Targeted Again

Gui Mei inspected the scene himself, then hurried back to Spirit Hall without a moment's rest to report the details to Bibi Dong.

Spirit City, Papal Hall.

This was Spirit Hall's public face and the center where it handled most of its affairs.

Above Papal Hall stood the Elder Hall and Worship Hall. Every Elder in the Elder Hall was a Titled Douluo.

The enshrined members of Worship Hall were all at least Super Douluo, each with Soul Power of at least rank ninety-six. There were seven of them.

The strongest was the Great Enshrined, Qian Daoliu, known as Sky-Invincible and grandfather to Qian Renxue. He possessed rank ninety-nine Soul Power, was a Limit Douluo, and had the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.

At that moment, only two people occupied the vast hall of the opulent Papal Hall.

A beautiful, aloof woman in a long robe sat leaning back on the throne above the hall, a scepter in her hand.

Her face was breathtaking, her skin fair, her features delicate. Yet her eyes held an icy chill, and she carried the authority of someone born to command, an air that warned strangers to keep their distance.

It made people want to conquer her.

She was Bibi Dong, the current Pope of Spirit Hall, Qian Renxue's mother, and the inheritor of the Rakshasa God.

Nine years earlier, she had taken advantage of Qian Xunji's grievous injuries—the man who had violated her.

With her Second Martial Soul, the Soul-Eating Spider Emperor, she had devoured Qian Xunji down to the last trace. Then, as the Spirit Hall Saintess and the Pope's disciple, she had successfully claimed the papal throne.

A man stood respectfully below the throne. His skin was smooth and fair, with a sickly pallor. His narrow, beguiling eyes held a sinister, feminine air.

Without the prominent Adam's apple at his throat, anyone would have mistaken him for a woman. He was Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan.

Bibi Dong spoke in a low voice. "How is the investigation into that enormous Soul Beast corpse that suddenly appeared in the Star Dou Great Forest going?"

Yue Guan bowed slightly, not daring to be the least bit careless. "Old Ghost has gone to investigate. Given his speed, he should return soon."

Just then, a dark shadow appeared in the center of the hall. Gui Mei emerged from it.

The moment he appeared, Gui Mei reported to Bibi Dong. "Your Holiness, the investigation into the Soul Beast corpse in the Star Dou Great Forest is complete."

"Speak," Bibi Dong said flatly.

"Judging by the scene, the corpse belonged to a Titan Giant Ape. From the pressure it still gave off and its size, we can confirm that it was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast."

Yue Guan's pupils contracted. "A hundred-thousand-year Titan Giant Ape! It must be the one from the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest. Its strength far surpassed that of an ordinary Titled Douluo. Even I might not have been its match."

"And that Titan Giant Ape was always inseparable from the even stronger Sky Azure Bull Python. Who could have killed it?"

Gui Mei continued, "The corpse was in a small valley near the outer region. At first, I thought the Titan Giant Ape had left the core region and been hunted down there. But I searched for several miles around the valley and found no signs of a battle involving a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast."

"Also, although other Soul Beasts had badly gnawed the corpse, I could still make out sword wounds all over the unscathed patches of skin. Sword Qi lingered throughout the body. The fatal wound was a sword thrust through its skull."

Bibi Dong's brows drew together. "Sword Qi? Could it have been Chen Xin? Or the Wind Sword Sect?"

Gui Mei shook his head. "Probably neither."

"Even if the entire Wind Sword Sect had mobilized, they wouldn't have been a match for the Titan Giant Ape. Chen Xin is even less likely. All his Soul Ring slots are filled, so he had no reason to go to such lengths to hunt it. Besides, the Sword Qi left on the corpse carried a Lightning Attribute. That clearly doesn't fit Chen Xin."

"I suspect the killer's Martial Soul was a sword with a Lightning Attribute."

Bibi Dong looked puzzled and murmured, "A Sword Martial Soul with a Lightning Attribute, and strength of at least a Titled Douluo... When did someone like that appear on the continent?"

Gui Mei said, "I searched all of Spirit Hall's intelligence. Neither the two great empires nor the Seven Great Sects have anyone who fits. There are people with matching Martial Souls, but none of them are even Soul Saints, let alone Titled Douluo. This person likely belongs to no faction."

Bibi Dong tapped a finger against her armrest. "What about Spirit Hall's awakening records?"

Gui Mei shook his head. "I checked every Soul Master who awakened a sword-type Martial Soul and possessed Innate Soul Power. According to their latest records, they're all far from Titled Douluo. It's as though this person appeared out of thin air."

Yue Guan ventured, "Your Holiness, could it be a genius hidden by some faction?"

Bibi Dong shook her head. "Unlikely. Someone capable of killing the Titan Giant Ape is far beyond an ordinary Titled Douluo. If a faction had hidden such a genius, there would be no reason to keep them hidden now. They could announce them openly and bolster their prestige."

Silence settled over the hall. None of the three could guess the person's identity.

Bibi Dong said nothing, and Yue Guan and Gui Mei did not dare speak for fear of angering her.

After a moment, Bibi Dong ordered, "Activate Spirit Hall's agents embedded in the two great empires, the Seven Great Sects, and the other factions, large and small. I refuse to believe someone that powerful can evade every faction's investigation across the continent."

Then hesitation flickered in her eyes, as though an unpleasant memory had surfaced.

"Especially in the Heaven Dou Empire. She should have secured her position as Crown Prince by now. Have her use the empire's intelligence network to investigate Soul Masters with Sword Martial Souls or Lightning Attributes. Find this person. We cannot let them interfere with Spirit Hall's grand plans."

The "she" Bibi Dong spoke of was Qian Renxue, who was carrying out the Nation-Stealing Plan in the Heaven Dou Empire.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei knew that Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue were mother and daughter. But they had long since grown used to the two treating each other like strangers, and neither reacted.

Both bowed. "As you command, Your Holiness."

Then they respectfully withdrew.

The message traveled quickly. In just two days, it reached the Imperial Palace of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Wearing Xue Qinghe's face, Qian Renxue sat at her desk in the Crown Prince's Residence, handling official business.

Snake Lance suddenly appeared. "Young Master, a message has arrived from Spirit City."

Qian Renxue did not look up. "Who sent it? What is it about?"

"It's from His Holiness the Pope. She wants you to use the Heaven Dou Empire's intelligence network to investigate someone."

At the word "Pope," Qian Renxue's hand paused. She took a deep breath and sat up, plainly reluctant. "Who could Spirit Hall's intelligence network fail to find that she needs my help?"

Snake Lance respectfully handed her an envelope. "It's someone you've been following, Young Master. You'd better read it yourself."