Extreme Almightiest Young Master

Chapter 2227 - 2209: I Regret It?

Before long, over ten elders arrived in front of Xiao Tianrong. Seeing his poor complexion, they knew something must have happened; otherwise, he wouldn’t have suddenly gathered them.

Once everyone was assembled, Xiao Tianrong finally addressed the group: "I have bad news to share with you all. The expedition force led by Elder Jia and Elder Ren has not a single survivor."

"What!"

"How is this possible!"

"How could something like this happen!"

...

The more than ten elders exclaimed upon hearing the news. None of them had expected such a turn of events. They had jointly determined the list of expedition forces sent out, and they were fully aware of the strength of each team. They simply couldn’t comprehend how such a powerful team could encounter trouble, let alone without a single survivor. It was unbelievable!

But they knew Xiao Tianrong wouldn’t joke about such a matter. Whether they believed it or not, it was certainly the truth. With this thought, the brows of the gathered elders furrowed. They wanted to figure out exactly what had happened to resolve future issues.

"Sect Master, what happened to these two teams of people? Have they reported back?" An elder in a gray robe, who looked particularly energetic, stepped forward and asked. He thought the situation was fishy and was determined to uncover the truth!

"Elder Ren’s team encountered problems at the Huanglong Sect, allegedly poisoned by a strange toxin that even Elder Ren couldn’t escape. As for what happened afterward, we know nothing. As for Elder Jia’s side, from the beginning, there was no news." Xiao Tianrong immediately explained upon hearing the query.

Upon hearing this, the elders’ faces changed dramatically. The idea that there could be a strange poison that even late-stage Earth Immortal Realm individuals couldn’t escape was astounding. Even more unbelievable was that Elder Jia’s team could perish without even sending a message. These two incidents combined were extremely suspicious!

"Sect Master, I think this matter is exceptional. With normal sect capabilities, such a thing cannot be achieved. They should have encountered something extraordinary or been ambushed; otherwise, such an event wouldn’t occur." One elder seriously contemplated, expressing his thoughts.

"Yes, I agree. If the other party could so swiftly wipe out our people, they likely aren’t from a single sect. Our coming here may have been discovered by them, leading several sects to unite all their strong forces. Only then could Elder Ren and Elder Jia be killed in such a short time." Another elder voiced his opinion at this point.

"I find this whole affair quite bizarre. For there to be a strange poison that even late-stage Earth Immortal Realm individuals couldn’t escape from is notably rare. If Elder Ren’s team encountered it by coincidence, then the situation is terrifying indeed!" An elder with white hair and a black robe stepped out to add.

"In theory, something like this shouldn’t occur in the Nine Esteemed Heavens Domain. I think we should investigate what truly happened."

"The Huanglong Sect should be visited. For a sect to assassinate Elder Ren and others is simply courting death!"

"..."

...

The elders offered their opinions and ideas one after another. To them, this incident occurred far too abruptly. They all believed there was an underlying secret, and someone must have been targeting them. As such, this matter needed investigating thoroughly to discover what exactly transpired, who was behind it, and who was targeting the Holy Soul Sect. Those responsible must be eradicated!

"Elders, we must uncover the truth of this matter. I’ve already notified the other teams to return, to avoid further ambushes. Once everyone is gathered, we shall work together to uncover the truth, leaving no stone unturned." Seeing that the elders had taken a stance, Xiao Tianrong spoke immediately, then seriously added: "Before that, I hope each of you returns to manage your own people, ensuring no carelessness leads to more incidents. A bit of caution isn’t a fault."

"Rest assured, Sect Master!"

"We know what to do!"

"Don’t worry, I’ll make arrangements as soon as I’m back."

...

Upon hearing this, the elders nodded in agreement. Not a single person from the two teams escaped, and nobody knew what they had encountered. Everyone could see that the other side had acted intentionally. In such circumstances, caution wasn’t wrong, as any mishap would leave them unable to answer to the sect.

Subsequently, everyone left Xiao Tianrong, returning to arrange matters, leaving him alone in the room.

Xiao Tianrong’s intuition told him this matter wasn’t simple. Suddenly, he recalled past expedition incidents and felt there was always a force or some individuals targeting the Holy Soul Sect. Moreover, the opposing force was indeed strong, otherwise achieving such events wouldn’t be possible.

"Looks like we must unearth these people, or my Holy Soul Sect will never find peace!"

