"Sects and powers that forge artifacts?"
Ye Cangtian heard this term for the first time and quickly asked for details.
"Hmph."
Elder Long snorted upon hearing this and rapped Ye Cangtian on the head.
"You fool, what is forging if not the crafting of armor, weapons, and defensive equipment?"
"Like elixirs, it's one of the ancient human techniques!"
Ye Cangtian rubbed his head as he listened, his mind finally cleared.
Now everyone was studying the crystallization of ancient human wisdom. Since some people liked refining elixirs, others liked forging armor and defensive gear.
Thinking this, Ye Cangtian quickly asked, "Elder Long, you've been exploring the ruins for so many years. Do you know of any forging sects?"
"No."
Elder Long replied decisively.
While the items forged by forging sects couldn't match the works of ancient forging masters for the most part, they still possessed considerable defensive and offensive power.
Thus, these sects were highly regarded by other powers.
Both forging and alchemy required extremely quiet environments, so most forging sects had gone into seclusion to avoid disturbance.
The only forging sect Elder Long had ever heard of was the Bing Jia Lou (Armory Pavilion), but he had only heard of it and never had the chance to see it.
Bing Jia Lou?
Ye Cangtian committed the name to memory. Perhaps in his future explorations of the ruins, he would have a chance to encounter it.
At that time, his Dragon Soul Blade might have a chance to be restored.
...
A small county town on the outskirts of Jinling City.
This county town was not large in area, and the largest courtyard within it was the Half Moon Hall located in the central area.
Inside the inner hall of the Half Moon Hall, a chilling atmosphere permeated the air.
The Hall Master, Fang Boyan, sat in the main seat.
Below him were two elders and several captains.
They had recently received news that the Young Hall Master, Fang Liang, had died near Dragon City.
Furthermore, according to intelligence, Fang Liang had a very unpleasant encounter with Ye Cangtian of the Hidden Group prior to his death.
This naturally led everyone to suspect something.
It was highly possible that Fang Liang was killed by people sent by Ye Cangtian after he left the city.
It was because of Fang Liang's death that everyone was filled with murderous intent.
Regardless, Fang Liang was the Young Hall Master of the Half Moon Hall. Not only had their cooperation failed, but he had also been killed by the Hidden Group.
This was like an outright humiliation of the Half Moon Hall!
However, despite their burning anger, they were still very wary of the Hidden Group.
The Hidden Group's strength already surpassed that of the Half Moon Hall. Now, with the addition of dozens of Earth-level experts, they were even more formidable.
If they were to go to war with the Hidden Group, it was possible that the Hidden Group would remain largely unharmed, while the Half Moon Hall would cease to exist.
Yet, they could not simply let go of this grievance.
Even if they could tolerate it, Hall Master Fang Boyan could not, as Fang Liang was his son.
"Report!"
Just as the Half Moon Hall was undecided, a messenger's voice came through, and a guard appeared in the hall.
He respectfully saluted Fang Boyan before speaking, "Hall Master, we have just received the latest news that Ye Cangtian and Long Xuefeng of the Hidden Group are heading towards Jinling City!"
"What!"
At these words, Fang Boyan's eyes widened. What was Ye Cangtian's purpose in coming here now?
Did he have other important matters?
Or did he intend to deal with the Half Moon Hall, eliminating any future threats?
"Speak, everyone. Why do you think Ye Cangtian and Long Xuefeng are coming here?"
Upon hearing Fang Boyan's question, the Second Elder was the first to step forward.
"Does that even need to be asked? They must be coming for the Half Moon Hall. He killed the Young Hall Master and knows it will surely provoke retaliation from the Half Moon Hall, so he's choosing to strike first."
His words caused everyone to chime in.
They were already suppressing their anger over the Young Hall Master's death, and this news was like a breach in a thousand-mile dike.
It instantly unleashed all their suppressed rage and ignited it.
The only one remaining silent in the hall was the First Elder beside Fang Boyan, who quickly drew Fang Boyan's attention.
"First Elder, what do you think?"
Upon hearing Fang Boyan's words, the First Elder was silent for a moment before replying, "I think they might not be coming for us."
"Why?"
Fang Boyan's expression had already turned grim. This was precisely what he least wanted to hear.
After all, it was his son who had died, and he wanted to exact bloody revenge.
