Chapter 331: Chapter 329: Sea Tide Gang
"Someone is spying on us," Qin Li said softly.
The Snake Woman nodded. A cold, murderous glint flashed in her enchanting eyes. Though she appeared reserved in front of Qin Li, it was only because she had accepted him as her master from the bottom of her heart and would never act against him. But if anyone mistook her for a weak and easily bullied woman, they were in for a world of pain!
A moment ago, both of them had simultaneously sensed a powerful Divine Sense trying to pierce the barrier Qin Li had erected. They had both detected it, but Qin Li was especially surprised.
’Since when is the Mortal Realm teeming with experts?’ he wondered. ’Have the Martial Artists from the Mysterious Lands all grown restless and come out to play?’
Although it was possible to encounter experts from the Mysterious Lands in the Mortal Realm, it shouldn’t be to the point where they were everywhere you looked.
Thinking of the recent disappearance of Bu Yunyan and the other two women, Qin Li and his companions were all on high alert.
What angered both Qin Li and the Snake Woman was the sheer audacity of the other party. After realizing their spying had been discovered, they brazenly sent out their powerful Divine Sense to probe them again, as if in deliberate provocation!
A cold snort escaped the Snake Woman’s nostrils. She unleashed a powerful aura, sending a shockwave back along the path of the intruder’s Divine Sense!
The other party’s wisp of Divine Sense seemed to startle, retreating in a flash.
At the same time, in a private room on the third floor, one of the seven people seated—a middle-aged man with a mustache—let out a muffled groan. His face instantly turned pale, his eyes filled with disbelief and a trace of fear.
"Chief!"
Seeing the state of the mustached middle-aged man, the other six couldn’t help but cry out in alarm.
The mustached middle-aged man waved his hand slightly, gesturing for silence. He slowly shook his head, then said softly, his expression grim, "We’re dealing with a major power."
"Could they be from the Yan Kingdom’s new Tributor family?" one of the men, a pale-faced elder, asked faintly.
At the mention of the Yan Kingdom’s new Tributor family, the expressions of everyone present turned grim. These men were from a guild on an island called the Sea Tide Gang. For years, they had coveted the prosperous Yan Kingdom, wanting to seize the country and turn it into their private backyard.
Unfortunately, the Yan Kingdom had previously been under the control of the Fire Sword Wang Family. As a super-faction on Profound Island, they were far beyond what the Sea Tide Gang could afford to provoke.
Recently, however, they had received a message through their spies in the Yan Kingdom: the Tributor family had unexpectedly changed!
Although they didn’t know the reason, a sliver of hope rose in their hearts. They felt that if they could take advantage of the new family’s unstable foundation, it might not be impossible to defeat them and thereby gain control of the Yan Kingdom.
The Celestial Essence Continent was vast, filled with countless wonders. It wasn’t just the Mysterious Lands that could give rise to tyrannical families. The family sects from places like the Land of the Far West were all unimaginably formidable. Therefore, it wasn’t particularly strange for a powerful guild like the Sea Tide Gang to appear on an island in the vast ocean.
The middle-aged man with the mustache was named Chen Haichao, the leader of the Sea Tide Gang. Just a few months ago, his strength had broken through to the Celestial Venerable realm! He looked young, but in reality, he was already more than 570 years old!
Back when he was still in the Earth Venerable realm, he had once made a move on the Yan Kingdom. He had injured several of the Yan Kingdom’s Tributor experts, but was completely intimidated by a super-expert who suddenly appeared—a powerhouse who possessed the strength of a Celestial Venerable!
Because of that, Chen Haichao had laid low and bided his time for many years, waiting for the day his own strength had increased enough to challenge them again.
Unexpectedly, just as his strength had finally reached that level, someone else had replaced that mysterious and powerful family to become the new protectors of the Yan Kingdom.
Their trip from the island this time was actually to probe the depths of this new family, to see for what reason they had replaced the previous one.
If this new family was even stronger than the last, then Chen Haichao would give up on the idea completely. The Celestial Essence Continent was a vast and magical land, dotted with countries as numerous as the stars. The Eastern Continent alone had no fewer than several thousand nations, not to mention the even more mysterious Western, Southern, and Northern Continents. And then there was the part of the Celestial Essence Continent that seemed small compared to the landmasses, but was in fact a boundless expanse... the ocean!
This group had just landed in Hai City when they saw two peerless beauties in this very tavern. Although most of them were old geezers of several hundred years, their cultivation and upkeep were so good that they didn’t look old at all. Besides, an appreciation for beauty is only human, especially when it came to two stunningly beautiful women with such outstanding dispositions.
What none of them expected was that the other party seemed much stronger than they had imagined! Even a powerhouse like Chen Haichao, a Celestial Venerable, had failed to penetrate their barrier and had almost been discovered. It seemed the strength of those three young people was definitely not to be underestimated!
