One incense stick later, the Pope's bedchamber
Ling Yuan Douluo stood to the side, watching Liu Erlong in Lin Chen's arms with envy. She had taken a Love Soul Pill too, and earlier than Liu Erlong at that. How could she not feel a stir of emotion at the sight of the two of them being so intimate?
Tap, tap... tap, tap...
Just then, Xiao Wu and Hu Liena, who had been resting in the inner chamber, happened to get up and come into the hall. When they saw the beautiful woman in Lin Chen's arms, their expressions differed.
There was a trace of puzzlement in Hu Liena's curiosity, while Xiao Wu froze on the spot, her heart shaken. Why does she look so much like Mother from behind?
Liu Erlong was, after all, a peak level seventy-eight Soul Saint. She sensed the two women the moment they came out and hurriedly got up, escaping Lin Chen's embrace. Her cold, beautiful face was flushed red.
"Mother~"
At the sound of Xiao Wu, Liu Erlong's mature, delicate body stiffened slightly. She spun around and saw Xiao Wu standing there at a loss. "Xiao... Xiao Wu?!"
Xiao Wu lowered her head and came over to the two of them. "Mother, how did you come to be with Master?" she asked softly.
"Master? Could it be that you too..." Liu Erlong looked at Lin Chen with a complicated expression: love, obedience, and a trace of resentment.
"Hehe..." Lin Chen chuckled, then wrapped his large arms around both women's slender waists and pulled them into his embrace. "From today onward, you're both my women."
Liu Erlong gave a bitter smile. "Where else can I go now, except to follow you, Master? I only hope you'll treat Xiao Wu well. She's had no family since she was little and can't suffer any more hardship..."
Lin Chen said calmly, "As long as you're both obedient, no one but me can bully you!"
"Mm~" Liu Erlong and Xiao Wu nestled obediently in his arms. From time to time, the two women glanced at each other, their pretty faces red with embarrassment.
The Love Soul Pill and the Beast Taming Art had only changed their love for Lin Chen; the bond between mother and daughter remained as deep as ever.
Tap, tap...
Just then, Ling Yuan went out for a while and soon returned with hurried steps. "Sovereign, something's happened..."
After hearing her account, Lin Chen's face instantly darkened. "Whose man is he?"
"He's a direct subordinate of the Worship Hall!"
One incense stick earlier, Skywater Academy
After Shui Bing'er and the other two returned, Yu Hairou, Xue Wu, and the other women gathered around them, chattering away with questions.
Eight out of every ten questions concerned Lin Chen...
Shui Bing'er could only answer them one by one, then recount everything that had happened that day, finally satisfying the women's curiosity.
"We can enter Death Canyon too? Does that mean we can see Brother Lin Chen again?"
"Boo-hoo... really? Do we really have a chance to see the man of our dreams?"
While Yu Hairou, Xue Wu, and the others were still excited, Shui Bing'er poured a bucket of cold water over them. "Don't get excited too soon. Our Skywater Academy only has three slots."
Although Bibi Dong had made an exception and opened Death Canyon to outside factions, the slots were limited: seven for first-rate factions, five for second-rate factions, and three for third-rate factions. The strongest person at Skywater Academy was Shui Ningrou, who was only level seventy-eight. Among all the factions on Douluo Continent, the academy barely qualified as third-rate.
The women immediately fell silent. Only three slots? Didn't that mean only three of the seven of them could go?
Shui Ningrou sighed softly, showing no favoritism. "Discuss it among yourselves. But while there are plenty of opportunities in Death Canyon, it's also full of danger, so I suggest those with higher Soul Power go in."
Tap, tap...
With that, she walked straight away.
A flicker of gloom passed through Shui Yue'er's beautiful eyes. "Sister Hairou, why don't you and Sister Xue Wu accompany my sister? You three have the highest Soul Power among the seven of us."
At her words, the two women who had been fighting over who would sleep with Lin Chen suddenly fell silent.
Yu Hairou forced a smile. "Yue'er, Dean Shui secured these slots for us. If you don't go, how can we? Let Xue Wu go with you two instead."