However, since it was the First Elder who spoke, he had to inquire further, giving him some face.
"Firstly, if the Hidden Group wanted to destroy the Half Moon Hall, they wouldn't need to act personally."
"Secondly, there are only two of them. It's clearly impossible for them to completely destroy the Half Moon Hall."
"The last point is that one of them is Long Xuefeng. Long Xuefeng has been plagued by injuries and illness and has rarely been involved in worldly affairs. Their arrival this time is likely to find a healer to examine his injuries..."
The First Elder paused for a moment before slowly explaining his reasoning.
"This..."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present widened their eyes. They wanted to find a reason to refute this, but for a moment, they couldn't.
"First Elder, then according to your opinion, Liang'er's revenge will not be sought?"
Fang Boyan's tone had turned icy. In his view, the First Elder was analyzing so much only to avoid taking action against Ye Cangtian and the other.
At the same time, he was inciting others in the Half Moon Hall not to act against Ye Cangtian.
How could he tolerate this?
"This is the second issue I wanted to address."
"In fact, we received news of Fang Liang's death, but we haven't received information about the true culprit. It can be said that everything is our speculation. What if we are wrong?"
"Furthermore, if Ye Cangtian truly intended to kill Fang Liang, what difference would it make if he acted in Dragon City or outside Dragon City?"
"Most importantly, don't you think the news we received is a bit too fast?"
As the First Elder's words resounded, the Half Moon Hall fell into silence.
On closer thought, the doubts raised by the First Elder were definitely worth considering.
Even if Ye Cangtian wanted to cover his tracks and kill Fang Liang outside Dragon City, he would have tried his best to seal the news afterward, and it would never have reached the Half Moon Hall so quickly.
They all knew very well that the Half Moon Hall's intelligence personnel were not capable of obtaining information that the Hidden Group was trying so hard to conceal.
At least not in the short term.
"First Elder, then your suggestion is for us to stand down and wait and see?"
"Isn't that just waiting to be slaughtered?"
"If Ye Cangtian really has any intentions towards the Half Moon Hall, how can the Half Moon Hall resist?"
Seeing that everyone had fallen silent, Hall Master Fang Boyan, his face as dark as if it could bleed, spoke up.
His words caused everyone in the hall to stir again.
Although the First Elder's words had some logic, one should not let down their guard. Moreover, both Ye Cangtian and Long Xuefeng were at least Earth-level combatants.
If the two of them joined forces and attacked the Half Moon Hall, it would undoubtedly be a catastrophe for the Half Moon Hall.
"This..."
The First Elder was rendered speechless by the Hall Master's questioning, as everything was his own analysis, and he couldn't guarantee anything.
Seeing this, the Hall Master quickly said, "First Elder, regardless, the Half Moon Hall cannot just wait to be slaughtered. Therefore, I have decided to mobilize all our forces..."
Since the other party consisted of two Earth-level experts, Fang Boyan worried he might not be able to handle it alone and thus decided it would be safer to bring everyone.
The Half Moon Hall had over a thousand members, and it shouldn't be difficult for them to share the burden of facing an opponent.
In any case, since Ye Cangtian had come knocking, he had no reason to let him go. He had to avenge Fang Liang.
"Hall Master, your stubbornness could very well doom the entire Half Moon Hall!"
Upon hearing this, the First Elder sighed. Although he had no clear rebuttal to the Hall Master's earlier doubts, he saw the current situation with great clarity.
The Hall Master was driven by his desire to avenge Fang Liang, which had clouded his judgment.
If he was allowed to act so stubbornly, the Half Moon Hall would truly be finished, so he had to step forward to intervene.
"Boom!"
The next moment, as the Hall Master let out a cold snort, his fist slammed into the First Elder's chest, sending the latter flying.
He looked coldly at the severely injured First Elder and said, "Old man, you're ungrateful. If you continue to sow discord and incite trouble here, don't blame me for disregarding our past relationship!
Someone, seize him and hold him. Without my order, no one is to release him!"
Fang Boyan's expression was extremely cold. He knew that the First Elder was highly respected within the Half Moon Hall, and if he continued to obstruct him, he might indeed ruin his plans.
Therefore, he had no choice but to resort to this measure.
Seeing the First Elder being dragged away, everyone present fell silent. Who would dare to raise any further objections?