A Tacit Understanding

"Seven Treasures Turn Into Glazed Glass!"

"Nine Treasures Turn Into Glazed Glass!"

After Yu Yuanzhen was severely injured by Sword Chen Xin, although Yang Wudi treated the penetrating wound in his abdomen in time, his current injuries rendered him almost powerless. Tang San and the others not only had to protect Xue Ye, whom they had finally managed to bring out of the palace, as well as Xue Beng Xue Xing, who were like burdens, but also Yu Yuanzhen. Even though Qian Renxue and the others had retreated, the remaining bewitched Heaven Dou Empire's Imperial Soul Master still firmly suppressed them, preventing them from breaking through.

"Ning Fengzhi?"

Feeling the sudden surge of power enveloped by the seven-colored light, Yu Yuanzhen and the others looked at the pillar of light with surprise. Ning Fengzhi had his hands folded on his staff, and Ning Rongrong and Gu Rong were beside him. Not only Yu Yuanzhen, but Tang San and the others were also full of questions, unable to understand what this refined man was thinking.

"Metropolitan!!!"

Behind them, the disciples of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, led by Yu Tianxin and Yu Tianheng, also charged down with shouts, empowered by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Soul Master. Especially when they saw Yu Yuanzhen, who was covered in white bandages and had a pale face, their eyes turned red and they rushed towards the Imperial Palace Guard Soul Master Blood One.

"Grandpa Uncle!!!"

As the disciples of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan joined the battle, on a giant bird in the sky entirely constructed of cyan Soul Power, people from the Four Single-Attribute Clans, including the Blazing Fire, Skywater, and Godwind elemental academies, stood atop it. After Ning Fengzhi nodded slightly, the disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect behind him raised their hands and enhanced the Soul Master on the giant bird with auxiliary Soul Skill.

"Sister Bing'er, Sister Xue Wu, Sister Shui Rou, Yue'er!!! I'm here!!!"

Standing next to Ning Fengzhi, Ning Rongrong saw the girls from the Skywater Academy on the giant bird's back and excitedly shouted and waved. After five years, she was overjoyed to see familiar faces again.

"You're all grown up now, yet you still yell and shout like before. I think you and Yue'er have wasted the last five years; besides your abilities, you're still just little girls..."

The moment Shui Bing'er landed, the ground beneath her feet instantly froze into ice. After gliding away and eliminating the Soul Master blocking her path, she arrived at Ning Rongrong's side. Looking at her pretty face, which had matured slightly over the past five years, and her height, she couldn't help but affectionately pinch her delicate nose.

"Sister Bing'er, I missed you all so much. You have no idea how I've spent these past five years. Dad forced me to train every day, and I had no friends in the sect. Everyone treated me like the future sect leader. Now that you're back, we can be together again..."

Ning Rongrong stepped forward and hugged Shui Bing'er's arm, swaying slightly as she rambled on. As she spoke, her eyes filled with longing. Her time at the Skywater Academy had been the happiest days of her life. She had teachers and older sisters who doted on her, close friends of similar age, and... that tall, resilient figure who always stood before her, giving her boundless security...

"Uncle Ning, your move was truly brilliant. Tianshuang has safely retreated. After this battle, those of us connected to him, even if the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family harbors resentment, have no excuse to cause us any trouble. It's really impressive..."

Several women chattered incessantly, as if they wanted to finish saying everything they hadn't said in the past five years during this great battle. Shui Bing'er, meanwhile, struck up a conversation with Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong. Thinking of the cunning and shrewdness of this refined middle-aged man, she couldn't help but admire him. That silly boy used to be quite shrewd, but in these five years, it seemed he'd completely lost his mind. His strength had increased dramatically, but it felt like all his muscle had gone into his brain... sigh...

"Actually, I prefer the Spirit Hall directly controlling the Heaven Dou Empire, which would have prevented all these subsequent troubles. However, Bibi Dong is a formidable figure, both in terms of strength and cunning. But she has one major flaw: she's too arrogant and too impatient. If she had sent more Titled Douluo or waited for Xue Qinghe to gradually take over, we wouldn't have had to put on this blatant show for others. But things have come to this point, and now is not the time to completely break ties with the Heaven Dou Empire. Let's be patient; that little guy always surprises us."

