Freedom? Pride? What did they matter in the face of life?

The morning sunlight streamed through the carved window lattices, casting dappled shadows in the elegant reception room of the Spirit Hall's courtyard.

The air was filled with the Qing Ya fragrance of grass and trees, but it could not dispel the invisible heaviness in the hall.

Dugu Yan stood in the hall with her grandfather, Dugu Bo.

Dugu Bo was still wearing that dark green robe, but his former gloomy and aloof aura had vanished, replaced by an indescribable weariness and deep struggle.

His back seemed even more hunched than yesterday. His gaze swept over Pope Bibi Dong, who sat in the main seat, with a complicated expression, before finally settling on Lin Xia, who was holding a plate of delicate pastries and eating with her cheeks slightly bulging.

Upon seeing Bibi Dong's dignified and imposing figure, Dugu Bo's throat Rollout with difficulty, and his dry voice broke the silence.

"I am Dugu Bo, and I greet Your His Holiness the Pope."

Dugu Bo nodded slightly; this was the greatest courtesy he could offer at that moment.

Bibi Dong's lips curled into a half-smile, her purple eyes gleaming with an all-knowing light, and her voice was clear and melodious with a hint of languor.

"Poison Douluo, long time no see. Your style... hmm, it has quite a unique 'style' now."

Bibi Dong deliberately paused on the word "charm," her gaze sweeping meaningfully over Dugu Bo's slightly trembling hands and pale face.

Dugu Bo's facial muscles twitched, a mixture of shame, anger, and bitterness flashing across his face. He lowered his eyelids and spoke in a low voice.

"The Pope is joking."

Dugu Bo knew perfectly well that his current disheveled state was utterly exposed before this unfathomable Pope.

Bibi Dong did not continue to exert pressure. She gracefully picked up the jade cup beside her, took a small sip of Spirit Tea, and then turned slightly to look at Lin Xia, who was trying to swallow her snacks, completely giving up the stage.

"Xiao Xia, Poison Douluo and Miss Yan Yan have come specifically to see you. Please speak with them."

Bibi Dong finished speaking, she leaned back lazily in her chair, resting her chin on one hand, with the purple-gold Pope Scepter resting casually on her arm, looking like she was watching a show with great interest.

This silent act was more Pressure than any words.

This means that everything before them is now entirely up to this seven-year-old Holy Son to decide.

Dugu Bo took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress all the frustration and resentment in his chest.

Dugu Bo raised his head, his gaze sharper and more serious than ever before, fixing it on the small figure, and asked in a deep voice:

"Your His Highness the Holy Son, I have many doubts. What is your purpose in going to such lengths, even risking Yan Yan's safety and the Martial Soul Evolution to lure me here?"

Lin Xia finally finished her snack, then slowly picked up a warm, damp towel and wiped her mouth and hands with unhurried movements.

Upon hearing Dugu Bo's question, he raised his excessively clean-looking face, his clear eyes showing no evasion but rather an almost innocent frankness, and he laughed crisply.

"Senior Dugu, isn't my purpose quite clear?"

Lin Xia shrugged, her tone matter-of-fact and so frank that no one could question her.

"It's just an invitation to join the Spirit Hall. Do you think I have some other urgent business?"

It's as if they're talking about the simplest of deals.

Such directness, even with a touch of childlike "naiveté," caused Dugu Bo's carefully crafted interrogation to falter.

Dugu Bo's prepared arguments on "freedom" and "Return" were stuck in his throat, leaving him no choice but to grit his teeth and continue to state his position.

"Your His Highness the Holy Son should know that I am by nature carefree and dislike constraints. In this vast Douluo Continent, only the Heaven Dou Empire has allowed me to linger here because of Prince Xue Xing's past kindness. Joining a faction and being controlled by others... is not my wish."

Lin Xia looked at him, her clear eyes seemingly able to Infiltrator Dugu Bo's forced pride and see directly into the fear and Covet deep within his heart.

Lin Xia's smile faded slightly, and then he let out a soft sigh, filled with deep regret. A look of disappointment, as if his good intentions had been rejected, appeared on his face.

"Well..."

Lin Xia shook her head, her tone carrying a sense of helplessness, as if she hadn't appreciated his kindness.

"Since Senior Dugu has made up his mind, then let's just leave it at that."

Lin Xia stood up, her movements relaxed, as if she had truly let go of some burden.

"Originally, I was thinking of helping you and your sister Sister Yanyan completely get rid of that annoying Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison, and also see if I could help Sister Yanyan's Martial Soul evolve and become more powerful."

"After all, it's such a pity that Sister Yanyan, who is so beautiful, has to suffer the backlash of that poison..."

As Lin Xia spoke, she slowly strolled back to Bibi Dong's side, scrambling back onto the large chair, picked up another pastry, and stuffed it into her mouth as if no one else was there, adding indistinctly:

"Since you're unwilling, senior, then I have nothing more to say."

These few seemingly casual words were like several poisoned daggers, precisely stabbing Dugu Bo in his most fatal weakness!

Detoxify! Evolve!

These two words exploded in his mind like a thunderclap!

Dugu Bo suddenly looked up, his cloudy blue eyes widening instantly, filled with utter astonishment and disbelief!

He never expected that simply expressing his unwillingness to be bound would lead to this young Holy Son so decisively... flipping the table?!

They completely disregard all negotiation tactics!

It was as if those promises, which could determine his and his granddaughter's life and future, were nothing more than candy that could be thrown away at will!

Bibi Dong sat to one side, a hint of admiration flashing in her purple eyes, but her face remained expressionless. She simply tidied Lin Xia's slightly messy hair before turning her gaze to the completely frozen Dugu Bo. Her voice was calm and even, yet carried an undeniable authority.

"Since Poison Douluo has no intention of cooperating, I will not force him. Let's leave it at that. You may leave with Miss Yan Yan. I, in the name of the Pope of the Spirit Hall, guarantee that the Spirit Hall will not cause you any trouble because of this matter in the future. Please leave."

Bibi Dong stretched out her slender hand, pointing towards the hall door with an elegant posture, but her intention to see the guest off was crystal clear.

Dugu Bo stood frozen in place, as if he had been frozen in place by a spell.

Dugu Bo glanced at Lin Xia, who was innocently munching on a snack as if nothing had happened, then at Bibi Dong, who stood aloof and indifferent, and finally, his gaze fell on his granddaughter, Dugu Yan, beside him.

Dugu Yan bit her lower lip tightly, her eyes filled with worry, anxiety, and a hint of fear for the future.

That fear did not stem from the oppressive aura of the Spirit Hall, but from the deadly poison deep within his bloodline, Toxic that clung to him like a leech and could erupt at any moment!

Dugu Bo suddenly recalled his son's face, twisted in agony from the poison before his death, and the excruciating pain he endured every full moon night in his secret chamber, a torment worse than death, as if a thousand ants were gnawing at his heart...

Freedom? Pride?