393: Chapter 393 Secret Meeting and Conspiracy, Mo Yuan's Cold Laughter

In the dim secret room, firelight flickered, writhing like snakes against the stone walls.

Seven rough wooden tables were pushed together in a circle, with eight leaders sitting around them; no one spoke.

The air was so stifling it felt like an iron plate was pressing down, making every breath heavy.

"Ahem." The third-born of the Beigu Lei Family cleared his throat, his fingers picking at a crack in the corner of the table. "Is this place... truly safe?"

No one answered him.

The Clan Chief of the Zhao Clan of Xiling picked up a teacup and took a sip. The water was cold; he frowned and set it down, the bottom of the cup hitting the table with a crisp clack.

"We've been waiting so long, are we going to see him or not?" The Young Lord of the Nanqiu He Clan couldn't contain his impatience. The moment the words left his mouth, he realized his mistake and quickly shut up, his eyes darting toward the corner.

It was darkest there.

A shadow stood against the wall, its outline blurred, with only the corners of its mouth slightly curled up like a blade hanging in the night.

"Impatient?" The voice was so low it was almost inaudible, yet it made everyone's spine stiffen. "Don't you all want to rise up and become masters? Why is it that you can't even sit still for the opening?"

It was Mo Yuan.

No one saw how he had entered, and no one knew how long he had been hiding there.

Yet his tone was airy, as if he were reciting a nursery rhyme or counting heads.

The Chieftain of Liuye Village suddenly looked up: "We respect you as our guide, but the Chen family now has territory, mechas, and Formations protecting their mountain gates—you say we should rebel, so we rebel? With what?"

"With that bit of resentment in your hearts," Mo Yuan said slowly. He didn't move his feet, yet his voice seemed to circle the room.

"Of the thirteen mines in the Eastern Desolation, the Chen family occupies nine. In Alliance meetings, a single word from them outweighs ten of your arguments.

Even for children to attend school, they must first pass their 'Aptitude screening'."

He paused, his smile deepening.

"Three years ago, you could still stand on equal footing. And now? Each of you lives like a watchdog guarding scraps.

Resources are being choked off, the right to speak is held in the hands of others, and even when your own juniors want to learn Artifact Refining, they have to kneel and beg for someone to take them as disciples."

"Enough!" The Clan Chief of the Wang Clan of Chiji Ridge slammed the table and stood up, his face flushed. "Stop trying to stir up trouble! The Chen family is indeed strong, but they haven't mistreated their vassal clans—"

"Annual profit sharing, mutual defense against external enemies, shared technical workshops—in what way have they wronged us?"

Mo Yuan chuckled and finally took a step forward.

The light and shadow bisected his face—one half was as pale as a corpse, the other hidden in shadow. His age was indiscernible, but his eyes were terrifyingly bright.

"Shared?" he said leisurely. "That is charity. Feeding you things already chewed up—and you're expected to be grateful?"

He raised his hand, and his fingertips traced through the air. A ghostly blue trail appeared, forming the afterimage of a map of the Eastern Desolation.

"Look at your territories. Squeezed into mountain gullies, with thin Spiritual Qi and exhausted ore veins.

The Chen family gives you a bite to eat, and you're satisfied? But have you ever wondered—why are they suddenly so generous?"

Everyone held their breath.

"Because they are laying out a plan," Mo Yuan's voice dropped even lower. "A branch vein has been excavated in the Southern Ridge's new mining belt, automated assembly lines are about to be activated, and Cultivation simulation pods are going to be built. In another three years, they won't need vassals like you, who are essentially hostages, at all."

"What do you mean?" Sha Laoqi asked in a low voice.

"It means—" Mo Yuan narrowed his eyes, "once their wings have hardened, the first ones they'll purge are you 'dregs of the old order'."

The room was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

Someone's Adam's apple bobbed, someone's palms sweated, and someone stared intently at their own face reflected in the tea.

"But... the Chen family has the backing of the Common Alliance, and those lunatics from the Loose Cultivator Alliance are on their side."

Liu Laosan gritted his teeth. "Even if all eight of our families joined forces, we wouldn't survive a single charge from their mechas."

"That's why we must borrow strength," Mo Yuan sneered. "The Northern Territory Bandits have already assembled their elites and can reach the border within three days;"},{