The Bizarre Second Elder (3)

Fanxin stared at him, listening quietly, wanting to know what this guy was up to. He was clearly a member of the Heavenly Star Alliance, yet he wasn't coming to kill him; probably few people would believe it if word got out.

"I am a member of the Soul Clan," the Grand Elder said with a smile, his words sure to shock.

"The Soul Clan... a member?" Fanxin was stunned, staring at the other person in disbelief. This news was truly shocking; he was so stunned that his head was spinning.

The fact that the Grand Elder of the Heavenly Star Alliance is a member of the Soul Clan is enough to cause an uproar throughout the entire Heavenly Star Alliance.

"Hehe, you don't believe me?" The Grand Elder could tell from Fanxin's shocked expression that Fanxin was still in a state of doubt.

"I really don't believe it." Fanxin remained silent for a moment before saying this without denying it.

Although the other party's behavior was somewhat similar, he simply couldn't believe that the Grand Elder of the Heavenly Star Alliance was actually a member of the Soul Clan. Didn't the Heavenly Star Alliance know to investigate? How could they allow a member of the Soul Clan to be the Grand Elder?

"Hehe, I knew it, but I am indeed a member of the Soul Clan." The Grand Elder nodded, then suddenly his expression turned serious, and he said sincerely.

Fanxin still didn't believe it, and said in a deep voice, "Don't try to fool me. Unless you provide solid evidence, I absolutely won't believe you."

The Grand Elder nodded slightly and said, "Indeed, you have reason not to believe me, after all, I am now the Grand Elder of the Heavenly Star Alliance. However, I can tell you that I am indeed a member of the Soul Clan, and an elder of your lineage."

"Our lineage?" Fanxin's heart stirred. By now, he had gained some understanding of the Soul Clan. The Soul Clan had been divided into two lineages since ancient times. One lineage was completely isolated from the world and had no contact with the secular world. The other lineage, however, was in a semi-secluded state and still had some contact with the world.

They belonged to the latter group, and it was precisely because of this that they met their demise.

If their lineage had also remained completely isolated from the world, they wouldn't have been ambushed and nearly wiped out.

"How can you prove it?" Fanxin stared intently at the other person, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, locking onto him so that no move the other person made could escape his gaze.

"I cannot prove myself because in that battle more than ten years ago, I fought to the death with the Grand Elder of the Heavenly Star Alliance. Finally, taking advantage of his unpreparedness, I rushed into his skull, intending to devour his soul. However, that guy's soul was also incredibly powerful, and in the end, I could not completely devour it. I could only choose a compromise, which was to merge with his soul."

The Grand Elder sighed helplessly and continued, "Fortunately, my soul is in a superior position, so my thoughts are not controlled by the other party. However, I have been affected to some extent. I still have feelings for the Heavenly Star Alliance. Otherwise, in the more than ten years I've been with the Heavenly Star Alliance, I would have wiped them out long ago."

"So, you're currently in a dazed and confused state, right?" Fanxin pondered for a moment. He understood this state; as a member of the Soul Clan, he had used this technique before. However, his own soul was incredibly powerful, so he was unaffected by the souls of others.

His two Black and White Clones were obtained in this way; he devoured most of their souls, leaving only a very small portion inside each clone.

He kept that sliver of soul only to prevent the other party from losing their abilities because of his soul being devoured. Otherwise, he would have already taken drastic measures and completely annihilated that sliver of soul as well.

"Indeed, therefore I cannot attack you, nor can I attack the Heavenly Star Alliance." The Grand Elder nodded slightly, his expression of helplessness deepening. He looked at Fanxin with a smile and said, "You are quite good. You are the second person in countless years of our Soul Clan to possess Conqueror's Haki. I hope you can succeed this time and lift the curse on our Soul Clan."

Fanxin stared blankly at the other person, not knowing what to say. He wanted to call him "Ancestor," but it seemed as if he was being held back, and he couldn't bring himself to say it. He didn't know if the other person was really a member of the Soul Clan, and he dared not draw any conclusions before he was sure.

