Chapter 2412: Crisis of the Merchant Alliance

“Master, please proceed with the spell. Your subordinate will ensure the protection is flawless,” Yang Lu replied without hesitation.

“Good. Then let’s find a suitable spot ahead to carry this out,” Ma Liang nodded faintly.

With that, the two immediately summoned their escape lights and shot toward the massive mountain range ahead.

Several hours later, atop a towering peak at the heart of the mountain range, the black-robed youth sat cross-legged with his eyes tightly shut. Before him, a black-and-white crystal orb spun incessantly, from which a blood-red ghostly face slowly emerged.

Ma Liang pointed a finger at the orb, and the ghostly face instantly contorted into a vicious expression, its eyes locking onto a certain direction. In the next moment, it spat out a hazy blood-red sphere, which silently vanished into the black-robed youth’s brow.

“Hmph, so those two did flee to this continent. Hmm, judging by their direction, they seem to be very close to the Helian Merchant Alliance’s territory. Could they be hiding there?” Ma Liang’s eyes snapped open, a trace of surprise flashing across his face.

“If the Merchant Alliance dares to plot against you, Master, it’s entirely possible they’d shelter those two disrespectful juniors,” Yang Lu replied hastily, his eyes darting shrewdly.

“If that’s the case, all the better. I can deal with them all at once.”

Ma Liang sneered, then opened his mouth and inhaled sharply, sucking the orb and ghostly face back into his body as a swirl of black-and-white mist. His expression then turned solemn as he slapped the top of his head. A golden radiance swirled around him, and a small, glowing figure wreathed in five-colored light materialized in the air.

This miniature figure bore Ma Liang’s exact likeness, but its body was translucent, as if made of crystal. With a mere wave of its tiny hand, a golden talisman unfurled from within, circling and dancing in the air nearby.

The crystal figure’s expression turned grave as it formed a series of hand seals, its fingers flicking rapidly toward the golden talisman like a spinning wheel.

The talisman emitted a low hum, and a grayish-white phantom emerged from it.

The phantom appeared to be an exceptionally handsome young man, but his eyes were lifeless as he hovered silently in the air. A faint black-and-white ribbon of light connected his body to the talisman.

“Go!”

The crystal figure uttered a low command, its incantation complete. The five-colored radiance around it surged wildly.

The phantom of the handsome youth blurred momentarily before suddenly lunging with newfound vitality toward a certain direction. However, after flying barely a hundred feet, it was abruptly yanked back by the black-and-white ribbon.

“Hahaha, I’ve finally located my target in this lower realm. It seems it won’t be long before I can effortlessly return to the Immortal Realm,” the crystal figure burst into laughter, its face alight with joy.

Then, with a change in its hand seals, the figure, the golden talisman, and the phantom of the handsome youth all vanished in a flash.

Below, Ma Liang’s true body opened his eyes, brimming with excitement. To have located his target so effortlessly through a mere remnant of a soul was far beyond his expectations.

“Congratulations, Master! Shall we proceed to your target first, or head to the Helian Merchant Alliance?” Yang Lu quickly chimed in with a smile.

“Hmm, now that I know the exact location of my target, there’s no need to worry about it escaping. Let’s deal with those Helian Merchant Alliance fools who dare oppose me first. It won’t take much time anyway. My Ten Thousand Souls Blood Seal still requires a few grand blood sacrifices to complete its refinement,” Ma Liang mused, a hint of cruelty flashing across his face.

Yang Lu naturally had no objections.

Thus, the two summoned their escape lights once more and shot off in a certain direction.

Meanwhile, at the very moment Ma Liang had activated the golden talisman to sense his target, deep within the forbidden grounds of the Spirit Clan’s domain, beneath a towering ice peak shimmering with blue light, a handsome youth bound by chains of talismans lay unconscious. Suddenly, the golden spirit mark between his brows flickered faintly, and his eyelids twitched imperceptibly.

*Bang!*

A white-robed figure, barely a foot tall, materialized before the youth, its face tense as it scanned the surroundings before finally fixing its gaze on the youth’s face.

After a long while, the figure found nothing amiss, yet its expression remained uneasy. After a brief hesitation, it formed a hand seal and silently mouthed an incantation.

Moments later, a streak of white light shot over from the distance, revealing an elderly white-robed man with the same features as the small figure.

