"Pfft—"
There was no earth-shattering explosion, nor was there any spectacular scene of dust flying everywhere.
The torrent of golden petals, each as sharp as a blade, seemed to turn into genuinely fragile flowers the moment it collided with that massive palm woven from red and blue.
The golden glow on the petals dimmed at a visible speed before shattering inch by inch. In the end, they vanished into nothingness, corroded away by the icy and fiery poison flowing over the giant palm without even causing a ripple.
On the other side, Gui mei's prized Soul Storm did not even have the right to approach the giant palm.
A surge of spiritual power far beyond his imagination swept over him, effortlessly erasing the invisible storm in an instant.
"Pfft!" Gui mei let out a muffled groan, feeling as if countless red-hot steel needles had stabbed viciously into his soul. The excruciating pain made even the black mist surrounding him contract violently, nearly collapsing on the spot.
"Your courage is commendable, but unfortunately, your strength is lacking."
Xie Biyan's voice still echoed from where he had been standing, yet he had already appeared behind the two men as they were about to flee. One hand rested lightly on Yue Guan's shoulder.
The icy touch made Yue Guan's entire body stiffen. An unprecedented terror instantly filled his mind, leaving him unable to gather even a trace of Soul Power.
"Senior... spare us!" Yue Guan blurted out without thinking, his voice shrill with extreme fear. "We... we'll go with you!"
"Hmph. Wouldn't it have been better if you'd done that from the start? You had to force this old man to act."
As he spoke, Xie Biyan removed his hand from Yue Guan's shoulder and stood there calmly, utterly unconcerned that the two might run.
Within this Blood Demon Poison Domain, he was the ruler. Unless the two could travel a thousand meters in an instant, they were merely turtles trapped in a jar.
And Yue Guan and Gui mei had indeed extinguished any thought of fleeing.
Yue Guan's face was pale as he gasped for breath, while Gui mei's figure within the black mist appeared unstable and illusory for the first time.
The gap in strength was simply too great—so great that they could not muster even the slightest will to resist.
If they angered this terrifying senior again and were killed on the spot, that would be a truly unjust death.
Before long, Xie Biyan brought the two dazed men before Bai Shu, who was resting with his eyes closed against a large tree.
Beneath the tree, a young man in a moon-white robe leaned against the trunk with his eyes shut. He looked only eleven or twelve years old, with handsome features and a gentle, jade-like temperament entirely at odds with the sinister surroundings.
"Young Master, I've brought them," Xie Biyan said with a respectful bow.
"Good. You've worked hard, Old Xie." Bai Shu opened his eyes and regarded these two highly popular Titled Douluo from the original work with interest.
Ju Douluo was still all right. Although his demeanor was somewhat effeminate, he was handsome and well-built, and his appearance was actually quite pleasing.
Gui Douluo, on the other hand, was a bit outrageous. His face was almost entirely hidden beneath the shadows of his hood, his exposed skin was even paler than Ju Douluo's, and black smoke kept pouring off him. This was without even releasing his martial soul.
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Bai Shu." Bai Shu wore a warm smile. "The one who fought you earlier is my Guardian. You may call him Old Xie."
Seeing Bai Shu speak in such a mild tone, seemingly without any hostility, Yue Guan and Gui mei finally relaxed their tense nerves slightly.
Yue Guan forced out a smile uglier than crying and cautiously asked, "Bai Shu... young friend, why did you go to such lengths to stop the two of us?"
Bai Shu smiled faintly but did not immediately get to the point.
"Before I answer that question, I would like to ask Your Excellency Yue Guan two small questions. Would that be all right?"
"Th-this... please ask, young friend." Yue Guan naturally had no idea what Bai Shu was plotting, but a man had to bow his head under another's roof. He could only agree through gritted teeth.
"The first question." Bai Shu straightened up and strolled over to Yue Guan, calmly meeting his gaze.
"Your Excellency Yue Guan, you and Gui mei have worked tirelessly for Spirit Hall for so many years. Have you ever received rewards worthy of your status as Titled Douluo?"
