Unraveling the Knot, The Divine Beast's Achilles' Heel"These two spirit rings are my gift, the price I pay for the mistakes I made. If you don't accept them, I would rather let these two spirit rings dissipate into the world."
Bibi Dong met Dai Yao's gaze and said calmly.
A sickly blush rose on her exquisitely beautiful face.
Dai Yao remained silent for a moment, his gaze meeting Bibi Dong's persistent, slightly crazed look for a long time before he slowly said:
"Okay, I accept your gift."
He could sense the relentless madness in Bibi Dong's eyes; if he didn't accept, she really would kill the two soul beasts and cause the soul rings to dissipate.
Although Dai Yao now possesses true twin martial souls and knows that the highest cultivation level of soul beasts on this continent is not the universally acknowledged 100,000-year-old beasts, but rather ferocious beasts with a cultivation level of at least 200,000 years, Dai Yao does not have such high requirements for his soul rings.
He does not require all his spirit rings to be from ferocious beasts that are at least 200,000 years old.
Even during the Douluo Continent II: The Legend of the Condor Heroes era, the number of ferocious beasts was extremely limited. Zi Ji, ranked tenth, had only just reached a cultivation level of 300,000 years.
There are more ferocious beasts with 200,000 years of cultivation, but not by much.
If Dai Yao's spirit rings are all at least 200,000 years old, then he could slaughter all the high-level spirit beasts on the entire continent. This would be a devastating blow to the entire spirit beast race.
Although Dai Yao had a grudge against Di Tian and the other soul beasts, this matter concerned the survival of the entire soul beast community, and he had no intention of being so cruel.
He will take another form of retaliation.
Therefore, Dai Yao set a cultivation goal for his soul ring at around 100,000 years.
Moreover, the Titan Giant Ape and the Azure Bull Python both have good quality soul rings. Although their lifespan is only 100,000 years, they are not weaker than ferocious beasts with a lifespan of about 200,000 years.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been chosen by Emperor Tian to be the guardian of the Lake of Life.
It is more than enough to become Dai Yao's spirit ring.
Upon hearing Dai Yao's agreement, Bibi Dong's lips curled into a slight smile, and her sharp eyes softened somewhat. Leaning on her crystal scepter, Bibi Dong smiled and urged, "..."
"Alright, hurry up and absorb their spirit rings!"
Hearing Bibi Dong's words, Da Ming and Er Ming, enduring the excruciating pain in their bodies, angrily said:
"Human, don't even think about it! If you dare to absorb our soul rings and soul bones, we will spare no effort to ensure you die a horrible death!"
The angry voices, like muffled thunder in the sky, echoed through the valley.
"You beasts, how dare you!"
Bibi Dong coldly retorted without any mercy.
Nine soul rings emerged one by one from beneath his feet, creating a suffocating sense of oppression, as if the lofty heavens were slowly pressing down on his head.
Under the immense pressure of soul power, both the Titan Ape and the Azure Bull Python groaned, blood seeping from their skin. The Azure Bull Python, its eyes bloodshot and bulging with copper bell-like pupils, endured the excruciating pain and roared:
"Human woman, no matter how much you torture us, we will not yield! If this kid has the ability to absorb our spirit rings and suppress our souls, then so be it. But if he doesn't have that strength, then he can't blame us for being burst apart by our spirit rings!"
Titan Ape chimed in:
"Me too!"
Dai Yao had finally agreed to her conditions, but these two soul beasts repeatedly provoked her and made her lose face in front of Dai Yao. Bibi Dong could no longer contain her anger and shot out eight spider spears.
The purple spider spears, brimming with venom, stared intently at the two divine beasts like poisonous snakes, as if contemplating how to torment them.
"Say another word of nonsense, and I'll make you wish you were dead!"
Bibi Dong's beautiful eyes, filled with icy killing intent, stared intently at the two divine beasts as she growled.
With her powerful soul force, gusts of wind surged out from beneath Bibi Dong's feet. Her long, unbound hair moved with the wind like seaweed, giving her a rather eerie and ferocious appearance.
It was like a demon in the human world.
"Alright, don't be angry. Don't you know my strength? No matter how much they resist and are angry, it can't change the fact that I absorbed their spirit rings."
Dai Yao stood beside Bibi Dong, brushed aside the spider spears around her, and comforted her with a smile.
Upon hearing Dai Yao's voice, Bibi Dong was startled and quickly withdrew her external soul bone. Her appearance returned to normal, no longer as ferocious as when she used the Rakshasa God's power. She forced a smile and said:
"Okay...okay."
She then woke up with a start. Dai Yao was still beside her. He had seen her ugly appearance when she used the Rakshasa God's power.
It was precisely because Dai Yao was by her side that she was unable to control her emotions and easily lost her temper.
Dai Yao glanced at the two imprisoned divine beasts with a hint of amusement, and smiled as he said to Bibi Dong:
"Bibi Dong, don't worry, I have a way to make them willingly sacrifice themselves to me. However, I need you to leave for a while."
Bibi Dong had no intention of refusing Dai Yao's request. She nodded, glanced at Dai Yao, and then looked away, not daring to meet his eyes. Her red lips moved as if she wanted to say something.
"What's wrong?"
Noticing Bibi Dong's emotions, Dai Yao asked in confusion.
"I······"
Bibi Dong was still somewhat hesitant.
"Please feel free to speak."
Dai Yao smiled.
"Was I... ugly just now...?"
Bibi Dong gritted her teeth, not daring to look at Dai Yao, and her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke.
Dai Yao was shocked. He then realized what Bibi Dong had been worried about. She was worried that she would leave him with an ugly image.
Even if she holds the highest power in the world, even if she has unparalleled beauty, even if she suffers inhuman treatment and her personality changes drastically, she still cares about her image in the hearts of those she cares about.
In the original novel, Bibi Dong said this to Yu Xiaogang when she was dying.
Dai Yao looked at Bibi Dong quietly, remained silent for a while, gritted his teeth slightly, and reached out with a trembling hand to Bibi Dong's ear, wanting to smooth the messy hair behind her ear.
This was the first time he had taken the initiative to make such an intimate gesture towards Bibi Dong.
Even when they had just come out of the Rakshasa God Realm and their relationship was at its closest, Dai Yao had only ever done things like resting his head on Bibi Dong's plump thighs.
At that time, Bibi Dong was the high and mighty Pope, and Dai Yao was a super genius who had just joined the Spirit Hall from the Heaven Dou Empire. Although Dai Yao understood Bibi Dong's suffering and could feel her special feelings for him, he did not dare to do anything out of line.
Dai Yao knew very well that at that time, Bibi Dong only used him as a source of emotional release and a place to rest when she was mentally exhausted.
Therefore, at that time, Bibi Dong took the initiative most of the time.
However, upon seeing Dai Yao's outstretched hand, Bibi Dong revealed a hint of fear in her eyes. Her body trembled, and she took a half-step back, dodging Dai Yao's hand.
"What's wrong?"
Dai Yao paused, somewhat puzzled by the fear in Bibi Dong's eyes. What was she worried about?
But he understood that sometimes actions speak louder than words, and continued to reach out. Seeing that Bibi Dong was still showing signs of backing down, Dai Yao said coldly:
"Don't move!"
Bibi Dong's beautiful eyes trembled, her body tensed, but she dared not move.
Dai Yao reached out and, under Bibi Dong's complex gaze, gently smoothed the stray hairs behind her ear. After a long while, he said in a deep voice:
No, you are beautiful.
"It's a pity I never saw you when you were young and beautiful. Perhaps you were even more beautiful then, but in my heart, I would rather be by your side now."
"Because, you belong to me now."
"From this day forward, you are not alone in this world..."
Bibi Dong's mind exploded with a bang, her eyes turned red, her teeth clenched, her delicate body trembled, and her beautiful eyes did not leave Dai Yao for even a moment.
She wanted to hold him tightly.
But she felt unworthy; her body was dirty. Touching Dai Yao would be like defiling him.
Back then, Bibi Dong and Dai Yao had just emerged from the Rakshasa God Realm. She felt a sense of dependence on Dai Yao, but she couldn't face this relationship squarely.
During the Lantern Festival in Yelin City, Yu Xiaogang's refined figure; in the dark and terrifying secret room, Qian Xunji's ferocious smile; in the Rakshasa God Realm, Dai Yao's reliable back as he fought alongside her.
The faces of the three people distorted and became terrifying before her eyes.
In her mind, when she ascended to the papacy, the cheers of the crowd were like the wails of ghosts in hell, reaching out cold hands to drag her back to hell.
Qian Xunji smiled coldly and cruelly, looking down at her. His golden, icy boots seemed to want to crush her hand bones and kick her into hell.
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaogang's resolute departure left him watching coldly as Qian Xunji committed his atrocities against her.
She struggled desperately, but everyone was pushing her downwards, and eventually she fell into hell.
Having spent so long in hell, she'd gotten used to it. It was just excruciating pain, just the law of the jungle, wasn't it?
Her heart had long since died; she was already numb to these pains.
But when Dai Yao appeared, her heart, which had long since withered, couldn't help but revive a little bit of life.
Dai Yao reached out his hand to her, anxiously shouting, "Go quickly!" He wanted to save her from this damned place, but she dared not gamble on whether Dai Yao would keep his word and whether he would change his original intention to save her.
No one would have imagined that the originally gentle and kind teacher was actually a beast in human skin!
She dared not gamble on whether Dai Yao had another side.
Rather than suffer another blow, she'd rather stay in hell. She doesn't need anyone to save her; she'll just let herself continue to wallow in hell...
Therefore, she chose to kill Dai Yao in order to sever the complicated relationship between herself, Nana, and her nominal daughter, Qian Renxue.
However, just as she was about to kill Dai Yao, he left her a gift.
For her, level 99 soul power was a right, a right to choose.
The right to choose whether or not to continue sinking into depravity.
She saw Dai Yao's true colors; even in the face of death, a sliver of concern for her remained in his heart. But it was too late. She had personally shattered that part of herself within Dai Yao, and he would never stay by her side again…
She desperately wanted to win Dai Yao back.
She had waited for far too long, never daring to disobey Dai Yao's wishes, and only now did she seize the opportunity to invite Dai Yao to Wuhun City.
However, she thought it would be a difficult journey to win him back, but to her surprise, Dai Yao agreed to her request after she simply expressed her determination.
Dai Yao's magnanimity, however, gave her an unbearable sense of guilt.
I was such a terrible person back then!
She felt that only by torturing herself with pain could she atone for some of the sins she had committed in the past.
She clenched her jade-like hands tightly, her nails digging into her palms. Only when that piercing pain struck would she be qualified to answer Dai Yao's question.
"From this day forward, I will always, always trust you..."
Before she could finish speaking, the Azure Bull Python's deafening laughter echoed through the valley:
"Haha, the dignified Pope of mankind actually treats a young man as his master! How utterly ridiculous!"
The Titan Ape also roared with laughter.
Bibi Dong turned her head slightly, glanced at the Azure Bull Python, and said nothing.
After all, there's no denying the facts.
However, if they dare to speak ill of Dai Yao, they will surely incur her wrath.
Now, she would agree to anything Dai Yao wanted her to do without hesitation. Even if Dai Yao asked her to die, she would only think that it was to atone for her past sins.
Dai Yao ignored the Azure Bull Python's mockery, simply tidied her purple hair, placed the purple-gold crown symbolizing her papal status on her head, and said with a smile:
"I know, I will cherish your trust."
"Alright, leave the rest to me. You go back to Wuhun City and tell the Third Elder that I'm safe. Otherwise, the Third Elder will definitely make you give him an explanation. After I've absorbed their spirit rings, I have something that concerns the entire continent that I need to discuss with you."
Bibi Dong nodded.
Immediately, she used her soul power to seal off the entire valley, then gently tapped the ground with the Pope's scepter. Accompanied by the ripples of purple light, Bibi Dong vanished instantly.
"Human, don't even think about it! If you want to absorb our spirit rings and spirit bones, then don't let your spirit rings and spirit bones burst you open!"
The Azure Bull Python exhaled hot air and roared angrily.
"You'll be burst apart by our spirit rings!"
The Titan Ape loudly echoed.
Dai Yao smiled, and with a thought, four soul rings slowly rose from beneath his feet.
Red, black, red, red.
With just four spirit rings, the hundred-meter-long waterfall surged upwards in reverse. Both divine beasts felt suffocated.
"Damn humans, how many of our kind have you killed!"
After a brief moment of astonishment, the Azure Bull Python roared in fury.
"Don't rush. Have you noticed that my spirit rings are a bit different from before?"
Dai Yao smiled and asked in return.
"No matter how different you are, human, you killed our kind, so even if we die, we will never submit!"
"The Titan Ape roared."
Dai Yao ignored this stubborn man and looked at the Azure Bull Python.
The Azure Bull Python was furious, but it realized the deeper meaning in Dai Yao's tone. It examined Dai Yao's spirit rings and suddenly noticed something was wrong.
"Wait, why do you only have four spirit rings? Where did Sister Xiaowu's spirit rings go?!"
The Azure Bull Python exclaimed in shock and anger.
Unlike the Titan Ape, the Azure Bull Python wasn't foolish enough to notice something amiss, and Dai Yao revealed a sly smile:
"You read that right, Xiao Wu's spirit ring is indeed gone, and I have resurrected her."
Da Ming and Er Ming were utterly shocked! (End of Chapter)