Why is there no one in the Papal Palace today?
Looking at the Papal Palace, which was completely unguarded, Dai Yao asked in confusion.
Ferdinand glanced around discreetly, then transmitted his voice to Dai Yao:
"This is Her Holiness the Pope's order, and I'm not entirely sure of the specific reasons. However, during this period, Her Holiness the Pope has not only made further progress in her cultivation, but her emotions have also become more unpredictable. Some people who have disobeyed her have been executed. Therefore, when you return this time, you must not disobey Her Holiness the Pope."
Seeing Bibi Dong's change, Dai Yao felt a chill. He wouldn't forget that Bibi Dong was the fierce and cruel Rakshasa God in the original story just because he had fought alongside her.
As for disobeying Bibi Dong, he's not stupid. What good would it do him to offend Bibi Dong?
The mistakes of the City of Hell pushed the two to opposite sides, and with the help of the soul beast forces, their relationship was brought to a freezing point.
His return this time means he needs to make a choice at the crossroads of their relationship.
Dai Yao sighed softly and said:
"I understand, Grandpa Ferdinand. When did His Holiness the Pope's attitude begin to change?"
Ferdinand pondered for a moment and replied:
"If I remember correctly, it should have started when you went to the Heaven Dou Empire as the 'Asura Emperor'. In fact, for a long time, Her Holiness the Pope's personality could be described as cold and unpredictable. Suddenly, for a period of time, she became gentle and her methods were not as ruthless as usual."
"Now, it's just back to normal."
Ferdinand sighed with emotion. Back then, they had been puzzled by Bibi Dong's transformation, as if they were seeing the innocent, kind-hearted saintess she once was. But in the end, it was all just a dream.
Upon hearing Ferdinand's explanation, Dai Yao fell silent, understanding the reason for Bibi Dong's change in attitude.
Because he resolved some of the darkness in Bibi Dong's heart, Bibi Dong's personality changed somewhat during that period.
However, the soul beast forces secretly revealed Hu Liena's true identity as the 'Asura Emperor,' which ultimately led to Bibi Dong's misunderstanding of him. As a result, their honeymoon period was shattered, and they fell into an abyss from which there was no return.
"Alright, I'll leave you here."
Arriving at the entrance of the Papal Palace, Ferdinand looked at Dai Yao and said with a smile.
Dai Yao smiled, bid farewell to Ferdinand, and looked at the towering, heavy palace gate in front of him, which seemed like a barrier separating him from Bibi Dong.
"It's time to resolve all of this."
Dai Yao said to himself.
With a slight push, he opened the palace door and entered the Papal Palace, a place he had entered countless times before. On the papal throne, a tall figure stood with his back to him, holding a scepter, his purple hair flowing down to his waist, exuding an aura of dominance and power over all.
It was as if all living beings were prostrating themselves at her feet.
"You've arrived."
Bibi Dong spoke softly, her cool voice echoing in the Papal Palace. Then she slowly turned around, her indifferent eyes sweeping over Dai Yao.
Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, and with a tremendous force, the door slammed shut in an instant, completely separating the inside from the outside with a thud.
"I'm back."
"Dai Yao said softly. Bibi Dong's indifferent attitude left him somewhat helpless."
Bibi Dong slowly sat down, her head gently resting on her jade-like hands, her legs crossed, her slender legs swaying gently. She glanced at Dai Yao, a complex emotion flashing in her beautiful eyes, which quickly turned cold. Closing her eyes, she said softly:
"Have you settled all your scores?"
"It's all been resolved."
Dai Yao said calmly.
He had already dealt with his two main enemies, the Star Luo Emperor and the Star Luo Empress. As for the others, they were all insignificant and didn't concern him. He would simply kill them with a single palm strike when the time came.
Hearing that Dai Yao's grudges had been settled, Bibi Dong breathed a sigh of relief.
Now that Dai Yao had completed his revenge, she felt no guilt about what she would do next. After all, Dai Yao had once been a ray of light in her despair.
"That's good······"
Bibi Dong murmured softly.
Dai Yao originally intended to tell Bibi Dong the whole truth directly. Why did Hu Liena know her identity as the 'Asura Emperor'? What force was secretly interfering?
But Bibi Dong's current attitude made him hesitate a little.
Bibi Dong had clearly made a decision.
His Chaotic Green Lotus Martial Soul gave him the confidence to observe the situation calmly. He was able to get involved in Bibi Dong's Rakshasa inheritance with his Chaotic Green Lotus Martial Soul, so how could Bibi Dong possibly trap him?
"Your Holiness, what is it that you summoned me here?"
Dai Yao asked calmly.
Upon hearing the words "Your Holiness the Pope," Bibi Dong's heart skipped a beat, her hand gripping the scepter tightened, and her eyes flickered.
