Tit for Tat

"This woman... is terrifying! What's with this Soul Skill? There was no warning at all, and Ling Yuan Douluo was frozen in place. Is it Soul Skill lock?"

Yan was completely stunned by what he saw. If someone were to press their hand on him, wouldn't he be turned into an ice sculpture in an instant...?

"Yan, you still underestimated her. Shui Bing'er is more terrifying than you imagined. Look at how steady her breathing is now, which means she hasn't even used her full strength."

Hu Liena was on high alert, her Wumei fox-like eyes fixed on Shui Bing'er as she gracefully descended. This was not only a statement she made to others, but also to herself.

"Can't be dissolved? How is that possible!"

The Gui Mei transformed into a thick black mist and instantly appeared where Ling Yuan had landed, catching her steadily. He raised his hand and pressed it against the ice on Ling Yuan's body, but even with all his Soul Power, the ice that had frozen Ling Yuan Douluo melted at an absurdly slow rate.

"Cough cough..."

Seeing the Gui Mei's surprised look, Shui Bing'er was very satisfied. She waved her hand and withdrew her frost power. Only then did the ice on Ling Yuan Douluo's surface disappear, and the long-awaited fresh air entered her body, causing her to cough involuntarily.

"Congratulations, Shui Bing'er, from this day forward, you are an elder of my Spirit Hall!"

Bibi Dong appeared in the arena expressionlessly, took out a token representing her elder status, and handed it to Shui Bing'er. After Shui Bing'er accepted the token, she continued, "Now that you've joined my Spirit Hall, there are some rules I expect you to abide by. In the Spirit Hall, the highest person is me, Pope Bibi Dong. There is only one rule here: obey me!"

An invisible aura suddenly erupted from Bibi Dong, and even those who were only slightly affected by it could not withstand it and involuntarily lowered their heads and knelt down.

However, Shui Bing'er accepted the token with a smile, played with it in her hand for a while, then looked up to meet Bibi Dong's domineering eyes and said calmly, "I know that since I've joined your Spirit Hall, I will abide by some rules, and I will give you face when there are many people. But I hope you won't take yourself too seriously. Think about it carefully, if it weren't for me, Shui Bing'er, would Yu Tianshuang still be standing here right now?"

Shui Bing'er's voice was soft, but it reached Bibi Dong's ears very clearly, which surprised her greatly. She knew her aura and pressure best. Apart from Yu Tianshuang, no one could speak to her so calmly, let alone confront her so directly.

"Oh? I'd really like to know why you, a mere Soul Saint, dare to speak to me like that!"

Neither of them showed any change in expression or demeanor, which made it seem to outsiders as if Bibi Dong was celebrating the Spirit Hall gaining another elder with exceptional talent and strength. However, the look in their eyes was full of profound meaning.

"Think about it confidently. If Tang San hadn't seriously injured us back then, would he have joined your Spirit Hall? He might already be in the Heaven Dou Empire, plotting with Tang San and Xue Beng how to wipe you out, wouldn't he?"

"Furthermore, since you are the Pope of the Spirit Hall, I hope you will focus on being a good Pope and not think about anything else. Yu Tianshuang captured Yu Xiaogang not to please you, but for his grandfather and to get revenge on Tang San. Whatever your schemes, we will do our best to help you achieve them, so put away any thoughts you shouldn't have!"

After Shui Bing'er finished speaking, she put away the Elder Token, ignored Bibi Dong was standing there in a daze, and also ignored the terrifying killing intent spreading behind her, and walked towards Yu Tianshuang.

"Your Majesty... Ling Yuan is still unconscious. I had Gui Mei take her back."

Seeing that Bibi Dong was still standing there, Yue Guan came over to report with some trepidation.

"Knew."

Bibi Dong responded without turning her head and walked towards the Pope's Palace. When she reached the fork in the road, she turned back and took a deep look at Yu Tianshuang in the crowd, her eyes filled with complex and unfathomable emotions.

"Senior sister! You're so cool, so strong!"

Yu Tianshuang, like a devoted fan of Shui Bing'er, quickly approached her and spoke excitedly.

"That's it? Look how excited you are. But I'm very happy, come closer."

Shui Bing'er heard Yu Tianshuang's flattering words, which were quite vulgar, but she could tell from his expression and eyes that he was genuinely excited. Shui Bing'er was delighted, beckoned to him with her finger, pulled him over, and gently lifted her head to kiss him.

"This... Nana, should we... should we go back?"

Hu Liena and the other two were originally walking towards Shui Bing'er, but upon seeing this scene, they immediately stopped. Xie Yue glanced at his sister with some embarrassment and worry, and asked.

"Let's go... let's go! Why not? We have to show our hospitality!"

Hu Liena's eyes twitched. She knew perfectly well that Shui Bing'er was putting on a show for her, trying to intimidate her. But she couldn't do anything about it. Yu Tianshuang was like a little puppy in front of his senior sister—so obedient! Why wasn't he like that in front of her?!

"Oh, you must be Tianshuang 'Tianshuang senior sister. We've met a few times before, but we've never spoken. I didn't expect her to be so powerful. By the way, you've just joined the Spirit Hall, so there must be a lot you don't understand. Let's go eat first, and I'll explain everything to you on the way."

Despite her chest aching with anger, Hu Liena still had to maintain appearances. She walked over with a charming smile and spoke naturally, displaying the demeanor of a strong woman and exuding grace and poise.

"Okay, but you don't need to keep calling me Senior Sister Tianshuang. You're older than all of us, so I should call you 'sister' in the proper order. But Tianshuang and I are a couple, so you should call me 'sister' in the proper order."

"Heh, heh... Let's not talk about that now, let's go eat..."

Shui Bing'er certainly had a powerful aura. Her cold and aloof face, coupled with a pair of eyes that looked down on everyone, made Hu Liena want to look away from her gaze. Especially her words, every single one of them was a critical blow to her.

"What's with the attitude? Calling you 'sister'? According to the proper order, I'm the eldest sister!"

She was the first woman to have a relationship with Yu Tianshuang, so in that order, what she said wasn't wrong. But it was obvious that Shui Bing'er wouldn't do things her way, and besides, this woman was so assertive and had such a powerful aura, so she only dared to say these words in her heart.

Are you alright?

"What I wanted to say was, are you alright...?"

"Alright, leave it to me. You just stay in the Pope's Palace. I'll handle everything, whether it's the Star Luo Empire or the Clear Sky Sect."

Bibi Dong returned alone to the vast Pope's Palace, still lounging with her legs crossed and her hand supporting her cheek in a languid manner. However, her state of mind was completely different this time, and she was unable to calm down at all. Shui Bing'er's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over her head, completely waking her up.

When did I start to feel special towards this little guy, Yu Tianshuang? He didn't call me Your His Holiness the Pope, and the words he said to me that night kept echoing in my mind.

"So that's why I like Huo Wu. Ha, if I didn't have so many concerns, I could be just like Huo Wu, doing whatever I want."

Bibi Dong murmured something with mixed feelings, then gave a self-deprecating laugh, trying to clear her mind of the jumbled thoughts. But Shui Bing'er's words from earlier that day had deeply stung her.

"Is it that obvious? Shui Bing'er only met her for the first time, yet she can see right through my thoughts? But I wasn't even aware of these thoughts myself."

"What are you afraid of? Aren't you envious of Huo Wu? Then go do whatever you want."

"Why aren't you afraid? He has so many women around him, every single one of them is younger than you, every single one of them is pure and innocent. Can you get over that night back then? Do you dare tell him that Qian Renxue Qian Xunji born from your rape by Qian Xunji?"

"Dominating the continent is what you should be thinking about, Bibi Dong. Becoming the Rakshasa God and inheriting the Godhood is what you should be doing now."

"Get out of my mind! I know what I, Bibi Dong, should do!"

The chaotic sounds seemed to split her mind, clamoring incessantly, causing Bibi Dong to clutch her forehead in pain. But soon, a wild, violent, and evil purple light blazed in her eyes, and she shouted at the empty Pope's Palace.

After absorbing Qian Xunji's body and soul and opening the Rakshasa Secret Realm, Bibi Dong's personality became somewhat extreme. She hadn't noticed this after Yu Tianshuang appeared, especially on the night she killed Grandmaster. In fact, compared to before, her personality was slowly reverting to that of the Spirit Hall's Holy Maiden. But Shui Bing'er's words today were like a wake-up call. Indeed, she had a very special relationship with Yu Tianshuang, but how could she dare tell him everything?

Let him know, let Qian Renxue know? Tell him she gave birth to Qian Renxue because she was raped by her teacher, let him know she's a filthy woman? She wouldn't dare. Yes, Shui Bing'er is right, just be a good Pope, unify the Douluo Continent, make the Spirit Hall the ruler of the continent, isn't that your long-cherished wish?

"Hey... Nana, why do I feel like Yu Tianshuang so... so strange today? She's like a lackey, and I feel like I'm seeing myself back then..."

At the dinner table, Yan looked at Yu Tianshuang was strong, cold, resolute, and reliable—many positive compliments could be used to describe him. As a man, he had liked Hu Liena since childhood, but he knew that Nana was more suitable for him than him. However, today, seeing Yu Tianshuang being so attentive, just like he had been to Hu Liena back then, he felt uncomfortable all over. He vaguely saw his former self in him.

"You know what? There's a very apt term circulating among the people for his current state: 'simp'..."

Xie Yue also made a timely comment.

"You two, that's enough! You're still my men, Hu Liena's men! I... I... I'm so angry!!!"

Hu Liena couldn't hold back any longer. How could Yu Tianshuang treat people so differently? He was so attentive to her, like a guard serving a queen. The problem was that Shui Bing'er was so aloof, as if Yu Tianshuang was doing this as a reward. This made Hu Liena's temper explode.

"Alright, Tianshuang, I'm quite exhausted today, but I'm very satisfied with your performance. As a reward, you can catch up with her. Hu Liena, she's in your hands now."

"Oh, oh, okay..."

Hu Liena was still sulking, but upon hearing Shui Bing'er's words, she could only respond instinctively. Only after Shui Bing'er had walked away with elegant steps did she realize what was happening. Seeing the strange looks Xie Yue and the other person were giving her, her Wumei face couldn't help but blush.

"By the way, where are Lengleng and Zhu Zhuqing? And Huo Wu, where is that girl?"

After Shui Bing'er left, Yu Tianshuang's fawning expression instantly returned to its usual coldness. She casually picked up a tissue to wipe her mouth and asked indifferently.

"This... for the annual celebration performance, I think you're the most suitable..."

Yan was also stunned by this scene that was like a sudden change of expression. Seeing that Yu Tianshuang had almost instantly returned to her usual demeanor, he couldn't help but smile and praise her.