Swish!
A faint azure blade flashed suddenly, and the sharp scythe-like shadow slashed upward in an instant.
Su Cheng remained calm, tilting his head back just an inch, narrowly avoiding the strike by a hair's breadth.
His expression was completely serene, with only a few strands of his hair lightly swaying in the wind.
Bibi Dong, who had suddenly leaped up, gritted her teeth.
Her gaze darkened, and her fingers, like sharp hooks, clawed forward. The razor-sharp tips left afterimages, accompanied by a piercing sound as they sliced through the air.
The aura emanating from her was as powerful as it had been during her prime.
And this was only the momentum she created without even using her martial soul.
Su Cheng, however, remained unfazed. He sidestepped in a twisted, almost unnatural posture, effortlessly evading the attack, a move that only fueled Bibi Dong's frustration.
Behind him, the sofa was instantly torn apart, and the aftermath of the strike left five deep, gaping holes in the ground.
Bibi Dong retracted her five fingers, clenched them into a fist, and swung horizontally.
Boom——
With a thunderous crash, the large square table was shattered by her delicate, pale fist.
Undoubtedly, this strike missed as well.
Noticing Bibi Dong's increasingly flushed face and her rising aura, Su Cheng sighed inwardly.
Before the next strike could land, he suppressed his instinctive reaction and didn't dodge.
Yes, all his previous movements were merely instinctive reactions.
Now, Su Cheng's body and mind were in perfect harmony, and his actions in both offense and defense were as natural as breathing.
Even the flow of energy through his body no longer required conscious control; it moved on its own.
His reflexes in battle were on a level far beyond that of an ordinary person.
Shh——
Sharp fingertips pierced his chest slightly, and a trickle of blood, tinged with faint golden sparks, flowed out, its heat barely noticeable.
"Why didn't you dodge?"
"I had to let you vent a little."
"Hmph, such a tactic only works on me."
Bibi Dong averted her gaze with a cold smile, but she still pursed her red lips, channeling her soul power.
The next moment, her cool, soft fingers gently brushed over the wound. In comparison, the pain seemed insignificant.
It didn't take long for the hole in his chest to completely heal, leaving no trace of injury except for the tear in his clothing.
She was, indeed, just venting her emotions.
Over the past year, the two of them had spent nearly every day together, allowing Bibi Dong to recover from her injuries as quickly as possible.
Aside from Su Cheng's departure six months ago to search for Qian Renxue and the occasional visit to the Spirit Hall Academy to see Zhu Zhuqing, they had been inseparable.
Bibi Dong had become so accustomed to this life that she had almost forgotten the existence of Ah Yin and the others.
Or rather, she was doing her best to avoid thinking about those troubling matters.
However, Bibi Dong's foul mood at the moment wasn't just because Su Cheng was about to leave Spirit City to visit an old lover in the Blue Silver Grass Forest.
The most critical issue was that with his injuries healed, it meant that their days of being together like this were now gone for good.
Su Cheng understood this as well, which was why he allowed her to vent her emotions.
"You should be more concerned about how to explain this to that little girl Zhuqing."
Bibi Dong quickly reined in her emotions.
After their brief confrontation, she didn't bring up the matter of sleeping again.
She turned around and walked over to the large floor-to-ceiling window, looking out toward the back mountain of Spirit City.
It was spring once again, and the warm sun and gentle breeze were just as they had always been.
"Since Xiaoxue left, Zhuqing may not say it out loud, but she's been secretly overjoyed. And now you're going to see someone else—someone who's already married. How do you think she's going to feel about that?"
"…I'll explain everything to her."
Hearing Bibi Dong mention the words "married woman" again, Su Cheng's eye twitched.
He didn't have much to say in response, so he simply ignored it.
However, when it came to Zhu Zhuqing, Su Cheng wasn't particularly worried.
Ever since he had risked his life to block that sword for her, she had become astonishingly obedient.
Although she still maintained her usual aloof demeanor, in reality, she was exceptionally attentive to him.
Even her personality had brightened considerably, although she had become even more dedicated to her cultivation.
