Chapter 3365: Unexpected Change (No More Today)

The morale within the Silver Shark Clan is currently in chaos. If Yin Qing doesn't show herself, the situation will remain unstable. There are even rumors outside that Yin Qing has perished, which is why the Human Race has launched a full-scale attack.

Yin Qing's brows furrowed. She knew she needed to appear to stabilize the situation, but given the current circumstances, she felt she had fallen into the Human Race's schemes and might well be walking into their trap.

"Send word to the Fiery Spirit Clan and the Yaksha Clan," Yin Qing ordered, "tell them the Human Race is attacking us, and ask them to intervene to relieve our pressure. Instruct our subordinate clans to strengthen their defenses and hold their ground, not venturing out. They should use formations to resist the Human cultivators. What we need most right now is time."

If the Fiery Spirit Clan and the Yaksha Clan intervened, the Human Race would have to deploy a Grand Ascension cultivator to counter them, which would alleviate the pressure on the Silver Shark Clan.

The Human Race's offensive was fierce; if they fought head-on, the Silver Shark Clan would certainly be no match. They could only rely on their formations to hold their ground, and if they held out, there was hope.

The Golden Scale Clan was still watching from the sidelines. If the Silver Shark Clan launched a full counterattack, the Golden Scale Clan might seize the opportunity. Furthermore, if they engaged in a major war with the Human Race too early and suffered heavy losses, the Fiery Spirit Clan and the Yaksha Clan might then refuse to intervene.

"Yes, Ancestor." Yin Shan agreed, accepted the order, and left, sending messengers to inform the Fiery Spirit Clan and the Yaksha Clan.

In the Myriad Flames Mountain Range, a red light appeared in the distant sky. Soon after, it stopped above the mountain range, revealing Yan Zheng's figure.

"I'm finally back," Yan Zheng murmured to himself.

Yan Yun'er and more than a dozen other Integration cultivators quickly came out to greet him, greatly excited to see Yan Zheng.

"Welcome back, Ancestor!" Yan Yun'er and the others bowed respectfully, their expressions reverent.

Yan Zheng waved his hand, flew into the Myriad Flames Mountain Range, and returned to his residence. Yan Yun'er then reported to him on the major events that had occurred over the years.

Yan Zheng's expression became very grim upon learning that the Fiery Spirit cultivators had seized the Nine-Lapis Lazuli Stone from the Yaksha cultivators, only for it to be unexpectedly taken by Chen Yueying.

Yan Zheng did not blame the four clansmen; given the value of the Nine-Lapis Lazuli Stone, their actions were justified. However, it was unacceptable that Chen Yueying had snatched it away.

"I understand," Yan Zheng said. "You immediately organize your forces and attack the Human Race's strongholds. I will go contact Fellow Daoist Luo."

He planned to fight fire with fire: the Fiery Spirit Clan and the Yaksha Clan would launch a clan war to draw the attention of the Human Race's high-level cultivators, while he and Luo Xiao would head to Zhenhai Palace to confront Chen Yueying.

If Luo Xiao knew Chen Yueying possessed the Nine-Lapis Lazuli Stone, he would certainly take action.

"Yes, Ancestor." Yan Yun'er and the others readily agreed and began making arrangements.

Yan Zheng gave a few more instructions, then left the Myriad Flames Mountain Range to find Luo Xiao.

Qinglian Island, Qinglian Peak.

Wang Changsheng and Chen Yueying were seated in a green stone pavilion, listening as Wang Yihong reported the situation to them.

"We have now taken the strongholds of seven subordinate clans of the Silver Shark Clan," Wang Yihong reported excitedly, "and occupied over fifty thousand islands. The Silver Shark Clan is in full retreat; they are merely strengthening their defenses and holding their ground, refusing to engage us."

They had expected a fierce battle, but the Silver Shark Clan chose to retreat and absorb the attacks without fighting back. This was unlike Yin Qing's usual style.

"It seems Yin Qing has detected something unusual," Chen Yueying analyzed. "She might even think Fellow Daoist Lin will join forces with me to deal with her."

"That's not surprising," Wang Changsheng said deeply. "It would be strange if she *hadn't* noticed anything amiss. Once our younger generation has occupied most of the islands, we will make our move. At that point, I will trouble Senior Martial Sister Chen to deal with Yin Qing. I will observe from the shadows and look for an opportunity to strike."

