Chapter 262: Messenger of the Gods
Dai Yao focused his mind and entered his spiritual world.
Sensing the sudden shift in energy, the purple liquid condensed into the stunning figure of the woman in violet robes, her gaze meeting Dai Yao's with a slight frown.
"Why are you here so early today?" she asked.
"I've got something urgent to deal with. You can stay here; I need to handle this alone." Without further explanation, Dai Yao's gaze shifted quickly past her to the Chaos Lotus, preparing himself to re-enter the zombie world.
As she watched him hastily prepare, a strange emotion stirred within her. In the days they had spent battling side-by-side against the hordes of undead, relying on each other to survive, she had begun to feel a sense of camaraderie—a feeling foreign to a spirit beast like her, who had spent thousands of years in solitude. But Dai Yao's decision to leave her behind shattered this unusual sentiment.
Proud as she was, she had no intention of lingering in such naive emotions. She turned away from Dai Yao with a cold expression, fading from the spiritual realm.
Zombie World
Back in his usual hotel room, Dai Yao glanced out the window, quickly throwing on his black robe, mask, and even swapping out his shoes for straw sandals to erase any trace of his identity.
If Bibi Dong were to recognize him, it could spell disaster.
After all, Bibi Dong was a master of concealment, capable of waiting for years before finally killing Qian Xunji with the precision of a venomous snake. Her mind was as calculating as it was deadly. Although Dai Yao was prepared to help her, he was unwilling to reveal himself fully. Even if he had to expose a sliver of his spirit power to keep himself safe, he was ready to act ruthlessly to ensure his survival.
"Bibi Dong, I hope you aren't too perceptive; otherwise, this could become difficult for me." A glint of cold light flashed in his eyes as he finished preparing.
Without Bibi Dong to shield him, he could perhaps find a place within the Elder Hall under Qian Daoliu's protection, but he risked becoming a so-called "traitor" to his people. Worse still, if Bibi Dong truly disappeared, events might veer off their intended course, and the advantage he held with foreknowledge of the storyline would be lost. Saving Bibi Dong was the best option, if only to keep his advantage intact.
Opening the door, he stepped out into the hallway. The hotel was eerily empty; he and the woman in violet had already cleared it of every last zombie. In the streets, zombies shuffled in small groups, but as the area was a neighborhood for spirit masters, the population—and therefore the zombie count—was relatively low. Combined with their slow speed, avoiding them was hardly a challenge.
Quickly and silently, Dai Yao made his way toward the imposing Pope's Palace. If his guess was correct, Bibi Dong must have entered the Rakshasa God Trial somewhere within the palace. And if this world mirrored the trial's starting point, the palace itself should contain clues.
Following the paths he had mapped from several days of observation, he finally reached the palace grounds, breathing heavily as he caught his breath.
During his ascent, he had used a minor technique, directing a faint wisp of spirit energy to create noise, drawing the majority of zombies away from his path. Now, with only a few scattered zombies left, he was nearly in the clear. In the dim haze of this world, the palace loomed, stripped of its usual grandeur and looking more menacing than magnificent.
"Why aren't there any zombies along the palace path?" he wondered as he ascended. In reality, this path would be heavily guarded with spirit masters stationed at every few steps. If the zombie count here corresponded with the living population, why was it deserted?
Before he could ponder further, a faint sound of zombie growls reached him from the forest. His gaze narrowed.
The trail had been empty, but now, just as he reached the palace, there was suddenly a horde of zombies nearby. Could this mean…?
He adjusted his course, heading toward the source of the growling.
Carefully, he leapt onto the trunk of a nearby tree, his eyes scanning the area until he spotted her: a woman in violet robes, desperately evading a horde of three or four dozen zombies. Her attackers, decayed and snarling, clawed at her viciously, growling with frustration each time she dodged their bites.
In a dire situation like this, even Dai Yao would have had difficulty without using his hidden spirit power. And yet, it was unmistakable—the woman was Bibi Dong.
Dressed in her extravagant gown from earlier that day, adorned with precious gemstones, her usual commanding aura was entirely absent. Her hairpiece and heels had been discarded, replaced by bare, muddy feet that struggled to move across the ground, and the hem of her gown had been hastily torn shorter. Her regal bearing, though marred by dirt and exhaustion, couldn't fully conceal her striking beauty.
But despite her current powerlessness, Dai Yao didn't underestimate her in the slightest.
Unarmed and unable to use spirit power, Bibi Dong wielded stones and sticks with lethal efficiency. Her moves were precise and deadly—though limited by her ordinary body, her skills were those of a hardened warrior. Had her foes been human rather than undead, countless would have already fallen at her feet.
