"Ancestor Chen, this Grandmaster Alliance sounds rather good. However, since it's an alliance, there must be a manager. I wonder who this manager is?" Ning Beichen asked.
"The name cannot be spoken, but I can tell you that the person managing the Grandmaster Alliance is a Grandmaster whose cultivation has reached perfection. If you join the Grandmaster Alliance, you will know who he is," Ancestor Chen said.
Ning Beichen did not agree immediately, as he felt that this Grandmaster Alliance was not as simple as Ancestor Chen described. Promises of mutual assistance and help were best taken with a grain of salt.
Nothing in this world happens without a reason or benefit. What made Ning Beichen feel a sense of dread was the ambition of the Grandmaster Alliance's leader. Was his sole purpose to find a way to break through to the Heaven-Man Unity realm? Ning Beichen himself was a King of Darkness and knew very well that the administrator of an alliance would not be so straightforward. What did the person controlling so many Grandmasters intend to do? Ning Beichen would not agree to join the Grandmaster Alliance so easily before clarifying these matters.
However, there was no need to refuse outright; he needed to leave himself an escape route. "Ancestor Chen, I am very grateful for the information. I will definitely consider joining the Grandmaster Alliance carefully. However, I cannot agree to it right now. I must ask my master about this matter," Ning Beichen said.
"Of course, of course. However, I hope that Grandmaster Ning will keep this confidential. The fewer people who know about the Grandmaster Alliance, the better," Ancestor Chen said immediately. How could he afford to offend someone capable of nurturing a person like Ning Beichen? Ning Beichen nodded, thanked Ancestor Chen of the Chen family once more, and then left with Liu Yilin.
Not long after, they returned to Haizhou New City, and Liu Yilin became busy. With Ryan eliminated, the company could return to its normal operations. During these days, Ning Beichen also continued to have people investigate the Holy Hall. The Holy Hall could resurrect Ryan, and it might be able to resurrect others. The Holy Hall understood the "Heavenly Demon Dissolution Technique." If there were a few more people like Ryan, they could throw the world into chaos. Ning Beichen had to be cautious. Besides this matter, Ning Beichen was also secretly inquiring about the Grandmaster Alliance. However, the Grandmaster Alliance was very mysterious, like a dragon that shows its head but not its tail. The people he sent out could not gather much information.
A few more days passed, and Ning Beichen suddenly received more bad news. His subordinates, whom he had sent to find his senior sister Nangong Feiyan, reported that Nangong Feiyan had disappeared in Annan without a trace. After extensive investigation, it seemed that Nangong Feiyan's disappearance was related to the Annan royal family. As it concerned his senior sister, Ning Beichen dared not be careless and planned to go to Annan himself. Regardless, his senior sister had gone to Annan to help him find the "Nine Palaces Strategy," and if anything happened to her, Ning Beichen would feel uneasy.
Originally, Ning Beichen wanted to bring Liu Yilin with him, fearing that while he was away, some malevolent spirits might appear around Liu Yilin. However, Liu Yilin had only recently returned, and the company also required her attention. She really couldn't find time to leave. Moreover, Ning Beichen did not know how long he would be in Annan searching for his senior sister. If things went smoothly, it might take only a few days, but if not, it would be hard to say. After all, Liu Yilin was still the boss of Tianmei Technology Group, and most of its research and development technologies depended on her.
"Beichen, go find your senior sister with peace of mind. Don't worry about me. I'm already at the third level of the "Star Drawing Art," and with the things you taught me, I can handle most situations myself," Liu Yilin said. "Besides, you can't protect me forever. Some things require personal experience." Liu Yilin reassured Ning Beichen to leave. Although she also wished to go to Annan with Ning Beichen, the company was in chaos, and many things couldn't be handled if she, the boss, was absent.
"Alright then. Although Feng Wu is no longer here, I will have some people protect you in secret when I leave. During my absence, do not go to any unfamiliar or uncontrollable places," Ning Beichen said after some thought.
"I understand. You take care too," Liu Yilin said, reluctantly sending Ning Beichen off.
Two days later, Ning Beichen arrived in Annan. The one who picked him up was the subordinate he had previously sent to Annan to find his senior sister. Ning Beichen sat in a car, listening to his subordinate's investigation results. "You're saying that my senior sister's disappearance might be related to the Ruan royal family of Annan?" Ning Beichen asked after organizing the investigation information.
"After Miss Nangong Feiyan arrived in Annan, she met with Ruan Yushu of the Ruan royal family multiple times. Afterward, they went to the northern part of Annan. The last clue found was that the last place they were seen was in a small village in the north..."
"I have investigated this village, but strangely, the villagers all say they haven't seen them. Their answers are the same, regardless of age or gender."
"If I hadn't accidentally seen a photo of Miss Nangong Feiyan on a villager's phone, I would have believed what these villagers said."
"Are you saying these villagers are all lying?" Ning Beichen asked upon hearing this.
"That's what I thought at first. I even secretly apprehended a few villagers for interrogation, but later, I tested them repeatedly and found that they genuinely didn't recognize them and had no memory of seeing Miss Nangong Feiyan and the other lady. If it were just one or two villagers, it could be explained that they were lying and concealing information about Miss Nangong Feiyan. But if every villager is like this, there's a problem."
"Brother Chen, you also know that our interrogation methods are something those villagers cannot withstand, yet they have no memory of Miss Nangong Feiyan and Miss Ruan. Isn't that strange?" the subordinate asked Ning Beichen, perplexed.
Ning Beichen also frowned. If all the villagers were lying, it meant that there was a powerful figure behind them controlling them. However, Ning Beichen knew his subordinate's interrogation methods, and those villagers couldn't possibly withstand them. Even if they all chose to lie, they would reveal some flaws under interrogation.
"How do they explain the photos appearing on the villagers' phones?" Ning Beichen asked.
"They have no idea. It's as if their minds have no memory of that period, which is very strange." The subordinate was also extremely perplexed and even felt it was uncanny.
"Brother Chen, do you think the villagers are possessed?"
"Possessed? I'm not sure. I want to go to the village you mentioned," Ning Beichen said to his subordinate after pondering for a while. He couldn't figure it out, so he decided to go and see.