Chapter 145: Spirit City, Supreme Pontiff Palace!
The next morning.
At the break of dawn, after Lin Mo had handled everything, he and Dugu Bo arrived outside the manor and met Yue Guan, who had already been waiting there for a long time.
Yue Guan was still dressed in white. Upon seeing Lin Mo come out, he nodded slightly.
"Since everything is ready, let us set off."
Dugu Bo walked to Lin Mo's side and whispered, "Kid, relax. With me here, I won't let you suffer any losses."
Lin Mo nodded. "Thank you, Senior."
The three did not say anything more. They immediately left Dugu Manor, exited Heaven Dou City, and headed toward Spirit City.
As Titled Douluos, Yue Guan and Dugu Bo were naturally extremely fast, but Lin Mo was, after all, only a Spirit King.
Even with two Titled Douluos accompanying him, considering Lin Mo's endurance, their travel speed was much slower than when the two of them traveled alone.
Traveling this way, they naturally arrived much later than Qian Renxue, who had set off one step earlier.
Two days later, Spirit City.
Spirit City was not quadrilateral like an ordinary city, but hexagonal.
The city walls were extremely majestic, eighty meters tall and over thirty meters thick.
The soldiers patrolling the walls wore Spirit Hall's standard uniforms. Their auras were steady, clearly indicating that they were all Spirit Masters.
After entering the city, the streets were wide and clean, with the buildings on both sides arranged in an orderly fashion.
Dugu Bo looked around, his eyes carrying a trace of emotion.
"It's been a few years since I've been here."
Speaking to this point, he raised his hand and pointed toward the center of the city.
"Do you see those two buildings?"
Lin Mo looked in the direction he was pointing.
At the center of Spirit City, there were two particularly eye-catching buildings.
The most magnificent one stood on the hillside. It was a column-style domed building, and its outer layer was covered with a special golden material.
The other building was located at the top of the hill. It was smaller in scale than the Supreme Pontiff Palace. The two structures were somewhat similar, but the latter was white and jade-like on the outside, far less conspicuous than the Supreme Pontiff Palace.
"That golden one is the Supreme Pontiff Palace, which is the goal of our trip," Dugu Bo said. "The smaller white building above it is the Douluo Hall."
Speaking of this, Dugu Bo's voice carried a hint of nostalgia.
"The Douluo Hall is the place where Titled Douluos receive their titles."
"Back when I reached Rank 90, I also came here to receive the title Poison."
Lin Mo listened quietly.
"The Supreme Pontiff Palace and the Douluo Hall have different functions," Dugu Bo continued. "The Supreme Pontiff Palace is where Spirit Hall handles daily affairs and issues orders."
"As for the Douluo Hall, it holds more symbolic significance. It enshrines the spirit tablets of deceased Titled Douluos."
"However, within the Supreme Pontiff Palace, there is also an Elder Palace. The members of the Elder Palace are all Titled Douluos with cultivation of Rank 90 or above."
Speaking to this point, Dugu Bo suddenly patted Lin Mo's shoulder, his tone serious.
"Kid, your talent is extraordinary. In the future, you will certainly have the opportunity to step into the Douluo Hall."
Before Lin Mo could speak, Yue Guan, who stood to the side, was clearly getting impatient.
"Old Poison, it won't be too late to talk about these old stories later."
"His Majesty the Supreme Pontiff has been waiting in the palace for a long time. Do not keep His Majesty waiting."
Dugu Bo glanced at him and snorted, but he did not say anything more.
The three quickened their pace and walked toward the Supreme Pontiff Palace.
Yue Guan led the two of them straight to the main hall.
Guards in golden armor stood on both sides of the hall doors. Upon seeing Yue Guan, they bowed in unison, then pushed open the heavy palace doors.
The deliberation hall was bright.
The high dome was inlaid with colored glass, and sunlight shone through it, casting colorful shadows across the ground.
At the end of the hall was a wide Supreme Pontiff throne.
At this moment, a woman was sitting on the throne.
She wore a luxurious black robe with gold patterns, a nine-curved purple gold crown on her head, and held a scepter inlaid with gemstones.
It was the current Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong.
Standing beside her was a figure in black.
That person was completely shrouded in a black robe. Their face could not be distinguished, and only a pair of deep eyes was visible.
It was Ghost Douluo, Gui Mei.
But what surprised Lin Mo slightly was that aside from them, there were two other people in the hall at this time.
One had golden hair and golden eyes, with a stunningly beautiful face. It was Qian Renxue, whom he had met once before.
However, at this moment, she was not disguised as Xue Qinghe. She appeared in her original form, wearing a simple white and gold dress, her temperament noble and refined.
The other person was an old man with white hair and beard, whose exact age could not be determined. He wore a golden robe embroidered with intricate patterns in silver thread.
