Chapter 590: Calm
The young awakened one's smile froze instantly. He looked down at the green crystal he had painstakingly collected over the past half hour, and after a long pause, he managed to squeeze out, "So... this crystal also bears the surname Lin?"
"Otherwise what?" The middle-aged awakened one patted his shoulder. "Didn't your second uncle teach you? In Beacon Fire Territory, you have to be quick when picking things up, and ruthless when handing them over. It's okay to be stingy, but you can't hoard things."
"My second uncle told me that if I joined the Beacon Fire Territory and followed the troops, I would definitely be able to accumulate wealth..." The young awakened one's voice grew softer and softer.
"Your second uncle is right," the middle-aged awakened one nodded in agreement. "Building a fortune mainly relies on merit points. The more crystals in this sack, the more merit points you'll have. Accumulate merit points first, then think about getting rich."
The young awakened one opened his mouth, but couldn't find the words to reply.
The middle-aged awakened one said happily, "Search carefully. The more you find, the more merit points you'll get. Once you've accumulated enough, go to the quartermaster's office to exchange for a first-tier promotion slot. That way, your second uncle won't have brought you in for nothing."
The young awakened one opened his mouth, looked down at the green crystal in his hand, then looked up at the still-smoking battlefield in the distance, and suddenly felt a surge of inexplicable warmth in his throat.
He stuffed the green crystal into the sack, turned around and squatted down, digging rapidly in the soil with both hands.
...
Blood Nest No. 10 of the Heavenly Rank, Blood Abyss Palace.
The temple gate is ten meters high and is carved from a single piece of obsidian. The facade is covered with dense, blood-red runes.
The hall is rectangular in shape, with the terrain gradually rising from the entrance. Seats on both sides ascend the steps, layer by layer, leaving a wide longitudinal passage in the center that leads directly to the deepest part of the hall.
The main seat is located at the deepest part, on a stone platform about half a person's height, which is the highest point in the entire venue.
Behind the stone platform was a huge blood-red screen, embroidered with a ferocious beast with its gaping maw and eyes inlaid with rubies.
The sect leader was not present at the moment, and four Celestial Realm experts stood side by side in front of the main seat.
Night Shadow stood in the center, his gray robe fluttering even without wind. To his left, Li Zhan laughed as if he were about to tear something apart at any moment, while to his right, Chong Shan remained silent as a rock.
The flower-burying maiden stood on the outermost edge, her long, moon-white dress cascading down like a waterfall, as still as a painting.
The ten grandmasters sat in the frontmost positions on both sides, and their expressions were not good.
Blood Butcher and Sound Eater died in the Nightmare Plane.
The twelve grandmasters were reduced to ten, and the two remaining positions were still vacant.
Someone glanced subconsciously at the seat where Shiyin was supposed to be sitting, then quickly looked away.
Most people were watching Night Shadow, who stood there calmly, so calmly that it sent chills down the spines of all the Grandmasters.
They knew this man's temperament all too well; the calmer he was, the more dangerous he was.
The remaining 408 masters had different expressions.
Those direct disciples who had gotten wind of the situation all lowered their bodies as low as possible, as if trying to shrink themselves into the shadows of the stone steps.
They knew that this time the dissatisfaction from above could no longer be suppressed, and even Lord Nightshade, who always protected the true disciples, had not shown any anger.
The fact that he didn't get angry was the worst news in itself. An old master who had followed Nightshade for many years sat in the corner, his hands trembling uncontrollably in his sleeves.
He kept his head down, not daring to look at the four people in front of him, and even less daring to let any of his fellow disciples see his pale face.
Many of the ordinary grandmasters who were not direct descendants were still completely bewildered.
"What's going on?" a young grandmaster asked in a low voice, turning to the person next to him, "Why did you suddenly summon everyone? What happened?"
"I don't know." The person next to him shook his head. "I was just called here too. The senior brother who delivered the order didn't say anything."
"Judging from the expressions of those elders, things don't look too good."
"Not just not good... Didn't you notice that Lord Nightshade hasn't said a single word all day?"
