"Someone, attend me."
Enshrined Jia's figure appeared silently at the hall entrance.
"Go to Supreme Pontiff Hall. Tell Bibi Dong to set aside all her current work and come to Elder Hall for a discussion."
Enshrined Jia paused slightly, asked no questions, and withdrew with a bow.
Qian Daoliu rose and walked over to a floor-to-ceiling window at the side of the hall.
Outside, the buildings of Spirit City stood row upon row, and the spires of Supreme Pontiff Hall gleamed in the distance.
He looked for a long time.
Now, he was certain Xiao Xue's life was not in danger, yet something he could not understand had happened.
How long had it been since he had looked so carefully at Supreme Pontiff Hall, ever since his son Qian Xunji took over Spirit Hall?
Had his refusal to concern himself with anything allowed matters to develop to a point where even he could no longer understand them?
A side chamber of Supreme Pontiff Hall.
This was where Spirit Hall's highest leadership discussed affairs: one long table, two principal chairs.
Qian Daoliu sat on the left, resting with his eyes closed, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest. The chair opposite him was empty.
Footsteps approached from afar, and Bibi Dong pushed the door open and entered at an unhurried pace.
Today, she was not wearing the Pope's formal ceremonial robes, only a dark purple robe, her hair casually pinned up, as though she had stepped away from her work.
"The Great Enshrined is in the mood to visit Supreme Pontiff Hall today."
Bibi Dong took the principal seat, her tone indifferent, as though addressing a subordinate.
"Is the tea in the Worship Hall not to your liking?"
Qian Daoliu opened his eyes. He did not respond to that remark, but looked at Bibi Dong, his voice betraying not a trace of emotion.
"Bibi Dong, I came today to ask just one thing."
Bibi Dong picked up the teacup before her. She did not drink, merely held it in her hand.
"Please speak, Great Enshrined."
"How many years have you been carrying out the Nation-Stealing Plan?"
Qian Daoliu uttered the name in a very level tone.
Bibi Dong's fingers paused against the cup for an instant, a movement so slight it was almost imperceptible, but Qian Daoliu saw it.
"Twelve years. Has the Great Enshrined come to call me to account?"
Bibi Dong set down her teacup and raised her eyes to him. Those eyes were deep, so deep that Qian Daoliu could not see what lay hidden within.
Qian Daoliu shook his head slightly, studying Bibi Dong with an appraising gaze.
"Call you to account? If that's how you want to see it, you may."
As those words fell, the air inside the hall grew a little colder.
Bibi Dong understood. He had offered no opinion back then, and now he was pulling this. The old bastard had suddenly gone mad and come looking for trouble.
The hostility in her eyes intensified. Rather than answering immediately, she took a light sip of tea, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.
"Great Enshrined, why such a temper?"
Bibi Dong was no longer the weak woman she had once been.
Even the Great Enshrined would have to weigh the consequences before making a move against her!
She walked to the side chamber's window. Standing here, she could see most of Spirit City's outline, with Soul Masters coming and going, everything orderly.
"Great Enshrined." Her voice came from beside the window, and she did not turn around. "This 'Nation-Stealing Plan' could be called a scheme devised by the previous Pope. I'm merely continuing its implementation."
Qian Daoliu remained silent.
"Great Enshrined, do you think the Nation-Stealing Plan is progressing too slowly? So much has been invested, yet there are no visible results. Why don't we skip the tedious steps and proceed ahead of schedule, right now?"
Bibi Dong returned and sat in the principal chair, her alluring eyes meeting Qian Daoliu's gaze directly.
The corners of Qian Daoliu's lips rose slightly, and he nodded in agreement.
"You're quite right. It is too slow."
Bibi Dong was slightly taken aback. For a moment, she could not see what this old bastard was trying to do. Outwardly, she continued to persuade him without revealing anything.
"Does the Great Enshrined not know that a long-term plan like this must be taken slowly? Impatience will ruin the plan."
Qian Daoliu adopted a thoughtful expression and, truly beyond Bibi Dong's expectations, nodded.
"Then let it be ruined. We can abandon the Nation-Stealing Plan outright and bring Xiao Xue back."
