"Very good." Bibi Dong's eyes turned slightly cold.
"Issue the order: Soul Hunting Plan is to commence immediately!"
"Target: Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!"
"Wait!" Ghost Leopard Douluo exclaimed urgently.
" Your His Holiness the Pope, although Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo are here at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Bone Douluo Gu Rong is still in the sect, with a large number of disciples and defensive fortifications. Although the Angel Legion is strong, it will be difficult to break through in a short time..."
"Who said we should launch a direct attack on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?" Bibi Dong scoffed coldly, turned around, and looked through the wall at the place where Ning Fengzhi held captive.
"Give the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect a chance to live."
"Send a message to Ning Fengzhi: if he wants the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to continue its lineage, and if he and Sword Douluo want to leave Spirit City alive, he must find a way to contact Gu Rong and persuade the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to give up resistance and cooperate with the Angel Legion to attack the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!"
"What?!" The entire room gasped in shock!
Sending the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to attack the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?!
This is tantamount to driving a tiger to devour a wolf, and it will also force the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to isolate itself from the Soul Master World of the continent, forever binding it to the Spirit Hall's war chariot!
This is not only about destroying the sect, but also about completely destroying the reputation and escape route of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, forcing them to wholeheartedly serve the Spirit Hall!
Bibi Dong continued in an icy voice, "Tell them this is the only choice. Either their sect is destroyed and their lineage is severed, or they atone for their crimes by performing meritorious service, and in the future, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will still have a place under the Spirit Hall."
"If you dare to outwardly comply but inwardly defy me..." Bibi Dong's eyes flashed with murderous intent, "I wouldn't mind wiping the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect from its very existence!"
Meanwhile, a somewhat exhausted Xuan Ming lay deep within the Pope's Palace.
There were no guards, and apart from Gu Yuena who was with him and Bibi Dong who brought him here, no one even knew that Xuan Ming was here, because the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud was so powerful that even Qian Daoliu could not find him.
"Things have ultimately taken a turn that I can't understand at all," Xuan Ming said helplessly.
Originally, he was supposed to fight Golden Crocodile, pretend to be defeated, and then take the opportunity to reveal Xue Qinghe's identity, bind the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to the warship, and then Qian Daoliu make a move, the two sides would confront each other, and then he would leave Spirit City.
As a result, everything that was supposed to happen happened, but many things that he should have done were done by others first.
"Isn't this good too?" Gu Yuena said softly.
"The current situation is arguably the best possible outcome."
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had no other choice, Xuan Ming's friends were also under the strong pressure of the Spirit Hall with no other way out, which would save them a lot of trouble in the future.
As for Qian Renxue, she could tell that the girl didn't harbor much hatred towards Xuan Ming.
When Yu Yuanzhen his hand, she wanted to stop him, but was stopped by Golden Crocodile.
Then the Golden Crocodile made a move, and she was suppressed by the Qian Jun Jiang Mo Technique.
Throughout the entire incident, Xuan Ming acted entirely in self-defense, and was even forced to retaliate.
The Golden Crocodile is only crippled, not dead, which is already thanks to Qian Renxue.
Otherwise, Qian Renxue would have seen how Yu Yuanzhen died.
However, the old crocodile is already very old and has been crippled. Even if the Spirit Hall throws more and more rare treasures at him, he won't live much longer.
"But war is clearly about to break out ahead of schedule," Xuan Ming murmured.
War means burning, killing, and looting. Whether it's Star Luo Empire destroying Heaven Dou, Heaven Dou destroying Star Luo Empire, or the Spirit Hall sweeping away the two great empires, this process is unavoidable.
A group of people trekked through mountains and rivers, crossed continents, endured wind and rain, and risked their Life, not to become close friends with their enemies.
The purpose of war has always been plunder, not charity.
"War is an unstoppable tide that neither you nor I can stop," Gu Yuena said softly.
"The survival and Destruction of Soul Beast, the dominance and conflict of humans, are essentially a matter of the survival of the fittest, which cannot be avoided. We can only take it one step at a time."
