Guided by Fire Meow Meow's keen sense of smell, the group exited Sunset Forest, tracking the faint lingering aura of the immortal herbs and spirit treasures once hidden within the sanctuary.
With great effort, it continued sensing the trail—sometimes crossing mountains, other times wading through rivers. The group had no idea where they were ultimately headed, following it step by step without complaint.
Meanwhile, Aether and Bibi Dong had also departed from Soto City, heading toward Spirit Hall City.
At first, Aether had suggested scouting out Spirit Hall City ahead of time. After all, the word danger mentioned in Qian Renxue's letter was not to be taken lightly.
But Bibi Dong's mindset had changed dramatically. Compared to the well-being of her daughter, the Spirit Hall itself meant little.
She firmly insisted on accompanying Aether, and as they continued along their path, they eventually realized that their destination truly was Spirit Hall City.
"It seems Qian Renxue really did head toward Spirit City. If nothing unexpected occurred, she's probably within the Spirit Hall by now."
On the official road, Aether glanced at Bibi Dong, who still wore a worried frown, and voiced his thoughts aloud.
"This is indeed the direction of Spirit City."
Bibi Dong nodded slightly, though her concern did not lessen.
As for the mysterious group that had pursued her for days, they had vanished. Whether she had successfully shaken them off or they had withdrawn due to the appearance of this powerful figure beside her, she couldn't say.
Ever since leaving Soto City, she had remained extremely vigilant—but those enemies had seemingly disappeared without a trace.
According to the Lord beside her, the people from Sea God Island had emerged on the continent with some unknown but likely powerful motive.
She had originally hoped to capture one of them and extract the truth, but now it seemed they had no choice but to find Xue'er first, return to Spirit Hall City, and then issue their commands from there.
Bibi Dong wasn't worried about them vanishing forever. As long as they remained somewhere on this continent, she had absolute confidence in her information network.
After all, Spirit Hall had spent years building an intelligence web that spanned the entire continent. Rooting them out was only a matter of time.
As for the crisis Renxue had mentioned in her letter—Bibi Dong suspected that too was connected to the sudden appearance of these unknown Title Douluo.
Her thoughts turned, and she looked to the man beside her.
"Your Excellency, do you know why those Title Douluo from Sea God Island have suddenly come to this land?"
"…I'm not sure."
Aether shook his head lightly at her question.
To be honest, the current events had already diverged entirely from the fragmented memories he retained.
Qian Renxue had exposed herself far earlier than she should have, and the Seven Pillars of Sea God Island had appeared without warning—this upheaval made one thing clear to him:
His arrival had already begun to disrupt the entire fabric of this world.
What happened next might be completely beyond his expectations.
"Even Your Excellency doesn't know…" Bibi Dong murmured in a heavy tone.
She had always thought this mysterious powerhouse was omniscient. Yet, upon seeing even him reveal a puzzled expression, she suddenly realized—there were things even he didn't know.
Strangely, that made her feel closer to him.
She didn't know why such a feeling had arisen, but she didn't resist it.
"Mhm. So be prepared for anything."
Aether didn't dwell on it and simply reminded her:
"I have a feeling… these people mean trouble."
"Yes." Bibi Dong nodded solemnly.
Compared to the fixed destiny in the future Aether had once spoken of, she now preferred this uncertain tomorrow.
Because in that ending, she and her daughter had met a miserable fate—but things were different now.
It was as if some invisible force was quietly rewriting everything.
Whether it was good or bad remained to be seen, but she was now firmly resolved—believing that their fate could be changed.
They didn't talk much along the way, hurrying to save time. Occasionally, Bibi Dong would ask Aether seemingly idle questions, hoping to understand more about the mysterious man beside her.
Since they were harmless, Aether didn't stop Paimon from chattering incessantly and answering in his place.
Mao Mao, on the other hand, was utterly bewildered.
He had never imagined that the man he randomly encountered had such a grand background.
Even his own spirit, the Dull Blade, didn't belong to this land—it originated from another world the flying sprite spoke of…
In just two days, the four of them arrived at the gates of Spirit City.
"Traveler, there are so many guards here!"
Paimon pointed at the armored patrol squads stationed at the gates, astonished.
Normally, Spirit City wasn't as crowded as other cities, but today, the entrance was swarming with soldiers.
There were fewer passersby than stationed troops.
"Maybe… they've received some kind of warning," Bibi Dong mused, noting how security had tightened significantly.
"Your Holiness the Pope!"
As they approached the checkpoint, the guard on duty initially stepped forward to question them. But the moment he saw the tall, imposing woman behind the young man, his eyes widened in shock.
Who else could it be but the Pope herself?
Startled, he immediately bowed low in respect. The other guards followed suit in a hurry.
"Have there been any incidents lately?"
Bibi Dong always exuded icy majesty before outsiders. She parted her lips, her tone cool and sharp.
"Reporting, Your Holiness—nothing unusual has occurred."
The guard responded quickly.
Seeing this, Bibi Dong said no more. Instead, she turned to the young man before her, cupping her hands respectfully.
"Your Excellency, let us enter."
"Alright."
Aether nodded, and the four entered Spirit Hall City in sequence.
"Hey… that boy walking in front of Her Holiness looks familiar."
"Yeah, and Her Holiness seemed… deferential toward him? Who is he?"
As the group disappeared into the city, the guards began whispering among themselves.
"Enough gossip! Did the Pope give any orders?"
At that moment, the squad leader hurried over, sounding concerned.
"No, sir—Her Holiness gave no orders," one of the guards replied.
"Then stay sharp," the captain barked.
"Yes, sir!"
After responding in unison, one of them couldn't help asking with a cheeky grin:
"Captain, do you know who that boy was?"
"I said stop gossiping! That person's identity is way above our pay grade. Watch your mouth, or you'll be in deep trouble!"
The captain shot him a sharp glare, then added in a hushed, frustrated tone:
"That was the Traveler. The Traveler! You keep hanging around Drunken Flower Pavilion after your shifts, and now you don't even recognize the Traveler…"
He spat angrily and walked away.
"That was the Traveler?! No wonder Her Holiness followed behind him…"
The guards widened their eyes, straining to catch another glimpse of Aether.
Until now, they had only heard tales and rumors.
But this time—they had seen the real thing.
_
(CAUGHT UP WITH THE RAWS IN MY PATREON)
Please support my patreon, patreon. com/TravelerDouluo
And get early access to my 80 advance chapters.