Ning Fengzhi nodded. As for this woman, whose level was even higher than Yu Tianshuang's and who had reached the Soul Saint realm at the young age of twenty, despite her young age, there was no denying that with her talent, she could stand at the pinnacle of this continent in just a few years. She was someone who could talk to him on equal terms. Although he himself was not arrogant, the conversation between the two was more like an exchange between peers.

"Seeing that old tyrant with that sour face made me happy. If you and Old Sword hadn't stopped me, I would have beaten him up to a pulp to avenge Tianshuang. But Old Sword isn't much of a talker, though; when it comes to getting things done, he's really thorough, haha!!!"

At this moment, the battle below temporarily ceased. As the Fourth Prince Xue Beng began to accuse Xue Qinghe of his crimes to the Chief Soul Master of the Imperial Guards, a weak cough came from behind him.

"Issue... Issue my order: effective immediately, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe is hereby deposed, and the Fourth Prince, Xue Beng, will temporarily assume all responsibilities of the Heaven Dou Empire. Xue... Xue Beng..."

This palace struggle thus came to an end. That night, summoned by the Fourth Prince Xue Beng, Yu Yuanzhen, Ning Fengzhi, Tang San, and others sat at a table to discuss what to do next.

"What did you say? Xue Qinghe was actually an imposter?"

After listening to Tang San recount everything in detail, Ning Fengzhi stood up with a mixture of surprise and anger, slamming his cane on the floor and looking at Tang San with astonishment.

"That old fox... everyone knows what's going on, why are you still putting on an act? This is going too far..."

After treatment, although his face was still very pale, Yu Yuanzhen seemed to be fine. He squinted at Ning Fengzhi and thought to himself with a cold smile.

"Yes, and Yu Tianshuang's own strength is also terrifying, comparable to Titled Douluo. If Sect Master Yu hadn't arrived in time, I'm afraid..."

Everyone tacitly avoided mentioning the incident where Sword Chen Xin severely injured Yu Yuanzhen and rescued Yu Tianshuang, as if none of it had ever happened.

"Whoosh..."

The two of them were flying at full speed, using their Soul Power to accelerate. It has to be said that Qian Daoliu was known as invincible in the sky. This was evident from the fact that Qian Renxue could keep up with Yu Tianshuang's flying speed on her sword with almost no effort. The sonic boom after breaking through the air at high speed, even with the protection of Soul Power, was like an earworm, lingering in their heads. Yu Tianshuang patted her ears left and right, looked at the magnificent Pope's Palace in front of her, and breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Qian Renxue, what's wrong?"

Yu Tianshuang, who was walking in front, quickly noticed the strange behavior of the beautiful blonde woman behind her, turned around and asked her.

Qian Renxue didn't have a mirror with her, so she didn't know what her expression looked like. It probably wasn't good. She had to admit that returning to this familiar yet somewhat strange city had stirred up a series of emotions within her. The person who probably influenced her the most was the woman in the magnificent building in front of her, whom she remembered as being very indifferent. But for some reason, she felt a strange emotion, and what was most frightening was that she actually had a strange sense of anticipation.

Qian Renxue stood still, slowly adjusting her breathing for a moment, then looked at Yu Tianshuang with a captivating smile. Her expression had returned to its usual dignified yet slightly sharp demeanor, but Yu Tianshuang could detect subtle emotions in her bright, jewel-like eyes: tension, anxiety, fear, anticipation...

"I'm fine, what are you thinking, you brat? I just flew at full speed for so long, and I'm feeling a little unwell. What's with that look? Don't, don't look at me like that..."

Qian Renxue's voice was exceptionally pleasant to hear. Although her tone was somewhat calm and aloof at the moment, it still revealed a hint of tenderness towards him. Yu Tianshuang looked at her exquisite face, trying to discern the complex emotions in her eyes.

"Don't overthink it. Actually, Bibi Dong is a very nice person, not as strict as you imagine. Besides, you're still her..."

Before Yu Tianshuang could finish speaking, she was stopped by Qian Renxue's fierce gaze. He shrugged, came to her side, took her slender hand, and led her towards the Pope's Palace.

"Okay, okay, let go now. I... I can walk by myself..."

The complex emotions in Qian Renxue's heart vanished instantly when Yu Tianshuang took her hand. All that remained was the warmth from her palm and the frantically pounding heart in her chest. Fortunately, she had been Xue Qinghe for so many years. Looking at the open doors of the Pope's Palace, she blushed and spoke softly, then slightly pulled her hand away from the grasp.

