Ou Yangming and his companions walked up along the river and headed to Canghai City.

Due to the news about a powerful backup keeping watch over Canghai City, they did not travel day and night. Instead, they made many stops throughout the journey as they either helped the villages along the way to fend off the Aquatics or sensed formidable powerhouses nearby. As Ni Yinghong and Jiang Jiumei joined hands, they wiped out the potential threats easily.

Perhaps the powerhouses from the Aquatics could have the upper hand when they confronted the big villages, but they could not even escape from Ni Yinghong and Jiang Jiumei.

Nonetheless, though they mercilessly killed powerhouses from the Aquatics throughout their journey, the creatures killed could not be compared with what they gained on the first day.

Great-ancestor-level half-spirit beasts were the minority, after all. If they could be found everywhere, the Humans could not have gained a foothold in Canghai County long ago.

When they arrived at the city after 5 days, they encountered the first Supreme Great Ancestor from Canghai County.

It was an elder over 70 years old with a compound surname, which was rare. His name was Huyan Mao. Unlike the other people from the city, the elder was not terrified as though he faced an imminent disaster when he first saw the goshawk and Multi-armed King Kong. He cheered with joy after observing for a brief moment, then he ordered his followers to open the gate, and he left the city to welcome Ou Yangming and his companions.

Once both parties met, Ou Yangming finally received reliable information.

Canghai County had indeed received help from a mysterious figure. The mysterious person had overwhelming powers, such that the Supreme Great Ancestors from the city were not his match at all. When the Aquatics' spirit beast showed up, the mysterious person even stood on the water with a Night Trident and restrained half of the beast's vigor. In the end, Canghai City became invulnerable to attacks, so the Aquatics could not take it down.

When Ou Yangming asked if the mysterious person was Wu Yuanwei—the Humans' greatest powerhouse—, Huyan Mao had a strange look on his face and was hesitant to answer him.

Ou Yangming did not question him closely. He and his companions rested for a night in the city before they set out again the next day. Nevertheless, they brought Huyan Mao along this time.

They were rather delighted to have a local powerhouse from Canghai County to travel with them. At the very least, there would not be any mishaps and misunderstandings because they had his recommendation.

Needless to say, for the city's safety, Ou Yangming ordered the goshawk and Multi-armed King Kong to wipe out the strong aquatics within 50 kilometers from the city. As a result of the spirit beasts' fearsome combat powers, the Aquatics suffered a heavy loss and shed a river of blood. For a few years, the Aquatics would fear the city so much that most powerhouses would stay away.

Under Huyan Mao's guidance, they arrived at Canghai City after just a few days.

It was a massive city and was different from other land cities because it had some waterways. Normally, the city would seem prosperous if boats and ships of different sizes were seen moving in and out. However, the waterways were now closed, and steel railings were cast on them. Various marks were seen on the railings, and they were caused by either teeth, fins, or peculiar aquatics. It was a ghastly sight.

As suggested by Huyan Mao, Ou Yangming made Multi-armed King Kong stay 5 kilometers outside the city. Even though the humongous creature did not have ill intentions, its existence would be enough to scare the people.

Having said that, even the goshawk's arrival caused the entire city to be in fear.

Fortunately, Huyan Mao was indeed an experienced powerhouse in Canghai County. The disturbance at the top of the walls stopped as soon as he showed up.

Ou Yangming put his hands behind his back as he quietly watched the gate being opened. Following that, several Supreme Great Ancestors came out one after another. The sharp-eyed young fellow could tell at one glance that the so-called supreme powerhouse was not present.

The great ancestors that came out included Feng Yiyuan—the great ancestor from the Feng family, which was the mightiest head of the inherited aristocratic families in Canghai County—as well as Zhong Fengcai and Xiao Hualing. They conversed happily with Huyan Mao once they met, which was evident that they were old acquaintances.

They also treated Ou Yangming with much respect, which was apparent that they recognized the goshawk hovering above their heads. As such, they dared not be impolite toward the young man though he looked the same as normal young heroes.

After greeting them, Ou Yangming focused on them and asked as if it was an unintentional question, "May I know where Canghai County's governor and the prefecture's commanding general are?"

Feng Yiyuan and the others kept a straight face, but Ou Yangming was sharp enough to notice slight abnormalities in their eyes. If he had not grasped the thoroughly meticulous state, he could not have noticed it at all.

"Hehe, Master Ou, I suppose you meant Governor Peng and General Nian, right?" Feng Yiyuan asked the young fellow in return.

Ou Yangming nodded. He had not met Governor Peng Huachi and Commanding General Nian Xinran from Canghai County before, but he had more or less heard of their names. Moreover, Wu Hanning had especially told the young fellow about them before he left, so he was not clueless at all.

"We went all out to resist Aquatics during the previous attack, where Governor Peng and General Nian led the troops and engaged in fierce battles with the opposing powerhouses. They ended up being severely injured, so they aren't in the condition for visitors now." Feng Yiyuan sighed and added after a pause, "It's not that we're trying to neglect you, Master Ou, but we're really powerless."

