On the other side, the Pope Palace.
Bibi Dong sat upon the papal throne, listening to Chrysanthemum Douluo report on the matters concerning the Seven Sects Conferment Ceremony.
"Pope Your Majesty, all requirements for the Seven Sects Conferment Ceremony have been prepared. The procedures and contingency plans have been confirmed repeatedly; there will certainly be no issues. The factions on friendly terms with us will arrive one after another over the next two days; furthermore..."
Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan reported every detail that needed to be addressed, finally speaking on Bibi Dong's orders and the responses regarding the New Seven Sects.
"Regarding the Lower Four Sects, they have expressed firm obedience to Your Majesty's written order of submission and have produced the initial documents. I ask that Your Majesty please review them."
As he spoke, Yue Guan took out several documents and handed them to the attendant nearby, instructing her to present them to Bibi Dong.
Bibi Dong took the documents, glanced over them, and nodded with satisfaction. The official jargon in the documents was much the same, nothing special, but the main point was the attached list of personnel within the sects. Seeing the notes Yue Guan had written in the margins, Bibi Dong was very pleased.
Submission is, of course, not something that can be settled with mere words; this list was the sincerity of the four sects. According to Yue Guan's notes, from this point on, over ninety percent of the four sects' combat power would fall under her command, to be deployed at her discretion. This included the sect masters and young sect masters—the elite of their organizations. To directly consolidate over four thousand elite soul masters, many of whom were powerful, how could she not be satisfied! She had already decided that she would use these four thousand people as a foundation to form a new soul master legion.
Bibi Dong had received the feedback from the Lower Four Sects, but what about the others?!
"What is the reaction of the Upper Three Sects?" Bibi Dong asked aloud.
Yue Guan reported truthfully.
"The Soul Break Sect and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect have both agreed. Only the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has explicitly refused."
Upon hearing the words 'Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan', Bibi Dong's good mood vanished, replaced by a throbbing headache. Making these people, whose pride reached the heavens, submit was quite difficult, but no matter how hard it was, it had to be carried out; the grand plan could not afford any failures. Bibi Dong spoke.
"You have worked hard, Chrysanthemum Douluo. I am aware."
"You may withdraw! I will handle the rest!"
Hearing this, Yue Guan bowed and retreated.
As for the Soul Break Sect and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Bibi Dong did not mention them at all. Judging by the actions of Yun Ming and Ya Li, she was certain they wanted to push for the establishment of the Martial Soul Empire and complete the unification of the world. Therefore, they would agree, though it was certain they would listen to orders but not attend the summons. That did not matter; agreement was enough. She should focus on how to take down the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!
On the other side, after Yun Ming and the Yang Brothers bid farewell to Chrysanthemum Douluo, Yang Wudi spoke with a grave expression.
"Ming Er, do you know what the reaction of our clansmen will be if they find out about this decision?"
"Even if our clan has settled the past grievances with Martial Soul Hall, they still will not accept this."
"The reputation you have built within the clan over the years will also be destroyed in an instant."
Yun Ming looked at the dark-faced Yang Wudi and his brother and spoke.
"Grandfather, I know, which is why I had you report the participating sect name as the Soul Break Sect!"
The two old men were thoughtful; they generally understood what Yun Ming meant, but wasn't this just burying one's head in the sand? 'Soul Break Sect', 'Soul Breaking Spear', plus the brilliant Yun Ming—couldn't anyone with even a slight understanding of the Soul Master World see through their relationship? The people of the world would still think that their Breaking Clan had disregarded their past and defected to Martial Soul Hall!
Seeing their skeptical gazes, Yun Ming knew they didn't think this plan was feasible, so he immediately continued with the follow-up plan.
"If it were only this, of course it wouldn't work, but what if there is more!"
"..."
After hearing what Yun Ming had to say, the eyes of the two men lit up; it was indeed feasible. As for the potential consequences, they were unimportant. Yang Wutian gave a strange laugh.
"If that is the case, I am actually looking forward to the ceremony in two days."
Yun Ming also spoke.
"I am also looking forward to it—to Bibi Dong's expression in two days."
Two days passed in the blink of an eye. The Pope Palace Front Square was bustling with noise and excitement. Representatives from various factions had gathered. Aside from the sect factions that had come to participate and had not yet left, some sect and family forces on friendly terms with Martial Soul Hall had also come together to observe the ceremony.
