"Damn it!"
Bi Bi Dong couldn't help but curse in her heart.
She couldn't accept it.
How could she possibly have such thoughts?
Even if she was truly dying of thirst!
At the very least, she should wait a while, wait for him to grow a little older, a little bigger…
"..."
Suddenly, Bi Bi Dong's pupils trembled slightly, as if she had thought of something.
A demonic whisper echoed in her heart.
Why not cultivate feelings now, and then pluck the fruit when the time is right?
At this thought, Bi Bi Dong's heart pounded wildly!
Once that line of thought opened up, even the master-disciple relationship no longer seemed to be a problem.
At worst…
Before she sat down on him, she could just expel that wretched boy from her tutelage, couldn't she?
"!!!"
Just the thought of it made Bi Bi Dong's heart surge with excitement.
A blush couldn't help but creep onto her noble face.
But when she recalled Ye Tian's words—"repaying kindness with enmity"—the heat in her heart instantly vanished like smoke, replaced by a sense of self-pity.
"What am I even thinking?"
Bi Bi Dong laughed mockingly, the disappointment in her eyes hard to conceal.
She was afraid—afraid that Ye Tian, knowing the truth, would grow to despise her. Until she was certain of his attitude, she could only maintain a semblance of normalcy.
For now, she suppressed that impulse.
The hatred in Bi Bi Dong's heart swelled even more!
"You damn waste, just you wait. You'll be utterly alone and your reputation in ruins!"
"I will make you suffer even more than I have."
In the bathroom, Bi Bi Dong's whisper was filled with hatred, almost as if she couldn't wait.
Soon, Bi Bi Dong temporarily composed those emotions.
She began to ponder how to secure her position as Pope.
However, once a line of thought is opened, it's not so easy to close it again.
Who could resist trying out such a thrillingly wicked idea?
It was only a matter of time!
Halfway up the mountain, in the Papal Hall.
Orders from Demon-Abasing and Demon-Subduing Douluo were continuously and secretly dispatched to various locations.
The entire Spirit Hall City had invisibly transformed into a tightly-run war machine.
The Pope was dead. With a matter so grave, no one dared to engage in any duplicity or feign compliance—that would be courting death!
Demon-Abasing Douluo's idea was also very simple.
Speed is paramount in war!
Before the news of the Pope's death spread, he had to gather as much power as possible, as close to the enemy's territory as possible.
A blitzkrieg on the Clear Sky School!
To catch them completely off guard!
Spirit Hall, a behemoth composed entirely of Soul Masters.
Once mobilized, even without the rigorous training of a regular army, their efficiency in all aspects far surpassed that of an army several times over!
Under a direct, unyielding order, in just one hour, Spirit Hall—which had suffered heavy losses after the disastrous defeat of the Pope's Soul Hunt—once again assembled an advance force comparable to the one from the last hunt.
Led by the Seventh Elder, Demon-Subduing Douluo, and assisted by Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, they took eight Red Cardinals and a number of Papal Hall Guardian Knights, and secretly left Spirit Hall City in three separate groups.
Before noon, Qian Daoliu finally drafted the obituary and had Azure Luan deliver it down from the mountain peak.
With that, the news that the Spirit Hall Pope had been gravely injured by Tang Hao and died from his wounds exploded out of Spirit Hall City!
Like a ferocious typhoon, it spread across the entire Soul Master Realm with devastating force.
But it took time for the news to travel.
By the time the scouts from the Clear Sky School's Agility Clan received the message and sent it back, Demon-Subduing Douluo's Coiling Dragon Staff avatar, a colossal presence that seemed to touch the heavens, was already pressing down on the Clear Sky School's territory, the cries of battle echoing endlessly.
The Four Single-Attribute Clans, situated on the periphery and largely unprepared, were caught completely off guard, scrambling to organize a counterattack amidst the chaos.
The Clear Sky School, however, which had long been prepared, did not immediately send reinforcements. Instead, they quickly set up a defensive line behind the Four Single-Attribute Clans, only then ordering them to retreat and consolidate their forces to jointly resist Spirit Hall.
The news that Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky School were at war once again swept through the Soul Master Realm.
As this was Spirit Hall's war of revenge, no one dared to step out at this time to obstruct their actions.
Everyone was watching to see how the situation would develop.
The other two of the Three Upper Sects, despite their alliance, did not dare to make a rash move or even breathe a word out of place.
Faced with Spirit Hall's demand to hand over Tang Hao within three days, the Clear Sky School was helpless. They had long since lost contact with Tang Hao. The old Sect Master had no choice but to personally issue an order, commanding Tang Hao to return to the school.
But his order would obviously have no effect.
The clamor from the outside world did not reach Spirit Hall City.
Inside the Hall of Worship, beneath the Angel Statue, a luxurious coffin had already been placed.
Qian Daoliu, having kept Qian Renxue in the dark, had placed Qian Xunji's body inside and was now bending over to make the final arrangements.
"Big Brother, Little Ji's injuries... how could this be?!"
Lionheart Douluo's eyes were wide as saucers.
From Qian Xunji's wounds, he had already sensed that things were not as they seemed.
His complexion was clearly that of someone who had been poisoned!
The shriveled flesh on his body was also clearly devoured by means similar to those of a Fallen.
Most importantly, the wounds on Qian Xunji's body didn't look like they were made by a hammer at all.
Instead, they looked as if they were caused by some sharp object, repeatedly lashing him!
"Lionheart!"
Jin E grabbed Lionheart Douluo's shoulder, stopping him from saying more.
Lionheart Douluo froze for a moment.
Even as dense as he was, he could already discern a piece of the truth.
His expression changed slightly, and he immediately fell silent.
No wonder…
No wonder the Grand Elder had sent Little Xue away before placing the Pope in the coffin.
Anyone with eyes could see the strangeness of it all!
Qian Daoliu said nothing, silently smoothing out the clothes on Qian Xunji's body.
"Where is Little Xue?" Qian Daoliu asked as he stood up, a heavy, aged aura about him.
"I had that lass Yue'er accompany her back to her residence just now," Jin E replied softly.
"Big Brother! Just now when I was delivering things down the mountain, that lass Yue'er was running downhill, looking like she was heading for Wisteria Residence," Azure Luan called out from outside the grand hall.
"Let her go. Perhaps that child can make Little Xue feel a little better..." Qian Daoliu took a deep breath, clenching his fists.
"Big Brother, are you talking about that boy, Ye Tian?" Jin E asked, a conflicted look on his face. He still said, "In this situation, should we bring that child to the Hall of Worship? After all, he alone could be the foundation and bedrock of a power."
"There's no need."
Qian Daoliu shook his head.
He knew Jin E's concerns. Ye Tian was indeed very important, but he had already decided to let Bi Bi Dong succeed as Pope.
There was no need to create further complications.
As long as Ye Tian still belonged to his Spirit Hall, that was enough!
"..."
Jin E said no more.
In Wisteria Residence.
Hu Liena sat alone in the main hall, lying on the sofa and reading a book.
She held a pen between her pouting lips.
Her bare feet dangled and swayed, occasionally glancing towards Ye Tian and Bi Bi Dong's room.
She didn't know what was going on today.
She had made breakfast, but neither her Teacher nor her Senior Brother had come out to enjoy it.
She wondered if Teacher was being partial again.
Maybe she brought back something delicious last night and stuffed it into Senior Brother's mouth.
Hu Liena didn't know…
Her guess was actually quite close.
Bi Bi Dong had indeed stuffed something delicious into Ye Tian's mouth—something wet and slippery.
But Ye Tian couldn't stomach it and even bit her back.
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