Bibi Dong propped her delicate hand beneath her cheek, her expression devoid of emotion.
Five years ago, Li Zhexian had killed her once.
But at that time, she had already exhausted her strength after a life-and-death battle against several Titled Douluo.
And that sword strike of Li Zhexian's...
was a technique of mutual destruction —
burning everything within himself, transcending his limits,
to unleash a world-shattering, fatal blow.
In terms of true combat power,
five years ago Li Zhexian had merely been able to rival a weaker Spirit Sage.
A Spirit Ancestor capable of matching a Soul Sage—
such talent was…
Bibi Dong's phoenix eyes flickered open and shut.
From the corner of her eyes, wisps of black-purple Spirit Power drifted out like coils of poisonous mist.
She had to admit —
this youth disturbed her peace of mind.
...
Below the throne,
after a long silence, a trembling voice called out:
"Reporting to Your Holiness, the Pope!"
"Lord Salas led the Heaven Dou branch — a total of forty-two Spirit Masters — into battle against Li Zhexian!"
"The result…"
The messenger's whole body shook like a leaf, his voice breaking apart. With a thud, he collapsed to his knees.
Bibi Dong's cold eyes narrowed slightly. Her lips parted.
"Speak."
"I–Including Lord Salas… all forty-three Spirit Masters… perished."
"Lord Salas' remains… could not be found."
"Li Zhexian… with the cultivation of a Spirit King… slew a Spirit Douluo–level expert."
"The Heaven Dou Branch Hall… is gone."
From within the shadows that veiled the Pope's throne—
Two sharp beams of purple light tore through the darkness.
Rumble—
Rumble—
The grand hall of the Pope's Palace trembled and rang like a struck bell.
"Your Holiness, please calm your anger!"
"Your Holiness!"
The officials below prostrated themselves,
their foreheads striking the marble floor with resounding bangs.
A wave of indescribable, crushing power swept out —
blasting the messenger clear from the hall,
his fate unknown.
"A Spirit King…
who can slay a Spirit Douluo…"
Bibi Dong rose slowly, stepping out from the shadow.
Her amethyst eyes gleamed with eerie, shifting light.
The radiant golden robe that adorned her —
from her shoulders downward —
was gradually dyed in hues of black and purple,
the darkness spreading down to the hem like the night devouring the light.
"That boy's growth… is too terrifying."
"In the entire history of the Douluo Continent,
never has such a monster appeared."
From the right side of the hall came the sound of heavy footsteps.
"Your Holiness…"
A towering figure strode into view—
over two and a half meters tall, with crimson hair like hardened blood. His muscles coiled like the roots of an ancient tree, a mountain of flesh and violence.
"Allow me, the Demon Bear, to go to Heaven Dou!"
"I will bring you Li Zhexian's head!"
Bibi Dong fell silent for a moment.
"Li Zhexian's importance… now rivals that of an entire Upper Three Sect."
"If the opportunity presents itself, I shall strike him down myself."
"But he is now within Heaven Dou territory —
surely protected by Titled Douluo."
She paused briefly, then continued:
"The grand plan of Spirit Hall cannot afford a single mistake."
"Once the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan are destroyed,
two of the Titled Douluo who are closest to him will be gone."
"When that time comes… taking his life will be as easy as turning a hand."
"Yue Guan, Gui Mei, Demon Bear, Ghost Leopard—"
"Your Holiness!"
Alongside the Demon Bear Douluo,
three more figures appeared abruptly within the hall.
Ghost Douluo's body flickered like smoke.
Yue Guan held the Strange Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, his appearance genderless and beautiful.
And the Ghost Leopard Douluo—gaunt, black-clad, his face masked, eyes emotionless—stood like a shadow given form.
"Secretly mobilize ten thousand Spirit Masters."
"Commence the Spirit Hunting Operation ahead of schedule."
"One month from now…"
"Let not a single soul remain alive —
among the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile C;an and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!"
"Yes!" ×4
——
That night's banquet—
No one ever knew what Li Zhexian had said to the four Titled Douluo.
All that was known was that, when they left,
the faces of those four men — heroes famed across the continent —
were heavy with mingled joy and sorrow.
And in the days that followed…
Li Zhexian still spent his days with the friends who shared his ideals and passions.
But this gathering —
was no longer the carefree play of their younger years.
Now the youths sparred with one another, exchanging blows and insights, their Spirit Abilites colliding in bursts of dazzling light —
or sat together in deep discussion, voices rising with heated debate over the tides of war and the fate of the continent.
