The Heavenly Star Alliance's Decision (2)

There was an unknown liquid on the grass, by the flower beds, on the walls, and on the bowls and chopsticks. Strangely, the liquid had not dried up.

He took out a small knife, dipped it in the ink, and suddenly heard a hissing sound and a puff of smoke that stung his eyes. He quickly waved his hand to shoo away the smoke, and upon closer inspection, he was shocked to find that the knife had been corroded and shortened.

"What a potent venom! Once ingested, then..." Fanxin Xin couldn't help but shudder, her eyes growing increasingly cold. The person releasing such a deadly poison clearly intended to poison and kill them all, to completely corrode them.

"Hmph, no matter who you are, if you dare to do this, I will absolutely not let you off easily," Fanxin said coldly, his whole body radiating murderous intent.

He stood up and began trying to remove the deadly poison, which was everywhere on the ship. If they didn't find a way to get rid of it, they wouldn't be able to sail out to sea.

He tried countless methods, driving Fanxin to despair, but he still couldn't find a solution, as if the poison had no cure.

"What should we do then?" Fanxin frowned. If the poison couldn't be cured, they would have no choice but to abandon ship.

This was clearly not the outcome he wanted. The ship had been with him for many years, and in his heart, it was already his partner. He obviously couldn't bring himself to abandon his partner.

"Hehe, want to get rid of these poisons? Then come to the Holy Land!" A clear voice suddenly drifted into his ears, and he immediately felt a tightness in his heart and tensed up. He looked around, but couldn't find the speaker, and his brows furrowed.

"Come out, you sneaky fellow!" Fanxin shouted sharply.

"What a temper! But I'm not coming out, what can you do about it?" the voice said mockingly, completely disregarding Fanxin.

Fanxin's brows furrowed, a surge of anger rising within him. He roared, "Who are you? Show yourself!"

"Hehe, I am Fairy Liu, the young master of the Soul Clan. Come to the Holy Land, we'll be waiting for you," the person who called herself Fairy Liu said with a smile.

"Holy Land? What Holy Land?" Fanxin frowned, looking completely bewildered.

He had never heard of this place before, but the other person seemed to know him, which made him very curious about what this so-called Holy Land was and what it was used for.

"You don't know?" Fairy Liu's tone sounded surprised, as if Fanxin should know.

Fanxin pouted and said, "How would I know? Come out and explain yourself. What are you hiding for? Are you afraid I'll eat you?"

"Eat me?" Fairy Liu snorted coldly, a fragrant breeze wafting over as she appeared behind Fanxin.

Fanxin Xin sniffed hard, then hurriedly turned around and saw a figure appear out of nowhere beside him. He was horrified; the other party could do this without anyone noticing, even shielding his Soul Perception. This was terrifying.

He quickly stepped back, creating some distance between himself and the woman, and began to scrutinize her from above. She was a beautiful woman with long, flowing black hair that cascaded down her back, dancing in the wind. Beneath her hair was a delicate, exquisitely beautiful oval face, framed by a pair of large, bright eyes. Two arched, willow-leaf eyebrows accentuated the beauty of her eyes. Her small, rosy lips were slightly upturned, giving her a playful air.

Her neck was as white as jade, and her green cheongsam perfectly accentuated her graceful figure. On the chest of the cheongsam, a willow tree was embroidered, lifelike and exquisitely crafted. The woman was known as the Fairy Liu, which was probably related to this willow tree.

He scrutinized him carefully, then asked, "Who are you? Which faction do you belong to? Why are you looking for me?"

Judging from various clues, the other party didn't seem to be a member of the Heavenly Star Alliance. However, he was very curious: he and she were complete strangers, so why would she suddenly come and poison him?

Although she wasn't the one who poisoned her, it must have been someone connected to her.

"Me? Hehe, I'm a member of the Ghost Clan." Seeing the wary look on Fanxin's face, Fairy Liu couldn't help but laugh, her laughter shaking her body and her chest heaving.

Fanxin felt a surge of heat rising within him, but he quickly suppressed it. He shifted his gaze, staring intently at the other person's exquisite face, and asked with a hint of doubt, "Ghost Clan? What kind of race is that?"