The square was surrounded by a well-arranged complex of buildings, with an open space in the center paved with smooth stone slabs that shimmered with a soft luster under the sunlight. At the edges of the square, meticulously trimmed green belts circled the area like green ribbons.
The Pope Palace Front Square, which had been the battlefield for the Sect Ranking Tournament a few days prior, had been completely renovated after a week of emergency repairs by numerous Earth-Type and Wood-Type Soul Masters from Martial Soul Hall. Aside from the hundred-meter drop in elevation forced by Yun Ming and Chen Xin, the traces of the fierce battles from the previous days were no longer visible.
Looking at the transformed ground beneath his feet, Yun Ming felt a sense of emotion regarding the greatness of soul master power. Indeed! Fighting and killing barely utilized a ten-thousandth of a soul master's potential. Was the diversified development of soul master professions possible?
After Dugu Bo finished dealing with a group of people who had come to greet him, he looked at Yun Ming, who was lost in thought, and spoke.
"Suddenly participating in such a plan, I'm actually feeling a bit nervous!"
Yun Ming interrupted his thoughts on the future of soul masters and said to Dugu Bo.
"But it's quite interesting, isn't it?"
Dugu Bo laughed.
"Indeed."
As an old man with a personality that feared nothing but a peaceful world, if the plan hadn't been interesting enough, he might not have agreed.
The wait was not long. Bibi Dong walked out of the Pope Palace, surrounded by a group of Cardinals.
The Cardinals walked all the way to the entrance of the Pope Palace and stood on the left and right, six on each side.
The leader shouted loudly.
"Pope Your Majesty has arrived."
"Long live, long live, long live."
Three shouts rang out across the entire Martial Soul City like a landslide or a tsunami.
At this moment, everyone belonging to Martial Soul Hall knelt on one knee.
"Greetings, Pope Your Majesty."
Bibi Dong surveyed the crowd below with a solemn expression. Most of them were bowing their heads with their hands folded; aside from the Upper Three Sects and a few powerhouses at the Soul Douluo level, everyone else had knelt. Bibi Dong remained indifferent to this; the privileges of the strong existed everywhere, even before her, the Pope. She stirred her soul power and began to speak.
"Rise."
The crowd stood up, their gazes fixed on Bibi Dong. Without wasting any time, she went straight to the point.
"I, Pope Bibi Dong of Martial Soul Hall, representing Martial Soul Hall as the organizer of this Seven Great Sects Hegemony Tournament, hereby declare the New Seven Sects Conferment Ceremony officially begun."
Her voice was soft and pleasant, yet to the others, it sounded like distant thunder. Though slightly muffled, they could still feel the thunderous majesty and gravity behind it. Every word exploded in their hearts like a muffled drum, impossible to ignore.
Applause thundered, and cheers erupted one after another.
What followed were the rituals for offering sacrifices to the Angel God.
From the official fasting that began days ago, to the inspection of the livestock and sacrificial vessels for the gods, and finally to Bibi Dong leading a group of high-ranking bishops from Martial Soul Hall through a series of professional procedures—welcoming the gods, playing music, presenting silk, and the initial offering—they finally reached the most important part of the day: the conferment of the seven sects.
The lead Cardinal standing beside Bibi Dong spoke up.
"In this Seven Sects Championship, a total of nineteen sects participated. After many days of arduous and fierce battles, the new Seven Great Sects have finally been determined."
"Whether looking at the results or the process, this tournament has been a success and is worthy of praise. The various sects fought with perseverance and courage, scaling new heights, demonstrating the style and fearless spirit of their sects, and setting a fine example for the younger generation in the soul master world. The soul master world will remember your contributions."
Listening to the Cardinal's endless stream of official jargon, the participating sects recalled their struggles over the past few days: the preliminary round-robin, the high-intensity six matches per day for each sect, followed by the second day's elimination rounds—the cruel format of eight-into-four, single-elimination matches—and then the final. Well, there wasn't much to recall there; they had simply delivered themselves to Yun Ming to be slaughtered, serving purely as background props. If it weren't for the fact that they were destined to be the Seven Sects of the World, they would have been the biggest suckers of all.
The Cardinal finished his official speech and moved to the final procedure.
"Now, we invite the Sect Master of the seventh-ranked sect, the Elephant Armor Sect, Hu Yanzhen, to come forward and accept the conferment."
