Chapter 2698: Dark Currents Flowing

"Zong Lang, how are you? Are you alright?" Wang Lihe flew to Wang Zonglang's side, his face etched with concern.

"I'm fine!" Wang Zonglang shook his head, his face flushed with shame.

Of the three matches, he was the only one who lost and sustained minor injuries. He usually sparred with his clan members, but sparring within the clan wouldn't involve fatal blows. When sparring with outsiders, there was no thought of holding back; even killing an opponent could be dismissed as an accident.

"It's just one lost match; it's nothing. Practice diligently; you have a long path ahead," Wang Lihe consoled him. Having also ascended from a lower realm, he understood that Wang Qingshan, Wang Mengbin, and others had fought their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Wang Zonglang hadn't experienced many life-and-death battles, so it was understandable that he couldn't defeat the Blood Toad Superior.

Wang Zonglang gave a wry smile, secretly vowing to train harder upon his return. He had finally gotten a chance to distinguish himself but lost to the Blood Toad Superior. Fortunately, Wang Lihe and Wang Gonghu had won.

Wang Zonglang, Wang Yuanwei, and dozens of other clan members garrisoned Jin Hong Valley, while Wang Lihe departed with his group. Half a month later, the Wang family and the Five Saints Sect intervened. The smaller factions, not daring to disobey orders, gradually ceased hostilities.

After this battle, the Wang family acquired seven strongholds, three fifth-tier metal ore veins, one medium-sized spirit stone mine, and three strongholds with fifth-tier spirit veins. In addition, they gained a large territory.

With the three fifth-tier metal ore veins and the medium-sized spirit stone mine, the Wang family's financial strain was somewhat alleviated. This also created new positions. Clan members who distinguished themselves in the battle received generous rewards, and those who died were given pensions.

The Qian family suffered heavy losses, with seventy percent of their territory occupied and their income sharply decreased. To recover, the Qian family resorted to targeting smaller factions, annihilating three forces that were only garrisoned by Soul Transformation cultivators.

There are no eternal interests, only eternal friends. The Wang family used this war to train their forces, deepen their relationships with allies through shared benefits, and expand their sphere of influence.

After this battle, the Wang family formed a marriage alliance with the Ji family. Wang Yier married Ji Yuwei, becoming dual cultivation partners. Wang Lihe presided over the wedding and presented a congratulatory gift.

At Zhenhai Palace, in a vast estate, Huang Yun'er was reporting to Song Yiming.

"A Lizard race expert used a soul-splitting technique to descend to a lower realm? Is there conclusive evidence?" Song Yiming asked with a frown.

"No, Uncle-Master Wang's clan members were unable to capture the opponent alive. However, the opponent had no Nascent Soul, was skilled in concealment techniques, and their abilities strongly resembled those of the Lizard race. If not for Uncle-Master Wang's ability to contact his clan members in the lower realm, we wouldn't have known," Huang Yun'er respectfully replied.

After Wang Shiwen eliminated the powerful enemy, he dispatched a large number of personnel to investigate and simultaneously conducted an internal inquiry. It was confirmed that the information about the Seven Gourd Vine had not leaked, which led to the inference that the Lizard race expert was not targeting the Wang family.

If they were searching for treasure, they could have simply gone after it directly, or forced the Wang family to cooperate, saving time and effort. When Wang Changsheng descended to the lower realm, he didn't aim to annihilate all Soul Transformation cultivators; instead, he offered substantial benefits and used his powerful strength to make other forces serve him.

The Lizard race's actions were more akin to controlling a subordinate realm. Wang Moshan also conducted an internal investigation, confirming that the information about the Seven Gourd Vine had not leaked. He sent someone to report to Zhao Yunxiao that the Lizard race expert had used a secret soul-splitting technique to descend to the lower realm, possibly to control several minor realms.

It was well-known that the Lizard race's Mahayana cultivators had not appeared for many years. For tens of thousands of years, the Lizard race had been quite dormant. In several major racial wars, it was always the Human race against the Fiery Spirit race and the Yaksha race. The Lizard race never helped anyone and had no presence whatsoever. This inevitably led to suspicions that something had happened to the Lizard race's Mahayana cultivators.

Given that it involved an alien race, Wang Moshan, after careful consideration, decided to report the matter to Zhenhai Palace, seeking no merit but hoping to avoid fault.

Zhenhai Palace governed many subordinate realms, but generally, Zhenhai Palace would not dispatch personnel to lower realms, as it was too troublesome.

