Pope Bibi Dong

The following afternoon, Lin Qing arrived at the main building on time.

This time, the gray-robed deacon did not take him to the top floor. Instead, he led him through a long corridor and down toward the deepest part of the main building.

The atmosphere was somewhat different. Deacons dressed in black lined both sides of the corridor, each with his presence restrained and his eyes fixed straight ahead.

The farther Lin Qing went, the more he felt an invisible pressure. It was not a suppression of Soul Power, but an imposing dignity accumulated over a long time in a high position.

The surrounding architecture was also grand and towering.

When they reached a dark gold gate several zhang tall, the gray-robed deacon stopped and bowed deeply. Then he gestured for Lin Qing to enter.

Lin Qing took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

Inside was an exceptionally spacious hall with a soaring dome. The pillars on either side were carved with the great achievements of successive popes.

Sunlight streamed down through the glazed skylight overhead, yet it carried a trace of chill.

At the far end of the hall stood an elevated papal throne.

Salas stood at the foot of the steps, his head lowered. And on the throne that symbolized Spirit Hall's supreme authority sat a person.

It was a woman. She wore magnificent papal robes and a purple-gold crown, and held a scepter entwined with a nine-headed chimera.

She was not deliberately releasing her Soul Power, but merely sitting there, she seemed to be the center of the entire world, making others afraid to look directly at her.

The pope of Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong.

Lin Qing walked to the center of the hall and stopped.

"Your Holiness, I have brought him," Salas said respectfully.

Bibi Dong did not move. Her eyes looked down from above the steps, indifferent and profound, as though they could see through everything.

That was a gaze that could only come after experiencing countless killings and schemes.

"A naturally Mutated Martial Soul, a cyan-green Soul Ring, ultimate ice and fire, and that Bamboo Soul capable of interfering with the mind."

Bibi Dong's voice echoed through the hall, cool and exquisite. "Salas, do you think he has a chance of helping me obtain it?"

Salas kept his head lowered. "Your Holiness, Lin Qing's strength has already far surpassed others of his rank, and his Martial Soul possesses powerful vitality. If he devotes himself to cultivation, he will certainly have a chance in the future."

Bibi Dong smiled, an inscrutable meaning in her expression. She slowly rose and descended the steps one by one.

As she moved, the air in the hall grew viscous.

Lin Qing could feel his Bamboo Breath stop for an instant. It was suppression from an absolute difference in rank, and even the Ice and Fire Dual Crystals dimmed slightly in the depths of his sea of consciousness.

Bibi Dong stopped in front of Lin Qing, less than three meters away.

Her gaze swept over his face before settling on his chest, as though she could see through his flesh and directly into the Chaos Lone Bamboo within him.

"You carry a very ancient presence," Bibi Dong said softly, yet her voice reached Lin Qing's ears with perfect clarity.

Alarm bells rang wildly in Lin Qing's heart. Was this the pope's intuition?

The Chaos Lone Bamboo had slumbered for a million years, and not even the Divine Realm had discovered its true nature. Yet at close range, Bibi Dong could actually sense that something was different by intuition alone.

"Your Holiness, this disciple was merely fortunate. My Martial Soul underwent a mutation."

Lin Qing answered without servility or arrogance, keeping his posture very humble.

Bibi Dong did not press him. She merely watched him in silence, her gaze like a knife as she weighed his value and the danger he posed.

"The Rakshasa Divine Sense tells me you have a power that can change the situation."

Bibi Dong turned her back on him. "Carry out the task Salas assigned you, but I am adding one condition.

"After you bring back the Nine Nether Bamboo, everything except your share must be handed over to Spirit Hall."

Lin Qing frowned slightly. In the original story, Bibi Dong was an extremely pragmatic and greedy person. Whatever caught her eye, she would insist on holding in her own hands.

"Is that Nine Nether Bamboo very important to Your Holiness?" Lin Qing asked.

"That Nine Nether Bamboo is being prepared for a breakthrough to the god level." There was not the slightest fluctuation in Bibi Dong's voice.

"Before breaking through to the god level, an enormous amount of energy is needed to stabilize the Soul Bones. The Nine Nether Bamboo's properties can provide exactly what is needed."

However, although a Nine Nether Bamboo at the Immortal Herb level possessed extremely powerful vitality, it also had its own particular traits.

It did not have formidable combat strength, but it had survived for a hundred thousand years by relying on a unique survival mechanism.

If it sensed Soul Power suppression at the Titled Douluo level or above, it would self-destruct.

Of course, it would be reborn in a new place, but after that, it would be very difficult to find again.

Only a Martial Soul with a similar affinity for life could go near it and seize the chance to seal it.

"This disciple understands." Lin Qing lowered his head. "I will bring it back."

Bibi Dong turned around, walked back up the steps, and sat down on the papal throne. "Go and make your preparations. If you can bring it back, you will be my core disciple.

"Salas, give him a Spirit Hall token. If he dies in the Sunset Forest, dig out his Martial Soul and bring it to me.

"If he lives, then this token will signify that I have seen him in person."

Salas bowed respectfully, turned around, and handed Lin Qing a dark token.

The token was heavier than gold. Spirit Hall's emblem was engraved on it, along with an inconspicuous character for "Pope."

Lin Qing took the token. It was cold to the touch. He tucked it into his robes, bowed, and turned to leave the hall.

Only when he stepped out of the main building did Lin Qing truly breathe a sigh of relief. His back was already drenched in cold sweat.

The pressure Bibi Dong exerted was not Soul Power suppression at all. It was the mental pressure of a superior; anyone with a slightly weak will would be unable to tell even a single lie in front of her.

"Well? You weren't scared silly, were you?" Outside the corridor, Hu Liena was leaning against the railing, waiting for him. She clearly knew who was inside.

"I'm still alive." Lin Qing steadied his breathing.

Hu Liena glanced at the dark token tucked in his robes. "That's the pope's personal seal token.

"Salas generally doesn't dare use it lightly. It seems Her Holiness holds you in high regard."

She paused, her gaze growing serious. "But that also means that if you can't bring back the Nine Nether Bamboo this time, the consequences definitely won't be as simple as failing the task and being eliminated."

"I know." Lin Qing nodded.

Hu Liena handed him a small leather pouch. "This is the information I compiled on the core area of the Sunset Forest.

"A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast's senses are extraordinarily sharp. Even with the Soul-Stabilizing Incense, every step you take in there must be through blind spots and along the edges. You absolutely must not cause a disturbance.

"Xie Yue has already prepared a carriage outside. We leave tomorrow morning."

Lin Qing took the pouch and gave its contents a quick read. The depths of the Sunset Forest were an obstacle he had to overcome.

He put the information away and secured the token close to his body.

Feeling the two pieces of metal pressed against his chest, he understood that, from the moment he accepted this token-

His path in Spirit Hall had only truly begun.

[End of Chapter 33]