Chapter 20 – Bibi Dong: Those Who Betray Me… Deserve to Die!
Spirit Hall.
Inside the vast, dimly lit Pope's Hall, several black-robed figures stood in silence.
Each of them kept their heads bowed low, hardly daring to breathe. One wrong word, one misplaced movement—could easily cost them their heads.
At the top of the grand dais sat a woman whose very presence seemed to command the air itself.
Though she wasn't tall, her aura was chilling—cold, sharp, and filled with the kind of authority that made hearts tremble.
This woman was none other than Bibi Dong, the current Pope of the Spirit Hall.
Despite the passage of time, age had left no trace upon her flawless face. Her skin was porcelain-white, her beauty almost divine—yet there was an unapproachable sharpness in her eyes that reminded everyone just who she was.
"Still no news of the two of them?"
Bibi Dong's voice echoed across the empty hall, every syllable carrying a suffocating pressure that made the black-robed men break out in cold sweat.
For the past month, she had been in seclusion, focused solely on her cultivation. Upon emerging, she learned that Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo had vanished without a word.
It was Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan who first spread the rumor—that Ghost and Yue Guan had joined forces to slay a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, one that had taken human form: the Soft Bone Rabbit.
Bibi Dong knew of that rabbit's existence. What she hadn't expected was that her two trusted subordinates would act without her command—killing the creature on their own.
Not only had they wasted the soul ring she'd planned to claim, they had also taken its precious soul bone for themselves.
Her fury was boundless.
Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum had once been loyal followers of the former Pope, Qian Xunji. After his death, they followed Qian Daoliu's orders to assist the new Pope—Bibi Dong herself.
Over the years, they became her most trusted lieutenants—her left and right hands.
And now, they had abandoned her. For a single soul bone.
"Your Holiness," one of the kneeling men spoke cautiously, "our people have searched throughout both empires, but… there's still no trace of the two elders."
"A bunch of useless trash!" Bibi Dong's cold eyes flashed with killing intent. "Send more men! Turn the continent upside down if you have to—I refuse to believe they can hide forever!"
"Y-yes, Your Holiness!"
"Leave me. And summon Ling Yuan."
"As you command!"
The men bowed deeply before retreating from the hall as if escaping from death itself.
Moments later, a petite woman with sharp eyes and short, fiery red hair entered. Her features were delicate, her aura fierce. Though she appeared young, the soul power surging within her body was that of a Title Douluo.
Her martial soul—Flame Kite.
Her rank—Level 92 Attack-Type Title Douluo.
"Greetings, Your Holiness," she said, bowing respectfully.
"No need for formalities," Bibi Dong said evenly. "I called you here to personally investigate the whereabouts of Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo."
She knew Ling Yuan Douluo was on friendly terms with the two men—if anyone could uncover their trail, it was her.
"If you find them, persuade them to return. For the sake of their years of service, I will forgive their transgression. I'll act as though none of this ever happened."
"Yes, Your Holiness."
"Go."
Ling Yuan bowed once more and quietly withdrew.
As her footsteps faded into the distance, a wicked smile curved Bibi Dong's lips.
"Ghost… Yue Guan…" she murmured, her tone dripping with venom. "You've truly grown bold."
"I treated you with trust and favor, yet you betrayed me for a mere soul bone?"
Her eyes turned crimson with rage.
"Those who betray me…" Her voice was a whisper of death itself. "No one escapes their fate. All of them… must die."
A heavy silence filled the Pope's Hall, the oppressive aura of her killing intent lingering long after her words faded.
---
Heaven Dou City.
After Shrek Academy was destroyed, Yu Xiaogang and Flender led the teachers and students to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Originally, at Qin Ming's invitation, Flender had planned to visit Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. But fate had other plans — he unexpectedly ran into Liu Erlong in the city.
Once upon a time, Liu Erlong, Flender, and Yu Xiaogang roamed the Douluo Continent together as the Golden Iron Triangle. Their bond ran deep.
