"Recently, the allied forces have been frequently attacked, suffering heavy losses. Envoy Ling Yu, we'd better be cautious."

The White Dragon Half Saint glanced at Ling Chen and reminded him.

Although he was a Half-Saint, before setting out this time, Elder Ling Xiong of the Ling family had commanded that Ling Chen and the three of them jointly oversee this operation, and Ling Chen, being the envoy of the Ling family, naturally became the leader of this fleet.

"White Dragon Half Saint is being overly cautious. If the Witch Fiend Sect dares to appear, there is no need for the three seniors to act, I alone can handle it."

Ling Chen shook his head, looking full of confidence, and clearly not taking any advice.

"Alas, young calves aren't afraid of tigers, it seems this action might be dangerous."

"Indeed, how did they let a kid who knows nothing command the fleet, this might turn out badly."

"Don't worry too much, after all, we have three Half-Saint powerhouses, even if we're ambushed, it won't be too disastrous."

Some strong individuals from the alliance whispered in discussion.

"Hmph, typical of a kid from the branch family, inexperienced and overinflated once in power."

Looking at Ling Chen, who seemed somewhat lost in complacency, Ling Feng also snorted coldly, a trace of ridicule in his eyes.

"The more he revels, the quicker he dies."

Ling Hai's eyes also showed a touch of coldness, "Rest assured, this time, he won't return alive to Qinglong Island."

This time, they were well-prepared, with powerful assistance, Ling Chen was certainly doomed.

A distance of fifty miles was like a blink of an eye for the fleet; soon, the fleet encountered troops from the Witch Fiend Sect, but it was only a small group, as Ling Chen said, a band of miscellaneous soldiers, easily crushed.

"I told you they were just a bunch of miscellaneous soldiers, now, are you convinced?"

Ling Chen sneered, appearing quite arrogant.

"What's wrong with Envoy Ling Yu today, I remember last time he wasn't like this."

Not far away, the beautiful woman looked a bit shocked at Ling Chen, he was like a different person from the calm, meticulous, easygoing young man they met two days ago. If they didn't recognize Ling Chen's appearance, they might suspect they'd mistaken him for someone else.

"Indeed, the envoy seems a bit off today."

The strong man was also puzzled.

Only Kong Xuan took a deep look at Ling Chen and revealed a thoughtful expression, then smiled knowingly, "Rest assured, the envoy is still the envoy; we just need to follow orders."

Upon hearing this, both the beautiful woman and the strong man nodded. Although still doubtful, they had decided to trust Ling Chen when they arrived and wouldn't change easily.

Only Ling Xue's expression remained unchanged, her pretty face showing a usual demeanor. Those unfamiliar with Ling Chen might really think he was swelling with pride, but she didn't believe Ling Chen was actually inflated; she suspected this state was to deceive the enemy.

Quickly, they arrived at Black Stone Island.

On Black Stone Island, there were thousands of mining personnel, a contingent of the Saint Family alliance stationed here too.

During the development of this sea area, the Saint family alliance and Witch Fiend Sect had reached an agreement that regardless of their war, neither side would attack the other's mining personnel; after all, mining is a skill, especially for the Water Spirit Crystal Mine, a special type of stone. Mining personnel are hard to train, losing one is significant.

Hence, usually, both sides' fleets only get attacked when transporting resources, despite being sworn enemies, attacks follow rules. If they launch a destructive war recklessly, both sides would suffer, control is necessary, or else mutual destruction with no benefit.

The Witch Fiend Sect doesn't want this, and the Saint family alliance shares this sentiment.

Black Stone Island has three veins of Water Spirit Crystal, abundant resources all piled in one mine. Once inside, one immediately feels the spiritual Qi's moist vibe, there lay piles of Water Spirit Crystal stones.

"Envoy, the crystals are all here!"

The alliance leader stationed on Black Stone Island said respectfully.

Ling Chen nodded and after surveying the area, he ordered everyone to start transporting the crystals.

The number of crystals was vast, difficult to fully load with storage rings, but they were prepared with special containers for the crystals. In less than half an hour, the mountain of Water Spirit Crystals was loaded.

After loading the Water Spirit Crystals, Ling Chen wasted no time and commanded the fleet to return to Qinglong Island.

But as the fleet just sailed out of the near sea, Ling Chen raised an eyebrow and told the fleet to stop.

"Envoy Ling Yu, what's the matter?"

The White Dragon Half Saint asked.

Ling Chen lifted his arm, pointed to the right front, and said, "Let's go this way."

"Go this way?"

Everyone looked at each other, confused.

"I don't understand, why suddenly change the route."

The Heaven Cloud Half Saint frowned.

"It's simple."

Ling Chen said calmly, "Although we annihilated the Witch Fiend Sect troops, there might be stray communication to alert them. If we follow the previous route, there's a high chance of ambush, so we need to change our route."

"But, changing the route doubles our sailing time, making timely return to Qinglong Island difficult, and longer time at sea increases ominous risks."

The White Dragon Half Saint disagreed with changing the route.

Only the Water Heart Half Saint stayed silent, with no intention of voicing an opinion.

"Since the Fourth Elder entrusted me with command of this operation, can't I decide on such minor matters as changing the route?"

Ling Chen's gaze turned sharp.

The White Dragon Half Saint persisted, "Envoy Ling Yu, this is a special time, don't let unilateral decisions put us at unnecessary risk, please reconsider."

"Envoy, the White Dragon Half Saint is right. Recently, fleets have been frequently attacked; the longer we stay at sea, the higher the probability of attack."

"Ignoring elders' words invites trouble, Envoy. The White Dragon Half Saint is an experienced figure; his advice shouldn't be dismissed." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Many stood up to oppose, preferring the White Dragon Half Saint's judgment over Ling Chen's, both in strength and prestige.

"Shut up."

Ling Chen coldly sneered, then fixed his eyes on the White Dragon Half Saint, "You're so vigorously opposing me wanting to change the route, is there something guilty in your heart? I understand, lately, rumors have spread intensively about an insider within the allied forces. It seems likely, you're the spy."