"You know nothing?" Fairy Liu stared at Fanxin with surprise, only believing him when she saw the confusion on Fanxin face. Speechless, she said after a long silence, "What are those old fogies in your clan up to? Since you're the young master of the Soul Clan, why didn't you tell them?"

"I've never seen them before." Fanxin shrugged and smiled helplessly.

He had never been to the Soul Clan, so naturally he knew nothing about the Soul Clan. And the woman's words were completely incomprehensible to him.

"Oh dear, really," Fairy Liu sighed.

"Then tell me." Fanxin stepped forward and asked expectantly. He felt that the Soul Clan seemed to have some unknown secrets, and as a member of the Soul Clan, he should find out.

Fairy Liu frowned, looking troubled. After hesitating for a long time, she finally said, "Alright, we'll be meeting again anyway, so I'll tell you."

Fanxin listened attentively without interrupting.

"You know about the Great One Piece, right?" Fairy Liu asked.

Fanxin nodded; he was indeed looking for that. Although he didn't care, he still wanted to find it and see what it was.

"The concept of a Great One Piece is vague. For those who seek treasure, it is gold and silver. But for us, it is not gold and silver," Fairy Liu said calmly.

Fanxin blinked, looking puzzled, and asked, "Why is it different?"

"Because money and such are of no use to us," said Fairy Liu. "What we need is liberation."

"Liberation?" Fanxin became more and more confused as she listened, her brows furrowing as she couldn't understand at all.

"Indeed, we Ghost Clan and you Soul Clan seem like strange races, but our fates are tragic. We are both cursed." Fairy Liu sighed, and without waiting for Fanxin's questions, Fairy Liu began to speak, "The Ghost Clan and the Soul Clan are actually not that different. You cultivate by devouring the souls of unclaimed beings in the world, while we hunt others and merge with their newly born souls. Both methods are cruel, and even in death, we cannot enter the cycle of reincarnation."

"This..." Fanxin's body trembled violently, feeling utterly incredulous. He had always thought the Soul Clan was a remarkable race, but he never imagined that they were actually a cursed race.

If what they say is true, then their fate is truly tragic.

"Therefore, what we need is to break the curse, to completely liberate us, and to make us truly human." Fairy Liu looked at Fanxin and said, "Our Ghost Clan has been waiting for your Soul Clan. However, for many years, no one with Conqueror's Haki has appeared in your Soul Clan. Therefore, we have not taken any action."

She suddenly smiled and said, "Now that you've appeared, we can finally take action. Boy, don't disappoint us. Our king is waiting for you. Once you arrive at the Holy Land, our two races will go there together."

"Is this the Holy Land?" Fanxin asked.

Fairy Liu nodded and said, "Yes, it is the Holy Land. There is a small world beneath the Holy Land, which is the source of the curse. We are going to enter it and destroy the curse."

"Then what should I do?" Fanxin asked.

"Contact your family and have them go to the Holy Land immediately," said Fairy Liu.

Fanxin nodded. That wasn't difficult; he could easily notify them.

"And what you need to do now is to create momentum, to gather all the forces in the New World together, and send them there together," Fairy Liu said after a moment of silence.

"Ah, why do we have to send them too?" Fanxin was puzzled. This was a matter for their family, and there should be no need for others to interfere.

Fairy Liu smiled, her smile beautiful like a blooming flower, and said, "That's also the entrance to the Great One Piece. Once they find it, they'll go there sooner or later. In that case, why not just take them there as well? Many hands make light work. With their participation, plus the forces of our two races, we should be able to completely destroy the curse."

"Are you trying to use them?" Fanxin understood; Fairy Liu wanted to use the power of others to achieve her goals.

"I told you, we have the same goal. Don't they want the Great One Piece?" Fairy Liu said dismissively.

"Alright!" Fanxin nodded helplessly. He understood that even if he didn't lead them there, they would still go. After all, the Great One Piece was too tempting to resist.

"Alright, go and inform them yourself!" Fairy Liu smiled, her body slowly fading until she disappeared without a trace.

Fanxin pondered for a moment, and was about to return when he suddenly remembered something and shouted, "Hey, the antidote! The antidote!"

