Chương 308: The Olive Branch
Of the eight elders present, Bibi Dong had partial acceptance from the Ghost and Chrysanthemum Douluo and these two would have been fine since their strength is a good deal better than others and their ability to fuse at Titled Douluo realm made it sure that even a weaker elder from the Elder's Hall will need to take the duo seriously. But Firebird's existence made things many times simpler.
With three Titled Douluo on her side, four Titled Douluo getting neutral, and only one still a little antagonizing to her, Bibi Dong had tight control of this location.
"Lord Pontiff, it is great that you have returned unscathed and have gotten into better spirits," Instead of the loyal Firebird Douluo whose strength was at the lower end of the group, Yue Guan spoke up with a smirk over his thin lips. The man could be more seductive than a woman at times but Bibi Dong was hardly uncomfortable and smiled, "It is indeed great that I have returned. Now, we can continue to subjugate the lands made useless by beasts unable to understand their value. But let's not busy ourselves with formalities. Elder Ci Xue, how goes the progress in the Extreme North?"
Ci Xue, the Porcupinefish Douluo, was a robust, tanned man with raging crimson hair and a face befitting a war god. The man was one of the poison specialists like Bibi Dong but easily inferior to her despite being a Titled Douluo. He also happened to be the most vocal opposing party to her coronation until she did and even if the man looked tamed, Bibi Dong knew hard measures were necessary. She didn't want him dead. Even if not loyal to her, Ci Xue was loyal to Spirit Hall and that is good enough. She just had to make things in a way that Ci Xue could never oppose her in secret.
Hearing his name called, Ci Xue stood up with a neutral expression as his deep voice echoed in the spacious hall.
"After Supreme Pontiff tasked me to accompany Bone Douluo and Sword Douluo from the Heaven Dou Empire's side and the Clear Sky Patriarch and the White Tiger Douluo from the Star Luo Empire's side, we have made sufficient progress into the Extreme North and located one of the Tyrant Overlords of the region. But the special conditions alongside the beast's innate domain have made its capture or defeat quite tricky. Even now, Bone Douluo is trailing the beast but we require... masses."
"For distraction, yes?" Bibi Dong looked curious. Snow Empress hadn't revealed this to Bibi Dong during the wedding ceremony and it could mean that the beast group of the Extreme North wasn't as tight-knit as King's Lair. Heck, one of the weaker overlords had also shifted into King's Lair and had carved an underground frozen tunnel system for its members.
"Indeed. It would have been long accomplished but Supreme Pontiff's sudden and unnotified departure delayed the task quite a bit, costing all factions a fortune in inventory." Ci Xue kept his tone neutral but everyone present could see what he was playing at. Porcupinefish Douluo had three sets of eyes instantly trailing him. The Ghost, Chrysanthemum, and Firebird Douluo looked at him intently, letting everyone in the hall know where their allegiance lay at the time.
"So, in the end, you are saying that five Titled Douluos cannot achieve something as mediocre as subduing or rather, killing a 100000-year-old beast and requiring even more useless men for bait, yes?" Bibi Dong's smirk grew a bit wider as Ci Xue's expression stiffened for a second.
"With all due respect, Supreme Pontiff—"
"I don't need any due respect but results." Bibi Dong cut him off, "I believe you must have prepared a detailed report. Before having it delivered to my office, do know that this report will be double-checked by my other sources so any deceit will not be entertained... but again, you are one of the better Titled Douluos... you knew that already, right?"
She gazed at Ci Xue unflinchingly as the man's expression grew a few levels more solemn. Clenching his fists tightly, the man bowed but it wasn't over just yet.
"But I understand that poison attribute is quite restrained in extreme cold. Well, of a Porcupinefish, that is. Elder Ci Xue, I want you to step down from the task and let Elder She Long accompany others. What do you think, Snake Lance Douluo?"
She Long was a well-built and lean man with a thin mustache and short spiky hair. Similar to many Titled Douluos, his vigor was amazingly high unlike his actual age and he bowed promptly, "As you require of me, Supreme Pontiff!"
Many elders like She Long were on the fence until Bibi Dong becomes a Titled Douluo. Even if she is rumored to have at least one 100000-year-old Spirit Bone, they knew that her position and strength will be solidified only after this breakthrough, and given her speed of progress, they might not have to wait that long!
Ci Xue watched everything with a gloomy expression.
But this didn't last long as Bibi Dong raised the next agenda of this meeting.
