Bibi Dong's Stress Response

A few days later, the carriage finally neared Heaven Dou City.

Lu Chen sat inside the carriage, listening to the sounds of the outside world growing increasingly lively. He reached out to lift a corner of the curtain and peered out.

In the distance, the massive city walls had already appeared at the edge of his vision.

As the imperial capital of the Heaven Dou Empire, Heaven Dou City naturally possessed an extraordinary presence.

The towering walls stretched out into the distance, and the city gates were bustling with a constant stream of carriages and pedestrians.

Compared to Spirit City, the walls of Heaven Dou City lacked that immediate, overwhelming sense of defensive power, yet they carried a deeper, long-settled sense of history.

Lu Chen gazed at the city, a sense of emotion stirring within him.

This was his first time truly arriving in Heaven Dou City.

Bibi Dong sat beside him, glanced at him, and said, "We are almost there."

Lu Chen lowered the curtain and nodded.

The carriage continued forward, soon arriving at the city gates.

The process of entering the city was very smooth.

Nothing untoward happened, and no short-sighted troublemakers came forward to cause issues.

Given the bearing of Yue Guan and Gui Mei, even without them explicitly revealing their identities, ordinary guards dared not easily offend them.

Furthermore, Spirit Hall already had its own influence within Heaven Dou City, so entering the city was naturally no trouble at all.

Once the carriage drove into Heaven Dou City, the surrounding noise grew even more vibrant.

Lu Chen stopped looking outside, instead withdrawing his attention to continue sensing the results of his practice with his first soul skill over the past few days.

He could now manage to briefly transform parts of his body into a gaseous state while in his martial soul avatar state.

Although he could not yet do so at will, it was already a vast improvement over the beginning, when he could only transform his entire body.

His devouring ability could also be used without transforming into a gaseous cloud, though the efficiency remained low.

However, Lu Chen was not in a rush.

Developing an ability was not something that could be accomplished in a day or two.

As long as the direction was correct, he would eventually master it.

The carriage finally stopped in front of the Spirit Saint Hall in Heaven Dou City.

The Spirit Saint Hall of Heaven Dou City was quite large; as an important stronghold for Spirit Hall within the Heaven Dou Empire, the personnel and affairs here were far more complex than those of an average branch.

As soon as the carriage stopped, people quickly came forward to welcome them.

Bibi Dong did not make a grand display.

She had not come to Heaven Dou City for an official inspection, nor to engage with the Heaven Dou imperial family.

It was only because Lu Chen mentioned a fortuitous encounter in the Sunset Forest that she had temporarily changed her route.

Therefore, she did not want too many people to know of her whereabouts.

Yet, even so, when Salas learned who had arrived, he immediately rushed out in person.

He never expected that the Pope would suddenly arrive at the Heaven Dou City Spirit Saint Hall, accompanied by Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.

This lineup was simply too grand.

Salas felt a tightening in his chest; his first reaction was that something must have gone wrong here, prompting the Pope to come and conduct a spot check in person.

He hurriedly ushered the four of them into an office inside the Saint Hall, his attitude respectful to the point of being cautious.

"Your Holiness, my Lords."

Salas bowed his head in salute, a faint sheen of sweat even appearing on his forehead.

Bibi Dong sat in the main seat, and Lu Chen stood by her side. Yue Guan and Gui Mei stood to one side, their expressions calm.

Bibi Dong said indifferently, "Do not be nervous. We are merely passing through Heaven Dou City and decided to stop by to take a look."

Upon hearing the words "stop by," Salas did not feel much more relaxed.

The Pope personally passing through Heaven Dou City, while bringing Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo along, did not look like a casual stop by any measure.

However, since Bibi Dong said so, he could only listen.

He dared not ask too many questions and could only take the initiative to report on the affairs of the Heaven Dou City Spirit Saint Hall during this period.

From personnel arrangements to the movements of various factions within the city, and finally to the interactions with the Heaven Dou imperial family, Salas spoke with extreme caution.

With every sentence, he observed Bibi Dong's expression, terrified of making a mistake.

Bibi Dong's expression remained calm throughout, only occasionally asking a question or two.

Lu Chen stood to the side, not interjecting.

He had no great interest in these administrative matters and simply listened quietly.

It was not until Salas reported on the situation of the Heaven Dou imperial family that a name suddenly entered his ears.

"Recently, the Heaven Dou Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe, has continued to have frequent dealings with various parties, though he has shown no hostility toward Spirit Hall..."

Salas had not finished his sentence when Bibi Dong's gaze turned icy in an instant.

It was the very moment the name "Xue Qinghe" was uttered that an irrepressible malice suddenly erupted.

Lu Chen immediately sensed that something was wrong.

That was no ordinary emotional fluctuation; it was a reaction triggered by the Rakshasa Evil Thought.

Bibi Dong had said nothing, yet the malice deep within her spirit seemed to have been touched by that name, surging violently.

Lu Chen did not hesitate.

His hands rapidly shifted into a gaseous state, carrying the devouring power of Leugocyte, and he moved directly toward Bibi Dong.

Salas, still in the middle of speaking, was stunned by Lu Chen's sudden movement.

The next moment, Bibi Dong pulled Lu Chen into her arms.

Once held in her embrace, Lu Chen did not care about anything else.

He extended his gaseous hands, placing them near Bibi Dong's temples as if to massage them, while carefully channeling his devouring power to consume the suddenly erupting Rakshasa malice.

Bibi Dong closed her eyes, making no move to stop him.

She could feel Lu Chen's power gradually suppressing that surging evil intent bit by bit.

The spirit that had been stinging sharply upon hearing that name was also gradually stabilizing under Lu Chen's consumption.

A strange silence fell over the office.

Salas's eyes widened, and he froze in place.

He had no idea what he was witnessing.

His Holiness the Pope was holding that child in her arms, and the child's hands were gently pressing against her temples.

More importantly, not only was the Pope not angry, she seemed to be tacitly allowing it all.

Only one thought remained in Salas's mind.

It was over.

He had seen something he shouldn't have.

This was absolutely not something he was meant to know.

Cold sweat broke out on Salas's forehead, and he completely forgot what he had been about to report.

He kept his head bowed, not daring to take another look, yet he did not know if he should retreat now.

Gui Mei glanced at him.

That look made Salas's heart turn even colder.

Gui Mei said indifferently, "You may leave first."

As if granted a reprieve, Salas hurriedly bowed, "Yes, yes, this subordinate will take his leave."

Once he finished speaking, he left the office in a somewhat disheveled state.

After stepping out, he carefully closed the door, terrified that he might be too slow.

Only Bibi Dong, Lu Chen, Yue Guan, and Gui Mei remained in the room.

Yue Guan watched as Lu Chen helped Bibi Dong suppress something, a flicker of contemplation in his eyes, but he did not speak to disturb them.

He finally understood where the changes in Bibi Dong's mood over the past few days might have originated.

It was clear that Lu Chen did not just make Bibi Dong feel better; he was truly capable of helping her deal with certain troubles.

As for what those troubles were, Yue Guan did not know, nor did he dare to ask rashly.

At this moment, all of Lu Chen's attention was focused on devouring the Rakshasa Evil Thought.

This eruption was more sudden and intense than the ones in the nights prior.

Fortunately, he had already gained experience from several previous instances, so he was not caught off guard.