Chapter Fifty-Five: The World of Douluo

When Flame Spirit Princess saw a blood-red figure appear above the moon in the night sky, she knew that tonight would not end peacefully.

“Who are you?” Bai Yifei, as cold and proud as ever, gazed icily at the woman below, his voice chilling.

“That’s not something you need to know. You’re not welcome here.” Flame Spirit Princess removed the hairpin from her head, readying herself for battle.

“Such a perfect work of art—only I am worthy to possess it.” For the first time, Bai Yifei found himself captivated by such flawless beauty. His lips curled into a blood-red, wicked smile. With a leap, ice crystals like serpentine frost sprouted beneath his feet, launching him straight toward Flame Spirit Princess.

A thunderous roar erupted as Unmatched Ghost, seeing their leader threatened, seized a wooden pillar and swung it hard at Bai Yifei. He waved a hand, summoning an icy chain that diverted the pillar’s trajectory, sending it crashing into one of the black-clad Net Trap assassins who had been rushing him.

The assassin, a killer of the “Death” tier, reacted swiftly, slicing the pillar into four sections with a single, sharp blade. The remaining nine pressed their attack.

“Are you people from Net Trap?” Bai Yifei’s brow furrowed as he questioned them.

“This place used to belong to Jade Tiger, but I heard it was gifted to Fang Yu. What’s Fang Yu’s connection to Net Trap?” Something felt off to Bai Yifei. He’d always thought that the so-called mouse was nothing more, but it turned out to be an elephant in disguise.

“But you still can’t stop me.” Bai Yifei, full of self-confidence, slowly raised both hands.

Instantly, the temperature of the entire space plummeted, as if everything were about to freeze solid.

At that moment, a sultry, mature voice called out, “Sister, is Fang Yu inside?” A woman with long purple hair and a snake-shaped Scarlet Sword stepped into view, followed by a young man whose hair was the same snowy white as Bai Yifei’s and whose face was set in a cold scowl.

“Boss, should we join in?” the Corpse-Driving Fiend asked Tianze, who was watching from the side.

“No need. Bai Yifei will gain nothing here tonight,” Tianze answered calmly, utterly certain.

“But—” The fiend started to protest, but when he saw the murderous glint in Tianze’s eyes, he wisely fell silent.

“Yu is at the critical moment of cultivation. It’s not convenient to disturb him,” Flame Spirit Princess briefly explained.

“In that case, Lord Blood-Robe Marquis, I must ask you to leave,” the Violet Lady declared, issuing her order to depart.

“You’re talking to me? If Fang Yu doesn’t appear tonight, none of you are leaving.” No one had spoken to Bai Yifei like this in a long time, and it ignited his temper. He acted without further warning.

His hands snapped upward, and chains of ice burst from the ground, lashing indiscriminately at everyone present.

Violet Lady, Flame Spirit Princess, the Net Trap killers, Wei Zhuang’s brother-in-law, and Unmatched Ghost all instantly seized their weapons and met the onslaught.

With so many opponents, it was impossible for Bai Yifei to attack them all at once, especially since such a large-scale assault quickly drained his internal strength. Moreover, he noticed the white-haired youth, whose power seemed to be steadily rising, as if testing him.

The longer the fight dragged on, the more irritable Bai Yifei became. Because of his cultivation technique, he couldn’t sustain prolonged combat.

In a flash, he lunged straight for Flame Spirit Princess.

This once-in-a-millennium beauty—her blood would surely be exquisite as well.

Suddenly, a streak of white light flashed past.

Bai Yifei barely saw what happened. It was as if his body had been cut in half—a gaping wound split his torso, blood and organs spilling onto the ground.

All eyes turned toward the direction from which the white light had come.

There, beneath the eaves, stood Li Yu, holding a Tang blade that shimmered with pitch-black light, glaring angrily at the prostrate Bai Yifei.

“She is my reverse scale. You dare touch her?” Li Yu’s voice was as cold as the abyss.

It was the first time anyone had seen Li Yu with such an expression; everyone shivered inwardly. Normally, he wore a roguish smile, easygoing in demeanor, but now he was truly terrifying. Bai Yifei had just fought evenly with over a dozen skilled fighters—even if some were holding back, it only showed how dangerous he was.

“I’ll spare your life for the sake of Tidal Moon. Crawl back to your Blood-Robe Fortress. If I ever see you in Xinzheng again—” As Li Yu spoke, he swung his blade at a white jade pillar in the distant square.

The pillar, seven or eight meters tall and half a meter thick, was sliced cleanly in two and toppled to either side.

