Chapter 330: Turmoil

For a moment, the hall seemed dull, with everyone looking at one another, frowning in silence.
The situation before them was exactly as Lilith had described—she had clearly outlined the stakes! No one could stay unscathed in this matter. It could be said that the pro-war faction was facing problems; they all were under threat, every family was at risk. More importantly, there was concern about an alliance between the pro-war faction and the Wolf Clan.
Once these two clans allied, there would be no force or method within the Dark Source capable of restraining them. With such a powerful alliance, the end of the Dark Source—and thus the end of the continent—would come.
“What should we do?” Black Jade asked in a deep voice after a long silence. At present, the Dragon Clan and the Black Phoenix Clan were like grasshoppers tied to the same string—if one suffered, the other wouldn’t fare better either. They had to move forward together. The two clans sending representatives to Water Curtain City were merely to gather information, with the main forces arriving in seven days. They needed to collect all useful information before then to help their clans make the right decisions.
“Wait and see!” Lilith said softly after pondering for a long time. The situation was too complex to resolve just by sitting here; more observation was needed.
“Waiting and seeing? We can’t just sit here! What if the Wolf Clan really allies with the pro-war faction by then?” Sognar, still impatient, couldn’t help but speak up upon hearing Lilith’s words.
Indeed, time was pressing. The Wolf Clan was on the verge of arriving in Water Curtain City, and it was unknown whether the pro-war faction was already plotting something behind the scenes—perhaps they had already formed an alliance.
“Sognar, you and Black Silver keep an eye on the Wolf Clan’s movements these days. Black Jade and I will stay in Water Curtain City to monitor the pro-war faction. Report back immediately if there’s any news!” Lilith ordered after a brief silence.
For now, this was the only thing they could do. Otherwise, they truly wouldn’t know what to do.
“When will that damned Rod return?” Rod was now also a powerful warrior at the Yin Yellow realm. With him around, their tasks would be much easier. It had been over three months since he left, and there was no news at all, which caused concern.
“He should be back soon. Hopefully, he’ll return before the conference starts! That way, he might be able to help a bit!” As Rod was mentioned, Lilith frowned slightly.
Black Silver and Black Jade were worried about their lady, unsure of how she was doing.

After all discussions were completed, the four of them split into two groups and set off. Sognar and Heiyin were tasked with monitoring the Wolf Clan’s activities, so they left Water Curtain City overnight and headed toward Ice City.

It wasn’t just them; during this period, countless people from the Dark Source had been discussing this topic! The emergence of the Wolf Clan was like a bomb that disrupted the status quo—peace was gone, and the internal tensions had now erupted completely!

…

Seven days later, in the same small courtyard, this time a large crowd of twenty or thirty people gathered in the hall. The main members of the Dragon Clan and the Black Phoenix Clan had arrived in Water Curtain City over the past two days.

“What’s the progress with the pro-war faction?” asked Gary, the leader of the Dragon Clan. As the third eldest of the Dragon Clan, he was in charge of handling matters in Water Curtain City.

“Hmm, we need to be cautious of the pro-war faction from the Dragon Clan. Heiyao, Lilith, have you found any information?” The Black Phoenix Clan was still led by their eldest, a mysterious figure who held unparalleled status among them.

Everyone turned their attention to Lilith and Heiyao, who had been monitoring the pro-war faction’s movements these past two days and should know their reactions.

Upon hearing the elders’ questions, Lilith and Heiyao stepped forward. Lilith spoke first, “The pro-war faction seems quiet lately, with no major incidents. But we noticed something unusual—they’ve put aside matters on the continent and withdrawn many of their troops, including those from the Mi Jiao Clan. Both clans have concentrated their forces, seemingly to resist the Wolf Clan’s invasion. However, upon closer inspection, there are signs that their motives might not be so simple!”

“That’s right. Lilith is correct. Their motives are complex. They’ve sent many people to interact with the Wolf Clan, seemingly aiming to ally with them—their ambitions are obvious!” Heiyao added.

“Over the past few days, Sognar and I also went to investigate the Wolf Clan’s side. Indeed, many pro-war faction members have been in contact with them. But the Wolf Clan is extremely powerful, especially their wolf kings—each of them is a warrior at the Yin Huang level. We couldn’t get close at all, and it’s hard to determine what’s really going on!” As Lilith and Heiyao spoke, Heiyin also chimed in at the right moment.