She had once asked Dai Yao to address her by her name, as calling her 'Your Holiness the Pope' felt too distant. Now that Dai Yao had used the honorific title again, she sensed that their relationship had become icy cold, and could never return to what it once was.
But who can be blamed for this?
Wasn't it you, Dai Yao, who disobeyed her repeated instructions?
His mood instantly calmed down, his palms relaxed, and he looked down at Dai Yao with a condescending air, coldly saying:
Is there anything else you'd like to accomplish?
Dai Yao was taken aback. This felt like a prisoner being given a good meal before death. He slightly raised his head, meeting Bibi Dong's cold gaze, and said calmly:
"It seems like there are things I really want to accomplish. After I get my revenge, there are a few things waiting for me to do, but they are all insignificant."
"That's good."
Bibi Dong gently lifted the papal scepter and struck it on the ground. With a clang, an invisible force spread out, and dark red blood, like a raging sea, instantly surged from the point of Bibi Dong's strike.
In a short while, the once magnificent and solemn Papal Palace was transformed into a pool of blood, with countless white bones floating on the surface. Extreme evil and dense soul power converged above the blood pool, where a demonic scythe hovered. It emanated an astonishing killing intent, and a single glance was enough to send chills down Dai Yao's spine.
He reached out and covered his eyes, refusing to look at the Rakshasa Demon Scythe.
Bibi Dong's intentions were becoming increasingly clear. However, Dai Yao was not in a hurry to escape. With the Chaos Green Lotus protecting him, he felt confident enough to stay. With a thought, he activated the Chaos Green Lotus, which remained unaffected in the slightest.
He looked at Bibi Dong not far away and calmly asked:
Are you sure you want to do this?
Although Bibi Dong was somewhat puzzled by Dai Yao's composure, she didn't think too much about it. Dai Yao had experienced countless life-and-death battles, and his mentality was different from ordinary people. It was only natural that he could remain calm in the face of death.
Looking at this sea of blood, Bibi Dong felt a deep sense of relief, as if she were a fish returning to the ocean.
Immediately, she looked at Dai Yao and said coldly:
Do you want to know why I killed you?
Dai Yao remained expressionless. The evil aura emanating from the blood pool made him feel uneasy, and he wanted to hear Bibi Dong's reasons.
"you say."
Bibi Dong gave a light snort, and a hint of exasperation and frustration appeared in her cold eyes, which immediately turned into a ruthless look.
"I warned you not to contact Nana, and even more so, not to let her know your identity. But what did you do? Not only did you let her know your true identity, but you also made her beg me to agree to let her be with you?! Did you even take my words to heart?"
Bibi Dong said sternly.
Dai Yao did not answer, but simply looked calmly at Bibi Dong.
Hu Liena knew his identity because of the interference of the soul beast forces represented by the Four Elder Lion Douluo. At first, Dai Yao was unaware that someone was plotting against him, so he was speechless when questioned by Bibi Dong.
Later, he deduced the whole story and wanted to tell Bibi Dong the truth, but the mysterious person threatened him with the lives of Zhu Zhuqing and Feng Wutong, forcing him to shut up.
Finally, Dai Yao uncovered the hidden spirit beast force of the Spirit Hall and wanted to tell Bibi Dong the truth, but Bibi Dong refused to see him. He visited the Papal Palace several times, only to be turned away each time. Then, Dai Yao was sent to the Heaven Dou Empire to assist Qian Renxue in carrying out the palace coup.
The misunderstanding deepened, eventually creating a chasm between the two. Although the influence of the soul beast forces played a role, the more important reason was that Bibi Dong did not trust him.
Perhaps she had been betrayed in the past, making it difficult for her to trust others, but what does that have to do with Dai Yao? She chose to eliminate Dai Yao to resolve Hu Liena's hidden dangers. Although Dai Yao knew it was a misunderstanding, an inexplicable rage still rose in his heart.
From the moment Bibi Dong wanted to kill him, he had no intention of explaining.
Dai Yao looked calmly at Bibi Dong, as if with some pity, and said softly:
"So, you want to kill me?"
Hearing Dai Yao's indifferent tone, Bibi Dong's breath hitched. She couldn't believe Dai Yao was so shameless. He had clearly done something wrong, yet he showed no remorse. The thought that she had once considered him a 'friend' made her feel nauseous.
But the thought of Dai Yao dying at her hands made her suppress her anger and patiently explain:
"No. If it's just Nana, I wouldn't mind giving you a way out."
"What truly made me decide to eliminate you was someone else. The only bloodline of the Six-Winged Angel family, Qian Daoliu's granddaughter, Qian Renxue. Although she hasn't admitted it, I know very well that she, like Nana, has developed feelings for you..."
Dai Yao sighed softly. When he rescued Qian Renxue and escorted her for thousands of miles to bring her back safely, he realized that Qian Renxue had a special attitude towards him.
