Spirit City, Pope Palace.
The light of dusk passed through the towering stained-glass window, casting a dazzling patchwork of colors across the cold white marble floor.
The Six-Winged Angel in the design was bathed in the last rays of the setting sun, its wings coated in a flowing layer of gold.
Bibi Dong sat upon the papal throne, several urgent reports that had just arrived spread out before her.
Her face remained calm, showing no excess emotional fluctuation. Candlelight flickered in her violet eyes, as though nothing could shake her composure at this moment.
She had just received the latest intelligence from the borders of the Star Luo Empire, the Clear Sky Sect, and the Northern Frontier.
The reports had arrived through different channels, less than half a day apart, yet they had all gathered on her desk that same evening.
Bibi Dong's gaze slowly swept over the reports, dissecting the intentions hidden behind their words one by one.
A cold smile gradually curved her lips. It was faint, yet it carried the chill of a blade tempered in ice.
The Star Luo Empire's border garrisons were accelerating their assembly, several Clear Sky Sect elders had left their posts, and the speed of material circulation in the Northern Frontier had doubled. Every sign pointed in the same direction: they were preparing for a large-scale offensive.
Bibi Dong gently set down the report in her hand, leaned back against her chair, and narrowed her violet eyes slightly.
"Three allied forces... Do they really think joining together will be enough to shake Spirit Hall's foundations?"
Her voice was soft, as though she were speaking to herself, yet it rang exceptionally clearly through the empty echoes of the hall.
Bibi Dong was not worried. Those so-called allied forces were nothing more than a