Spirit City, Pope Palace.
Bibi Dong had been busy for several days straight.
She sat upon the throne symbolizing Spirit Hall's highest authority. Spread across the long table before her was a thick stack of dossiers, each one a compilation of intelligence submitted by Martial Soul Branch Halls from various regions.
Within the Heaven Dou Empire, Spirit Hall's Soul Masters were gathering toward Heaven Dou City under all manner of pretexts.
Some Camouflaged themselves as merchant caravan guards; some were transferred to serve in the Heaven Dou City branch hall; others took up temporary residence in the city under the excuse of visiting relatives and friends.
These transfers were scattered across different times and routes, seemingly unrelated. Yet if someone bothered to piece all the information together, they would discover in horror that an invisible net had quietly been cast over this ancient imperial city.
And that was only the force visible in the open.
In the deeper shadows, several of Spirit Hall's sharpest blades had already been honed.
Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei, the two Title Douluo, had long since set off for Heaven Dou City.
They would not appear in any official document, nor would they leave behind any trace that could be followed. They had only one mission: at the crucial moment, ensure that nothing unexpected happened.
Bibi Dong closed the final dossier, leaned back against her chair, and shut her eyes.
The vast hall was quiet. Only the occasional crackle of candle flames and the sound of her own breathing could be heard.
Her fingers lightly tapped the armrest in a steady rhythm. It was a habitual motion whenever she was thinking.
She had waited far, far too long for this day.
Ever since Qian Xunji, that beast, had violated her in