"How dare you deceive me, you insolent whelp!"
In the Council Hall on Northsky Island, Ma Wanbao's face twisted with rage when he learned that Li Ling had invited heroes from far and wide to his own Nine-Wan Island, intending to reorganize the Branch Headquarters and pacify the North Sea.
As his dharma power surged, gang qi howled like the wind, scattering objects in disarray across the floor.
Everyone in the hall trembled, not daring to speak.
At a time like this, it was best to play deaf and mute, pretending to be clay statues or wooden carvings. No one was foolish enough to leap out and invite his wrath.
"Those fence-sitters actually left their deputies and underlings here with me while they ran off to Nine-Wan Island themselves!"
Ma Wanbao swept a gloomy gaze around the room and discovered that, apart from his own Myriad Treasures Tower, all the major factions-the Money Guild, Rare Treasures Tower, Treasure Pavilion, and Flying Boat Guild-had representatives present. Yet they were all deputies or stewards. None of the true decision-makers had come.
Elder Shang, Yun Li, and the others were also absent.
There was no need to ask. They must have gone to the gathering of heroes organized by Li Ling.
Li Ling had contacted those key figures directly. Before the news broke, not even a whisper had leaked out.
What Ma Wanbao found even harder to accept was that several managing elders who originally belonged to the Myriad Treasures Tower were also openly absent.
In the past, they would never have dared do such a thing even if someone had given them a shark's gall for courage. He was no pushover as their leader.
"In the end, that last defeat hurt too badly!"
Ma Wanbao was tormented by countless regrets. Had he