"Lizard race! Soul splitting to a lower realm! I understand. Take some rest, then return to Tianhai City," Song Yiming instructed. Huang Yun'er acknowledged, then turned and left.

Song Yiming took out a light-golden formation disk, cast a spell, and instructed, "Nephew Qian, have Nephew Li and Nephew Chen contact the Tianyi Realm and the Qianjin Realm. See if any cultivators skilled in concealment abilities have suddenly appeared in those lower realms. If not, have them investigate discreetly."

Both the Tianyi Realm and the Qianjin Realm were subordinate realms, parallel to the Dongli Realm but very far apart. Some high-ranking cultivators of Zhenhai Palace originated from these two realms. They had split their souls to descend to these realms and established communication arrays. Under normal circumstances, Zhenhai Palace would not contact the lower realms.

"Yes, Martial Uncle Sect Master." A respectful female voice came from the communication disk. Putting away the communication disk, Song Yiming returned to his private chamber to cultivate.

The Myriad Flames Mountain Range contained hundreds of thousands of peaks, large and small, stretching for hundreds of millions of miles. Abundant in fire spiritual energy, this was the stronghold of the Fiery Spirit race. In the northeastern part of the Myriad Flames Mountain Range, there stood a towering, entirely red peak. At its base was a golden stone tablet over ten zhang tall, inscribed with the three characters "Myriad Flames Peak." This was a vital area for the Fiery Spirit race, and only high-ranking members could enter or exit.

At the summit was a vast red stone plaza, where a resplendent, golden palace stood. The three characters "Myriad Flames Hall" were clearly visible on its plaque. Yan Zheng sat on the main seat, his expression solemn.

Bai Xuan was reporting to Yan Zheng, his face pale, appearing injured. "The Lizard race has sent so many experts to the Barren Lands—no fewer than ten Integration cultivators. Perhaps they've discovered rare treasures or primordial chaos qi, which would either be related to a Mahayana cultivator undergoing a grand heavenly tribulation or beneficial for Integration cultivators attempting to reach the Mahayana realm," Bai Xuan said slowly, his tone somewhat weak.

The Fiery Spirit cultivators had unexpectedly discovered a seventh-tier, mid-grade Nine-Colored Worm. After consuming large amounts of Five Metals, the Nine-Colored Worm would cultivate Nine-Light Divine Clay within its body. This material could weaken the power of lightning tribulations and was extremely valuable for Integration cultivators.

Bai Xuan and three Integration cultivators went to the Barren Lands and found the Nine-Colored Worm. Unfortunately, it escaped using an escape technique. During their pursuit, they discovered Lizard race experts—no fewer than ten Integration cultivators—and suffered a great loss. Bai Xuan and one other Integration cultivator escaped by employing the Fiery Spirit race's unique escape technique, the Nine Flame Soul Division Art. The other two Integration cultivators perished.

Upon returning to the Fiery Spirit race, Bai Xuan immediately reported to Yan Zheng. "Over ten Integration cultivators? Is the Lizard race intending to deal with an eighth-tier demonic beast?" Yan Zheng frowned. There were eighth-tier demonic beasts in the Barren Lands, but not many.

If it wasn't an eighth-tier demonic beast, would the Lizard race need to send over ten Integration cultivators? Could it be that Heavenly Venerable Xuanling's daoist sanctuary has reappeared in the Barren Lands? The Lizard race might be sending experts to seek treasure there. Heavenly Venerable Xuanling's daoist sanctuary had once appeared in the Barren Lands, and many Void Refinement cultivators were able to enter the sanctuary to search for treasures, obtaining many valuable items and experiencing rapid cultivation advancement.

"That's unclear. For the time being, the Lizard race shouldn't achieve their goal so easily," Bai Xuan analyzed.

"I understand. Go and heal your injuries properly! I will send people to investigate this matter," Yan Zheng said, waving his hand, dismissing Bai Xuan.

Yan Zheng took out a golden formation disk, cast several spells, and instructed, "Yan Ji, select a group of elites from within the clan and personally go to the Barren Lands to find the Lizard race. See what tricks they are up to, sending over ten Integration cultivators to search for treasure in the Barren Lands."

"Yes, Old Ancestor." A respectful female voice came from the golden formation disk.

"Old Ghost Yi, nothing has happened to you, has it? You haven't shown yourself for years," Yan Zheng muttered to himself, a perplexed expression on his face.