At any cost

Even after the competition ended, Spirit City remained bustling, with celebrations for the Spirit Hall Academy's victory echoing throughout the central district. However, the Pope Hall had returned to silence.

Bibi Dong sat on a high place, with several files that had just been delivered beside her.

The Soul Master Tournament has ended, but there are still collaborations to be handled between the Interastral Peace Corporation, the Xianzhou Alliance, and various academies. The reports delivered tonight alone have piled up into a thick stack. She had just finished reading a file about the arrangements for follow-up researchers when she heard footsteps outside the hall.

A guard entered the main hall and knelt on one knee.

"Your His Holiness the Pope, someone outside requests an audience."

Bibi Dong didn't look up, and casually asked, "Who is it?"

The guard hesitated for a moment, his expression clearly somewhat strange.

"He is a level 29 Soul Grandmaster, but... he possesses an Elder Command Token, saying he has important matters to discuss with His Holiness the Pope."

Bibi Dong paused in her rummaging through the files.

Level 29.

Elder Command Token.

She already knew who had come.

"Let him in."

The guard accepted the order and left.

Not long after, the heavy palace doors opened again, and the sound of a wheelchair rolling came from outside.

Yu Xiaogang turned his wheelchair with both hands and slowly entered the Pope Hall.

Both his legs were immobilized, and his face was still somewhat pale. After suffering repeated severe injuries, he looked even more haggard than before. However, after entering the main hall, he still tried his best to straighten his upper body and look up at Bibi Dong high above.

Bibi Dong also put down the file.

She glanced at Yu Xiaogang for a few seconds, then a sneer suddenly appeared on her lips.

"I thought it was someone else."

She leaned back slightly, her fingers lightly tapping the Pope's Scepter.

"Isn't this Yu Xiao Gang, the famous theoretical Grandmaster from mainland China?"

She deliberately slowed down the last three words.

Yu Xiaogang's face darkened, but he didn't argue with her. He said directly, "Bibi Dong, I didn't come here today to argue with you about these things. Release Tang San."

The Pope Hall fell silent instantly.

Bibi Dong's smile slowly faded.

She looked at Yu Xiaogang sitting in the wheelchair, as if she had heard something utterly ridiculous.

Are you ordering me around?

Yu Xiaogang said in a deep voice, "Little San acted impulsively. The competition had just ended, and losing control of his emotions is not unforgivable. Besides, he didn't really hurt anyone. It's enough that you arrested him; there's no need to keep him in custody."

Bang!

The Pope's Scepter crashed heavily to the ground.

In the next instant, terrifying Soul Power enveloped the entire hall.

The oppressive aura of Titled Douluo pressed down on Yu Xiaogang without reservation. His face turned pale instantly, and his body sank downwards. He barely managed to avoid falling over by gripping the armrests of his wheelchair tightly with both hands.

Bibi Dong slowly stood up.

"Yu Xiaogang, who do you think you are?"

She walked down the platform step by step, her long purple dress trailing across the smooth ground, her voice icy cold and devoid of any warmth.

"You're just a level 29 Soul Grandmaster, yet you dare to barge into the Pope Hall with some Elder Command Token you somehow got your hands on, demanding I release the people?"

Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth.

"The Little San is my disciple."

"So what?"

Bibi Dong had already arrived at a position not far from him.

"Xiaogang, after all these years, you still have absolutely no Mingdu."

She raised her hand and waved it gently.

A burst of Soul Power slammed directly into the wheelchair.

Yu Xiaogang and his wheelchair were instantly thrown out, crashing heavily to the ground behind him. The wheelchair overturned to the side, and he was in a very disheveled state, with both of his injured legs throbbing with pain, and cold sweat immediately beaded on his forehead.

Bibi Dong didn't even glance at her.

"The match had ended, and after the referee announced the result in front of tens of thousands of spectators, Tang San took out Hidden Weapon, preparing to attack a core member of our Pope Hall from behind. The referees, participating academies, and representatives from all sides witnessed it."

She gripped the scepter again, her gaze cold.

"This crime is enough for the Spirit Hall to kill Tang San right now without any problem."

Yu Xiaogang struggled to sit up and said urgently, "He only acted impulsively!"