Having been briefed on the procedure in advance, Hu Yanzhen walked up to Bibi Dong. Bibi Dong looked at the man who was originally slated to be the leader of the first-ranked sect, feeling a wave of emotion. She hadn't expected such a drastic turn of events; not only had the Elephant Armor Sect failed to secure the top spot, but they had also fallen to seventh. Their luck was truly poor! But since things had reached this point, there was nothing left to say.
Bibi Dong took the conferment documents and the Seven Sects Conferment Seal from the waiter beside her and handed them to Hu Yanzhen.
"Congratulations, Sect Master Hu."
Hu Yanzhen bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Holiness the Pope."
Bibi Dong nodded slightly.
As the sect was conferred, the audience erupted into thunderous applause. However, Hu Yanzhen heard some people in the crowd discussing how it had taken their Elephant Armor Sect three days to go from fourth place to seventh, and he retreated with a dark face, feeling quite displeased.
With one sect finished, the Cardinal acting as the master of ceremonies continued the process. Afterward, the Saint Dragon Sect, Fire Leopard Sect, Black Tiger Sect, Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect each received their documents and seals from Bibi Dong, though the latter two received an additional Honorary Elder Token compared to the four lower sects.
In particular, when Bibi Dong conferred the title upon Yu Yuanzhen, Yun Ming vaguely saw a look of heartache on her face. Based on what Yun Ming knew of the Yu family, for her to be this calm now, Bibi Dong must have reached an agreement with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan regarding their submission. And it seemed the cost had been quite high.
The truth was indeed so. Bibi Dong had bled heavily to win over the Yu family this time. Because of Yu Xiaogang, she couldn't use force. After asking for his opinion, he had left her with only four words: "Bribe the various factions."
It must be said that one's own kin knows one's own best. With Bibi Dong waving gold soul coins around to buy off the elders of the various Yu family factions, the final result was exactly as he had predicted: the Elder Council exerted collective pressure, forcing Yu Yuanzhen to change his stance. The cost was high, and she hadn't been able to carry out the Soul Extinction Operation, but in the end, she had spent that same money to secure the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Under the weight of sufficient wealth, the giant dragons had submitted. Bibi Dong had emptied her small treasury to measure exactly how much the pride of the dragons was worth. It was just a pity she didn't know what Yu Yuanzhen would think if he ever found out that the mastermind behind this plan was his own beloved son. If she had just given that massive sum of money directly to him, would he not have agreed?! This was a case of the son not knowing the father, and the father not knowing the son!
With six sects conferred, it was time for the final one. The other observing forces became interested; the Soul Break Sect was likely the most legendary sect among all the "Number One Sects Under Heaven" in history.
Their main family, the Yang family, had originally been an affiliate of the previous generation's number one sect. After suffering betrayal and heavy losses, they had returned over a decade later, not only destroying their former masters but also forcefully suppressing the other six sects—including the two veteran Upper Three Sects—to take their place and ascend to the top. It was a classic trope straight out of a folk tale.
The officiating Cardinal spoke again.
"Finally, we invite the Sect Master of the Number One Sect Under Heaven, the Soul Break Sect, Yang Wutian, to come forward and accept the conferment."
But unexpectedly, just as things began, someone caused a stir.
"Wait! I have something to say."
Yun Ming shouted, temporarily halting the ceremony. Bibi Dong frowned, wondering what this kid was up to. The Cardinal recognized Yun Ming and, seeing him speak up, didn't dare to act rashly, immediately asking.
"Young Master Yun, what is the matter? If it is not urgent, it would be better to discuss it later."
Yun Ming smiled. "It is urgent, certainly urgent, otherwise I wouldn't be wasting everyone's time."
Hearing this, the Cardinal couldn't make the decision and turned to look at Bibi Dong. After a moment of thought, Bibi Dong said, "Speak!"
Yun Ming glanced at the still-composed Bibi Dong and dropped the bombshell that would explode across the venue.
"The Soul Break Sect has the wrong sect master. Senior Dugu Bo is the true sect master."
Gasp!!
As Yun Ming's words fell, the entire venue erupted in an uproar. The observers, including the last five sects, were dumbfounded. What did this mean? The Breaking Clan had finally fought their way to the position of the Number One Sect Under Heaven, only to turn around and walk away? What were they thinking?! Did they want to be legendary to the end, feeling that abandoning the top spot was cooler than actually holding it, or did they just want to disgust Martial Soul Hall? They didn't know the reasons behind the Breaking Clan's actions, but they knew there was a good show to watch today.
