As Lin Qian and the others entered the mansion, they were met with a scene of utter disarray. The courtyard was in shambles, and a group of injured Eight-Armed Sea Clan members and humans were busy making repairs.
Lin Qian quickly understood why the mansion showed signs of repair when the rest of the buildings in the ruins remained intact. The mansion had been damaged, and the people within had been injured—it was clear that something violent had occurred.
"Who did this?" Zhang Tianxin's voice was low and filled with fury as he addressed the injured workers who had been startled by their arrival.
One glance at the scene made it evident that someone had attacked them.
Zhou Yi'an's expression was hidden behind the water-breathing soul device Lin Qian had given him, but the tightly furrowed brows and the killing intent in his eyes made his anger clear.
"Patriarch, you're finally here."
"Old Sect Master, you must seek justice for us."
Seeing Zhang Tianxin and Zhou Yi'an, the Eight-Armed Sea Clan members and the humans hurriedly stepped forward, their faces full of grievance.
"The Eightfold Hall and the Black-Blade Fish Clan have gone too far. Even though we discovered the items first, they just stormed in and took them."
"They brought their forces ahead of us and attacked without warning. The Ninth Elder and Elder Qi of the Carefree Sect were seriously injured and are now bedridden!"
As the injured explained the situation in bits and pieces, Lin Qian and the others pieced together the events that had transpired.
After the discovery of the ancient human ruins, the various factions had agreed on rules and chosen locations to set up temporary residences. The formation experts from each faction then worked together to break through the portal.
Most of the valuable items in the ruins near the entrance to the small world had already been scavenged.
But half a month ago, the Eight-Armed Sea Clan's Ninth Elder, the most skilled in formations, discovered a hidden cave within a mountain. The cave was protected by an illusion formation. After the Eight-Armed Sea Clan and Carefree Sect members broke through the formation and claimed the treasures within, the Black-Blade Fish Clan and the Eightfold Hall suddenly arrived and forcibly took the items.
The main forces of the Black-Blade Fish Clan and the Eightfold Hall had arrived over a month earlier, giving them the upper hand. The remaining members of the Eight-Armed Sea Clan and the Carefree Sect couldn't resist their strength.
Fortunately, the invaders hadn't escalated the conflict by killing anyone, likely to avoid deepening the rift between the factions. Otherwise, Zhang Tianxin and Zhou Yi'an would have sought immediate vengeance.
"Brother, may I ask, did the Black-Blade Fish Clan arrive here with a King Whale as their mount? And did they come with the Eightfold Hall?" Lin Qian suddenly asked one of the Eight-Armed Sea Clan members standing at the front.
Zhang Tianxin and Zhou Yi'an halted their steps toward the injured elders and turned sharply to look at the Eight-Armed Sea Clan member, along with everyone else present. The question had clearly struck a chord.
The Eight-Armed Sea Clan member hesitated and took two steps back, nervously replying, "The Eightfold Hall arrived two days earlier, and the Black-Blade Fish Clan came two days later, on their own, riding a King Whale. It was strange—they're allies but didn't travel together..."
"How many members of the Black-Blade Fish Clan came?" Zhang Tianxin quickly asked, his expression urgent.
Sensing the patriarch's anxiety, the Eight-Armed Sea Clan member looked puzzled but answered truthfully, "About 2,000 members. The King Whale they rode was large, with a crown big enough to accommodate over 10,000 people."
"A large King Whale?" Lin Qian felt a growing sense of unease and asked slowly, "Did that King Whale have a blue spot on the front of its white belly? And among the Black-Blade Fish Clan members, was there a short, one-armed man with a fierce appearance?"
The Eight-Armed Sea Clan member's face showed confusion as he answered, "Yes, the King Whale had a blue spot on its belly, and the one-armed Black-Blade Fish Clan member was the one who injured the Ninth Elder and Elder Qi. He was short and looked very fierce."
"..." Silence fell over the group as a chill ran down their spines.
Lin Qian clenched his fists and exhaled heavily, a stream of bubbles rising from his water-breathing soul device. Ye Xin moved closer to him, gripping his arm tightly.
The King Whale that should have had its organs sucked dry and blood drained had brought the Black-Blade Fish Clan to the ruins over a month ago. The one-armed Black-Blade Fish Clan member, whom they had discovered dead just days ago, had attacked the elders only half a month earlier.
There was no way Zhang Tianxin and Zhou Yi'an, with their immense power, could have missed such a thing as someone faking their death.
Moreover, when they found the one-armed Black-Blade Fish Clan member's corpse, it had been lying in wait while another version of him attacked and stole their treasures.
They were sure that the King Whale was dead, as were those Black-Blade Fish Clan members.
So what exactly was the King Whale near the Black-Blade Fish Clan and Eightfold Hall's camp?
And what was the one-armed Black-Blade Fish Clan member who had attacked them half a month ago?
Lin Qian's expression suddenly changed as he looked seriously at Zhang Tianxin and Zhou Yi'an. "Seniors, there's something I need to tell you."
"What is it, Lin Qian?" Zhang Tianxin asked, curious about what Lin Qian had to say.
Lin Qian hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I have a habit of collecting ancient texts and creating interesting soul techniques. One such technique involves leaving a trace of my consciousness on an object to observe the surrounding environment."
"It's easy to detect, but I left a trace on the dead King Whale, just as a test."
"My consciousness vanished, and before that, the King Whale and the Black-Blade Fish Clan corpses disappeared without a trace."
Lin Qian's story was fabricated, but the disappearance of the bodies was real. The Heavenly Works Department of the Huaxia Empire had relayed the information to him just moments before—the King Whale and the Black-Blade Fish Clan corpses had suddenly disappeared as if they had never existed.
"Vanished into thin air? Are you certain?" Zhang Tianxin's face paled as he pressed Lin Qian for confirmation.
Lin Qian nodded seriously, a bitter smile on his lips. "I'm afraid we've encountered something truly strange."
The Eight-Armed Sea Clan member who had been answering their questions suddenly recalled something and turned even paler. "I just remembered something."
All eyes turned to him as he hesitantly spoke up.
"That one-armed Black-Blade Fish Clan member... didn't have a shadow..."