In the Spirit Hall.
Inside the Pope's Palace.
A woman dressed in luxurious attire sat atop the throne in the Pope's Palace. She wore a black robe embroidered with golden patterns, her head adorned with a crown of nine winding curves of purple and gold. In her hand was a two-meter-long scepter encrusted with countless gems. Her fair skin and nearly flawless face made her stand out. The intangible aura of nobility and divinity that surrounded her inspired an almost uncontrollable urge to kneel in reverence.
The woman appeared to be in her thirties, but age seemed to have left no marks on her face. On the contrary, it made her figure more voluptuous and radiant, fully embodying the allure of a mature woman.
Wherever such a woman went, she would undoubtedly draw attention. However, no one would dare show her disrespect, for she was none other than the current Pope of the Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong.
As the Pope of the Spirit Hall, none would dare profane her.
"Achoo!"
Below, Hu Liena, dressed in a golden robe, suddenly sneezed.
What's going on? Why do I feel like someone is talking bad about me behind my back?
Could it be that guy? Ever since she returned from the Great Star Dou Forest, images of that day kept resurfacing in her mind. Even now, just thinking about it made her feel both ashamed and angry.
"Nana, what are you thinking about? I've noticed you've been a bit off these past few days," Bibi Dong asked, looking at Hu Liena with some doubt.
"Huh? Teacher, I'm fine! I was just thinking about some of the cultivation methods we were taught at Spirit Academy this morning," Hu Liena quickly replied, flustered by Bibi Dong's questioning.
"Alright. I know what girls your age are often thinking about. However, if you do have someone you like, you must let me know. Remember, some people may seem human on the surface, but who they really are is harder to discern." Bibi Dong's tone turned harsh as she seemed to recall something unpleasant.
"Teacher, I don't have anyone I like. I'm still young," Hu Liena shook her head. But Bibi Dong wasn't entirely convinced by this response. Having lived through such experiences herself, she could easily tell what Hu Liena was going through.
Still, after thinking it over, Bibi Dong decided not to press further. After all, the only people Hu Liena interacted with now were those from the Spirit Hall. As the Pope, if Hu Liena ever fell for someone inappropriate, she could always stamp out that spark before it became a problem.
…
"Master, is she a Nine-Tailed Sky Fox?" Ever since Zhao Ming had released Tu Shan Yaya, Bi Ji had remained in shock.
The powerful bloodline on the other side was faintly suppressing her. Bi Ji, being a member of the Emerald Swan lineage, rarely encountered soul beasts capable of exerting such pressure. And judging by the aura, it seemed to be from the fox clan.
The fox clan, as an agility-type soul beast lineage, was decent but still not comparable to the Emerald Swans.
But why was she feeling this oppressive aura? Bi Ji couldn't figure it out and silently observed the figure before her.
The more she looked, the more familiar the figure seemed.
Could it be… the royal bloodline of the Nine-Tailed Sky Fox, which had long disappeared? Only the Nine-Tailed Sky Fox could exert such pressure. After all, the current leader of the fox clan was merely a hundred-thousand-year-old Eight-Tailed Fox, far from the level needed to suppress her. Only a Nine-Tailed Sky Fox could manage that.
The Nine-Tailed Sky Fox had disappeared from the fox clan for nearly 500,000 years, yet here one stood.
"A Nine-Tailed Sky Fox? Something like that," Zhao Ming replied after a moment of thought.
Tu Shan Yaya was technically a Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, which was likely similar to the Nine-Tailed Sky Fox of the Great Star Dou Forest. The key difference was that one was a demon, and the other was a soul beast.
Hearing Zhao Ming's answer, Bi Ji gradually calmed her inner shock. Considering Zhao Ming was a terrifying beast of unknown age, it wasn't that surprising for him to have a Nine-Tailed Sky Fox by his side.
"I should find a way to test Yaya's strength," Zhao Ming mused to himself. He was curious about just how powerful Tu Shan Yaya's Absolute Zero was. On Earth, Absolute Zero referred to the lowest theoretical temperature in thermodynamics, but Douluo Continent wasn't the same as the fox demon world, so Yaya's ice powers likely hadn't reached such extremes.
"Master, allow me to test her strength," Bi Ji suggested, seemingly sensing Zhao Ming's thoughts.
"Very well," Zhao Ming's eyes lit up. He had a convenient fighter right next to him, and by watching their duel, he could gauge Yaya's abilities based on Bi Ji's reactions.
"Yaya, attack her," Zhao Ming ordered directly.
"Yes," Tu Shan Yaya replied. She raised her head and looked at Bi Ji, then stomped heavily on the ground, launching a punch toward Bi Ji.
Seeing Yaya's attack, Bi Ji felt puzzled. Aren't foxes supposed to be agility-types? Why does she seem more like a power-type?
Raising her hand gently, Bi Ji enveloped it in a green glow and easily blocked Yaya's strike, sending her flying back several steps. But since Yaya was a puppet and felt no pain, she quickly charged back at Bi Ji.
After being pushed back a few more times, Yaya finally started getting serious.
Her black demon eyes turned crimson, releasing uncontrollable demonic energy. The cold air around her thickened as the already freezing temperature of the Extreme North dropped even further. Dozens of ice swords formed in front of her and shot toward Bi Ji. Feeling the icy energy, Zhao Ming estimated that Yaya's ice attribute had likely reached the level of Extreme Ice.
For Bi Ji, such an attack was no problem. Another green light flashed, and all of Yaya's ice swords were neutralized. But as the fight continued, Bi Ji's eyes filled with increasing astonishment.
Though Bi Ji was able to block Yaya's attacks easily, Yaya wasn't having any trouble either. Bi Ji wasn't fighting seriously, but Zhao Ming couldn't help showing a strange expression.
The soul power consumption was terrifyingly fast! In just a few minutes, about a third of Zhao Ming's soul power had been drained. That was alarming!
And this was just one puppet. If he summoned Yan Lingji as well, the consumption would be even faster.
"That's enough. Stop," Zhao Ming commanded after observing for a while.
"Master, her current strength should be comparable to, or even surpass, that of a human Soul Elder," Bi Ji commented after some thought.
A Soul Elder? For Tu Shan Yaya to exert Soul Elder-level power with Zhao Ming's mere 21st-level soul power was quite impressive. If Yaya used her Endless Wine Gourd, she might be even stronger, possibly rivaling a mid-tier Soul Elder.
"However, Master, isn't the Nine-Tailed Sky Fox supposed to be a control or agility-type? Why is she a power-type, and with the Extreme Ice attribute at that?"
"What's there to be surprised about? They're different species of fox. Yaya is an Arctic Fox, which isn't the same as the foxes in the Great Star Dou Forest. In the future, when you're by my side, don't get so worked up over every little thing. Understood?"
"Yes, Master," Bi Ji responded respectfully.
---
𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!
𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼:
• 𝘽𝙤𝙜𝙙𝙖𝙣 𝙋𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙪
• 𝙅𝙘𝟭𝟮𝟬𝟮
• 𝘼𝙝𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙟𝙖𝙝
• 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗯 𝗠𝗼𝗲𝗲
𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸:
• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟴𝟱+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.
• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁-𝗢𝘂𝘁: 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩!
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀!
👉 𝙅𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙬: 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