Hearing this, Xiao Yan smiled as well. Without any affectation, he stepped forward and laughed heartily. "The Flame Alliance doesn't belong to Xiao Yan alone. Its future achievements will depend on the wholehearted support of all the elders present."
Seeing everything proceeding as expected, Dugu Bo smiled and nodded. He casually handed the wine he had already poured to Ning Fengzhi and the others, then raised his cup with a hearty laugh. "The alliance's establishment today is a joyous occasion. For the Flame Alliance, everyone, drain your cups!"
"Good! Hahaha!"
"Cheers!"
Amid the dry laughter in the hall, an immensely powerful force finally took shape quietly on the Douluo Continent. Perhaps before long, this newborn force would completely replace Spirit Hall as the continent's new master.
Spirit City, the Pope's Hall.
A crescent moon passed over the exquisite towers, casting a hazy, dusky yellow light within the high walls of the Pope's Hall, lending the place an air of mystery and stillness. From afar, the deep-red palaces looked as though they were embedded in Spirit City.
Inside the Council Hall, Pope Bibi Dong set down her fragrant tea and quietly listened to the Red-Robed Cardinal before her report on the results of the soul hunting operation.
"Your Holiness, in our battle against the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect during this soul hunting operation, we deployed twelve thousand Soul Masters, including eight thousand from the Lower Four Sects. We utterly crushed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, killing at least several thousand of its inner and outer sect disciples. At the final moment, the sect's guardian Douluo, Sword Dao Chen Xin, broke through to rank ninety-seven in soul power, stopping our final offensive."
"We also suffered heavy losses. At least four thousand men perished in that battle, and the four