...
How would I know?
Bibi Dong scoffed dismissively, her body tensing slightly at the commotion under the table, but she maintained her perfect papal dignity:
"Yu Xiaogang, do you really think my Spirit Hall's intelligence network is just for show?
Your precious disciple has caused such a commotion in Heaven Dou City over the past year, in alliance with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the Heaven Dou Royal Family, even revealing the Clear Sky Hammer.
As the Pope, do you think I wouldn't have received this information?!"
"You've come all this way today, claiming it's for your disciple.
To put it bluntly, you just want to help the direct descendants of the Clear Sky Sect obtain the most core cultivation secrets of my Spirit Hall, so that they can eventually fully upgrade their spirit rings and have the strength to come back and seek revenge against my Spirit Hall?!"
Bibi Dong snorted coldly: "Yu Xiaogang, you've certainly got a pretty good plan."
Caught off guard, Yu Xiaogang panicked completely.
Cold sweat poured down his forehead as he frantically waved his hands and shouted his explanation:
"That's not how it is! Your Majesty, you've misunderstood!
Although Xiao San possesses the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul, he has never participated in any affairs of the Clear Sky Sect!
He's just an innocent child, and I can assure you with my reputation that he will absolutely never be an enemy of the Spirit Hall in the future!"
"Your reputation?"
Upon hearing these two words, Bibi Dong seemed to be amused by her anger, and she leaned back in her chair speechlessly.
"Yu Xiaogang, your worthless reputation is nothing but a fart in my eyes! Do you really think I'm a fool who can be easily fooled?"
Bibi Dong stared coldly at him, her feet moving faster and faster under Xuan Hao's guidance. She suppressed the surging tide deep within her body, her tone becoming increasingly harsh:
"Not from the Clear Sky Sect? His surname is Tang, and he wields the Clear Sky Hammer. Besides Tang Hao, the Clear Sky Douluo of yesteryear, who else in the world could have such a son?!
Since he is Tang Hao's biological son, then this hatred seems even greater than that for the Clear Sky Sect back then, right?!"
"Back then, the Spirit Hall forced Tang Hao into seclusion for more than ten years, forcing him to hide and not even dare to return to a sect. Now, if his own son knew the whole truth of what happened back then, tell me, wouldn't he become an enemy of the Spirit Hall?"
"A joke!"
Bibi Dong gripped the handrail tightly, and at that moment she suddenly felt a strong, intense tremor in the soles of her feet.
"Yu Xiaogang, your ability to spout nonsense here today is even better than it was twenty years ago!"
Having his thoughts exposed in public, Yu Xiaogang's face turned from white to green.
He looked at the high and mighty Bibi Dong, whose once gentle fox eyes now held only disgust.
Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath, straightened his chest again, and tried to play his last emotional card.
"Dong'er, I know you're angry, and I know you hate me for leaving back then."
A smug, self-righteous pain flashed in Yu Xiaogang's eyes, his voice hoarse.
"But the grudges of that time were all the fault of our generation. Tang San was innocent. He was just my disciple.
Even if you want to take revenge on me, you shouldn't joke about a child's future."
"Hate you? You don't even deserve it."
Bibi Dong's body trembled violently. She gritted her teeth, trying to suppress the surging emotions within her.
"Yu Xiaogang, do you know how I feel when I see you right now?"
"Ridiculous. Nothing but ridiculous."
Bibi Dong stared coldly at him, her soles burning hot in Xuan Hao's palm.
"I just feel that those past days were like a complete joke. And because of your joke, I've even made myself a joke for the past twenty years!"
Yu Xiaogang was now completely panicked. He stepped forward and cried out urgently, "Dong'er! I really had my reasons back then.
I did it so as not to implicate you, and for the sake of your reputation..."
"Shut up!!"
Bibi Dong slammed her hand on the table, and the overwhelming pressure of her Peerless Douluo aura instantly shattered Yu Xiaogang's unfinished words in his throat.
