Azure Tide Sect, Heavenly Origin Hall.
A tall, graceful man in black was respectfully reporting to those seated in the main hall.
Then the man in black took out a blood-red bead the size of a fist and handed it to Ning Hai.
The expressions of several other elders changed.
Ning Hai nodded, his face grim. "It is a Thousand-Spirit Blood Condensation Bead."
Looking at the bead, which gave off a blackish-red aura, the Grand Elder could not help furrowing his brows. "Ning Fan, where did you get this?"
The gaze of the man called Ning Fan darkened slightly. "Half a year ago, on Spiritflight Continent. I obtained it after killing two demonic cultivators."
Ning Hai's pupils contracted. "Did you encounter an altar?"
Ning Fan knew nothing about such matters. He had merely sensed the evil aura emanating from the bead and brought it back for his elders to examine. Could there be more to it than he had realized?
Seemingly understanding the confusion in Ning Fan's eyes, Ning Hai waved his hand. "Never mind. Is the person I sent you to hunt down dead?"
Ning Fan nodded solemnly.
Ning Hai stroked his chin. "You completed this mission quite quickly. Is the Wuyi Tribe so lax in guarding against outsiders now?"
Ning Fan lowered his head in thought, then nodded, a trace of puzzlement on his face. "It was something of a coincidence this time."
Everyone turned their attention to Ning Fan.
"When I infiltrated the Wuyi Tribe, there were indeed far fewer guards. Even the number of people inside the stronghold had dwindled considerably. I heard the guards say that something important seemed to have gone missing from the stronghold, and most of the tribespeople had gone to pursue the thief."
"Most of them had left, but Char was