Stranger Danger

"Compassion is not a bad thing, but a leader must possess a heart of steel and a will of stone. The one quality they should not possess is soft-heartedness."

A moment later, the silhouette spoke up, "You are my foster daughter, Moon. You are also a princess of the Profound Moon Dynasty. Your future is limitless, and you are destined to stand above countless others. You must never lose sight of the bigger picture over the small; cut off one's nose to spite one's face."

"I will remember your teachings, foster father. I won't disappoint you." Moon Princess bowed to him.

"Good. Good girl."

The silhouette lifted her up and gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Oh right, I need you to do something for me when you've returned to the Profound Moon Dynasty."

Moon Princess replied, "Just give me your instructions, foster father!"

"I need you to mobilize the Profound Moon Dynasty and look into those two intruders."

The silhouette explained, "If possible, you may make contact in person and befriend them. You will find an opportunity to control them."

Moon Princess looked surprised. "Are you planning to recruit them, foster father?" "Correct."

The silhouette replied, "I fought against one of them just now. He is no Sage, but he possesses the strength of one. He also possesses an extraordinary treasure. It will greatly benefit our cause if we can take control of them and make use of them."

"You are wise, foster father. I won't let you down." Moon Princess saluted him.

"They are no ordinary people, so you must be careful. If it looks like you have a chance, then go for it. Otherwise, do not hesitate to give up."

The silhouette instructed, "Of course, I will personally intervene and aid you if necessary."

"With foster father's help, I do not see why I will fail." Moon Princess paid him a compliment.

"I hope so."

The silhouette replied indifferently before waving his hand, "Let's go." The two of them disappeared suddenly. The next moment, the Residence of Gods exploded into pieces and disappeared just like that.

In the sea, the mountain-sized Stomach Fish abruptly leaped out of the water and let out a long howl. Then, it abruptly exploded into a shower of blood and gore that dyed the entire ocean red.

It wasn't long before countless fishes and Strangers followed the scent of blood and gore and consumed it all.

The sea turned calm and crystal clear in just a short time. The waves rippled constantly, and the waters glittered like a dream. It was as if nothing had ever happened.

......

"Elite warriors turned the City of No Return upside down and dealt massive damage to them!"

"The City of No Return disappears in one night without warning!"

"Xuan Youxuan, the city lord of the City of No Return, is a malicious man with unfathomable motives using all sorts of methods to control and plunder another's wealth. His crimes are monstrous, and his sins are unforgivable."

"The Profound Alliance dispatched numerous elites to search for Xuan Youxuan and traces of the City of No return!" "The Profound Alliance is thoroughly investigating all forces and especially those that were affiliated with the City of No Return."

......

For the past half a month or so, the hottest news in the Profound Alliance was undoubtedly the City of No Return.

No one could have imagined that the paradise countless thought to be the symbol of wealth, luxury, enjoyment, and happiness would turn out to be a filthy den of thieves[1], or the lofty, renowned city lord of the City of No Return would be a villain of monstrous proportions. The man had committed unthinkable crimes and monstrous sins all in the name of seeking wealth.

In almost no time, the City of No Return had gone from paradise-on-earth to the mouse everyone wanted to spit on and kill on sight.

The Profound Alliance had dispatched countless elites to search for the City of No Return and capture Xuan Youxuan, but their efforts for the past month had yielded absolutely nothing. The disappearance of the City of No Return and Xuan Youxuan were disturbing to be put mildly.

Some people said that Xuan Youxuan and the City of No Return had escaped to the Crushed Star Sea and hidden themselves.

Some people said that the Rakshasa Kingdom was behind Xuan Youxuan and the City of No Return, and that Xuan Youxuan had returned to the Strangers' embrace after his conspiracy was exposed.

One rumor claimed that Xuan Youxuan was the illegitimate son of a Sage in the Profound Alliance, and the Sage had whisked him away after the conspiracy was unveiled. The Profound Alliance's so-called efforts to search and hunt him down were all fake.

Another rumor claimed that Xuan Youxuan had been murdered by the very warriors who turned the City of No Return upside down. They were also the ones who destroyed the city.

Long story short, countless rumors were circulating inside and outside the Profound Alliance, and they came in all shapes and sizes.

Meanwhile, the higher-ups of the Profound Alliance were experiencing a massive headache as well.

There were several reasons. The first one was of course the City of No Return. They had no idea that the tiny city had committed so many unbelievable atrocities right under their nose. They even dared to covet Gold Island and almost succeeded. The consequences would have been unimaginable.

Naturally, the Profound Alliance was infuriated by this. At the same time, they were deeply worried.

They did not believe that a puny Xuan Youxuan would have the ability or the courage to do all these. They were certain that there was a mastermind behind his back; a Sage to put it mildly.

Not only that, the Sage must come from the Profound Alliance, and they must hold a high position and wield immense influence. They might even be one of the six Sages. Otherwise, there was no way Xuan Youxuan could have committed all these atrocities without them noticing anything. Someone must have been covering for him.

Everyone knew that it was difficult to guard against a thief within your own home.

The six Sages of the Profound Alliance weren't united to begin with. After this incident, the suspicion and estrangement between them were going to get that much worse. For a time, the tension within the Profound Alliance was razor sharp. Everyone had a feeling that this was the calm before the storm.

The second reason was the two elite warriors who brought forth the ruination of the City of No Return.

An outsider might not be aware of this, but the higher-ups of the Profound Alliance had already figured out that the two elite warriors werethereason the conspiracy of the City of No Return was foiled, and Xuan Youxuan's true face was unmasked.

Not only that, they also knew that they were the ones who assisted Yu Hongluan in killing Jewel Tree King and rescued Floating Island from annihilation.

One might say that the two warriors had committed two major incidents in just a matter of days. Their help was greatly appreciated, and it would not be an exaggeration to call them the benefactors of the entire Profound Alliance.

However, there was a problem. They knew nothing about the two warriors.

Although their action and behavior so far did not seem villainous or monstrous, the six Sages of the Profound Alliance did not dare to be careless.

There was a saying that went like this: Beware, for you can see a person's face but not their heart. In this case, they hadn't even seen the warriors' faces, so how could they rest easy?

Besides, the two warriors had more than proven themselves to be extraordinary. If they could recruit them, the Profound Alliance would become so much stronger than before.

That was why the six Sages spared no effort in searching for the duo. They all wanted to recruit them for themselves at first notice.

Alas, they found nothing despite doing everything they could to find the duo. It was almost as if they had evaporated into thin air.

The six Sages were annoyed, but what could they do? After all, the two mysterious warriors possessed the strength of a Sage. If they really wanted to hide, it was possible that even Sages could not suss them out.

The six Sages of the Profound Alliance had many guesses, but they had no idea that the elite warriors of their dreams were currently hiding right under their nose: Gold Island.

In fact, the Profound Alliance had dispatched their men to Gold Island to question Jin Manshan and investigate the City of No Return and the whereabouts and identities of the two elites. The men had even greeted Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou before. They just did not recognize them.

Who could say that the random guy you passed on the street wasn't a living celestial?

Of course, the reason Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou hadn't left Gold Island yet wasn't to toy with the Profound Alliance. They had time, but they didn't have that much time. The reason they were staying was because of the Arts Tower.

1. No seriously? Just how naive are you people? ☜