Outside the barrier
Bibi Dong's beautiful eyes flickered, and she said calmly, "Elder Ju, Elder Ling Yuan, it's over. Open the barrier."
The beautiful mature woman Ling Yuan was slightly taken aback. "Your Holiness, it's only been two hours..."
As her voice fell, she saw that the disciples inside the barrier had all gotten to their feet.
Someone had sucked all the spiritual Qi dry, so what the hell was there left to cultivate with?
Ling Yuan Douluo's pretty face changed slightly. "Elder Ju, Ghost Douluo, let's begin," she said hastily.
A few breaths later, the barrier opened.
Several dozen disciples walked out with their heads hanging, looking utterly devastated and as if they had nothing left to live for. That was about right: they were thoroughly upset.
Before long, Lin Chen and Hu Liena came out, tugging at each other. The former burst out laughing from time to time; clearly, the fellow was in quite a good mood.
When Bibi Dong saw the two of them, her slender brows knitted tightly, and a surge of jealousy rose in her heart.
She was here standing guard for him, and what was he doing? He was picking up a girl-and that girl was her direct disciple!
She was upset, thoroughly upset!
"Nana, are you free tonight? Let's have dinner together and get to know each other more deeply~"
Hu Liena had just been about to agree when she froze on the spot, her rosy face turning deathly pale. "T-teacher."
Hm?
Lin Chen froze for a moment. Only then did he notice Bibi Dong a short distance ahead. This is bad. In his excitement just now, he hadn't paid attention to his surroundings. He had finally managed to grow closer to this aloof wife of his; he couldn't let all his efforts go to waste!
"My dear wife, what brings you here~"
And so Lin Chen strode over and, under the eyes of all the disciples and elders, wrapped his arms around Bibi Dong's slender waist from the front.
A trace of embarrassed annoyance flashed across Bibi Dong's cool, pretty face. She let out a sharp cry, and a vast yet gentle surge of Soul Power sent him flying.
"Aaaah..."
"The Emperor and His Holiness the Pope are so close. They actually hugged in public~"
"Huh? Look, the Emperor went flying!"
Hu Liena gazed worriedly at Lin Chen's retreating figure. "Teacher, Brother Lin Chen, he..."
Bibi Dong's pretty face quickly returned to its cool expression, and she looked at her only disciple with a complicated gaze. "Don't worry. I didn't use much force; he won't be hurt."
Hu Liena relaxed slightly. "That's good..."
"Sigh, the mission points I spent this time were wasted. I was hoping to break through my bottleneck, but the Emperor sucked all the spiritual Qi dry."
"Yeah, but I didn't lose out. I casually earned a hundred Gold Soul Coins, enough for me to enjoy some high-end entertainment for a few months. Hehehe..." a young man said with a roguish air.
"Um, Brother Wang, I have a friend who wants to ask..."
The young man waved his hand. "Come on, we're close! It's my treat tonight~"
"Brother Wang, you're the man!"
Elsewhere, the disciple surnamed Zhang who had gambled with the young man cursed his bad luck. Not only had he failed to improve his Soul Power, he had also lost a hundred Gold Soul Coins.
A hundred Gold Soul Coins! That was enough to buy more than a dozen commoner concubines!
Seeing that the disciples were quite resentful, Bibi Dong pondered for a while before saying, "Ling Yuan, return all the mission points the disciples spent this time. Don't let them harbor resentment toward Spirit Hall."
"Yes~" Ling Yuan bowed respectfully, thinking, Is His Holiness the Pope afraid they'll resent Spirit Hall, or that they'll resent the Emperor?
"Nana, come with me~"
"Yes, teacher~"
After the two women left, Elder Ling Yuan announced Bibi Dong's decision, and all the disciples present erupted. "Long live His Holiness the Pope!"
"Long live His Holiness the Pope!"
A hot spring pool somewhere on the back mountain
"Aaaah... Bibi Dong, are you trying to murder your own husband?!"
Splash! Splish, splash...
After tracing a perfect arc through the air, Lin Chen landed squarely in the pool.
"Aaaah... there's a pervert!"
At that moment, women's screams rang out around him. They were all Spirit Hall disciples and some ordinary deacons, bathing here.
Lin Chen floated in the water and looked around in confusion. A splendid view spread out before his eyes.
Who am I?
Where am I?
"You... don't misunderstand. I was just passing by and accidentally fell in!"
A female deacon looked at him in puzzlement. "Wait! You're... the Emperor?"
As her voice fell, the female disciples around them instantly stopped and stared at him cautiously. "Is he really the Emperor?"
The female deacon's eyes lit up. "It is the Emperor! I saw him in the Pope's Palace before!"
At her words, a bold woman actually came over of her own accord and said shyly, "Honestly, Emperor, if you wanted to look, you only had to say so. Why did you come all the way here...?"
"That's right, that's right! Emperor, you've seen ours, so let us see yours too!"
When the female disciples heard that it was Lin Chen, not only did they stop trying to run away, they gathered around him instead.
Lin Chen stiffened slightly. "Wh-what are you going to do?"
Splash! Splish, splash...
Looking at her figure, which seemed almost as heavy as a mountain, Lin Chen felt a herd of grass mud horses stampede through his heart. He hurriedly circulated his Soul Power and ran.
Though he possessed a powerful physique, even he couldn't withstand a tank!
"Hey~ Emperor, don't go~"
"Emperor, look at us sisters!"
A cold sweat broke out on Lin Chen's back, and his feet moved even faster.
Bibi Dong, I hate you!
Night fell, in the Pope's bedchamber
Lin Chen looked at the empty inner chamber, black lines immediately covering his face. He gritted his teeth. "That woman's run away from home again."
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh... tap, tap!
"Who's there?"
A beautiful mature woman with short hair appeared in the hall, clad in skintight black leather armor. Her figure was voluptuous and alluring, and she carried herself with a cool elegance. It was none other than Ling Yuan Douluo of Elder Hall.
Ling Yuan Douluo bowed slightly. "Ling Yuan greets the Emperor~"
"Elder Ling Yuan, what brings you here?" Lin Chen asked in puzzlement.
The beautiful woman hastily explained, "It's like this: Your Majesty has been drawing too much attention lately, and His Holiness the Pope is worried about your safety, so she sent me to stay close and protect you~"
In truth, Bibi Dong hadn't brought the matter up herself. Ling Yuan Douluo had volunteered, and Bibi Dong, who was now engrossed in cultivation and also worried about Lin Chen's safety, had agreed to her proposal.
"A personal bodyguard?" Lin Chen studied the cool, elegant beauty closely, a strange light flashing in his eyes.
Though her looks couldn't compare to Bibi Dong's or Hu Liena's, she was still a top-class beauty. In his previous life, not even those female celebrities could have matched her. Add to that her full, voluptuous figure, and she had a charm all her own.
"Yes!"
Feeling his heated gaze, Ling Yuan was delighted. It seemed her charm was still considerable. With the Emperor's talent, he would surely become a god someday. If she took the opportunity to cling to his thigh now, wouldn't she have a chance in the future... to set foot in the Divine Realm?
"I see," Lin Chen said calmly. "You can stay in the outer chamber tonight."
A trace of disappointment flashed through Ling Yuan's beautiful eyes. Then she nodded and withdrew, slowly walking away as she swayed her full, shapely hips.