Dugu Bo also spoke up at the right moment.
"That's right, I am the Sect Master of the Soul Break Sect. Does anyone have an objection?"
As for the others, who would dare to object? He was also a ruthless man.
Bibi Dong had vaguely guessed the reason, but the fact that Yun Ming was slapping her in the face in this current situation was undeniable. Bibi Dong said sternly, "Yun Ming, do you know what you are saying?!"
Yun Ming looked at the gloomy-faced Bibi Dong and said, "Of course I do. Such a major matter, how could it be a joke!"
Everyone present was speechless. Big brother, aren't you the biggest joke of all?
Bibi Dong glared fiercely at Yun Ming, her voice turning utterly cold.
"And the reason? Is your Breaking Clan mocking Martial Soul Hall and the heroes of the world by acting in such a manner?!"
As she spoke, Bibi Dong slammed her Scepter hard against the ground, and a terrifying surge of purple Soul Power shot into the sky.
The spectators felt the pressure of the Soul Power radiating from Bibi Dong, which far exceeded that of an ordinary Title Douluo, and a chill ran through their hearts. They had not expected that after twenty years of not making a move, her cultivation had reached such a level; it was truly an eye-opener. If they, who were merely caught in the crossfire, felt this way, what would happen to Yun Ming, the primary target of that pressure!
Yun Ming was unaffected; such things as pressure were useless against him. He looked at the furious Bibi Dong and said solemnly.
"Pope Your Majesty, what are you saying? What does your search for the Soul Break Sect have to do with my clan!"
Listening to Yun Ming's nonsense, Bibi Dong said coldly.
"Heh, nothing to do with it?! Do you take everyone for fools?"
Yun Ming feigned innocence and said.
"Then, Pope Your Majesty, what connection do you think there is?"
Bibi Dong said.
"'Soul Break', 'Break Soul'—does that still need an explanation?"
Yun Ming said indifferently.
"Just a name, a coincidence; it proves nothing."
Seeing Yun Ming being stubborn, Bibi Dong truly had no way to deal with him, as this really didn't prove anything, so she said again.
"Fine, even if the name is a coincidence, your Breaking Clan came with great fanfare, with the Clan Leader, the First Elder, and the Young Master all present—is that also a coincidence?"
Yun Ming continued.
"Pope Your Majesty is joking. My Breaking Clan is just here to watch and show support for His Majesty Dugu; how can that be considered our participation?"
Bibi Dong sneered and said.
"Young Master Yun, I'm afraid you've forgotten that you were the one who defeated all the heroes on the field just a few days ago! How can you say you didn't participate?"
Yun Ming smiled, raised his hand, and summoned the Atlas Divine Spear, saying.
"I personally did join the Soul Break Sect, but my Martial Soul is not the Soul Breaking Spear, so I cannot represent the Breaking Clan. Is there a problem with joining another sect?"
Bibi Dong opened her mouth, but she truly had nothing to say.
Seeing his master being retorted, Hu Yanzhen immediately stepped out to resolve the dilemma.
"Young Master Yun, last time I asked Break Limit Your Excellency about your plans, he gave an answer. Doesn't that prove it?"
Yun Ming glanced at him and said.
"Oh! My Grandfather spoke for me, is there a problem with that? He never said he joined the Soul Break Sect."
Hu Yanzhen said angrily.
"Nonsense, he clearly said it!"
Yun Ming said leisurely.
"Is that so? I didn't hear it; you must have misheard. Why don't we ask the others if they heard it?"
"Sect Master Yu, did you hear it?"
As he spoke, he turned his gaze toward Yu Yuanzhen of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Yu Yuanzhen: ".I don't know!"
Yun Ming knew that regardless of whether Yu Yuanzhen remembered or not, he would say he didn't know, because given his personality, he would not rashly pick a side. It was the same with the Two Great Empires in the past, and the situation today was no different. At the same time, Yu Yuanzhen truly didn't remember; at the time, it was just a casual remark by Yang Wudi, and a week had passed, so how could he remember whether Yang Wudi had mentioned it or not.
Yun Ming looked back at Hu Yanzhen and said.
"See, Sect Master Yu says he doesn't know."
Hu Yanzhen: "."
With Yu Yuanzhen speaking up, how could he prove that Yang Wudi had said it? He had no evidence. For a moment, the scene fell into a stalemate--
───────────────
Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader