Death or compromise?

Yue Guan leaned toward Bibi Dong and said in a low voice, "Your Holiness, this skill is terrifying."

Bibi Dong did not answer. Her mind was on something else.

What if this skill were used on a battlefield?

Two armies facing off, hundreds of soul masters charging in formation. Qin Chuan steps out in front, calls out "One, Two, Three, Red Light," and turns around. Half of them fail to react in time and turn straight into wooden figures. The other half don't dare move.

How could anyone fight then?

Even if those wooden figures are invincible, six hours is more than enough to bind them.

That isn't war. It's a one-sided slaughter.

Gui Mei stood nearby, making calculations of his own.

He was an agility-attack Titled Douluo who had relied on speed his entire life. Yet the instant the domain had unfolded, his body had frozen too. It had lasted only a few breaths, but during those breaths, he had been utterly helpless.

What if Qin Chuan designated me as an enemy?

Gui Mei did not dare follow that thought any further.

Inside the Council Hall, Qin Chuan strolled down from the back.

He approached Dugu Bo first.

Dugu Bo's eyes held wariness, confusion, and resentment.

Qin Chuan met his gaze at eye level.

"Dugu Bo, you're a lone wolf, yet you came with the Upper Three Sects to wreck the place." Qin Chuan's voice was quiet, but everyone in the Council Hall could hear him.

"No matter how I look at you, you don't seem to have come willingly. One look tells me someone tricked you into coming. Am I right?"

Dugu Bo did not speak.

His lips were pressed tightly together. He understood the rules of the game: move, and he would turn into a wooden figure.

Did speaking count as moving? He was not sure. More importantly, though, Qin Chuan's words had hit far too close to home.

Qin Chuan continued, "Did they tell you they could cure the poison in your body? You believed them, so you came."

Dugu Bo's body abruptly stiffened, and his eyes widened.

"How did you know?"

The instant those words left his mouth-

Hum.

A pale purple film of light rose from beneath his feet, turning his entire body into wood.

Dugu Bo's mouth remained open, but he could no longer utter a word.

"Because I guessed." Smiling, Qin Chuan walked toward Tang Hao and Tang Xiao.

Watching Qin Chuan's retreating back from the seat of honor, Bibi Dong felt the corners of her mouth lift involuntarily.

This brat is wicked.

Next, Qin Chuan approached Tang Hao.

Tang Hao stood there with his Clear Sky Hammer already withdrawn and his hands hanging at his sides. The eyes behind his iron mask stared unblinkingly, their gaze dark.

Qin Chuan looked at him, in no hurry to speak.

Tang Xiao stood just behind Tang Hao to his right, close beside his elder brother. One stood ahead of the other, like two nails driven into the floor, utterly motionless.

Qin Chuan stopped before them, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Tang Hao, Tang Xiao. The two big shots of the Clear Sky Sect."

Qin Chuan's gaze shifted between them.

"I hear the Clear Sky Sect has an old ancestor named Tang Chen, right? One of the continent's earliest Titled Douluo. They say his cultivation reaches the heavens, and he's already approaching the demigod realm."

Both men were inwardly startled by his words. How does this brat know that?!

Watching their reactions, Qin Chuan laughed inwardly. Of course he knew. It had all been spelled out in the original novel. But he did not need to explain that.

He only needed to make these two panic.

Qin Chuan suddenly raised a hand and pointed at the Council Hall doors behind Tang Hao and Tang Xiao.

"Huh?"

A trace of surprise colored his voice, and his eyebrows lifted.

"Tang Chen? What brings you here?"

Tang Hao and Tang Xiao turned their heads simultaneously.

Their bodies reacted almost instinctively. Hearing the name "Tang Chen," they looked toward the doorway in a conditioned reflex.

The doors stood wide open.

There was nothing outside. Not a single figure stood in the corridor. Sunlight streamed through the windows onto the empty stone-tiled floor.

No one was there.

Nothing at all.

Tang Hao realized what had happened. He whipped his head back and saw Qin Chuan standing before him, smiling.

Too late.