He still needs these ships; if the poison isn't neutralized, it could cause serious trouble.

"It's been resolved, you can use it now." Fairy Liu's figure was not visible, but her clear voice had already reached you.

"Really?" Fanxin was still somewhat skeptical. She squatted down and checked the area several times. Only after seeing that the deadly poison had indeed disappeared without a trace did she finally feel completely relieved.

"Ghost Clan? Soul Clan?" Fanxin Xin muttered to himself as he disembarked and headed towards the island.

Upon reaching the edge of the island, he didn't immediately return to his house. Instead, he went to a secluded spot and shouted into the void, "Hey, Soul Clan members, come out! I'm looking for you!"

There was no response, only the echoes of Fanxin lingered around.

Fanxin was stunned. Had those Soul Clan experts who had been with him really left? He shook his head. Those guys were sent by the Soul Clan's higher-ups to protect him; they shouldn't leave so easily. He pondered for a moment, then shouted again, "Come out! Stop hiding! I have important business with you."

There was still no response, which infuriated Fanxin. These guys—when he didn't want them anymore, they rushed over to join the fun; now that he was looking for them, they hid like turtles. Weren't they just playing with him?

"Damn it, the Ghost Clan is here, are you still going to hide?" Fanxin shouted angrily.

"Ghost Clan?" A voice suddenly rang out, and then several ghostly figures appeared, landing beside Fanxin.

Their entire bodies were shrouded in black gas, obscuring their true forms. That black gas was the Soul Power.

Fanxin frowned slightly as he looked at the several dark figures beside him, and said with dissatisfaction, "That's right, the Japanese Fairy Liu just contacted me, saying she's going to that Holy Land and wants all members of the Soul Clan to go there."

"She's here? Looks like she couldn't wait any longer." A figure withdrew his Soul Power, revealing his true appearance: a middle-aged man with a square face and a body as strong as an ox.

"Who are you?" Fanxin asked curiously.

"By seniority, you should call me Uncle. However, by status, I should call you Young Master," the middle-aged man said with a smile.

"Hello, Uncle." Fanxin didn't like putting on airs, so she directly called him Uncle.

The middle-aged man was taken aback, then his face lit up with satisfaction. He said, "You really are just like your father said; you don't really like power."

"What's the use of that thing? Holding it makes me feel tired." Fanxin shook his head. He was a lazy person. Even though he had established a pirate crew, he rarely managed it. He left everything to Bingfeng and Wang Yan to handle. Unless it was a critical moment, he rarely got involved.

"Most people still like it, even within the Soul Clan," the middle-aged man said gravely.

Fanxin paused for a moment, then nodded slightly, understanding the implication. It seemed that many within the Soul Clan still coveted power; if he returned, he would likely face considerable repercussions.

Shaking his head, Fanxin was too lazy to deal with the matter anymore, and simply said, "You all go back and inform the Soul Clan to go to the Holy Land first. I'll stay here and create momentum to lure all the forces from the New World there."

"That's a good method. There are quite a few experts among the various forces in the New World. With their involvement, our chances of winning are even greater." The middle-aged man nodded, pondered for a moment, and then smiled, saying, "We'll give them the Great One Piece behind the Land of Curses as a token of our gratitude for their help."

"What's in there?" Fanxin blinked and asked curiously.

The middle-aged man smiled strangely and said, "You want it too?"

"I was just asking. If it's gold and silver, then forget it," Fanxin said calmly.

"I don't know the specifics either. I've heard there might be a secret to immortality inside." The middle-aged man looked at Fanxin, shrugged, and said, "Whether it's true or not, we'll only know after we enter."

"Immortality?" A thought flickered in his Fanxin. That thing was indeed tempting; no wonder everyone was so eager to get their hands on it.

He suddenly lowered his head and touched his dantian, where a golden sphere was spinning, and that golden sphere seemed to grant one a long life.

He secretly resolved never to tell anyone, otherwise, pirates from the New World would swarm him, capture him, and use him as a guinea pig for research. After all, obtaining what was inside him would grant them an extended lifespan; how could they not be tempted?