First Gathering, Two Absent

Perhaps, Xu Beifeng will be able to test the depths of that white-robed man's abilities today.

Chen Ning thought to himself.

The terrifying bell tolling, triggered by Xu Beifeng, spread outwards.

The expressions of the onlookers all changed drastically.

They fled in all directions.

As the saying goes, when gods fight, mortals suffer. Although these two are not gods, the onlookers are not all mortals.

However, this kind of Great Divine Ability ignores the target's release.

That's something they can't withstand.

Many have perished under the terrifying tolling of these bells.

The man in white seemed to have finally seen enough, shaking his head and sighing, "This Divine Ability is barely passable, but unfortunately, your cultivation level is too low; you can't even unleash the third level of its power."

"Enough with the nonsense! Die!"

Xu Beifeng roared furiously.

The man in white closed his folding fan, raised his right hand, and a small sword flew out from his sleeve, piercing through layers of bell sounds and finally stabbing straight at Xu Beifeng's throat.

With a single sword strike, Xu Beifeng was killed.

Upon seeing this, even Chen Ning couldn't help but let out a wry smile.

The First Generation left himself a bunch of monsters!

However, this man in white was clearly not as respectful to him as Sui Qingshan was to him.

He walked over and gave a slight bow, saying, "Bai Ziyu greets the leader."

Meanwhile, Sui Qingshan was busy cleaning up the battlefield, looking at the dismembered limbs and bloodstains on the ground with a look of enjoyment.

They were gathered together in the simplest way possible.

Ignoring the blood on his hands.

They seem to be the complete opposite of Bai Ziyu, who has obsessive-compulsive disorder.

As he passed Chen Ning, he smiled shyly and said, "Chief, please excuse my poor appearance."

It's alright.

Chen Ning spoke calmly.

Bai Ziyu then explained to Chen Ning, "Brother Sui usually prefers to stay with corpses; it's his... little quirk."

Chen Ning's heart skipped a beat; they were indeed all strange people.

Although Sui Qingshan acted very respectfully, Chen Ning could tell that this person might be even more ambitious than Bai Ziyu.

Bai Ziyu appears to be normal.

But who the hell goes out with nearly a hundred entourage members and maids?!

That's quite strange...

Nalan Yao's assessment of them was absolutely correct.

"Old Man Yang, now that you're here, come and meet the new leader."

Bai Ziyu spoke softly in a certain direction.

Chen Ning's gaze followed the look.

Then I saw it.

Three figures slowly approached.

In the middle is a hunchbacked old man who looks very honest and upright. The person on the left is very strong and has a stoic face. The person on the far right has shifty eyes and a thin build.

"Chief, let me introduce you. This is Old Man Yang, he's... the most easy to talk to among us."

"This big guy is called Xue Rang, and this short guy is called Ding Erliang."

After the introduction.

Only the Old Man Yang bowed deeply to Chen Ning and said, "Greetings, Leader."

Chen Ning nodded slightly and said, "I heard from Nalan Yao that there are eight members in total for the So Close Yet Worlds Apart's group. Why are only five of you here?"

Now.

Including Nalan Yao, there were only six people present.

Two people are still missing.

"Leader, we received Nalan Yao's message, and the other two naturally received it too, but... I'm afraid they won't be coming..."

Bai Ziyu smiled slightly, then said, "These two have shown great disrespect to the leader. The leader must deal with them severely in the future."

"That's right."

Nalan Yao spoke softly, "They must have received my message. If they haven't come, then they won't be coming..."

"In that case, please come with me into the manor. I will tell you what you are most interested in."

Upon hearing this...

Everyone was slightly taken aback.

His eyes lit up.

This includes Xue Rang, who has a blank expression, and Sui Qingshan, who is engrossed in cleaning up the battlefield.

Soon.

Inside a hall of the city lord's mansion.

After the six people took their seats, Chen Ning sat at the head of the table, giving a nonchalant glance at his group of wolf-like "subordinates".

Just look at their faces.

This leads to a conclusion.

Those present here are probably not good people.

Sui Qingshan always wore a smile, but it was quite eerie.

Bai Ziyu is also a professional fake smile boy; his fakeness is so pure that it's unspoken.

Xue Rang his expressionless face, had an exceptionally cold gaze.

He looked at the crowd as if they were inanimate objects, not living people.

The crisscrossing scars on his body were a truly shocking sight.

Ding Erliang, the shortest of the group, had shifty eyes and a malicious smile; he was extremely sleazy.

Nalan Yao sat in the first position to Chen Ning's left. Although she possessed stunning beauty, she was also a femme fatale.

Chen Ning had already witnessed her ruthless nature.

Of all those present, the only one who seemed like a good person was Old Man Yang.

He was polite to everyone.

Although he wasn't as excessively respectful to her as Sui Qingshan, it was clear that Old Man Yang held her in high regard.

This was the first meeting between Chen Ning and the members of the So Close Yet Worlds Apart group.

Their purpose, though none of them explicitly stated it.

But Chen Ning knew perfectly well what was going on.

Then.

He began:

"Ladies and gentlemen, the reason I've gathered you all here for this first time is simply to get to know each other better and to inform you of the matter you're all most concerned about!"

As soon as he finished speaking...

The crowd displayed a variety of expressions, but all were keenly interested in what was to come.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have come here.

Nalan Yao remained seated with her beautiful legs crossed, looking thoughtfully at Chen Ning, wondering what this new leader was up to.

Was he trying to reveal the method to godhood to everyone, hoping to gain their loyalty?

That would be incredibly naive.

They are not kind people.

They would certainly not be willing to stay by Chen Ning's side.

"I can share the method to become a god with everyone, but I have conditions."

Although Chen Ning had absolutely no idea about the method to become a god.

But for now, we have no choice but to keep up the act.

"The leader's words are golden rules, and we should naturally abide by them. What is there to say about conditions?"

Sui Qingshan continued speaking in his exaggerated tone.

The others echoed with forced smiles.

Chen Ning laughed and said, "Alright, then I'll get straight to the point. The reason my ancestor asked everyone to find me was to ask for your help. As you all know, my ancestor and I both come from small worlds, and we are completely unfamiliar with this Vast Land."

"A single misstep could lead to an abyss. You are all possessing extraordinary skills and great Divine Ability. If I were to impart the method to godhood to you now, given your ambitions, I'm afraid you wouldn't stay by my side..."

Chen Ning surveyed everyone's expressions and continued, "Therefore, I ask that you all protect me. A year from now, once I have established myself, I will present you with the method to become a god."

"Haha... Leader, you've got a good plan. Once you find a new backer in a year, you'll be able to get rid of us, won't you?"

The short Ding Erliang spoke slowly.

"I'm just a newcomer to this Vast Land, where can I find a powerful backer?"

Chen Ning remained expressionless.

"The champion's talent is truly rare in this world. How could someone as exceptionally gifted as you not find a new patron?"

After hearing Ding Erliang's words...

Chen Ning's heart sank.

Just how much of his life did the First Generation tell them...?