'Those are clearly lies,' Ou Yangming thought. Nian Xinran might have actively fought if he was in charge of defending the city, but Peng Huachi was the governor, so how could he be so reckless? Based on how Deng Xiyuan acted in Changlong City, one could tell that what Feng Yiyuan claimed to have happened was nearly impossible.

Unless Canghai City was being besieged, the city was about to fall, and Peng Huachi had nothing better to do, he would not join the fight at all.

Besides, based on what Ou Yangming was told, Canghai County was impenetrable at the moment.

Despite that, he did not expose the lies right away. He sounded regretful as he responded, "I see. May I visit them then?"

Feng Yiyuan laughed and said, "This is an etiquette so of course, you may."

As they welcomed Ou Yangming into the city with smiles, Feng Yiyuan looked at Ni Yinghong and expressed, "I suppose you're Miss Yinghong, am I right? Hehe, Brother Jingshen sent us a letter and even praised you very much."

Ni Yinghong was surprised. "I wasn't aware that a letter was sent. Please forgive me for being ignorant, senior."

"Why would I blame you when it's only a small matter?" Feng Yiyuan waved his hand. He later looked at Ou Yangming with a fierce look in his eyes, but it only lasted for a split second. "Master Ou, did Brother Jingshen tell you anything before you came?"

"What?" Ou Yangming was dazed.

Feng Yiyuan was startled, and he asked in confusion, "Did Brother Jingshen not meet you before this?"

"Senior Feng, after I returned to Changlong County, I waited for Elder Sister Ying and returned and came here right away." Ou Yangming still looked like he was taken aback. He questioned seriously, "The Humans disaster hasn't been stopped yet, so how could I take a break?"

"Oh?" Feng Yiyuan was stunned for a while before he replied to the young fellow with a smile, "You're right."

Ou Yangming blinked and asked curiously, "Senior Feng, what did Elder Ni tell you?"

Feng Yiyuan stammered and answered with a bitter smile, "Nothing; I was mistaken."

The young fellow shrugged as though he was unbothered. He conversed with the others for some time and asked for direction before he went to the Governor's Residence.

Feng Yiyuan and the others did not go with him. Their faces took on grave expressions after Ou Yangming left.

"Brother Feng, is that fella really clueless or is he playing dumb?" Zhong Fengcai asked in a deep voice.

"I think he's only pretending to not know!" Xiao Hualing sneered.

"Heh, Brother Feng, we have powerful support on our side, so the overall situation won't be affected even if we don't have the young fella. How about we continue to carry out our plan and lure Wu Yuanwei here?" Zhong Fengcai spoke in a serious tone.

"Brother Zhong, we mustn't act recklessly," Huyan Mao commented, "Ou Yangming alone won't be an issue for us, but the two spirit beasts that he subdued are a huge variable. If he supports the imperial family, our chance of succeeding is almost zero."

Zhong Fengcai furrowed his eyebrows and said, "Brother Huyan, don't you think you're boosting your enemy's morale and belittling that of our own?"

"Heh, Brother Zhong, I'm sure you've seen the goshawk. Do you think you can go against it?"

"I can't, but sir can!"

"Fine, but do you know an even more horrifying spirit beast is waiting 5 kilometers away from the city? How are we going to resist the two spirit beasts if they show up at the same time?"

The two of them glared at each other furiously and were not going to give way to each other.

Feng Yiyuan frowned and waved his hand. "Gentlemen, don't cause internal conflicts before we achieve our goal."

Upon hearing him, Zhong Fengcai and Huyan Mao smiled embarrassedly and backed away. Feng Yiyuan had an extremely important place in their hearts, hence they dared not quarrel anymore once he spoke.

Xiao Hualing noted after some thought, "Brother Feng, I think Master Ou was right about one thing—we shouldn't consider other things before the Humans' disaster ends."

"Yes, no matter which side Master Ou is on, we should only consider that after the disaster is put to an end." Feng Yiyuan nodded but added after a short while, "But we should also plan ahead."

He turned to look at the others and said, "Brother Huyan, try to get more acquainted with him and tell him about sir bit by bit. I believe he'll make up his mind after he witnesses sir's ability."

"Yes," Huyan Mao responded with a smile, "You can count on me for this, and I won't disappoint you for sure."

Zhong Fengcai smiled coldly and asked, "Brother Feng, if Master Ou is unappreciative and insists on protecting the imperial family, what should we do when he goes against the 8 of our clans?"

Feng Yiyuan smiled faintly. "The Wu family has dominated this world for far too long. Given that the eight lines of inheritance from the upper realm have joined hands, the restoration of the previous regime is bound to happen, and it's only going to be a matter of time. Heh, anyone that tries to stop it from happening will only be eliminated, so you don't need to worry about it."

"Brother Feng, you've worked out a brilliant plan that will assure our victory! I'm willing to follow your lead." Zhong Fengcai raised his eyebrows and laughed.

Xiao Hualing and Huyan Mao looked at each other and cursed internally.

'Kiss-*ss! You won't end well!'