Meanwhile, Pope Palace.
Yu Xiaogang stood in the center of the hall, holding the Pope's Token. He looked up at Bibi Dong, who sat high on the throne. Her Pope Robe accentuated her cold and beautiful face, and her aura was imposing. She was no longer the girl who used to follow him.
Bibi Dong looked down at him, a faint, complex emotion flashing across her eyes before turning into a cold laugh. " Yu Xiaogang, what made you decide to come looking for me? I thought you'd never set foot in the Pope Palace in your entire life."
Yu Xiaogang's apple bobbed, and he called softly, " Dong'er."
" Dong'er is dead." Bibi Dong's voice suddenly turned cold. "She died many years ago because of your betrayal, Yu Xiaogang."
"No." Yu Xiaogang stepped forward, his tone urgent. " Dong'er, you don't know the hardships we faced back then. On the day we agreed to meet, I waited for you all night, but you never came. I thought..."
Bibi Dong was startled, and her grip on the scepter tightened slightly.
She stared into Yu Xiaogang's eyes, as if trying to discern the truth from them.
After a moment, her face turned cold again, and she looked away. "So many years have passed, what's the point of bringing this up now?"
Yu Xiaogang lowered his eyes, his tone tinged with dejection, " Dong'er, I'm begging you, can you do me a favor?"
He knew his words were abrupt, and he also knew he was no longer qualified.
But for Tang San's sake, and to completely eliminate the threat of Shen Yifeng, he had no choice but to set aside all his dignity and beg the woman before him whom he had wronged.
Bibi Dong remained silent for a long time, her fingertips tracing the gem at the top of the scepter, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
Torn between old feelings and self-interest, he finally said coldly after a long pause, "What do you want me to do?"
Yu Xiaogang felt relieved and quickly said, " Dong'er, I ask you to send Titled Douluo to intercept Shen Yifeng of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy halfway. This person killed several of my Shrek teachers and is ruthless. If we eliminate him, not only can I take revenge, but your Spirit Hall Academy will also lose its strongest enemy, and the championship will be within our grasp."
Bibi Dong's eyes flickered slightly as she quickly weighed her options.
She had long heard of Shen Yifeng's achievements; at such a young age, his combat power was unfathomable, and he was indeed the biggest obstacle for the Spirit Hall to win the championship.
Moreover, this was the first time in over twenty years that Yu Xiaogang had asked her for a favor, and a long-dormant softness in her heart quietly resurfaced, causing her icy resolve to soften somewhat.
After a moment's hesitation, she slowly said, "Okay, I promise you."
As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her hand to summon her guards and coldly ordered, "Summon Ghost Leopard Douluo to an audience."
A short while later, a dark figure flashed into the hall, knelt on one knee, and said, " Your His Holiness the Pope."
Bibi Dong's gaze swept over him, her tone leaving no room for doubt. "You will go with Yu Xiaogang to ambush Shen Yifeng on the way. Remember, conceal your identity well, and absolutely do not let anyone recognize that you are from the Spirit Hall, and you are not allowed to leave any evidence against you."
Ghost Leopard Douluo was taken aback, somewhat puzzled. " Your His Holiness the Pope, why would Titled Douluo need to intervene to deal with a mere Soul King junior? If our identities are exposed, it might damage the reputation of the Spirit Hall."
"Just do as I say." Bibi Dong interrupted him, her tone turning colder. "If anything goes wrong, I'll take responsibility."
Ghost Leopard Douluo dared not ask any more questions and bowed his head to accept the order, "Your subordinate obeys."
Yu Xiaogang's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down. He bowed deeply to Bibi Dong and said, " Dong'er, thank you."
Bibi Dong turned her face away from him, waving her hand dismissively. Her voice remained cold and hard. "Go. Don't come looking for me again after you've done it."
The wide Pope Robe concealed her hands, with only her fingertips slightly clenched within the sleeves.
On the other side, the convoy reached the territory of Soulfall Valley, where the road split into two forks.
The horseman, who was supposed to follow the main road with the group, secretly turned the carriage around and drove it onto a side road.
The trees on both sides grew denser and denser, and after walking for another quarter of an hour, they could no longer hear the wheels of other carriages.
Shen Yifeng slowly opened his eyes. "What happened? Where are the other teams' cars?"
The groom in front didn't turn around, but smiled obsequiously and said, "Young Master Shen, don't worry, this is a safe and secluded path reserved for nobles. It's less crowded and quieter than the main group, so it's much faster this way."
Shen Yifeng raised an eyebrow, sensing that something was amiss.
But after glancing at Lan Xuanyu and Gu Yuena beside him, he relaxed again.
With these two around, let alone a few petty thieves, even a Titled Douluo might not fare well. He leaned back on the cushion, too lazy to expose them, but wanted to see who was behind it all.
After driving a while longer, several huge trees suddenly lay across the road, blocking the way.
The stableman suddenly pulled on the reins, and the carriage braked abruptly, causing all three people inside to lurch.
Before Shen Yifeng could ask a question, the stableman suddenly pursed his lips and let out a sharp whistle.
As soon as the whistle sounded, a series of sharp, whistling sounds suddenly filled the dense forest on both sides of the valley.
A dense barrage of crossbow bolts, each inlaid with poisoned Soul-Breaking Needle, rained down on the carriage.
However, the arrows flew to within ten feet of the carriage before striking a layer of pale silver Soul Power barrier, bouncing off and falling to the ground, unable to harm the people inside in the slightest.
Gu Yuena instinctively activated her defenses.
Shen Yifeng lifted the carriage curtain, glanced at the figures moving in the dense forest on both sides, and then looked at the valley entrance blocked by huge rocks in front and behind him, his tone very calm.
"We're trapped."
Lan Xuanyu rubbed her hands together, her eyes revealing excitement.
Finally, someone came knocking on my door to die; perfect opportunity to stretch my muscles.
Gu Yuena stood beside him, her gaze sweeping coldly across both sides. It was obvious without even guessing that it was mostly Shrek Academy's doing.
Shen Yifeng lifted the car curtain and slowly stepped out of the car.
Lan Xuanyu and Gu Yuena followed him on either side, while the rest of the Imperial Fighting Team got off the bus one after another and stood in a row.
In the open space ahead, Niu Gao and Bai He stood side by side, with elite disciples from both clans standing behind them, each holding a weapon and looking tense.
Shen Yifeng glanced at the two men, his tone indifferent. "Two clan leaders, haven't the lessons from Tai Tan been enough? Do you really want to repeat the same mistakes?"
Bai He's expression was grave. "Enough nonsense! Today is your death day. If we don't kill you, Xiong Jun will come knocking sooner or later, and neither of our clans will survive. We're going to die anyway, so we might as well fight it out."
Niu Gao took half a step forward, his voice booming. "That's right! No matter how powerful you are, can you defeat the combined forces of our two clans? If you know what's good for you, surrender and we'll give you a quick death."
"You dare!" Dugu Yan immediately stepped forward, her fingertips gleaming with poison. "My grandfather is the Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo! If you dare lay a finger on us today, he'll raze both your clans to the ground!"
Yu Tianheng stepped forward, his Soul Power surging. "And my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan! Do you really think our sect is deserted?"
Bai He and Niu Gao exchanged a glance, a hint of apprehension indeed flashing in their eyes.
Poison Douluo and Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon are both formidable opponents; if they were to become enemies, the consequences would be dire.
But when he thought of Tang San's Clear Sky Sect's support and Tang Hao, a Titled Douluo, being there to protect him, his fear subsided.
With the Clear Sky Sect around, what can Poison Douluo do?
"Stop trying to scare us with your Titled Douluo," Niu Gao said, forcing a smile. "Today we are acting on the orders of the young master of the Clear Sky Sect. If you have the guts, go settle accounts with the Clear Sky Sect!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the coachman dashed off into the camps of the two tribes, his face full of smugness.
Seeing this, Shen Yifeng finally understood.
It turned out that the fork in the road was a trap from the start. The coachman had been bribed and deliberately led them into this valley. He chuckled lightly, showing no sign of panic. On the contrary, he found it rather interesting. This Tang San was even more impatient than he had expected.