Cold sweat poured down Bai Yifei’s face as he used the last of his icy power to freeze his wound closed. Like a beaten dog, he snatched up his sword and looked once more at Li Yu. When he saw the noblewoman standing at Li Yu’s side, his blood-red eyes narrowed—the overwhelming aura she radiated reminded him only of his own mother.

Recalling the grand words he’d spoken upon arrival, Bai Yifei wanted nothing more than to flee. Summoning all his remaining strength, he vanished down the mountain in a cloud of dust.

Li Yu looked up toward the eaves. “Mo Crow, White Phoenix, have you enjoyed the show enough?”

A voice answered from the rooftop, “Master Li is magnanimous; we’ll be on our way.”

“You may go, but keep your tongue in check,” Li Yu called back.

“Understood,” the voice faded into the distance.

Looking around, Li Yu noticed the Violet Lady had drawn her sword to help him and was deeply moved. Hurrying over, he asked, “Zi’er, what brings you all here?”

The Violet Lady glanced at Yanfei, who had emerged with Li Yu—a woman of such rare beauty, and she too was Li Yu’s lover. “This scoundrel’s luck with women…”

“It was a pregnant woman from your household who came to the Violet Orchid Pavilion and asked us to help. Looks like we weren’t needed,” the Violet Lady answered with a hint of acidity.

“Needed? Absolutely necessary! You have no idea how dangerous it was just now. If you hadn’t held them off, Feiyan and I might have been killed for no reason!” Li Yu said, still shaken.

“What happened?” The Violet Lady looked at them, seeing they were unharmed, and asked curiously.

“It’s a long story,” Li Yu said, then turned to those around them. “Brothers, thank you for your hard work. Please wait in the side hall for a bit. My ladies and I have urgent matters to attend to. Later, we’ll drink until we drop!”

Unmatched Ghost was the first to cheer his approval.

After seeing everyone out, Li Yu feigned collapse. “Zi’er, help me up—I’m exhausted!”

Once inside, with the doors shut, Li Yu looked at the three stunning women. After settling each of them comfortably, he stood before them and said, “Zi’er knows about my clone technique, but Ling’er doesn’t. To be brief, I possess an ancient art called the ‘Twelve Arts of the Yellow Emperor’ that allows one soul to inhabit two or even three bodies. Feiyan and I were practicing this technique just now.”

“So you mean one soul, two bodies?” Flame Spirit Princess, as a native of Baiyue, was more open to such strange ideas, being a Fire Spirit herself.

“Yes, but the technique has a flaw—while channeling it, the original body becomes empty. Normally, the clone can protect the main body, but this time, something went wrong…” Li Yu scratched his head, unsure how to explain.

“Husband, where did your clone go?” Yanfei asked with concern.

“If I’m not mistaken, another world—the Douluo Continent,” Li Yu replied helplessly. “And I can’t summon it back. It’s rather embarrassing,” he added, recalling how awkward his clone’s appearance had been.

Another world.

Douluo Continent.

Spirit Hall, Hall of the Pontiff.

Bibi Dong, as usual, entered the secret chamber alone to commune with the Rakshasa God and complete her ninth-level divine trial.

“Great Rakshasa God, your inheritor Bibi Dong is here to accept the seventh trial,” she announced solemnly to the statue, hands slowly raised.

A beam of white light descended from above, halting before Bibi Dong’s eyes.

Gazing at the glowing orb, Bibi Dong’s eyes shone with excitement.

“Thank you, Lady Rakshasa, for your blessing.” She reached toward the white aura.

“Hey! Easy! That hurts!” came a man’s voice from within the light.

Bibi Dong: “…”

Rakshasa God: “…”

As the light faded, a well-built, perfectly proportioned, handsome young man appeared before Bibi Dong.

She looked at the naked youth with confusion, while Li Yu was even more dismayed. Last time he’d used the Twelve Arts, the clone appeared beside his real body—why was it different now?

Wait—where was this place? And this impossibly beautiful woman before him—she looked so familiar! Did she just mention the Rakshasa God?

Rakshasa God? Bibi Dong? Rakshasa God’s trials?

Oh crap—wasn’t this Bibi Dong?

Why was she looking at him so coldly?

Li Yu’s mind raced.

“Who are you?” came the cool, melodious voice of the mature beauty.

Li Yu, naked and unconcerned, bowed slightly and replied, “I am Li Yu, invited by the Rakshasa God to assist Her Holiness the Pontiff in uniting the continent.”

“Oh?” Bibi Dong was clearly skeptical.

“Indeed. I summoned him to aid you,” a timely voice descended from above, rescuing Li Yu from his predicament.