"We all can say for certainty that while Spirit City has the highest concentration of Spirit Masters and even Titled Douluos. But is that enough?"
Her sharp gaze fell on everyone.
"Henceforth, I am announcing an intimate session of recruitment. This is an opportunity I have made for all of you elders. I am sure that you all are still interested in how my teammates grew so strong and some of them, Liu Erlong, notably, even evolved her martial soul, yes?"
Her words finally made everyone stop their idle thinking and look at Bibi Dong seriously.
It was no secret. When Ah Yin distributed her share of immortal herbs to the group, their strength increased wildly and Erlong's martial soul evolved, allowing her to manipulate the ultimate quality of flames. Even Zi Ji was envious of Erlong's martial soul and entertained the idea of becoming a human at the chance of evolution of her bloodline. When the information on the group's growth fell on the ears of the elders, they tried many means to get the information from the previous Supreme Pontiff but he was as callous as Bibi Dong.
When he suddenly disappeared, many had the mind to force Bibi Dong to reveal the secrets but none dared under the Grand Priest Qian Daoliu's watchful eyes, and when the fated 3-year-period ended, Bibi Dong's strength already contended with them.
Now that she was pulling this card... many looked at her with interest. Blinking their eyes owlishly and waiting for her to throw the 'carrot' towards them.
"With my means, I can guarantee at least a breakthrough of a single level for anyone of you." Bibi Dong smiled as their expressions changed. At their level... just a single level was enough. It was similar to saving dozen years of cultivation! None of them bathed in treasures like Bibi Dong's group that raised their foundations and increased the speed of future cultivation. Just the fact that none of them had a crimson spirit ring was already damning enough!
"But, this method will only be used if you manage to recruit a Titled Douluo. Use any means necessary. Threats, blackmailing, and even coaxing them with rewards! Should you bring a Titled Douluo, that particular elder will also get this chance at breakthrough. I don't demand their loyalty but should they prove negative to the growth of the hall, I will put the elder who brought the nuisances to... justice."
There wasn't any flare to her words. She spoke plainly and observed every one of them.
"Don't mistake my sudden departure for a whim." She lied, "I have made gains far beyond your scope of understanding. Give me results, and I shall give you strength."
As she said so... her aura erupted in full blow and it shocked everyone!
Rank 86!
She made another breakthrough!
Well, she was close to a breakthrough, and the constant increase in the pace of cultivation from two Three-Eyed monsters alongside temporarily increased comprehension and fortune from them made it so that she made a breakthrough just before her departure.
Her uncanny speed of cultivation was only surpassed by Ah Yin and Ja Sun.
Bibi Dong stared at the group with a gentle smile, "But this is enough of our greeting. We all are intelligent. We all understand that we need one another." Ci Xue snorted inwardly but didn't open his mouth as he felt a little intimidated at this moment. It would be foolish to continuously antagonize her with how she is growing, and until he has a surefire way of removing her... it's just logical to keep his head lowered. The monsters that could reach their cultivation had at least this much cunning.
"If there are any questions, you may brief with me after making an appointment. Elder Feng Liu," she looked at Firebird Douluo who grew attentive with a look of adoration in an instant, "I expect an overview of all the factions of Spirit City and our claimed property outside by the end of the day."
"As you will, Supreme Pontiff!"
Bibi Dong nodded and was the first to leave the hall. The elders, however, stayed. They narrowed their gazes and compressed their voices to communicate with one another for some time before dispersing. It was clear that another wave of the commotion was about to be raised.
As Bibi Dong expected, there are bound to be hidden experts all around the continent and these Titled Douluo Elders were old monsters who must have encountered a few in their lifetime... and the opportunity she presented was lucrative enough to make them move.
Bibi Dong, however, did not return to her office or her private accommodation but walked into a hall with the giant statue of a beautiful angel. Giving this angel a passing glance, Bibi Dong's heels struck the resplendent marbled floors and walked through a secret entrance to find herself in spacious and quite luxurious sets of floored courtyards that acted as the residence of the actual Elders of the Elder's Hall who could also be referred to as Priests.
But today, every one of them was waiting for her near the fountain near the secret entrance and unlike the somber disposition of the elders known to the higherups of the continent, these masters were... highly unprofessional. Drinking sake with a scowl, eating nuts and berries while playing with the fishes in the fountain, doing yoga... YOGA!
Bibi Dong's lips twitched as she bowed and kept her scepter away, "Supreme Pontiff greets the Priests of the Hall."
