Chapter 389: Chapter 276: Negotiating Again, the Spiritual Talismans Converge and Chaos Looms (Middle)

"What is it, Carlos?"

the gentlemanly elder asked, looking at the man who had entered the conference room.

"Everyone, I’ve just received a message from Hua Yuanhang," the man named Carlos said in a grave voice.

The five people in the conference room all looked intrigued. Hua Yuanhang’s party had gone to negotiate with the Donghua Group, and they were eager to know how it went.

Wait.

Then, their expressions shifted. They all sensed something was amiss. After all, none of them were simple individuals.

Zeno was the leader of this delegation. Normally, if the negotiations had been successful, he would have been the one to report back.

"It seems our delegation to Donghua has met with an accident," the hunched old man with his head wrapped in gauze said. "Go on, tell us what happened."

"According to Hua Yuanhang’s report, they clashed directly with the Donghua Martial Artists. Yi Beidou subdued and captured Zeno, who is now in their custody. They’re demanding to trade him for intelligence they’re interested in."

Carlos said grimly, his expression making it clear that he, too, was stunned by the news.

As a fellow Celestial General, he knew Zeno’s character well. ’Zeno is powerful, protected by the Holy Spear. Moreover, he has an unyielding personality, can’t tolerate the slightest injustice, and values his honor above all else.’

’Given his character, he would have fought to his last breath rather than be taken captive. The only exception would be if his opponent’s power was so overwhelming that it left him no chance to even mount a final, desperate resistance.’

But for a secular Martial Artist to be capable of such a feat... he found it utterly inconceivable.

It felt as if the accumulated power of a thousand-year dynasty had been surpassed by some upstart savage who’d come out of nowhere.

The leaders of the Five Divine Sealing Veins present also understood this, of course. Various expressions appeared on their faces as they processed the news.

A delegation of three Celestial Generals and five Spirit Officers had been forced to retreat by just a handful of Donghua people. Even their strongest member and leader had been captured and turned into a bargaining chip. This outcome was far beyond anything they had anticipated.

For a moment, a silence fell over the conference room.

"Give us the details," the gentlemanly elder said with a sigh.

’The Spiritual Talisman is becoming increasingly difficult to suppress. A great war is on the horizon, and now, to have an unexpected setback like this... We’ve lost a Celestial General Level combatant.’

"Yes..."

Carlos then relayed the entire sequence of events in detail. Hua Yuanhang’s report had been meticulous, covering their strategic decisions, how the Donghua Group had detected them en route, Belte’s provocation that initiated the conflict, and the specific details of each individual fight that broke out.

A terrifying regenerative ability that surpassed the limits of the physical body, reaching the Body Prohibition Level.

A dreadful Secret Technique of ever-increasing power; a Demon Flame that could overwhelm even the Holy Spear Zeno had summoned; and a frightening strength that had subdued Zeno with ease...

All of this forced the group to re-evaluate Yi Beidou’s strength.

"I never imagined he could still use that terrifying regenerative power even after leaving Penglai Immortal Mountain. That is a power the Alchemists have failed to master for a thousand years," the gentlemanly elder remarked with a sigh.

"And the other Donghua Martial Artists cannot be underestimated. Two of them were able to fight on even terms with Celestial General Level opponents. Even the newcomer who just recently achieved Ascension could suppress two Spirit Officers," the striking woman said in a serious tone.

"I told you all we should have approached them with a gentler attitude. If you had listened to me, this never would have happened," the young Asian man sighed.

"Hmph. This situation proves our judgment was correct," the hunched old man with his head wrapped in gauze said with a cold snort. "These secular people are truly treacherous. It was merely a small test, yet they reacted so viciously. This proves they are indeed harboring ill intentions and have grand, sinister ambitions."

"Regardless, what has happened has happened," the young Asian man said. "The priority now is to decide how to handle this. Zeno is still in their hands; we can’t just stand by and do nothing. Furthermore, their strength truly warrants our serious consideration."

"It is time to change our attitude slightly. They need intelligence, do they not? We can give it to them. In any case, the Spiritual Talisman will erupt soon. It doesn’t matter if they won’t follow our orders. They are in the Eastern Mediterranean, while we are in the west. They can’t pose a threat to us for the time being."

"On the contrary," the striking woman added, musing, "having them stir up trouble in the eastern region could create some chaos and cause problems for the Secret Organizations. Even if they get lucky and manage to seize a Spiritual Talisman, it’s of no concern. Dealing with them would still be easier than dealing with those Secret Organizations."

The others nodded slightly in agreement.

Their original plan had been to take the lead in their cooperation with the Donghua Group. But since that was now impossible, using intelligence to manipulate the Donghua People into acting as their blade was a decent alternative.

The only problem was the inherent risk of a blade not held in one’s own hand.

However, the great geographical distance between them minimized that threat.

"But if we just give in like this, I’m afraid it will only make these secular people more brazen," the old man with his head wrapped in gauze said.

"Isn’t that for the best?" the gentlemanly elder said mildly. "If they were filled with fear, they wouldn’t be so eager to charge into battle. Only the ignorant can be fearless."

Although the performance of Yi Beidou and the Donghua Group had exceeded their expectations, they still posed no true threat to the Five Divine Sealing Veins.