Chapter 38

This time, for instance, she seemed to have forgotten something from her childhood... What had happened in her childhood? She did not know. She had forgotten. Perhaps it was a piece of candy, perhaps a toy, or perhaps a word of praise, a warm caress.

Those memories, which had once held an important place in her heart, were gradually emptying out, and Bibi Dong's gaze went blank for an instant.

Several kilometers away, Tang Hao was leading Tang San and the others through the woods. The instant that purple energy exploded, he stopped abruptly and looked toward the surging energy, as though he could see the battle through every obstruction.

His face, hidden beneath his hood, darkened. "Don't rush off. Find somewhere to hide first!" He raised a hand to stop Tang San and the others.

"What is it, Father?"

Tang Hao watched the direction where Lan Changsheng and Bibi Dong were fighting, sensing the fluctuations from the collision between their energy fields. "Two powerful fighters are battling in the distance."

Tang San froze, then quickly responded, "Could it be Uncle and her?"

Tang Hao nodded. "Very likely, because I sensed a familiar life force among them. But the other one..."

"Has Bibi Dong come?" Yu Xiaogang stepped forward. "Is she in that direction? I'll go see her. I can persuade her."

But Tang Hao had already reached out and pressed a hand onto his shoulder. "Grandmaster, although I don't know what happened between you and Bibi Dong in the past, now isn't the time to act on impulse. You'll completely expose Xiao Wu and Tang San this way."

"No, I won't. We used to be lovers. She'll definitely listen to me."

Unlike Tang San, who was shocked by this revelation, Tang Hao had long known about the two of them. That was also why he had entrusted Tang San to Yu Xiaogang and given him the Pope Token.

But that was no reason for him to agree to let Yu Xiaogang go. Tang San's safety mattered most to him.

If not for Yu Xiaogang having sought Tang San out on his own initiative and told him what had happened in Spirit City, Tang Hao would have wanted to cast Yu Xiaogang aside right then. As he thought this, his gaze grew increasingly dangerous.

But remembering that Tang San and Xiao Wu were still beside him, he released Yu Xiaogang's shoulder. "All right, then, Grandmaster. But these two children don't have the strength to truss a chicken. I have to stay here to protect them, so I won't be going with you."

With that, he took Xiao Wu and Tang San into the woods.

Yu Xiaogang stood where he was, watching them disappear into the woods. Only after confirming that Tang Hao really would leave him alone did he hurry toward that dark purple aura.

He walked urgently, every step as though he were rushing to a date he was already late for, only to slow down after a few quick steps, as though rehearsing anew how to face someone. The shadows at the edge of the woods soon swallowed his figure.

While Yu Xiaogang was making his way over, Bibi Dong's gaze regained its focus.

She told herself, None of this matters anymore. I've already made up my mind. Whether the nature of this power is good or evil doesn't matter, and neither does the price I pay. What I want is power! What I want is to reach the summit!

As though he knew what she was thinking, Lan Changsheng said, "How many times can you use it? I can feel the Soul Power in your body draining rapidly."

Of course, Lan Changsheng was bluffing. Bibi Dong's move was truly powerful, and he had yet to break through it. She still did not exist within his perception, but a skill that defied the heavens like this could not possibly be without limits.

After saying this, Lan Changsheng did not avert his gaze, as though he really had seen through Bibi Dong. His certain tone froze the tense atmosphere for an instant.

Bibi Dong's expression remained calm, but her knuckles tightened around the Rakshasa Demon Scythe until they turned white.

She looked at the Blue Silver Grass pointing toward her from all around, growing increasingly agitated. No matter how each leaf swayed, it remained locked onto her position, like countless pupil-less eyes watching her, making her feel as though she were trapped in a cage that kept shrinking.

"Let this Blue Silver Grass make up for the time I lack." This time, an invisible suction erupted with her at its center. It was not merely an application of Soul Power, but a form of plunder approaching something primal. Every living creature she perceived and marked as "devourable" was having its vitality forcibly stripped away.

The blades of grass began to yellow and curl. Insects crawling over the ground and birds passing overhead suddenly stopped, their bodies rapidly shriveling as though every drop of moisture had been drained from them, before finally turning into little heaps of grayish-white powder that scattered with a gust of wind.

"They're how you found me, aren't they? Even if I don't have much time left, I can still destroy them first!"

Of course, Lan Changsheng would not stand by and watch an already powerful enemy continue amassing strength. His Blue Silver Imperial Emperor Domain spread out, and the withered plants turned from yellow to green, their curled leaves unfurling again. But those animals...

Lan Changsheng watched wisps of pale smoke rise from the powder and be drawn into Bibi Dong's body.

I can't let her continue. This was the foremost thought in Lan Changsheng's mind at that moment.

Within the Blue Silver Imperial Emperor Domain, the strengthened plants began attacking Bibi Dong continuously. Lan Changsheng charged forward with the Blue Silver Emperor Spear in hand. Two zhang in front of her, he turned and swept the spear sideways, striking her waist.

Bibi Dong neither dodged nor defended. The blow landed squarely on her waist, sending her flying sideways.

She steadied herself in midair and glanced down at the cracks in the Divine Slaughter's Armor at her waist. Raising a hand, she wiped the blood seeping from the corner of her mouth and continued devouring this area as though nothing had happened.

She did not care. The vitality she had devoured was rapidly healing her injuries. The cracks at her waist quickly closed, and her depleted Soul Power was being replenished. With every wisp of smoke she swallowed, a little more fatigue faded from her face.

Lan Changsheng's attacks did not stop. The Blue Silver Emperor Spear stabbed at Bibi Dong incessantly-her throat, her heart, her dantian, her joints. He tried to force her to defend or dodge through a barrage of attacks, stopping her from devouring.

In the blink of an eye, Lan Changsheng had already thrust his spear more times than he could count, but Bibi Dong neither ducked nor dodged, enduring the blows with nothing but the armor formed by her Divine Slaughter's Domain. Even when injured, she did not evade. She was trading everything for time to devour, solely to wipe out every trace of life in this area.

Lan Changsheng sensed that more than half the life on this grassy slope had already dissipated. Animals, insects, and life within the soil were all rapidly dwindling. Each of his attacks seemed to do two things at once: hurt her and feed her.

Lan Changsheng made a decision. He withdrew his spear and stopped attacking, spreading his hands and releasing his life divine power to replenish the vitality Bibi Dong was draining from each little creature.

A beetle that was shriveling regained the luster on its shell. A moth whose wings had shattered grew new wings. He was using his life divine power to fill the fissures left by the devouring Rakshasa Divine Power.