“What’s happened? Why summon me here?” the elder asked gravely.

“There seemed to be some anomaly earlier, but I found nothing wrong with the nearby restrictions. Did you notice anything outside?” the small figure replied seriously.

“Nothing unusual outside. I’ve been guarding the entrance—if anything were amiss, I’d have sensed it,” the elder replied, puzzled.

“If everything’s normal, then what caused that disturbance? He’s completely sealed—not even a wisp of divine sense should escape,” the small figure pressed, frowning.

“That is indeed strange,” the elder murmured, now equally cautious.

“Has anything significant happened in the outside world recently?” the small figure suddenly asked after a moment’s thought.

“Significant? No. Since the demonic tribes were repelled, aside from the human factions expanding slightly, everything’s been quiet,” the elder replied confidently, stroking his beard.

The Spirit King, though immensely powerful, maintained an extremely low profile in the Spirit Realm. Unaware of his true depths, the Helian Merchant Alliance had naturally excluded him from their alliance and hadn’t informed him of the immortal’s appearance.

“Perhaps I was overthinking it. I’ll inspect the restrictions once more. If nothing’s wrong, it must have been a coincidence,” the small figure sighed, visibly relaxing.

“Very well. To be safe, I’ll double the guards outside as a precaution,” the elder said after some thought.

The small figure nodded and, without another word, formed a hand seal. Its body burst apart with a *bang*, dissolving into motes of white light that vanished into the ice peak.

The elder remained standing there, his expression shifting uncertainly. After a long moment of contemplation, finding no flaws, he shook his head and summoned his escape light, transforming into a streak of white light as he departed.

—

“What? That blood sacrifice fiend has arrived on the Feng Yuan Continent and is heading straight for our alliance? He’s barely half a month away?” In the grand hall of the Helian Merchant Alliance, Ming Zun, seated on a chair, paled as he addressed an unremarkable middle-aged man before him.

“Not only that, but he has already slain the First Elder of the Armored Pig Tribe. After confirming this and matching the descriptions, we’re certain it’s him,” the man replied solemnly with a bow.

“The Armored Pig Tribe’s territory is far from here. How did we only learn of this now?” Ming Zun stood abruptly, his face darkening.

“Lord Ming, this fiend moves with terrifying speed and secrecy. If not for one of our disciples recognizing him at a teleportation array, we might still be unaware of his arrival,” the man explained with a bitter smile.

“Has his trajectory toward our alliance been confirmed?” Ming Zun pressed.

“Without a doubt. His path leads directly here—no other major factions lie in his way. Could he already know of our plans to gather forces against him?” the man hesitated before affirming.

“The information must have leaked, likely from the Armored Pig Tribe’s First Elder. I had extended an invitation to him. Now that he’s fallen to the fiend, his soul must have been searched. That explains the fiend’s current actions,” Ming Zun mused grimly after a long pause.

“What do we do now? Even knowing he’s coming, gathering allies in half a month is impossible. Who could’ve predicted he’d target us directly?” the man asked anxiously.

“Panic serves no purpose. If we cannot confront him head-on, we’ll disperse the alliance temporarily to buy time for rallying the continent’s forces,” Ming Zun declared, already strategizing.

“Temporarily disband?” the man blinked in surprise.

“Our alliance differs from other factions—we have no fixed territory or massive population. By going underground, I doubt the fiend can do much harm,” Ming Zun said calmly.

“An excellent plan! I’ll arrange the evacuation at once,” the man exclaimed, enlightened.

“Wait. Beyond evacuation, immediately notify all prearranged allies to gather at the Outer Heaven within the Screaming Miasma. Its dense death energy is perfect for summoning the ancient true spirits we’ve enshrined,” Ming Zun instructed confidently.

“That’s the ideal battleground, but will the fiend willingly go there?” the man hesitated.

“Rest assured. I invited Liu Yi and his companion precisely for this purpose,” Ming Zun smirked.

“Understood!” The man bowed deeply in admiration before swiftly exiting the hall.

Ming Zun paced briefly before resuming his seat, his expression shifting as he pondered deeply.

—

On Yuanhe Island within the human territory, inside the Qing Yuan Palace, Han Li sat cross-legged on a mat, observing a fist-sized sphere of violet-gold lightning in his palm.

The sphere flickered silently, devoid of thunderous roars, an eerie sight indeed.