Hum. Hum.

Two pale purple films of light descended at once. Tang Hao and Tang Xiao simultaneously turned into wooden figures.

Tang Hao's mouth was half open. He wanted to curse, but his throat seemed blocked, and he could not force out a single syllable.

Tang Xiao's head was still half turned, leaving him in a thoroughly awkward pose.

Six Titled Douluo.

Every last one had become a wooden figure.

The Council Hall fell silent.

Bibi Dong sat in the seat of honor, watching the scene before her. Her hand rested on the armrest, and her fingers twitched.

She replayed the whole sequence in her mind.

From calling them trash, to activating the Game Domain, to taking complete control, it had taken only a few minutes.

Bibi Dong drew a deep breath.

She told herself, Choosing to win this man over and tie him to my side was the best decision I've ever made in my life!

Yue Guan stood behind Bibi Dong, his golden ponytail hanging over his chest, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

He wanted to laugh, but with the situation still unfolding, he held it in.

He thought, This brat is only level sixty-one. At level sixty-one, he can already immobilize six Titled Douluo. What will he become when he reaches level ninety and unlocks all nine soul skills?

Yue Guan imagined that scene, and a faint chill ran down his back.

Fortunately, Qin Chuan was on their side.

Gui Mei stood on the other side, his deathly pale face expressionless.

He was thankful he had sided with Qin Chuan.

Qin Chuan stood before the six wooden figures and circled them.

All six were frozen in different poses.

He admired them for two seconds and felt quite satisfied.

He returned to where the conference table had stood. The six bursts of soul power had shattered it earlier, scattering broken wood across the floor.

Qin Chuan found a larger piece of broken board, tested it underfoot, and used it as a step to stand a little higher.

Then he spoke. "You've all turned into wooden figures. For six hours."

"You may be invincible right now, but do you think that makes you safe?"

"Your Holiness, I believe this is the perfect opportunity to eliminate the Upper Three Sects," Ghost Douluo added, picking up his cue seamlessly.

Chrysanthemum Douluo said, "Exactly. With six Titled Douluo here, we can cut down the weeds and tear out the roots."

Bibi Dong did not take a position. Instead, she said, "Let's see how Qin Chuan handles this."

Qin Chuan knew that throughout history, killing people to silence them had never been the best strategy for uniting the world.

Inside the Council Hall, all six men retained their senses and perceptions. Only their bodies had turned to wood.

They were not fools. Six hours was more than enough to leave their bodies in a perilous position.

Tang Hao's Adam's apple shifted, but no sound came from his mouth.

Qin Chuan noticed and snapped his fingers. "Lift the restriction on speaking."

Hum. All six men's throats loosened.

Tang Hao spoke first, his voice hoarse. "Qin Chuan, what do you want?"

"It's simple. Agree to the Soul Beast Protection Law, swear an oath on your own martial souls, and leave your soul power imprints as proof. Spirit Hall promises to let you go, and your levels can be restored too. We will not go back on our word."

Qin Chuan paused.

"Then we'll leave it to Her Holiness the Pope to handle."

The Council Hall fell silent.

The six men could speak now, but none of them immediately responded.

Tang Xiao's neck was still twisted, and his voice sounded muffled. "Qin Chuan, don't think you can do whatever you please just because you've immobilized us. The Upper Three Sects aren't to be trifled with."

Qin Chuan chuckled. "Senior, you can't even turn your head back right now. Doesn't that leave those words a little short on conviction?"

Tang Xiao's face flushed red.

Dugu Bo crouched on the floor. Of the six, he was the first to see things clearly. He knew that refusing to compromise today meant death! But if he compromised, he could not only save his skin but also restore his level.

"Qin Chuan," Dugu Bo said, forcing an awkward expression onto his gaunt face, "I listened to the general outline of this Soul Beast Protection Law earlier. It's actually quite well written."

Gu Rong chimed in beside him. "Yes, yes, protecting endangered soul beasts. That's a good thing. As Bone Douluo, I've spent my whole life fighting and killing. It's about time I took a rest too."