"Yue Guan, you may leave."
"Yes, Your Holiness."
Yue Guan quickly stood, turned around, and headed out of the hall. As he passed Xu Yang, the corners of his mouth curled into a mocking smile before he disappeared with a flash.
Xu Yang immediately felt a sense of unease at that smile.
Leaning back in her throne and crossing one leg over the other, Bibi Dong smiled softly. "Xu Yang, ever since your third spirit ring was a ten-thousand-year ring, I've been hearing a lot about you. The number one of the younger generation on the continent, the most brilliant spirit tool researcher of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan... And more recently, reports have noted that you've been studying ways to break through the Titled Douluo bottleneck.
"To be honest, you've truly piqued my interest. Nearly all of the recent changes in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan stem from you.
"Before you appeared, I never believed that Ning Fengzhi could lead the sect to its current heights—let alone continue expanding. Tell me, how exactly did you manage this?"
Her words made Xu Yang's pupils narrow. He had assumed Bibi Dong was only paying attention to his talent in cultivation, but it turned out she had also noticed the internal transformation of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan—and suspected it was his doing.
The changes in the sect over the past few years were indeed apparent to every major power, particularly in overall strength and spirit tool development. Their collective strength had tripled since Xu Yang joined. Meanwhile, utility-type spirit tools were becoming widespread throughout Seven Treasure City.
Because the city wasn't closed off to outside forces, the sect's research into spirit tools wasn't exactly a secret. Other factions had tried to imitate them, but their craftsmanship was crude—barely able to produce third-grade tools.
Even Spirit Hall, with its ancient legacy, could only manufacture a small number of spirit tools. It couldn't hold a candle to what the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had achieved.
All of this information came from the sect's intelligence network. Xu Yang couldn't be entirely sure how much of it was true or if the other powers were hiding something.
Seeing his reaction, Bibi Dong chuckled. She knew her guess was right—this youth had single-handedly transformed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. That meant he wasn't just a cultivation genius, but a once-in-a-generation polymath.
And recalling Qian Renxue's interest in him, Bibi Dong's desire to recruit him only deepened.
By now, Xu Yang had also realized she was trying to bait him. His eyes narrowed coldly. "So, Your Holiness, what exactly are you after?"
Smiling faintly, Bibi Dong rose to her feet and extended her right hand solemnly. "Xu Yang, leave the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and join Spirit Hall. If you agree, I'll grant you a position second only to me. You'll be named Holy Son of Spirit Hall—candidate for the next Supreme Pontiff."
"Hah!"
Xu Yang looked stunned for a moment, then laughed mockingly. "Your Holiness, don't you find that a bit ridiculous? To ordinary Spirit Masters and commoners, perhaps the position of Supreme Pontiff is the highest under heaven. But those of us from the Upper Three Sects know very well—above the Supreme Pontiff stands the Worship Hall. 'Second only to one'? Isn't that a joke?!"
"Even you yourself aren't truly the one at the top of Spirit Hall. Why would I leave a stable future inheriting the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan to take up that farce of a mantle in Spirit Hall?!"
"Do you really believe the Supreme Pontiff is decided solely by you? The true foundation of Spirit Hall for over ten thousand years has always been the Seraphim lineage. You only got the seat because the next Seraphim Spirit Master hasn't matured yet!"
Xu Yang understood this part well. Qian Daoliu had long withdrawn from secular affairs to focus on serving the Angel God. Qian Xunji had been killed by Bibi Dong, and Qian Renxue, still a child at the time, lacked the strength to claim the throne. There had been no one else but Bibi Dong.
Thus, Qian Daoliu had no choice but to let her take over—while he maintained a firm grip on Spirit Hall's true power through the Worship Hall. Many Titled Douluo in the Elder Hall were still loyal to him, all waiting for Qian Renxue to come of age and reclaim leadership.
Bibi Dong naturally knew all of this. So when she heard Xu Yang's words, her expression twisted in fury. An immense wave of killing intent surged in her eyes, turning her pupils blood red. A bone-chilling aura spread throughout the hall—
It was the Deathgod Domain, inherited from the Slaughter City.
Xu Yang's expression didn't change. With a mere thought, an equally terrifying aura erupted from his body—his own Killing God Domain clashing head-on with hers.
Two domains collided.
In an instant, the entire Supreme Pontiff's Hall turned frigid like the northernmost reaches of the continent. Frost began creeping over every surface. Within a few breaths, half the hall was covered in ice.
Even Yue Guan, standing at the door, couldn't bear it—shivering from the oppressive cold.
"Deathgod Domain?! You've already been to Slaughter City?! Why didn't I receive any intelligence about this?! It must've been during that four-year journey—but how could that be possible? You were only a Soul Ancestor back then!"
Bibi Dong looked at Xu Yang in disbelief. His domain was smaller than hers, but it was genuine. She simply couldn't believe it.
After her previous failed attempt to assassinate him, she had ordered close surveillance. That's how she'd guessed he was the one changing the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
But nowhere in the intelligence was there any mention of Xu Yang entering Slaughter City. Or rather—she couldn't bring herself to believe it.
She'd emerged from that place herself and knew just how terrifying it was. She had never imagined anyone could make it out alive at the Soul Ancestor level.
"There's no such thing as impossible."
"Don't think having the Deathgod Domain qualifies you to speak so brazenly in front of me. Spirit Masters are still judged by power. And you, merely a Soul Emperor—can you even unleash the domain's true potential?!"
Xu Yang remained calm under her gaze. That calmness only further infuriated Bibi Dong.
Her spirit power exploded—vast and boundless—as the might of a Super Douluo filled the hall, shaking its very foundations.
But Xu Yang stood motionless, like an unshakable pillar in a stormy sea. No matter how ferociously the waves crashed, they couldn't move him an inch.
"Oh? You can actually withstand my spirit power suppression… Your soul power and aura have already reached the level of a Titled Douluo. So this is the benefit of researching the Titled Douluo realm in advance?"
A thin, crimson-gold membrane of spirit power formed over Xu Yang's body, dispersing Bibi Dong's pressure completely. His aura surged with each breath until it rivaled the Titled Douluo she had seen before.
Bibi Dong was truly surprised now. Her eyes shone with disbelief. She had never expected Xu Yang to have come this far.