Chapter Forty-Two: Entering the Soul

  In the private hospital, in the office, Long Batian gathered everyone together again for a meeting, because he found that things were getting more and more out of control. The Three Dragons Society seemed powerful, but it had one biggest enemy, every step the Three Dragons Society took was on thin ice, and any move could lead to disastrous consequences.

  "How is it, Xiao Qi still has no news, what's going on?" Long Batian loudly asked Hu Xin Tian. Previously, a private hospital here discovered the sniper, and they also had someone chasing after him, but he was still able to escape. They weren't worried at all because they had an expert in assassination and tracking who went out, codenamed Xiao Qi. In Sanlonghui, Xiao Qi wasn't one of the top experts, but he was still well-known. Now, however, he has gone missing without a single message, how can people not be suspicious?

  "No, it's been over five hours without any news. The last address Xiao Qi sent back was in the northern suburbs of Jiangbei City," Heng Xiantian replied. He was somewhat familiar with this area. Thinking carefully, wasn't that where he had brought Lin Hao back? Could it be those two Jiangbei Twin Heroes? It shouldn't be, though - the cultivation world and the jianghu don't interfere with each other, they wouldn't attack as soon as they meet."

  "Jiangbei, it's Jiangbei again. Did that sniper from yesterday get checked out? Who was it and which faction were they from?" Long Batian asked again, recently Jiangbei has been a bit strange, all sorts of things have been popping up from there.

  "Already investigated, that person is called Li Lan, a former bodyguard of Jiangbei City's underground overlord Li Huaguang, who was personally raised as an orphan. He received training in the foreign mercenary organization Black Fox, and defected with the protected target during the battle at Li Huaguang's villa half a month ago. Five days ago, he fought against Cheng Ming's subordinate, Du Yan Liu, and won. Three days ago, he robbed a large number of weapons and equipment from an underground black market in Jiangbei."

  "Lin Hao, that kid, investigate their relationship clearly, why did she come to rescue him?" Long Batian frowned and said, things are happening all at once, and the key point of the matter is still Lin Hao, that kid, it's really unthinkable.

  "Ah, it's been found out. It's related to the Three Gods Sect. After the battle at Villa No. 7, the evil sect members went to Li Huaguang's house to threaten and coerce him into revealing Lin Hao's whereabouts. To save his own life, Li Huaguang pushed out Li Ning, Li Lan's brother, as a scapegoat. In the end, Li Ning fell into the hands of the Three Gods Sect. The Three Gods Sect had previously sent out a message, wanting Li Lan to exchange Lin Hao for Li Ning."

  "It turns out that's the case, so this Li Lan is not worth worrying about. Just order to strengthen the guard and that's it. Go take a look at Jin De Dao's place and ask if he's ready yet." Long Batian said nonchalantly, just a bodyguard, what kind of waves can she stir up? Not to mention that even the Black Fox Mercenaries she trained with only have half their shares, if they dare to forcefully intrude into the Three Dragons Association with this level of strength, then they're just asking for death.

  "Jin De Dao Zhang has just sent word that the altar array is ready, and now we only need to wait for the hour of Zi to arrive before we can open the altar and perform the ritual. He also said that we should go and work on Lin Hao's mind, if he doesn't resist, things will be much smoother."

  "Hmph, Jin De, does he still want the Tulu True Scripture in Lin Hao's hands?" Long Batian asked. At first, he didn't pay much attention to the Tulu True Scripture, but after Mr. Tan told him about it, he realized that this thing was more precious than anything else and couldn't be given away to Jin De for free.

  "Yes, Jindao has been thinking about the True Scripture of the Diagrams all along. He's now actively contacting his fellow disciples and some have already taken notice and are on their way," replied Xin Tian. "This is one thing that Sanlonghui isn't good at - in order to hide their own tracks, they even monitor their own people non-stop, fearing that they might reveal secrets."

