Chapter 312

Chapter 312: Severe Sea Conditions

Lou Yun put away his ice crystal jade weapon and said lightly, "Get up!"

Not a single person in front dared to stand up, but Lou Yun frowned slightly and said, "What, didn’t any of you hear what I said?"

Shi Renyong said hurriedly, "We dare not, it’s just that we were ignorant and didn’t recognize you as the Alliance Leader. Earlier, Pei Dali and others offended you greatly. I venture to plead for mercy on their behalf, I beg you not to blame them."

This statement from Shi Renyong made Lou Yun nod in satisfaction inwardly once more, thinking that members of the Divine Weapon Alliance, from Command Masters down to Artifact Masters, were indeed all meticulously chosen. As the Artifact Master of South Sea City, Shi Renyong showing such care for his subordinates was truly rare.

"The innocent should not be blamed, so all of you, rise!"

"Thank you, Alliance Leader!"

With Lou Yun’s assurance, finally, under Shi Renyong’s lead, the group dared to stand up.

After glancing at those several young men whose cultivation had been disabled, Lou Yun shifted his gaze to Pei Dali: "Pei Dali, earlier I distinctly heard you hedging in your words. You may speak out now."

Pei Dali shuddered all over and quickly knelt again, saying, "The Alliance Leader is truly perceptive, I was at fault. I beg your forgiveness!"

"I want you to reveal why you recommended them in the first place!"

"Yes, although their character is somewhat flawed, their status was rather unusual. After careful consideration back then, I took the risk of making an exception to allow them into this alliance."

"Unusual status?" Lou Yun laughed coldly, "So, they must be disciples from some prominent local families?"

"This…" Pei Dali suddenly looked awkward, "To be honest, I never really knew their origins. Someone else recommended them to me at that time – someone I had ties with. I did hear they belonged to a large family near the South Sea, but after all this time, I haven’t been able to dig up details about their clan. It all seemed very mysterious."

"Considering that our alliance had just arrived in South Sea City back then, I thought gaining favor with local powers could aid our expansion. That’s why I rashly consented."

Hearing this stirred something in Lou Yun’s mind, and he suddenly thought of a possibility. Taking a deep breath, he asked slowly, "Do they bear the surname Huangfu?"

Pei Dali looked up startled, eyes wide with surprise: "So, the Alliance Leader knows of the Huangfu Family too!"

Lou Yun forced a bitter smile, thinking: How could such a coincidence happen? These Divine Weapon Alliance youths turned out to be members of the Huangfu Family!

He’d come here specifically to accept an invitation from the Huangfu Family, hoping to discuss reconciling the feud between the Lou Family and the Huangfu Family. But now, before even meeting any Huangfu representatives, he’d crippled the cultivation of several Huangfu clan members. If the Huangfu Family found out, even if they’d initially wanted peace, they’d surely refuse outright – this was brand-new enmity!

The thought of what might follow naturally deepened Lou Yun’s bitter smile; yet he also felt puzzled. As one of the Nine Great Clans, the Huangfu Family had unique cultivation methods. Why send their members out to other realms instead of training them within the clan? And why specifically to the Divine Weapon Alliance?

And more baffling was this: As clan members, why resort to petty thievery?

"I know of the Huangfu Family, though not closely. For now, since they’re Huangfu clansmen, don’t let them return."

Shi Renyong, despite his fierce looks, was quite astute. He understood Lou Yun’s intent from the bitter smile and words, wisely asking nothing more. He merely instructed a few men to take the young ones – Xiaohai and others – back immediately for "hospitality," effectively detaining them.

Lou Yun sighed heavily, sinking into gloom. What had been a well-planned endeavor turned tricky solely due to this unforeseen incident – and not just tricky, but seriously tough!

"Shi Renyong, I have questions for you, but not here. Find a proper spot."

Shi Renyong hurriedly replied, "Alliance Leader, please come to our headquarters!"

Solely led by Shi Renyong and his entourage, Lou Yun and Gui You Quan arrived at the Divine Weapon Alliance’s stronghold in South Sea City.

