Chapter 278: Pontiff Bibi Dong
The results of the 4th round of the finals were out, and Spirit Hall Academy Team, which had been considered the strongest contender for the championship, had actually been eliminated, failing to even enter the top 3. This outcome shocked countless people.
It was said that after learning of this result, the elders of Spirit Hall were furious. They did not even give the members of Spirit Hall Academy Team time to rest and recover before punishing them on the very same day.
All 11 members, including the substitutes, were banished to the Maze Grand Canyon, where they would have to undergo training for 3 full years before being allowed to return.
Yu Tianlin had also heard of the Maze Grand Canyon. It was truly not a place meant for humans. For Spirit Hall Academy Team to be thrown there for 3 years, such punishment could only be described as miserable.
However, now that Spirit Hall Academy Team had already been eliminated, Yu Tianlin no longer paid attention to them and instead focused on the final round of the competition.
Between the previous rounds of the finals, there had only been 1 day of rest. The final round, however, was different. A full 3 days had been given before it began, more than enough for all the remaining teams to fully recover.
Speaking of which, the opponents waiting for Yu Tianlin and his team in the 5th and final round of the finals were Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team One and Blue Tyrant Academy Team. In terms of difficulty, they were not as troublesome as the previous 4th round. On top of that, they were all familiar faces, so there was no need to fight too fiercely.
In fact, once Spirit Hall Academy Team had been eliminated, Yu Tianlin already felt that this competition was basically over. The final rankings were nearly set in stone, and what remained was mostly just a formality.
As everyone continued recovering and resting, the 3 days passed quickly, and the 5th and final round of the competition finally arrived.
Under the bright sunlight, the Temple Guards poured out and lined up in 2 rows before the Supreme Pontiff Palace. Their heavy armor reflected a dazzling glow, fully displaying the majesty of the Supreme Pontiff Palace.
Not long after the Temple Guards had taken their positions, the 3 teams that had advanced to the final round also made their way up Pontiff Mountain and quietly stood in the plaza before the Supreme Pontiff Palace.
At this time, all the eliminated teams no longer had the right to remain and watch. Even the teachers and elders of the 3 advancing teams could only wait on the outer perimeter. Now, the entire plaza contained only the 21 contestants participating in the final round.
As captains of their respective teams, Yu Tianlin, his older cousin Yu Tianxin, and his older cousin Yu Tianheng naturally stood at the very front. When their gazes met, faint smiles appeared in all 3 pairs of eyes.
This time, Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had truly made a huge splash.
The 3 advancing teams did not wait for long. Soon, a group of people emerged from the side gate of the Supreme Pontiff Palace.
There were 12 people in this group, all of them Cardinals, whose status in Spirit Hall was second only to that of a Platinum Bishop. The 12 of them walked all the way to the front of the Supreme Pontiff Palace, with 6 standing on each side.
The moment the Cardinals took their positions, Platinum Bishop Brian, who was stationed in Spirit City, immediately proclaimed loudly, "His Holiness the Pontiff arrives!"
When Brian spoke, he infused his voice with Spirit Power, allowing it to spread throughout the entire city. Everyone who heard it immediately erupted into cheers of "Long live!"
Not only the 2 rows of Temple Guards before Spirit Hall, but nearly the entire city of Spirit City joined in the cry, producing a sound like mountains collapsing and seas roaring.
Yu Tianlin was not surprised by this at all. After all, Spirit City could be called the base camp of Spirit Hall. More than 99 percent of the people living here were loyal supporters of Spirit Hall, so such a grand scene was only natural.
Amid the citywide cries of "Long live," the massive gates of Spirit Hall slowly opened. Bibi Dong, dressed in a magnificent golden robe, holding the Pontiff's Scepter and wearing a purple gold crown, stepped out from the Supreme Pontiff Palace with a solemn expression, fully displaying the imposing dignity of the Pontiff.
"So this is Bibi Dong, the Pontiff of Spirit Hall? The future Rakshasa God. I wonder what her Spirit Power cultivation is like now, and how it compares to Grandfather."
This was the first time Yu Tianlin had truly seen Bibi Dong, and such thoughts naturally flashed through his mind.
Among the few people capable of becoming gods, Bibi Dong should currently have the highest Spirit Power cultivation, far above the rest.
The moment Bibi Dong appeared, everyone belonging to Spirit Hall dropped to one knee and declared in unison, "Greetings, Your Holiness the Pontiff!"
Indeed, all members of Spirit Hall knelt in salute, but Yu Tianlin was not a member of Spirit Hall, so naturally he had no need to do so. Not only Yu Tianlin, but the members of the other 2 teams that had advanced to the final round also remained standing.
In the entire field of view, only Bibi Dong before the Supreme Pontiff Palace and the 21 participants standing in the plaza remained upright. The scene looked rather strange.
Bibi Dong's gaze swept across them, but her expression remained as calm as ever, as though she did not care in the slightest. Although a few Cardinals appeared somewhat displeased, none of them did anything.
First, there was no explicit rule requiring anyone to kneel upon seeing the Pontiff. Second, all 3 advancing teams had significant backgrounds, so not kneeling was hardly a major issue.
After Bibi Dong appeared, the 6 figures behind her also came into view. 5 of them wore the ceremonial robes that symbolized Titled Douluo, clearly displaying their status as Titled Douluo experts.
Among those 5 Titled Douluo, Yu Tianlin recognized 3.
The first was his own grandfather, Yu Yuanzhen, a Rank 97 power attack type Titled Douluo.
The second was Sword Douluo Chen Xin of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, a Rank 96 power attack type Titled Douluo.
The third was Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, a Rank 92 control type Titled Douluo.
As for the other 2, although Yu Tianlin did not know them personally, he had seen information about them before. The one with the enchanting and somewhat effeminate appearance was Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, while the shadowy figure whose face could not be clearly seen was Ghost Douluo Gui Mei. Both of them were Rank 95, one being a power attack type and the other an agility attack type. On top of that, they also possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill known as the Duality Stillness Domain.
The last remaining person was Ning Fengzhi. Although he was not a Titled Douluo, he was the Clan Master of the Clan and had been granted the honorary title of elder by Spirit Hall, so he was qualified to emerge from the main gate of Spirit Hall together with the Titled Douluo.
Seeing all these people walking out together, Yu Tianlin could not help but feel a strange sense of contrast.
For now, everything seemed fine. But who could have imagined that only a few years later, Spirit Hall would directly launch an assault on the Upper 3 Clans?
In the past, although Spirit Hall and the Upper 3 Clans had been somewhat competitive, they had still maintained overall peace. No one knew exactly when things had begun to shift into what they would later become.
Yu Tianlin could not make sense of all those larger currents, but he knew one thing clearly.
He had to protect Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
He absolutely could not allow Spirit Hall's Soul Hunting Operation to succeed.
After all the Titled Douluo had stepped out, Bibi Dong raised the scepter in her hand slightly, signaling for everyone to rise. Those who had bowed immediately stood back up.
.....
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