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"Is…is he always like this…when training people?" Sea Horse Douluo asked with a dry voice.
No one answered. Everyone was too shocked by the simple, brutal, yet extremely efficient fighting style to speak.
The battle, or rather, the one-sided crushing, continued until evening.
The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the ice plain a desolate and beautiful blood-red.
Bibi Dong had been shattered and reformed countless times, utterly exhausted.
Her eyes were unfocused, her body swayed precariously, held up only by an unyielding will.
Xuan Ming's Blood Spear once again broke through her defenses, about to pierce her again!
Just then—
Buzz—!
A layer of grey-black light shield suddenly activated from within Bibi Dong, firmly protecting her!
Evil God Protection! Passively triggered!
Xuan Ming's Blood Spear struck the light shield, emitting a dull thud. The light shield trembled violently but did not break.
Xuan Ming's attack abruptly stopped. He expressionlessly retracted his Blood Spear, and the terrifying aura of slaughter around him receded like a tide.
He glanced at Bibi Dong, who was slowly gasping for breath within the Evil God Protection, her eyes gradually regaining clarity, knowing that today's "teaching" had reached its limit.
Then, he slowly turned his head, his cold gaze traversing the long distance to land on Hu Liena, Ning Rongrong, Xiao Wu, and others who were observing from afar.
His voice was calm and unruffled, yet it made the hair on everyone who heard it stand on end instantly:
"Do you want to experience it too?"
"…"
"No need!"
"We still have assessments!"
"Farewell!"
Everyone refused almost in unison, then fled quickly without looking back.
What a joke! Just looking at Bibi Dong's miserable state, it was clear that this so-called "teaching" was simply playing with their lives!
Moreover, they knew very well that Xuan Ming would genuinely do it! If he said he wanted them to "experience it," it was definitely not a joke!
Bo Saixi shook her head with a bitter smile and left with the Seven Sacred Pillar Guardians.
Bi Ji and Zi Ji slowly approached, though they, too, were somewhat flustered and hid behind Gu Yuena.
"Bi Ji, I trouble you." Xuan Ming retracted his Blood Spear.
Bi Ji quickly nodded, and a emerald green light surged from her hand, gently enveloping Bibi Dong.
The energy full of life force rapidly repaired Bibi Dong's damaged body and alleviated her mental exhaustion.
Bibi Dong slowly opened her eyes in the healing light. Though her purple eyes held fatigue, they also held more clarity.
She could feel that under the oppressive, violent will of slaughter from Xuan Ming, her Slaughter God Domain, which had been eroded by Rakshasa Evil Intent, had indeed undergone a subtle change. Those sinister auras had been forcibly dispersed a lot, and the core of the Domain seemed to have become purer.
"Why have you been hiding?" Xuan Ming asked, puzzled.
Bibi Dong's expression froze, and she couldn't help but look at him as if he were an idiot, "Do you even hear what you're saying?"
This scoundrel was trying to kill her!
And his terrifying strength, it was as if every strike could break her bones!
If she didn't hide? Was she supposed to wait for death?
Xuan Ming looked at Bibi Dong's resentful yet subtly evasive eyes and calmly explained, "I'm not telling you not to hide, but you can't be afraid."
"The essence of the Slaughter God Domain lies in offense as defense, crushing everything with the most violent will of slaughter. But every time you dodge, the power of your Domain retreats. Even though your strength is above mine, I can even sense that you've developed fear towards me in your heart. What are you afraid of me for?"
"Even defense should be preparation for offense, but you…"
"No wonder your aura is so weak."
If Bibi Dong went all out, even under restrictions, as long as he didn't use those few rogue million-year Spirit Abilities, with her strength, she would definitely win against him steadily.
But in this battle, from the beginning, Bibi Dong's aura was wrong.
She was too cautious, or rather, she chickened out.
"…"
Xuan Ming looked at Bibi Dong's resentful yet subtly evasive eyes and fell silent for a moment. A hint of understanding seemed to flash deep in his eyes, but in the end, he merely calmly withdrew his gaze.
He did vaguely guess the deeper reason for Bibi Dong's "timidity," but it involved her most unbearable past, the most fragile and untouched scar deep in her heart.
He didn't know how to speak, nor how to "resolve" that brokenness and shadow already rooted in her soul.
"Bi Ji, Zi Ji, Snow Empress, Ice Empress." Xuan Ming turned, "Let's go."
Bi Ji nodded gently, and Zi Ji, Snow Empress, and Ice Empress silently followed.
They could sense the subtle atmosphere and didn't ask further questions.
Xuan Ming took one last look at Bibi Dong, who was sitting on the ice with still somewhat chaotic aura, then slightly nodded to Gu Yuena. With a flash of his figure, he led the four away, disappearing at the end of the ice plain, leaving this vast and cold World to Gu Yuena and Bibi Dong alone.
