Chapter 153: Chapter 153: Pope's Temple, Bibi Dong
The next day, the final matches of the last three teams would be held in the square in front of the Martial Soul Hall.
The eliminated teams had already left by now, not even allowed to witness the battles of the last day.
Only true young powerhouses had the qualification to step onto the square in front of the Pope's Temple.
Under the sunlight, the Pope's Temple appeared even more magnificent.
In front of the Pope's Temple, two rows of temple knights stood from the front of the temple to the foot of the mountain, clad in bright silver armor, wielding heavy knight swords, making the entire Pope's Mountain appear even more majestic.
Early in the morning, the three teams that entered the final three were already present in front of the Pope's Temple, quietly waiting.
The teachers from the three academies were not allowed to stand in the square and could only wait on the periphery.
A total of twenty-one participants in the finals stood silently on the square, awaiting the arrival of this final moment.
Strangely, at this moment, Qian Renxue was not among the Martial Soul Hall Academy team, with Xie Yue leading instead.
The square in front of the Pope's Temple was not smaller than the arena used in previous matches.
The square's surface was paved with special stones, shimmering with a faint, lustrous light, like jade.
At a glance, one could tell that its defensive power surpassed that of the previous match venue by far.
Twelve bishops, second only to the Platinum Bishops, emerged slowly from the side door of the Pope's Temple, walking to the front of the temple, with six on each side.
The leader among them loudly declared, "The Pope is here."
"Long live, long live, long live." Three resounding cheers echoed throughout the entire Martial Soul City, like a landslide and tsunami.
It was not just the voices of the neatly arranged temple knights on the Pope's Mountain but also the shouts of all the soul masters in the Martial Soul City who were not allowed near the Pope's Mountain.
For them, the Pope was the highest belief.
The huge temple doors slowly opened, and the six emblems on the two large doors gradually deviated from their tracks.
Everyone's gaze involuntarily converged toward the direction of the opening doors.
Wrapped from head to toe in a radiant golden gown, with a purple-gold crown on her head and the Pope's scepter in hand, Bibi Dong, with a solemn expression, was the first to step out of the Pope's Temple.
Under the dazzling sunlight and the reflection from the Pope's Temple behind her, she gave off an ethereal feeling to the onlookers, as if infinitely tall and majestic.
Not a single person paid attention to her stunning appearance; at this moment, she represented the dignity of the Pope of the Martial Soul Hall.
All members affiliated with the Martial Soul Hall knelt down on the ground in front of the Pope's Temple, "We pay our respects to the Pope."
The atmosphere at that moment was indescribable, enveloped by the shouts coming from all directions, everyone felt an impulse to pay homage.
This was the power of the human heart.
Behind Bibi Dong were five other individuals.
Chrysanthemum Douluo , Ghost Douluo, Sword Douluo Chen Xin, Poison Douluo Du Gubo, and the Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, Ning Fengzhi.
Only three types of people could walk out of the front door of the Pope's Temple.
The first type was naturally the Pope. The second type was the titled Douluo who proved their strength. And the third type was the elders of the Martial Soul Hall. Apart from these three, even the Platinum Bishops and the emperors of the two great empires did not have the qualifications to enter through these doors. Among them, Ning Fengzhi, as one of the Honorary Elders of the Martial Soul Hall, was one of them.
The participating team members gazed at the six people stepping out of the Pope's Temple, and all seven members of the Martial Soul Hall team had already knelt down on the ground.
Su Cheng naturally had no intention of kneeling. There was no need for it, and Bibi Dong didn't care about such things either.
Seeing that he didn't move, the other team members naturally wouldn't kneel down without his lead.
Similarly, the members of the Shrek Academy team did not kneel down.
Zhu Zhuqing had comprehended the true meaning of martial souls and could not kneel to anyone.
Tang San considered himself proud and wouldn't bow to anyone except his father and teachers; Ma Hongjun had a similar mindset. Tai Long respected Tang San as his leader and made the same choice.
Oscar's thoughts were simple; he never held the Martial Soul Hall in high regard, only thinking highly of it when receiving gold soul coins from them.
Xiao Wu lowered her head, hiding the hatred in her eyes.
Jiang Zhu looked at the crowd of teammates beside her, her eyes shining with an inexplicable vigor.
Bibi Dong's gaze locked onto Su Cheng as soon as she saw him among the crowd.
A faint sword shadow flashed in his eyes, blocking the probing gaze containing spiritual power from the other party.
Bibi Dong suddenly understood, glanced at the dark golden vertical mark on his forehead, and calmly shifted her gaze away.
Waving the scepter in her hand lightly, she said, "Rise."
Everyone who had been kneeling on the ground stood up at her command.
A faint smile appeared on Bibi Dong's face as she swept her gaze from left to right, passing over all twenty-one young soul masters participating in the final three.
Her gaze subtly twitched when she passed the members of the Martial Soul Hall team, showing a hint of doubt in her eyes.