"Su Cheng…"
After a while, Bibi Dong spoke again, her voice soft and slow, as if she had something on her mind but was hesitant to say it.
Su Cheng looked up.
The thin, white dress Bibi Dong wore was tinged with a faint golden glow from the sunlight, making her appear gentle and pure.
"What is it?"
"…Don't you think our life is good as it is? Let's just live peacefully without worrying about right and wrong, without making any big moves.
"If you want to settle that Silver girl in Spirit City, I won't stop you; I can't do anything about it anyway. But why take unnecessary risks?
"Honestly, whether those gods exist or not, and what the layout of the God Realm is like, what does it have to do with us?
"We can live for a long, long time without needing to rush."
Standing by the window, Bibi Dong lowered her gaze. Her long eyelashes cast a shadow over her eyes, hiding the tension in her expression.
It took a lot of courage for her to voice these thoughts.
In the past, she had only a vague understanding of Su Cheng's goals and ideas, merely guessing at them.
But after spending so much time together, and with their souls now connected, she had come to understand much more, especially since Su Cheng occasionally discussed these matters.
In the past, she had been willing to support his grand plans and ambitions across the continent because, at that time, her only leverage was her position as the Pope.
The authority granted by her role in Spirit Hall was her sole advantage over others.
But after nearly a year of intimate companionship, her relationship with Su Cheng had far surpassed mere friendship.
Her act of risking her life to save him had earned Su Cheng's deep trust.
So those old chips on the table had become irrelevant.
In her heart, she no longer wanted to take risks; the life they had now was more than enough for her.
Bibi Dong was terrified of losing everything she had now.
Even Qian Renxue's all-out assault had nearly taken Su Cheng's life, let alone those far more powerful deities.
After that incident, Bibi Dong had come to a complete realization.
Su Cheng wasn't invincible.
He could be hurt; he could even die.
In this world, no one is invincible.
Not the gods, high above, nor Su Cheng, the mortal striving to break free from the chains of fate.
After listening to Bibi Dong, Su Cheng silently stepped to her side, gazing out the window as well.
"You're wrong. Stability is just an illusion.
"The Rakshasa God who chose you, the Shura God's inheritance in the Slaughter City, the creation of the Spirit Hall's first Angel God, and even the distant Seagod Island...
"This continent has produced so many powerful beings and left behind so many divine inheritances, all proving that this planet is anything but ordinary. The gods occasionally turn their gaze this way.
"Do you really think, with our uniqueness and presence in this world, that we can hide forever?
"They may have already noticed us."
As he finished speaking, Su Cheng sighed.
"Unless we are willing to be ordinary soul masters or choose to follow the path of divine inheritance.
"But the question is, are you content with that?
"The cultivation methods of soul masters have limited lifespans. Although I am not pursuing eternity, I certainly haven't lived long enough yet. Moreover, in a thousand years, this small planet will be nothing but a cage to us.
"If you choose to inherit a divine position, it's just a bigger, higher cage—that's not what I want either."
After hearing his words, Bibi Dong fell silent.
After a long time, she turned to look at Su Cheng and asked, "Is there no other way?"
Her beautiful eyes showed a hint of pleading, making her appear somewhat weak for the moment.
She was not someone easily frightened.
Otherwise, a year ago, she wouldn't have chosen to burn her soul without hesitation.
But now that the beautiful future she had longed for was within reach, her heart had become vulnerable.
"No, there isn't."
Su Cheng looked directly into her pleading eyes, hardened his heart, and shook his head. He said bluntly, "Even if there weren't all the reasons I just mentioned, I still couldn't stand idly by."
"Stand idly by?" Bibi Dong was momentarily stunned. "What do you mean?"
"This world has given me a lot of help. If it weren't for those opportunities, how could a waste like me, who didn't even have a level one innate soul power, have come this far in such a short time?" Su Cheng said calmly.
"Although I don't understand why such good things would happen to a soul master with poor talent, why I, of all people, was chosen to be the most crucial piece on the chessboard."
Hearing this, Bibi Dong, who had been racking her brain to figure out the deeper meaning behind Su Cheng's words, instinctively refuted, "No, you're wrong. You possess many unique qualities. Your perception is different from most people in this world. No, it's completely different from everyone. When cultivating soul power and ascending to a divine position, anyone else would have chosen such a path to the heavens. Only you have the courage to walk the path you want to walk."
"Maybe."
Su Cheng didn't dwell on this issue.
The path was chosen by him and walked by him; there were many reasons for reaching the end, and thinking too much about it was meaningless.
He continued on the topic he had just discussed, "This chess game is vital to Him. Although I am just a piece on the board, I can determine the fate of the player. I am His piece, but I am also His future ally."
Su Cheng looked up at the endlessly high and blue sky.
The "world" he mentioned might be some instinctive will of the planet beneath his feet, or perhaps it represented a higher existence. He wasn't sure.
Actually, Su Cheng leaned more toward the latter.
That kind of highly ranked, mysterious source power, and the simulation of fate at the divine level, couldn't possibly be nurtured by the power of a single planet.
"If I choose to surrender, I might save my life, but He would have no other backup plan."
At this point, Su Cheng paused and suddenly turned to smile. "However, there's no need for you to get involved in this; it's just my own wish."
"..."
Bibi Dong said nothing more, but she stared at him intently, her expression complex and difficult to read.
Don't you understand?
The comfort and pleasure of the moment, as well as the seemingly attainable bright future, are all because of your existence.
Since you have made this choice, I can only continue to follow you.
Although my strength is insignificant...
Bibi Dong let out a long breath and smiled. "Do you remember what I told you on the back mountain more than a year ago?"
"I remember." Su Cheng nodded, not understanding why she suddenly brought this up.
"Then let me tell you a few more stories."
Bibi Dong took a deep breath, her eyes revealing a bit of confusion, as if she had fallen into a long memory.
"Many years ago, I had a very strange dream.
"In the dream, after many years of cultivation, I finally completed the divine test and became a true Rakshasa God. But just when I was at my proudest, all my efforts were destroyed by a mere mortal.
"Heh, that person had poor talent and was extremely weak, yet he always came up with bizarre things that made a fool of me, the Pope of the Spirit Hall, and planted hidden dangers on my path to becoming a god.
"And he even nurtured a powerful Angel God to oppose me."
Su Cheng was slightly startled.
Until now, he hadn't known that Bibi Dong also had partial memories of that experience.
"A few years later, I had another dream. But compared to the first time, this memory was much clearer.
"For nearly twenty years...
"Twenty years of experiences were all condensed into a single dream. When the dream ended, that long life vanished like smoke.
"Thinking back now, it's truly despairing..."
Su Cheng said nothing.
He just stood quietly beside her.
"In the dream, when I was nineteen, I met a very important person. That was the beginning of all the stories.
"He spent a long, long time teaching me many things. At the best age of my life, it was such a blessing to meet someone like him.
"But I didn't know at the time that he should have hated me.
"Because he knew what I would become in the future. Selfish, greedy, foolish, arrogant...
"But in my most desperate moment, he still stood up and shielded me. Unfortunately, in reality, there was never such a person to save me at that time.
"Later, I realized that at that moment, I truly fell in love with him.
"That person was like a ray of light that illuminated my entire world."
Bibi Dong's voice became a little choked.
Perhaps it was because of the regret of not meeting the right person at the right time.
Or perhaps because love was unrequited, unable to be expressed, only to be slowly awaited, with no certainty if that seed would ever have the chance to sprout.
Su Cheng said softly, "Maybe he was just trying to use you? A twin martial soul holder with innate full soul power, the top talent among soul masters, who wouldn't be tempted by that?"
"If he really was using me, that wouldn't be so bad."
Bibi Dong's expression quickly returned to calm.
The momentary emotional outburst seemed like a mere illusion.
"However, compared to a knowledgeable, prudent peerless Douluo, wouldn't a foolish and strong Spirit Hall Pope, blinded by hatred, be more useful?
"Qian Xunji's strength and plans were insignificant in that person's eyes.
"He could have waited a few more years; there was no need to take unnecessary risks by offending the Spirit Hall."
Her voice became low and firm. "So, whatever that person wants to do, I will do my utmost to help him achieve it."