Yet she seemed unaware of the zombies' one crucial weakness, her situation growing increasingly perilous as she continued to fight them without a clear escape. Though she was adept, even Bibi Dong couldn't last long in this world without spirit power.
"Time to step in," Dai Yao muttered to himself, ensuring once more that his disguise was secure before approaching her.
"Damn it!" Bibi Dong cursed under her breath, narrowly avoiding another zombie's snapping jaws before driving a stick into its chest. But the creature seemed unaffected, lunging again with a low growl. She twisted away, her elegant features masked by sweat and grime as she prepared to strike again.
She had once ruled the Slaughter City, surviving countless vicious battles. These zombies' attacks were crude and predictable compared to those of trained warriors. Yet here, her spirit power and martial spirit were entirely sealed, her body reverted to its most basic state. Worse still, the zombies' seemingly unkillable nature was becoming a deadly complication.
She could handle a few, but with so many, even she felt her endurance stretching thin.
As she dashed through the undergrowth, her bare feet scraped against jagged stones, but she barely flinched, her gaze cold and calculating as she considered her next move. Surrounded, but unafraid, her movements grew more ferocious with each passing second.
"These creatures are everywhere, yet this Rakshasa God Trial hasn't given me a single hint as to my purpose here or the challenge I need to overcome," she thought, frustration simmering. "Are these mindless corpses all there is in this cursed world?"
The trial had begun in her palace chambers, but the moment she stepped out, the palace grounds were swarmed with zombies, forcing her to abandon even her scepter in her desperate escape.
Just then, an intense roar split the air, causing the zombies to turn their rotting heads. In the midst of her fight, Bibi Dong froze, sensing something unusual. A masked figure shrouded in a black robe emerged from the shadows, moving swiftly toward her.
Without missing a beat, Dai Yao wove through the zombies, slashing efficiently at their heads, piercing the source of their undeath in each one. His blade cut clean and deep, reducing the horde one by one with calm precision.
Bibi Dong watched, surprised, as her savior methodically cleared a path through the undead. She barely had a moment to process before he was by her side, gesturing for her to follow.
"Who…are you?" she demanded, her voice wary but intrigued.
Dai Yao, his voice muffled through his mask, responded in a calm tone. "A mere messenger of the gods," he replied. "I'll explain later. For now, follow me if you wish to survive."
And with that, the two raced together, the relentless groans of the undead fading as they sprinted toward safety.
Finally, after narrowly escaping the palace, Bibi Dong cut off the parts of her robe that hindered her movements and discarded her heels and the violet-gold crown.
But even with her efforts, she was still discovered by zombies on the path to the Pope's Palace. For the past three days, she had been constantly evading them in the forest, without food or water and haunted by hunger.
Catching her breath, she gathered herself and licked her dry lips as she looked up at the pale sun in the sky with a cold smirk.
"Three days already… I've been trapped here for three days. I wonder how time passes here compared to the real world. If it's one-to-one, I'm sure some of those back at the palace are already growing restless."
"How am I supposed to get back, anyway? Maybe I need to return to the chamber where I started… But with all those undead swarming the Pope's Palace, there's no way I'll get through."
The horde of zombies behind her grew larger, feeding her growing sense of frustration and desperation.
Then, suddenly, the zombies behind her shifted, breaking away in confusion, leaving her with more breathing room.
She paused to catch her breath, glancing back to see a black-robed figure wielding a dagger, efficiently severing a zombie's head before swiftly retreating.
The zombie's body twitched a few times on the ground before finally going still.
Bibi Dong's eyes lit up with newfound clarity—she'd finally discovered the zombies' weakness.
Without knowing how to kill these undead creatures, she had been forced into a dire situation.
At that moment, the robed figure threw something that glinted through the air, embedding itself in a nearby tree. A voice, rough yet clear, called out from within the dark cloak:
"Successor, take the dagger—it's in the head where they're vulnerable. Sever it, and you'll kill them."
"Thank you!" Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes, casting a cautious glance at the stranger. But she quickly turned, pulling the dagger from the tree. With a weapon and newfound knowledge of the zombies' weakness, she felt more capable against her undead pursuers.
What she really wanted to know was who this cloaked person was. How could there be anyone else inside the Rakshasa God Trial?
But, given the circumstances, she knew better than to press further. She had been starving for days, while the stranger seemed brimming with energy. From the way he fought, it was clear his abilities surpassed hers—as she was now, merely human.
Watching Bibi Dong put the dagger to use against the zombies closest to her, Dai Yao nodded approvingly, his eyes flashing with intrigue. She was indeed worthy of her title as the Pope. Once she identified the zombies' weak spot, she adapted her approach with ease.
