"Let's find a place to sit and see what tricks they have up their sleeves."
Qian Renfeng waved his hand dismissively. No matter what, the three of them had made it inside.
The two titled Douluo nodded. Before entering, Qian Renfeng had already given them strict instructions.
For tonight's assembly, they were not allowed to speak — not even to announce the names of their soul skills during battle.
They were only to act when necessary.
So, the two titled Douluo remained silent throughout. Even if they had something to say, it would only be transmitted privately to Qian Renfeng.
The three found a small corner and quietly sat down.
In truth, where they sat didn't matter. What truly mattered was their strength.
Qian Renfeng's group had arrived fairly early.
The massive hall was still mostly empty.
Only a few smaller organizations had shown up, though even they reported having more members than Qian Renfeng's group.
Most were sea soul master factions with three to four thousand members and control over small islands.
They typically disguised themselves as pirates, only revealing their true identities when necessary.
Pirates and evil soul masters already had much in common.
The only difference was that the methods of evil soul masters were more cruel and vile.
These factions resided on nearby islands, so they naturally had a good understanding of the surrounding area.
That's why their quick arrival was unsurprising. Instead, it was Qian Renfeng's group — coming from far away and still arriving early — that raised some suspicion.
Still, given how small their numbers were, no one paid them much attention.
At the center of the platform sat a red table, arranged with ceremonial grandeur.
The venue itself was structured like a massive arena, with numerous factions seated in the stands, while only a small number of core groups were allowed onto the main floor.
Qian Renfeng kept a constant eye on his surroundings and observed the steady stream of guests entering.
To his surprise, the hall seemed to have only one visible exit.
This struck Qian Renfeng as incredibly odd.
Even a cornered rabbit will dig three burrows — surely these Titled Douluo wouldn't be so foolish as to leave only one escape route?
If the Spirit Hall or either of the two great empires learned of this gathering…
And if Qian Daoliu were to block that one exit, no one would escape.
This place would become the final coffin of the evil soul masters.
But when Qian Renfeng swept the area with his weak divine sense, he found no trace of additional exits.
Not even behind the walls could he sense any human presence.
"Are these Titled Douluo… really that dumb?"
Qian Renfeng wasn't sure, so he prepared for the worst.
If this kind of stupidity had let them survive until now, it could only mean that Spirit Hall and the two empires were just as foolish.
Meanwhile, the hall gradually filled with more and more people.
Nearly everyone had something in common — they were draped in long robes of various colors, with masks of all shapes and sizes hiding their faces.
These masks looked like custom soul tools.
When Qian Renfeng tried to probe them with soul power or spiritual sense, it was like throwing a rock into the sea — completely absorbed.
Even his near-god-level spiritual power couldn't pierce through them.
"It's about to begin."
"Soon, it'll be our stage."
This assembly was not overly formal.
There was no grand opening ceremony. Only organizations with Titled Douluo-level powerhouses were allowed to sit in the central area.
Voting rights were determined by both the number and level of Titled Douluo in a faction:
If the group had only one Titled Douluo below Level 92, they got one vote.
A titled Douluo above Level 92 earned two votes.
Level 95, three votes.
Level 97, five votes.
Level 98, ten votes.
As for Level 99… were there even Level 99 evil soul masters in existence?
Hard to say.
At least, none had officially registered on-site.
Even if one were present, they'd likely be kept as a hidden trump card.
No one would display a Level 99 evil soul master so openly.
After all, possessing someone at Level 99 meant…
There was now someone capable of contending with Qian Daoliu of Spirit Hall.
Even if that person wasn't the leader of this summit, they'd certainly become one of the most influential figures present.
The hall gradually filled.
At 3:15 p.m., a man dressed in a lavish suit walked toward the stage. His voice was clear and strong:
"Welcome, everyone, to the venue hosted by the Hanhai Divine Sect. Of course, many of you here are familiar faces."
"If you prefer calling us by our former name, the Longhai Divine Sect — that's fine, too."
"Anyone who came today already knows why we're gathered here."
"All our factions have been hiding in the shadows for too long. I believe it's time we step into the light."
"What do you all think?"
The man's face carried a gentle smile, but his tone left no room for doubt or opposition.
But the reaction from the crowd was nothing like a typical opening.
As his words fell, no one clapped. The entire hall sank into a dead silence.
No one expressed their stance.
The man in the suit didn't seem bothered. He continued calmly:
"If you all want to keep living like rats, constantly hunted and shouted at — then feel free to skip this meeting."
"But just so you know, we're well aware of each of your organizations."
"If you refuse to cooperate, and we win in the end, your sects will be blacklisted from recruiting anyone ever again."
"If we die for the cause, then you'll be exposed and dragged down with us."
His position was simple:
Refuse to cooperate? Fine.
But if we fall, you fall too.
If they succeeded — well, you could survive.
But don't even think about gaining anything from their victory without contributing.
No one responded. The hall remained quiet.
Suddenly, a voice scoffed in mockery:
"Lord of Hanhai, don't you think it's ridiculous to talk about democracy and fair voting… in the world of evil soul masters?"
The man on stage turned to face the speaker in the stands. His smile didn't fade, but his eyes turned icy cold:
"Then what, we settle it with brute force?"
"Should the Hanhai Divine Sect wipe out your Tianming Divine Sect first?"
"That way, we'll have the right to speak — correct?"
That shut the Tianming Lord up immediately.
If it were a one-on-one duel, as a fellow Titled Douluo, he wouldn't fear the Hanhai Lord.
But the Hanhai Divine Sect had four Titled Douluo!
Most crucially, it seemed the Twin Holy Divine Sect stood behind them.
That's what truly made him uneasy.
"Let's… go with the original plan, Lord Hanhai," he replied with an awkward chuckle, taking a step back.
In this kind of gathering, one wrong word, and real fighting could break out.