Xue Wu, the short-haired bombshell, hurriedly shook her head as well. "No, no, no. Let Sister Hairou go instead."
The Tianshui Girl Group, who had been beside themselves with excitement only moments ago, now began yielding the slots to one another. Even the Shui sisters offered to give theirs up.
Rumble, rumble... bang!
Just then, the front gate was slowly knocked straight open, and several burly men walked in slowly. Most importantly, they wore the clothing of the Spirit Hall. The middle-aged man leading them had half-white hair and wore red armor.
The women's faces changed when they saw who had come. "It's you?! What are you doing here?!"
"Yue'er, quick, go notify the dean~"
"Jie jie jie... can't I come?" The middle-aged man looked at the figures of the Tianshui Girl Group, a trace of greed appearing in his eyes. "You little girls, aren't you going to pay your respects when you see me?"
Tap, tap... tap, tap...
"Salas, don't push this too far!"
Just then, Shui Ningrou came to stand in front of the women. Because she had been hurrying, the surging waves beneath her long blue dress were still heaving, making Salas's mouth water.
Salas was the hall master of the Spirit Hall Branch in Skywater City, within the Heaven Dou Empire. He was also a cardinal of the Spirit Hall, wielding considerable power and possessing a powerful background.
He had long had his eye on the pure and chaste Shui Ningrou, but Skywater Academy's overall strength was no weaker than that of the Skywater Spirit Hall Branch, so he had never had a chance to have her.
But now that Skywater Academy had joined the Spirit Hall, he believed his chance had come...
Shui Ningrou shouted, "Salas, our Skywater Academy has already joined the Martial Soul Alliance. You can't touch us!"
"Jie jie jie..." Salas gave a sinister laugh. "What Martial Soul Alliance? You've only become dogs of our Spirit Hall!"
"Did you think joining the Spirit Hall would let you escape the palm of my hand? Let me tell you, Douluo Continent is divided into factions, and so is the Spirit Hall!"
"How dare an ordinary academy like yours, with no one to rely on, refuse me?"
"You!!"
Shui Ningrou's delicate body trembled with anger, her heart filled with humiliation. She had thought that joining the Spirit Hall would make those who coveted Skywater Academy rein themselves in a little. Instead, she had stepped right into a den of wolves!
Salas leered at her figure. "Shui Ningrou, if you know what's good for you, you'll come with me and hand over your slots for Death Canyon. I guarantee I won't treat your Skywater Academy badly!"
The moment he said that, his aim was obvious: he wanted both the woman and the opportunity!
During this time, Bibi Dong had been recruiting outside factions on a large scale and promising them opportunities from the Spirit Hall. But who had those opportunities originally belonged to?
Bibi Dong could hardly cut the number of slots allotted to her own faction, so the Worship Hall faction's allotment of opportunities had been reduced across the board. The slots to enter Death Canyon this time were no exception.
As a first-rate city of the Heaven Dou Empire, Skywater City's resident Spirit Hall Branch had received three slots in the past. This time, however, they had only one. How could they accept that willingly?
Shui Bing'er shouted, "Mother, you can't agree to him! Let's fight them!"
"That's right! He looks like a pig, and he still wants us? In his dreams!"
Shui Ningrou took a deep breath and said firmly, "Salas, I will never agree to your terms!"
Salas sneered. "Shui Ningrou, you really won't shed a tear until you see the coffin. You may be able to protect yourself, but can you protect them too?"
"You!!" Shui Ningrou's delicate body trembled. "If you have a problem, take it out on me. Don't touch the children!"
"Jie jie jie... so what if I do touch them?! In Spirit City, I am the heavens!" Salas roared, "Men, seize them for me!"
Thud, thud, thud...
"What big words. If you're the heavens, then what am I?"
As the voice fell, three figures appeared in the courtyard. On the left was a cold, beautiful woman dressed in purple-black leather clothes and trousers; on the right was an elderly man with graying hair, dressed in golden armor.
Ling Yuan Douluo and a golden bishop!
Leading them was a handsome young man with a tall, upright bearing. The words just now had come from his mouth: it was Lin Chen.