Chapter 361: Chapter 330: Regaining Face Sooner or Later

Likenso smoothed his robes and stepped inside.

The council hall was warmer than outside. Magic Crystal Lamps embedded in the walls cast a yellowish light, bathing the entire room in an amber glow.

Four or five figures sat around the long table in the center.

Stom, Clan Leader of the Blood Claw Race, sat at the head of the table. He was a towering figure, his grayish-white fur marred by several dark brown scars. He rested his hands on the tabletop, his knuckles as thick and rugged as stone ridges.

Several elders sat on either side. All of them wore heavy expressions, as if they had just been discussing a matter of grave importance.

Seeing him enter, Stom gave a slight nod. "When did you get back, Likenso?"

"I stepped off the Airship not long ago, Clan Leader," Likenso replied, bowing respectfully.

"Did you find anything?"

"Yes, Clan Leader."

With a flick of his wrist, a Long Sword appeared in Likenso’s palm. He stepped forward and placed it gently on the long table.

"During my trip to the southern border, I found a batch of weapons of unknown origin in a few underground trading posts. These weapons all carry a faint aura of an Essence Soul. I believe they are exactly what you have been looking for."

As his voice faded, the gazes of Stom and the elders locked onto the blade.

The sword was a uniform silver-gray, bearing several rust spots of varying depths. Yet, rather than appearing dilapidated, it exuded an ancient, time-tested charm. Patterns along both sides of the spine spread naturally down the blade, intertwining like tree roots. A single glance conveyed the profound weight of the years it had endured.

To an ordinary collector, it was undoubtedly a rare antique. But to a powerhouse like Stom, the nearly imperceptible pulse of Spiritual energy hidden deep within the blade was far more apparent.

"Indeed, it is an Essence Soul," Stom said, a faint smile finally gracing his cold, hard features. "How many of these did you bring back?"

"Eighteen in total. The rest have already been transported to the storehouse. I ordered them to be stored with the utmost care and strictly forbade anyone from touching them."

Stom nodded in satisfaction. "You did well, Likenso."

Joy swelled in Likenso’s heart, but he forced himself not to show it, merely bowing his head a fraction lower.

"Clan Leader, I interrogated the merchants selling these weapons and mapped out the distribution channels. If we follow that trail, we should be able to intercept even more."

A glint flashed in Stom’s eyes. "Where is the source?"

"These weapons are all flowing out from the eastern part of the continent. I haven’t fully pinpointed the exact location yet."

At the mention of the "east," Stom and the elders frowned in unison. However, Stom did not dwell on it, his voice dropping into a low rumble.

"Keep investigating and dig out the source. You have full authority over this matter. Bring all those weapons back. If you need manpower, deploy them directly from the Clan without going through the usual reporting channels."

"Yes, Clan Leader!"

Likenso took two steps back, offered another deep bow, and turned to leave the council hall. The heavy stone doors groaned shut behind him with a muffled thud.

It wasn’t until his footsteps faded completely down the corridor that one of the elders spoke up, his brow heavily furrowed. "Is it really appropriate to leave this matter in Likenso’s hands? He is only at the Golden Tier. If he runs into trouble..."

Before Stom could answer, another elder shook his head. "We old bones are far too conspicuous. The Silver Moon Race is currently at the height of their power. If they realize the Blood Claw Race has dispatched Legendary Combat Power into the east, we would only tip our hand. Likenso is reliable, and since he just returned from the outside, he won’t draw unwanted attention."

The other elders nodded in agreement.

Right now, the movements of Saints and Legendary Powerhouses from the major factions were closely monitored, their every action scrutinized. In contrast, someone at the Golden Tier was far less eye-catching, making them much better suited for a task that required stealth.

Having reached a consensus, they moved past the topic and returned to their previous debate.

"What about Ska? Are we just going to let it go?"

