Holy Domain

Dongfang Yu thoroughly enjoyed the scene. He did not even need to look to know they were dying of envy. After all, his Angewomon was gorgeous and carried herself with style. Come to think of it, he would have to admire her properly later.

He secretly glanced at Xue Qinghe again and saw the expected dazed astonishment in his eyes. That was exactly what he had anticipated—he wanted Xue Qinghe to take an interest in him.

"First Soul Skill—Holy Sword!"

Angewomon had already raised her light sword high. Only then did Xue Beng come back to his senses and wipe the drool from his mouth.

"Hmph!" Xue Beng snorted and immediately unleashed his soul skill to meet the attack. The outcome was obvious. How could a mere goose possibly be Angewomon's match?

Knocked to the ground, Xue Beng was straightforward enough. "I lost."

Dongfang Yu smiled faintly. "You let me win."

At that moment, Xue Qinghe stepped forward. He gave Dongfang Yu a meaningful look and said, "Little Brother Dongfang truly lives up to the name of the Pope's disciple. Qinghe has learned something today."

Seeing that Xue Qinghe's gaze was not exactly friendly, Dongfang Yu was not disappointed. It was all within his expectations. For now, he could only reluctantly accept the Snowfeather Crane and the favor of His Highness the Crown Prince.

"My offer still stands. If you need help, come find me," Xue Qinghe said calmly, handing Dongfang Yu a token. After all, no one else could be blamed for this. Dongfang Yu had indeed given him face; Xue Beng was simply too weak and had lost both the battle and the prize.

Still, Xue Qinghe was now deeply interested in Dongfang Yu, especially in his martial soul.

Dongfang Yu grinned. "Definitely, definitely."

"Then I'll take my leave." After saying his farewells, Xue Qinghe left with the dejected Xue Beng and the others, without further conversation.

Only after Yue Guan and Dongfang Yu were left did Dongfang Yu prepare to absorb the soul ring.

White blade in, red blade out!

The Snowfeather Crane lost its breath.

Then, under Yue Guan's protection, Dongfang Yu began absorbing the soul ring.

Half an hour passed...

Two hours passed...

Three hours passed...

A long time gradually went by, but Dongfang Yu still had not finished absorbing it. His forehead was covered in sweat, and his brows were tightly furrowed.

Yue Guan did not dare let his guard down for even a moment. One lapse could lead to an accident, and night was approaching. Heaven Dou Great Forest was hardly a safe place.

"Hah!" Dongfang Yu let out a heavy breath, his brows relaxing as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Little Yu, how did it go?" Yue Guan hurriedly asked.

Dongfang Yu laughed. "Of course I succeeded, and besides..."

"Stop. As long as you succeeded, that's enough. We'll talk after we leave Star Dou Forest." Yue Guan cut him off, then immediately took Dongfang Yu out of the forest.

Along the way, Dongfang Yu wanted to speak but did not dare. You're a Titled Douluo—is there really any need to be this scared? Even if you had the worst luck in eight lifetimes and ran into the Titan Giant Ape, it was not like you would be unable to fight back!

But after thinking about it, he understood. Yue Guan had never had much courage in the original story. Just hearing Tang Ritian's name was enough to make him tremble...

Since it was already late, the two could only find another inn at random and rest for the night.

"Fine, whatever it is can wait until tomorrow. Don't disturb my beauty sleep!" Yue Guan said irritably. He then took a bath and went straight to bed.

Dongfang Yu's mouth twitched. Fine. If Yue Guan did not want to hear it, then he did not feel like saying it anymore.

The next day, it was the same familiar routine.

Inside the carriage, Yue Guan asked, "Tell me. What soul skill did you get?"

Dongfang Yu curled his lips and said lazily, "My second soul skill is called Holy Light Spike. It can condense several blades of light at once and launch them at an enemy. Its power is more than twice that of my first soul skill."

"The power increased that much?" Yue Guan asked in surprise.

Dongfang Yu shook his head with an old-fashioned air and said calmly, "It's all right. Nothing special. Barely passable."

Seeing Dongfang Yu's smug expression, Yue Guan no longer wanted to ask anything. The Pope herself would have to question him!

Several hours later, Spirit City.

Dongfang Yu's residence.

"His Holiness instructed that you are to see her directly once you return," the maid said respectfully.

Dongfang Yu nodded slightly and smiled. "Understood."

After changing into another set of clothes, Dongfang Yu headed straight for Papal Hall.

Papal Hall was as cold and silent as ever. A needle dropping to the floor could have been heard.

Dongfang Yu barely dared to breathe. Even the joy of obtaining his second soul ring had been completely washed away.

"Tell me. What did you gain?" Bibi Dong asked from atop the platform.

Dongfang Yu immediately told Bibi Dong about the process of obtaining the soul ring, as well as his encounter with Xue Qinghe and the others. Even if he did not say anything, Yue Guan would.

After listening, Bibi Dong remained silent for a long time, as though there was no one sitting upon the papal throne. But Dongfang Yu knew this was fucking just an illusion!

"Mm. For now, you should avoid contact with Xue Qinghe," Bibi Dong finally said after a long while, her voice devoid of emotion.

"This disciple obeys," Dongfang Yu replied respectfully.

"My good disciple, is there perhaps something else you haven't told your teacher?" Bibi Dong's eyes suddenly took on a teasing look, and her voice became gentle.

That "my good disciple" nearly scared Dongfang Yu to death on the spot. How could her attitude change so suddenly? Now that she had become so gentle, he felt even more danger!

"Uh... there is one thing. It seems this disciple has awakened a... domain." Dongfang Yu could only lower his head as he answered.

"Show your teacher." Bibi Dong smiled beautifully, as though everything was under her control.

"Yes, Teacher." With that, Dongfang Yu directly activated his domain!

A ring of light spread outward from him, extending ten meters in every direction and enveloping his entire body.

At once, the originally lifeless Papal Hall filled with an unusual sacred aura, and much more light appeared within it.

Bibi Dong stared fixedly at the domain. Then her red lips parted as she murmured, "Holy Domain."

"You truly are your teacher's good disciple. Put it away."

Hearing that, Dongfang Yu quickly withdrew the domain. "Teacher, h-how was it?"

"Very good. Explain its effects," Bibi Dong asked coolly, returning to her aloof demeanor.

"Reporting to Teacher, within the range of this Holy Domain, an enemy's soul power will be suppressed. The stronger this disciple becomes, the greater its range and the stronger the suppression. The upper limit is fifty percent, while the lower limit is five percent."

"Mm?"

"Also, this disciple's domain... has... stronger suppressive effects against evil soul masters... and evil martial souls. The maximum can reach seventy percent." By the time he finished speaking, Dongfang Yu's back was already drenched in sweat. He feared Bibi Dong might attack him the very next second.

There was no unusual reaction in Bibi Dong's eyes after hearing this. She already roughly understood this domain, so there was no need to make a fuss. From the moment she had accepted Dongfang Yu as her disciple, everything about him had been under her control, including... this domain.