A few days later, the carriage was finally nearing Heaven Dou City.
Lu Chen sat inside the carriage. As the sounds outside grew livelier, he reached over and lifted a corner of the curtain to look out.
In the distance, an enormous city wall had appeared on the horizon.
As the imperial capital of the Heaven Dou Empire, Heaven Dou City naturally had an imposing presence.
The tall walls stretched far into the distance. People streamed in and out of the gates, with carriages and pedestrians passing in an endless flow.
Compared with Spirit City, Heaven Dou City's walls lacked the overwhelming defensive strength one could sense at a glance, but they carried a deeper feeling of history.
Lu Chen looked at the city, feeling somewhat moved.
This was the first time he had truly come to Heaven Dou City.
Bibi Dong sat beside him and glanced at him. "We're almost there."
Lu Chen let the curtain fall and nodded.
The carriage continued onward and soon reached the city gates.
Entering the city went smoothly.
No fool came along to pick a fight.
With Yue Guan and Gui Mei's bearing, even without deliberately stating their identities, they were enough to make ordinary guards think twice before offending them.
Besides, Spirit Hall already had its own forces in Heaven Dou City, so entering the city was naturally no trouble.
After the carriage entered Heaven Dou City, the noise around them grew livelier still.
Lu Chen stopped watching the streets and turned his attention inward, continuing to gauge the progress he had made practicing his first Soul Skill over the past few days.
He could now briefly turn parts of his body into a gaseous state while using Martial Soul Possession.
He still couldn't do so at will, but it was already a vast improvement over when he could only transform his entire body.
He could also use his Devour ability without turning into a gaseous cloud, though its efficiency was still nothing special.
Lu Chen wasn't in a hurry.
Developing an ability was never something that could be done in a day or two.
As long as he was heading in the right direction, he would master it bit by bit.
The carriage eventually stopped in front of the Spirit Saint Hall in Heaven Dou City.
The Spirit Saint Hall there was quite large. As an important stronghold of Spirit Hall in the Heaven Dou Empire, it had far more personnel and complicated affairs than an ordinary branch hall.
As soon as the carriage stopped, someone hurried over to greet them.
Bibi Dong didn't make a grand display of her arrival.
She hadn't come to Heaven Dou City for an official inspection, nor to meet with the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.
She had only changed course at the last minute because Lu Chen said there was an opportunity in Sunset Forest.
So she didn't want too many people to know where she was.
Even so, as soon as Salas learned who had arrived, he hurried out in person.
He had never imagined that His Holiness the Pope would suddenly visit the Spirit Saint Hall in Heaven Dou City, accompanied by Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.
It was quite a spectacle.
Salas's heart tightened. His first thought was that something must have gone wrong here, prompting the Pope to come personally and inspect the place.
He quickly ushered the four of them into an office inside the hall, his manner so respectful it bordered on apprehension.
"His Holiness the Pope, two elders."
Salas bowed, a sheen of sweat even appearing on his forehead.
Bibi Dong took the seat of honor, while Lu Chen stood beside her. Yue Guan and Gui Mei stood to one side, their expressions calm.
Bibi Dong said coolly, "There's no need to be nervous. I'm just passing through Heaven Dou City and thought I'd stop by."
Hearing the word "stop by" did little to ease Salas's nerves.
The Pope had personally stopped in Heaven Dou City, bringing Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo with her. There was no way this looked like an ordinary visit.
But since Bibi Dong had put it that way, he could only take her at her word.
He didn't dare ask too many questions, so he took the initiative to report on the affairs of the Spirit Saint Hall in Heaven Dou City.
From staff assignments to the movements of the various factions in the city, and even their dealings with the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, Salas spoke with extreme caution.
After every sentence, he watched Bibi Dong's expression, afraid he might have made a mistake somewhere.
Bibi Dong remained calm, asking only a question or two now and then.
Lu Chen stood nearby without interrupting.
He wasn't very interested in these affairs and simply listened quietly.
It was only when Salas began reporting on the Heaven Dou Imperial Family that a name suddenly reached Lu Chen's ears.
"Recently, the Heaven Dou Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe, has continued to maintain frequent contact with various factions, but he hasn't shown any hostility toward Spirit Hall..."
Before Salas could finish, Bibi Dong's gaze turned cold almost in an instant.
The moment she heard the name "Xue Qinghe," an uncontrollable malice suddenly erupted.
Lu Chen immediately sensed that something was wrong.
This wasn't an ordinary emotional fluctuation, but a reaction triggered in the Rakshasa Evil Thought.
Bibi Dong hadn't said a word, yet the malice deep in her mind surged violently, as if the name had stirred it up.
Lu Chen didn't hesitate.
His hands quickly shifted into a gaseous state, and he moved straight toward Bibi Dong, bringing Leugocyte's Devour power with him.
Salas was still speaking when he suddenly saw Lu Chen move, and froze in bewilderment.
In the next moment, Bibi Dong swept Lu Chen into her arms.
Held against her, Lu Chen didn't have time to worry about anything else.
He raised his gaseous hands and gently placed them near Bibi Dong's temples, as if giving her a massage. Carefully guiding his Devour power, he consumed the sudden surge of Rakshasa malice.
Bibi Dong closed her eyes for a moment, but didn't stop him.
She could feel Lu Chen's power gradually suppressing the surging malice.
The mental pain that had suddenly struck her at the sound of that name also began to ease under Lu Chen's Devour.
An eerie silence settled over the office.
Salas stared wide-eyed, frozen in place.
He had no idea what he was looking at.
His Holiness the Pope was holding that child in her arms, while the child's hands were gently pressing near her temples.
More importantly, His Holiness the Pope wasn't angry. She seemed to be allowing it.
Only one thought remained in Salas's mind.
I'm finished.
He seemed to have witnessed something he shouldn't have.
This definitely wasn't something he was supposed to know.
Cold sweat broke out across Salas's forehead. He even forgot what he had been about to report.
He lowered his head, not daring to look again, yet unsure whether he should leave.
Gui Mei glanced at him.
That look made Salas's heart sink even further.
Gui Mei said flatly, "You may leave."
Salas felt as if he had been granted a pardon and hurriedly bowed. "Yes, yes. This subordinate will take his leave."
Having said that, he left the office almost awkwardly.
Once outside, he carefully closed the door, afraid that even a moment's delay would be a mistake.
Only Bibi Dong, Lu Chen, Yue Guan, and Gui Mei remained in the room.
Yue Guan watched Lu Chen suppressing whatever was troubling Bibi Dong. A thoughtful look crossed his eyes, but he didn't interrupt.
He finally understood where Bibi Dong's changing moods over the past few days might have come from.
Lu Chen clearly didn't merely improve Bibi Dong's mood; he could genuinely help her deal with certain troubles.
Yue Guan didn't know what those troubles were, though, and didn't dare ask rashly.
At that moment, Lu Chen's entire attention was focused on devouring the Rakshasa Evil Thought.
This outburst had come more suddenly than the ones over the past few nights, and it was more intense, too.
Fortunately, he had dealt with it several times before, so he didn't lose his head.
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