"Can one kill someone in a moment of impulse?"

Bibi Dong interrupted him directly.

"If Lin Yuan hadn't stopped them, those Hidden Weapon would have already flown towards Hu Liena and the others. And when someone actually gets hurt, are you going to tell me again that Tang San is still young and we should be more forgiving?"

Yu Xiaogang opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a moment.

Bibi Dong had lost interest in continuing the argument with him.

"You can leave, but I'm not letting him go."

Yu Xiaogang's expression immediately changed.

Bibi Dong added, "Besides, you've got the wrong person. Tang San isn't under the jurisdiction of the Pope Hall at all."

Yu Xiaogang suddenly looked up.

"What's the meaning?"

"The one who arrested him is the Holy Son, and the one who proposed compensation is also the Holy Son."

Bibi Dong turned around and walked back towards the platform.

"If you really want to see Tang San, go find Lin Yuan. As for whether he's willing to release him or not, that's between you two."

At this point, she gently waved her hand.

"Get out, Yu Xiaogang."

Yu Xiaogang sat on the ground in silence for a long time.

Finally, he braced himself with his hands on the ground and laboriously moved to the overturned wheelchair. After several attempts, he managed to right the wheelchair and then used his arms for support to sit back down.

He turned his wheelchair to the palace gate, but suddenly stopped.

Yu Xiaogang did not turn around.

"Bibi Dong."

Bibi Dong picked up the file again.

"If Tang San were to meet with any misfortune, I would spare no effort to save him."

His voice lowered.

"Destroy the Spirit Hall."

The Pope Hall fell silent once more.

Bibi Dong paused for a moment, her hand holding the file still.

Yu Xiaogang had already turned his wheelchair and left.

Only when the palace doors slowly closed did Bibi Dong raise her head, looking at the disappearing figure. Her eyes showed no anger, but rather a complex mix of emotions.

After a long while, she sighed softly.

"Well."

"Xiaogang."

Why would you walk right into a trap?

Pope Hall, Yu Xiaogang moved his wheelchair alone up the long stone steps.

Given his current condition, where neither of his legs can move normally, simply leaving the Pope Hall was extremely difficult. In the end, a guard at the entrance couldn't bear to see him like this and reached out to help push his wheelchair up several steps until they reached a flat road outside before stopping.

Yu Xiaogang did not thank him.

His face was grim, and he was still thinking about how to rescue Tang San.

Lin Yuan.

Now that Tang San is in Lin Yuan's hands, he must go see this person tomorrow, no matter the cost.

Watching Yu Xiaogang's departing figure, and recalling the words that had been faintly heard from the main hall, the guard couldn't help but spit out a curse.

"A level 29 Soul Grandmaster, quite the boast."

Another guard nearby shook his head.

"He even wants to destroy the Spirit Hall? What will he use to destroy it? I heard his Martial Soul can fart; is he planning to stink the Spirit Hall to death?"

The guard who had been there earlier burst out laughing.

"Get lost already, you're such bad luck."

Yu Xiaogang naturally heard it.

His hands gripped the sides of the wheelchair tightly, his knuckles turning white, but he didn't stop; he simply continued forward.

Night had completely enveloped Spirit City.

There were still many people celebrating the end of the game on the streets, and the city lights in the distance illuminated the entire city brightly.

Yu Xiaogang walked slowly along the road Pope Hall.

Just as he passed by a huge statue, a voice suddenly came from above.

"Destroy the Spirit Hall at all costs?"

The voice was not loud.

But it clearly reached Yu Xiaogang's ears.

He suddenly stopped moving.

"Who?!"

Yu Xiaogang immediately looked up and followed the direction from which the sound came.

Not far away, a figure appeared on the shoulder of the tall statue.

The man sat there casually, one leg dangling in the air, his entire being almost completely hidden in the night and shadows.

Yu Xiaogang squinted his eyes.

Who are you?

The figure did not answer.

Yu Xiaogang was about to continue speaking, she suddenly heard very light footsteps behind her.

He didn't even have time to turn around.

Bang!

A sudden pain shot through the back of my head.

Yu Xiaogang's vision went black instantly.

His body went limp, and he collapsed onto the wheelchair, completely losing consciousness.