However, their trio eventually broke apart—all because of the forbidden affair between Liu Erlong and Yu Xiaogang.
When Liu Erlong learned that Shrek Academy had been destroyed, she invited Flender and the others to join her Blue Tyrant Academy. She even offered to rename her academy in Shrek's honor.
Flender gratefully accepted the offer, leading everyone to settle in Heaven Dou City.
True to her word, Liu Erlong changed the academy's name back to Shrek Academy.
Now, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Oscar, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong were all cultivating at the new Shrek Academy—waiting for Tang San's return.
That day, Ning Fengzhi arrived to visit his daughter Ning Rongrong and took the opportunity to speak with Yu Xiaogang.
"Master, my people have finished the investigation," Ning Fengzhi reported calmly.
"The matter of Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo hunting Xiao Wu—the Pope was unaware of it. She has been in secluded cultivation all this time. As soon as she emerged, she sent people to track down those two."
Yu Xiaogang nodded slightly.
"Just as I suspected. Then she probably still doesn't know Xiao San's true identity?"
"Correct," Ning Fengzhi replied. "I only spread news about Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo killing Xiao Wu. As for the reappearance of the Clear Sky Douluo and Tang San's true identity—they shouldn't know. Unless, of course, Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo told her themselves."
Yu Xiaogang's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Their actions are strange. It's as if they already knew who Tang San was—and that the Clear Sky Douluo was secretly guarding him—yet they chose not to report it to Bibi Dong."
"Indeed. That's exactly what puzzles me, too," Ning Fengzhi agreed.
Yu Xiaogang fell silent for a moment, thoughts drifting toward Tang San.
Where was he now? Was he safe?
"Sect Master Ning, have you received any word from Xiao San?"
Ning Fengzhi shook his head.
"Not yet. But don't worry, Master. Tang San is with the Clear Sky Douluo—nothing will happen to him."
Yu Xiaogang nodded slowly.
"Even if Tang Hao is injured, Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo could never hope to defeat him."
To Yu Xiaogang, Tang Hao had always been an idol—the embodiment of what a true soul master should be.
He firmly believed that the only reason Tang Hao was forced back that day was because he'd been protecting Tang San and Xiao Wu.
Though he didn't know where Tang San had gone, Yu Xiaogang had a strong premonition—when Tang San returned, his strength would have grown immensely.
With Tang Hao personally guiding him, Tang San would surely master even more powerful techniques of the Clear Sky Hammer.
---
Clang!
A sharp metallic ring pierced the air.
A hundred meters away, a massive boulder split cleanly in two—the cut surface gleaming as smoothly as a mirror.
Seeing this, Yue Guan's eyes widened with awe.
"Old Ghost, your self-created soul skill is finally complete! Its power is incredible!"
Ghost Douluo smiled faintly and withdrew his soul power. The black longsword in his hand dissolved into nothingness, vanishing without a trace.
After absorbing the soul ring of the Demon Soul Great White Shark King, the two had been on their way back to Sea God City. Along the journey, they stopped to rest on a secluded island, its serene beauty perfect for cultivation.
While stabilizing their soul power, Ghost Douluo had been developing a new technique.
His hundred-thousand-year-old left arm bone had transformed into the Nether Soul-Slaying Sword, brimming with immense soul power.
By compressing this energy to its limits, he sought to unleash a strike of pure, devastating speed.
Thus was born his new technique—"Path of the Yellow Springs."
The hallmark of Path of the Yellow Springs was simple—fast, precise, and lethal.
When activated, the user compressed spirit power into a razor-thin blade of energy, thinner than a cicada's wing. With explosive release, it could sever even the strongest defenses in an instant—a true death strike.
"Old Chrysanthemum," Ghost Douluo said quietly, sheathing the air where his blade had vanished.
"It's been a full year since we left Spirit Hall. I can only imagine how much has changed in the outside world. Bibi Dong must have people scouring the continent for us. It's time we returned."
—
End of Chapter