She continued, "I see hope in all of you. In front of the Pope's Temple, I hope to see all of your talents and strengths. The ultimate victor will receive the greatest reward from the Martial Soul Hall."
As she spoke, she lightly waved her scepter.
No one saw how she did it, but three points of light instantly enlarged in front of Bibi Dong, floating in mid-air, each emitting a different color—fiery red, pale blue, and emerald green.
Those were three soul bones!
In an instant, the entire Martial Soul City was in an uproar.
From the light, it was evident that these three soul bones were all of extraordinary quality, and even the members of the Martial Soul Hall couldn't help but show greedy glints in their eyes.
Ghost Douluo, standing behind Bibi Dong, spoke in a low and clear voice, "These three soul bones are the Wisdom Skull that condenses spiritual power, the Flame Right Arm that bursts and burns, and the Wind Left Leg that moves swiftly. All three soul bones are from ten-thousand-year soul beasts."
"Among them, the Wisdom Skull that condenses spiritual power comes from a soul beast of over fifty thousand years, obtained personally by the previous Pope. It is a top-grade soul bone, second only to externally attached soul bones and top-grade soul bones produced by hundred-thousand-year soul beasts."
Bibi Dong also solemnly said, "There can only be one victor, as always. Therefore, these three soul bones will belong to the final champion team. I hope that the three teams from the final three can give their all and earn this honor."
Regardless of their level as soul masters, seeing soul bones made their eyes shine with excitement, especially since they were three exceptional soul bones.
Strong fighting spirit surged from the participants almost instantaneously.
Bibi Dong continued, "This morning, each of your teams will send out seven individuals for the individual elimination matches. The team left standing will have an advantage and directly enter the championship match tomorrow, while the two losing teams will compete in the afternoon for the other championship spot. Now, you may send out your first contestant—"
Just then, an unusual fluctuation suddenly swept through from an unknown source.
The expression of Xiao Wu, a member of the Shrek Academy team, changed drastically.
Bibi Dong's voice suddenly halted.
Before the Pope's Temple, five pairs of eyes simultaneously fell on the direction of the Shrek Academy team.
More precisely, they fell on the lowered head of Xiao Wu.
These gazes came from Pope Bibi Dong, along with the Chrysanthemum Douluo, Ghost Douluo, Sword Douluo Chen Xin, and Poison Douluo Dugu Bo.
Su Cheng exchanged a subtle nod with Dugu Bo.
The other four Titled Douluo showed expressions of shock, along with uncontrollable emotional fluctuations.
Xiao Wu clearly felt the oppressive force emanating from them. Her face turned pale, and she kept her head down, suppressing the fear and resentment in her eyes.
The suppressant potion had lost its effect.
The Pope, along with Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, exchanged a glance, revealing uncontrollable joy in their eyes.
Chen Xin's lips moved, and he said a few words to Ning Fengzhi. Ning Fengzhi's expression suddenly changed, and his gaze immediately fell on Xiao Wu, who was among the Shrek Academy team, his expression becoming strange.
At this moment, others also began to notice that something was amiss in the atmosphere.
Tang San, with his keen Purple Demon Eyes, could discern that the strongest individuals present seemed to have their gazes focused on Xiao Wu.
What's going on?
At that moment, Bibi Dong raised her hand and pointed towards Xiao Wu.
"Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo, capture that girl."
Instantly, everyone from the Shrek Academy team was shocked.
Even the academy teachers forgot their etiquette for a moment and rushed to the vicinity of the square in front of the temple.
Tang San almost instinctively moved to shield Xiao Wu in front of him.
Yu Xiaogang's face showed surprise, and he angrily shouted, "Your Holiness, what do you mean by this?"
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, however, did not stop their actions because of his words and immediately prepared to act.
"Wait!"
By now, Yu Xiaogang had also arrived and strode forward, coming to the front of the Shrek team.
With a flick of his wrist, the Elder's Medallion appeared in his palm.
In a cold voice, he said, "I am also one of the Elders of the Martial Soul Hall and have the right to know the truth. Your Holiness, you can capture someone, but you must explain yourself first. Why do you have the right to capture disciples from my Shrek Academy?"
The Pope furrowed her brow slightly and then said in a deep voice, "You want to know why? Then why don't you go and ask your disciple. If she's just a student of Shrek Academy, I naturally won't capture her. But if she's a soul beast in human form, I have every reason to take her down."
"What did you say?!"
Yu Xiaogang turned abruptly to look at Xiao Wu.
By this time, the assembled members of Shrek, except for Tang San, all showed extremely shocked expressions.
For a soul beast to transform into human form, its cultivation must exceed one hundred thousand years.
Xiao Wu appeared calm, showing no signs of panic despite the intense gaze directed at her. At this moment, her beautiful face only showed a faint coldness and resentment as she silently stared at Pope Bibi Dong.
Bibi Dong looked sharply at Xiao Wu, "If I'm not mistaken, you're the one who escaped back then."
