Chapter 163 Elders Meeting
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Spirit Hall, conference room.
The huge six-winged angel statue wore an expression of compassion and pity. Behind it, sunlight streamed through the stained glass, leaving mottled shadows on the floor.
The doors to the outside were tightly closed, with two Spirit Hall warriors at the Spirit Emperor level guarding the entrance.
Beneath the angel statue was a long mahogany table, its thick legs carved with intricate patterns. On either side of the table were rows of red and gold-plated chairs.
All the powerhouses of the Spirit Hall were gathered together for an Elder Council meeting.
Pope Bibi Dong sat at the head of the table. Below her, on one side, were the six Grand Elders led by Qian Daoliu, and on the other side, ordinary Titled Douluo Elders led by Yue Guan, with Walter, who had recently reached level 90, at the bottom.
Once everyone had arrived, Qian Jun, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them and asked:
"Bibi Dong, what is the matter that you have suddenly summoned us for this Elder Council meeting?"
Bibi Dong looked towards Yue Guan, who nodded and stood up, saying:
"Perhaps the Grand Elders are not aware, but in recent days, there have been thousands of theft cases in Spirit City, with victims ranging from Spirit Grandmasters to Titled Douluo."
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Mo interrupted, "Titled Douluo? Which idiot got robbed?"
Gui Mei was enveloped in a cloud of shadows, his entire person as black as charcoal, making it impossible to discern his expression.
Bibi Dong's face darkened, and she said coldly, "Let Elder Ju finish speaking."
Yue Guan continued, "The items lost in these theft cases are very unusual, not any tangible objects, but rather Soul Master's soul abilities!"
"What?" Qian Jun's face showed surprise. "Soul abilities can be stolen?"
"Soul-Seizing Wraith..." Qian Daoliu's eyes also revealed a hint of interest as he faintly uttered the name of a type of spirit beast.
Soul-Seizing Wraith? No way... Walter's face twitched. He silently took a sip of tea, keeping his eyes on his nose and his heart, pretending he hadn't heard anything.
"A few days ago, even Ghost Douluo, Elder Gui's fourth spirit ability was stolen. Because the matter is of great importance and has already affected the entire Spirit City, Her Majesty the Pope has summoned everyone to discuss how to handle it," Yue Guan said before sitting down.
Bibi Dong took over, "If we want to catch the thief, I'm afraid we'll need the Grand Elders to take action. Of course, I haven't yet decided whether or not to break ties with him."
"Have you already identified a suspect? Who is it?" Jiang Mo asked.
"Everyone has met this person. He is the newly appointed Duke of the Heaven Dou Empire, Duke Amon," Bibi Dong said calmly.
Bibi Dong had always held a wary attitude towards Amon. Although the two were currently in a cooperative relationship, this cooperation was not very strong.
Amon first stole her soul abilities and then sought cooperation, carrying a hint of threat. Although this was not explicitly stated, both of them knew it.
Bibi Dong could not accept being threatened. Since there was this first time, there might be a second or third time in the future.
She wanted to eliminate this threat who could steal her soul abilities at any time, but she was also wary of his strength and did not want to confront him directly.
If only she herself had been stolen from, the Grand Elders would not have taken action. But now Amon had expanded the scope of his theft, affecting nearly half of the Soul Masters in Spirit City, then it was no longer just a private matter.
Therefore, she took the opportunity to convene an Elder Council meeting. If possible, she would use the power of the Grand Elders to eliminate Amon.
"It's him?" Yue Guan looked at Walter, who was at the bottom of the table, with surprise.
Qian Jun and Jiang Mo also turned their gazes to him.
Walter said with a bit of embarrassment, "I was the one who took him to hunt the Soul-Seizing Wraith. It was a Soul-Seizing Wraith leader of about 30,000 years. It shouldn't have such a strong ability."
"The Soul-Seizing Wraith's ability to steal soul abilities is limited. Generally, it will return within a day, but that Duke's skills seem to be somewhat different. I don't know how long they can last, but it's at least two months," Bibi Dong said in a cold tone.
Two months ago... wasn't that during the Soul Master Competition finals? Walter suddenly remembered that Bibi Dong and Amon had some conflicts at that time, and she even took action herself. Could it be...
He looked at Bibi Dong with a strange look in his eyes.
Jiang Mo also thought of this and couldn't help but laugh, "No wonder you were so..."
"Cough, cough..." Qian Jun pretended to cough, interrupting Jiang Mo's words and saving the Pope a little face.
"A very interesting young man. Why is he doing this?" Jin E also became interested. He was very interested in the young man who, with his own strength, had overwhelmed him and Qingluan, Xionglin, and Guangling in terms of aura.
"Perhaps I can explain this to everyone..." A voice came from above.
Amon's illusory body passed through the window and landed on the angel statue.
The shadows on Gui Mei's body suddenly fluctuated because the skill Amon had just used was his stolen fourth spirit ability!
Glancing at Amon, who was standing on the shoulder of the angel statue, Qian Daoliu frowned and said in a calm but unquestionable tone, "Get down!"
Feeling the fleeting pressure, Amon "tsk"ed and jumped down from the statue. He took off his hat and bowed to everyone:
"Because there is a need for this... Does everyone remember the 100,000-year spirit beast that appeared in the Soul Master Competition?"
