"True, some islands have indeed defected to the Wuyue Sect for their own interests, but many were simply forced by the circumstances, having no intention of actively supporting the Wuyue Sect. Yet, it's you, Hou Chou, that I've heard time and again targeting those rich islands, plundering all their resources and even capturing the cultivators on the island to enslave them. By doing so, you are tarnishing the reputation of our East Sea Alliance!" the Merfolk man rebuked.

"Hmph, reputation? Can reputation help us defeat the Wuyue Sect, can it help us break through the Red Blood Red Sand Formation? War relies on strength! Without plundering resources, what are my men supposed to eat and use? Should I have my people do those miscellaneous tasks instead of capturing slaves?" Hou Chou of the Water Ape Clan retorted coldly.

Wan Tianren's face was as grim as water, seeing several Nascent Soul cultivators starting to argue again, he suddenly rubbed his temples and let out a heavy sigh.

"Enough, let's drop it!"

His voice wasn't loud but carried an air of authority distinctive of those who had long held power. The Merfolk man, though reluctant, obediently closed his mouth. Hou Chou, however, threw a provocative look at the Merfolk man, seemingly indifferent to Wan Tianren's reprimand.

"Everyone's been working hard these days. I will find another way to resolve the resource shortage. For now, those who can afford it should share what they have until we weather this period. As for counterattacks, going forward we should target islands that have clearly defected to the Wuyue Sect, and unwanted capture of cultivators is also prohibited. Hou Chou, restrain your subordinates more, we can't afford any unrest over trivial matters in the current situation," Wan Tianren directed his gaze at Hou Chou and said.

"As you command, my lord Alliance Leader," Hou Chou replied with a low chuckle, his tone carrying a hint of sarcasm.

Wan Tianren's expression darkened, but he forcefully suppressed any outburst and turned his head to Gu Xuanyang on his left and asked:

"Fellow Daoist Gu, there hasn't been any news from the Thousand Dragon Island for a long time. When exactly is their army arriving? Have the envoys we sent out gotten any response?"

"Reporting to the Alliance Leader, fifteen days ago, Long Wenyang, the brother of the Golden Transformation Master, launched a surprise rebellion while the Golden Transformation Master was unguarded; he nearly killed him. Fortunately, Long Chong, the Golden Transformation Master's son, was able to catch Long Wenyang by forcefully activating the Nine Dragon Pearl at a critical moment. After interrogation, we learned that Long Wenyang seems to have been enticed by the Wuyue Sect to start the chaos," Gu Xuanyang reported.

With Golden Turtle Island having suffered substantial damage, barely faring better than Fusang Island, and Gu Xuanyang being far less powerful than Wan Tianren, he extinguished any thoughts of contending with him for dominance.

"It must be the work of the Soul Cultivators, I guess. Such an important matter, why am I only hearing about it now!" Wan Tianren's tone carried some displeasure.

"The Wuyue Sect somehow severed the alliance's communication with Thousand Dragon Island. After the incident, Thousand Dragon Island was so preoccupied with its own crisis that there was no time to send messengers, and our people encountered a storm on the way and were delayed for a long time before arriving, which took even more time...," Gu Xuanyang explained with a sigh.

Wan Tianren also felt somewhat helpless upon hearing this. The Wuyue Sect was powerful and even among his own people, loyalties varied. Coupled with the Soul Cultivators in Wuyue Sect, who possessed many bizarre methods, discerning the loyal from the traitors, and those secretly rebelling, was indeed difficult.

Just then, outside the great hall, a gaunt young man dressed in dark clothes dashed in, knelt down on one knee, and reported to Wan Tianren, "Alliance Leader Wan, another Nascent Soul elder has arrived, claiming to be Yuan Ming, asking for an audience with you..."

Before the gaunt young man could finish speaking, Wan Tianren stood up abruptly, his face lighting up with joy: "Quick, bring him in!"

Gu Xuanyang and others who knew Yuan Ming also rejoiced.

The gaunt young man replied and turned to leave, whereas the Nascent Soul cultivators in the hall were quite surprised, not knowing the significance of this Yuan Ming, who managed to evoke such an enthusiastic response from Wan Tianren and the others.

Soon, led by the gaunt young man, Yuan Ming entered the great hall with measured steps, his gaze sweeping across the Nascent Souls before settling on Wan Tianren and Gu Xuanyang.

Both Wan Tianren and Gu Xuanyang's auras were extremely unstable, as if they had suffered severe injuries and appeared to have their Primordial Qi drained.

Yuan Ming recalled what Zhuang Lin had said, that both Wan Tianren and Gu Xuanyang had been defeated by the White Bone Venerable and had narrowly escaped death. Now it seemed that it was not just a rumor spread by the Wuyue Sect to disrupt the morale of the troops.

"Alliance Leader Wan, I, Yuan Ming, have just returned to the Inner Sea and am late in joining the alliance. Please forgive me," Yuan Ming said with a gesture of respect in front of everyone.

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Yuan, you jest. How could you be late? I would say your timing is akin to timely rain! Quick, quick, bring another chair for Fellow Daoist Yuan, right next to me," Wan Tianren smiled at Yuan Ming and hurriedly ordered the attendants to bring a seat.

This astonished the people present even more. Now that they had met him, those who had witnessed the Immortal Fruit Conference naturally recognized Yuan Ming as the dark horse who had stood out at the event. Although he had now advanced to Nascent Soul, at most he warranted a mention as a genius, but where did he deserve such courteous treatment from the Late-stage Nascent Soul Wan Tianren?

Moreover, they had already found out that Yuan Ming was simply affiliated with the Red Ganoderma Island in name and was from an obscure Loose Cultivator background, without the backing of a prominent force. In the current East Sea Alliance, he wasn't considered much of a figure.

