Bai Zhanxiong's Scheme

The next few days were peaceful, and no further dangers were encountered.

Dongfang Yueming spends most of his time in his room, either meditating and consolidating his newly broken-through realm, or going to the deck to enjoy the sea breeze, gaze into the distance, and savor this rare moment of tranquility.

The calmer he remained, the more anxious some people became.

"Father! We can't wait any longer!"

Inside the Bai family's room, Bai Feng was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. "We're about to reach the remote continent. The world will be vast and the sky will be wide open then, making it even harder to find him! Besides, I have a feeling he's getting stronger and stronger. If we wait any longer, I'm afraid..."

Bai Zhanxiong's face was equally gloomy; he was well aware of this principle. These past few days, every time he saw that leisurely man in the straw hat, it felt like a huge boulder was pressing on his heart. The man's nonchalant demeanor didn't resemble that of a fugitive wanted by a super sect at all; rather, it was as if he were enjoying a leisurely trip.

This unusual behavior made him feel extremely uneasy.

"Let's go!" Bai Zhanxiong finally made up his mind, a ruthless glint in his eyes. "We're going to find Grandmaster!"

The father and son went to the top deck of the ship to request an audience with the Grandmaster in charge.

The Grandmaster seemed to have anticipated their purpose, calmly inviting them to sit down, his expression revealing no emotion whatsoever.

"Senior," Bai Feng said, unable to contain himself any longer, "The person who made the move that day, I dare to guess... he might be the wanted criminal by the Nirvana Sect Extinction Sect, Dongfang Ri!"

The Grandmaster took a sip of tea, not even lifting his eyelids, and said indifferently, "Oh? What makes you say that?"

"His Martial Dao True Intent is a fusion of water and fire, domineering and unparalleled! Such monstrous talent, apart from the person on the wanted poster, I really can't think of a second person!" Bai Feng said eagerly.

Bai Zhanxiong bowed and echoed, "Senior, you are wise. This villain is extremely vicious and is someone the Nirvana Sect Extinction Sect has specifically requested to capture. If we can capture him here, it will not only rid the continent of a scourge, but also be an excellent opportunity to forge a good relationship with the Nirvana Sect!"

However, after listening, the Grandmaster simply gave a lukewarm "hmm" and said nothing more.

This lukewarm attitude made Bai Zhanxiong's heart skip a beat, and a bad premonition welled up in his mind.

The Grandmaster put down his teacup, finally looked up at them, and slowly said, "Since that's the case, then let your Bai family make the move. Bai family can gather all the Inner Force of the clan and attack together. Capturing a junior should be a piece of cake."

"What?" Bai Feng was overjoyed upon hearing this. He assumed that the Grandmaster had tacitly approved and supported their actions, and hurriedly said, "Thank you for your kindness, Senior! With you here, we will surely be able to defeat this fiend..."

"Shut up!" Bai Zhanxiong's expression changed drastically. He abruptly pulled his son, who was about to continue speaking, back down. He looked at the Grandmaster with suspicion and asked tentatively, "Senior, do you mean... only my Bai family will take action?"

The Grandmaster picked up his teacup, blew on the steam, and mumbled, "It is everyone's responsibility to eliminate demons and protect the righteous path. Since your Bai family has this intention, I naturally will not stop you."

"But..." Bai Feng wanted to ask more, but Bai Zhanxiong stopped him with a look.

"This junior understands." Bai Zhanxiong felt a chill in his heart. He bowed deeply to the Grandmaster, "This junior takes his leave."

Without saying another word, he grabbed Bai Feng, who looked completely bewildered, and quickly left the room.

Only after walking quite a distance did Bai Feng shake off his father's hand, exclaiming urgently, "Dad! What are you doing! The Grandmaster clearly agreed, why are we just leaving like this?!"

"What do you know!" Bai Zhanxiong's face was ashen as he lowered his voice and angrily rebuked, "That wasn't an agreement at all! He clearly wants our Bai family to be the exploratory pebble, the testing knife!"

Seeing his son's still bewildered expression, Bai Zhanxiong felt a pang of sorrow and sighed, "Do you think he couldn't guess that kid's identity? He guessed it long ago! But he refused to take action himself or make any statement, only letting our Bai family handle it ourselves. What does that mean?"

"This means that he's not entirely confident he can take down that kid!"

"He's waiting! Waiting for all the Inner Force experts from our Bai family to come out in full force and fight that kid to the death! If we win, he can reap the benefits and claim all the credit; if we lose, or if we both suffer heavy losses, he can also find out the kid's strength and then decide whether to take action or befriend him!"

"No matter the outcome, he's guaranteed to profit! And our Bai family is just a pawn on his chessboard!"

These words were like a bucket of ice water, dousing Bai Feng from head to toe, instantly sobering him up, his back drenched in cold sweat.

"Then... what should we do now?" Bai Feng's voice trembled. "He's forcing us to take action! If we don't move, wouldn't we be going against the Grandmaster's wishes?"

A ferocious and resolute look appeared on Bai Zhanxiong's face.

"Now we have no way out," he said through gritted teeth, emphasizing each word. "We can only continue down this path, making the best of a bad situation!"

His eyes gleamed with the glint of a crazed gambler.

"Three days later, when the ship approaches the Chaotic Reef Sea Area, we... will make our move!"

"Father, this..."

"Don't worry!" Bai Zhanxiong interrupted him, "No matter how monstrous that kid is, he's still just one person! My Bai family will go all out, and with my support, we'll definitely take him down! Fortune favors the bold. If we succeed, our Bai family can climb the tree of the Nirvana Sect, and our future will be limitless!"

Seeing the almost insane confidence in his father's eyes, Bai Feng was also infected. He nodded heavily, his face showing the same greed and expectation.