Afterward, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan revealed even more to Hu Liena.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan—hadn't they been mysteriously annihilated?
Even the mountain peak where their sect was located collapsed into the earth like a natural disaster, reduced to nothing but a wasteland of rubble.
The Spirit Master world generally believed it was the work of Spirit Hall.
But in truth—it wasn't!
At the time, even Bibi Dong herself had no idea who the true culprit was.
Yet after witnessing Ye Yu unleash his godlike power—reshaping the terrain in an instant, raising an endless forest of colossal crystalline Blue Silver Trees straight from the earth—Bibi Dong could not help but suspect him.
It looked like a divine miracle!
And since Ye Yu bore a deep grudge against Yu Xiaogang, he had every motive to destroy the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
On top of that, Yu Xiaogang had vanished for years.
Bibi Dong strongly suspected that Ye Yu had been the one to kill him.
Thus, her hatred toward Ye Yu ran bone-deep.
But when Hu Liena learned of the enmity between Ye Yu and Yu Xiaogang, she was furious.
"This Yu Xiaogang is utterly shameless!" she cried.
"Why should he expect Ye Yu to just hand over cultivation secrets without giving anything in return?
"He even wanted to demand from Ye Yu a method to evolve his Martial Soul!
"Such a method is unimaginably precious!
"And what did he have that was worthy of exchange? Nothing!
"Hmph, disgusting!"
The more she thought about it, the more Hu Liena felt that her teacher, Bibi Dong, had been unfair and hypocritical in siding with Yu Xiaogang.
There's an old saying: One who walks upright, sits upright.
If Bibi Dong herself had been flawless, Hu Liena would never have harbored any resentment at being forbidden from pursuing Ye Yu. She would only have felt grief—that her teacher simply did not understand her.
But after learning from Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan of her teacher's own sordid past, Hu Liena's heart burned with indignation.
Her teacher's mistakes were far greater than her own!
And yet Bibi Dong had coldly rebuked her for wishing to be with Ye Yu.
The hypocrisy of it was unbearable.
Why?
Why was Bibi Dong allowed to chase after love—even to the point of threatening to elope with a useless man who was nothing but empty words and stolen theories—
While she, Hu Liena, was forbidden from pursuing Ye Yu?
Ye Yu, who was incomparably strong, brilliant, and dazzling with talent.
Her wish to be with him was not only for herself, but also for her teacher and for Spirit Hall.
How could that be wrong?
Seeing the storm of defiance rising in Hu Liena's eyes, Yue Guan could already guess her resolve.
"Saintess," he said softly, "the reason I told you all this was simple.
"I knew—you would choose to follow your heart."
"Ye Yu, that Young Master Ye, is a genius unmatched in history. His talent, his strength, his brilliance… he surpasses Yu Xiaogang in every possible way."
"I support you, Saintess. Pursue your love."
For once, Chrysanthemum Douluo spoke with genuine sincerity. But after a pause, he coughed awkwardly and added a warning.
"However, Saintess… if you wish to leave Spirit City and seek out Young Master Ye, please endure for a few more days.
"If you were to disappear right now, I would surely bear the brunt of Her Holiness the Pope's punishment."
Hu Liena's frosty expression softened, and a faint smile curved her lips.
"Elder Yue Guan, don't worry," she promised earnestly.
"I will never bring you harm."
In the days that followed, Hu Liena played her role perfectly—pretending to be crushed, grieving, too dispirited to eat or drink.
She stayed inside her residence, "reflecting on her mistakes."
And because she had always left Bibi Dong with the impression of being obedient and compliant, the Pope harbored not the slightest suspicion.
She didn't even bother to assign guards to watch Hu Liena.
When Yan learned that Hu Liena had been scolded by the Pope and confined at home for requesting to marry Ye Yu on behalf of Spirit Hall, he was ecstatic.
In his mind, this meant Bibi Dong intended to keep Hu Liena within Spirit Hall, and that eventually she would be given to him.
To win her favor early, he shamelessly dragged Xie Yue along to pay Hu Liena a visit.
"Nana!" Yan tried to soothe her with a smile. "Her Holiness was thinking only of your good.
"That Ye Yu already has a girlfriend—the granddaughter of Poison Douluo, Dugu Yan.
"And I've also heard that beyond her, the Nine Heart Begonia's Ye Lingling, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's Ning Rongrong, and even Zhu Zhuqing from the Star Luo line… they're all entangled with him!
"The Pope just doesn't want you to suffer, Nana. It's all for your sake!"
But after learning the truth from Chrysanthemum Douluo, Hu Liena could only sneer inwardly.
As for Yan—her disgust ran bone-deep.
She already knew.
Back during the Upper Three Sects and Lower Four Sects selection tournament, it had been Yan who secretly leaked her visit to Ye Yu, reporting it to Bibi Dong behind her back.
"Brother, didn't I already tell you?" she said coldly to Xie Yue, ignoring Yan entirely.
"I don't ever want to see him again."
"What I, Hu Liena, despise most in this world is a two-faced, backstabbing coward!"
Her brows knit tightly, her beautiful face cold with disdain. Arms folded, she turned to her brother and declared:
"And as for Ye Yu already having girlfriends—so what?
"The man I love being admired by so many outstanding women only proves his charm!"
"I, Hu Liena, would rather be Ye Yu's concubine than ever be tied, even for a moment, to a hypocritical traitor!"
"Put plainly—how could a man who has tasted a true dragon ever spare a glance for a stray dog?"
Her voice dripped with scorn.
A… stray dog?!
Yan's eager smile froze instantly.
A sharp pain tore through his chest. His nose turned red and round, as though he had become nothing more than a clown's caricature.
In that moment, he felt utterly worthless.
Xie Yue, standing beside them, could only sigh inwardly. He pitied Yan, but he also thought: You brought this on yourself.
Several days later, Hu Liena seized her chance.
She escaped Spirit City entirely, racing straight toward the last known location of Ye Yu.
A day later, Bibi Dong discovered her disciple missing.
The Pope was enraged almost to madness.
The girl she had raised as her own daughter—dared to defy her?
And in Hu Liena's residence, someone discovered a letter addressed to Bibi Dong.
Unfolding it, she read:
Dear Teacher,
I have thought long and hard, but I cannot forget Ye Yu.
Years ago, you yourself were unwilling to let go of Yu Xiaogang. You even went so far as to threaten Pope Qian Xunji, saying you would elope with him.
Since you could abandon everything for love—why should I, your disciple, not pursue my own?
Am I wrong?
—Your disciple, Hu Liena
"How… how does she know of my past?!"
Bibi Dong's face darkened, her body trembling with fury as she finished the letter.
Her chest heaved, her eyes bloodshot.
"Betrayal!" she roared inwardly.
"This is outright betrayal!!"
Behind her, Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo lowered their heads, their expressions unreadable.
But in their hearts, they sneered.
This was nothing but the cycle of Heaven. Retribution had arrived.
Pope Bibi Dong—why be angry?
Was this not exactly what you yourself had once done?