Facing the inquisitive eyes of the crowd, Yuan Ming smiled slightly and confidently accepted Wan Tianren's kindness, walking straight to the seat of honor and sitting down to the right of Wan Tianren.

No sooner had he seated himself than Hou Chou suddenly spoke up, "Alliance Leader Wan, Fellow Daoist Yuan has just arrived and is yet to establish any merits. Is it not against the rules for him to take a seat at the head of the table?"

As he spoke, he glanced at Yuan Ming with a hint of disdain.

"Alliance Leader Wan, may I ask who this is?" Yuan Ming asked Wan Tianren with a puzzled look.

"I am Hou Chou, Clan Leader of the Water Ape Clan!" Before Wan Tianren could introduce him, Hou Chou declared loudly.

It was obvious to anyone with clear sight that Hou Chou was utterly disregarding Wan Tianren. What was strange was that the other Nascent Soul cultivators present seemed to be accustomed to this, and even Wan Tianren only flashed a brief look of annoyance without rebuking him openly.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming appraised Hou Chou once more, noticing his fierce and defiant appearance and the peak of Middle-stage Nascent Soul cultivation that radiated from him, which immediately led Yuan Ming to several conjectures.

"I have heard that the Water Ape Clan is famous for its dual governance, where, aside from the Clan Leader handling major affairs, there is also a Grand Marshal in charge of military operations and external affairs. May I know who the current Marshal is?" Yuan Ming's gaze swept over the other Water Ape Clan Nascent Soul cultivators present.

However, they all kept silent, not even lifting their heads, making Yuan Ming's question seem to fall on deaf ears. But with the power of Emotion Manipulation, he sensed ripples in the heart of one of the slimmer Nascent Soul Water Apes present.

"Hehe, with the current precarious situation in the East Sea, adhering to archaic traditions would indeed be too rigid. Therefore, as the Clan Leader, I've taken special measures and now also hold the position of Grand Marshal," Hou Chou said with a light smile.

"Oh, could it be that you are the brother of Hou Shang?" Yuan Ming asked pointedly, though he already knew the answer. The

authenticversionison*.

Hou Shang was the real name of the robust Water Ape clansman Yuan Ming met on Three Immortals Island.

"I am his clan uncle," Hou Chou replied, his expression darkening.

"Oh, then that is curious. I once met Fellow Daoist Hou Shang on Three Immortals Island, and I heard that he had temporarily transferred the position of Grand Marshal of Water Ape Island to his brother. However, he was trapped on Three Immortals Island at the time and didn't know much about the outside world. Therefore, the decisions he made naturally lacked the decisiveness and wisdom of Clan Leader Hou. In times of chaos, strict measures should be used, and Water Ape Island should now have only one voice, not allowing others to interfere," Yuan Ming said with a smile.

All the Nascent Soul cultivators present were old and experienced; they understood that Yuan Ming's words were indirectly accusing Hou Chou of being autocratic, disregarding the wishes of Hou Shang, who was also a Nascent Soul, just for the sake of his own position.

Moreover, as the Clan Leader and one of the most powerful cultivators in the Water Ape Clan, the position of Grand Marshal was ultimately under Hou Chou's command. To seek a mere title at the expense of his reputation showed how heavy his desire for fame and profit was.

Because of his previous encounter with Hou Shang, Yuan Ming had more understanding of Water Ape Island's situation than anyone present, which allowed him to comprehend Hou Chou's reasons for his actions.

Within Water Ape Island, there lived a demon beast known as "Ancestor Ape," extremely ferocious and powerful enough to rival a Late-stage Nascent Soul. The only issue was that the Ancestor Ape often fell into a state of mental confusion, becoming uncontrollable and attacking anyone in sight, friend or foe alike.

For safety, the ancestors of Water Ape Island covertly created a Magic Treasure known as the Tiger Talisman, capable of controlling the Ancestor Ape, and split it into two, entrusting it to the hands of the Clan Leader and the Grand Marshal. This was to prevent the Ancestor Ape from falling into the wrong hands and to guard against ambitious descendants who might try to use the Ancestor Ape to dominate the East Sea and lead the Water Ape Clan to ruin.

Hou Shang, as the former Grand Marshal, naturally carried half of the Tiger Talisman with him. However, he did not expect to be trapped on Three Immortals Island, and with the disruptions caused by the Wu Yue Sect in the East Sea, he had no choice but to send out his half of the talisman to be managed by his brother. He did not anticipate that Hou Chou would seize this opportunity.

Having his shortcomings pointed out by Yuan Ming, Hou Chou's face darkened momentarily, but then his expression softened, and he laughed heartily.

"Haha, a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. My assumption of the Marshal position was merely a temporary measure. I was planning to hand over the role when Hou Shang returned. Unfortunately, after his ordeal on Three Immortals Island, he was left with only his Nascent Soul. He could not recover quickly, so I had to continue in his stead. It was also Hou Shang's own wish," Hou Chou explained.

"I see, well then, let's not dwell on trivial matters for now. Clan Leader Hou is right; I'm new here and not very familiar with the situation. I wonder if Alliance Leader Wan could explain in detail the troubles we face here. Perhaps I could be of some assistance," Yuan Ming nodded and, as if he had not been the one to bring up the issue just moments ago, settled into his seat quite naturally and began inquiring about the current situation of the East Sea Alliance.

Hou Chou's gaze tensed, and although a trace of irritation flickered through his eyes, he held back from reacting.

And the other Nascent Soul cultivators also came to realize that it was Hou Chou who had initially challenged Yuan Ming, yet within a few words, it had turned into Hou Chou defending his own status. The question of Yuan Ming's right to sit at the head of the table had been completely forgotten by him, and if he brought it up again now, he would appear petty and overly concerned with prestige.