Ye Yu held up a Recording Soul Tool, aiming it at Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo with a cheerful smile.
His goal was simple.
He wanted Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo to curse Bibi Dong as a madwoman and swear allegiance to Qian Renxue—a gesture of loyalty.
As long as the two of them did this, there would be no turning back.
Afterward, Ye Yu would implant an External Spirit Bone – Demon Willow Fluff into both Yue Guan (Chrysanthemum Douluo) and Gui Mei (Ghost Douluo).
On the surface, this would be presented as a gift—a Spirit Bone that could help them enhance their Spirit Power.
But once the Demon Willow Fluff parasitized their bodies, their lives would be completely under Ye Yu's control.
Originally, Ye Yu only had three External Spirit Bones – Demon Willow Fluff remaining. But after his breakthrough to Spirit Sage, with the evolution of the mother body of the Willow Fluff, the number had increased to eight.
Even implanting two more into Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo would still leave him with extras.
And since they were indeed sincere in their desire to defect to Qian Renxue's side, even after recognizing the Recording Soul Tool in Ye Yu's hand, both men resolutely unleashed their fury at Bibi Dong.
"Bibi Dong! You crazy lunatic, you've lost your mind!"
"You didn't love His Holiness the former Pope, and instead, you went after that worthless Yu Xiaogang!"
"Even after giving birth to the Young Mistress, you were still obsessed with that trash, and you actually poisoned His Holiness!"
"Had we known any of this back then, we would never have followed you…"
In addition to calling Bibi Dong insane and ungrateful, they ranted about how starving they were under her leadership—barely scraping by with three meals every few days.
They served her loyally, handled all her dirty work, yet despite having perfectly suitable Spirit Bones, she never gave them a single one!
Originally, Ye Yu had only asked them to call her a crazy woman for the recording.
He hadn't expected that Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo would treat it as a genuine emotional release, hurling insults with everything they had, revealing far more than expected.
According to Ye Yu's understanding, Qian Renxue didn't know the full truth about the past.
Their ranting gave him pause. He narrowed his eyes slightly. It was clear these two weren't just venting—they were trying to win favor with Qian Renxue through him.
But technically, Ye Yu wasn't supposed to know any of this. So he frowned and asked curiously:
"Elder Chrysanthemum, Elder Ghost, I'm not sure I'm following everything."
"Yu Xiaogang I know—he's a teacher at Shrek Academy, and the last scion of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
"But what's going on between him and your Pope, Bibi Dong?"
"And wasn't your previous Pope, Qian Xunji, killed by Tang Hao?"
"Why do you say it was Bibi Dong who poisoned him?"
Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan immediately tried to please him.
"Milord, you don't know the whole story!"
"It's actually like this…"
He proceeded to tell Ye Yu everything about Bibi Dong and Yu Xiaogang.
Including the secret that Qian Xunji was poisoned by Bibi Dong herself.
"Milord, the Young Mistress likely doesn't know any of this yet."
"If you pass this on to her, she'll surely reward you!"
Yue Guan smiled obsequiously.
Ye Yu nodded thoughtfully.
He then pulled out two more Demon Willow Fluff Spirit Bones and placed them on Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.
"Don't resist. These are External Spirit Bones I'm giving you."
"And they're also the final condition for your release."
Although both men sensed potential danger, their desire to survive left them with no other choice.
Ye Yu activated the Spirit Bone Ability – Devouring Parasitism, implanting the Demon Willow Fluff into both their bodies. After integrating, they appeared as External Spirit Bones – Meridian.
Satisfied, Ye Yu smiled and explained:
"Elder Chrysanthemum, Elder Ghost, the Spirit Bones I implanted into you—"
"You can call them External Spirit Bone – Meridian."
"While they don't grant a specific Spirit Ability, they function like real meridians. They store Spirit Power, allowing you to cast your Eighth and Ninth Spirit Abilities more frequently."
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo were overjoyed.
To them, if these Spirit Bones could store Spirit Power, that made them even more valuable than typical ten-thousand-year Spirit Bones!
"But remember—this External Spirit Bone – Meridian was given by me."
"If you remain obedient, it will serve as a powerful asset."
"But if you ever betray me…"
"I can end your lives with a single thought. Understood?"
He reinforced his dominance with another cold threat.
Naturally, both men nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, Milord! We swear unwavering loyalty to the Young Mistress!"
Then, Ye Yu released Ghost Douluo and deactivated his Blue Silver Jade Tree Martial Soul.
"Her Highness already has many Title Douluo around her."
"But having you two stay by Bibi Dong's side as spies will be far more valuable."
