The old man sat upright with a dignified posture, smiling faintly as he spoke:
"The name 'Shura God Sect'—this isn't the first time I've heard it."
"Sixty years ago, outside the Slaughter Capital, I heard that name once before."
"Back then, the sect leader was merely a Soul Emperor-level cultivator."
Qian Renfeng remained in his relaxed, lazy pose, responding casually:
"Just because the previous sect leader was a Soul Emperor doesn't mean I am, too."
"Besides…"
"The one you met outside the Slaughter Capital might've just been an impostor."
The old man remained calm, nodding slightly.
"You're right. Still, we've never truly heard much about the Shura God Sect."
"And for such a powerful Titled Douluo to appear out of nowhere, it's only natural we'd be suspicious."
"I hope you won't take offense."
Qian Renfeng nodded as well.
"It's nothing. Without a healthy dose of suspicion, we wouldn't have survived to this point either."
"Let's get to the real topic."
"The Twin Holy Divine Sect has already decided to take the position of alliance leader, haven't they?"
"Otherwise, even if you and the Hanhai Sect have dealings, he wouldn't be working so hard to support your agenda."
The old man smiled and nodded, not denying it:
"Exactly. Lord Shura, your insight is as sharp as your strength."
"You saw through everything with just a guess — impressive."
"Yes, the Hanhai Sect and I have a working relationship. That's part of the reason I invited you here today."
Qian Renfeng didn't reply. He simply stared at the old man in silence.
The old man dropped all pretense:
"We've prepared a ritual in Hanhai City. As far as we're concerned, who becomes the leader of the alliance doesn't matter."
"You're strong. If you become the leader, that benefits us all."
"As long as you support us in completing this ritual after the election, the Twin Holy Divine Sect will serve you without question."
"How does that sound?"
At the Conference Hall...
The Hanhai Sect Leader still wore a pleasant smile.
Countless powerhouses had taken their seats. At the very center sat three major factions — the top contenders for the position of Alliance Leader:
The Twin Holy Divine Sect
The Dark Dragon Sect
And...
The Shura God Sect
The Shura God Sect might have appeared suddenly, but with the overwhelming strength Qian Renfeng displayed, his qualification for the position was unquestionable.
Among the scattered Titled Douluo present, the Shura God Sect had already become the favorite to win.
Not only was the sect mysterious and powerful, but even Spirit Hall hadn't been able to uncover any intelligence on them!
Unless, of course, Qian Renfeng was a Spirit Hall spy...
But then again — who sends a Level 99 Limit Douluo to infiltrate a cult?
If he were a spy, he wouldn't be running for alliance leader — he'd be teaming up with Qian Daoliu to wipe out the entire world of evil soul masters!
"Next, all Divine Sect Lords, please cast your votes!"
"Let us choose the strongest among us to lead this alliance!"
As the Hanhai Lord's voice fell, dozens of specially crafted slips of paper flew out from each sect leader's hand, landing in the box before him.
A paper slip appeared in Qian Renfeng's hand as well. He calmly wrote a few characters on it, then infused it with soul power and sent it toward the ballot box.
As it passed by, Qianjun Douluo saw the words written on the slip, and immediately felt a chill run down his spine. He sent a spiritual message:
"Twin Holy Divine Sect?!"
"Second Young Master, isn't our goal to become the Alliance Leader?!"
Qian Renfeng didn't respond. He simply shot him a cold, icy glare.
The meaning couldn't be clearer:
Whatever I choose to do, you don't question me.
Know your place. I am the master.
Qianjun Douluo saw the look in his eyes and instantly shut his mouth.
At the center of the hall, one of the Twin Holy Elders turned and looked toward Qian Renfeng. The folds in his face twisted into a grotesque grin.
"Sixteen votes received!"
"Representing sixteen sects with Titled Douluo-level power!"
"Now, let us begin the count!"
"Shura God Sect!"
"Shura God Sect!"
"Shura God Sect!"
Each of the sixteen ballots bore the same four characters:
修罗神教 — Shura God Sect
A voice rang out in Qianjun Douluo's mind, loud as thunder:
"The truth is, the result was decided long ago."
"Even if there were zero votes in that box, the person reading them would still say our name sixteen times."
After speaking, Qian Renfeng stood up and smiled at the Hanhai Lord, giving a small nod of acknowledgment.
Then, he walked to the stage and addressed the crowd:
"People from Spirit Hall love to call us vermin, say we're rats everyone wants to kill."
"But I disagree."
"Still, they're stronger than us. I can't argue with that — their fists are harder."
"And why are their fists harder?"
"Because we evil soul masters are scattered, fragmented."
"And that, I believe, is the root of the problem."
"What I want to do is unite all our strength, and crush Spirit Hall once and for all — show them that even rats..."
"...can bite a cat when they're desperate!"
The crowd stirred.
The old elder from the Twin Holy Divine Sect was the first to stand and voice his support:
"Lord Shura is right."
"They think we're rats? Then we'll bite them and tear them apart."
"Lord Shura — the Twin Holy proposes we begin the Hanhai City Sacrificial Ritual, drawing divine power to crush Spirit Hall completely!"
As he spoke, the elder bowed low toward Qian Renfeng, as though genuinely submitting to the newly appointed Alliance Leader.
In the corner...
Powerhouses from the Flame God Sect, Dark Dragon Sect, and Demonic God Sect were all silently watching Qian Renfeng's expression.
They all carried the same thought:
If he refused, they would attack immediately.
After all, even a Level 99 Limit Douluo had limits.
How many Titled Douluo could one man handle at once?
Qian Renfeng saw their eager expressions and smiled lightly.
"Since Hanhai City is already prepared…"
"Then, as Alliance Leader, I declare — the sacrificial ritual of Hanhai City shall begin!"
"As for who should oversee the ritual…"
"Let the Hanhai Lord take care of that. I'll just watch from the sidelines."
At that moment, in Qian Renfeng's eyes, the millions of civilians in Hanhai City, along with the tens of millions of surrounding living beings, didn't even live worth counting — they were just numbers to be discarded.
The Twin Holy Elder let out a quiet sigh of relief and nodded at the Hanhai Lord.
It didn't matter who wore the title of Alliance Leader on paper.
Until the ritual was complete, the true controller of this alliance... was still the Twin Holy Divine Sect.
Not even a Limit Douluo could change that.
Receiving the signal, the Hanhai Lord quickly turned and left, heading off to begin preparations for the sacrificial ceremony.
Meanwhile, the Qianjun and Demon-Suppressing Douluo brothers, known as the Coiling Dragon Twins, rushed anxiously toward Qian Renfeng's side.