"I'm not feeling sentimental, nor do I really care about the lives of strangers, it's just..." Xuan Ming paused.
"I don't want to lose this peace and tranquility."
Chapter 293 What do you want?
Just then, the shadows on one side of the bedchamber rippled like water, and a tall, aloof figure silently appeared.
Bibi Dong went east and then returned.
She was still wearing her Pope robes, her majesty undiminished, but a hint of weariness, barely perceptible, lingered in the depths of her eyes, a difference from when she was in the square.
"Your plan was ruthless, but also very effective," Gu Yuena said first, her tone flat, neither revealing whether she was praising nor judging.
Bibi Dong walked to the bedside, her cold gaze lowered, meeting Xuan Ming's eyes. "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures."
" Ning Fengzhi is a smart man. He knows which path leads to certain death and which still offers a glimmer of hope. For the sake of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's legacy, he will make the right choice, even if it's a desperate measure."
"You've brought forward the Soul Hunting Plan and forcibly tied the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to the war chariot. Aren't you afraid of forcing them to rebel, or sowing the seeds of even deeper trouble in the future?" Xuan Ming asked.
Although he understood Bibi Dong's decision, he believed it was like walking a tightrope.
While militarism, which glorifies violence, can indeed concentrate power to the greatest extent during wartime, the drawbacks of this extreme violence will destroy a country from within once the slightest accident occurs or the war ends.
External shocks can be resisted with force, but what about internal collapse?
To suppress through greater violence?
"Afraid?" Bibi Dong asked coldly.
"That's why I sent them to attack the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. With the blood of their former allies on their hands, there's no turning back. Besides clinging tightly to the Spirit Hall, the world, however vast, will have no place for them to stand. This isn't a choice; it's their only way out."
"As for future troubles? Once the continent is unified, under an iron fist, what troubles will there be? Internal collapse? Then we'll use even greater power to reforge it! Doubt, betrayal, hatred... these weak emotions are meaningless in the face of absolute power."
Bibi Dong's philosophy was simple yet cruel: to overcome skill with force and to suppress all instability with power.
In her view, any internal problems ultimately stem from insufficient power and incomplete control.
Xuan Ming looked at her silently, offering no further rebuttal.
He had no interest in arguing about the philosophy of domination; to him, human conflict was sometimes like watching a noisy drama.
His involvement was more for specific people and events than for any particular ideology.
Bibi Dong has her path, and he has his.
Bibi Dong didn't intend to say much about this matter; it was official business, not personal.
She changed the subject, saying, " Qian Renxue is looking for you, as well as Ning Fengzhi and your girlfriends."
They all have something to say to you.
Their original plan was that after the Ice Dragon King crippled the Golden Crocodile, Qian Daoliu make his move, and then Xuan Ming would expose Qian Renxue's identity and leave Spirit City.
Given the threat posed by the Ice Dragon King, Qian Daoliu will no longer oppose her.
But they didn't expect such a big commotion; Qian Daoliu didn't even show his face.
Moreover, Yu Xiaogang suddenly went crazy and exposed Qian Renxue's identity. She still can't figure out how Yu Xiaogang knew about this.
Could it be because Tang Hao discovered it when Xuan Ming and Qian Renxue were attacked Heaven Dou City?
The next day, deep within the Pope's Palace.
After a night of rest and recuperation, Xuan Ming's condition has improved considerably. Although he is still far from his peak, he is no longer in serious condition.
The soft footsteps broke the deep silence. Unlike Bibi Dong's silent demeanor, these footsteps carried a hint of deliberate slowing and caution.
With a slight shift in light and shadow, a figure appeared at the entrance.
She is no longer the gentle, refined, and elegant "Crown Prince Xue Qinghe of Heaven Dou Crown Prince," nor is she the pale-faced Qian Renxue whose identity was exposed under the spotlight last night.
She changed into a simple white casual outfit, her long golden hair tied back simply. Her face was still stunningly beautiful, but all pretense had been washed away, revealing a hint of genuine weariness and confusion.
Deep within those clear, golden eyes lay an indescribable struggle, humiliation, and a hint of... a yearning for answers that perhaps even she herself was unaware of.
