Spirit Hall, Pope's Palace.
At this moment, the Pope's Palace was filled with elders, their gazes all fixed on the Pope standing on the high platform.
Plans couldn't keep up with changes. The Spirit Hall had planned to take action against two of the top three sects, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect.
But now, there was neither the opportunity nor the time.
With the Heaven Dou Empire already secured, the Spirit Hall no longer had the need to establish a Spirit Empire.
For a moment, they were unsure of their next move.
"Your Holiness, what should our next step be?" Yue Guan was the first to break the silence.
He already knew the next step of the plan, but he needed to play along with Bibi Dong in a "performance" before implementing it.
Bibi Dong pondered for a moment before speaking, "Gather all sects except the Body Sect and the top three sects!"
The sect forces on the Douluo Continent were unstable factors. With numerous sects, in an era where Titled Douluos were scarce, these sects could either wreak havoc or protect a region.
Not all sects could be condemned; some were still beloved.
Bibi Dong had her own plans for gathering all the sects.
Qian Renxue had succeeded in taking control of the Heaven Dou Empire.
To unify the continent, it was necessary to first integrate the other sects and then attack the Star Luo Empire.
Finally, the Spirit Hall and the Heaven Dou Empire would merge to form a new nation.
Individually, these sects were nothing to the behemoth that was the Spirit Hall, but if properly integrated, they could pose a significant threat.
Of course, it was only a threat.
Using these sects as vanguards was also a good option.
The elders had no objections to Bibi Dong's words. For them, some things were not secrets.
After all, it was they who had helped "Xue Qinghe" quell the "rebellion."
At the mention of this, a strange expression flashed across the elders' faces.
"We have no objections to this matter."
"Your Holiness, I have something to report!"
"Speak!"
Since there were no objections, what was there to report?
With Bibi Dong's permission, the elder cupped his hands and spoke respectfully, "Your Holiness, while quelling the rebellion, we always felt that there was another force also helping the young master clean up the rebellion."
"At first, we thought it was the Titled Douluo of the Body Sect or the Sword and Bone of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
"But later, we realized something was off..."
At this point, the elder's frown deepened.
That unknown force was very powerful, and the "energy" they used carried an extremely evil aura.
It was even more evil than the aura emanating from the Pope herself!
At this thought, the corners of everyone's eyes twitched slightly.
An evil Pope...
In the many years since the Spirit Hall was founded, Bibi Dong was the first of her kind.
"What was off?"
Bibi Dong's willow-like eyebrows furrowed, and a trace of surprise flashed in her beautiful eyes.
Why hadn't these old fellows mentioned this earlier?
Not only had they not mentioned it earlier, but they had also dragged their feet.
"Your Holiness, during the process of quelling the rebellion, all members of the Body Sect were busy clearing out hillichurls and other monsters, leaving them no time to deal with the rebellion."
"The Sword and Bone of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect occasionally sent someone out, but they were also clearing monsters, not dealing with the rebellion."
"So we suspect that there is another unknown force on the Douluo Continent that has taken action. Their energy is extremely evil, and they don't seem like good people. The young master's cooperation with them is more like making a pact with the devil..."
The elders nodded in agreement. They were also worried that Qian Renxue was making a pact with the devil. There was no need to borrow the power of such a force.
If necessary, they could still mobilize the Hall of Worship. Cooperating with such an evil force was likely not a good thing.
Bibi Dong's face darkened. Using evil energy meant not being a good person?
Did that mean she, Bibi Dong, was the greatest villain in the Spirit Hall?
Thinking carefully, she really wasn't a good person...
She wanted to say something but hesitated.
Bibi Dong glared at Gui Mei and Yue Guan. These two had actually kept such an important matter from her!
How long did they plan to keep it hidden?
Gui Mei and Yue Guan avoided her gaze. It wasn't that they had intentionally hidden it, but they were afraid of being blamed by Qian Renxue.
Anyone could see that Qian Renxue would be the next Pope, no, she would be the first emperor to unify the continent!
Who would dare to provoke her?
"You don't need to concern yourselves with this matter. I will personally inquire about it."
After resolving her inner conflict, it was impossible for Bibi Dong not to feel guilty toward Qian Renxue and the Spirit Hall.
Bibi Dong couldn't understand how someone as smart as her could have been deceived by that waste, Yu Xiaogang.
To this day, she still couldn't figure out what she had seen in Yu Xiaogang back then.
And because of Yu Xiaogang, she had been willing to break ties with her mentor, Qian Xunji, and defect from the Spirit Hall.
Such behavior was truly excessive.
But, was Qian Xunji completely blameless?
"You all go and gather those sects first."
"Yes!"
After everyone left the Pope's Palace, Bibi Dong returned to her room, changed into casual clothes, and then left the palace, heading for Heaven Dou City.
For a powerhouse like her, the distance from Spirit City to Heaven Dou City wasn't far, and she could arrive in a few hours.
As night fell, in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
"Xue Qinghe's" study welcomed an unexpected guest. She had even managed to approach "Xue Qinghe" without alerting She Long and Ci Xue.
Of course, once her figure appeared, if She Long and Ci Xue still didn't notice, they would be blind.
When they saw Bibi Dong's face, She Long and Ci Xue finally relaxed.
"Isn't this the Pope?"
"What brings you to my palace?"
"Xue Qinghe" crossed his arms and spoke indifferently.
In her "previous life," she had cared deeply about Bibi Dong's opinions and views.
Even at the moment of "death," Bibi Dong's thoughts were all about Yu Xiaogang, with no place for her daughter.
Even though Yu Xiaogang was now crippled, and it was Bibi Dong who had crippled him.
But "Xue Qinghe" still held a grudge. Like Bibi Dong, she was a very stubborn person.
Once a crack appeared, it was hard to repair.
Bibi Dong's fingers trembled slightly, and her eyes were filled with confusion.
When had her daughter started to distance herself from her?
When had their relationship become worse than that of strangers?
She couldn't remember.
"Xue'er, I am still your mother, how can you..."
"Stop right there, Your Holiness, be careful with your words!"
"Xue Qinghe has a father, and that is Xue Ye. He has a mother, and that is Ji Mingxue."
"Qian Renxue has a father, and that is Qian Xunji. Qian Renxue has no mother!"