บท 474: Chapter 474: The Hidden Hand of the Hun Clan

Holy Pill City, Inside a grand hall in the headquarters of the Pill Tower.

The three Pill Tower giants, the Nine-Tailed Fox Saint, Ancestor Huo Yun, and the First Elder of the Small Pill Tower, were gathered with other elders from the Heavenly Court.

There was a hint of gloom in their expressions, a clear indication that their mood was far from pleasant.

"During this period, more than half of the 900 major cities under the Heavenly Court have been attacked. While these attacks seem to come from various other forces, there is no doubt that experts from the Hall of Souls are mixed in with them."

The First Elder scanned the room with a somber gaze, a hint of anger in his eyes as he continued, "Furthermore, according to our calculations, the Alliance alchemists have been the primary targets. After these attacks, they all went missing. I'm sure everyone has a pretty good idea of who did this."

"These scoundrels from the Hall of Souls are getting more and more brazen!" Ancestor Huo Yun's fiery red eyebrows twitched as he spoke in an angry tone.

"I believe that the actions of the Hall of Souls may be in retaliation for our interference with their soul gathering outside of the Central Plains. Fortunately, the Alliance set up patrol guards early on, which has helped mitigate many troubles," Fairy Hua of the Flower Sect added her opinion.

"I suspect it's more than that. There's something I haven't told you yet. A few days ago, my temple made a disturbing discovery. Several major clans in the Fallen Spirit Ice Source have gone completely silent. I personally visited some of the closest ones, such as the Fire Toad Palace and the Ice Scorpion Clan, and there wasn't a trace left."

"This can't be due to mere relocation. Although there is no direct evidence linking the Hun Clan to these disappearances, I can't shake the feeling that it's connected to them."

The handsome face of the Nine-Tailed Fox Saint was unusually grim. While these clans might not be able to match the Wind and Snow Sacred Temple on their own, their combined strength was on par with one of the three major beast tribes, the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe.

However, these clans had vanished without a trace. This audacious move could only have been orchestrated by the ancient clans or the three major magical beast tribes of the Central Plains.

Among them, the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe had joined the Heavenly Court two months ago, and the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Tribe had suffered significant losses due to the recent upheavals, leaving only a fraction of their members. The Ancient Void Dragon Tribe had also joined the alliance a few days ago.

This left only the Ancient Clans under suspicion, especially the Hun Clan, who had been wreaking havoc all along.

The Nine-Tailed Fox Saint had no doubts. Who else could have done it? If he hadn't formed an alliance with the Heavenly Court, would the Wind and Snow Sacred Temple have ended up on the list of those who had disappeared?

"What! Such a thing actually happened?"

Upon hearing this explosive news, the faces of the people in the hall became even darker.

After a moment, the First Elder spoke slowly, "This may not necessarily be the work of the Hun Clan. They have always concentrated on collecting souls. Compared to humans, the souls of magical beasts are relatively inferior. The soul of a Dou Saint isn't even worth as much as the soul of a seventh-tier alchemist."

"That makes sense..." the others nodded, and the mood lightened slightly.

The First Elder, seeing that the atmosphere had eased a bit, nodded to himself and continued, "Still, we need to send someone to gather information about it. But that can wait. Right now, let's discuss how to respond to the actions of the Hall of Souls over the past month. The Hall of Souls has relentlessly attacked the Heavenly Court, and we cannot afford to remain passive. Otherwise, it will give others the impression that we fear those ghosts. This will have a negative impact both inside and outside the Alliance, and will hinder the development of the Alliance.

"Everyone, if you have any ideas, feel free to share them."

"Why don't we retaliate in kind? They attacked our cities, so we should attack their branches!"

"Exactly! That is an excellent suggestion. Since they have the Tiangang Halls and Disha Halls branches, let's take them all down!"

"Um, won't that be too risky?" Some of the Half-Saints in the Elders' Council hesitated.

Although the Heavenly Court was now a formidable force, there was still a gap between them and the Hall of Souls. Even though the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe had sent a Dou Saint to support them, that Dou Saint had made it clear that he would not intervene unless it was a matter of life and death.

Six-star Dou Saints or higher were also forbidden from directly intervening in the current Central Plains.

Under the circumstances, launching an offensive and uprooting the Hall of Souls' branches might be fine for one or two, but going after them all? The Hall of Souls may resort to desperate measures.

"In that case, let's target one of their Tiangang Halls and leave the others for now. Consider it a warning."

"This..."

"Hehe, no need to worry so much. Tit for tat. the Hall of Souls have been too arrogant. It's time to put some pressure on them. Apart from their Heaven Hall, where many powerful individuals are gathered, we can freely target their branches."

As the group considered this plan, a clear laughter suddenly rang out in the hall. Then a gentle breeze swept through and two figures appeared in the hall. They were Xiao Ming and Zi Yan.

"Alliance Leader?"

Seeing the person who had just arrived, everyone was surprised for a moment, then they stood up with joyful expressions.

"Well, well, the Slacker-in-Leader has finally returned, huh? Your aura..."

The First Elder chuckled for a moment but suddenly noticed something. His expression changed slightly and he stared directly at Xiao Ming, his eyes filled with astonishment.

"Three-star Dou Saint!"

The Nine-Tailed Fox Saint also fixed his gaze on Xiao Ming. After a moment, he sighed and shook his head.

"In less than a year, you've leaped from a one-star Dou Saint to the peak of three stars. This speed... truly puts this old man to shame."

Others were also taken aback by the revelation, clearly not expecting Xiao Ming to have made such a rapid breakthrough.

However, they quickly regained their composure, their faces showing joy. The stronger Xiao Ming, their alliance leader, became, the more powerful the alliance would be.

It seemed that their decision to join forces with Pill Tower had indeed been the right one.

Amidst the joyful atmosphere, Xiao Ming led Zi Yan to the seat reserved for the Alliance Leader. It was at this moment that the elders began to notice the close and intimate demeanor between Xiao Ming and Zi Yan.

The First Elder in particular, with his deep soul cultivation, could sense the overwhelming and formidable aura emanating from Zi Yan.

"May I ask who she is?" The First Elder asked in a respectful tone, clenching his fists politely towards Zi Yan.

As the First Elder treated Zi Yan with courtesy, Ancestor Huo Yun and the Nine-Tailed Fox Saint who stood nearby also became aware of this formidable figure. Their eyes showed astonishment. How had Xiao Ming managed to return with such a powerful figure after such a short absence?

Moreover, Xiao Ming and Zi Yan seemed to have a close bond, akin to a couple.

"Her name is Zi Yan," Xiao Ming said with a faint smile. "She is the current Dragon Emperor of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe. We grew up together, so you could say she's my childhood friend."

The Dragon Emperor of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe? Childhood friend?

Upon hearing this revelation, Ancestor Huo Yun, the First Elder, and the others felt their hearts skip a beat. They looked at Xiao Ming with a hint of disbelief.

They had never imagined that Xiao Ming had such a background. It now made sense why the haughty Ancient Void Dragon Tribe had supported the Heavenly Court.