  "Hmph, ungrateful guy, doesn't he ever think that without the Three Dragons Society, there wouldn't be his current prosperity? Don't mind him for now, let him finish the Soul Entry Ceremony first, then warn him. If he still doesn't listen, then forget about him. Not being a brother from the same family, can't be relied on anyway." Long Batian said coldly, if it weren't for Big Brother blindly trusting those people back then, the Three Dragons Society wouldn't have fallen to such a state, like a street rat, not even daring to show its head.

  "Yes," replied Xin Tian, seeing the look in Long Ba Tian's eyes, he knew that Jin De was about to touch Long Ba Tian's reverse scales, and once he did, he would be dead for sure. The three dragons hated traitors the most, those who betrayed their own kind. It seemed that the turmoil of the three dragons ten years ago was related to a traitor, which ultimately led to the death of the old boss. Therefore, in the eyes of these high-ranking officials, betrayal was an unforgivable sin. The three dragons had saved Jin De's life and had been good to him over the years, giving him whatever he wanted. If he still insisted on competing with Mr. Tan for the true scripture, he would be dead for sure.

  "Well, you go down first" After ordering, Long Batian let Heng Xintian leave.

  "You can now express your opinions, you are all old men of the Three Dragons Association and also the most trusted people. This matter is both a crisis and an opportunity, it's time for us to make a choice." Long Batian said, looking at the people around him. The people who were still here were all loyal to the Three Dragons Association and to him, each person was basically over 40 years old and had been part of the association for more than ten years. That's why he had sent away Heng Xintian, who had joined less than ten years ago but had risen quickly.

  The remaining people's expressions were unclear, but basically they all had a joyful look. The fact that Long Batian did this just goes to show that he still hasn't forgotten about these old brothers of his. And if this matter is successful, then they'll be set for life, living forever and never dying - who wouldn't want that? They each held great power and enjoyed wealth and glory too much already; living forever had become the dream of every single one of them.

  Of course, the Longevity Clan's affairs are not that simple. They face significant challenges as well. In fact, over the years, the wealth and focus of the Three Dragons Society have been shifting overseas, which is also why the National Security Bureau has been unable to do anything about them for so many years. With power and influence extending to foreign forces, this would be manageable if it were domestic, but abroad, their influence might not even compare to that of the Three Dragons Society. Therefore, they want to seize the Wheel of Reincarnation and snatch away the opportunity for Longevity. The first thing they will face is the country's encirclement campaign. When the time comes, a large army will be deployed, and no matter how formidable they are, they will all be crushed into dust.

  The second is to face the siege of both orthodox and evil forces, the black and white rivers. On the rivers, they can hold their own against those with superior martial arts skills, but it's not so easy to offend the people in the cultivation world. Each of them knows that these cultivators have all sorts of sinister methods up their sleeves. Although the Three Dragons Association has cultivated and supported many monks, Taoist priests, and masters, they also understand that truly top-notch cultivators are impossible to invite. So when Mr. Tan mentioned the terror of the True Scripture of the Diagrams, they would rather sacrifice Gold De, a powerful master, than lose it.

  "Second Master, I think the most important thing to do now is to investigate and clarify where that Wheel of Rebirth sect is located and what's going on with those Wishing Caves. Only when we understand these things can we quickly head out to activate the Wheel of Rebirth disk. This way, we can swiftly withdraw before both the Orthodox and Evil paths, as well as the official reaction, catch up to us. As long as we retreat from the country and rely on our overseas influence, if we can withstand the first wave of retaliation, then we can forever enjoy wealth and glory."

  "The White Dragon Envoy is right, our only advantage is that we have taken the initiative. Now, the Wheel of Reincarnation is under our control, but the Wheel of Reincarnation and Wangxiandong are still very mysterious. The information is not comprehensive at present, and we can only take the initiative to attack after we have thoroughly investigated the matter." Long Batian smiled and said that this White Dragon Envoy was indeed a perceptive person, who had seen through the advantages and disadvantages of the Three Dragons Association at a glance.

