With Matters Settled, He Brushed Off His Sleeves and Left

The long night came to an end, and daylight broke.

It was already late morning, with the sun practically shining on her backside, before Bibi Dong slowly opened her eyes.

Her head still felt groggy and swollen, as though someone had struck her with a club. It was rather uncomfortable.

She raised a hand and rubbed her brow. After resting with her eyes closed for a long while, she finally propped herself up and sat.

But the next moment.

As if remembering something, Bibi Dong's face instantly turned deathly pale.

She hurriedly looked down, her hands instinctively shielding herself, but a flash of astonishment soon passed through her eyes.

"Eh..."

Last night... hadn't she taken off that tattered purple Saintess robe, which could barely cover her body?

Then she had remained completely naked...

But now...

That ragged robe was gone.

And she was no longer bare.

Instead, she had changed into a brand-new robe.

With a dark purple base and gilded trim, the fabric was soft and delicate, fitting her figure perfectly. It carried the noble, holy aura befitting the Saintess of Spirit Hall.

It was hers, one of the spare sets she kept in her storage space.

But...

Who had dressed her!?

That bastard!?

Bibi Dong's heart sank. She instinctively looked around, coldness spreading through her gaze.

Strands of golden sunlight filtered through the gaps in the towering ancient tree, forming a typical Dali Garden Effect.

Other than that.

The wind had stopped, and the forest was silent.

The heart of this Star Dou Forest was terrifyingly quiet.

And...

Beneath that towering ancient tree was empty. The terrifying figure who had been sitting cross-legged there was gone.

Chu Zisheng... had disappeared.

It was as if everything that had happened last night had only been a dream.

Yet the intact new clothes on her body told her it had not been a dream.

Bibi Dong lowered her head and carefully examined herself from top to bottom.

The dark purple and gold Saintess robe had been put on perfectly. Whoever dressed her had clearly done so with great care, then meticulously straightened it afterward, leaving not even a wrinkle.

Bibi Dong's brows furrowed slightly.

A subtle, strange feeling arose within her.

She pressed her lips together, cast aside the chaotic thoughts in her mind, and forced herself to calm down.

Then she controlled her soul power and carefully examined her condition.

Her body... her body... was no different from before.

If anything, she was in even better condition.

Even her cheeks, which had been red and swollen from last night's slaps, as well as the various external injuries across her body, had completely healed. Her skin was smooth and delicate, without the slightest trace of a wound.

Bibi Dong's frown deepened, her heart filled with confusion.

Where was the mark?

Before losing consciousness, she remembered that bastard saying he had planted a mark on her.

But what kind of mark was it?

A slave mark? A loyalty mark? A soul contract? A puppet mark?

Yet she checked herself over and over again. Her soul was clean, and there was no strange sensation of being controlled or restrained.

Bibi Dong was completely at a loss.

What exactly had that bastard done to her?

And where was he!?

Where had he... gone?

Had he simply... let her go so easily? Had he just left?

Could it be that he had merely talked big to scare her?

But the mountain-like, sea-like power that had flooded into her body last night had been so real.

So real that even recalling it now sent chills down her spine.

She knew very clearly that she had been forcibly knocked unconscious by that savage, violent power.

And this robe...

That bastard who had slapped her all night while mocking her had actually changed her into a new set of clothes after she fainted.

An indescribable feeling suddenly surged up in Bibi Dong's heart.

This person... was truly insane...

"Ugh..."

Just then.

A pained groan came from beside her, breaking her train of thought.

Bibi Dong turned her head. Not far away, Yue Guan had also just awakened. He was struggling to prop himself up, one hand clutching his chest, his face pale as paper.

His injuries clearly were not feigned.

After all, Chu Zisheng's punch last night had genuinely shattered several of his ribs. On top of that, he had burned his life force to buy Bibi Dong and the others time to escape...

As a result, even his soul power rank was unstable now, as if it could fall to Rank 93 at any moment...

Looking farther to the side.

The other two Title Douluo were sprawled crookedly nearby. They were still unconscious from their severe injuries and had yet to awaken.

"Your... Your Highness..."

When Yue Guan saw Bibi Dong sitting there unharmed, his eyes immediately lit up. Ignoring the excruciating pain in his chest, he struggled to get up.

"Are... are you alright!? Where is that person!? He, he, he..."

"I'm fine." Bibi Dong shook her head.

Yue Guan froze for a moment, then looked her over from head to toe. Seeing that she truly did not appear injured, he finally let out a huge sigh of relief and flashed a soft, feminine smile. Then, as if recalling something, he shrank his neck and cautiously lowered his voice.

