25: Chapter 25 Unexpected Changes

Today, a dark and thin man in grey robes walked into the valley and gently knocked on the stone door of Leader Dugu Ming's place of secluded cultivation.

"Leader, I have an important matter to report to you."

The man in grey robes was none other than Vice Leader Duan Zhushan, a Foundation Establishment Initial Stage Cultivator of the Seawater Gang.

"It is you, Zhushan. Come in!" Leader Dugu Ming's cold, chilling voice suddenly emanated from the secret chamber. The stone door pushed open automatically, sliding silently to both sides.

Vice Leader Duan Zhushan walked in quickly. The secret chamber was a hundred zhang in size, with complete facilities and a well-regulated layout.

The walls and dome had been long permeated by spiritual energy, presenting a texture as warm and moist as jade, not ordinary rock. Several night-luminescent stones were embedded in the top, emitting a soft and stable cold white halo, ensuring the secret chamber was bright.

The floor was paved with cyan jade bricks, engraved with simple spirit-gathering and moisture-proof formation patterns. The air was clean and cool, permeated with the elegant scent of sandalwood mixed with old books and Spiritual Plants, with no trace of mold.

In the center of the secret chamber was a low jade platform, on which sat a calming meditation cushion. The material of the cushion was extraordinary, helping the Cultivator calm their mind; it could be said to display absolute luxury.

Leader Dugu Ming sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion. Seeing Vice Leader Duan Zhushan enter, he asked: "Zhushan, has something major happened?"

"Leader, two mature sea marrow ganodermas and one water wave lotus appeared near Biyuan Island. They were first discovered by members of the Li Family from the neighboring Anping County. After our people encountered them, we snatched one sea marrow ganoderma and one water wave lotus, killed three of their Qi Refining members, and two escaped; they have not been found yet."

Upon hearing this, Leader Dugu Ming frowned and asked: "Where have the two Li Family members escaped to? Explain clearly. Why were you so sloppy in handling this?"

"Leader, it is like this. Three days ago, after Yelang led people to snatch the Spirit Medicine, two Li Family members died on the spot. Later, during the pursuit, another Li Family member was killed."

"According to Yelang, there was also one Li Family member at the eighth level of Qi Refining and one at the sixth level who escaped towards the Tianyang Sea Area. Both of them are seriously injured, and it is uncertain whether they can return to land alive."

"If it were other things, Yelang would not be so impulsive. After all, these are three Foundation Establishment Spirit Medicines. Eating such a big piece of fat will be of great benefit to our future development."

"Hmph!"

"Great benefit! Great benefit! You had better pray that those two Li Family members will not return to the Li Family in the short term. If word of this leaks out and the Li Family obtains ironclad evidence, the Li Family will not let this go easily. How do you plan to appease the Li Family's anger then? Should I send the Spirit Medicine to the Li Family? Or should I send Yelang's head to the Li Family?"

Leader Dugu Ming frowned and scolded him impolitely.

"If this incident affects our grand plan, I will skin Yelang alive. Where is Yelang now? Where is he?"

"The Leader is right to reprimand me. Yelang was indeed too impulsive. He is still leading people to search in the sea."

"Stupid. Tell him to come back and send some unfamiliar faces to search. Do not let people easily catch any evidence. Tell Yelang that I can give him one chance for the trouble he caused. Give the sea marrow ganoderma to him. I will give him two months. If he breaks through to the Foundation Establishment Stage in two months, this matter will be wiped clean. If he fails the Breakthrough, he does not need to live anymore; I will keep his head as a backup."

"Understood, Leader. I will send a message to Yelang immediately. Then I will take my leave." Vice Leader Duan Zhushan stood up, preparing to retreat.

"Wait. How is Deputy Leader Tai Lie recently? Is taking over the Earth Dragon Gang going smoothly?"

"Leader, after several rounds of purging, the entire Earth Dragon Gang is now completely controlled by Deputy Leader Tai Lie. It can be said that as long as the Leader gives the order, the Earth Dragon Gang will be our sharp blade of surprise."