The moment Bai Shu asked this, Yue Guan's mouth twitched. Wasn't this rubbing salt in the wound? If he had received even a single Spirit Bone from Spirit Hall, he would not have been so furious over the Pope's unfairness today.
But he definitely could not say such things aloud. He was, after all, an elder of Spirit Hall. He could not bring himself to tarnish his own faction's name while out in public. Yue Guan took a deep breath and replied:
"Young friend, you jest. Old Gui and I joined Spirit Hall in our youth. It was also through Spirit Hall's nurturing that we were fortunate enough to become Titled Douluo. We would naturally not dare ask for anything more after receiving such great kindness."
Bai Shu gave an amused smile upon hearing this. He did not argue with Yue Guan and instead continued, "Second question. You are very loyal to Pope Bibi Dong, but has she ever given you the respect that Titled Douluo deserve?"
As soon as those words fell, not only did Yue Guan's expression change, but even the black mist around the ever-silent Gui mei churned.
"Th-this..." Yue Guan wanted to blurt out, "She has," but what surfaced in his mind was Bibi Dong's innocent, carefree smile from when she was young.
Ever since Yu Xiaogang had been driven away all those years ago, Bibi Dong had seemed like a different person. Especially after becoming Pope, her authority had grown ever heavier, her temperament increasingly volatile, and she had even treated the two of them as her personal outlets for venting anger. Respect? What was that?
"Hehe, it seems Your Excellency Yue Guan is hesitating. Don't worry. No one else will ever know about today's conversation."
Yet Yue Guan shook his head, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart. "If you have something to say, young friend, say it directly. What you are asking about is an internal matter of Spirit Hall. There is no need for you to concern yourself with it."
Bai Shu chuckled and stopped beating around the bush. In any case, his purpose had already been achieved. As long as Yue Guan recalled his dissatisfaction with Bibi Dong, today's matter was half accomplished.
"My purpose is simple. I wish to invite you two to leave Spirit Hall and join me..."
"Impossible." Before Bai Shu could finish, Yue Guan cut him off directly. As an elder, he knew full well how powerful Spirit Hall was.
Outsiders might only know about some of Spirit Hall's elders who were frequently active outside, such as himself and Gui mei. But Yue Guan knew that the Worship Hall was Spirit Hall's true foundation. If he betrayed them, he would never escape the Worship Hall's pursuit.
They might not even need the Worship Hall to act. Bibi Dong alone was someone the two of them might not be able to withstand for ten moves even if they joined forces.
"Your Excellency Yue Guan, don't be in such a hurry to refuse." As he spoke, Bai Shu took an exquisite wooden box from the bracelet-like storage Soul Tool on his wrist. "If you agree, I can give this Immortal Herb directly to you."
"An Immortal Herb!" Yue Guan cried out. The moment Bai Shu took out the wooden box, the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum martial soul within him had already begun throbbing madly. It was a craving that came from his bloodline!
Now that Bai Shu said there was an Immortal Herb inside, the answer was almost self-evident.
Bai Shu did not keep him in suspense any longer. Instead, he directly handed the wooden box to Yue Guan and gestured for him to open it.
Yue Guan accepted the wooden box instinctively. He looked at Bai Shu in astonishment, seemingly unable to believe that he had handed over something so precious so easily.
Yet he could not resist that fatal attraction. Trembling, he placed his hand on the wooden box and slowly opened a crack.
At that moment, Yue Guan's feelings were more complicated than ever. He hoped the box contained the Immortal Herb he had pursued all his life without ever seeing, yet he also hoped Bai Shu was merely putting on a show so that he would not have to struggle with his decision.
But when the wooden box truly opened, and that supremely hard and supremely yang aura mixed with the faint fragrance of chrysanthemums drifted out, he wavered.
Just a wisp of that aura entering his body made him feel that the Soul Power bottleneck which had trapped him for years showed signs of loosening!
At that moment, Yue Guan truly entertained the thought of leaving Spirit Hall! Because lying quietly within that box was the Immortal Herb that shared the same origin as his martial soul—the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum!
Before you continue