"Hmm... It's alright, failure is failure. We have plenty of opportunities, we can start over. In the big picture, we have an absolute advantage. Alright, Qian Renxue, you can go now. Yu Tianshuang, you stay..."

Bibi Dong remained as languid as ever, her long, slender, fair arms supporting her cheeks, her narrow, beautiful eyes tightly closed as if she were dozing. Her mature and authoritative voice was very pleasant to hear. Without even glancing at the two people below, she began to speak.

"I didn't fail, nor did I lose because of Yu Yuanzhen. I lost to you. If you hadn't been so impatient, forcing me to risk launching the plan ahead of schedule, sister... sister, you..."

Qian Renxue clenched her fists tightly, looking up at Bibi Dong. She felt extremely disappointed and lost, as if she were no more important to Bibi Dong than an outsider, merely her subordinate. Perhaps her position in Bibi Dong's heart was even lower than that of Yu Tianshuang.

"Sister? What did you call me? Qian Renxue!!!"

Upon hearing Qian Renxue's words, especially the awkward way she uttered the word "sister" at the end, Bibi Dong suddenly opened her eyes, her voice becoming heavier. Looking at Qian Renxue, who had turned her head away, her high chest heaved rapidly, but she quickly suppressed it.

"No, I'll still call you Your Pope, just like him. After all, for me, in this world, my grandfather is my only family. Or perhaps I'll have other family in the future, but it will never be you, Bibi Dong!"

"Bang!"

These words caused Bibi Dong's chest, which had just been suppressed, to swell again. Her eyebrows shot up, and she stood up from her chair, slamming her scepter into the ground. A surge of Soul Power pressure from a level 99 Peerless Douluo instantly spread out.

"Um... let me interject. I'm different from you. I didn't call him ' Your Pope,' I called him by his first name. Okay, okay, you two stop bickering. You clearly care about each other, so why do you have to make it like this? Alright, don't look at me like that. Aren't you going to find your grandfather? Go ahead. And Bibi Dong, don't put on airs. She's still yours..."

He instantly appeared in front of Qian Renxue, raised a hand to block the Soul Power pressure wave released by Bibi Dong, and then, seeing the tense atmosphere between the two women, he tried to smooth things over and pushed Qian Renxue out. However, before he could finish his last sentence, he felt a chill down his spine and quickly shut his mouth.

A subtle silence followed after Yu Tianshuang pushed Qian Renxue away from the Pope's Palace and returned. Even though Bibi Dong had said she had something to do and wanted to stay, he was at a loss for words as he watched her gently rubbing her temples in silence.

"What's wrong? Weren't you quite talkative just now? Why are you silent now?"

The subtle silence didn't last long. Bibi Dong put down her long, slender, white fingers that had been rubbing her temples, opened her beautiful eyes, and looked at Yu Tianshuang with a playful expression.

Yu Tianshuang stretched her body, which had become stiff from standing for so long, looked at the stunningly beautiful and mature woman above her, opened her mouth as if to say something, but quickly closed it again. In the end, she simply used her ice attribute to conjure a chair and sat down.

"Oh~ Looks like I'll have to prepare a chair for you when you come to my Pope's Palace from now on, so my youngest elder from the Spirit Hall doesn't get tired of standing for too long..."

Bibi Dong emphasized her last sentence, gritting her teeth as she spoke. Seeing his nonchalant demeanor, she was furious. Seeing he remained silent, she tightened her grip on the scepter, her voice still low and menacing. "What, you think you're so glorious for failing your mission? Do you want me to give you a reward?"

"No need for that. If the mission fails, so be it. It won't affect the overall situation much, but if there's a reward for a failed mission, the subordinates will feel resentful..."

Yu Tianshuang shrugged, looking completely serious, as if she couldn't understand the hidden meaning in Bibi Dong's words. But this only made Bibi Dong angrier. Today, she felt like her chest was about to explode with anger.

"Forget it, why would I argue with you, you brat? I must be crazy. I called you here for no reason, I just can't stand you always hanging out with that brat. Nana is my apprentice, and I really like Huo Wu too. Lingling may not be very talkative, but she's saved a lot of people from my Spirit Hall these past few years. You, stop with your tricks and treat them properly..."

After leaving the Pope's Palace, Yu Tianshuang felt somewhat bewildered. He had thought Bibi Dong had specifically asked him to stay behind because she had something important to tell him, but it turned out she was just talking about this. Although it sounded normal, for some reason, coming from Bibi Dong's mouth, it just felt a little strange...