Bibi Dong looked at Tang Fan and asked curiously, "Do you really dislike the Great Enshrined?"
"Huh? Why do you ask? I actually quite like Qian Daoliu as a character."
"Then why do you always speak ill of the Great Enshrined?"
"Haven't you heard the saying, 'The deeper the love, the sharper the criticism'?"
Bibi Dong shook her head. She really had never heard it before, though she could understand it.
"Then do you like me in the book?"
"Hmm... do you want the truth or a lie?"
"The truth!"
"The truth is, I don't like you. I even dislike you a little. After all, to put it bluntly, you're a crazy woman in the book. Any normal person would stay as far away from you as possible."
"Am I really that awful? Does nobody like me?"
"That's not quite true. A lot of people let their eyes decide their values. Your character model is good enough, so naturally some people like you-and there are a lot of them."
"You mean the people who like me are all shallow people who only like my appearance."
"Hmm... you said that, not me. Let's get back to Qian Daoliu.
"Qian Daoliu clearly had chances to steer things in a better direction, but what he did in the book was always the exact opposite.
"It would be one thing if he were an outright villain, but he's an upright person.
"That makes it feel very jarring, and infuriating too."
"Um, why are the people in the book so different from how I know them? Whether it's my teacher, the Great Enshrined, or even myself."
Bibi Dong had wanted to ask that question for a long time, and now she had finally said it.
Tang Fan shook his head. "I don't know either, but there is a conspiracy theory that could explain it. Want to hear it?"
"Yes! Of course I do!"
Bibi Dong even sounded a little excited. She wasn't the only one. Over on the Douluo Continent, Qian Daoliu, Qian Xunji, and the others involved were the same, all waiting for Tang Fan to continue.
"That brings us to the gods of the Douluo Continent. There are two paths to godhood on the Douluo Continent. The first is to become a god through faith. The First Generation Angel God and the First Generation Sea God relied on faith to create their own godhoods, breaking through level one hundred and becoming gods.
"The second path is to obtain a god's inheritance, pass their divine trials, and finally inherit their godhood to become a god.
"Bibi Dong, let me ask you: why are the gods of the Divine Realm willing to pass on their godhoods? Have you ever seen an old emperor pass on his throne before he died?"
"You mean having a godhood isn't actually a good thing?"
"Clever! For mortals, becoming a god and gaining eternal life is naturally a good thing, but once they become gods, their godhoods turn into shackles.
"Only by passing on their godhoods can the gods leave the Divine Realm and roam free and unrestrained."
Those words shocked quite a few people on the Douluo Continent.
"Godhoods are actually shackles to the gods, and that's why they pass them on? So there's a theory like that too. Lord Sea God, is it true?"
Bo Saixi glanced in the direction of the Sea God Hall and murmured to herself.
Tang Chen laughed. "Hahaha, even gods have no freedom. How ridiculous."
Qian Daoliu remained silent. Even the gods had no freedom, much less a spokesperson for a god like him.
Bibi Dong reminded Tang Fan, "This doesn't seem to have anything to do with me, does it?"
"Don't rush. I'm getting to you. In the book, you're the Rakshasa God's inheritor, and in the end you inherit the Rakshasa God's godhood too.
"The Rakshasa God is the god of evil thoughts. The book says you only gained the Rakshasa God's approval when you left Slaughter City, but there's another theory that she had already set her sights on you before that.
"To stir up your evil thoughts and hatred, the Rakshasa God secretly influenced both you and Qian Xunji.
"For the Rakshasa God, stirring up your evil thoughts and turning your actions toward evil would be all too easy."
Hearing that, Bibi Dong suddenly felt a chill down her back.
Falling in love with that good-for-nothing Yu Xiaogang, defying her teacher, and threatening to defect from Spirit Hall!
What if none of those actions had been of her own volition, and she had only done them under the Rakshasa God's influence, all for the purpose of turning her life into a tragedy so she would be suited to the Rakshasa God's inheritance?
The thought alone terrified Bibi Dong.
On the Douluo Continent, Qian Xunji was also stunned. If he had been influenced by a god, all the unreasonable things that had happened to him could be explained.
"Father, do you think this really happened the way he said? Was the Rakshasa God pulling strings behind the scenes?"
"I would rather it weren't true. Otherwise..."
Qian Daoliu had thought of a very unpleasant possibility.
Bibi Dong's smile turned bitter. "If it really is as you say, then even knowing all this is pointless. I'll still be steered toward a tragic life under a god's control."
"Uh... it's only a conspiracy theory. You don't need to take it too much to heart.
"Besides, you've come all the way over to my side. No matter how capable the Rakshasa God is, she can't influence things over here."
"But I'll have to go back eventually. Tang Fan, can I come back here again after I return?"
"I'm not too sure about that either, but I guess you probably can. When it's time for you to go back, you should receive a notification."
"That's good. If things go badly, I'll hide out here with you. You won't mind having me around, will you?"
"Of course not. Next time you come, just bring me some things unique to the Douluo Continent as payment."
"Mm, I'll remember. By the way, you said my teacher and I were both influenced by the Rakshasa God, but what about the Great Enshrined? Was he too?"
"Qian Daoliu is the Angel God's Great Enshrined. Normally, the Rakshasa God can't influence him, but there's a part in the book where the Sea God directly broadcasts Qian Renxue's divine trial for Tang San and his friends to watch firsthand.
"So a lot of readers think the Angel God Trial had already been corrupted by the Sea God, and that he could also secretly influence Soul Masters with the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.
"Of course, that's another conspiracy theory, but there's quite a bit of evidence for it.
"For example, Qian Daoliu was already well along in years, and his son had even become Pope. Yet he went to Sea God Island once and, for no apparent reason, fell in love with Bo Saixi, the high priestess of Sea God Island.
"The elderly love triangle between Tang Chen, Bo Saixi, and Qian Daoliu is another plotline readers love to talk about."
On the Douluo Continent, Qian Xunji looked at Qian Daoliu in surprise. The other enshrined of the Worship Hall also gave Qian Daoliu somewhat odd looks.
"What are you all staring at this old man for? Didn't that brat say it too? I was influenced by the Sea God. It wasn't my own intention."
Qian Daoliu cursed inwardly, Can't that little brat leave this old man a shred of dignity?
On Sea God Island, Bo Saixi's expression had also darkened. She had devoted her entire life to the Sea God, so how had she ended up in a love triangle people loved to talk about?
At that moment, Tang Fan also found a picture of Bo Saixi and handed it to Bibi Dong.
"Look, this is Bo Saixi. She's beautiful too, isn't she? Especially her figure. There really aren't many in the whole show with better figures than hers."