She stood there, not coming in immediately, her gaze piercing through the dim light, landing on Xuan Ming, who was leaning against the couch, and Gu Yuena stood quietly to the side, seemingly blending into the shadows.
Xuan Ming opened his eyes, looked at her, and waited quietly without saying a word.
Qian Renxue took a deep breath, stepped inside, and stopped a few steps away from Xuan Ming.
The two stared at each other, and the air seemed to freeze.
"Grandpa Golden Crocodile, how are you?"
Finally, it was Qian Renxue who spoke first, her voice a little hoarse, but she asked this question.
Although Golden Crocodile Douluo acts in extreme ways, he is, to her, a senior who genuinely cares for her.
"He shouldn't die for now, but he's old and his Soul Power is completely gone, so he won't live for many more days." Xuan Ming's answer was concise. He just hadn't killed the Golden Crocodile directly, but the old man wouldn't live much longer either.
Qian Renxue's fingers twitched slightly. This answer seemed to both relieve her and sting her. She remained silent for a moment, then looked up again, her eyes sharpening.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why did you hold back at the end?" Qian Renxue stared at him. "With the power you displayed back then, you could have easily... killed him, just like you killed Yu Yuanzhen."
She didn't understand. Since they were already enemies, why show mercy? Was it pity? Or... something else?
"Didn't you treat me the same way before?" Xuan Ming said.
The decision to cripple but not kill her was partly due to Bibi Dong's needs and the threat posed by Qian Daoliu, but ultimately, it was because of Qian Renxue.
No matter how much Qian Renxue schemed against him, she never truly killed him, even when he repeatedly challenged her bottom line.
In the past, the two of them tormented each other.
Qian Renxue didn't let him off the hook, and he didn't let Qian Renxue get away with it either.
Qian Renxue's gaze trembled slightly, as if those words had pierced the deepest part of her heart. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but then swallowed it back.
Her pride and stubbornness made her unwilling to acknowledge this "specialness," yet deep down, this answer stirred up an indescribable ripple in her heart.
Qian Renxue looked away, remained silent for a moment, and then whispered, "... Thank you."
The words of gratitude were uttered with great difficulty, yet carried a sense of relief.
"No need," Xuan Ming shook his head. "It's just a matter of each getting what they need."
Qian Renxue took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind. She looked at Xuan Ming again, her eyes filled with complex emotions. "I... I have to go back to the Elder Hall. Grandfather wants to see me."
Her identity has been exposed, the plan has completely failed, and now that Golden Crocodile Douluo has been crippled, the power of the Spirit Hall has been handed over to the Pope.
As Golden Crocodile Douluo said before, she is not young anymore and it is time for her to shoulder the responsibility of being the successor of the Six-Winged Angel Clan.
Xuan Ming looked at her, said nothing more, only saying, "Take care."
Qian Renxue looked at him deeply, as if trying to etch his image into her heart, before finally turning around and disappearing into the shadows of the corridor.
She knew that this parting might be the last time they saw each other for many years to come.
Gu Yuena emerged from the shadows and approached Xuan Ming, whispering, "She doesn't seem... to hate you."
"Whether I hate you or not, it doesn't matter anymore." Xuan Ming closed his eyes and sighed softly.
"She's going to go her way, and I... I'm going to go mine."
"Aren't we going to see them?" Gu Yuena asked.
They probably have a lot of questions for you.
"But I don't know how to answer," Xuan Ming said.
According to the original plan, after the disturbance in Spirit City, he should have left directly, and Bibi Dong would have handled the rest.
But now...
Gu Yuena's eyes flickered slightly as she slowly sat down beside Xuan Ming and gently took his hand. "Let me help you."
"You?" Xuan Ming was slightly taken aback.
"Don't you believe in my abilities?" Gu Yuena asked.
Xuan Ming's expression was somewhat unnatural. "I simply trusted your abilities too much."
Gu Yuena was trained by the Ice Dragon King!
"Don't worry, I'll take care of these things for you," Gu Yuena said.