  "Yes, regarding this matter, we've been preparing for a long time. Apart from sending the Purple Dragon Envoy to steal the Three Gods' data, I've already ordered the recruitment of multiple international treasure hunting groups and hired several famous tomb raiders and archaeologists, who are on their way here. I believe it won't take more than three days before they can start working," said Military Advisor Tan. When it comes to finding things, you need professionals, don't expect a group of martial artists to do the job."

  "Ah, it seems the military advisor has thought this through. How about this, Military Advisor? I also have a few people under me who are good at searching for dragons and uncovering secrets. Why don't you borrow them for now?" As soon as Mr. Tan finished speaking, someone immediately chimed in, "Ha! If all of your subordinates were loyal only to you, how could they possibly feel at ease? What if you were to betray them at the critical moment? There are people who would sell out their own brothers for wealth and glory; surely there are also those who would betray their comrades for eternal life. And what's more, there hasn't been any news about whether this 'long life' can be granted to dozens or hundreds of people. What if it's only one person? Wouldn't they just be doing all the work for someone else's benefit? This kind of consideration has nothing to do with internal conflict; on the contrary, it would lead a group into another kind of balance."

  "Yes, I also have a few historians under me who specialize in ancient documents. They're just what we need now. I'll send them over later."

  "Ah, I have one too. I remember there's a construction team that collaborates with the archaeological department, they should be able to use it. I'll get someone to bring it over later."

  No matter if there are such talents under his hand, he must put his own people in, otherwise he would become deaf and blind to who is trustworthy, even brothers need to be guarded against, let alone those who are not relatives.

  "That's enough, what do you all want to do?" Long Batian was furious, these people really had lost the righteousness and chivalry of their former years, the aftermath of Sanlong Association's management was now beginning to show.

  At that time, Cheng Long managed the Sanlonghui with a decentralized approach. The headquarters of the Sanlonghui only controlled a few directly affiliated teams and the intelligence department, while delegating all other powers. This gave his subordinates enough space and avoided the problem of being too prominent, but it also buried hidden dangers for the future. Because Cheng Long and others relied solely on their personal prestige and the righteousness of resisting foreign black forces to lead them. Now that the intelligent and brave Cheng Long is dead, and Long Batian and Li Qinglong are old, these people basically have a lot of power in their hands. In the future, when Long Batian also falls, the Sanlonghui will inevitably split into four or five factions. Years of pampering and favoritism have nurtured the ambition of many people.

  "Second Master, I think they're right. Just relying on the people under my command might not be enough. Since they have this good intention, I'll accept it with gratitude. However, having too many people doesn't necessarily make things easier to handle. So, I've decided to establish a treasure-hunting task force, with Second Master as the leader. What do you think?" Mr. Tan smiled and thought to himself: these people don't even know what he's capable of; while they might be better than him in terms of physical skills, when it comes to strategy and intelligence, this group of rough men wouldn't be able to keep up with him even if they trained for decades.

  "Alright, Mr. Tan is right, I'll be the team leader then. Mr. Tan, you can take charge of specific tasks and just report to me every day." Long Batian smiled, still impressed by Mr. Tan's cleverness, who had easily dissolved their plan with a simple move.

  "Second Master is wise and brilliant." The crowd's faces were complex, feeling that it was a waste of effort to send someone to their death, like throwing a meat bun at a dog, with no chance of return.

  "Alright, that's settled. Now go and get Lin Hao, we need to talk to him about things before the soul-entering ceremony. Can't let him make any moves, Third Brother must be called upon," said Long Batian. Li Qinglong was someone he had to call upon, a brother of over thirty years who was closer than family, and without him, Long Batian always felt like he was standing alone on one leg.

  "Yes, I'll go get Lin Hao right away." Someone responded quickly.