However, before she could even blow on it, the bump on Xuan Ming's forehead disappeared on its own.
"..." Bibi Dong.
Can't you see the atmosphere? Can't you take your time to recover?
Thump!
"Why did you hit me again?" Xuan Ming asked, completely bewildered.
Bibi Dong glared at him. "Not happy? Any problem? Want to fight back?"
The Ice Dragon King rushed out, "Brother! You can tolerate this? Fight back!"
"Even if you can't bring yourself to hit her, bite her back! We can't let this woman be so arrogant!"
"..."
The three-day rest period ended quickly, and the fifteen participating teams set off soon under the escort of the Royal Knights.
The journey from Heaven Dou City to Spirit City takes about twenty days. If a high-level Soul Master travels at full speed, the time can be greatly shortened, but this is for a competition, and rest is required along the way. It is impossible to travel day and night, let alone use Soul Power to run at full speed.
The procession consisted of over a thousand people, a truly massive undertaking. The Pope's motorcade led the way, providing the group with a strong sense of security.
This year-long inspection of the Martial Soul Holy Temple in Heaven Dou City has finally come to an end.
Knock knock!
Suddenly, there was a knock on the carriage window, Yue Guan's voice came from outside. " Xuan Ming, His Holiness the Pope requests your presence at the front."
Hearing the sound, Xuan Ming, who was sleeping with his head resting on Gu Yuena's lap, opened his eyes and sat up. "Is something the matter?"
"Regarding your safety," Yue Guan said.
"Can I not go?" Xuan Ming asked.
" His Holiness the Pope said, either you go to the front, or she comes here," Yue Guan said.
Upon hearing this, Ning Rongrong and the others inside the carriage all showed strange expressions.
No, what exactly is your relationship with the Pope?
Xuan Ming sighed and stood up. "I'll go over there."
"I'll go with you." Xue Qinghe stood up as well.
"Elder Yue Guan, may I come along?"
"If Your Highness wishes to go, that is certainly permissible," Yue Guan said.
Xuan Ming looked at Xue Qinghe, and thinking that the two of them might quarrel later, he looked at Gu Yuena, "You come too."
"Hmm." Gu Yuena responded softly and stood up.
Led by Yue Guan, the three passed through layers of guards and arrived at the Pope's magnificent carriage.
The carriage was surrounded by nearly fifty royal knights, who were specifically tasked with protecting the Pope. They were densely packed around the perimeter, with five cardinals in charge of command, creating a solemn and dignified atmosphere.
Chapter 278 Strike First
Yue Guan gently knocked on the carriage door, and after receiving permission, slowly pushed it open, gesturing for the four of them to enter.
Pope Bibi Dong sat in the center of the carriage, wearing a simple purple-gold robe, with Hu Liena sitting beside her.
After Xuan Ming and the other two entered the carriage, Bibi Dong slightly raised her hand, gesturing for everyone to sit down.
" Xuan Ming, the journey to Spirit City is long, and I am worried that something unexpected may happen. Although you are very strong, it is easy to dodge a spear in the open but difficult to guard against an arrow in the dark. I want to arrange for you to stay by my side to ensure that nothing goes wrong." Bibi Dong's voice was gentle but left no room for doubt.
The shadowy Shadow had remained silent for so long, undoubtedly waiting for this stretch of road. She didn't think the other party would dare to make a move in Spirit City. If they did, even if they killed Xuan Ming, the Seven Great Families would be declaring war on the Spirit Hall.
If even the Clear Sky Sect wouldn't dare to do that, the Seven Great Families certainly wouldn't have the guts.
Xuan Ming did not answer, but looked at Xue Qinghe.
If he doesn't agree, Bibi Dong will be angry, and Hu Liena will be angry too.
If he agrees right away, Qian Renxue will get angry again.
Xue Qinghe felt his gaze, and his previously troubled mood eased slightly. "Thank you for your concern, Your His Holiness the Pope. However, the Imperial Fighting Team is accompanied by Sect Master Ning of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School and Sword Douluo, so their safety should not be a problem. Please rest assured, Your Holiness, we will definitely arrive at Spirit City safely."
Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing this, "What if I insist on keeping him here?"
Xue Qinghe was taken aback. " Your His Holiness the Pope is joking. This..."
"A joke? Now that he's here, whether he stays or not is probably not up to him." Bibi Dong's tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable air of authority.
Xue Qinghe's expression froze; he hadn't expected her to be so forceful, and he was momentarily speechless.
" Yue Guan, go and inform Sect Master Ning and the members of the Imperial Fighting Team that I will personally guard Xuan Ming from now on. I will take care of his safety myself, so they don't need to worry about it," Bibi Dong ordered.
"Yes." Yue Guan the order and turned to walk towards the back of the convoy.
"Is there anything else, Your Highness?" Bibi Dong asked, looking up.
Xue Qinghe frowned slightly. "Since His Holiness the Pope values Xuan Ming's safety so much, I naturally support him. However, Xuan Ming is, after all, a man, and leaving him here alone might cause controversy. Perhaps I should stay with him as well?"
Bibi Dong's lips curled slightly. "What a pity, Your Highness, there's no room here."
Xue Qinghe glanced around the spacious carriage. "Really? I find it quite spacious. Or is there something inconvenient for His Holiness the Pope?"
"As expected of His Highness the Crown Prince, you guessed correctly," Bibi Dong said calmly.
Xue Qinghe's expression froze. "Your Holiness the His Holiness the Pope joking."
"I'm not joking."
Xue Qinghe remained silent for a moment, then turned her gaze to Xuan Ming, " Xuan Ming, do you think I should stay?"
Xuan Ming pondered for a moment and said, "Your Highness is right. It is indeed not appropriate for me to be here alone."
If Qian Renxue stays, Bibi Dong and Hu Liena will be more restrained; if she leaves, the situation will likely spiral out of control.
" Your His Holiness the Pope, did you hear that?" Xue Qinghe looked at Bibi Dong with a hint of smugness.
Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes slightly. "So what if you heard? This is the Pope's carriage. Whoever I want to stay, I can let stay. Whoever I don't want to stay, dares to linger even a moment longer?"
Xue Qinghe's expression changed slightly. "Isn't Your His Holiness the Pope's behavior somewhat undignified?"
"So?" Bibi Dong countered, "Will Your Highness descend by yourself, or shall I invite you down?"
Xue Qinghe's eyes narrowed. "Your His Holiness the Pope..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xuan Ming gently pressed her hand and shook his head slightly.
In the past, Bibi Dong would have given some consideration to Xue Qinghe's identity, but now, even if Qian Renxue's undercover identity were directly exposed, Bibi Dong wouldn't care!
Xue Qinghe took a deep breath. "In that case, I'll take my leave."
After speaking, Xue Qinghe stood up, walked out of the carriage, and, escorted by two cardinals and Holy Knights, headed towards the rear of the convoy.
"Are you serious?" Xuan Ming, somewhat helplessly.
"I was just about to ask you, what are you doing?" Bibi Dong asked.
"Don't forget what will happen next."
"You should have found a chance to break up with her back in Heaven Dou City!"
"But even now you still haven't distanced yourself from her, what are you thinking?"
Golden Crocodile Douluo must be eliminated; this is a necessary step for her to reclaim the Pope's power!
Once Xuan Ming takes action to cripple the Golden Crocodile, Qian Renxue will be the one stuck in the middle.
"If this entanglement continues, she'll suffer even if she hates you, don't you know that?" Bibi Dong said.
Xuan Ming sighed, "I know."
"Then what are you thinking about?" Bibi Dong asked, puzzled.
"Are you planning to deliberately torture her?"
"I've tried it, several times." Xuan Ming looked at Gu Yuena.
"Even she helped me curse them out, but it was no use."
From the start of the qualifiers, he had been looking for opportunities to distance himself from Qian Renxue, but no matter what he said or did, Qian Renxue would always pretend nothing had happened and come up to him the next day.
