong's brow furrowed sharply. A terrifying pressure instantly enveloped the attendant.

"What are you panicking for? Speak!"

The pressure nearly made the attendant faint. Summoning every last bit of his strength, he pointed at the sky beyond the hall and screamed at the top of his lungs:

"Th-the sky! There's a violet-gold light in the sky! It's... it's flying straight toward the Pope Palace!"