Spirit Hall Braced for Action

Whisper faded away.

On Sea God Island, confusion flashed in Bo Saixi's eyes, and she felt an emptiness in her heart.

As the high priestess of Sea God Island, she was fated to become the sacrifice that opened the Ninth Trial. There was no escaping it, and she had long since resigned herself to her fate.

But then a voice suddenly told her it could change her destiny. How could she not be tempted?

Every heaven's chosen possessed a proud spirit that refused to bow to others.

Bo Saixi's proud spirit had long since been bent beneath a god's contract, but it had only bent, not vanished.

The Sea God once created his own godhood and became a First-Level God. Why can't I, Bo Saixi, do the same?

The thought grew ever stronger, filling her with an urge to flee Sea God Island at once.

That impulse disturbed the contract, alerting Poseidon, the Sea God in the Divine Realm.

For his own representative to harbor defiant thoughts was an unforgivable blasphemy against a god.

The instant the thought arose, a piercing pain from her soul made Bo Saixi cry out. Fine beads of sweat instantly appeared on her fair forehead, and her breathtakingly beautiful face turned deathly pale.

Bo Saixi knew this was the Sea God's warning.

But the more he warned her, the more unwilling she became to accept it.

Why should I, Bo Saixi, work so hard to complete the Eighth Trial, with godhood in sight once I complete the Ninth Trial, only to end up as the sacrifice to open the nine trials?

Naturally, her unwillingness could not escape the Sea God's notice. The torment from her soul grew ever more severe, until the high priestess of Sea God Island curled up in an utterly inelegant position.

Inside Spirit Hall.

Almost everyone in Spirit Hall lay prostrate on the ground. Lu Jin was not among Spirit Hall's upper ranks, but Qian Daoliu's respectful manner kept them from making the slightest move.

Lu Jin casually chose a seat and smiled at Qian Xunji. "There's no need to make such a grand affair of this. I've only come here with my friend to find a place to stay. I mean no harm. Pope, tell them to go about their business."

Qian Xunji hurriedly cupped his hands and ordered the people gathered to welcome them to disperse.

At the same time, Lu Jin studied the notorious Secret Chamber Douluo.

It could be said that without Qian Daoliu's secret chamber maneuver, the story of Douluo Continent could never have unfolded.

To his surprise, although Qian Xunji was aloof and proud, his threads of fate showed that his past was nothing like that of a thoroughly wicked tyrant.

Instead, at some point in the future, those threads of fate looked as though they had been forcibly tangled, then abruptly severed by someone.

Lu Jin smiled. "Interesting. It seems this world itself has a pair of hands manipulating fate."

He made no effort to lower his voice, so the Spirit Hall higher-ups still in the inner hall heard him clearly.

Hearing him mention fate, Qian Daoliu grew curious. "What do you mean by that, sir?"

Smiling, Lu Jin invited Ah Yin to sit as well before saying, "It is Spirit Hall's predetermined fate to be destroyed."

"What?!"

At those words, every Titled Douluo present even lost perfect control of their Soul Power, a testament to how shocking the news was to them.

The hot-tempered Golden Crocodile Douluo clenched his fists. "Brat, don't think you're somebody just because the Great Enshrined shows you a little respect. If you don't explain yourself today, I'll-"

"Golden Crocodile!!"

Qian Daoliu hurriedly cut Golden Crocodile Douluo off. The others might not know, but as the Great Enshrined, how could he not?

Nine amber-gold Soul Rings—those were fucking Divine Rings!

Nine Divine Rings. Even as the Angel God's representative, he had never heard of such a thing. The god behind this man was probably no weaker than the Angel God!

He hurriedly apologized to Lu Jin. "Please forgive him, senior. My younger brother hasn't witnessed your power..."

Before Qian Daoliu could finish, Lu Jin raised a hand to stop him. "They're members of Spirit Hall. It's only natural for them to be angry. If they all watched Spirit Hall's destruction with smiles on their faces, that would be a problem."