They were only a group of young men and women just beginning to show their brilliance —
yet behind each of them stood a powerful faction, a name that carried weight across the land.
——
Within a tranquil garden in Heaven Dou City,
inside a long pavilion—
the youths gathered, faces grave.
"Blazing, Skywater, Godwind, Thunderclap—each is rooted in Heaven Dou!"
Feng Xiaotian's eye was still bruised from a recent fight, but his voice carried a steel edge as he looked over the glittering cityscape.
"If Spirit Hall bares its fangs and war ignites…"
"Then we, the disciples of these academies, must rise with blood and courage —
and stand where the weak cannot."
"So it should be."
Yu Tianheng's lips curved faintly as he said with a smile:
"I often hear the students of the Literary Academy shouting,
'If war comes, we'll trade our pens for swords —
better to die wrapped in a horsehide shroud than live in shame.'"
"I used to despise those bookish idealists…
But I must admit — they're right."
"Indeed, a true man should be like that —
yet never forget, women can stand shoulder to shoulder with men."
Shui Bing'er's icy-blue skirts fluttered softly in the breeze, her bearing calm and ethereal.
"Though Skywater Academy is a women's academy,"
"If our homeland faces peril, we will not stand idle."
"Even if the northern front is distant and the flames of war do not reach us,
our hearts burn no less for our nation."
"Well said!"
Huo Wu and Shui Yue'er's eyes sparkled as they raised their voices together.
Feng Buyu, Huo Wushuang, Oscar, and the rest raised their thumbs in admiration.
Li Zhexian's gaze swept across each youthful, determined face in the pavilion, finally landing on the bright, peaceful sprawl of Heaven Dou City beyond.
His voice was calm—
yet every word rang clear in their hearts.
"For the sake of home and nation—for the calling of our Spirit Power—what you've said is true. This is the backbone of all Spirit Masters."
He paused, his tone suddenly growing distant and solemn.
"But if war truly comes, what we fight for is not glory, but protection."
"To protect the smoke rising from these streets, the echo of lessons in the academies."
"To protect the snowfield in Bing'er's eyes, the honor that lives within Tianheng's heart, the lamplight Buyu gazes upon tonight."
"To protect this very moment—our laughter, our youth, our courage to speak of the world beneath the open sky."
He raised his cup,
his gaze sweeping across the circle of dear friends.
"Even if we die — we will never regret it!"
A surge of emotion swept through the group.
One by one, they lifted their cups and clashed them together with fierce energy.
"Even if we die — we will never regret it!"
The wine burned their throats,
and their resolve burned brighter still.
"By the way…" Yu Tianheng turned toward the white-robed youth whose smile remained warm and calm.
"We've been so carefree lately, I almost forgot something."
"Brother Zhexian — my younger brother Tianxin has been confined at home by our grandfather. He couldn't make it to this five-year reunion."
"He asked me to convey his greetings to his master — and to beg you to save him a cup of wine."
Li Zhexian couldn't help but smile.
That unruly boy still remembered his so-called master.
"That reminds me too,"
Huo Wushuang said suddenly,
"Have any of you seen Brother Huyan?"
"Since the Elephant Armor Academy didn't make it into the finals,
I was afraid he might not know about the reunion, so I sent him a letter myself."
"But he hasn't shown up."
Everyone exchanged puzzled looks,
then hesitantly shook their heads.
They all remembered that towering youth over two meters tall —
whose Martial Soul was the Diamond Mammoth —
and the seven brothers beside him, all famed for their brute strength and heroic spirit.
Huo Wushuang, Feng Buyu, and Feng Xiaotian each had vivid memories of him.
Li Zhexian finished the last of the wine in his cup. He turned and looked at the green forest swaying in the wind, murmuring softly:
"The Elephant Armored Academy has withdrawn from the Elemental Academies' alliance."
"The Elephant Armored Clan has moved its entire clan away from Heaven Dou."
Silence fell over the pavilion.
Everyone understood what that meant.
Not every power would choose to stand with Heaven Dou.
Li Zhexian drank in silence, one sip after another.
In the shadowed depths of his downcast eyes,
a trace of sorrow flickered — hard to name, but heavy.
He seemed to see once more that burly figure,
stumbling yet stubbornly forcing strong wine into his cup,
his booming laughter still echoing in his ears.
"Brother Huyan…"
"If one day we meet again upon the battlefield—"
"We'll meet as enemies, blade to blade."