The Dark Valkyrie of the End

Yue Guan wanted to argue, but one look from Bibi Dong made him swallow his words.

He had followed the Saintess for years. She liked to joke, but once she wore that expression, her mind was made up. No one could talk her out of it.

He glanced at Gui Mei. Gui Mei gave a slight shake of his head. The message was clear: don't bother.

"Fine." Yue Guan let it go. He walked over, picked the Aromatic Silk Beauty, and handed it to Bibi Dong.

He also told her how to use it.

When he finished, Yue Guan asked, "Your Highness, are you sure you won't reconsider?"

"No need. I trust my instincts." Bibi Dong took the herb and sat down cross-legged.

She studied the Aromatic Silk Beauty in her hand for a few seconds, then ate it.

Seeing that Bibi Dong had already eaten the Immortal Herb, Gui Mei sighed. "Why would Her Highness do this?"

Yue Guan glanced at Gui Mei. "Have you ever seen her use Martial Soul Possession?"

Gui Mei thought about it. In all these years, he really had never seen Bibi Dong use it.

"I have," Yue Guan said slowly.

Gui Mei looked at him.

"It was when the Saintess obtained her first soul ring," Yue Guan said. "I saw her use it in secret in her courtyard."

"Once she used Martial Soul Possession, the lower half of her body became a spider's abdomen. A carapace spread from her chest to her cheeks, and four compound eyes appeared beneath her eyes. Honestly, the first time I saw her, I almost didn't recognize our lovely Saintess."

"When she looked at herself, she was frightened. Terrified."

"I've never seen her use Martial Soul Possession since. It's always bothered her."

Gui Mei finally understood. "When you put it that way, it does sound terrifying."

Yue Guan nodded gravely. "You know I love flowers, and I love beauty. The Saintess is a beautiful girl, so I understand how she feels."

Gui Mei fell silent. Yue Guan turned his gaze back to Bibi Dong.

At first, the Aromatic Silk Beauty's effects had yet to take hold, and Bibi Dong remained steady.

But as she absorbed more of its power, her two Martial Souls, the Death Spider Emperor and the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor, grew increasingly restless.

Dark green Soul Power surged from her left hand, while purplish-black Soul Power poured from her right. The opposing forces collided.

Before, the two had kept to themselves inside Bibi Dong. Now, under the Aromatic Silk Beauty's influence, neither would yield to the other.

"Ugh!" Bibi Dong groaned. Cold sweat instantly beaded on her forehead.

Yue Guan's expression changed. "Her Twin Martial Souls are rejecting each other! The two kinds of Soul Power inside her are fighting!"

Gui Mei was already moving. Black Soul Power spread around him as he prepared to intervene at any moment.

"Don't!" Bibi Dong forced the word through clenched teeth.

She gritted her teeth and fought to stay conscious.

As someone with Twin Martial Souls, Bibi Dong had tried using both at once before, but every attempt had failed. The best she could do was use one, then switch quickly to the other.

So she had some experience with this.

Time passed.

Guided by the Aromatic Silk Beauty, the powers of the Death Spider Emperor and Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor slowly began to permeate each other.

At last, they became a chaotic sphere of purplish-black light.

The sphere slowly unfolded and took the shape of an entirely new phantom.

It was humanoid.

Purplish-black armor emerged across Bibi Dong's body, dark green patterns of light flowing over it.

Eight spider legs unfurled silently from her back. Slender as spears, they were purplish-black from end to end, their tips gleaming with dark green venom.

No carapace covered her face. Her features remained clear, while a dark golden spider mark appeared between her brows.

Bibi Dong slowly opened her eyes. Her vertical pupils had turned purplish-black.

In her new Martial Soul Possession, Bibi Dong looked like a dark valkyrie from the end of days.

"Congratulations, Your Highness! You did it!" Yue Guan stepped forward to congratulate her.

"Congratulations, Your Highness!" Gui Mei joined him.

"Yue Guan." Bibi Dong's voice carried a faint authority. "How do I look now?"

Yue Guan, ever the lover of beauty, pulled a large mirror from his Soul Tool. "See for yourself, Your Highness."

Bibi Dong looked at her reflection. The spider legs behind her were somewhat fearsome, but compared with her former appearance, the difference was night and day.

At last, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Not bad. I'm very pleased."

Yue Guan put away the mirror. "Saintess, what is your new Martial Soul like? Have your soul rings changed?"

"My soul rings?" Bibi Dong summoned them to take a look.

The one yellow, three purple, and two black rings she'd had before had become three purple and three black.

"Just as I thought!" Yue Guan exclaimed. "The two Martial Souls merged, and the power of her soul rings increased too. Three purple and three black!"

"And that's not all," Gui Mei added. "The Saintess only recently became a Soul Emperor, but her Soul Power is already at level sixty-five."

"Then her new Martial Soul must be much stronger than either one alone," Yue Guan said.

"It is." Bibi Dong carefully assessed the changes in herself. "Martial Soul Possession alone increases my physique and strength by at least twofold. The new Martial Soul also retains the Death Spider Emperor's deadly poison and the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor's devouring ability."

"What's more, I think its quality is at least a tier above the Spider Emperor. It's even awakened its innate domain early."

"In that case, I'll call this new Martial Soul... the Netherworld Sky Spider!"

"The Netherworld Sky Spider!" Yue Guan repeated, then congratulated her again. "Your Highness, this new Martial Soul can truly be called a god-tier Martial Soul, on par with the Six-Winged Angel."

Bibi Dong nodded in satisfaction and released her Martial Soul Possession.

"Enough about me. Has Gui Mei eaten his Immortal Herb?" Bibi Dong asked, now in high spirits.

Yue Guan took out a plant. "I've already chosen one for him. It's called the Dark Ice Orchid, and it can greatly enhance his cold power and ability to conceal himself."

"All right. Gui Mei, eat yours first. Yue Guan, find a few more plants for us to take back," Bibi Dong instructed.

Gui Mei had no objections. He trusted Yue Guan completely and ate the plant at once.

Yue Guan, however, spoke up. "Saintess, if we pick them now, they won't stay fresh in a Soul Tool, and they'll lose their medicinal power. You've seen what these Immortal Herbs can do. It would be a shame to waste any of their power."

Bibi Dong hadn't considered that. "What do you suggest?"

"First, we could station people here and come whenever we want to use one. Second, we could find a Soul Tool that can hold living things, like a Hundred Treasure Bag."

"But Soul Tools that can hold living things are extremely rare. They won't be easy to find."

Bibi Dong thought for a moment. "This is too important for us to keep coming and going. Sooner or later, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would find out. Their intelligence network is the strongest of the Upper Three Sects."

"So our best option is to find a Hundred Treasure Bag. If there isn't one in Spirit City, we can try Heaven Dou City. Its nobles like collecting strange and unusual things."

"And since we're just outside Heaven Dou City, once we enter, we can have Heaven Dou Sacred Hall send a message to Star Luo Sacred Hall and ask them to search Star Luo City too."

Yue Guan nodded. "All right."