Escalation!

Another five minutes passed.

The impatience on Bibi Dong's face grew more pronounced.

The disgruntled discussions outside the Pope's Palace grew louder.

The looks in some people's eyes began to change.

Bibi Dong cursed, "Those two useless fools! I told them to use force—what are they doing?! Demon Bear, Ghost Leopard, you two go! No matter what Ratio says, bring him here!"

"Yes!"

The two Titled Douluo stormed upstairs.

Bibi Dong and the others continued waiting, watching the crowd outside.

This was the first time they had seen a scene like this, and it was truly eye-opening.

More than a hundred thousand people had come for Master Ratio alone.

They all thought of one saying: water could carry a boat, but it could also capsize it.

If they did not give these people an explanation today, Spirit Hall's reputation would likely suffer!

"Would it really be so bad to put Dr. Ratio forward? We just need to make sure his theories do not spread afterward..." one high-ranking official muttered quietly.

The other officials nodded in agreement. Deep down, none of them wanted to offend Dr. Ratio too badly.

Especially now that Dr. Ratio had demonstrated genuine talent and knowledge.

Who knew whether more groundbreaking theories might emerge in the future?

Bibi Dong's face was grim. Her originally exquisite features now looked somewhat twisted.

The more dazzling Ratio became, the more he eclipsed Yu Xiaogang's brilliance!

As someone who regarded Yu Xiaogang as her emotional pillar, she was filled with resentment!

Right now, she had only one impulse—to vent her rage fiercely!

Three minutes passed, yet none of the four Titled Douluo sent to find Ratio had returned.

Including the time they had agreed upon, ten minutes had already passed!

The crowd outside the Pope's Palace began to grow restless. Ten minutes was already an unbearably long time for them!

"Are they fooling us? Are they actually moving Master Ratio somewhere else?"

"Is it really that hard for Master Ratio to show himself? Spirit Hall must be deceiving us!"

"Exactly! If they truly wanted to satisfy our wishes, why had they still not let Master Ratio come out after so long? This is outrageous!"

"..."

They began discussing things in a disorderly clamor.

Their gazes toward the people of Spirit Hall were full of suspicion.

Some began edging forward, trying to force their way into the Pope's Palace.

The Hall Knights standing before them immediately felt the pressure.

If they were allowed to slaughter the crowd, it would not be difficult.

But stopping them from entering the Pope's Palace without hurting them was making things far too difficult for them!!!

Listening to the discussions, Bibi Dong was furious.

The twisted expression on her face carried the wrath of a vicious ghost.

"Shut up!!!"

"I will definitely do what I promised you! All of you, be quiet now! He is just a Ratio! Who would stop you from seeing him?"

"If you keep talking nonsense, I will kill him myself!"

Bibi Dong roared.

A cold, sinister aura radiated from her body.

The temperature throughout the Pope's Palace hall dropped sharply. It was as though they were in a damp cave, with venomous snakes coiling around their necks!

Under that pressure, even the high-ranking officials looked at Bibi Dong in surprise.

Some of them might not have been weaker than Bibi Dong, but upon sensing her aura, fear still inevitably arose in their hearts!

The people outside were frightened into silence as well.

Pairs of eyes stared at Bibi Dong in terror.

It was as though the phantom of a gigantic spider had appeared above her head.

Bibi Dong coldly ordered two more Titled Douluo, gritting her teeth as she said, "Even if he is a corpse, bring Ratio to me! Dead or alive!"

"..." The many high-ranking officials all fell silent, realizing that Bibi Dong was truly enraged!

Time passed bit by bit.

Almost everyone counted silently in their hearts. Another five minutes went by.

Still, no one returned!

This time, the uproar Bibi Dong had just suppressed surged back, even more fiercely than before!

"Spirit Hall has gone too far! They are treating us like fools! Even if they had to carry Master Ratio here, there would have been more than enough time! They are clearly just toying with us!"

"That is right! Spirit Hall calls itself the foremost power in the Soul Master Realm, yet this is utterly disheartening!"

"Let Master Ratio out! Otherwise, we are going in!"

"..."

The crowd shouted as they squeezed toward the inside of the Pope's Palace.

The Hall Knights retreated again and again, putting away their spears and using only their shields to block the crowd.

At this point, even the pressure radiating from Bibi Dong was no longer enough to frighten them.

Seeing this, Bibi Dong's chest heaved violently. Inside, it felt as though countless volcanoes were erupting!

It was all that bastard Ratio's fault, leaving her overwhelmed and frazzled!

In this situation, wave after wave of voices were practically condemning Spirit Hall—condemning her, the Pope!

If she explained that Ratio himself did not want to come out, absolutely no one would believe her.

After all, this was a perfect opportunity for a scholar to make a name for himself!

Yet that freak Ratio simply did not care about such glory!

"Your Holiness..." The high-ranking officials all moved out, releasing their Martial Souls. Dozens of them, with the weakest being Soul Douluo, filled the entire hall with hundreds of soul rings in different colors.

They spread out beside the Hall Knights, helping them share the pressure.

But rather than making the crowd retreat, it only provoked even greater dissatisfaction.

"You think this will scare us? Spirit Hall may be tyrannical enough to stop us, but you cannot stop the judgment of soul masters across the world!"

"That is right! You actually dare to hide Master Ratio away! This is absolutely unforgivable!"

"Release Master Ratio! Spirit Hall is inherently evil!"

"..."

The shouts grew louder and louder, and the crowd was seething with indignation.

In this environment, they feared nothing. They were like battle-hardened soldiers who did not fear death.

Seeing this, the high-ranking officials realized that their appearance had only added fuel to the fire!

Yet they could not truly harm these people.

Now, everyone had a headache!

They even began blaming the Pope in their hearts. She had been making an unnecessary fuss out of nothing!

If they had known things would turn out like this, they should never have convened that damned Supreme Meeting!

And now, the Pope's Palace was surrounded!

If this delay continued, perhaps half of Spirit City would come swarming over.

Then things would truly become a spectacle!

Bibi Dong kept a tight expression, naturally sensing the officials' emotions.

Those bastards had started blaming her!

"Bibi Dong, why don't you go and see for yourself? Invite Ratio out first. If this continues, Spirit Hall will become a laughingstock! The consequences will be endless."

Golden Crocodile Douluo shook his head and advised her.

What he really meant was that Bibi Dong should personally apologize to Ratio.

No matter what, they had to invite him over first.

If Ratio came here harboring resentment, it would only worsen the situation!

Bibi Dong took half a step back and raised a hand to her forehead. Her vision went black, and she nearly fainted from rage!