Shaking his head, Xiao Tianrong muttered to himself, then closed his eyes to contemplate the arrangements for the subsequent investigation. This matter must be handled well, without alerting the opposing party...

.....

Elsewhere, Li Xing and Fang Yan arrived in Xuantian City, the largest city in the Nine Esteemed Heavens Domain. This super city, with a population nearing ten million, appeared exceptionally grand. Giant city walls, tens of feet high, surrounded hundreds of miles. It was an impressive feat.

"I never thought there would be such a super city. Even in the Eternal Joy Immortal Realm, there isn’t a city as large as this." Li Xing marveled, standing before Xuantian City. The enormity of the city was unimaginable. How many years did it take to build such a colossal place?

"It’s immense, larger than cities on Earth, but Earth has many skyscrapers, and many cities have larger populations than here." Fang Yan said with awe, admiring Xuantian City’s grandeur. Knowing these structures were all based on ancient-style wooden architecture, achieving such scale was indeed remarkable.

"Fang Yan, what should we do first?" Li Xing asked Fang Yan.

"Let’s head to the market and deal with what we have at hand first." Fang Yan said faintly and stepped towards Xuantian City.

Upon hearing this, Li Xing said no more. With Fang Yan’s terrifyingly sharp Divine Sense, failing to locate the market would indeed be surprising. He simply needed to follow along.

Entering the city, they were immediately struck by the bustling commercial atmosphere within this super city, their eyes lighting up. If their estimates were correct, Xuantian City was likely the largest commercial hub in the entire Nine Esteemed Heavens Domain. Here, they could definitely sell what they had for a good price, while also finding something they needed.

About four hours later, they finally walked into Xuantian City’s market. Entering the market streets, they saw many loose cultivators with stalls, some ordinary people selling special items. The bustling streets were filled with endless haggling sounds, demonstrating a thriving place.

"Let’s look around first." Seeing the situation, Fang Yan was intrigued. He noted that the market here was larger than anywhere in the Eternal Joy Immortal Realm, offering opportunities for hidden treasures. They weren’t in any hurry, so exploring first was no problem.

"Sure!" Li Xing naturally understood Fang Yan’s intentions. Fang Yan’s discernment was far beyond ordinary people; finding hidden treasures would indeed be excellent.

Subsequently, the two joined the ranks of stall bargain hunters, starting from the closest stall and moving on one by one. They couldn’t help but notice the high quality of the market. Although mostly run by loose cultivators, everything for sale was authentic, with no counterfeit items, something that surprised both Fang Yan and Li Xing.

However, that wasn’t their focus. What they cared about was finding treasures. After visiting about ten stalls, they purchased a few items. Though not particularly unique, they found rare Spiritual Medicines for Fang Yan’s poison concoctions, sparking their interest in the market.

But just as they had walked a short distance, they heard a commotion not far away, where a crowd quickly gathered. Seeing this, they approached to see what was happening.

"How can you be so unreasonable? We agreed on thirty Spirit Stones, yet you only give twenty. Who buys things this way?" A stall owner, looking at a middle-aged man appearing about forty, questioned angrily, his anger apparent.

"You old fool, look at this garbage you’re selling. It’s just a pitch-black stone. If I wasn’t thinking of using it as an ornament due to its deep color, you asking for thirty Spirit Stones for it? You must be crazy!" The middle-aged man retorted angrily at the stall owner, visibly annoyed by the audience gathering over this trivial stone matter, affecting his pride.

"I initially said thirty Spirit Stones. If you think it’s expensive, you can choose not to buy. Nobody forced you. Otherwise, put the item down, and I’ll return your Spirit Stones!" The stall owner, equally infuriated, shot back at the middle-aged man, noting he’d never encountered such a peculiar customer before.

"You’ve taken my Spirit Stones and now want to renege?" The middle-aged man glared at the stall owner, questioning him with wide eyes, determined not to let it slide if the stall owner insisted.

"Me, renege?" The stall owner exclaimed, pointing at himself, and then looked at the onlookers around: "Everyone, please judge this matter. This person came to my stall, eyed this stone, and we agreed on thirty Spirit Stones. He initially haggled, but I didn’t agree. Later, the deal was for thirty Spirit Stones, but he gave me a pouch with only twenty Spirit Stones. I stopped him, disagreeing with the sale. Is it wrong?"