The cold wind howled, stirring their hair.
A long silence fell over the ice plain, broken only by the faint sound of waves crashing against the edge of the ice in the distance.
Bibi Dong hugged her knees, sitting on the cold ice. Her purple eyes gazed at the distant horizon, dyed red by the setting sun, her expression empty and complex.
After Xuan Ming left, her taut nerves seemed to relax a little, but the helplessness and confusion of being seen through became even clearer.
Gu Yuena sat quietly beside her, her silver-purple eyes calmly watching ahead, neither urging nor comforting, just silently accompanying her.
After a long time, when the sun had completely sunk below the horizon and the ice plain was enveloped in darkness, Gu Yuena's clear and cold voice slowly broke the dead silence:
"You're afraid to let him see, aren't you?"
Bibi Dong's body trembled almost imperceptibly. She didn't turn around or answer, just tightened her arms around her knees.
Gu Yuena didn't look at her and continued, "Afraid to let him see your dignity that was utterly shattered, afraid to let him know your past when you were so pathetic and at the mercy of others."
"You desperately want to maintain your current strength, coldness, and arrogance, wrapping yourself in Rakshasa's madness and resentment, because only by immersing yourself in that extreme hatred and desire for destruction can you temporarily forget that deeply ingrained humiliation and vulnerability."
"The power of Rakshasa, for you, is not just a power, but also a… protective color. A mask of madness that allows you to hide within it, without having to face that messy past."
"So you are unwilling to give it up, even dependent on it. Because once this layer of mad shell is stripped away, you will revert to that helpless and desperate girl in the secret room… that is something you absolutely cannot accept."
Bibi Dong's breathing became rapid, her nails dug deep into her palms, and her purple eyes churned with pain, humiliation, and a hint of panic at being completely seen through.
Yes… she was afraid! Afraid that after Xuan Ming knew everything, he would look at her with pity, sympathy, or… disdain!
She would rather he always thought of her as the cold, powerful, and even somewhat mad Pope of Spirit Hall, than let him see her most unbearable and vulnerable side!
That shattered dignity was a scar she could never heal.
"But," Gu Yuena's tone shifted, her voice still clear and cold, "Xuan Ming hopes you can come out of it. He hopes you can break free from Rakshasa's erosion, truly control your own power, and walk a path that may be more difficult, but truly belongs to you."
"He sees your pain and struggle, but he doesn't know how to help you. He fears that any form of mention or touch will hurt you again. So he can only use this most clumsy and brutal method, attempting to forcibly forge a new possibility for you with external force."
"He gave you the choice, but you yourself… are stuck in the middle."
Gu Yuena slowly turned her head, her silver-purple eyes gazing at Bibi Dong's slightly trembling profile.
"Because of him, you cannot completely sink into Rakshasa's madness, comfortably embracing darkness. Nor can you muster the courage to completely break free from the shackles of the past and step into the sunlight."
"You have trapped yourself in a grey swamp. Caught between a rock and a hard place."
"So your power is contradictory, your Domain is hesitant, and your aura… is naturally weak."
Bibi Dong abruptly closed her eyes, two lines of clear tears silently streaming down her cheeks, instantly crystallizing into ice in the cold air.
She couldn't let go of her hatred, couldn't let go of the strength armed with madness, yet she vaguely longed for some kind of salvation, some… change that Xuan Ming hoped for.
This contradiction tore her apart, filling the foundation of her power with cracks.
Silence descended once more, leaving only Bibi Dong's barely suppressed, faint sobs.
Gu Yuena said nothing more, just quietly accompanied her. Some wounds need to be faced alone. Some choices must be made by oneself.
After a long time, Bibi Dong slowly raised her head, her tear-filled eyes looking at Gu Yuena, her voice hoarse to the point of breaking:
"Then what… should I do?"
Her voice was full of confusion and helplessness. This was the first time she had shown such a vulnerable expression since becoming the Supreme Pontiff.
Gu Yuena looked at her, a hint of extreme gentleness flashing in her silver-purple eyes.
"The answer is not with me, nor with Xuan Ming." She said softly, "The answer is in your own heart."
"Will you continue to hide behind Rakshasa's madness, numbing yourself with hatred and destruction? Or… will you try to believe once, believe in a World that might have changed, believe in the person who is willing to help you in a clumsy way, and also believe… that you yourself possess the power to be reborn from the ashes."
"Shattered dignity cannot be repaired by concealment and escape. Only by facing it, accepting that past, and then, personally reshaping a new dignity for yourself."
"This is painful, difficult, and you might even get hurt again. But this is the only way to truly move forward."
Gu Yuena stood up, patting away non-existent ice chips from her skirt.
"Think about it carefully. No matter which path you ultimately choose, you need an unwavering heart. Hesitation and fear are the greatest enemies."