After hearing this, Leader Dugu Ming nodded with satisfaction and said: "Not bad. Deputy Leader Tai Lie has not disappointed me. After this Beast Tide, the Tianxuan Sect's thousand-year protection order will soon end. Within ten years, I have absolute confidence to break through to the Peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage. By then, not only will Linhai County be completely controlled by us, but we will also have the opportunity to take down the neighboring Anping County and Qinghe County in one fell swoop."

If there were outsiders here at this moment, it would likely cause an uproar. What was unknown to everyone was that Deputy Leader Tai Lie was a chess piece secretly cultivated by Leader Dugu Ming decades ago. After breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage several years ago, Deputy Leader Tai Lie and Leader Dugu Ming secretly killed the former leader of the Earth Dragon Gang, the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Cultivator Master Kuang Long. Now, the Earth Dragon Gang has secretly fully attached itself to the Seawater Gang.

Currently, two-thirds of the territory of Linhai County is controlled by the Seawater Gang. Moreover, Linhai County is close to the sea and also controls many islands. It can be said that its power is not inferior to an inland Family like the Li Family.

...

At Qingfeng Mountain, in the council hall of the Li Family, the atmosphere was heavy. The sandalwood incense could not disperse the pervading heaviness and sorrow. Patriarch Li Huaping had a calm expression, but his fingertips tapped slightly on the armrest of the jade chair; the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Cultivator Li Xuanji had his brows tightly locked, with cold light flashing in his eyes; Li Xuanhu clenched his fists; Li Xuanchen showed a worried expression.

The Qi Refining sixth level Cultivator Li Huade, who was responsible for guarding the Soul Lamps, reported in a low voice: "Reporting to the Clan Chief and the Elders, the Soul Lamps of three clan members, Li Huabing, Li Hualan, and Li Changxi, have extinguished one after another. While the Soul Lamps of the two clan members Li Huayong and Li Hualei have not extinguished, their light is extremely dim and flickering."

As the voice fell, the hall fell into dead silence. Li Huayong, Li Hualan, and the others were quite outstanding backbone forces among the "Hua" generation of the Family. A month ago, they formed a team and went to the edge of the Huangfeng Sea Area to hunt low-level Yao Beasts to obtain resources and collect the Huangfeng Sea Area's specialty, "Star-Spotted Grass".

This was originally a routine and low-risk hunting mission, but unexpectedly, an accident occurred. The life-bound Soul Lamps of the three clan members completely extinguished one after another, which meant that the Divine Souls of the three were destroyed, and they had already fallen.

The Soul Lamps of the team leader Li Huayong and another clan member Li Hualei had not extinguished, but the lamp light was flickering and dim, with its brightness weakened by more than half compared to when they set out. Subsequently, they completely lost contact in the Huangfeng Sea Area and their whereabouts remain unknown to this day.

Patriarch Li Huaping tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of the Qingfeng wood chair. After a moment, he asked: "When was the last time we received their routine transmission, and what message did it convey?"

A responsible Li Family member immediately stood up and replied: "It was five days ago. Li Huayong sent a short message to the Family, stating that they had found traces of a group of Cold-Armored Crocodiles about 1,500 li into the Huangfeng Sea Area. The scale was slightly larger than estimated, but still within the controllable range. They were preparing to find an opportunity to hunt this group of Cold-Armored Crocodiles before returning to the Family."

"A position about 1,500 li into the Huangfeng Sea Area, a group of Cold-Armored Crocodiles."

Patriarch Li Huaping repeated in a low voice, murmuring to himself, and then said:

"At a position about 1,500 li into the Huangfeng Sea Area, the previously recorded highest Yao Beast threat was a First Stage High Grade Copper-Boned Giant Shark Beast. This time, the encounter of those few people is not so simple. Then I speculate there are several possibilities:

One, they encountered an unknown Yao Beast, which may have reached the First Stage Peak. Two, they fell into a natural danger zone of the sea area, such as undercurrents, fog, etc. Three, they were ambushed by other forces. Since they were not completely wiped out, it proves that the opponent should not be a Cultivator or Yao Beast above the Foundation Establishment Stage. What do you think we should do at this moment?"

Patriarch Li Huaping broke the silence and asked the few clan members present.

"I think the most important thing is naturally to rescue them, find out the cause, and eliminate future trouble!" Li Huade stood up and said.