After settling in the main hall in order of rank, Lou Yun sipped his tea, set down the cup heavily, and cut straight to the chase: "Pei Dali, when exactly did Xiaohai and his lot join us?"

From Lou Yun’s earlier expression, Pei Dali sensed the gravity involving the Huangfu Family. At the question now, he dared not stall, rising at once from his seat to answer honestly: "Respected Alliance Leader, they joined roughly a year ago. The recommender was Huangfu Duan. I met him after a sea storm once – he happened by and saved me. After that, we became friends. But I hid my affiliation with the Divine Weapon Alliance, claiming only that my group urgently needed manpower. That’s when he recommended Xiaohai and his friends. Considering his clan’s standing in the South Sea, I accepted!"

"Huangfu Duan!" Lou Yun murmured the name, finding no memory of it – among the Huangfu clan, he only knew Huangfu En, who’d delivered the invitation.

Not one among the group dared to breathe too hard, all awaiting Lou Yun’s follow-up. Lou Yun pondered for a moment, deciding that since things were irreversible, he might as well confess truthfully at the Huangfu Family later. After all, though Pei Dali had crippled them, the order came from him, and they’d provoked things initially. If the Huangfu Family were reasonable, they wouldn’t be too harsh – but if unreasonably hostile, then he’d just have to face them as enemies.

"Fine, let this end here. I shall be absent awhile. Until my return, keep Xiaohai and his companions here. No one is to mention this again. I don’t want it known outside our circle. Understood?"

Shi Renyong and the others all stood, bowing as they answered in unison: "Yes, sir!"

Lou Yun waved dismissively to seat them before adding: "Actually, I’m here for a purpose. On entering the city, soldiers told me sea voyages are banned for all private and merchant groups. Do you know what’s wrong?"

Shi Renyong – just seated – quickly stood back up: "Respected Alliance Leader, we do know this matter!"

"Go ahead, speak plainly."

Out at sea, violent storms and other severe hazards naturally caused sailing difficulties, potentially dooming vessels. Still, such events weren’t frequent or localized to one area.

But roughly a month back, about dozens of kilometers from South Sea City’s port, a specific sea region, unavoidable for routes in any direction, started experiencing tumultuous winds, heavy rains, and towering waves. This "severe sea condition" struck every few hours, devastatingly strong enough to sink any ship – small or large – that encountered it.

Its swath was vast, spanning many miles.

At first, all dismissed it as mere bad luck among seasoned seafarers. Yet within a month, over a hundred ships had perished there, finally grabbing widespread concern.

Official investigations, private probes, even Divine Weapon Alliance dispatches all failed: anyone entering that zone – regardless of rank or ship size – vanished without trace. Thus, South Sea City’s City Lord issued an emergency ban, ordering soldiers to warn arrivals against sea travel. Only when the cause got uncovered would the ban lift.

After Shi Renyong’s account, Lou Yun was shocked. How could this resemble that "death zone" back in the East Sea – caused by Thunderstorm Fire? Was another kind of heavenly fire unfolding here?

But Chang Xiang flatly rejected that idea: no remaining heavenly fires mimicked Thunderstorm Fire – each type was unique. And since Lou Yun already tamed Thunderstorm Fire, there couldn’t be a second.

Lou Yun brooded before asking: "Who from the alliance was dispatched? Did they gather any useful clues?"

Shi Renyong shook his head with a pained grin: "Alliance Leader, I sent out four members. All were human-level magical weapons masters – alone or paired, each vanishing once entering that zone. But we learned something."

"Staying outside the area is safe. So I stationed more members there long-term. They noted the pattern: severe conditions hit every four hours, lasting about four hours and spanning over fifty miles. Ships couldn’t cross that quick. Even airborne navigation via magical weapons was impossible due to chaotic energy above – deadly calm or not."

No sooner had Shi Renyong spoken than Gui You Quan – seated beside Lou Yun with closed eyes, feigning sleep – let out a disdainful snort!