In the northwest periphery of Spirit Pool Island, a black-robed elder said to Wu Meng, “Elder Wu Meng, the method that Elder Ji Zhen placed on Lin Xiao has failed. We can no longer sense Lin Xiao’s position at all.”
Wu Meng frowned. The method Ji Zhen had used was something brought from the Ji family treasury to Holy Province precisely as a precaution. Yet now, at this moment, it had suddenly lost effect.
“Could Lin Xiao have escaped?”
Wu Meng’s expression darkened slightly.
The black-robed elder shook his head. “From what we have observed, Lin Xiao has not left Spirit Pool Island. He remains on the original island. After Ximen Haoyue visited him, Lin Xiao entered death seclusion again. He may have been given some pill. An Miao and Ximen Haoyue’s subordinates are strictly guarding the periphery.”
“Death seclusion again?
Could he really be about to step into seventh-grade mid-level spirit controller?
Or has Lin Xiao discovered something and refined a pill that can undo Elder Ji Zhen’s method?”
Wu Meng’s brows furrowed deeply.
He had never imagined that a mere junior could be this cunning.
He guarded the northwest direction, Ji Zhen the southeast. They had even used Ji family connections to persuade two invited Martial Saint powerhouses to guard the southwest and northeast.
Ji Zhen also possessed a treasure that could sense Lin Xiao’s position. The moment Lin Xiao emerged, they would detect it immediately.
Besides Ji Zhen himself circling outside Spirit Pool Island to pursue, they could have insiders cross the island to report, allowing them to intercept Lin Xiao at maximum speed.
In the worst case, those insiders would even act secretly against Lin Xiao to delay him.
Yet Ji Zhen’s method had been extremely covert. Its sudden failure was hard to explain. Could Lin Xiao have detected it and asked Ximen Haoyue to neutralise it?
If Ji Zhen’s tracking method remained ineffective, they would have to rely entirely on the people inside Spirit Pool Island.
As long as those people kept track of Lin Xiao, passed on information promptly, and delayed him if necessary, the Martial Saints could arrive swiftly.
However, if Lin Xiao stayed in seclusion the whole time, there was nothing they could do.
“It is also possible that Lin Xiao is deliberately creating a false impression. Since he has countered the treasure’s sensing, this may well be the moment he intends to leave Spirit Pool Island as quickly as possible. I ask Elder Lü Xiang to watch Lin Xiao’s movements even more closely.”
Wu Meng speculated.
“Elder Wu is absolutely right. This old man will return at once and increase the manpower.”
With that, the black-robed elder flew away at low altitude.
… Spirit Pool Island spanned ten thousand li in radius. No matter how many people lay in ambush on the periphery, it was impossible to cover every direction.
In his concealed form, Lin Xiao slipped effortlessly through the outer defences. Twenty or thirty thousand li from the island, he located a small teleportation array.
He donned a mask that made him appear middle-aged. Combined with the Spirit Pool Island token granted by Ximen Haoyue, he easily gained access and teleported over a hundred thousand li to another large array.
After passing through several more large and small arrays, he finally reached the southeast region of Holy Province.
Half a month had already passed.
Emerging from the final array, he was now only several tens of thousands of li from the Ji family branch.
Those tens of thousands of li consisted of vast plains and low hills. Lin Xiao flew across them at extreme speed.
He continued until he neared the area actually controlled by the Ji family.
Then, using spiritual force to mind-control some Ji family members, he gathered information.
The Ji family branch was situated before a mountain range. Buildings were scattered across an area dozens to hundreds of li in radius.
Several thousand Ji family forces were stationed here.
Within tens of thousands of li around it, various affiliated forces were also present.
Because the Holy Province branch was so far from Ji family headquarters, contact was rare. It functioned almost as a vast independent power backed by the greater clan.
At that moment, inside the Ji family compound, an elder with long brows brushing his face and a white beard reaching his chest sat in the main seat of the grand hall.