"Since direct communication with Her Highness could be risky—just relay anything from Bibi Dong to me."
To avoid suspicion, Ye Yu justified the setup with a fabricated reason.
He handed them a small pouch containing Blue Silver Jade Tree seeds.
"Once you're back, just plant the flower in the soil—it will sprout into a small blue crystal tree."
"Speak to it directly if you need to contact me."
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo were astonished but accepted the pouch respectfully.
"Understood!"
Before they left, Ye Yu instructed them on what to report to Bibi Dong.
Then he used the External Spirit Bone – Undying Laurel Heart, which had stored abundant life force, to heal Ghost Douluo's injuries.
The three parted ways.
After they separated, Ye Yu used the Blue Silver Space to teleport his grandfather, Dugu Bo, from Heaven Dou Imperial City to the mountains.
At this time, Devil Bear Douluo and Ghost Leopard Douluo were still engaged in battle against Sword Douluo Chen Xin on a nearby hill.
"Sword Douluo! I'm coming to help!"
With a loud shout, Dugu Bo summoned his Emerald Phosphor Serpent Emperor Martial Soul, transforming into its true form and charging into the battlefield.
"Poison Douluo? This is bad!"
Already at a disadvantage, Devil Bear and Ghost Leopard Douluo immediately retreated.
Seeing Ye Yu return safely, Sword Douluo frowned but didn't pursue.
He and Ning Fengzhi were well aware of who was behind the ambush.
"Ye Yu, are you alright?"
"Uncle Ning, I'm fine!"
Ye Yu smiled.
"With Grandpa protecting me—and since I'm fast—they couldn't catch me."
"When they saw Sword Douluo might arrive, they gave up."
Meanwhile, at the Pope's Palace in Spirit City
"Failure?! How could it fail?!"
Bibi Dong slammed her palm down, leaving a handprint on the throne's armrest.
Her elegant yet cold face was filled with rage.
"Are you all useless?!"
"I sent four Title Douluo!"
"Four! Even if Sword Douluo showed up, how did you still let a Spirit King escape?!"
"Your Holiness, please calm down…"
Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan bowed low, full of guilt.
"This was our failure."
"We didn't expect Poison Douluo Dugu Bo to be protecting Ye Yu in secret."
"And that Ye Yu can fly—his speed is incredible!"
"We truly couldn't catch him."
"He can fly?"
"And Dugu Bo was there too?"
Bibi Dong's frown deepened, her expression unreadable.
The other two—Devil Bear and Ghost Leopard—also chimed in.
"It's true, Your Holiness. We saw Dugu Bo ourselves."
"When Ye Yu returned, he was wrapped in lightning—he flew the entire way back."
"His flight likely comes from a Spirit Ability, Spirit Bone Ability, or a self-created technique."
"Others can confirm it too."
Bibi Dong took a deep breath.
Though her face remained grim, she returned to her seat and sneered coldly:
"Fine. This failed operation… part of the blame lies with me for poor planning."
"But you four also failed."
"Had you started with your Martial Soul Fusion Ability – Two-Pole Static Domain, and sent Devil Bear and Ghost Leopard to capture him—"
"Ye Yu wouldn't have had the chance to escape!"
"As punishment, your salaries are halved for the next three years!"
"Your Holiness is wise!"
Kneeling on the ground, Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo put on faces of gratitude—but inwardly, Yue Guan seethed:
"Stingy madwoman! You give no rewards for success, but all the punishment for failure."
"Fine. In the past, I endured. But from now on? I'm done serving you!"
Days Later...
The delegation from the Heaven Dou Empire finally arrived at Spirit City to participate in the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament finals.
Inside a luxurious carriage, Ye Yu gazed at the towering, hexagonal granite walls of Spirit City, patrolled by squads of Spirit Hall Spirit Masters in uniform.
He simply smiled.
Due to regulations, the Royal Knights were not allowed inside and had to remain stationed outside the city.
The participating teams, however, were personally received by a Red-clad Archbishop, who escorted them to an opulent hotel named Angel's Wing, where everyone was settled in comfortably.
That night, Qian Renxue, burning with rage, silently left her presidential suite.
Wearing a hooded black cloak, she made her way toward the hill where the Pope's Palace stood.
She was going to confront that woman—and demand answers.
Ye Yu belongs to me, Qian Renxue.
There's no way that woman doesn't know.
When I was young, you ignored me, scolded me, and humiliated me—that's fine.
But I will never allow you to harm Ye Yu!
Soon, Qian Renxue arrived at the entrance of the Pope's Palace.
Upon entering, she immediately shouted coldly:
"Bibi Dong, get out here!!"