Lin Mo's heart stirred slightly.
The meaning of the golden robe in Spirit Hall had already been explained to him by Dugu Bo during their journey. This was attire that only enshrined Douluos in the Elder Palace with cultivation of Rank 95 or above could wear.
He had not expected Qian Renxue to appear in person, and in her true form at that. Nor had he expected another enshrined Douluo to be present.
Yue Guan stepped forward and bowed.
"Your Majesty, Lin Mo has been brought here."
After speaking, he turned to the old man in the golden robe and said respectfully, "Second Enshrined."
Hearing Yue Guan's address, Lin Mo immediately recognized the identity of this old man in the golden robe.
The Second Enshrined, Gold Crocodile Douluo.
Rank 98 cultivation, possessing the top-tier Beast Spirit, Golden Crocodile King. Among the enshrined of Spirit Hall, his status was second only to High Priest Qian Daoliu.
Gold Crocodile Douluo nodded slightly, but his gaze remained fixed on Lin Mo.
Bibi Dong's gaze also turned toward Lin Mo. Her expression was very calm.
Just then, Qian Renxue suddenly chuckled.
She took two steps forward, came before Lin Mo, and with a playful smile in her golden eyes, said, "What's the matter? It hasn't been that long, and you already don't recognize me?"
Her voice was crisp, with a hint of teasing.
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present was somewhat surprised.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei looked at each other, confusion flashing in their eyes.
Dugu Bo frowned even more. He looked at Lin Mo and asked in a low voice, "When did you meet her, kid?"
Lin Mo's thoughts raced, but he put on an appropriately embarrassed expression.
He looked at Qian Renxue, coughed lightly, and said, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Lin Mo, twelve years old, a student of Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
"Sister Xue, long time no see."
The smile on Qian Renxue's face deepened, but a dangerous glint flashed in her golden eyes.
"Aren't you eighteen years old and named Mo Ling?"
Her tone carried a hint of gritted teeth.
Lin Mo scratched his head, his expression calm.
"When traveling through Jianghu and away from home, one gives oneself another identity. One must always be prepared."
He said this righteously, without blushing or showing the slightest guilt.
Qian Renxue stared at him for a moment, then suddenly chuckled.
"Fine. I won't hold it against you this time."
The conversation between the two caused the atmosphere in the hall to suddenly become subtle.
Dugu Bo leaned toward Lin Mo's ear and asked in a low voice, "When exactly did you meet her? Why don't I know about it?"
Lin Mo replied calmly, "I met her the last time I was hunting for a spirit ring in the Star Dou Great Forest."
"This Sister Xue is a very kind person. She even let me have a thirty thousand year Sun Worm King Spirit Beast."
"It was the Spirit Beast that provided my fifth spirit ring."
Hearing this, Dugu Bo nodded thoughtfully.
He had not expected Lin Mo to have such an encounter.
Although he did not know the girl's specific identity, judging from the scene, her status in Spirit Hall was definitely extremely high.
Thinking of this, Dugu Bo felt slightly relieved.
This meant that the risk of Lin Mo's trip would be much smaller.
Gold Crocodile Douluo's gaze remained on Lin Mo, but he stayed calm and did not speak.
Yue Guan coughed lightly, breaking the brief silence.
He turned to Lin Mo and reminded him, "Lin Mo, this is His Majesty the Supreme Pontiff."
Lin Mo understood. He stepped forward and bowed.
"Junior Lin Mo greets Your Majesty the Supreme Pontiff."
Bibi Dong nodded slightly, her voice calm.
"No need for formalities."
She examined Lin Mo, her gaze lingering on him for a moment before she slowly spoke.
"Lin Mo, I had Yue Guan invite you here this time because I have something to ask."
Lin Mo looked up and met her gaze. "Please speak, Your Majesty."
Bibi Dong held her scepter and slowly stood up from the throne, looking down at Lin Mo.
"You are only twelve years old, yet you have already broken through to the Spirit King Realm, and your fourth spirit ring is already ten thousand years old. Such cultivation speed is unprecedented in the history of the continent."
She paused, her tone becoming serious.
"I want to know the reason why you can cultivate so quickly."
"If it is a replicable method, then it will be of great help to all Spirit Masters in the world."
"At that time, you will not only have performed a great service for Spirit Hall, but you will also go down in history and be admired by future generations of Spirit Masters for all eternity."
These words were exceptionally high-sounding and full of righteousness.
Hearing this, Lin Mo fell silent for a moment.
In Bibi Dong's extremely beautiful rhetoric, he could hear a trace of hypocrisy and insincerity.
If Bibi Dong's purpose was truly that simple, why would she have Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan personally make the trip to Heaven Dou City and "invite" him here with such a forceful attitude?
.....
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