Qian Daoliu smiled and nodded. He didn't have any need to let others in on what had transpired within King's Lair until his own disciple announces it or the jig is up. So, his relationship with Bibi Dong in the eyes of other priests was positive but not enough to be considered biased.
"Hmph, lose the charm, girl. We know the venom behind the sweet and flimsy exterior," Golden Crocodile scoffed. Since Bibi Dong's actions against the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragons had also pulled his personal disciple into harm's way, the Second Priest of the Elder's Hall was quite dissatisfied with her but he couldn't act against her. The Priests of the Elder's hall fall directly under the ruthless grip of Qian Daoliu and they cannot intervene in any political dilemmas. Should Yu Xiaogang die, Golden Crocodile will have enough reasons to antagonize Bibi Dong and it was only for the fear of this destabilizing factor that she didn't have Xiaogang killed off. It simply wasn't worth it.
Bibi Dong looked at other priests.
Aside from the Grand Priest Qian Daoliu and the Second Priest Golden Crocodile, there were five other priests of which the last two were actually twins!
"Bibi Dong, we have called you here to recite the method of the breakthrough that you just claimed in the Pontiff Hall," Third Priest was an older man, too, as he states solemnly, "It will allow the strength of the Elder's Hall to rise by a notch."
Since every breakthrough after rank 95 utilized energy more than the sum total of all the previous breakthroughs, things were even harder for masters of the Elder's Hall.
Not losing her cool and keeping a collected smile, Bibi Dong nodded, "It is a wonderful idea, Third Priest. I expect the Titled Douluo you bring to be the most useful. I look forward to it."
Their expressions froze.
"Hmm?" Golden Crocodile frowned as the Third Priest let out the breath of his cultivation, "Supreme Pontiff, you must understand that we priests do not mind ourselves with the political issues of the world."
"And I admire the Elder's Hall persistence in that. But this is not politics and only a trade. Help me grow Spirit Hall for your personal growth," Bibi Dong smiled, "The method used will at least guarantee a level's breakthrough for Titled Douluos under rank 95 but for rank 95 and above, this method can at least fill the gaps by more than a half. If any Priest is at the cusp of a breakthrough, then this method is surely for you. In fact, I theorize that while others can only use this method once, your bodies have turned mighty after years of cultivation and can use this method twice!
So, you only need to bring one Titled Douluo of your choice and you may have a proper breakthrough by using this method two times!"
As she spoke, others began to let loose their breaths of cultivation silently to pressure her but all Bibi Dong needed to do was let loose the torrent of her pure irrational killing intent. In fact, her killing intent was the stark opposite of Ja Sun's. Pure but uncontrollable. It was impure before but once she realized that the killing intent cultivated in Slaughter City is a bit infected, she quickly began to refine it further while studying Xie Xan's deathgod domain.
Seeing their pressure easily shrugged off by her, many felt a little embarrassed and looked at Golden Crocodile discreetly. He had, after all, asked everyone to try and embarrass Bibi Dong, and while Qian Daoliu obviously didn't take part, others couldn't easily offend Golden Crocodile for this 'meager' request but hearing Bibi Dong claiming the possibility of using the method twice at the same cost as before, many began to think the value of this task.
"A trade... yes, it is a trade," Qian Daoliu nodded and looked at others as his usual comforting aura began to spread and easily curved everyone's hostility. Bibi Dong's red eyes slowly turned back to their original color and others let out a breath of ease.
"Crocodile... you should consider this method. If it can be used twice... you could achieve what you wanted for a long time," Qian Daoliu's voice fell in Golden Crocodile's ears as he, too, considered Bibi Dong's words seriously.
"You have done well by presenting this opportunity, Supreme Pontiff. You may leave and continue with your tasks," While others wanted to have it easy and try to take advantage of Bibi Dong's current weakness, Daoliu knew better to antagonize the wife of a disciple who was crazier than the menace Tang Chen ever proved to be.
Besides, it was as Bibi Dong said. If this 'trade' is successful, many will manage to raise their personal strength while Bibi Dong will manage to increase the strength of the Spirit Hall as a whole!
With Daoliu's interjection, the meeting came to an end and Bibi Dong left with a satisfied smirk. While it was only an 'if' that the elders outside can bring in Titled Douluos... she was actually happy to entice the Priests of Elder's Hall. Their strength was monstrous and they had a higher chance of bringing someone in!
***
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