Descending along the spiraling steps,
Li Zhexian followed Qian Renxue into the death dungeon hidden deep within the Angel God Temple.
Those imprisoned here were all fugitives who had escaped from the Slaughter City.
Unlike ordinary gloomy dungeons, this place blazed with holy radiance, bright as a divine kingdom.
Feathers of angels floated in the air, scattering pure yet awe-inspiring light.
This radiance pierced straight into the heart,
awakening the remnants of conscience buried deep within the soul, forcing sinners to weep bitterly over their own evil amid endless remorse.
At the same time,
the corrosive erosion of Light-attribute Spirit Power upon tainted souls caused them to howl endlessly, suffering both bodily and spiritual torment.
The two passed through corridors steeped in agony, reaching the deepest part of the death dungeon.
Beneath a resplendent feather of an angel, a figure under punishment was illuminated below.
Bibi Dong's shoulder blades were pierced through by chains of light; her arms were hoisted high, her head hanging low.
Holy light continuously scorched her body, emitting a sizzling sound.
Wisps of black mist rose from within her,
as if purifying—
yet also as if destroying.
Qian Renxue's delicate face was cold and indifferent. As her gaze swept across Bibi Dong's blood-soaked body, a trace of grim satisfaction flickered within her golden eyes.
Li Zhexian stood silently for several breaths, then spoke:
"Bibi Dong."
The chains clanged as Bibi Dong lifted her head, the weight seeming enough to crush bone.
Blood-matted jet-black hair slid back,
revealing a pale yet still alluring face.
Upon seeing Li Zhexian, she froze—then hatred, solid enough to touch, flooded her eyes.
"Li… Zhexian…"
"You… are still… alive…"
Li Zhexian replied calmly: "Even you haven't died, so how could anything happen to me?"
"Heh…"
Bibi Dong's lips twisted into a distorted smile as dark red blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
"In my entire life… my greatest regret…"
"Was not pouring everything I had… into killing you… when you were still insignificant…""
The bone-deep malice in those words—
Caused murderous intent to surge violently in Qian Renxue's eyes.
"Beyond saving."
Light-attribute Spirit Power surged from her palm, slamming into the angel feather above.
In an instant—
holy light poured down like a waterfall,
drowning Bibi Dong completely.
"AAAAAH—!!!"
Her shrill screams echoed through the dungeon,
mixed with a spider-like hiss. Thick, murky black-violet mist erupted violently from her body—pain far worse than death by a thousand cuts.
Bang!
Bang!
The next moment—
Two spine-chilling cracks of breaking bone rang out.
Bibi Dong had forcibly torn apart her own shoulder blades.
With the restraints gone—
The Spirit Power of a half-step god erupted violently.
Even while grievously injured—
Her momentum still shook the entire prison.
"LI ZHEXIAN!!!"
"DIE!!!"
She roared, coughing up great mouthfuls of blood, seizing a fragment of shattered bone.
Her body transformed into a ghastly blood-red shadow,
lunging straight at Li Zhexian.
Qian Renxue raised the Angel God Sword and slashed toward her—
but Li Zhexian was faster.
He lifted his hand calmly.
At the very instant Bibi Dong, brimming with murderous intent, reached him, he casually clasped her throat.
The raging Rakshasa God power
collapsed and dissipated in an instant.
Bibi Dong clenched the bone shard, still crazed as she tried to stab him.
A faint ripple of divine radiance flowed over Li Zhexian's flawless body. Before the shard could even draw near, it disintegrated into flying ash.
"How… how is this possible…?"
Bibi Dong's pupils shrank violently.
At this moment, Li Zhexian was wreathed in divine light.
His aura—
Was no weaker than when he had used that mutual-destruction technique.
In just a single year—
Li Zhexian had reached such a realm.
The torment of hatred, jealousy, and resentment far surpassed her physical injuries, pushing her to the brink of collapse.
"Put away your schemes and calculations. The gap between you and me is now as vast as heaven and abyss."
With that said,
Li Zhexian's thoughts shifted.
The Ice Empress and Snow Empress manifested beside him.
At the same time, they raised their slender hands, palms facing upward.
A rich fragrance surged forth.