Now that you mention it, it's true...
"But you two shouldn't panic too much. In the end, it's because the other side is too strong. Losing isn't shameful."
An older master chimed in, his tone carrying the confidence of someone with experience.
"Exactly. Besides, it's not like other branches haven't stumbled on this before, and in the end, the other side didn't catch up, did they?"
"That makes sense. The Nightmare Dimension just finished that battle and needs a breather. How can they have the strength to counterattack us? I think Lord Nightshade is just giving us a few routine instructions to keep us from letting our guard down."
"Right, right, at worst we can retreat back to the Blood Nest to regroup. Once the other side stops making a move, this chapter will be over."
"Hearing you say that makes me feel much more at ease." The young master breathed a sigh of relief, his tense shoulders relaxing. "Then we'll follow your instructions later. We'll retreat when we need to, rest when we need to, and not try to stand out."
On the high platform not far away, Li Zhan slightly turned his head and glanced at the whispering figures below.
His mouth stretched even wider, and the scar twisted with his smile, looking like a centipede crawling on his face.
"Interesting." His lips barely moved, yet his voice, like a thin breeze, only reached the ears of the three people beside him. "Those little brats down there, they think they're going to live."
Chongshan remained expressionless, like a stone statue.
Zanghua lowered her eyes slightly, a very faint smile curving her lips.
Just then, Nightshade's voice suddenly rang out. His voice was very calm, so calm that it didn't sound like he was talking about the defeat of hundreds of thousands of people.
"We have lost this battle."
Everyone involuntarily raised their heads to look at the man in the gray robe in front of the main seat, whose face was so delicate that he seemed almost frail.
"But the reason for the defeat wasn't you; the main reason was that the opponent had five Celestial Realm experts."
Upon hearing this, many masters exchanged glances, and several of them visibly relaxed their shoulders.
One of the round-faced masters even let out a very light breath, a breath that carried a clear sense of relief.
The person next to him nudged him lightly with their elbow, signaling him not to be too obvious.
"Not only that, the enemy has twice as many Grandmaster-level experts as we do. Even if it were another branch sect, the result would be the same."
Nightshade continued, his tone still calm, as if he were stating something that had nothing to do with him.
"Therefore, I will personally report this battle to the sect leader, focusing on attributing our defeat to the enemy's strength. The sect leader will decide the right and wrong."
His casual remark sounded like a pardon to those ordinary masters.
They breathed a sigh of relief, and some even showed smiles of relief at surviving a disaster.
A grandmaster with triangular eyes secretly wiped his forehead with his sleeve; it was covered in cold sweat.
One of the middle-aged masters sitting in the back row couldn't help but chuckle, then quickly lowered his head, pretending to adjust his belt.
But those who truly understand Nightshade sense something even colder beneath that calm.
None of the direct descendants of the Celestial Realm raised their heads; instead, they lowered their bodies even further and softened their breathing.
The old master's face was so pale it was almost transparent, and his hands trembled even more violently in his sleeves.
He knew Nightshade all too well. His words just now, seemingly trying to exonerate everyone, were actually pushing those who hadn't yet realized the danger toward a dead end.
The calmer and more understated the night, the stronger the murderous intent in his heart, and those who are targeted never have a good ending.
But those ordinary grandmasters who were not part of the Celestial Realm's direct lineage seemed to have escaped death and all came back to life.
Some people secretly relaxed their tense shoulders, some wiped the sweat from their palms with their fingertips, and some winked at their fellow disciples, revealing a relaxed expression that said "it's okay now."
Nightshade glanced at them and continued, "This defeat can still be attributed to the fact that the opponent's strength far exceeded our expectations. But if the Nightmare Plane comes knocking on our door and we are defeated again, neither of us can bear the Sect Master's wrath."
His tone suddenly turned cold.
"According to intelligence from the front lines, that nightmare dimension is preparing for war; this battle is unavoidable."
The brief moment of relief that had just begun to rise in the hall vanished without a trace.
The masters, who had just been secretly relieved, turned pale again.