"What else can we do? We simply lack the capacity to launch an expedition against the Silver Moon Race. In fact, with those new Airships of theirs, they could attack Blood Claw City at any moment. We have to remain constantly on guard."

"But if we do nothing, how will the outside world view the Blood Claw Race?"

"If we go to war with the Silver Moon Race and lose, we’ll lose even more face."

As the elders continued to argue, Stom tapped his knuckles against the tabletop, cutting them off. He swept his gaze across the room and spoke in a tone that brokered no argument.

"Set the matters of the Silver Moon Race aside for now. We must first finish rearing the Blood Claw wolf pack. This is a crucial endeavor that concerns the future development of our entire Clan.

"Once the Blood Claw wolf pack takes shape, the Silver Moon Race will be nothing to fear.

"The face we have lost now, we will inevitably take back."

The elders exchanged silent glances. No one raised any further objections.

In Taichu City of the Taichu Spirit Realm, Anton sat cross-legged on a bluestone slab beneath the Eternal Tree.

Suspended in the air before him was a grayish-white egg, cradled in a mesh pouch woven from emerald vines. These vines extended from the root systems of ancient trees in every direction, intertwining over the egg’s surface like the vascular network of a mother’s womb enveloping a fetus.

The tip of each vine emitted a gentle, cyan Spiritual Light that pulsed rhythmically, breathing in time with some long, slow cadence. Illuminated by the Spiritual Light, the cloud-like patterns on the egg’s surface faintly glowed, as if something that had slumbered for countless years was sluggishly awakening.

"The results aren’t bad," Anton said softly, a satisfied smile appearing on his face as he sensed the nearly imperceptible resurgence of life within the Egg of the Old World.

After searching through the Taoist Jade Scroll, he had quickly selected an Array suitable for infusing Life Force into the Egg of the Old World. By combining it with his own understanding of Arrays, he made slight modifications to create the current formation, which he named the Ten Thousand Woods Spiritual Transformation Array.

The core concept of this Array was not to forcefully inject energy, but to borrow momentum.

It used the root network of the entire forest within the Taichu Spirit Realm as a host. Wood Energy was channeled slowly and naturally along every vine and root toward the egg. From there, the Array converted this energy into Life Force, which then seeped into the Egg of the Old World.

This method was far more efficient than simply injecting raw Life Force. After all, the Egg of the Old World required a colossal amount of Life Force to revive. Even draining the entire Spring of Life into it likely wouldn’t be enough. Only by converting Wood Energy into Life Force could he meet the egg’s immense demands.

Thanks to the ecological support of the entire Taichu Spirit Realm, the energy supply was virtually inexhaustible, and the conversion process was naturally seamless. It was a perfect natural symbiosis that would not agitate the egg in the slightest.

The only drawback was the slow pace.

Anton withdrew his hand from the Array Hub. He let the Array run on its own for a moment before closing his eyes and extending his Divine Sense along the vascular vines into the egg.

The aura of life inside the egg was much steadier than during his last probe. Though it remained as faint as a flickering candle, it no longer faded in and out on the verge of dissipating. The pulsing was growing regular, inching steadily toward stability.

When he opened his eyes again, Anton already had a rough estimate. At this rate, the Egg of the Old World would finish incubating in about thirty years, and the Divine Creature inside would break out of its shell.

"I wonder what kind of Divine Creature it will be?" Anton murmured.

He still couldn’t determine the exact species within the egg, but he was certain it would be exceptionally powerful. Divine Creatures possessed incredibly long lifespans and grew rapidly. A fully matured adult wielded power comparable to a Cultivator at the Nascent Soul Stage, making it an undoubtedly perfect Spirit Beast contract partner.

A thirty-year incubation Time was completely acceptable to Anton.

Rising from the bluestone slab, he took one last look at the vine-wrapped egg before turning to leave.

A short while later, he arrived at the Celestial Essence Hall, where he found Eleanor buried in paperwork behind a long desk.

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