Li Yu: “…”

So the Rakshasa God was real—and apparently willing to help him? She was curious about Li Yu and sensed he was no ordinary man. At the very least, he would be a boon to her chosen successor.

“You don’t even have an awakened spirit. How can you help me?” Bibi Dong sneered.

“Ha! What’s so special about spirits? I’m sixteen—find someone my age and I’ll beat him into the ground,” Li Yu retorted, bristling. He’d always thought the Douluo system was flawed—reliant on killing soul beasts for rings and with lackluster combat power unless one ascended to godhood. Even Title Douluos could be threatened by mundane hidden weapons.

After a moment’s thought, Bibi Dong said, “If you truly have such abilities, then so be it.”

“It’s a deal.” Li Yu extended his hand for a high five.

Bibi Dong just turned and walked away.

“Hey, could I get some clothes first?” Li Yu chased after her.

Standing in the plaza, awkward in what felt like a cosplay outfit, Li Yu looked around. The crowd had gathered out of curiosity, having heard the Pontiff was about to accept a new disciple.

Despite the ill-fitting attire, his features were striking, leaving an impression of cleanliness and handsomeness.

Across from him stood a dashing young man with ashen hair tipped in red, butterfly tattoos at the corners of his eyes lending a wicked air—clearly a delinquent.

Li Yu walked over with a grin. “Brother-in-law!”

The crowd nearly stumbled over in shock. A red-haired youth strode forward, ready to fight, only to be restrained by a nearby blonde girl.

“Nana, let me go! Did you hear what he called me?” the red-haired youth fumed.

“Brother, teach this brat a lesson!” the blonde chimed in, equally incensed.

“I am Li Yu, unaffiliated. Please instruct me,” Li Yu said, clasping his fists in greeting.

“Xie Yue, forty-seventh level Weapon Spirit Master,” the young man replied in kind.

“Master Sister, may I have a sword? I’m unarmed!” Li Yu called to the beautiful Pontiff on the dais.

Bibi Dong pointed at a sword beside her and flicked her fingers. The sheathed blade flew toward Li Yu, who caught it deftly, giving it a test swing.

“Thank you!” he called.

“Release your spirit, or you won’t stand a chance,” Xie Yue warned coldly.

“I don’t have a spirit! You go first. I’m afraid if I attack, I might not hold back,” Li Yu said, tracing an arc on the ground with his sword.

“Arrogant,” Xie Yue muttered, but wasted no time—four rings, two yellow and two purple, rose around him, and two giant moon-blade weapons appeared in his hands.

“Xie Yue, keep it to a spar,” Bibi Dong’s voice rang out.

“Yes,” Xie Yue nodded.

“Don’t worry, Master Sister! I’ll go easy on him—after all, he’s my brother-in-law!” Li Yu grinned up at Bibi Dong.

Bibi Dong: “…”

She had never met anyone like Li Yu before and found him quite novel.

“Begin!” Li Yu raised his sword before his chest and closed his eyes, channeling his inner energy.

Bibi Dong felt a breeze stir.

The wind grew stronger, swirling around Li Yu, faster and faster—

With a thunderous boom, a shockwave blasted outward, sending the onlookers sprawling.

Li Yu slowly raised his sword overhead, then brought it down in a slanting chop.

A silver-white arc of energy shot from the tip, howling toward Xie Yue like a massive crescent moon.

Xie Yue, thinking Li Yu had missed, raised his blade to counterattack.

But then the ground shook violently.

Turning, Xie Yue saw that a marble building nearly a hundred meters high had been split on the diagonal, toppling in two.

Xie Yue: “…”

The crowd: “…”

Bibi Dong leapt to her feet, staring at the calm, sword-in-hand Li Yu with awe.

“Yan, what just happened?” the blonde girl asked.

“The side hall is gone,” Yan replied.

The girl: “…”

Bibi Dong flew down to confront Li Yu. “How did you do that?”

Had she not witnessed it, she would have suspected sabotage.

Li Yu smiled. “Master Sister wants to learn? I can teach you.”

“Come with me!” Bibi Dong ordered, turning toward the steps.

“Brother, what just happened? That guy didn’t even release his spirit,” the blonde girl asked Xie Yue.

“I don’t know.”

“No one is to speak of what happened today,” Bibi Dong’s voice called from afar.

…

Li Yu gazed at the dazzlingly beautiful Bibi Dong—hard to believe she was the mother of an eighteen-year-old, her figure as well maintained as the Empress herself. Those swaying peach-shaped hips, flawless curves, and those elegant, jade-like legs—Li Yu felt a nosebleed coming on.

“If you keep staring, I’ll gouge your eyes out,” Bibi Dong said coldly.

