Pope Hall's Response

Several days later, Spirit City, Pope Hall.

Despite Qian Renxue's deliberate delays and concealment, news from Heaven Dou City ultimately made its way back.

Within the vast Pope Hall, the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe. Deathly silence shrouded the entire chamber, and even the air seemed frozen.

"Azure Nether Douluo... What an Azure Nether Douluo!"

Bibi Dong sat upon the Pope's throne, bone-chilling coldness and killing intent churning in her eyes. Her chest rose and fell violently like storm-tossed waves.

Yet no one below dared raise their heads. All of them hung their heads in silence.

Speaking up at a time like this would be like walking straight into the line of fire.

Bibi Dong's fury naturally stemmed from the public crippling of her beloved Gangzi. News of the matter had spread widely, though the version most widely circulated was still about Azure Nether Douluo Chen Ling shattering the Golden Iron Triangle's defense with a single sword strike, along with his peak duel against Sword Douluo.

As well as that peak duel with Sword Douluo.

Rage scorched her heart, but once that towering fury ebbed away, a sense of helplessness instantly enveloped Bibi Dong.

The one she loved had been hurt, yet she could do nothing.

As the Pope, with those people from Worship Hall watching her, she could not leave Spirit Hall as she pleased.

She lifted her gaze and swept it indifferently over the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluos waiting below with bowed backs, silently shaking her head with a sigh.

Sending those two there was clearly unrealistic.

Not only was Poison Douluo Dugu Bo in Heaven Dou City, but there was also Chen Ling, an assault-type Titled Douluo whose strength did not pale beside Sword Douluo's.

Even if the two of them rushed over, they would only be throwing their lives away, with no chance of victory whatsoever.

She was merely influenced by Rakshasa Evil Intent; it was not as if something had gone wrong with her brain. Naturally, she could see something so obvious.

If Chen Ling had merely been a genius who had yet to establish himself, that would have been one thing. But he was an authentic Titled Douluo, possessing Over-Limit Soul Rings and wielding six Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Skills.

A difference in strength at that level could not possibly be made up through sheer numbers.

Her fingertips lightly tapped the throne's armrest, the crisp sound slowly spreading through the deathly silent hall. No one dared even breathe too loudly as they quietly waited for the Pope to speak.

"Your Holiness."

At that moment, a respectful report suddenly rang out, breaking the stagnant silence within the hall.

A red-robed bishop quickly stepped forward and bowed.

A red-robed bishop was not considered among Spirit Hall's highest ranks, but outside, he was still a powerful figure capable of commanding an entire branch hall on his own.

His expression was respectful, and his voice trembled faintly, yet it was exceptionally firm.

He had only recently been transferred from Suotuo City to Spirit City and had yet to gain a foothold. If he could leave an impression before the Pope, he would be able to develop more smoothly in Spirit City.

This was an excellent opportunity for advancement.

"Speak." Bibi Dong parted her thin lips, her tone indifferent and devoid of discernible emotion, yet carrying an inherently intimidating pressure.

"While this subordinate was stationed in Suotuo City, I once witnessed Azure Nether Douluo's actions from afar." The red-robed bishop spoke slowly, recounting everything he had seen that day.

He did not know the specific causes or details, such as exactly what injuries Gangzi had suffered, since he had only watched from a distance. Still, he provided an immensely important piece of information.

"You're saying that half a month ago, he was only at the Soul Douluo realm, and his Soul Ring configuration was completely different from what it is now?"

Bibi Dong raised a brow, her gaze shifting as surprise filled her face.

Everyone present was stunned upon hearing this, but with the Pope there, none dared voice any doubts.

Bibi Dong's gaze flickered at those words.

At that instant, Bibi Dong even temporarily suppressed her hatred toward Chen Ling for harming Yu Xiaogang and sank completely into thought.

Among Douluo Continent's fundamental laws, aside from Love Gu and Loyalty Gu, there was naturally the pursuit of strength and godhood. In a sense, this matter even took priority over the former two.

She remained silent in thought for a long time, the anger in her heart gradually suppressed by reason. At last, she slowly spoke and settled on a compromise.

"Convey my order. Three months from now, hold the Titled Douluo Investiture Ceremony. Yue Guan, Gui Mei, the two of you will personally go and invite Azure Nether Douluo."

She had ultimately calmed down and did not act impulsively. A direct confrontation would yield more losses than gains. It was better to first uncover his background and properly meet this mysterious Titled Douluo who had appeared out of nowhere.

The investiture ceremony was a title-bestowing ritual for Titled Douluos. Any Titled Douluo who reached Spirit Hall could receive such treatment; it was Spirit Hall's attitude toward the strong.

And Bibi Dong had long since made her calculations.

If Chen Ling truly possessed a god's inheritance, she absolutely could not become enemies with him. She could only stabilize their relationship first.

Her current strength was still restricted, and even for the time being, she could do nothing to him. If they became enemies and he became a god before her, would she not be finished?

So she needed to proceed gradually. Once she became a god, it would not be too late to seek justice for Xiaogang.

Elsewhere, at the Icefire Yin Yang Well.

Chen Ling knew nothing of the undercurrents currently stirring within Spirit Hall.

At the moment, Dugu Bo sat cross-legged on the ground, concentrating as though attempting something. Chen Ling and Ya Li stood not far away, quietly standing guard.

As the energy of heaven and earth poured into him, astonishing changes also occurred upon Dugu Bo's body.

His long dark-green hair gradually shifted from green to black, while the foul stench around him slowly dissipated. His entire person looked considerably cleaner and fresher.

Ya Li's arrival had not only added a top-tier combatant at Chen Ling's side, but also brought another vitally important thing.

That was the method of condensing a Soul Core. More precisely, it was something the system had included when it materialized Ya Li.

During this period, Chen Ling and Ya Li had devoted themselves to studying it night after night, repeatedly exploring and testing. At last, they had thoroughly grasped the secrets of Soul Core condensation, and Chen Ling successfully condensed his first Soul Core.

His Chaos Attribute was like an all-purpose conversion device, so Chen Ling had no need to worry about conflicting Soul Core attributes within his body.

Chen Ling chose an ice-attribute Soul Core for this one. The reason was naturally that he had only absorbed samples related to ice and fire attributes so far. He had no clues regarding the others yet and still needed to seek them out.

The method was to hunt corresponding soul beasts.

As for condensing a fire-attribute Soul Core and breaking through to Limit Douluo, Chen Ling could not accomplish that for the time being.

On one hand, his current cultivation accumulation was still insufficient. The threshold for Limit Douluo was extremely high and could not be crossed overnight.

Another reason was that Ya Li also only possessed one Soul Core at present, and Chen Ling did not have the power of wishful thinking, so he could not simply craft a Second Soul Core by hand.

However, he already had a plan in mind. He lacked experience, but there were still people on the current Douluo Continent who possessed it.

Chen Ling was naturally referring to Di Tian and Snow Empress.

When Di Tian appeared in the original work, he had already condensed his Second Soul Core. Snow Empress, meanwhile, had failed in her attempt and only then chose to take human form and cultivate anew. That showed that she knew the method for condensing a Second Soul Core.