Deep-seated resentment burst out of Xiao Wu's cold eyes, "Yes, you're right. I'm the one who escaped back then."
Bibi Dong sneered upon hearing this, "I didn't expect you to come to me on your own."
Beside her, Tai Long couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Wu, what's going on?"
Just then, Tang San suddenly reached out and grabbed his shoulder, calmly saying, "Tai Long, don't ask. Xiao Wu, she's not human."
As he spoke, Tang San finally turned around slowly to face Xiao Wu, and her gaze also shifted from the Pope to him.
When Xiao Wu reluctantly lifted her head to look into Tang San's eyes, she couldn't help but pause.
She found that in Tang San's eyes, there was no surprise, doubt, astonishment, or disgust. Instead, there was only tenderness.
"Brother, you..."
Tang San sighed softly, "Don't say anything. I understand. In fact, I've known for a long time that you're not human."
"You've known for a long time?" Xiao Wu looked at him incredulously.
"But..." If she had already sensed that the suppressant potion had lost its effect, she had already foreseen that the Pope would order her capture. Then, what Tang San said at this moment was something she couldn't imagine.
Tang San took a step forward, lifted Xiao Wu's face gently with both hands, and said softly, "Silly girl, there's nothing to say. Whether you're human or a soul beast, you're my sister, and the one I love."
Xiao Wu stared blankly at Tang San in front of her, tears uncontrollably welling up in her eyes.
At the moment when she leaked her aura, she knew that the Pope would definitely not let her go, and she also anticipated the emotions her companions would feel towards her.
But she never expected that Tang San would already know that she was not human.
And at this moment, he didn't reject her; instead, he expressed his love.
At this moment, Xiao Wu suddenly felt that nothing else mattered. No matter how others looked at her, she didn't care. Only Tang San's love, revealed in this crisis, deeply melted into her heart.
Tang San opened his arms and hugged Xiao Wu's body, declaring loudly enough for everyone to hear, "If you want to capture her, then you'll have to step over my dead body."
The whole place fell silent, even Pope Bibi Dong did not give any additional orders at this moment.
Looking at Tang San, who tightly held Xiao Wu in his arms, she was already somewhat absent-minded, and even a hint of envy, which she herself could hardly detect, appeared in her eyes.
There was a time when she loved like this too.
True love shows in times of trouble. At this moment, what Tang San said was definitely not just sweet talk.
A man who is willing to sacrifice his life for a lover who is not human, this kind of love is precious indeed.
"Master, I'm with you!"
After a moment of silence, Tai Long took a step forward and stood firmly by Tang San's side.
As for the other members of the Shrek team, their expressions varied.
Ma Hongjun's face turned pale, hesitatingly looking at the teachers in the academy, then at Tang San and Xiao Wu, and finally, his gaze rested on Zhu Zhuqing, who had lowered her eyes and remained silent.
Jing Ling watched coldly, thoughtful.
Oscar narrowed his eyes slightly, scrutinizing his companions, and for a moment, he didn't speak.
At this moment, Flender suddenly smiled.
He glanced at Liu Erlong and Yu Xiaogang, and the three members of the Golden Iron Triangle simultaneously raised their right hands.
In an instant, brilliant golden light erupted out of nowhere, forming a dazzling golden triangle in the air.
"We're not dead yet," Flender said loudly.
"The Pope." Chrysanthemum Douluo reminded the somewhat dazed Bibi Dong, waiting for her orders, after all, one of them held the Elder's Token.
Bibi Dong snapped out of her daze, her eyes showing a complex and difficult-to-express light. Taking a deep breath, her gaze suddenly became sharp.
She shouted loudly, "Take them down! Anyone who obstructs shall be killed without mercy."
The Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo acted simultaneously.
Although the Golden Iron Triangle was indeed a true fusion of three beings, faced with two peak Douluos above level ninety-five, could Flender and the others block them?
The answer was definitely no.
The speed of the Ghost Douluo and the Chrysanthemum Douluo was very fast. Although they were only facing the Golden Iron Triangle, who were much weaker than themselves, they did not take it lightly and released their martial souls.
Nine soul rings each hovered around their bodies.
"A chrysanthemum, a little ghost. How dare you hurt my son with just you guys? Get lost!"
The next moment, a deep voice suddenly rang out, as if a bomb had exploded in the air.
The voice wasn't loud, but it contained an aura that made everyone involuntarily shiver.
Hearing this voice, Tang San, who was holding Xiao Wu tightly, suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with intense joy.
On the other side, Pope Bibi Dong's face also became solemn, staring at the figure in the air.
A huge shadow rose silently behind her, and nine dazzling soul rings rose in an instant, a tremendous pressure engulfing the entire scene.
The momentum was so strong that even the combined strength of Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo was completely incomparable.
In the shocked eyes of everyone present, the terrifying soul ring configuration of two yellows, two purples, four blacks, and one red was fully revealed.
A hundred-thousand-year soul ring!
Tang Hao.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone