The Talismans Were Fake?

Spirit Hall.

In the silent secret chamber.

Bibi Dong pinched the talisman between her slender fingers, rubbing it as she examined it closely.

"Is this a talisman?" she asked curiously.

A Shadow Ninja rose from the ground and took the talisman from Bibi Dong's hand.

The talisman, with a picture of a sheep drawn on it, rested in the Shadow Ninja's hand as it approached the statue, preparing to fit it into one of the twelve slots on the Shendu Statue.

But just as the talisman drew near, Shendu suddenly realized something was wrong.

"Damn it, this talisman is fake!" he roared furiously, his imposing aura forcing Bibi Dong to take a step back.

"How could that be?" Bibi Dong exclaimed in shock, her pretty brows knitting slightly.

She forced herself to calm down and said with a frown, "I went to the place you told me about to retrieve it."

"The aura my people sensed was correct, but what you brought back was wrong. You were fooled." Shendu flicked the talisman away. With a bang, it punched through the ceiling.

"What?" Bibi Dong clenched her teeth, reluctant to believe his words. But when she thought of her daughter, with whom she had a poor relationship, anger and suspicion crept into her heart. Could that girl really have dared to defy her?

If so, she would never let her off lightly.

Hmph! As expected, she's just as devious and cunning as her father. The thought was icy in Bibi Dong's mind.

But Shendu didn't care about her reasons.

"Useless! You can't even handle this simple matter. Hurry up and retrieve it. Go yourself." His furious voice made Bibi Dong's scalp tingle. She feared he would punish her again as he had that day.

Bibi Dong clenched both hands, her teeth grinding audibly. Without a word, she turned and left.

Damn it!

If she weren't so weak, she would have loved to smash the overbearing statue in front of her with one punch.

Just you wait. Once I possess power that surpasses the gods, I'll—

She fell silent before she could finish the thought.

If she wanted to obtain that kind of power, she had to get it from the statue. Could she really defeat Shendu that way?

Was she doomed to remain at the statue's mercy forever? She gritted her teeth, seething with resentment.

As she spoke, a murky aura flashed through her mind. The evil divine power within her rippled faintly, and dark thoughts stirred deep in her heart.

She wanted power, but she didn't want to submit. What could she do?

Bibi Dong walked calmly down the passage, but her mind kept turning things over. Ultimately, she knew far too little about Shendu—or demons in general. If only she could learn more.

She would have others search the continent for information about demons. She refused to believe that in all of Douluo Continent, Spirit Hall was the only place with tales of demons.

And she would have to look into the Sun Moon Continent Shendu had mentioned earlier, too.

Her gaze was inscrutable as countless thoughts filled her mind.

"Tap, tap—"

Her sharp heels struck the metal floor with crisp clicks, their sound fading down the passage.

Pope Palace.

Bibi Dong stood atop the high steps, looking down coldly.

Just after she had announced a few matters, a bishop reported that someone wished to join Spirit Hall.

Bibi Dong was irritated. Did she really need to be told about something like that?

"Your Holiness the Pope, the newcomer is a genius only fifteen years old, yet his Soul Power has already reached Rank 38. His talent and strength are both exceptional, and his identity is rather special..." The bishop clasped his hands and reported.

"I understand. Then let's meet him."

When she heard that the other party wanted to report something to her in private, she waved away the attendants.

But she hadn't expected the bishop to surprise her like this.

Looking at the blond young man before her, Bibi Dong was greatly surprised. This fellow was actually the third prince of the Star Luo Empire?

Interesting!

Bibi Dong grew intrigued. A prince of the Star Luo Empire had come to join Spirit Hall. This was truly interesting.

In an instant, she thought of countless ways to make use of the situation.

But in the blink of an eye—

Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes, her pupils contracting. She suddenly spotted the familiar dragon-head carving at the other party's waist. It looked so much like Shendu's dragon!

Though she had never seen this carving before, she had a vague feeling that it was closely connected to Shendu.

Bibi Dong couldn't help growing excited. Her immense aura pressed down on the other party.

"Boom—"

Dai Xieyue trembled under the pressure, barely managing to stay on his feet as he gritted his teeth and endured.

Could it be that they didn't want to recruit him?

That was impossible. With his status, they should be delighted he wanted to join Spirit Hall.

And though things had gone as he expected, there was a slight complication.

Bibi Dong gave a cold laugh and said calmly, "You're Dai Mubai, aren't you? Welcome to Spirit Hall. I have only one question: where did you get that thing at your waist?"

"This?"

Dai Xieyue was somewhat nervous, but he still pretended to be perfectly calm as he answered, "It's just a decoration. There's nothing special about it."

His nervousness had lasted only an instant, but Bibi Dong still noticed it.

He was so nervous. That meant the thing really was a treasure, with some extraordinary effect! Perhaps she could find a way to deal with Shendu through it.

Bibi Dong was delighted by the thought. She immediately rose and hurried toward him.

Her powerful aura bore down on Dai Xieyue, leaving him unable to do anything.

Dai Xieyue's face turned deathly pale. Had he really guessed wrong? Was Spirit Hall actually going to kill him?

Damn it!

I hate the idiots in Spirit Hall. I hate Bibi Dong, that scheming bitch...

His whole body trembled, his face full of unwillingness.

Just as he was about to meet a cruel end—

"Bibi Dong, bring him to me."

A cold voice came from the Pope Palace, stopping Bibi Dong in her tracks.

Her slender arm froze in midair, her expression shifting uncertainly.

Damn Shendu. She had been this close to getting her hands on the treasure.

But now Shendu was summoning her, so she had no choice but to stop. She grabbed Dai Xieyue roughly and took him to the secret chamber, then tossed him onto the floor.

"Thud—"

Dai Xieyue landed on the floor and gasped for breath, his face filled with terror. He didn't know what that voice had been or why he had been brought here, but he knew he was still alive.

As he cowered in fear, he suddenly felt a hand seize his waist.

"Ah! What is that?"

Dai Xieyue jumped two meters into the air in fright. A hand had reached out from the shadow in the corner, and the Sacred Dragon Carving that had been at his waist was now clutched in its grasp.

Then a pitch-black figure gradually stepped out of the wall. Its red eyes stared straight at him, sending a chill down his spine.

"The Sacred Dragon Carving! I never thought it would return to my hands like this." Shendu laughed darkly, his voice hoarse.