Dai Yao had planned to disappear after rescuing Bibi Dong, thinking only to protect the balance of power in Spirit Hall. But his respawn point was in Spirit City, dangerously close to her. With her suspicious nature, Bibi Dong would never tolerate an unknown individual in her trial, let alone allow him to roam freely.
Thus, he had devised a bold plan.
Since Bibi Dong knew nothing about this world, nor of his identity, and since Dai Yao knew the original storyline well, he would use this knowledge gap to forge a unique identity for himself.
After taking out a few nearby zombies, Bibi Dong quickly made her way to his position, catching up with him in the forest. Her gaze scrutinized him, from his black cloak down to the mask obscuring his face. Frowning, she asked,
"Who exactly are you, and why did you save me?"
Under her scrutinizing gaze, Dai Yao moved carefully, his tone devoid of emotion.
"Successor, I am the Messenger of the Rakshasa God."
"Messenger of the Gods?"
"Yes. When you began the Divine Trial, did you hear the voice of the god explaining its purpose?" he asked, his words carefully crafted and robotic.
Bibi Dong's thoughts raced as she considered his question. She couldn't be sure if this robed figure was testing her, but then again—this was a divine trial. How could an intruder have entered? So, she answered truthfully, "No."
The robed man continued, "I thought as much. The god has fallen, unable to convey the trial's details to you, so I was summoned to guide you through it."
"Follow me," he commanded.
Dai Yao led her back to the site where he had just dispatched the zombie. Now that they had left, the remaining zombies were also dispersing. Pointing to the zombie's severed head on the ground, he said coldly,
"Successor, extract the crystal from its skull."
"Crystal? Inside its head?" Bibi Dong asked, frowning with confusion. But she complied, and when she drew out a crystal that pulsed with a faint red glow, the energy within made her eyes brighten with fascination.
"What is this?" she asked, eyeing the crystal intently.
"Successor, this is both the objective and the reward of the first trial. You'll need to absorb the crystal's energy before I can tell you more," Dai Yao replied with feigned formality.
After he'd absorbed his first crystal, the trial's instructions had immediately echoed in his mind. His whole plan hinged on Bibi Dong's inability to hear the instructions herself.
Bibi Dong gazed at the crystal for a long moment, her suspicions lingering, but finally sat down and began absorbing it. Though the cloaked figure's words seemed flawless, something inside her sensed deception. No concrete reason—just intuition.
In mere minutes, she absorbed the crystal's energy and was shocked to find that her stagnant spirit power had surged. For her, a Titled Douluo, each level's advancement demanded years, even decades, of grueling effort.
But with a large enough supply of these crystals, she could feasibly advance multiple levels in a short period, perhaps even attain the strength of a peerless Douluo.
"Successor, now that you've absorbed the crystal, do you know the trial's objective?" Dai Yao inquired as he moved closer, his voice steady.
Bibi Dong frowned, "No. Why haven't I received any instructions?"
Dai Yao scrutinized her expression, attempting to gauge her honesty. While Bibi Dong's scheming mind worried him, he replied calmly,
"The god's death means that even opening the Divine Trial was a miracle; not knowing the trial's details is to be expected."
"Discovering the crystals is one part of the trial. Since you still haven't received instructions after absorbing the crystal, it means the trial's difficulty is raised."
"If you had received instructions, your trial would be to kill ten thousand zombies and collect their crystals within three years. But since you haven't, your task is doubled. In three years, you must slay twenty thousand zombies and gather their crystals. You may keep half of them, but the other half will be used to restore the god's strength."
Dai Yao's mind raced, hoping his plan was holding up. Even if Bibi Dong saw through his ruse, he had prepared a fallback explanation. As for the ten thousand crystals he'd mentioned, he had no intention of giving them to anyone—he would pocket them himself.
Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes in thought. She had killed just two zombies today, yet it had drained her of strength. To complete twenty thousand in three years, averaging twenty per day, would be no easy feat.
Yet the nagging sense of something amiss persisted.
After considering it, she smiled lightly.
"God's Messenger, I've been in this world for three days now and am utterly exhausted. How might I return to rest? Once I recover, I'll resume the trial."
Despite her smile, she was inwardly sneering. She wasn't about to accept this mysterious figure's claims without further testing. If she managed to stabilize the internal conflicts within Spirit Hall, she would return and put him to the test. Should she succeed, she would have no qualms about killing him. And if she failed, the punishment would be insignificant.
Ever since she had first entered the hidden chamber, Bibi Dong had braced herself to go to any extreme necessary.
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