Sunset Forest, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Dugu Yan of Heaven Dou Advanced Soul Master Academy woke looking dejected. "Those Soul Masters from Elephant Armor Academy were absolutely shameless. After Martial Soul Possession, their hides were thick and tough. My poison couldn't bring them down at all."
Ye Lingling, beside her, said nothing. As a support Soul Master devoted entirely to healing, she knew some hand-to-hand combat, but ultimately could not compare with Beast Martial Soul Masters who could undergo Martial Soul Possession, or Tool Martial Soul Masters who could summon weapons and hack at people with them. She had already been eliminated yesterday.
But she did not take it to heart. As usual, she picked up the illustrated plant reference books Dugu Bo had helped her collect and read with relish.
Before long, Dugu Bo woke beside them too.
"Hehe, Grandpa, how come you lost too? Didn't you say you were going to win the championship?"
Dugu Bo rolled his eyes. "You little brat, who said I lost?"
"Then why are you out already? Shouldn't you be fighting another match in there?"
"There was only one match this morning."
"Huh, that's strange. Does that mean there'll only be two matches a day starting today?"
"Who knows? The Dragon-Tiger Ranking never explained the schedule."
"This morning's round narrowed twenty thousand down to ten thousand. At the current rate, it'll take at least eighteen rounds before there's only one winner left." Dugu Yan counted on her fingers. "That means it'll take nearly sixteen days to decide the winner. But doesn't the Dragon-Tiger Ranking run once a week?"
"Yes, there's something strange about this at every turn."
In the main hall of the Pontiff Palace in Spirit City, Chrysanthemum Douluo was also discussing this matter with Bibi Dong.
Just then, Ghost Douluo hurried in from outside.
"Your Holiness, we've finished compiling the figures. Judging by the numbers in our Martial Soul Awakening records over the years, there are no more than a hundred thousand Soul Masters on the continent. There couldn't possibly be three hundred and twenty thousand. Could the Pride of Heaven Ranking actually have made a mistake?"
"Perhaps the Pride of Heaven Ranking hasn't made a mistake."
"What do you mean, Old Ghost? Are you saying Spirit Hall's awakening records over all these years are wrong?"
Normally, Bibi Dong would certainly have joined the two Douluos' discussion, but today, contrary to her usual manner, she said nothing. Her face was also slightly flushed, as though she were desperately enduring and restraining something.
"That's not what I mean. The numbers on the Pride of Heaven Ranking have only ever said three hundred and twenty thousand reduced to a hundred and sixty thousand, and a hundred and sixty thousand reduced to eighty thousand. It never said three hundred and twenty thousand Soul Masters reduced to a hundred and sixty thousand Soul Masters."
"You mean there's something else we don't know about participating in the contest for the Pride of Heaven Ranking."
"Yes, that's exactly what I mean." Gui Mei nodded.
Chrysanthemum Douluo suddenly shivered. "Why do I find that so creepy?"
"Hehehe, what's wrong? Perhaps I'll meet some companions this time. You scared, sissy?"
"Tch, if it's fighting you, I'm certainly not scared. Your Holiness, do you think we should make preparations early?"
Bibi Dong still did not speak. Only then did the two realize that she seemed not to have spoken for a long time.
"Your Holiness, what do you think?"
"All right, I understand." There was something unusual in Bibi Dong's voice. "I understand. You may leave..."
"Your Holiness, are you feeling unwell? Do you need us to find a healing Soul Master to examine you?"
"Leave!" Bibi Dong forced herself to rally and shouted, yet she still sounded like a kitten begging for affection.
The two Titled Douluos surmised that something was seriously wrong with Bibi Dong's health and hurried out of the hall.
Had it been another pope, the two might have shown a little more concern, but this pope, Bibi Dong, was famously averse to men. Neither dared meddle, and they hastily withdrew.
The hall doors closed, leaving Bibi Dong alone inside.
Trembling, she pulled an ice-type Soul Bone out of her Space Soul Tool, then flung it aside angrily.
"It's no use at all!"
Ever since Ma Hongjun had cursed her yesterday, Bibi Dong had suffered a ceaseless onslaught of strange power. That ancient, primal force penetrating deep into her marrow was utterly impossible for her to resist.
She had already tried every object she could find, but none had been of any use.
Just as Ma Hongjun's curse had decreed, no one but him could ease the erosion of this instinct.
"Do I really have to let that damned fatty have his way? No, impossible. How could I submit to this power? If he could hold out, then I can hold out too. I am Bibi Dong, the Pope of Spirit Hall. I will never submit."
She gulped down cup after cup of iced water to cool the fire and focused on handling Spirit Hall's administrative affairs, but as she worked, she found herself utterly unable to concentrate.
What she did not know was that an invisible flame was burning ever more fiercely upon her.
"Master, are you sick? Little Na has come to see you."
A knock came at the door.
At those words, a sudden light of hope appeared in Bibi Dong's eyes.
Hu Liena had a Charm Martial Soul and was an expert in such matters. Perhaps she could soothe the power of the curse a little. At this thought, Bibi Dong spoke excitedly. "Little Na, come in quickly. Come here to your master."
Hu Liena opened the hall doors and saw her master sitting all alone on the papal throne.
"Close the doors."
Though puzzled, Hu Liena obediently closed them.
"Haha, Little Na, come to my side."
Hu Liena's face flushed slightly. She had already guessed that Bibi Dong seemed to have entered a certain state. "Master, did someone scheme against you and drug you?"
"Never mind that. Come here quickly."
"But I still have an important Dragon-Tiger Ranking match this afternoon. Little Na will come back to see you tonight, all right?"
"Get over here this instant!" Bibi Dong beckoned and pulled Hu Liena over.
Then a papal robe covered Hu Liena's body, and quiet returned to the Papal Hall.
Meanwhile, in his prison cell, Ma Hongjun lay on the floor in bliss.
He had never felt so good. From the moment his Martial Soul awakened, he had suffered the scorching of karmic fire, and surging primitive instinct had pursued him without a moment's respite. Until the moment he unleashed that curse yesterday, when the beast called primitive instinct suddenly stopped chasing him and turned to tear into someone else instead.
"I wonder whether Bibi Dong likes being ruled by primitive instinct. I really hope she can endure it properly, just like I did."
At this thought, Ma Hongjun narrowed his eyes happily.
The essence of the curse he had unleashed yesterday was to transfer his instinctive urges to Bibi Dong. Thus, nothing Bibi Dong did could counteract that primitive instinct. Only by relying on Ma Hongjun could she suppress it briefly; aside from that, no method would work.
"Come to think of it, Bibi Dong wouldn't just grab some random person off the street to deal with those urges, would she? Eww..."
At this thought, Ma Hongjun immediately felt a little nauseated, his face taking on an auntie's look of disgust.
"If that's the case, I might as well let the karmic fire burn her to ashes. But before that, I still have to make her set me free."
But what Ma Hongjun did not know was that something terrible was happening on the other side.
Until the one with the upper hand was burned beyond reason by the steadily blazing karmic fire and suddenly bit down hard on Hu Liena's neck.
The pain in Hu Liena's eyes abruptly turned to shock and terror. She could never have believed that her master, who usually doted on her so much, would do such a thing at a time like this.
But what little reason Bibi Dong possessed had already burned away completely. Her instinct had risen to unprecedented heights, yet she could not extinguish it.
This inexplicable power abruptly washed away most of the karmic fire entwining Bibi Dong, and only then did she regain her reason.
Only then did she see clearly what she had done.
"No, Nana, no, this isn't real! A healing Soul Master! A healing Soul Master! Get over here right now!"
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