CHAPTER 759: 752

Chen Hai had been expressly summoned out of his closed-door cultivation by Li Kuishan, Sun Tu, and others, specifically to seek his advice.

At this moment, since Chen Hai had already spoken, they naturally had no reason to object.

After all, they had already made their stance clear, stating they would follow Chen Hai’s lead, ever since his true power and realm had been revealed.

Now, if they harbored dissent at this time, wouldn’t that be reneging on their words and slapping their own faces?

"Taoist Friend Chen, since you have made your decision, we naturally have no objections."

"In three days, after we assemble, we will head to the Merit Hall together."

"Once we leave the mining area and encounter any unexpected events in the wilderness, we hope you will look after us, considering we’re all from the same team!"

After a moment of contemplation and exchanging glances, they nodded and Li Kuishan spoke up to request.

This escort mission was clearly Dongfang Mu scheming against them.

They were well aware of their own abilities, and to put it bluntly, once out in the wilderness, there was no need for any cunning tricks. Dongfang Mu alone could wipe them out completely.

"Rest assured, we’re all colleagues here. If anything happens, as long as it’s within my capacity, I definitely won’t ignore any of you!"

Chen Hai smiled, nodded, and casually responded.

Of course, he said that, but how he would act would ultimately be up to him.

Ever since he heard about this matter, he had only one thought in his mind: to find an opportunity to leave the mining area.

As for Li Kuishan and the others, what choices they would make was their business, and Chen Hai couldn’t dictate that.

Given his slight acquaintance with Li Kuishan and the others, they wouldn’t hesitate to sell him out for a small benefit; it was quite possible.

Knowing this possibility, Chen Hai naturally wouldn’t really open up to them or reveal his thoughts to them.

"Alright, let’s leave it at that."

"Take advantage of the little time we have left. Prepare what needs to be prepared in the next few days and adjust your condition as well."

"When the day comes, we’ll meet up in the other courtyard first, then head to the Merit Hall together!"

After responding, Chen Hai glanced over Li Kuishan and the others, waved, called out to them, then rose and walked towards the exit of the living room.

The annex where he stayed was only a temporary lodging; all the important things were in his Storage Pouch.

Recklessly courageous and without the thought of making any preparations, Chen Hai sat cross-legged on the large wooden bed in the room and swiftly re-entered into cultivation.

The disciples who had crossed the void and diligently cultivated the Black Water True Technique beneficially fed back their power to him, and in just a few days, he gained six or seven more strands of strength.

With that somewhat unfamiliar power as a medium, Chen Hai glimpsed into the ways those owners of the power cultivated.

It must be said that the disciples of the Black Water Lineage were indeed very diligent in their practices.

To quickly elevate their own realms, they devoured flesh, insects, vegetation, and even, Chen Hai saw one who cultivated by consuming soil.

Originally, when he left Black Water Immortal Mountain and was conscripted by the Heavenly Mansion, there were only a little over a hundred disciples under him.

Recently, the new disciples who had fed back power to him were completely unfamiliar.

Clearly, these were new entrants, not the same group of old disciples as before.

Chen Hai was very pleased with this. It seemed that even without him, his Black Water Lineage could still thrive in the West Barbarian Mountain Territory.

Of course, this situation was quite normal.

After all, following the forceful conscription by the Heavenly Mansion, aside from the few such as Zhang Tianci and Ye Fangxian who had escaped the ordeal by relying on the Black Water Immortal Mansion to hide, it was feared that not a single True Immortal could be found within the whole territory of West Barbarian Mountain.

In the absence of any external interference, the orders issued by Ye Qingqing and others, who led the Black Water Lineage, were definitely as weighty as nine sacred cauldrons, and what they wanted to do, likewise, could be achieved with ease.

As long as they were willing, out of the population of over one billion within the territory of West Barbarian Mountain, quite a few could be found who would succeed in obtaining the inheritance of the Black Water True Technique upon entering the Black Water Myriad Spirit Pool.

"My cultivation efficiency has improved a bit more, it’s just a pity that time is too tight, and I still fall a few months short of stepping into Heavenly Immortal Realm Perfection!" Chen Hai sighed with a sense of regret after withdrawing the thread of consciousness that had been inspecting his own condition.

Immersed in cultivation, time always flew by swiftly, and soon it was three days later.

In the early morning, just as the sunrise had begun to ascend, the first ray of light burst forth.

Chen Hai and Li Kuishan, along with a few others, had already set out from their separate courtyard and arrived at an open space near the Merit Hall.

Waiting to the left and to the right, they had waited for nearly a two-hour time in this place until Dongfang Mu finally arrived, late as could be.

"Captain Dongfang, what do you mean by this?"

"You asked us to meet here early this morning, and now it’s already this late? We’ve been waiting here for almost a two-hour time."

"We even thought that maybe you had overworked last night, couldn’t get up, and overslept, right?"

Li Kuishan and the others didn’t look too pleased, but Chen Hai was expressionless, as if unconcerned by the matter.

Sun Tu, ever the sarcastic one, went straight to pointing a finger at Dongfang Mu and began his questioning.

Having been sent flying with a punch from Chen Hai, Dongfang Mu had long since lost much of his dignity within their team.

The originally injured Sun Tu had always harbored resentment towards him, and now stepping forward, apart from venting the frustration in his heart, was also a good opportunity to curry favor with Chen Hai.

"The day hasn’t even reached three poles high, so it’s still morning. As your captain, do I, Dongfang Mu, need to explain my actions to you, Sun Tu?" With a roll of his eyes, Dongfang Mu glared fiercely at Sun Tu.

He might have some misgivings about Chen Hai, but when reprimanding Sun Tu, a former subordinate who had been defeated, he naturally showed no mercy.

"Team leader? Dongfang Mu, no one in our team recognizes you."

"A good-for-nothing who couldn’t even block a single punch from Taoist Friend Chen, do you ask yourself if you’re qualified to sit in this position?"

"In the eyes of us teammates, only Taoist Friend Chen is the undisputed choice to be our captain..."

Li Kuishan, with a mocking smile, not reaching his eyes, retorted to Dongfang Mu while curling his lips.

There were only a few people in Team 7; since they had already torn their faces with Dongfang Mu, they naturally needed to present a united front on their side.

His words seemed to mock Dongfang Mu, but in reality, he pushed Chen Hai forward, putting him on the spot.

"Enough, say less!" Frowning, Chen Hai huffed softly and finally spoke up.

He had no interest in verbal banter; when it came to action, he was too lazy to bother with words.

The Merit Hall was certainly not a suitable place for conflict, according to his thinking, no matter what Dongfang Mu was scheming, they could discuss these matters after leaving the mining area and arriving in the wilderness.

"Sir, you’ve arrived..."

Not far away, Wu Meng, clad in brocade clothes, seemed to appear from nowhere, his hands clasped behind his back as he walked slowly towards them.

Just as Dongfang Mu was getting ready to sarcastically respond to his subordinates, his face underwent a drastic change.

He put on a servile smile, sidestepped Chen Hai and the others, and scurried off to greet Wu Meng.