“The geniuses sent from headquarters have gone to various places for training. They await the great elder’s return before heading back to Yangzhou. This time, I hope our branch can retain more of them.”
The speaker was the white-bearded elder in the main position, the person in charge of the branch, the First Layer Martial Saint powerhouse known as Elder Bei.
“In my view, there are quite a few promising talents among those who came this time. Take Ji Yue, for example. Not yet thirty, she has already reached half-step Martial Saint. With her gifts, even at the slowest pace, she will certainly enter the Martial Saint realm within ten or twenty years.”
A half-step Martial Saint elder below the dais said.
“No one knows what spurred Ji Yue. I heard that in just over a year she advanced from Eighth Layer Martial Emperor straight to half-step Martial Saint. This time she even went directly to that dangerous region. If nothing unexpected occurs, she may well step into Martial Saint within five years.”
Another half-step Martial Saint said.
“The monsters of this generation are truly becoming more terrifying. What a pity that the even younger Ji Guan died. That Lin Xiao is truly hateful. A mere junior has actually forced our mighty Ji family into this sorry state.”
Another elder said.
“The great elder has been lying in wait for over a month now. I wonder whether he has managed to behead that Lin Xiao.”
Someone else said.
“Probably that fellow will not emerge for several months.”
Another shook his head.
“The efficiency at headquarters in handling matters has grown ever lower. If it were our branch, we would have dealt with him long ago. How could we have allowed him to grow to this point?”
“Exactly. In recent years our branch has developed to this scale relying solely on Elder Bei’s leadership, without support from headquarters. The experts and forces we have nurtured are numerous. Elder Dong and Elder Nan probably cannot compare. It is a shame about Elder Xi entering the void rift. We do not know if he truly perished. If he did, it would be an immense loss for our Ji family.”
… The elders spoke one after another. This was a common custom at their branch clan meetings. After reporting their respective situations and discussions, they would always move on to new topics.
“If this old man had been in Yangzhou, such a mess would never have arisen. Twenty years ago there was a Long Tutian. Twenty years later, another Lin Xiao appears. Some people may be strong, but they lack ability. They do not even understand the basic principle of nipping geniuses in the bud…”
Elder Bei said with some dissatisfaction.
To them, it was simply inconceivable that a single junior could throw the Ji family into such chaos and force them all the way to Holy Province.
Yet internal clan affairs were not for him alone to decide.
Moreover, the fact that he had been assigned to Holy Province rather than any of the other directional elders was proof enough that his ability surpassed the other three.
Thus he had always maintained a superior attitude towards them.
Unfortunately, upon reaching Martial Saint, further advancement in cultivation became exceedingly difficult.
If his cultivation could rise another layer, he even felt the position of great elder ought to change hands.
“This time we must retain more geniuses. Let them see that our Holy Province branch is in no way inferior to headquarters.”
A half-step Martial Saint elder said.
“Correct. Here in Holy Province, with all the major forces stationed around us, we have still managed to develop so well. Yet the resources allocated from headquarters grow ever fewer. This is clearly unreasonable.”
Another half-step Martial Saint elder said. They harboured considerable grievances towards headquarters.
Elder Bei nodded. “Everyone, let us think about what methods we can use to persuade these geniuses to stay.”
“Report.”
At that moment a middle-aged man hurried in from the hall entrance, causing the gathered elders to frown.
During clan meetings, interruptions were not permitted unless the matter was urgent.
The man’s rushed arrival suggested something significant had occurred.
“Reporting to Elder Bei. A middle-aged man outside, claiming to be Elder Huang Daoyan from Tianji Holy Land, requests an audience.”
The Ji family middle-aged man reported.
“Huang Daoyan?”
Elder Bei frowned slightly.
He had never heard of this person. Relations between Tianji Holy Land and the Ji family were neither close nor distant, with very little contact. What was the meaning of this sudden visit?
“Let him in.”
Elder Bei said.
The middle-aged man accepted the order and hurried away.