Although he tried his best to avoid it at the time, he had no other choice.
At this point, Bibi Dong's beautiful face turned icy cold, and the anger in her heart burned uncontrollably. Hu Liena was one thing, but Qian Renxue—even though the two were irreconcilable enemies, she was still her own daughter! The two most important people in her life had fallen in love with the same person.
And myself...
Immediately, her icy gaze fixed on Dai Yao, and she said coldly:
"If it were just Nana alone, I might spare your life, but Qian Renxue is different. Do you know, Qian Renxue, she..."
Bibi Dong suddenly stopped, her words stuck in her throat, unable to come out.
But Dai Yao spoke for her.
"She's your daughter, isn't she?"
Dai Yao stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly.
A deathly silence fell over the blood pool, broken only by the bubbling of its water. Dai Yao's voice echoed above the pool. Bibi Dong's beautiful eyes narrowed, her gaze fixed on Dai Yao, her delicate body trembling slightly as she murmured:
"How...how did you know this...? Did she tell you?"
Dai Yao answered calmly:
"Given Qian Renxue's personality, even if we have a very good relationship, do you think she would tell me this secret, which is like a nightmare to her?"
Bibi Dong was taken aback, and the calmness on her face vanished.
She stared intently at Dai Yao, her gaze sharp and piercing, and asked through gritted teeth:
"Then how did you find out about this?!"
Aside from the old guys in the Hall of Offerings, no one knew about her relationship with Qian Renxue. Even Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo, Qian Xunji's former direct subordinate, only had some guesses. Qian Renxue wouldn't tell Dai Yao such an important matter, and the old guys in the Hall of Offerings were even less likely to.
Who would air their dirty laundry in public?
Dai Yao glanced at Bibi Dong, feeling a pang of pity for the woman, but when he looked at the blood pool, the pity in his eyes vanished.
There weren't many skeletons in the blood pool, indicating that Bibi Dong had only just begun working with this stuff and hadn't completely gone mad yet. If she followed Dai Yao's suggestion and collected the skeletons of death row inmates, that would be one thing, but if they were ordinary people, then Bibi Dong's sins would be far greater.
Dai Yao did not answer directly, but instead said in a deep voice:
"Do you remember the story you told me in the zombie world? I not only know that you are that little girl, but I also know that the one who caused you to fall into hell is Qian Xunji! It was he who forced you to leave Yu Xiaogang and did something in that secret room that you never want to look back on!"
"That's why you hate Qian Renxue so much."
"Tell me, am I right?"
Upon hearing this, Bibi Dong was stunned. Her deepest wound had been reopened, and a suffocating pain immediately surged up. After a few heavy breaths, she said excitedly:
"Why, how do you know all this?!"
Dai Yao sighed softly and said slowly:
"Actually, I knew all this a long time ago, even before I joined the Spirit Hall."
Bibi Dong froze, her hysterical expression still frozen on her face. She stared blankly at Dai Yao, saying in disbelief:
"What are you... saying?"
Bibi Dong felt a chill run down her spine.
Dai Yao's statement contained a great deal of information.
If what Dai Yao said is true, he already knew everything, knew her past, and knew her relationship with Qian Renxue.
So, wasn't Dai Yao's action to save her from suffering?
The words of comfort that Dai Yao had once spoken to her, though obscure and difficult to understand, gradually became clear.
Wasn't Dai Yao saving her? So why would he do things that made her angry? She needed an explanation from Dai Yao.
But what she found most unimaginable was how Dai Yao knew this secret. Everyone in the world who knew about it was dead!
Only the old men in the ancestral hall remained.
Dai Yao didn't answer directly. Instead, he sighed softly, glanced at the blood pool, then stared coldly at Bibi Dong and said in a deep voice:
"I'll ask you one last question: in your blood pool, did you follow my instructions and use only death row inmates?"
Bibi Dong was taken aback, lowered her head, and looked at the blood pool with a complicated expression. She said in a trembling voice:
"After I tell you, will you tell me the truth?"
Her heart began to pound uneasily.
For the first time since becoming pope, she had lost control of something.
"Won't."
Dai Yao flatly refused.
"Now all you need to tell me is whether there are any ordinary people's lives in this pool of blood?!"
Bibi Dong bit her red lips lightly, remained silent for a moment, then gently shook her head, a pleading look appearing in her beautiful eyes, and whispered:
"No, after you advised me, I never used the lives of ordinary people, only those death row inmates."
"This shackle began with you, and it should end with you. So, this time I originally intended to use your life to break the promise I made to you, but I never expected things to develop to this point..."
Dai Yao glanced sideways at Bibi Dong; Bibi Dong's idea wasn't bad. It would begin with him, and it would end with him.
But since it was himself who was dying, Dai Yao couldn't help feeling a little annoyed. He gently closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Judging from Bibi Dong's current reaction, if she reveals the truth, their relationship might still be salvageable.
