The Rakshasa Descends
Bibi Dong stepped into the Inner Courtyard, first withdrawing the wisp of purplish-black aura clinging to the crack in the door back into her body. The footsteps outside faded away, and the patterns of the Rakshasa lit up from her feet, climbing along the stone wall all the way to the top of her head.
This room has been with her for far too long. She has suffered the backlash here, and she has tried to push away everyone outside the door. Now that the final test has truly begun, the patterns on the wall have not left her a place to sit and wait.
The purplish-black scythe fell from the light into her hand. The moment the handle was grasped, her chest was ripped open to the sides. The power of the Death Spider Emperor and the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor surged up simultaneously. The two ferocious auras that she had been enduring separately merged together, and every Meridians demanded that she draw upon even more power.
There were still some people outside the courtyard. The Deacon had served the Papal Hall for many years, but his Soul Power was not high. When fear entered from outside the door, Bibi Dong could almost see how it flowed into the scythe. As long as she opened the door a crack, his fear could take a small part of it for her.
She pressed the long scythe against the stone ground, and the purplish-black aura from the crack in the door immediately receded.
The tearing sensation then landed squarely on her chest. Bibi Dong spat out a mouthful of blood, which dripped into the patterns beneath her feet, but the light on the scythe shone even brighter than before.
She did not request the Angel Holy Light of the Outer Courtyard to enter with their holy light.
Rakshasa showed her a fortified city that had already been breached. The flags of the two nations fell from the heights, and the army of the Spirit Hall Empire entered through the city gates. The rebel leader knelt before the long steps, still trying to break free of his chains with his last bit of Soul Power. She raised her scythe, and the resentment within the city surged into her palm. Even the people hiding in the streets and alleys began to bow their heads to her.
Bibi Dong looked at one of the female soldiers. She was still wearing the Imperial Army uniform, her leg was injured, and she was leaning against the wall waiting for her comrades to come and fetch her. She was afraid of being left in the city, afraid of dying tonight in an alley no one knew, and that fear was also caught up with the scythe.
She severed the purple stripe that was reaching for the female soldier.
The female soldier in the illusion raised her head and was immediately carried away by her accomplices. The scythe handle became even heavier as a result. Bibi Dong held it and walked to the city gate, channeling the remaining strength back into her chest. Her Level 99 body began to bear the true Divine Position. The patterns on her chest and back lit up first, and then flowed through her limbs. Pieces of purple-black Divine Outfit covered her outer garment.
As the last piece of armor covered his shoulder, the Rakshasa Aura directly assaulted his spirit.
She heard many voices she had suppressed. Some came from those who had been ordered to hunt her down, some from Soul Master had fallen on the battlefield, and mixed in with her own anger. She did not declare here that those voices could be wiped out with a victory. After gripping the scythe firmly, she took only one step toward the fortress in the illusion.
The idea of the Spirit Hall Empire achieving victory still belonged to her.
She could overcome the fear of a female soldier, so she believed she could also dismantle them one by one on a larger battlefield. The purplish-black patterns stabilized along her Divine Outfit, the scythe fell into her palm, and the last section of the Inner Courtyard stone wall cracked as the power flowed through, the Rakshasa's Divine Position truly pressing into her own core.
Bai Jin, who was outside the courtyard, was the first to notice the change in the ground.
A crack extended from under the heavy gate, heading straight for the pillar. Cang held the base of the pillar, while the Limitless Deacon on the other side blocked the rubble. The deacons outside retreated across the boundary line one by one. He guarded until the last person left before removing the Ninth Soul Skill that sealed the outer Coordinates, not taking this safe withstand of the aftershocks as a sign that he had already crossed the Level 99.
Qian Renxue descended the steps, her Holy Sword still unsheathed. A purplish-black aura had already passed through the heavy gate. Seeing that her mother's steps remained steady, she retracted the golden wings that had been blocking the Outer Courtyard.
When the door opened, Bibi Dong no longer held onto the doorframe.
Her purplish-black Divine Outfit tucked away from her shoulders, the long scythe still clutched in her hand. Yue Guan and the Gui Mei stopped at the foot of the steps. She looked at the cleared area in the Outer Courtyard and first asked if there were any injured people outside the hall.