In the blink of an eye, everyone spoke one after another, sharing information about the movements of the pro-war faction and various matters related to the Wolf Clan. However, as more information came to light, the situation seemed increasingly complex and hard to discern, always shrouded in mystery, making it unclear what the true intentions of the pro-war faction were.

“Hmm, as expected. It seems the pro-war faction truly has great ambitions. Everyone, be more careful at this conference—things might not be as simple as they seem,” said Gary and the eldest elder of the Black Phoenix Clan after sighing in unison upon hearing what everyone had to say.

The atmosphere in the hall was somewhat gloomy; no one could feel at ease. The pro-war faction was undoubtedly a cancer that continued to affect everyone.

“What about the Scorpion King Clan?” Gary asked a few people around him after a long while.

As one of the four major clans, the Scorpion King Clan was a dominant force in its region. But ever since some unknown event occurred a hundred years ago, this once ostentatious clan began to withdraw, eventually fading from everyone’s sight. Unless something major happened, it was almost certain that no one would pay attention to their movements.

Yet the more this was the case, the more puzzling it became. The members of the Scorpion King Clan were usually very bold and unrestrained—so why were they so quiet now? Could there be some conspiracy behind it?

The other clans had indeed tried to investigate, but found no issues, so they had to let it go for now. With such a major event happening, especially since the Scorpion King Clan’s habitat was so close to Ice City, it was impossible that they wouldn’t show any reaction.

“The Scorpion King Clan is very quiet. The appearance of the Wolf Clan seems not to have affected them at all; they remain hidden in their habitat!” replied a middle-aged man behind Gary, likely the person in charge of monitoring the Scorpion King Clan.

Such situations were not unusual. The four major clans were already full of turmoil, with outward harmony but inward discord. Suspicion and surveillance were all too common—it would be strange if there were no such actions.

Of course, the Black Phoenix Clan found this nothing strange.

“We haven’t detected any movements from the Scorpion King Clan either. It seems they don’t care about these matters at all!” said the eldest elder of the Black Phoenix Clan in a grave tone. They had also been watching the Scorpion King Clan for a long time but had achieved nothing.

Yet the more this was the case, the more uneasy people became. Subconsciously, there was a feeling that the Scorpion King Clan was now like a silent, venomous scorpion standing in the wind, waiting for the right moment to deliver a fatal blow to their enemies.

It is such a Scorpion King clan that represents the greatest danger. In contrast, Zhang Yang back then, though seemingly glorious on the surface, was much more reassuring.
“Keep checking! The Scorpion King clan cannot be ignored. Their people should be arriving at this conference as well. Tomorrow, we’ll try to gauge their reactions—those old guys! I don’t know what they’re thinking, but they’re so quiet!” Gary rubbed his head and said with a bitter smile.
“There’s another piece of news!” Just as everyone thought nothing more was there, Sognar, who was standing in the corner, suddenly stepped forward and spoke in a deep voice.
His words sparked confusion among everyone—what else could there be? Had he discovered something?
“What is it?” Gary asked, frowning.
“I’ve uncovered some information over the past few days. Seven days ago, along with the Black Silver Ten Thousand Wolves Clan, I went to Ice City to gather information. Five nights ago, with nothing much to do, I took the chance to venture deep into the wolves’ territory alone while the Black Silver were tracking an envoy from the pro-war faction, and I overheard something!” Sognar lowered his head to organize his thoughts before speaking slowly.
He recounted everything he had heard that day without omission. He had originally gone there with the intention of scouting, assuming it would be difficult to penetrate without being detected, but surprisingly, it went smoothly. He entered easily and encountered no patrols, which was already suspicious. Then he overheard a conversation between two guards on duty. Apparently, six days ago, a mysterious strongman suddenly appeared in the wolves’ territory, fought against a wolf king, and defeated him with a single strike. He also repelled another wolf king who came to help. Fighting two enemies alone without falling behind—this incident has now become the hottest topic among the wolves. Who is this mysterious person, and why is he so powerful?
The wolf king was at the Yin Huang realm level—yet this person could fight two enemies without falling behind, meaning he must be at least at the middle stage of the Yin Huang realm, or even higher! This shows just how formidable he is.
The sudden appearance of such a strongman is undoubtedly a troublesome issue. It seems unrelated to the information they need to investigate this time, but somehow, there seems to be a connection. After pondering for a long time, Sognar decided to share it, hoping it could help everyone.