But Dai Yao did not want it to be like that.
Bibi Dong's desire to kill him completely broke his heart. Call him fragile or petty, he was exhausted.
From the moment I joined the Spirit Hall, I've always been pushed around by others.
Bibi Dong used him to help her disciple escape the City of Slaughter; the Soul Beast forces plotted against him, wanting to completely control him; and the Hall of Offerings did the same, wanting to win him over and help Qian Renxue become a god...
He was tired.
He may have experienced genuine affection from the elders of the Spirit Hall, but what he felt most was cold, calculating manipulation.
Because of Bibi Dong's tragic fate in the original novel, he tried to save her so that she wouldn't sink deeper into the abyss.
But in the end, what he got in return was Bibi Dong's desire to kill him.
Looking back on this incident, he realized he had no choice; even if he did it ten thousand times over, the outcome would not change.
What chilled him most was that Bibi Dong never gave him even a shred of trust. If she had given him just a little more, the outcome would have been very different.
If Bibi Dong had given him a chance to explain instead of refusing to meet with him, Dai Yao wouldn't have felt so heartbroken.
My own pity for Bibi Dong and the sincerity I showed her seemed so laughable.
Now that he had avenged the Dai family, he wanted to stop and rest for a while. He no longer wanted to participate in the conflicts of the Spirit Hall.
He couldn't help but look at Bibi Dong, and that indifferent gaze sent a chill through her heart.
Dai Yao wanted to repay kindness and avenge wrongs. Without Bibi Dong's approval, the Spirit Hall wouldn't help him, and he wouldn't be able to take his revenge.
His eyes flickered, and he said helplessly:
"That's enough, that's enough."
"Bibi… never mind, Your Holiness the Pope, I'll call you Bibi Dong one last time. I've never told Nana my identity as the 'Asura Emperor,' there are secrets you don't know about."
"But since things have come to this, I have no desire to explain."
Seeing that Bibi Dong wanted to ask more questions, Dai Yao waved his hand and refused:
"After today, I will write to you to tell you the whole story. At that time, whether you believe it or not, it will have nothing to do with me anymore."
"Before I leave, I have one last gift for you. Consider it a gift for helping me take revenge."
With a thought, Dai Yao unleashed boundless soul power, like a raging sea, surging forth from his body.
Within the Chaos Green Lotus Martial Soul, the soul power, comparable to that of a level 99 Peerless Douluo, instantly engulfed the entire blood pool!
Glancing at Bibi Dong, who was struggling in the sea of soul power and sinking deeper and deeper, Dai Yao said in a deep voice:
"This soul power is enough for you to become a Rakshasa God smoothly. You no longer need to accumulate soul power to become a god by slaughtering the people."
To become a god at level 100, it often requires the sacrifice of a level 99 peerless Douluo to open the path to godhood.
But Bibi Dong did not. Therefore, she had to kill indiscriminately, using human life force to open the door to godhood.
Dai Yao's actions fulfilled the soul power requirement for her to become a god, and also spared Bibi Dong the future bloodshed.
Most importantly, Bibi Dong did not break the principle she had promised Dai Yao, which is why Dai Yao was willing to use all his soul power to help Bibi Dong.
"This soul power is enough to offset the debt of gratitude you owe me for helping me take revenge. From now on, there will be no further connection between us!"
He glanced at Bibi Dong one last time, then activated the Chaos Green Lotus and disappeared into the Rakshasa God Realm.
Bibi Dong stared at the spot where Dai Yao had disappeared, and a heart-wrenching pain instantly overwhelmed her.
"No!"
A jade-like hand reached out desperately in the direction where Dai Yao had just been, trying to grab something, but it couldn't grasp anything. She screamed hoarsely.
Although Dai Yao didn't explain anything, his actions explained everything.
She wanted to kill Dai Yao, but Dai Yao never did anything to harm her. How could Dai Yao disobey her instructions?
She could no longer comprehend why Dai Yao possessed so much soul power, even to the point of trapping her.
They also couldn't fathom why Dai Yao was able to leave the Rakshasa God Realm.
Regret filled her heart.
If she had given Dai Yao her trust back then, things wouldn't have come to this.
She desperately wanted to win Dai Yao back.
Back then, she was like a mouse trapped in a well, stuck in the mud, unable to get out. Dai Yao lifted the lid, sunlight streamed into the well, and reached out, wanting to pull her out.
However, she not only avoided Dai Yao's helping hand, but also tried to kill him because of a misunderstanding.
With their roles reversed, she could understand Dai Yao's feelings. Therefore, she found it even harder to forgive herself.
Tears streamed down her face as she tried desperately to leave and find Dai Yao, but the vast soul power trapped her like a cage.
All her efforts were ultimately in vain.
They could only watch helplessly as Dai Yao left...