It was a completely persistent and relentless approach!
"The more I try to distance myself from her, the closer she gets, like she's suddenly become rebellious," Xuan Ming said helplessly.
"I've tried everything I can think of, and I've made her cry several times, but it's completely useless."
Gu Yuena nodded. "Really, it's completely useless."
Bibi Dong frowned. "So troublesome? It seems there's only one way."
"What method?" Xuan Ming asked.
"Then, you'll expose her identity as Xue Qinghe as well," Bibi Dong said.
Xuan Ming was taken aback. "Are you serious?"
"This is something she's worked hard for over ten years, and it's the thing she cares about most. If you ruin all her efforts over the years, then at least she can have a legitimate reason to hate you about the Golden Crocodile incident," Bibi Dong said.
Xuan Ming hesitated for a moment, "Isn't this going too far?"
"A short, sharp pain is better than a long, drawn-out one," Bibi Dong said.
"Getting entangled with her will only cause her more pain. The choice is yours."
Xuan Ming was silent for a moment, then said, "Alright."
"But if she's exposed, won't your Soul Hunting Plan have to be launched ahead of schedule?"
The plan to exterminate the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was decided upon when Bibi Dong first came to power.
Xue Qinghe can successfully ascend the throne and bring the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect under his control, then he only needs to destroy the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan as a deterrent.
If her undercover operation fails, both cases must be eliminated.
Once the Upper Three Sects disappear, the Spirit Hall will become the sole ruler of the Soul Master World.
At that time, Bibi Dong will use the prestige of the Spirit Hall to re-select the Seven Great Sects, stabilize the Soul Master World, and at the same time annex the border kingdoms of the two great empires that have been secretly expanding for many years, establish the Spirit Hall Empire, and declare war on the two great empires.
The Nation-Stealing Plan is the best strategy—the Heaven Dou Empire launches a war to seize the moral high ground, while the Spirit Hall's direct action would be considered treason under the law.
However, if the best strategy fails, the Spirit Hall will never abandon the worst strategy.
"You want me to let the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect off the hook?" Bibi Dong said.
"Is that alright?" Xuan Ming asked.
"That depends on you," Bibi Dong said.
"If you can persuade the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School to submit to the Spirit Hall, I naturally won't need to take action against them. But if this plan fails, the Spirit Hall must strike first; otherwise, keeping them around will only make them an accomplice of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family."
The history of Soul Master in the Douluo Continent is not long, or rather, it has a gap in continuity.
Before the establishment of the Heaven Dou Empire a thousand years ago, the continent was composed of numerous small countries, and historical records are scarce.
The Star Luo Empire only gradually rose from the Southern Region eight hundred years ago.
The confrontation between the two great empires actually lasted less than five hundred years.
Until the last two hundred years, the power of the Heaven Dou Empire gradually dispersed, while the Star Luo Empire grew stronger thanks to its unique competitive system.
However, a powerful and unified empire would never tolerate the existence of an organization like the Spirit Hall.
Regardless of which side wins, once the continent is unified, the Spirit Hall will inevitably perish.
In recent centuries, Soul Master have increasingly participated in wars, even becoming the key to determining victory or defeat.
To prevent Star Luo Empire from growing too fast and annexing Heaven Dou, the Spirit Hall has been secretly balancing the power of the two empires' Soul Master for two hundred years.
The fact that all Seven Great Sects of the Soul Master World are located within the Heaven Dou territory is a result of the intervention of the Spirit Hall.
Among them, the Six-Winged Angel Clan contributed the most. Two hundred years ago, the former Judgment Elder of the Spirit Hall and the father of Qian Daoliu almost wiped out all the Titled Douluo in the Star Luo Empire territory, severely damaging the Star Luo Empire Soul Master force.
Decades ago, Qian Daoliu, as Judgment Elder, carried out another purge of the Soul Master World.
In addition to suppressing Star Luo Empire, the Spirit Hall has also been providing assistance to Heaven Dou at the level of Soul Master in order to maintain the balance between the two empires.