In the vast ocean, there are countless isolated islands, some visible on satellite maps, while others remain undetected even by satellite imagery.

At this moment, on an island that could not be found on satellite maps, a group of men and women with an imposing presence were engaging in a discussion about Jiang Chen.

This isolated island was home to numerous buildings, surrounded by countless visible and hidden sentries. At the center of the island stood a colossal mansion villa.

Inside the central villa's conference room, a serious meeting was taking place.

Seated at the head of the table was an elderly man dressed in white practice garb, his face exuding authority. To his left were four elders, and to his right were four middle-aged men and women, all eight wearing devilish masks.

"What does everyone think about this matter?" The authoritative elder at the head of the table swept his gaze over the eight people and spoke in a deep voice.

After exchanging looks, all eight fell into a collective silence.

"What? Are you afraid to take your teams to deal with Jiang Chen?" The elder's face darkened as he spoke sternly.

"May I speak?" A man seated at the end on the right interjected in a calm tone.

The elder glanced at the man and nodded slightly, "Number Nine, speak."

"This time, I must say that they have been too reckless!"

Number Nine spoke calmly, "What's most important now should not be dealing with Jiang Chen, but to thoroughly investigate their purpose in acquiring the pharmaceutical company. Acquiring a pharmaceutical company can have many objectives. They are not doing it alone, but as a multi-party acquisition. This only indicates that they've reached some form of cooperation, wanting to monopolize the pharmaceutical industry. Yet, we should focus on why they want to monopolize it, not just fixate on watching Jiang Chen!"

"Are you afraid Jiang Chen will die? Number Nine, it seems you value your camaraderie with Jiang Chen quite a bit!" The elder opposite Number Nine sneered as he spoke.

Number Nine glanced at the elder opposite him and shrugged nonchalantly, "Alright, since Number Five puts it that way, I'll stop talking. You all discuss, or shall I excuse myself?"

"No need. Continue," the elder at the head of the table waved him off, staring intently at Number Nine.

Number Nine returned the elder's gaze and calmly said, "Let me ask a question first. Recently, the organization has been focusing on Jiang Chen. In this period of time, how many of our own people have we lost in missions we initiated?"

As soon as Number Nine finished his sentence, the people in the conference room were momentarily stunned, their expressions turning cold.

"What are you implying, Number Nine?"

Buzz!

Number Five's reprimand was sharp as he glared at Number Nine, erupting with a formidable presence that bore down on Number Nine with the might of a late-stage Venerable Realm.

Number Nine's face suddenly turned white, but his eyes behind the mask did not show the slightest change, as he briefly glanced at Number Five and his own momentum burst forth.

Buzz Buzz Buzz!

Boom Boom!

An early stage Venerable Realm presence clashed against the late-stage Venerable Realm pressure, causing a powerful expulsion of energy.

Buzz!

A Piao Miao presence emerged at the moment Number Nine and Number Five's forces collided, enveloping the entire conference room, ensuring all the furniture was protected.

The fierce collision of forces did not damage the conference room in the slightest.

The elder glanced at Number Five, only protecting the room and not stopping him, then turned to look at Number Nine, "Finish what you were saying, Number Nine."

Withstanding Number Five's pressure, Number Nine spoke steadily, "I want to know what our organization's purpose is?"

"Domination," the elder replied succinctly.

"What's the purpose of focusing on Jiang Chen?" Number Nine asked again.

The elder hesitated, suddenly unsure of how to respond.

The others in the room were all taken aback, their brows furrowing.

"The presence of Jiang Chen makes everyone feel threatened, but what I want to know is, how can a guy in the Semi Venerable Venerable Realm cause such dread?"

Number Nine's eyes revealed a hint of perplexity, "All you discuss is how to deal with Jiang Chen. I'm saying we don't need to consider this, yet you think I can't let go of my personal ties with Jiang Chen. So, I'd like to ask, can a guy in the Semi Venerable Venerable Realm really threaten the very foundation of our organization?"

"This..." The elder at the head of the table suddenly found himself at a loss for words, glancing around to find a similar look of surprise in everyone's eyes.

After pondering for a moment, he gestured towards Number Five to de-escalate.

Number Five retracted his aura and frowned at Number Nine, "Are you implying that we don't need to deal with Jiang Chen?"

"So, you think I'm trying to protect Jiang Chen again?"

Number Nine calmly smiled as he let go of his aura, "I know you're wary of Jiang Chen's natural talent, but have you ever considered that no matter how talented he is, he's just at the Semi Venerable Venerable Realm now. Does he really warrant such an enormous effort to deal with?"

"Let's take the current situation as an example. It exposed the original Number Four, Number Five, and involved the original Number Six, Number Seven. And the result? They all died at the hands of Flame Dragon."

"What is Flame Dragon? It's a forbidden land for martial sects, a nightmare for all underground organizations. Why does it have such a notorious reputation? Isn't it because the Martial Artists of Flame Dragon are formidable? To pit our Martial Artists against Flame Dragon is just foolish."

Everyone's expression changed, but no one spoke. Instead, they gave Number Nine complex looks, contemplative thoughts flashing in their eyes.

"Keep speaking." The elder's expression turned grave as if he realized something, and he spoke gravely.

"If you've all thought it through, what else is there for me to say?"

Number Nine scanned the crowd, leaned back, and spoke indifferently, "The organization's plans are set, yet they've been disrupted because you were all focused on Jiang Chen. Those four who went to Flame Dragon and will never return, weren't they supposed to be saved for the next plan? What now? We have to send people anew, and moreover, we've revealed our hand."

"You were asked to give your opinion on what to do next, not to mock us!" Number Five's voice was cold.

"I've finished speaking. If you didn't understand, it's only because your intelligence is lacking!"

Suddenly bolder, Number Nine glared coldly at Number Five, "Don't think that just because you're stronger, you can disdain me. Let me tell you, don't provoke me. If I get really irritated, you might not hold onto your Number Five position for long!"

"What do you mean?" Number Five stood up abruptly, glaring furiously at Number Nine.

Number Nine smiled coldly, "I've already reached the bottleneck. I'll be breaking through to the mid-Venerable Realm soon. I reached the Venerable Realm on my own when I was at the peak of the Semi Venerable Venerable Realm. Now, I will break through to the mid-Venerable Realm on my own, too. Tell me, will you still stand a chance against me?"

"You..." Number Five's face suddenly contorted.

Number Four, next to Number Five, narrowed his eyes meaningfully, "Number Nine, it's good that you've become stronger, but there's no need to threaten anyone, is there?"

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