In front of the Pope Palace, thousands of Soul Masters let out a collective, pained groan.
It was a suffocating sensation that came from the depths of their souls.
The Soul Power within them seemed to freeze, its flow growing unbearably sluggish. Every strand they tried to call upon felt like trudging through a mire.
Some of the weaker Soul Masters buckled at the knees and collapsed right onto the ground. Their faces flushed a liverish purple as they gasped for breath, yet it felt as though what they drew into their lungs wasn't air, but heavy lead.
Even formidable Titled Douluo like Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo were pale. They had to drive their Soul Power with all their might just to keep from dropping to their knees in front of everyone.
But the look in their eyes as they stared at the giant cauldron had shifted from initial astonishment to utter shock and fear.
This cauldron... Just by existing, it could suppress an entire region of heaven and earth!
Just as the entire city was sinking into a deathly, oppressive silence, that majestic, boundless voice—like the very voice of Heaven itself—rang through the skies once more. Its words fell clearly into everyone's ears, each one striking their Divine Souls like a heavy hammer!
"The second Celestial Master Betrothal Gift—the Fate-Suppressing Cauldron!"
"A gift in celebration of the Celestial Master Grand Wedding!"
The voice rang out, lofty and sonorous, carrying an unquestionable note of declaration.
After a brief pause, it continued to echo through heaven and earth, introducing the giant cauldron's supreme powers to the entire continent:
"This cauldron can suppress the fortune of a region, or the fate of an individual!"
"It can nurture the Martial Soul Origin, allowing it to slowly ascend!"
"It can suppress all evil spirits beneath heaven and drive out the demonic obstacles of the world!"
Boom!
Each power rang through the hearts of every high-ranking member of Spirit Hall like a bolt of thunder from the highest heavens!
The suffocating pressure over the plaza was instantly replaced by an even more terrifying silence.
Everyone stared, dumbfounded, at the slowly descending Bronze Giant Cauldron, their minds utterly blank.
Suppress... fortune?
Nurture... a Martial Soul?
Suppress... evil spirits?
The Primordial Spirit Bead's powers were already enough to turn the entire continent upside down, but compared with the Fate-Suppressing Cauldron before them, it was like comparing a tiny sorcerer to a great wizard!
The Primordial Spirit Bead changed one person's future.
But this Fate-Suppressing Cauldron could change the course of a faction, an empire, even the entire continent!
Suppress fortune!
What did that even mean?
It meant that whoever possessed this cauldron could forcibly suppress the national fortune of hostile factions, and suppress the fate of those so-called "children of fortune"!
It meant that men like Tang San, who relied on great fortune to surge ahead at every turn, would find every path blocked before this cauldron!
Nurture the Martial Soul Origin!
It meant that as long as a Martial Soul was placed inside the cauldron to be nurtured, even the least gifted Martial Soul could continue to ascend over time, ultimately reaching an unimaginable height!
And that wasn't even counting its power to "suppress all evil spirits beneath heaven." For the many Soul Masters who made their way in the world with evil or dark-type Martial Souls, it was practically a natural nemesis!
"N-no... That's impossible..."
Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan's lips trembled as he stared at the giant cauldron and muttered to himself, his voice steeped in despair:
"Something like this... a nation-guarding divine artifact powerful enough to change the course of the entire continent—how could it... how could it be given away as a betrothal gift?"
No one could answer him.
Because everyone present, including Bibi Dong, felt as if everything they knew had been utterly crushed.
"Gulp."
Ghost Douluo Gui Mei struggled to swallow. His perpetually gloomy face was now marked with naked greed and fear.
On the terrace of the Pope Palace.
The instant the voice began to describe the cauldron's powers, Bibi Dong's pupils contracted to pinpoints!
Her body was frozen in place, utterly motionless, but a tempest had already risen within her!
Suppress fortune!
Those four words were like a red-hot brand, searing themselves deep into her soul!
What did she hate most in all her life?
It was that fortune—intangible, yet undeniably real!
Why were Tang Hao and his son, Tang San, favored by the gods and allowed to sail smoothly through everything?
Why should the Spirit Hall Empire, which she had built through years of painstaking effort, become a stepping-stone for someone else to become a god?
She hated it!
And now, a supreme treasure capable of suppressing fortune had appeared right before her!
If... if this cauldron belonged to Spirit Hall...
The moment the thought arose, Bibi Dong's heart began to pound wildly.
But in the next instant, an icy chill shot from the soles of her feet straight to the crown of her head.
She remembered the day seven days ago, when she had tried to seize the Primordial Spirit Bead, only to be effortlessly flung away by its Dao Pattern, leaving her in a wretched state.
The pressure radiating from this Fate-Suppressing Cauldron was many times stronger than the Primordial Spirit Bead's!
She knew all too well that this cauldron, like that bead, recognized only one person.
Hu Liena.
Bibi Dong slowly turned her head, casting a complicated look at her disciple beside her.
At that moment, Hu Liena was completely dumbfounded.
Her small mouth hung slightly open as she tilted her snow-white neck back and stared blankly at the Bronze Giant Cauldron, which radiated boundless majesty. Her purple-gold eyes held nothing but pure shock and bewilderment.
The first betrothal gift, the Primordial Spirit Bead, had been for her personal growth. It had transformed her completely and evolved her Martial Soul.
She had been shocked, but she could still understand it: it was meant to make her, his "Dao Companion," stronger.
But this second betrothal gift...
Suppress fortune, nurture Martial Souls, suppress evil spirits...
This had gone far beyond anything personal. This was a strategic treasure capable of laying the foundation for an immortal faction's legacy across the ages!
That man... That man named Shen Yichen—what was he thinking?
What terrifying reserves did he possess, to give away treasures of this caliber so casually as betrothal gifts?
For the first time, Hu Liena felt an indescribable... trepidation toward this "heaven-sent" marriage arrangement.
This betrothal gift was too weighty.
So weighty that she felt she could never bear it.
Just as the entire crowd stood in deathly silence, too shaken by the Fate-Suppressing Cauldron to think, the grand voice delivered its final words.
As soon as the voice faded, the suffocating pressure of the Bronze Giant Cauldron that had suppressed the entire Spirit City suddenly receded.
It quivered lightly in the air, as if breaking free of some invisible restraint, and its colossal body began to shrink at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Its ten thousand rays of light drew inward until, at last, the giant cauldron became a soft green glow. It traced a graceful arc through the air and flew unerringly toward Hu Liena.
It wasn't as affectionate as the Primordial Spirit Bead, but it carried an unquestionable majesty and weight.
At last, the green glow came to a steady halt, three feet in front of Hu Liena.
The light faded, revealing a tiny Bronze Cauldron only the size of a palm, so exquisitely crafted it looked like a work of art. It hovered there in silence.
It was waiting.
Waiting for its one and only master to reach out.
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