There was not the slightest hint of negotiation in Qian Daoliu's words. It was as though he were issuing a notice.
"With Xiao Xue's talent, rather than letting her squander her time there, we would be better off bringing her back and devoting everything to her training."
Bibi Dong was stunned for an instant. Then she slammed the long table in fury and glared at him. The phantom of the Spider Emperor flickered behind her, its eight spider legs casting twisted shadows in the candlelight.
"Great Enshrined, Spirit Hall is not your one-man court. Should all the investment Spirit Hall has made over these years go to waste simply because you're displeased and say a word?"
Hearing this, Qian Daoliu revealed an unmistakably mocking smile.
"Go to waste? Hasn't far more of Xiao Xue been wasted?! Or is it that you, her mother, don't want to see her, and have exploited that little longing in her heart to make her carry out this prison sentence of a mission? Must I spell it out?"
"You're questioning me? Questioning me, the Pope of Spirit Hall?! Questioning this plan that Spirit Hall has spent years laying out?"
Bibi Dong's sinister presence as a Titled Douluo spread through the small side chamber of Supreme Pontiff Hall. Had someone weaker been here, they would certainly have passed out on the spot, or even died as their life drained away.
Coldness showed in Qian Daoliu's golden pupils as he stood up to confront Bibi Dong.
"Yes! Transformation and disguise abilities may be rare, but if we searched Spirit Hall, we could certainly find a few people with them. In that case, why send a nine-year-old child to carry out such a dangerous mission?"
The sacred Soul Power that completely countered Bibi Dong suddenly erupted from Qian Daoliu's body, making her instinctively take a step back.
"You hate Qian Xunji, you hate me, and you hate the Angel Clan. I understand. As for the things you want to do, I have kept one eye open and the other closed on many matters. But have you ever intended to let Xiao Xue successfully complete this plan?"
Qian Daoliu reined in his presence and slowly walked up to Bibi Dong, his golden pupils meeting those alluring eyes for two seconds.
The hall was deathly silent.
Bibi Dong pressed her lips into a thin line, the venomous resentment in her eyes exposed before Qian Daoliu without concealment.
"Do whatever you like with the Nation-Stealing Plan. But Qian Renxue must be recalled."
The sound of the stone doors closing was soft, yet to Bibi Dong's ears, that utterly ordinary sound was especially grating.
She stood where she was, the resentful expression on her face long since gone, revealing genuine contemplation.
Something seemed to have gone wrong with Supreme Pontiff Hall, which she had managed for years as the tool with which she would realize her ambitions.
Judging by past experience, no matter how contrary her proposals were to the Worship Hall's ideals, so long as she took a firm stance, the Great Enshrined would show a willingness to yield.
Not to mention that this Nation-Stealing Plan was a scheme they had approved many years ago.
What exactly did bringing this up now mean?
Could he intend to take control of Spirit Hall again?
No. From what she understood of that old bastard, under normal circumstances, he would not use such simple, fast-acting methods of violent coercion.
Just what had happened to Qian Daoliu?
Could something have happened to that wretched girl, Qian Renxue?
Bibi Dong's heart involuntarily gave a painful twinge. Astonishment and confusion flashed across her face. She lowered her head and looked at her palm. It was empty, but her gaze grew ever firmer.
A wisp of dark purple Soul Power rose from her palm. Its color was utterly different from the golden white of the Angel Martial Soul, deep and icy, carrying a darkness Qian Daoliu would never understand.
"Just a little longer, and it will be enough."
She said this to herself, then resumed her usual gentle expression and walked out of the Pope's Hall's side chamber with noble, elegant steps.
At the end of the corridor, the main hall was spacious and deserted. She stopped at its center, her tone calm.
"Ghost Douluo."
The shadows in a corner of the main hall stirred, and a figure wrapped in black robes emerged from the darkness, his hood pulled extremely low.
Ghost Douluo neither bowed nor spoke. The unseen gaze beneath his hood settled on Bibi Dong.
"There's no need to infiltrate the Worship Hall. Investigate who has approached Qian Daoliu recently."
As Bibi Dong said this, she looked toward distant Heaven Dou City, her expression turning icy.