"What does that have to do with it?" Jiang Mo asked in confusion.
Amon said with a smile:
"A weak 100,000-year spirit beast, I'm afraid no one would be uninterested. Killing it is not difficult, but the rewards are very generous: a 100,000-year Soul Ring and a good spirit bone.
"I once tracked it all the way to the depths of the Star Dou Forest. There, I encountered very terrifying things, some terrifying spirit beasts that surpassed the 100,000-year level.
"I only caught a glimpse and left. It was very unwise to fight such beings in the center of the forest. But that thing made me very curious. I wanted to find some good soul abilities to probe the depths of that guy.
"In addition, due to the activity of that ferocious beast, some changes have taken place throughout the Star Dou Forest, making it more dangerous for Soul Masters to hunt Soul Rings.
"Whether it's for my own personal reasons or for the safety of the vast number of Soul Master friends, I think it's necessary to eliminate this danger."
Yue Guan said with some suspicion, "Spirit beasts beyond 100,000 years? How is that possible? Can't spirit beasts only live for a thousand years if they don't transform?"
"What you're talking about is probably the forbidden existence in the Star Dou Forest... I've encountered similar monsters in other places." Qian Daoliu touched his shoulder, where the burn was still faintly aching.
After a pause, he continued:
"There are also records of these monsters in ancient books, calling them 'Ferocious Beasts'. The saying that spirit beasts can only live for a thousand years after 100,000 years is actually not accurate.
"They will usher in a heavenly tribulation after a thousand years. If they don't survive it, they will naturally die, but if they survive, they can live to 200,000 years and become even more terrifying 'Ferocious Beasts'.
"Ordinary 100,000-year spirit beasts correspond to the strength of ordinary Titled Douluo, while Ferocious Beasts can match Super Douluo, which is the level of the Grand Elders.
"Without a doubt, they are enemies of mankind. In the distant past, I don't know how many human kingdoms were destroyed at the hands of Ferocious Beasts."
With Qian Daoliu's confirmation, the elders present finally stopped doubting.
"Are you saying there are Ferocious Beasts in the Star Dou Forest?" Bibi Dong's eyes carried a hint of questioning. She was blaming Amon for not making the situation clear to her during the transaction.
She knew how terrifying those monsters were. When she wanted to hunt the Red Lotus Serpent that had appeared in the Iron Heart Mountain Range, Qian Daoliu showed her the injuries he had sustained in his battle with it.
"That is indeed a spirit beast over 100,000 years old." Amon shrugged, indicating that he had not deceived her.
Seeming to see through Bibi Dong's thoughts, Qian Daoliu reminded her:
"Don't think of Ferocious Beasts as so powerful. The Red Lotus Serpent is one of the top existences among Ferocious Beasts. Ordinary Ferocious Beasts are equivalent to level 96 or 97 Super Douluo, so you can still try to hunt them."
Bibi Dong's eyes lit up. Since Ferocious Beasts were spirit beasts that had surpassed 100,000 years, the Soul Rings they provided would definitely be better than those provided by 100,000-year spirit beasts.
Walter suddenly said, "The Star Dou Forest has indeed become much more dangerous recently. Many Soul Masters have said that they have encountered spirit beasts of higher age in the original outer areas, and some spirit beasts over 10,000 years old, which should have been hostile, are now joining forces to attack humans."
Qian Daoliu said to Amon, "The Spirit Hall has a responsibility to defend the development and interests of Soul Masters. Since the existence of that Ferocious Beast has affected Soul Masters' normal hunting of Soul Rings, then we have a responsibility to eliminate it. Have you chosen the soul abilities you need?"
Amon nodded. "They are all skills related to high-speed movement, concealment, and hiding, which are beneficial for me to scout the situation in the Star Dou Forest."
Qian Daoliu said lightly, "Then I'll leave it to you to locate the Ferocious Beast..."
Then, he turned to look at Bibi Dong, "You also need a Soul Ring, so you can take people to hunt that guy, but remember that Ferocious Beasts have the ability to launch a beast tide, so you must have complete certainty before taking action, otherwise you will face backlash."
Bibi Dong looked at Qian Daoliu and asked, "Will the Grand Worships take action?"
Qian Daoliu nodded. "I said, the Spirit Hall has a responsibility to defend the interests of Soul Masters. Since that Ferocious Beast has disrupted the order of the Star Dou Forest and affected the Soul Masters' hunting of Soul Rings, then we will naturally not let it go."
Receiving confirmation, a look of joy flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes. Although she had not achieved her initial expectations and had not been able to get the Grand Elders to help her kill Amon, it seemed good to have them promise to help her hunt down the powerful being in the depths of the Star Dou Forest.
Bibi Dong looked at Amon and said, "Whose soul abilities did you steal? Explain the situation to the original owners and get their consent. Taking without asking is not the behavior of a gentleman and is not worth promoting."
Amon chuckled, raised his right hand, pinched his monocle, and said softly, "I will."
Bibi Dong then looked at the elders:
"Everyone, the changes in the Star Dou Forest were originally the second topic of this Elder Council meeting, but since it has already been mentioned earlier, then it will not be repeated. Meeting adjourned."
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