A knock at the door pulled me from my meditation within the inner world. Exhaling, I let my consciousness return to reality.
"Sir, a distinguished guest has arrived to see you," a maid's voice called from the other side.
I rolled my shoulders, stretching slightly before heading for the door. "Alright. Lead the way."
We navigated through the clan buildings to a well-kept meeting room where several maids were already serving tea. Aside from Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo, there were two unfamiliar faces waiting for me.
The first was a man in his thirties with long black hair, sharp eyes, and an ever-so-slightly sinister air. However, I knew him well.
The second was a blonde youth, likely in his early twenties, with a regal demeanor and a practiced kind smile. This one, however, I didn't know personally.
The dark-haired man spoke first, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Young Master, how come you didn't tell me you had arrived in Heaven Dou? I would have prepared a place for you at the Dugu Family Manor."
Dugu Bo.
The same Poison Douluo I had liberated the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well from. Of course, to make up for that little transgression, I had sent him some pills and advice on controlling his martial soul's poison. Ironically, he hadn't even discovered the well yet, so it was essentially ownerless when I took it.
In the end, I'd helped him for free, curing both his and his granddaughter's poison while also strengthening him in the process.
Originally, he was a rank 92 Titled Douluo—infamously known as the weakest Titled Douluo, with his Jade Phosphorus Serpent spirit. But after my intervention?
He was now rank 95. His spirit had evolved into an Emperor Jade Phosphorus Serpent, his poison was now contained within a poison core inside his body—boosting both his cultivation speed and the potency of his toxins.
For all his reputation, he was actually a chill guy once you got to know him. He just doted on his granddaughter a bit too much. But then again, I doted on my lovers, so who was I to judge?
Surprisingly, he got along well with Serenity, given her own alternative version of his martial soul. He even gave her pointers on using it more effectively.
I offered him a nod. "Sorry, Senior Dugu, I didn't expect to be in Heaven Dou for a while, but things came up." My gaze shifted to the blonde youth. "And who might this be?"
Ning Fengzhi answered before the prince could speak. "This is my student, the current Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire—Xue Qinghe."
Ah.
Qian Renxue in disguise.
Daughter of the previous Pope, the current Pope Bibi Dong, and heiress to the Seraphim martial soul—one of the rare beings blessed with an innate rank 20 at awakening.
She was also the metaphorical wolf Ning Fengzhi had unwittingly invited into his home.
The 'prince' gave me a warm, practiced smile. "Apologies for the sudden meeting, but my teacher informed me that someone truly exceptional had arrived in Heaven Dou."
I resisted the urge to smirk.
"I felt that such a distinguished guest warranted my personal attention," he—she—continued. "Allow me to extend a warm welcome to our empire."
I had already prepared for this moment.
"The Crown Prince himself? What an honor," I said smoothly. "Luckily, I came prepared with a gift."
Reaching over my shoulder, I retrieved a sealed letter from the Gate of Babylon and handed it over.
"This is some private information I happened to come across. I believe Your Highness will find it… enlightening. For your eyes only, of course."
'Xue Qinghe' accepted the letter with a hint of curiosity but nodded. "Then I must thank you. I will review it later."
Oh, how I wished I could be a fly on the wall when she did.
That letter? It was pure, undistilled dynamite.
Inside, she would find a full exposé on:
How Tang Hao didn't kill the previous Pope, but rather, Bibi Dong did—and devoured him when he was weak.
How Qian Xunji had… violated Bibi Dong, resulting in the birth of a daughter: her.
How Bibi Dong was currently undergoing the Rakshasa God Trials—which were corrupting her mind, driving her to madness.
How one of Bibi Dong's trial tasks was to kill the inheritor of the Angel God (which, coincidentally, was her).
How Bibi Dong's ultimate goal was to eradicate the Qian Family from existence and erase their legacy from Spirit Hall.
How the final Angel God Trial required the sacrifice of a Rank 99 Titled Douluo—Qian Daoliu, her grandfather.
How the Clear Sky Clan secretly had five or more Titled Douluo ready to return.
How Xue Beng was not the fool everyone believed him to be—merely playing a role to ensure his survival.
And more.
I had, effectively, just set fire to the entire plot.
Honestly? I couldn't care less if Spirit Hall conquered the continent.
For all their flaws, they actually did a damn good job helping commoners—offering free martial spirit awakenings, education, stipends for low-born spirit masters, getting rid of evil spirit master, preventing over hunting of spirit beasts, and general social mobility. That was far better than the corrupt nobility that currently ran the empire.
At the end of the day, I wasn't particularly invested in the power struggle—I was just here to stir the pot and watch the chaos unfold. Spirit Hall wasn't my enemy; if anything, my real enemies were the Clear Sky Clan, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and the Star Luo Empire.
After all, I had quite the track record with them.
I killed Tang Hao's son and stole his wife. I killed the son of the current Patriarch of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. I killed the third prince of the Star Luo Empire and stole his fiancée.
Frankly, if Bibi Dong ever found out that I was the one who killed Yu Xiaogang, I'd be in some serious trouble. If I remembered correctly, she had a spirit ability specifically designed for killing immortals—and let's not forget the Rakshasa God's Scythe.
But that was the beauty of it all. I didn't need to dirty my hands further. All I had to do was light the fuse and sit back and watch as the fireworks exploded.
[Some people just want to watch the world burn Mr.Wayne. Anyway send Powerstones, soda money, and big booty anime girls pictures you guys are really slacking on that. Cashapp $Ryantheholy.]