The Wine Martial Soul was lifted into the air by them.
A clear spring of spirit wine gushed forth.
"Compassionate Boat Dew" spread like a vast ocean amid the holy light.
At the center of the sea of wine,
a gentle, graceful figure slowly took shape.
It was none other than Bibi Dong's benevolent self, severed by the divinity of the Rakshasa God.
"Return."
Li Zhexian formed his fingers into a sword.
Purifying sword intent washed away corruption; spiritual sword intent severed obsession.
Two strands of sword intent pierced toward Bibi Dong's brow.
She threw back her head and let out a piercing scream.
The evil intent dispersed like black mist.
The benevolent self bowed toward Li Zhexian, then transformed into a streak of light and returned to her body.
Li Zhexian looked at the stunned Qian Renxue and said softly:
"In the Rakshasa Secret Realm…"
"I retrieved the benevolent part of Bibi Dong that had been torn away."
"Now, the evil intent has been annihilated, and the benevolence has returned to her body."
"As for how you choose to face her in the future, Xue'er—just follow your own heart."
Qian Renxue remained frozen in place, as though she had heard nothing.
Moments later,
Bibi Dong's lashes trembled, and she slowly awakened.
She first looked at Li Zhexian, her eyes filled with emotions too complex to put into words—gratitude foremost among them.
Then she turned urgently toward Qian Renxue, staggering forward three steps, only to stop stiffly, fearfully rooted in place.
"Xue'er…"
As soon as she spoke the name, her voice broke, tears trembling on the verge of falling.
The death dungeon sank into suffocating silence.
No one knew how long passed.
At last, Qian Renxue's hoarse voice cut through the stillness.
"Benevolence? Evil intent? Heh…"
"When I was young, you treated me with cruelty, even harboring murderous intent toward me time and again. Later, you ignited war across the continent, leaving countless families displaced. Grandfather's whereabouts are unknown. Zhexian nearly died more than once…"
"All of this…"
"Can it really be brushed aside so lightly with a single distinction between good and evil?!"
She suddenly lifted her gaze.
Tears flooded her golden eyes, carrying such overwhelming grief that it stabbed straight into Bibi Dong's heart, leaving her face deathly pale, unable to meet her daughter's stare.
"Bibi Dong, your sins… cannot be washed away."
"In this life and this world, I never want to see you again."
With that,
Qian Renxue turned away decisively.
Her slender back carried not the slightest trace of hesitation.
Bibi Dong reached out—then trembling, withdrew her hand.
She slowly closed her eyes.
Tears slid silently down her pale cheeks.
"Why didn't you tell Xue'er… about your past?"
"There's no need."
She shook her head, choking back sobs.
"Must Xue'er also come to hate her own father? Zhexian, please—never tell her."
"Let her hate me alone. That is enough."
As her words fell,
her body suddenly began to convulse violently. She curled up on the ground, spasms wracking her entire form.
The pain was unbearable—
as though her soul were being carved apart by a thousand blades.
Li Zhexian bent down.
Immortal wine flowed from the Wine Martial Soul and was guided between her lips.
"The separation of good and evil is, at its core, a wound that tears the soul apart."
"This pain will accompany you for the rest of your life. There is no cure."
Bibi Dong gave a tragic smile, tears mixed with threads of blood.
"In that case… so be it…"
"Let this pain mark the beginning of my atonement."
"Li Zhexian, thank you. From this day forward, I will walk the mortal world, using what remains of my life to redeem my sins."
Li Zhexian frowned slightly.
"Though your godhood is shattered, it may not be impossible to condense it again."
She gently shook her head.
Her gaze was sorrowful, yet resolute.
"I am willing to use my remaining life as steps, to measure the suffering of the world."
"When the tears of all living beings have finally run dry—only then will my atonement be complete."
"In the years to come, I hope you and Xue'er walk hand in hand. If one day we meet again in the rivers and lakes of this world, I hope you might still be willing… to call me an old acquaintance."
She slowly stood.
Her tattered divine robes fluttered in the wind, as though shedding all former glory.
"From this day onward—"
"There is no longer a Pope named Bibi Dong in this world."
"There remains only… one who seeks redemption."
...
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