"Don't mention 'back then' to me.
A coward like you has no right to even mention those two words!"
Bibi Dong's chest heaved violently, both from genuine anger and from Xuan Hao's increasingly unreasonable provocations under the table; her breathing became rapid.
"If there's nothing else, get out of here now! I don't have time for trash like you. If it weren't for the papal decree in your hand, you wouldn't even be qualified to step through the main gate of this side hall!"
Yu Xiaogang's face was ashen, and he looked at the woman on the dragon throne with a wounded expression.
"Dong'er...are you really not even considering the little bit of affection we had for each other back then?"
Bibi Dong's beautiful eyes turned slightly cold, a hint of pure killing intent flashing in them: "Yu Xiaogang, do you want to die?"
"If you have lived long enough, I can grant your wish now and let you stay on this Papal Mountain forever."
Feeling the almost tangible, chilling, and terrifying killing intent, Yu Xiaogang's expression froze completely.
He finally understood that the woman before him was no longer the saintess he could manipulate at will; she was now the Pope who held the reins of power.
"Your Holiness, please forgive me." Yu Xiaogang lowered his head, his whole body trembling slightly.
"Get out!"
Bibi Dong coldly uttered a single word.
Yu Xiaogang dared not utter another word.
He clenched his fists tightly behind his back, turned around, lowered his head, and prepared to leave the main hall in a disheveled manner.
"Wait a moment!"
Suddenly, Bibi Dong's cold voice came from behind again.
Yu Xiaogang abruptly stopped, a surge of joy rising in his heart:
"After all, she still can't let go of me. This tactic of feigning indifference..."
Unfortunately, Bibi Dong's cold voice shattered his fantasy in an instant.
"Leave the papal decree in your hand."
Bibi Dong spoke coldly, "Since that Tang San is Tang Hao's son, this Pope's Decree of yours must be the one that the Clear Sky Sect possessed back then.
Tang Hao, as the young sect leader, carried this with him when he was training outside, but I didn't expect it to end up being given to you."
"Since the Haotian Sect has now closed its doors to the world and no longer intends to keep this item, then leave it for me."
Yu Xiaogang's fingers tightened around the papal decree, and his lips trembled slightly.
This token is his biggest trump card. If he leaves it here, he will lose all his privileges in the world of Soul Masters.
His pride and the huge gap between his expectations and reality drove him to utter rage.
Yu Xiaogang slammed the token onto the stone pillar tray beside him, turned around, and looked at Bibi Dong with a somewhat gloomy expression:
"Your Holiness, since you are determined not to help Xiao San today, then as someone who has been through this before, I advise you to be careful of Xuan Hao from Tian Dou City!"
"His lawless and arrogant nature, which even dared to trespass on the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, will only make him more dangerous than Tang Hao was back then! If the Spirit Hall doesn't let him go, he will become a major threat to the entire Spirit Hall sooner or later!"
Bibi Dong didn't even bother to lift her eyelids.
"Get out!"
Yu Xiaogang dared not utter another word, his face ashen, and he quickly left the main hall.
"Bang."
The heavy doors of the government hall slammed shut at that moment.
Almost the instant the door closed, the tassels under the mahogany desk flashed, and Xuan Hao, who had been hiding underneath, suddenly stood up, crossed the desk, and pulled Bibi Dong, who was still sitting in the chair, into his arms tightly.
"ah!"
Bibi Dong was startled by this sudden action and gasped. Her body swayed involuntarily, and her hands nervously pressed against his strong chest.
She looked at Xuan Hao with some panic, afraid that this bastard would completely go berserk because of what Yu Xiaogang had just said.
However, Xuan Hao did not make any further moves.
He simply pulled his arms tightly together, burying his silver-haired head firmly in Bibi Dong's neck, and in that instant, he relaxed in utter tranquility.
There was no murderous intent, no violence, only a kind of dependence that felt like something lost and then regained.
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