"Alright, I've said everything I needed to say. Take good care of yourself." The Grand Elder didn't insist that Fanxin call him Ancestor, because he himself couldn't prove himself anymore. He could now be considered a member of the Soul Clan, or he could be considered the Grand Elder of the Heavenly Star Alliance. The two of them were combined into one person, which was already very strange.

Even though Fanxin refused to call him, he didn't complain at all.

Having said that, he walked away without hesitation. After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped, turned back, glanced at Fanxin, and said, "Child, remember, the most terrifying thing about the Heavenly Star Alliance is its leader; his strength far exceeds your imagination."

"Do you know who he is?" Fanxin asked hurriedly. He wanted to find out some information so that he could make preparations in advance.

"I don't know exactly who it is, but as far as I know, that guy has lived for many years. I've been in the Heavenly Star Alliance for over ten years and have never seen him once," the Grand Elder said in a deep voice, his face extremely solemn. Clearly, he was also extremely wary of that elusive Alliance Leader.

"I understand." Fanxin took a deep breath. He could see the Grand Elder's solemn expression clearly. He knew that the Alliance Leader must be a master, otherwise, the Grand Elder, a powerful figure, wouldn't be so wary.

"Just remember that." The First Elder nodded with satisfaction, then turned and vanished without a trace, becoming a blur.

Fanxin took a few steps, about to call out "Ancestor," but in the end, he didn't say it, staring blankly as the other person disappeared into the horizon.

After gazing at it for a long time, he slowly withdrew his gaze, let out a heavy sigh, and sat down on the Black Fox's tail without saying a word.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh...

Soon after, everyone rushed over and, seeing Fanxin's silent expression, they were all very curious, wondering what Fanxin.

"Fanxin, you..." Everyone was silent for a moment. Seeing that Fanxin was still sitting there cross-legged, motionless, everyone became a little anxious. Bingfeng hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and asked.

However, before she could even finish a sentence, Fanxin Xin immediately interrupted her, laughing, "Don't worry, I'm fine. How are you all? Are you alright?"

Seeing that Fanxin was smiling, Bingfeng stopped dwelling on the matter and looked around before saying, "Our group is all safe, except for a few people who died in battle on the Luo ship."

Fanxin looked at Luo apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, I misjudged the situation and gave those guys an opportunity."

If he didn't leave, Doflamingo and his crew wouldn't dare launch a surprise attack, because his fighting prowess is extraordinary. If it came down to a fight, Doflamingo would only suffer a great loss.

"It's not your fault. They've been keeping a close eye on us. If they don't come this time, they'll probably come next time," Luo said with a calm smile, seemingly unfazed.

However, Fanxin still saw a trace of grief in Luo's eyes. After all, those people were his crew members who had followed him for a long time. How could he not be heartbroken to see them die like that?

Fanxin offered a word of comfort, then looked at everyone and said, "Let's all get ready. We'll leave here the day after tomorrow and head towards the Beast Kingdom."

"Understood," everyone shouted.

"Black and White, you two bring the crew back immediately." Fanxin nodded, turned his head to gaze at the void not far away, and gave a soft shout.

"Understood." The Black and White Clones did not appear, but their voices still rang out.

Soon, a large opening appeared in the void, and the crew members emerged from it. Upon seeing each other, they couldn't help but cheer.

After cheering for a while, they began to give a proper burial to the fallen crew members. Luo was the main one there to pay his respects, as they were, after all, his crew.

After giving a proper burial to the fallen crew members, everyone began returning to the ship. This time, Fanxin was determined not to leave easily, no matter who was with him outside.

He heard a terrible message from the Grand Elder: the Alliance Leader was incredibly powerful, and if he left, the crew would likely be wiped out if attacked by the Heavenly Star Alliance Leader. This was not something he wanted to see.

A few days later, they set sail again.

Similarly, Fanxin noticed that there were still ships trailing far behind, refusing to catch up. Fanxin realized that those guys must be spies from the Heavenly Star Alliance. He scanned the sky and also spotted a hydrogen balloon in the air, with people on it looking down from time to time, probably monitoring them as well.

Fanxin's face was extremely gloomy; these guys really were persistent.

"Should I step in and give them a piece of my mind?" Wang Yan walked over and asked with a murderous look on his face.

Being constantly followed and monitored had gotten to her breaking point, and she was ready to take action and eliminate these criminals.

"Forget it, they must have anticipated that we would make a move. Since it won't have the desired effect, let's not act rashly." Fanxin shook his head. Although he was also quite angry, he could only endure it.

Those guys aren't stupid. They messed with them not long ago, so they definitely understand that they've seriously offended them. They're probably still on guard right now.

Since they were prepared, their attack would not have the effect of surprise.

"Alright then, let them be arrogant for a while." Wang Yan nodded silently, but his gaze toward the hydrogen balloon above his head became even colder and more sinister.

"Okay, go and rest. I'll keep watch," Fanxin said in a deep voice. He also looked up and glanced up, his eyes narrowing into needle-like slits. If you looked closely through those slits, you could see two wolf-like eyes that sent chills down your spine.

Wang Yan nodded slightly, said nothing more, turned around, and walked with cat-like steps towards her room.

Apart from those on patrol, everyone else was busy inside the cabin, cooking and preparing food. The delicious aroma wafted out through the cracks in the doors and windows, whetting the appetites of many.

Soon after, Luo came out and called everyone to eat.

Fanxin didn't go in. Instead, he had Bingfeng bring out a large bowl with some food. He sat on the deck, eating while keeping watch.

"Hmm, what's that?" Fanxin had just swallowed a few mouthfuls of food when she suddenly caught a glimpse of a patch of black fog appearing about thirty degrees off course from the ship's course. As time passed, the fog grew larger and larger, covering a vast area. And their ship was right in the path of that fog.

"It's coming towards us, could it be targeting us?" The Little Black Cat was eating its lunch nearby, a large tuna, and was enjoying it immensely when the patrolling robot noticed this and immediately transmitted the image to its mind. It also realized the unusual nature of the black fog.

"It's hard to say. Pass the message down immediately and get everyone moving to leave here as soon as possible," Fanxin said after a moment's thought.

Regardless of whether it is true or not, he needs to leave as soon as possible. Because any anomaly could be caused by the Heavenly Star Alliance.

He always kept the Grand Elder's words in mind: the Heavenly Star Alliance should not be underestimated, otherwise, things might really go wrong.

"Understood." The Little Black Cat knew the situation was urgent, so it swallowed the tuna in one gulp and then relayed Fanxin's order.

Soon, everyone on the ship knew Fanxin's order. They put down their bowls and chopsticks, started the ship, and sped away into the distance.

However, the black mist followed Following Like a Shadow, as if it had its eyes on them. Fanxin Xin's expression immediately darkened. The black mist was in an irregular state; it couldn't have been targeting them for no reason. Someone must be manipulating it from behind the scenes.

"Little Fox, come here. Use your power to blow the black mist far away," Fanxin shouted.

He didn't know what the black mist was, but he knew it was definitely not a good thing and he couldn't get involved with it, otherwise, something bad might happen.

"Understood." The Little Fox nodded and leaped to the very top of the mast in a few bounds.

Its tail was slightly upturned, and its nine tails spun rapidly like the blades of a windmill. As it spun, a hurricane suddenly arose and swept away into the distance.

"Little Black, speed up, charge forward!" Seeing that the gust of wind created by the Little Fox had temporarily slowed the black mist's advance, Fan Fanxin still dared not be careless. His expression was extremely solemn as he shouted at the Little Black Cat beside him.

The Little Black Cat understood that this was a race against time, and without pausing, it connected the Straw Hat Pirates' and Heart Pirates' ships to its own, then activated maximum power.

The ship suddenly accelerated and sped away into the distance.

Behind them, the black mist Following Like a Shadow. Although it was suppressed by the Little Fox, it immediately caught up as the Little Fox created distance.

"Fanxin, this isn't a solution. That thing has been following us all the way. Once our ship runs out of energy, that black mist will arrive sooner or later." Bingfeng, dressed in a white cheongsam, walked over and said with a deep frown.

Upon hearing Fanxin, Fan Xin frowned, silently staring at the black mist behind him, lost in thought.