They turned out to be two young men with entirely different appearances.
One wore silver armor and had a full head of white hair, yet his features were handsome.
The other wore a yellow robe and was short and withered, with pointed ears and a simian face.
Both radiated spiritual pressure on par with mid-stage Integration. The moment they appeared, they bowed respectfully to the green-robed woman and the old man.
The silver-armored youth spoke with particular deference:
"Greetings, Senior. We were summoned here—do you have any instructions for us?"
"No need for formalities. You should have some idea of what happened outside the city just now," the green-robed woman said calmly.
"We did witness some of it, though we are unsure who the attackers were. They did not appear to be ordinary foes," the silver-armored youth replied cautiously, a chill running through him.
"Although Elder Yi and I have our suspicions about their origin, we still need to conduct some investigation before we can confirm anything. That is why we called you here—to send you on a trip," the green-robed woman said slowly.
Both the silver-armored youth and the withered youth had already harbored certain guesses, and upon hearing this, their expressions shifted despite themselves.
"To be frank… the enemy is a Mahayana-level existence whose powers are no less formidable than yours. With our meager strength, even if we wished to carry out this task, we would likely be detected. That could jeopardize your plans," the silver-armored youth said with great unease, though he had no choice but to press on.
"Hmph, you two are frightened! Rest assured, what I meant by 'investigation' is not for you to provoke that Mahayana powerhouse directly. I want you to use your unique concealment techniques to check whether any other strangers besides that person are currently in the Small Asura Realm. Surely this small task is within your abilities?" The green-robed woman's face darkened slightly, a hint of impatience in her voice.
"If that is the case, then naturally there is no problem. We will set out immediately," the withered youth said, bowing hastily as though he had been granted a reprieve.
The silver-armored youth still wore a complicated expression, but after a moment's thought, he too accepted the order with a respectful nod.
"Good. Go at once. This realm is not particularly large, and I want to know exactly how many outsiders have arrived within a few days," the green-robed woman said with a satisfied look, giving a slight nod.
"Yes. We will do our utmost."
This time both youths answered in unison, then bowed and took their leave of the great hall.
The instant they stepped through the hall doors, they exchanged a glance and saw a wry苦笑 on each other's face.
"Well then, since we've accepted this task, we have no choice but to split up and do our best. If that person truly came alone, that would be one thing—but if he has companions, they are unlikely to be weak. Brother Wan, do be careful," the silver-armored youth said, cupping his fists toward the other with a solemn expression.
"I appreciate the warning, Brother Wuying. However, I can command over ten thousand clones, so even if I truly encounter a Mahayana-level existence, I am somewhat confident in my ability to escape. Brother Wuying, your concealment technique is indeed wondrous, but if you happen to run into someone who possesses a technique that counters it, that could genuinely be dangerous," the withered youth replied with a smile, returning the gesture.
The silver-armored youth gave a short laugh, then fell silent and formed a hand seal. In an instant, ripples of energy surged around his body, and he transformed into a violent gust of wind that swept skyward.
The withered youth, meanwhile, pursed his lips. With a soft "bang," his body dissolved into motes of golden light that scattered in every direction.
Each mote of yellow light turned out to contain a thumb-sized giant golden bee.
With a buzzing hum, the entire swarm, led by the largest bee among them, shot off in the same manner, flying straight toward the distant sky.
Inside the hall, the green-robed woman and the old man surnamed Yi were discussing another matter.
"To be on the safe side, I still believe we should send someone to bring the entire Void Spirit Fish clan back into the city. As long as we have complete control over that clan, we need not worry too much, no matter what unexpected events occur," the old man said gravely to the woman.
"If that clan were so easily controlled, I would have done so long ago—why wait until now? You know full well that, first, they can only survive long-term in the Dry Fire Lands and cannot easily leave. Second, they once swore a blood oath. If we tried to forcibly seize them, they would sooner ignite their bloodline power and bring about the extinction of their entire clan than yield even one step," the green-robed woman replied slowly.
"That is indeed a troublesome matter. However, I have recently cultivated a new divine ability. If you are willing to accept some losses, there may actually be a way to resolve this," the old man said, furrowing his brow.
"Oh? What kind of losses are you referring to?" the green-robed woman asked, her expression shifting.
"An acceptable number of Void Spirit Fish casualties, of course," the old man said without hesitation.
"That will not do. The Void Spirit Fish were already scarce in number. It took tremendous effort on my part to bring their population up to its current level. If we reduce it significantly again, when will our plans ever come to fruition? Besides, aside from you and me, how many people in this world still know the secret of the Void Spirit Fish clan? They are unlikely to attract the attention of those outsiders. If we were to do something like that, it would only serve to draw more suspicion—the very opposite of what we want," the green-robed woman rejected outright.
"Hmph, that is true as well. Had I not fallen into this realm by chance all those years ago and discovered both the Void Spirit Fish clan and your noble clan, I would never have known that the ancient secrets I had once learned would actually prove useful. Since Fellow Daoist Luo is unwilling to take this risk, then let it be. However, for the sake of caution, we should still send people to keep watch at the Dry Fire Pool. If something truly goes wrong, we may need to resort to decisive measures," the old man pondered for a moment before saying with a trace of resolution.
"That much can be arranged. Even if you had not suggested it, I already intended to do so," the green-robed woman agreed readily this time.