The Pope's Palace
"Xiao Bai, if I remember correctly, you've been with me for quite a few years now, haven't you?"
Bibi Dong spoke with a smile from the papal throne, looking at the man before her with great appreciation.
"Yes, it has been many years," Bai Guyue answered quietly.
Bibi Dong looked at the handsome Bai Guyue. Both his face and his figure were excellent, and she couldn't get enough of him.
"Now that I've just succeeded to the papacy, would you be willing to become my papal consort?"
Bibi Dong's sudden question stunned Bai Guyue, and he nearly lost his footing.
He had never expected Bibi Dong to say something like that.
She opened her mouth and hit me with her ultimate move.
Bai Guyue fell silent.
"Nothing to say?"
"Just look at you. Whenever you run into a question that's hard to answer, you go quiet again."
Bibi Dong smiled. "I know you have doubts, and I understand that you've been by my side since my lowest point. Now that I have power and a position, I naturally won't treat you poorly."
Bai Guyue was utterly opposed to Bibi Dong's proposal.
Was she sure she hadn't taken leave of her senses?
The Douluo Continent was also called the Romance Continent, but how was this Romance Continent so different from what he had imagined?
"Your Holiness, please reconsider. I don't have that kind of strength."
Bai Guyue did his utmost to refuse.
Being the pope's consort was a dangerous occupation. One slip and he could be gone. Besides, he hadn't had enough fun yet. Once he became the pope's consort, getting out again would be as hard as ascending to heaven.
Seeing Bai Guyue refuse, Bibi Dong smiled. "No strength? You're a Soul King at such a young age, just one level away from being a Soul Emperor. Even Sword Douluo can't stop praising your swordsmanship. I, the pope, have decided to marry you and make you my man, and you have no reason to refuse."
"You can't force a bargain like this. Forgive me, Your Holiness, but I cannot obey."
Bai Guyue resisted the idea with all his heart.
If there was no other way, he would have to run.
"That won't do. You're the one who stayed with me through these past ten-odd years. Now Qian Renxue has gone undercover in the Heaven Dou Empire, and I've just become pope. I lack someone I can trust by my side... No, by my pillow. You and I are a perfect match."
Bibi Dong looked at Bai Guyue with a smile.
"Bibi Dong, you're going too far! If you hadn't forced me back then, I never would have agreed to it. Now Qian Xunji is dead, and you've become pope. It should be over between us."
Bai Guyue had no intention of staying with Bibi Dong any longer.
Back then, he had been living a carefree life out in the world and had never intended to come to Spirit Hall. Unfortunately, he had run into Bibi Dong and Qian Xunji along the way.
Bibi Dong had asked for him by name to be her guard. Qian Xunji had owed Bibi Dong too much, so he had agreed to her request.
And then, well, he had been brought to the Pope's Palace.
Though he had been extremely dissatisfied at first, after entering the Pope's Palace, he had broken through to Soul King so quickly and come within one step of the Soul Emperor realm. The resources Spirit Hall provided really were good.
Apart from that, he had naturally sought Qian Xunji's guidance in swordsmanship, but before he could grasp its essence, Qian Xunji had been devoured by Bibi Dong.
A few sword techniques were enough for him. If they weren't, he could always go to Chen Xin for guidance. Sword cultivators and the like were the slyest of all: ask one whether he won or lost, and he'd tell you he gained enlightenment.
"Over?"
"How could it be that easy? Xiao Bai, should I call you naive or innocent?"
Bibi Dong chuckled.
There was absolutely no way she would let Bai Guyue leave now.
Leaving aside Bai Guyue's talent and the fact that he had reached Soul King at seventeen and would be a Soul Emperor at eighteen, his birthday was next month.
Putting all that aside, there was Bai Guyue's appearance in particular: his long, snow-white hair flowed freely, and his pair of scarlet eyes were especially striking.
He was even more beautiful than a woman.
Who wouldn't like someone who could wield a sword and was especially easy on the eyes?
"A melon twisted off the vine by force isn't sweet. Don't you understand that, Your Holiness?"
Bai Guyue had made himself quite clear: forcing them together wouldn't bring happiness.
Bibi Dong clicked her tongue and smiled. "It's fine. I just want a taste, to see whether this melon is sweet. Even if it isn't, that doesn't matter. As long as I like it, that's enough."
"Bibi Dong, you're shameless."
Bai Guyue really wanted to point at Bibi Dong and curse her out, but when he thought of his situation, he restrained himself a little.
"Then I'll be shameless. You only have yourself to blame for not running back then. There was one time when you could clearly have left, but you thought you'd wait until you broke through to Soul King first. You regret it now, don't you?"
Bibi Dong really had considered letting Bai Guyue go before. Back then, she hadn't wanted him to become a tool for Qian Xunji to use.
Unfortunately, what she had thought then was certainly different from what she thought now.
Now there was no room to maneuver. She had to wipe out every target, including potential threats, leaving nothing behind.
For now, though, she wasn't a Titled Douluo yet. She had to hurry and hunt down the Death Spider Emperor to increase her strength.
That bunch of old fellows in the Worship Hall were no pushovers.
Only by becoming powerful herself could she stand in an invincible position.
That was the conclusion she had reached after that incident.
She had to choose a safe time for the wedding: only after she had broken through to Titled Douluo and could ensure nothing would go wrong.
Otherwise, if she married Bai Guyue so soon after becoming pope, people would inevitably criticize her, and it was even highly likely that she would be stripped of her position.
Bai Guyue was already at a loss over Bibi Dong's words.
Has this stupid woman lost her head over love?
Although this is the Romance Continent to begin with, the only reason I didn't leave before was that there were resources and a better cultivation environment here.
Now you've devoured Qian Xunji and still won't let me go. I'd even be willing to be transferred to the Far North or the seaside, but staying in this place is pure torture!
"Bibi Dong, if I want to leave, are you sure you can stop me?"
Bai Guyue was utterly unafraid.
Bibi Dong clapped her hands. "I know you have unusual abilities, but so what? Yue Guan, Gui Mei."
The two men emerged at her call and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Your Holiness."
Bibi Dong said, "Please escort young master Bai away to rest. Do not let him leave Spirit Hall, but satisfy his other requests as far as possible."
"We understand," the two men said, accepting their orders.
Bai Guyue looked at Gui Mei and Yue Guan.
He could count these two as old acquaintances.
Bai Guyue didn't make things difficult for them. He led the way out of the Pope's Palace, shooting Bibi Dong a fierce glare before he left.
Bibi Dong merely smiled faintly. She naturally couldn't have been more aware of Bai Guyue's displeasure.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei followed him out one after the other.
Only when she was alone in the hall did Bibi Dong murmur to herself, "Once I've taken care of everything, you'll know just how much I, Bibi Dong, love you. I won't let you down."
With that, Bibi Dong called upon the Rakshasa God.
"Rakshasa God, do you have any rewards?"
"There should be a reward for inheriting the Rakshasa Godhood, right?"
The Rakshasa God responded quickly. "No."
That simple answer made Bibi Dong's face twitch. The Rakshasa God was so stingy, not giving her a single reward.
"Nothing at all? Not even a divine artifact?" Bibi Dong refused to give up. "I need to increase my strength quickly."
"Still nothing. Wait until you've completed the later divine trials. Besides, if I gave you a divine artifact and Qian Daoliu of the Worship Hall found out, how would you explain it?"