"That person... left?"

"He left."

Bibi Dong nodded, her expression somewhat complicated.

Her soul power could not sense any trace of Chu Zisheng's aura. There were only two possibilities: either he was hiding somewhere, or he had truly left.

Given that person's character, he did not seem like someone who would secretly hide somewhere to watch them.

So... he should have left.

But...

Bibi Dong looked at Yue Guan, then at the two Title Douluo lying on the ground.

Last night, they had been forced to their knees by the domain. They had taken punches through the chest to save her...

Yet none of them had died.

Not a single one.

Bibi Dong's eyes flickered slightly.

That person could clearly have crushed them all with a single finger. They had clearly all earned their deaths...

Yet in the end, he had neither killed anyone nor violated her... probably... and she had no idea what the promised mark even was.

Instead, he had healed her injuries, changed her into new clothes, and then... left without a sound.

What exactly... was this supposed to mean?

"Are you alright?"

Bibi Dong glanced at Yue Guan. The battle armor over his chest had been completely shattered.

A ripple of soul power flashed across her palm. Several bottles of high-grade pills and some healing spirit herbs appeared, and she tossed them to him.

"Thank you, Your Highness... I probably won't die..."

Yue Guan accepted them and gave a weak smile. Then he sat down cross-legged where he was and began healing his injuries.

Bibi Dong, meanwhile, stood and walked over to the two severely injured, unconscious Title Douluo. Releasing her soul power, she began treating them.

Not long after.

"Cough, cough..."

"Urgh..."

Two violent bouts of coughing rang out.

The two Title Douluo also woke one after the other.

The instant they opened their eyes, they were dazed for a while. Then the scenes from last night came flooding back like a tide!

That youth who looked only eight years old, those nine blood-red Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings, and that domain whose single sigh had silenced heaven, earth, and all living things...

A chill shot from the soles of their feet straight to their scalps.

"Your Highness, that... that senior... where is that senior!?" One Title Douluo abruptly sat up, looking around in panic, his voice trembling.

Clearly, Chu Zisheng had left behind the deepest possible terror in his heart.

"He already left." Yue Guan turned his head and rolled his eyes at him. "Look at you. Can't you be a little steadier, like me?"

"He left?"

The two Title Douluo looked at each other, momentarily unsure what expressions to make.

That terrifyingly powerful existence, like a god.

Had simply... left?

Had he spared them?

"Elder Ju?"

One of the Title Douluo leaned closer, lowering his voice. His face still carried lingering fear.

"That... that senior, um... what level of existence was he? I've never heard of such a powerful expert!"

Yue Guan pondered for a long time, then shook his head. "I don't know... In all my years at Spirit Hall, I've only felt such pressure from the Grand Worshipper... He was probably... at least a Limit Douluo?"

"A Limit Douluo..."

"How could such a person be hidden in the core region of Star Dou Forest..."

"But he was clearly an eight-year-old child..."

"Eight years old? Do you believe that yourself? He might be some old monster who has lived for who knows how many years..."

"Then why did he spare us? Elder Ju, what exactly happened after we passed out?"

"You're asking me? How would I know?"

"..."

The three Title Douluo spoke over one another. The more they talked, the more frightened they became, and the more they felt that being alive to see today's sun was nothing short of incredible luck.

Bibi Dong did not join in. She merely listened quietly.

What had happened last night...

As one of the two people involved, she naturally knew better than anyone.

But she could not say those things aloud, nor did she feel like saying them.

"Enough."

"This is not a place to linger."

Bibi Dong spoke, interrupting their discussion. "Last night disturbed so many high-level soul beasts. They could return at any moment. We're leaving."

She had just turned to go.

Suddenly.

A strange sensation surged up without warning.

Bibi Dong's aura instantly became disordered.

At the same time, an indescribably complicated expression surfaced on her fair, beautiful face, her thoughts thrown into turmoil.

"Your Highness!?"

Yue Guan immediately noticed something was wrong. His expression changed sharply as he asked anxiously, "What's wrong!? Did you suffer some hidden injury!? Did that person do something to you..."

"I'm fine... I'm just... a little tired."

Bibi Dong steadied herself and took a deep breath. Her eyes regained their usual coldness.

"There's no time to waste! We're leaving!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Yue Guan exchanged glances with the two Title Douluo. Though they were still worried, seeing that she truly did not seem injured, they could only let it go.

The three supported one another as they followed behind Bibi Dong, staggering toward the edge of Star Dou Forest.