"Oh? Are you sure?"
Bibi Dong wiped the faint traces of grease from the corner of her mouth, her long, beautiful eyes looking down at the little boy before her.
Even though she had only just recovered from grave injuries, the papal majesty and chilling murderous intent radiating from her were enough to make an ordinary Soul Master's knees buckle.
Yet Meng Chen still shook his head without hesitation and said firmly, "I'm not going."
Was she kidding? Go to Spirit Hall?
Who didn't know that the Rakshasa Divine Sense had made Bibi Dong's temper wildly unpredictable? If his secrets came to light, she might slice him up for research on the spot.
Bibi Dong narrowed her phoenix eyes, her red lips curving into a dangerous smile.
"Little one, no one on this continent has ever refused my invitation. You don't get a say in this."
So she was forcing the deal, huh?
Meng Chen's heart sank slightly. He immediately puffed out his little chest and revealed the powerful backer behind him.
"You'd better not try anything! My big brother is Xue Qinghe, the current crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire! If you take me by force, he won't let you get away with it!"
"The Heaven Dou Crown Prince... Xue Qinghe?"
Bibi Dong froze, an extraordinarily complicated and icy gleam flashing through her eyes.
Others might not know the truth about Xue Qinghe, but how could Bibi Dong not know?
That was that vile bastard! The mark of sin Qian Xunji had left behind in this world!
As Bibi Dong scrutinized the supremely confident Meng Chen before her, stormy waves surged through her heart.
That vile bastard... had actually recruited such an exceptional unpolished gem in the Heaven Dou Empire behind Spirit Hall's back?!
This little one possessed immensely vigorous blood and vitality, and his spiritual power was even more extraordinary. If allowed to grow, he would undoubtedly become a supreme expert whose name shook the continent.
Rather than leave him to that vile bastard... she would make him her own!
In that instant, cold resolve flashed through Bibi Dong's eyes.
"Xue Qinghe? Heh... then you have even less say in the matter. I'm taking you with me today, no matter what!"
The moment she finished speaking, an invisible pressure of Soul Power descended like a mountain.
It's over! Dropping my big brother's name actually backfired?!
Meng Chen cursed inwardly. He felt the space around him seal off completely and knew that if he didn't act now, it might be too late.
Since talking had gotten him nowhere, he could only restrain her first and seize a chance to escape!
Boom!
Blood and vitality surged wildly through Meng Chen's body as his Martial Soul quietly possessed him!
With a pop, two long, fluffy rabbit ears emerged from the top of his head, shimmering with a brilliant, pure golden luster.
The ears swayed gently, looking utterly endearing.
As his Martial Soul manifested, a lustrous purple Soul Ring slowly rose from beneath his feet.
Originally, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's sacrifice had bestowed a world-shocking red Soul Ring with three skills.
One of them was [Spiritual Mimicry].
Under Spiritual Mimicry's disguise, outsiders saw this Soul Ring as a "thousand-year purple ring," exceeding the continent's ideal age for a first Soul Ring!
"A thousand-year first ring?!"
A flash of astonishment and admiration crossed Bibi Dong's beautiful eyes.
Just how monstrous did this little one's physique have to be to absorb a thousand-year ring as his first?
Before she could recover from her surprise, Meng Chen moved!
If he wanted to escape, he had to strike first!
"First Soul Skill: Spiritual Charm!"
The purple Soul Ring disguised through mimicry blazed beneath Meng Chen's feet. His clear black-and-white eyes shone with golden-pink light and instantly met Bibi Dong's gaze.
The Soft Bone Rabbit's charm was already a potent control ability, but Meng Chen's Spiritual Charm came from the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's nine-hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring. Its control was so powerful that even a Soul King could not withstand it.
Humm!
Bibi Dong's expression shifted slightly. She felt an unprecedentedly pure power wash through her spiritual sea, which the Rakshasa Divine Sense had eroded into frenzied anguish. From the depths of her mind came a long-forgotten sense of comfort and peace.
But his clever trick had backfired!
Meng Chen had originally intended to use Spiritual Shock to briefly leave Bibi Dong rigid and dazed, allowing him to teleport away.
Yet in Bibi Dong's eyes...
A little boy as exquisite as carved jade, with a pair of soft, brilliant golden rabbit ears, was glaring at her with wide, indignant eyes.
His ear tips trembled, carrying an indescribable natural cuteness and an irresistible affinity for life as he fiercely threw her a wink.
Bibi Dong, who had spent years steeped in darkness, suffering, hatred, and the Rakshasa God's filth, felt her heart suddenly skip a beat.
Her eyes, once cold enough to chill someone to the bone, trembled slightly at that moment, revealing an unprecedented tenderness and daze.
This child...
Those two golden rabbit ears... how could they be so adorable?
An emotion called maternal love, suppressed for decades and seldom seen in her, began spreading through her at that moment!
That "vile bastard" Qian Renxue only filled her with disgust and hatred, but the radiance emanating from this little one touched the softest place in Bibi Dong's heart.
Spiritual Charm wore off.
Meng Chen was just about to take to his heels when he abruptly realized something was wrong.
His Holiness the Pope before him had not gone rigid. Instead, her gaze had become even stranger.
It held neither murderous intent nor scrutiny, but rather... the ardent affection and indulgence... of someone looking at her own precious baby?!
Oh no! I overdid the charm and sent Bibi Dong's affection straight off the charts?!
"Little one, your Martial Soul... is so adorable."
A breathtakingly tender smile curved Bibi Dong's lips. She lightly raised her delicate hand, and her vast Soul Power formed a gentle yet irresistible barrier, lifting Meng Chen into the air and settling him securely in her arms.
"Let me go! Men and women aren't supposed to touch so freely, hey!"
Meng Chen flailed his short little legs, the golden rabbit ears atop his head swaying in panic.
"Heh, still daring to throw a tantrum?"
Bibi Dong casually pinched one of his soft golden rabbit ears. It felt so good that her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Since Xue Qinghe can't take proper care of you, from now on... I'll do it..."
With those words, Bibi Dong hesitated no further. She gathered Meng Chen into her embrace, lightly pushed off with her toes, and became a blur as she sped toward Spirit City!
Meanwhile.
The Heaven Dou Empire, the crown prince's residence.
Incense curled through the warm sitting room. An exquisite rosewood table was laden with steaming Jiangnan pastries and Meng Chen's favorite honeyed fruit juice.
Qian Renxue, disguised as "Xue Qinghe," rested her chin on one hand, her moon-white brocade robe lending her a gentle, jade-like elegance.
Every so often, she glanced up at the sky outside the window, her golden eyes holding a trace of anticipation and helplessness that was difficult to detect.
"Why has little Chen been gone so long just to find a Soul Ring in the Star Dou Great Forest?"
"Judging by the time, he should be back by now."
Qian Renxue rubbed the space between her brows, an indulgent smile curving her lips.
"When he gets back and sees the fruit cakes I specially had rushed here from the south, who knows how excited he'll be, wiggling those rabbit ears..."
But never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined.
The little boy she had so lovingly cared for, secretly keeping him in the crown prince's residence and raising him like a treasure.
Had just been intercepted out in the wild, bundled up, and carried off... by her own mother from the distant Papal Hall!
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