Chapter 61 – The Descent of the Empres.
Before the trumpets of the ceremony could sound, a tense encounter unfolded in the waiting square. The Star Luo Imperial Academy team, led by Dai Weishi, marched toward the Shrek Academy with a mocking arrogance that echoed through the stone pillars.
"Look at you, little brother," Dai Weishi sneered, looking down at Dai Mubai. "No fiancé? No fusion? You've been abandoned by your clan, and now you've even been abandoned by your woman. You are a tiger without claws."
Dai Mubai's face twisted into a mask of feral rage. He looked around desperately, but there was no Zhu Zhuqing to stand by his side. The lack of their Hell White Tiger fusion was a death sentence for his status in the clan. "I don't need her to break you, brother!" he roared, though his voice lacked conviction.
"Is that so?" a cold, melodic voice cut through the air.
The Star Luo team froze. Walking toward the VIP stands, flanked by the Martial Soul Hall elite, was a woman who seemed to steal the very light from the sky.
Zhu Zhuqing.
The two years of refinement under Lakan had transformed her. She no longer looked like a lithe, shadowed assassin, she looked like a goddess of the night. Her figure has filled out into a stunning, voluptuous silhouette, her waist remained impossibly narrow, while her bust and hips has developed a full, mature curves that strained against her high-collared purple and black silks. This was the effect of the Mutya Pill and her awakened bloodline; she is a woman in her prime, radiating a raw, feminine power that left the men in the square breathless.
Dai Mubai's jaw dropped. He remembered the girl he had abandoned in Star Luo, and then he remembered the girl Lakan had claimed in the Great Star Dou Forest. Seeing her now, stronger, more beautiful, and looking at him with nothing but cold indifference, made his heart burn with a mixture of lust and crippling shame. She didn't even acknowledge him as she took her place beside Shui Bing'er.
The heavy bronze doors of the Supreme Pontiff's Palace swung open. A blast of golden trumpets shook the foundations of Wuhun City.
"Her Majesty, the Supreme Pontiff, Bibi Dong!"
The crowd fell silent. As Bibi Dong stepped onto the high balcony, the world seemed to tilt. Thanks to Lakan's purification of the Rakshasa energy, the withered, dark aura she once carried was gone. She is the pinnacle of what in Lakan's previous life would call a Milf aesthetic– mature, regal, and breathtakingly fertile in her presence.
Her skin was like polished ivory, her eyes clear and commanding, and her mature figure, accentuated by the tight gold-embroidered robes, was a masterclass in majestic grace. She was a mother who had reclaimed her youth, a Queen who had mastered her soul.
As she stood there, she released her soul power. It wasn't just a Rank 99 pressure; it was a purified, divine-grade aura that felt like the weight of the heavens.
Ning Fengzhi and the Bone Douluo instantly broke into a cold sweat. Their knees trembled. They realized in that moment that the Bibi Dong they thought they knew was gone. This woman is a Half God.
In the stands, Yu Scumgang (Scumgang) looked up, and his heart physically ached. Seeing her so radiant, so powerful, and so completely beyond his reach, he felt a crushing wave of regret. He had traded this woman for a life of mediocrity and stolen theories. Beside him, Liu Erlong saw his expression and felt a surge of bitter, toxic jealousy. The Grandmaster was weeping for a past he had thrown away.
"Kneel!" the Enforcers barked.
Across the stadium, thousands of soul masters hit the ground in reverence. But the Shrek Seven Devils, led by a trembling Tang San, remained standing. They tried to project an image of unyielding spirit, but the reality is pathetic.
Tang San's legs were shaking. Under the Rank 99 pressure of Bibi Dong, his bones felt like they were being ground into powder. He reached for his Purple Demon Eye, trying to resist, but he realized he couldn't even look her in the eye. To him, she was a mountain; he was a grain of sand. He stood not out of willpower, but out of a stubborn, hypocritical pride that refused to acknowledge a superior power.
Bibi Dong looked down at the green-clad group with a faint, amused smile. She didn't force them down. To her, their resistance was as significant as an ant trying to stop a carriage.
Bibi Dong stepped to the edge of the balcony. "This year, the Hall rewards the exceptional. Not with scraps, but with the foundations of divinity."
She signaled to Ling Yue (Solar-Crested War Phoenix Douluo), who stepped forward holding a crystalline tray. On it sat three 100,000-year-old Spirit Bones, their elemental auras, Fire, Ice, and Agility, pulsating with a visible rhythm.
"These are not merely bones," Bibi Dong announced, her voice echoing with the authority of the Sovereign. "They are remnants of the Ancient Phoenixes. And to the winner, I shall also grant the Sovereign's Blessing, a direct baptism of soul power from the Holy Son himself."
The crowd went into a frenzy. 100,000-year bones were legends. To see three at once, provided by the secret harvest from the Phoenix Valley, was a display of wealth that made the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect look like beggars.
•••••••••••
Xue Qinghe(Qian Renxue)'s POV.
Watching from the guest of honor seating was Xue Qinghe (Qian Renxue in disguise). Her eyes weren't on the bones; they were fixed on Lakan, who stood just a step behind Bibi Dong.
So, this is the Holy Son, Renxue thought, her heart racing with an unfamiliar friction. Innate Level 20, a God-Level Martial Soul that even my Seraphim feels wary of. Mother... you've truly found a monster to lead your Hall. She didn't feel hatred, but an intense, competitive fire. She saw in Lakan the only being on the continent who could truly be her equal–or her greatest obstacle.
••••••••••••
As the ceremony progressed, Bibi Dong's gaze lingered on Xiao Wu. Her now-perfected senses caught the faint, floral scent of a 100,000-year-old Soft-Boned Rabbit. In the original timeline, she would have called for her head.
But Lakan stepped forward, placing a hand lightly on Bibi Dong's arm. "Not now, Mommy Dong'er," he whispered, his voice a calm, psychic vibration. "The rabbit is a key to the bridge. We don't want her ring, we want her cooperation for the Soul Spirit System. Let the Hero protect her for now. It will make the revelation all the more poignant when we offer her a choice he cannot provide: A path where she doesn't have to die for him to be strong."
Bibi Dong nodded, her eyes flashing with a cold intelligence. "Very well, Lakan. Let the children play their games of love and revenge. We are playing for the soul of the world."
She looked back at the stadium, her voice ringing out one last time. "Let the Finals of the Continental Elite Tournament begin!"
Tang San looked up, his face pale and sweat-streaked, his hand tightening on his hidden weapons. He didn't see a competition, he saw a huge fortress he has to burn down. But as Lakan looked back at him with that ever confident, mocking grin, Tang San realized that for the first time in his two lives, he was truly, utterly outmatched.