Little did they know, it wasn’t that Qin Li’s group hadn’t discovered them. Rather, they couldn’t be bothered to stir up trouble, and more importantly, they didn’t want to startle the snake by beating the grass. If these people were related to the disappearance of Bu Yunyan and the others, alarming them would mean losing a potential lead, wouldn’t it?
With Qin Li’s current realm, if he left a trace of his Divine Sense on these people, it would be nearly impossible for them to escape his grasp.
Qin Li was also quite surprised that their leader, in particular, possessed such tyrannical strength.
"Chief, how about I go and test their strength?" a handsome young man who looked to be in his thirties asked faintly, a barely perceptible, sly smile playing on his lips. "In any case, we were already planning to see what kind of powerhouse this new backer of the Yan Kingdom is!"
Chen Haichao pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. But be careful. Play it by ear, and whatever you do, don’t sour relations right off the bat!"
"When have I ever let you down?" The young man stood up, that same sly smile on his face, and headed downstairs.
This young man, named Yang Hua, held a pivotal position in the Sea Tide Gang. He was actually over 130 years old, and his strength had already reached the Celestial Integration Realm!
He was considered a young and promising expert who rarely met his match. Among his peers, he had always been considered one of the strongest, which had made him rather conceited.
However, Chen Haichao felt that a place like Hai City was well within the Sea Tide Gang’s sphere of influence. In fact, this bustling tavern was one of the Sea Tide Gang’s own properties.
Therefore, he didn’t think there would be any danger for Yang Hua to go and test the guests on the second floor. Even if the other party turned hostile, they would have plenty of time to react.
Qin Li’s group was primarily focused on finding Bu Yunyan and the other two women. Since they had no leads for now, and the message they found confirmed the three were safe, they had turned their attention to the two Spirit Flowers still needed to refine the Strengthening Pill.
Finding those two Spirit Flowers in the vast ocean would not be easy, so the three could only try their luck and prepare for a long search. Because of this, neither Qin Li nor Leng Yao wanted to stir up any extra trouble here. The Snake Woman, on the other hand, had a completely carefree attitude. To her, if someone was looking for trouble, you just killed them. Why let them live?
"Alright, are you two about done eating? If so, let’s get going," Qin Li said, looking at the two women.
"I’m done. Let’s go," Leng Yao said in her chilly voice. She was now just as desperate to find the two Spirit Flowers, refine the Strengthening Pill, and increase her strength as soon as possible.
The Snake Woman pouted and said softly, "But they’re already coming to our door!"
Qin Li sighed softly and sat back down, his mood growing sullen. The disappearance of Bu Yunyan and the others had affected him more than he let on.
It was just that Qin Li didn’t want to show it and make everyone aware of his turmoil. There was no point in making everyone else miserable along with him. But that didn’t mean he was in a good mood.
"Greetings, everyone. I am the Vice Gang Leader of the Sea Tide Gang. I’d like to get to know you all and make some friends," the young man said with a smile, striding gracefully over to Qin Li’s table.
Because he didn’t use a voice projection technique, everyone on the second floor of the tavern could hear him.
When many people heard the name "Sea Tide Gang," looks of surprise appeared on their faces. When they heard the young man identify himself as the Vice Gang Leader of the Sea Tide Gang, that surprise turned into deep reverence!
The Sea Tide Gang’s reputation in Hai City was truly renowned. Who among those who made a living in Hai City year-round didn’t know of the Sea Tide Gang?
At that moment, many gazes turned toward Qin Li and his companions. Some were sympathetic, others gloated. Most of them were thinking the same thing: ’It looks like the Vice Gang Leader of the Sea Tide Gang has taken a liking to the two peerless beauties with that young man. Truly... a beautiful face is a harbinger of disaster!’
"Heh, we’re complete strangers. We haven’t even had a chance encounter. Is there any need for us to get acquainted?" Qin Li’s expression was perfectly calm as he looked up at the young man. "We’re leaving this place shortly and don’t wish for any trouble. So, an introduction... won’t be necessary."
Everyone in the tavern who knew of the Sea Tide Gang broke into a cold sweat for Qin Li’s group. ’To think someone would dare to openly defy the Vice Gang Leader of such a powerful gang,’ they thought. ’They must have a death wish!’
The youthful-looking Yang Hua was, by any normal person’s standard, already an old man, so he didn’t get angry at these words. Instead, he just smiled faintly and said, "What’s this? Is my friend here looking down on me?"
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Whew, the writing isn’t going fast. There will definitely be one more Chapter tonight, but everyone should probably just wait and read it tomorrow. That Chapter likely won’t be out until one in the morning. (To be continued. If you want to know what happens next, please log in to www.qidian.com for more Chapters, to support the author, and to support legitimate reading!)
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