Battling Bibi Dong

Bibi Dong went after Li Changqing, leaving behind a vast swath of houses destroyed by the collision of their soul power, with wreckage strewn everywhere.

Among the stunned onlookers, someone spoke up, sparking a discussion.

"If I saw that right, both Li Changqing and Her Holiness the Pope had wings just now, didn't they?"

"Yes, I saw them clearly. Li Changqing had a pair of golden bone wings, and Her Holiness the Pope had purple wings. Neither pair looked like wings from a martial soul. They looked more like something taken from a soul beast."

"Could there be some special method for attaching part of a soul beast's body to a soul master?"

An old man scoffed. "One look at you lot tells me you don't know the first thing about soul masters. Li Changqing's wings and Her Holiness the Pope's wings should be external soul bones."

The old man explained, "Unlike the common soul bones found in the limbs, torso, and head, external soul bones can emerge anywhere and are exceedingly rare. Another important feature is that they can grow alongside a soul master, eventually reaching the hundred-thousand-year level, or even higher."

Someone exclaimed, "Li Changqing and Her Holiness the Pope both have Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings. That means they each have a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone as well. If their external soul bones also reach the hundred-thousand-year level, wouldn't they each have two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones?"

"Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings and external soul bones are seldom seen in the soul master world, yet both have appeared on two people at once. That's truly rare!"

Meanwhile, Li Changqing sensed Bibi Dong pursuing him relentlessly from behind and was speechless.

There was no great enmity between him and Bibi Dong. He had merely teased her a few times. Surely that couldn't be the reason.

If it really was, Bibi Dong was far too petty.

Li Changqing stopped above an uninhabited mountain forest. He had realized that unless he showed Bibi Dong a thing or two, she would probably keep chasing him.

Bibi Dong caught up and said coldly, "Die!"

Without another word, she immediately activated Martial Soul Possession.

Purple-black armor covered her upper body, while everything below her abdomen transformed into an enormous spider's body, with eight massive spider legs extending from it.

Bibi Dong's lower body had become entirely spiderlike. An evil, terrifying aura radiated from her, and the sight of her made one's heart tremble.

Not only was Li Changqing unafraid, he even began to appreciate the sight.

His tone was relaxed, without the slightest urgency of someone being hunted down. "Looking at you like this, Your Holiness, you certainly have a charm all your own."

Bibi Dong grew even angrier. Her Seventh Soul Ring lit up, and her aura surged again, overpowering Li Changqing's.

Li Changqing stretched lazily. "Since Your Holiness simply cannot get me out of her mind, I have no choice but to oblige."

As he spoke, Li Changqing's Seventh Soul Ring also lit up. The Thunderblade Sword in his hand became sharper and more menacing, and his aura once again matched Bibi Dong's.

The trees beneath them bent under the pressure of their auras.

"Your Holiness, I never intended to fight. I truly couldn't bear to crush a flower with a ruthless hand. But since you insist on pursuing me so relentlessly, I have no choice but to meet you in battle."

That was just Li Changqing's nature. Even at a time like this, he was still provoking Bibi Dong.

With the Thunderblade Sword in hand, Li Changqing slashed a streak of sword qi toward Bibi Dong.

Bibi Dong's hands transformed into a pair of spider legs. Black mucus flowed over them, clearly laden with deadly poison.

With a sweep of her spider legs, she unleashed a shock wave that collided with Li Changqing's sword qi, producing a tremendous impact.

The entire mountain forest was instantly reduced to chaos. The trees below were either uprooted by the immense force or snapped in half. Not a single one remained intact.

Immediately afterward, Bibi Dong's eighth soul ring lit up, and a clone identical to her appeared. Its aura was no weaker than that of her original body.

This was Bibi Dong's eighth soul skill, Spider Emperor Clone, which could create a clone possessing her full strength.

Moreover, the clone was under Bibi Dong's control. The coordination between her original body and her clone was seamless, enough to give any opponent a headache.

Li Changqing dared not let his guard down. This woman, Bibi Dong, truly wanted to kill him.

His fifth soul ring lit up. Myriad Sword Transformation! The Thunderblade Sword instantly split into thousands upon thousands of blades, blotting out the sky as they thrust toward Bibi Dong.

Bibi Dong's original body activated her sixth soul skill, Blood-Sucking Spider Thorn, instantly condensing a dense mass of spider thorns that rose to meet the rain of swords filling the sky.

The spider thorns collided with the divided Thunderblade Swords, producing a relentless series of explosive cracks.

Bibi Dong's clone seized the opportunity to charge at Li Changqing.

Li Changqing raised his sword and blocked the spider leg that Bibi Dong's clone slashed at him. A clang rang out, sending a shower of sparks flying.

Bibi Dong's original body also joined the fray, locking into close combat with Li Changqing.

Although he had to face two Bibi Dongs at once, Li Changqing's superior speed kept him from falling behind. He traded blows evenly with both of them.

The aftershocks of their battle were terrifying, destroying more than half the mountain forest. The ground was covered in marks left by Bibi Dong's spider legs and the Thunderblade Sword, a landscape riddled with wounds.

After they fought for a while, Bibi Dong's clone exhausted its soul power from the sustained, intense battle and slowly dissipated.

Li Changqing and Bibi Dong separated once again.

Bibi Dong was deeply shocked. We've fought for so long, yet Li Changqing's soul power hasn't diminished in the slightest. How on earth is he doing this?

Li Changqing smiled. "You see, Your Holiness? We've fought back and forth, but neither of us can win. Continuing will only waste soul power for nothing. Why don't we leave it at that?"

The coldness on Bibi Dong's face did not diminish. "You think we can just leave it at that because you say so? Where would that leave my dignity as Pope? Where would that leave Spirit Hall's reputation? If word got out, wouldn't the entire continent laugh at us?"

Li Changqing was speechless. Why did these people care so much about saving face that they would throw away their lives for it? Could they eat their pride?

Still, he was not worried. With his soul core, even if they kept fighting, Bibi Dong would be the first to run out of soul power.

"Then let's keep fighting. But I've already seen your Death Spider Emperor's soul skills. Why not let me see your Soul-Eating Spider Emperor?"

Bibi Dong's pupils contracted slightly, and shock rocked her heart. He even knows about that. He really is no ordinary man.

Bibi Dong asked tentatively, "You certainly know a great deal. Knowing Xue Qinghe's identity is one thing, but you even know that I have twin martial souls. Now I'm rather curious. How exactly do you know so much? These are all secrets Spirit Hall never divulges. Could there be a traitor in Spirit Hall?"

Li Changqing raised an eyebrow. "Still trying to pry information out of me, Your Holiness? I can tell you plainly that, so far, I've only had dealings with two members of Spirit Hall. One is the disguised Xue Qinghe, and the other is you."

"Does Your Holiness think Xue Qinghe leaked it, or that you inadvertently revealed it to me yourself?"

Bibi Dong was furious. Li Changqing was still provoking her.

Li Changqing continued, "Besides, there's nothing on this entire continent that I don't know. If there's anything Your Holiness wishes to learn, feel free to ask. I might just know the answer."