During this time, Li Ling had been busy handling the affairs that followed the Blood Shark King's death. He had paid little attention to developments on Northsky Island, where the changing situation had also caused repeated delays in summoning reinforcements to settle matters once and for all.
He had thought that with the Blood Shark King dead, there would be no need to send a special envoy. To his surprise, one had still come.
But as soon as Li Ling heard the news, he roughly understood the intentions of the General Association's leadership. The North Sea did indeed need peace and stability. Their special envoy was coming not to deal with the Blood Shark King, but to handle the many matters left in the war's wake.
To take the most immediate example, the Council of Elders at the Branch Headquarters could barely function anymore. The sudden deaths of four Core Formation elders and dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators had left positions and authority vacant, inevitably inviting another round of disputes.
Without relying on the General Association, could this bunch at the Branch Headquarters settle things themselves? They would beat one another's brains out like fighting dogs.
Li Ling gave it no further thought. The next day, he traveled to Northsky Island and met the special envoy sent by the General Association.
The envoy was a handsome middle-aged man with a restrained bearing. He showed no hint of his cultivation, and even his scent was exceptionally faint and refined. Yet everyone treated him with great respect, so he was certainly no weakling.
Besides him, the hall held familiar faces from Northsky Island, including Elder Yun Li and Elder Shang. There were also several strangers.
Two of them merited particular attention. One was a fair-skinned, plump middle-aged man with a generous belly.