"Both were grazed by stone chips and have been taken to the medical officer," Hu Liena replied. "They're out now."
Bibi Dong nodded and walked out of the courtyard. The power emanating from her swept across the corridor, and a guard, who had just raised his head, knelt down under the pressure. The purple markings on the edge of her long scythe reached out to him, Bibi Dong immediately pulled the scythe behind her back. The guard was able to catch his breath again, but he still dared not get up from the ground.
"Stand up," she said. "The same applies to all battalions thereafter. Wounded soldiers are to be treated by the medics, and no one may incite fear in order to cause resentment."
The Gui Mei accepted the order and went down the steps to help the guard up.
Bai Jin watched the wisp of energy she had withdrawn, and only spoke after the guard had gone far away, "The moment you grasp the scythe, it seeks its way into a person's heart."
I can take it back.
"They collected it twice today."
Bibi Dong stopped in front of him. "You want me to withdraw the entire empire's army back to the city right after I've completed my Divine Position?"
"I want to see first how many lives you'll need to use to win," Bai Jin pointed to the crack in the Outer Courtyard. "The army depends on us; we can't let it become medicine in our hands."
She didn't get angry at that sentence. The sea breeze came from letters from further away, military reports came from the border, and every day there were places on the table where taking a step back would mean losing territory. The Divine Position finally allowed her to end this tug-of-war herself; she was unwilling to agree to abandon the original goal as soon as she grasped the scythe.
"The armies of both countries are also preparing," she said. "They won't stop their Soul Master from fighting just because I don't use Divine Power."
"Then strike where you deserve it. If you keep pushing your Divine Position into our own ranks, I'll stop you."
Bai Jin spoke clearly, but he did not remove the elder's insignia from his body. He took the troop mobilization order handed over by Yue Guan, first checked the retreat route of the wounded soldiers at Jialing Pass, and then reassigned two rest stops for the Elephant Armor Sect's supply team.
Bibi Dong watched him sign, finally handing over the order to forbid the extraction of resentment from the army to the Gui Mei. The purple pattern on the edge of the long scythe had not completely disappeared; she pressed it down with her own core, and blood seeped from her palm.
Bai Jin put down his pen and looked at her bandaged palm one last time. Blood had soaked through the innermost layer of the Medicinal Bandage. The wound was from when he forcibly withdrew the power of resentment. The Rakshasa God Armor could cover it, but his physical body was still being tormented.
Bibi Dong stretched out her hand. "Which part can you see?"
"The palm can heal it. As for the part further in, only your own core can connect to it."
She agreed, Bai Jin used Reverse Cursed Technique to mend the torn flesh in her palm. When the Medicinal Bandage was removed, the external wound had healed, but the purple markings deep within the scythe blade were still glowing, and the pressure running through her arm had not lessened. He withdrew his hand, not mentioning that healing a single wound was the price he could pay for changing her Divine Position status.
Bibi Dong clenched her fists, and instead of extending her long scythe towards the guards under the corridor, she pointed it towards the open space outside the courtyard. A layer of purplish-black light swept across the stone surface, leaving a mark deeper than the crack in the Inner Courtyard. She had personally observed the distance she could control before she withdrew her next attack, also placing it in an empty space, and then sheathed the scythe. Yue Guan and the others had completely dissipated their power, they instructed the Deacon to go around from the other side and surround the courtyard stone that had been tested by Divine Power.
Qian Renxue only approached her mother at this moment.
You've already seen the price.
"I also saw a winning situation."
The daughter didn't mention what steps her grandfather had taken for her, nor did she use his death to demand that her mother stop. She stood in front of her mother, looked at the still bleeding hand, and first handed over the Medicinal Bandage prepared by the physician in the outer palace.
Bibi Dong caught it and wrapped it in her palm.
"Your sword must protect the empire," she said.
"We must also protect the living."
The corridor was empty for a moment, with only Hu Liena waiting in the distance for the military reports that she hadn't finished reviewing. Bibi Dong looked at her, then put away her long scythe and took back the Scepter that had been placed outside the door.
"Bring me the latest news from the Northern Front."
Hu Liena handed over the paper tube. When Bibi Dong unfolded it, Qian Renxue was still standing beside her, and Bai Jin hadn't left either. The three of them saw together the two newly added marching lines on the military map.