According to his plan, after some time, Chen Yueying would directly attack Silver Shark Island, forcing Yin Qing to appear. While Yin Qing was fighting Chen Yueying, Wang Changsheng would look for an opportunity to strike.

Sword Saint Tianhe was in the mainland, guarding against Luo Xiao of the Yaksha Clan. If the Silver Shark Clan was attacked by the Human Race, they would surely request support.

Chen Yueying nodded and said, "If we could persuade Jin Jiao to join forces against Yin Qing, that would be even better."

Jin Jiao and Yin Qing were at odds, but their relationship with the Human Race wasn't much better. Persuading Jin Jiao to deal with Yin Qing wouldn't be easy.

"The Golden Scale Clan has a deep foundation," Wang Changsheng said dismissively. "To persuade Jin Jiao to act, we'd probably need high-grade tribulation-transcending materials. If we have such materials, wouldn't it be better to keep them for ourselves?"

Wang Changsheng was unconcerned. It would be good enough if Jin Jiao didn't cause trouble; he didn't expect Jin Jiao to help deal with Yin Qing.

Chen Yueying nodded and said, "True. If we can eliminate Yin Qing, our Human Race's territory in the sea will expand significantly."

Wang Changsheng strongly agreed. With the Human Race's current strength, annexing the entire territory of the Silver Shark Clan was still quite difficult, mainly because they didn't have enough Integration cultivators. If their forces were spread too thin, it would give the enemy opportunities to defeat them one by one. However, taking over most of it was feasible.

"Instruct them not to be rash," Wang Changsheng ordered, "but to advance step by step."

Wang Yihong acknowledged, bowed, and withdrew.

Heavenly Fiend Mountain Range, ancestral land of the Yaksha Clan.

In a thousand-acre estate, Yan Zheng and Luo Xiao were seated in a golden stone pavilion, discussing something. Both had grim expressions.

"What?" Luo Xiao questioned, "Your Fiery Spirit Clan lost the Nine-Lapis Lazuli Stone? Why wasn't I told this before?"

If he had known earlier that Chen Yueying had snatched the Nine-Lapis Lazuli Stone from the Fiery Spirit Clan's treasury, he would definitely have attacked Zhenhai Palace's stronghold. There must be something hidden here.

"To be honest, Fellow Daoist Luo," Yan Zheng explained, "they wanted to keep the Nine-Lapis Lazuli Stone for me to refine a tribulation-transcending treasure. If they had informed you, they were worried you would monopolize it." Of course, he couldn't reveal that the Fiery Spirit cultivators had stolen it from the Yaksha cultivators, as that would harm the relationship between the two clans.

"Hmph," Luo Xiao said with some displeasure, "they'd rather let the Human Race monopolize the Nine-Lapis Lazuli Stone than let this old man have it."

"Those youngsters are shortsighted," Yan Zheng said, shifting the topic. "I have already reprimanded them. Our top priority now is to reclaim the Nine-Lapis Lazuli Stone from Chen Yueying."

Luo Xiao was half-convinced, half-skeptical; Yan Zheng certainly hadn't told him the full truth. However, the two clans had cooperated for many years, and in the last clan war, they had lost a lot of territory. Now that Yan Zheng was back, it was a good opportunity to reclaim the lost lands and teach the Human Race a lesson.

Luo Xiao, Sang Yu, Yan Zheng, and Yin Qing were four Grand Ascension cultivators. In contrast, the Human Race only had Sword Saint Tianhe and Chen Yueying, as Xuan Qingzi hadn't appeared for many years.

"Where is Xuan Qingzi of the Xuanqing Sect?" Luo Xiao asked, frowning. "If he supports Chen Yueying, we won't be able to reclaim the Nine-Lapis Lazuli Stone."

"You can rest assured on that point," Yan Zheng said gravely. "Xuan Qingzi is not in the Xuanyang Realm; he has gone to another realm. I heard this in the Qianling Continent, and it is absolutely correct. The Human Race in the Xuanyang Continent currently only has two Grand Ascension cultivators. We must reclaim the Nine-Lapis Lazuli Stone."

Luo Xiao pondered for a moment, then agreed. He gave Sang Yu a few instructions and dispatched forces to deal with the Human Race. Luo Xiao and Yan Zheng then left the Heavenly Fiend Mountain Range and headed towards Zhenhai Palace.