“Master Sister, you can hardly blame me—beauty draws the eye, it’s a biological instinct. You can only blame yourself for being too lovely,” Li Yu replied shamelessly. After all, as the saying goes, even the fiercest woman can’t withstand persistent pursuit.

With Bibi Dong single, Li Yu felt no guilt at all.

“Unless my beautiful Master Sister truly takes my eyes, I fear I’ll never be able to look away,” he said with brazen indifference, leaving Bibi Dong speechless.

“Tell me—how did you do it?” She turned her head, uninterested in Li Yu’s heated gaze.

“Your cultivation system is flawed—too reliant on external objects, not enough focus on self-cultivation,” Li Yu explained.

“Our awakening of spirits is the result of generations of exploration. Do you have a better system?” Bibi Dong, accustomed to command, fixed him with a sharp gaze, though to Li Yu it was just another pair of beautiful eyes—enough to make his heart flutter.

“You lack the Dao De Jing,” Li Yu said, cutting to the heart of the matter.

“What is the Dao De Jing?” Even just hearing the name, Bibi Dong felt something stir within.

“All things under heaven can be called Dao. Dao is the origin of all things. At the beginning, Dao gave rise to all, the Dao gave birth to One, One to Two, Two to Three, Three to all things. The Dao which can be spoken is not the eternal Dao; the name which can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the origin of heaven and earth; the named is the mother of all things. Therefore, always without desire, one observes its essence; always with desire, one observes its manifestations… Reach utter emptiness, maintain steadfast stillness. All things arise together, and I watch their return. Things flourish, each returns to its root. Returning to the root is stillness, stillness is return to destiny, return to destiny is constancy, knowing constancy is enlightenment…” Li Yu gave a general summary of the Dao De Jing.

When he first practiced Taiji, Li Yu had studied the Dao De Jing as a reference, which made integrating the practice much easier. After all, it was the foundation of Daoism, and he owned the most authentic copy in the imperial library at Xianyang Palace.

As Li Yu spoke, Bibi Dong closed her eyes, her mind filled with countless images: the beginning of chaos, a flash of light splitting heaven and earth, all things intertwined, yin and yang merging—sparking wondrous changes.

When she opened her eyes, daylight had already broken. She had sat in the main hall the entire night, only to find Li Yu, drooling in his sleep, clutching her foot.

Bibi Dong: “…”

With a crash, Li Yu went flying out of the main hall.

As passing disciples saw the bruised and battered Li Yu lying motionless, a blonde girl approached, crouched beside him, and asked, “Hey! Wake up! Are you all right?”

Li Yu twitched, then, with a satisfying crack of his bones, slowly stood up and dusted himself off. “No harm done! Thank you for your concern. Oh, you must be my senior sister, Hu Liena? Li Yu, at your service, fair goddess.”

“You’re funny! My name is Hu Liena—how did you know?” the little fox asked curiously.

“Of the world’s ninety-nine beauties, ninety reside in Senior Sister Hu Liena. How could I not know your name?” Li Yu’s flirtatious tongue now worked automatically.

“I’m not nearly as wonderful as you say! Master agreed to take you as a disciple!” Hu Liena had known since last night that this was her master’s intent.

“Naturally! With my talent, how could Master refuse?” Li Yu said, ducking his head as Bibi Dong’s icy aura sent a chill down his spine.

Seeing the little fox grinning mischievously, Li Yu smiled back. “Senior Sister, with such a wise and beautiful master, of course she wouldn’t turn me away—right?”

“Master, this junior is quite amusing,” Hu Liena called to Bibi Dong, who stood behind Li Yu.

Bibi Dong nodded coldly at the golden pair before her. “Come in.”

It was clear that Hu Liena and Bibi Dong were close; the always-serious Bibi Dong showed rare tenderness toward her. “This junior has no proper manners. You mustn’t follow his example. Has anyone from the Elder Hall come to ask about yesterday’s events?”

Hu Liena replied, “Last night, Elder Dedication came, but I said you were resting and sent him away.”

“Good. This won’t remain a secret for long. Li Yu, you are to spend some time training away from Spirit Hall—for your own protection.”

“No! Master Sister, I finally found a teacher as beautiful, kind, and wise as you, and now you’re kicking me out so soon?” Li Yu put on a look of exaggerated grief.

“It’s not that you can’t come back. Just return quietly, not with fanfare,” Bibi Dong said patiently.

“Beautiful Master, you’re trying to keep me hidden away?” Li Yu teased, his tone suggestive.

“Out!” Bibi Dong, unable to bear any more, actually blushed.

Hu Liena just laughed happily at their antics.

…