The scene fell silent for a moment.
Even Yue Guan and the others were stunned on the spot. Qian Renxue's gaze gradually softened as she looked at Su Wen standing in the arena. It seemed that he was only strict with these old-timers, while he was obviously much more gentle with the younger generation of Spirit Hall.
Such a clear sense of right and wrong—this was what made a "senior" from Spirit Hall truly convincing.
"But…" Xie Yue felt a pang of guilt.
Su Wen waved his hand and softly called, "Azure Luan."
"Buzz!!"
A beam of light shot into the sky.
A sacred power enveloped the entire arena. Countless students of the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy instinctively closed their eyes, basking in the sudden shower of holy light.
"This is… a divine bird?!" Yan exclaimed in shock.
"What pure vitality." Yue Guan's eyes widened as well. Only a Title Douluo could sense just how vast the life force was within this exquisite phoenix. As for healing-type Title Douluos, probably only a Rank 99 could compare.
But what filled him with even more fear was the real strength Su Wen was hiding, revealed through this soul beast "Azure Luan."
Such a terrifying soul beast—Su Wen seemed to have more than one…
Just one person could equal an army.
The power he'd shown was truly just the tip of the iceberg.
Meanwhile, Dugu Yan and the others finally breathed a long sigh of relief.
They looked at Ye Lingling. After a moment's hesitation, she spoke softly from behind her black veil, "This is my training… Lord Azure Luan, the soul beast. With its help, the Shi brothers' lives are no longer in danger."
"Hey! Why didn't you say so earlier? Gave us quite a scare…" Yu Feng patted his head.
"Buzz!"
A beam of light descended from Azure Luan.
It covered the upper bodies of the two, and under the intense vitality, their reconnected bodies slowly squirmed and grew, and in a matter of seconds, they were as good as new.
Actually, Azure Luan's fourth form had a Heaven-tier blue skill—[Rebirth]. It could even resurrect the dead, not limited to just one person. The amount of vitality required depended on the strength of the revived person.
But for a mere waist injury, there was no need to use such a divine skill.
A sea of life force enveloped the Shi brothers, restoring them to peak condition in an instant.
Watching the Shi brothers go from utter despair to being as lively as if resurrected, Xie Yue and Hu Liena were dumbfounded. What kind of divine ability was this?!
They'd thought only someone from the Ye family could perform such a feat, but this scene shattered their worldview.
"It's just too comprehensive…" Qian Renxue quietly sighed.
…
"I was gone for a few days and so much happened?" Dugu Bo was surprised, listening to his granddaughter's rambling account.
He also took her pulse.
At some point, there seemed to be a trace of ice attribute mixed with her toxins.
And this chill wasn't simple…
"What exactly did your Uncle Su do to you?!" Dugu Bo's mouth twitched. In just four months, his granddaughter had practically become a different person.
"Grandpa!" Dugu Yan pouted. "What do you mean, what did he do!"
"It is what it is. Absorb the soul bone first." Dugu Bo shook his head and took out an emerald-green soul bone—a just-over-ten-thousand-year-old Azure Scorpion soul bone he'd recently obtained from a soul beast in the Sunset Forest.
As for Su Wen…
This kindness, he probably could never repay it all.
…
Spirit Hall.
"Your Holiness, that's how it happened…" Yue Guan half-knelt, with the now nearly vegetative Gui Mei lying beside him, only able to open his eyes. A dark blue frost covered his limbs, as if he'd been frozen to the bone. If he hadn't been a Rank 95 Title Douluo, his body would not have survived—anyone else would have had to amputate to survive.
Xie Yue and the other three also knelt, heads bowed.
The grand hall was silent.
Only the faint tapping of Bibi Dong's staff echoed from the high platform.
"Tap!"
"Tap!"
"Tap…"
The crisp sound abruptly stopped.
"You nodded?"
On the high platform, the beautiful figure wrapped in royal robes—Bibi Dong, the newly crowned Pope—spoke softly.
Her voice was calm, giving no hint of emotion.
"Your Holiness, please forgive me. If I had dared nod my head at the time, I'd have been beheaded on the spot! Shaking my head was not my will, but I had no other choice… Please pass your holy judgment!"
"Go to the Punishment Hall and accept your punishment." Bibi Dong said coolly.
"Yes!" Yue Guan let out a sigh of relief and left with Gui Mei.
"As for you three…" Bibi Dong looked at Xie Yue and the others and shook her head.
"Continue training. Don't let this exchange competition distract you."
"Yes!"
They answered in unison.
But once everyone had left and the grand hall was empty—
Bibi Dong's anger could no longer be contained.
Her subordinates had "betrayed" her.
Her disciples actually admired that man.
And his increasingly undisguised, blatant humiliation toward her—each felt like a sharp thorn stabbing her heart. She had thought everything was over, that she could break free from the "prison" Qian Xunji had so carefully crafted for her.
But now…
Her slender pale fingers gripped the crystal at the top of her staff. Cracks spread from it inch by inch.
"No matter where you came from…"
"If you dare to thwart my plans, you'll die with Qian Xunji, that beast!"
"Just wait. The day I become a god… you'll all die!"
"You'll be buried with me!" Bibi Dong's beautiful face twisted into something terrifying and monstrous.
…