"Thank you for your understanding, senior." Qian Daoliu wiped the sweat from his brow and did not dare press the matter of fate any further. "Please rest here for now, senior. If you need anything, simply order someone to fetch it. I'll take some people to prepare a residence for you."

With that, Qian Daoliu gave the others a meaningful look, and the group followed him out.

After they left the inner hall, Qian Daoliu suddenly called Bibi Dong to a halt. "Dong'er, stay here and attend to the senior. Remember, don't get on his bad side!"

"Huh? Me?" Bibi Dong's eyes widened as she pointed at the tip of her own nose. "G-Great Enshrined... are you serious?"

I'm still just a girl in the bloom of youth! You're all Titled Douluo, and even you're scared of him. Sending me to attend to him-isn't that asking me to die?

I don't want to die yet... Bibi Dong looked to her teacher, Qian Xunji, for help.

Qian Xunji scratched his head as well. "Father, isn't this... a little inappropriate? Dong'er is still a child..."

"Don't worry. That senior isn't a bloodthirsty man. If anything, he's a little... uh... lecherous..." Qian Daoliu sighed. "While he was talking to us just now, he never took his eyes off that Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast beside him. If Dong'er can win his favor, Spirit Hall will only grow stronger!"

Bibi Dong was even more bewildered. She looked down at her still-undeveloped chest.

You want me to seduce a senior even you Titled Douluo are scared of? You might as well kill me... Bibi Dong looked at her teacher again, hoping Qian Xunji could help.

Qian Xunji also felt it was inappropriate. "Father... isn't this a little too unfair to Dong'er...?"

Qian Daoliu did not like such tactics either; they crossed his bottom line. But of the Titled Douluo present, only he had seen those nine Divine Rings.

In the face of a man whose background he knew nothing about, yet who was terrifyingly powerful, he felt he could afford to loosen his bottom line a little.

"Don't worry. That blue-haired woman is still a virgin, which shows that although the senior is fond of women, he's by no means debauched. Dong'er knows the rules, and as you said, she's still young. The senior might not even take a liking to her."

"In any case, someone from Spirit Hall's upper ranks has to attend to the senior, and Dong'er is the most suitable choice."

And so, Bibi Dong was left behind.

She tiptoed into the inner hall and stood there like a mute gourd.

Meanwhile, Qian Daoliu gathered all of Spirit Hall's Titled Douluo for an emergency meeting.

Golden Crocodile Douluo had long been displeased. "Big brother, that brat looks perfectly ordinary. Is there any need to treat him like this?"

Qian Xunji was also full of doubts, but his father's decisions had never been wrong before, so he could only keep them to himself.

Qian Daoliu took a deep breath. "His true strength is certainly no less than mine. You didn't see his Soul Ring Configuration, so you don't understand how terrifying it is."

"Soul Ring Configuration? What configuration?" Ling Yuan Douluo asked curiously.

"Nine Soul Rings, each at least a million years old."

Qian Daoliu's startling words went beyond everything they knew about Soul Masters.

According to the records passed down in Spirit Hall, a Soul Master's first Soul Ring could not possibly exceed three hundred years. Even if one could increase the age of earlier Soul Rings after growing stronger, wasn't it outrageous for all of them to be a million years old?

Qian Daoliu smiled bitterly. "I know it's hard to accept. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe such an expert existed either."

Then his face hardened. "So I have only one demand."

"None of you may defy that man's will in any way. Even if he told me to die, I would have to do it. Otherwise, Spirit Hall might truly be destroyed."

Qian Xunji nodded gravely. "Father, do you think what the senior said about Spirit Hall's destruction is true?"

Qian Daoliu pondered for a moment. "There's a ninety percent chance it's true. A man like that would disdain to lie."

Golden Crocodile Douluo panicked. "Big brother, what do we do?"

Qian Daoliu's gaze grew distant. "There's only one way for now: ask that senior to tell us the cause of Spirit Hall's destruction, so we can prepare in advance!"