The old village chief remained silent for a long time before finally raising his hand, signaling his people to lower their long forks.
He sighed and said, "I apologize, Brother Li. This forbidden area is too important to us. It can be said that the reason we still exist is because of it."
"Please forgive my rashness."
Li Chonglou chuckled, taking it as an act.
"Old village chief, I'm not some naive country bumpkin. There's no need for such theatrics. You tried the tough approach, now the soft? I'm afraid neither will work on me."
If these words had been spoken during an interrogation, Li Chonglou might have believed them.
Yes, even if not entirely, he would have at least given them some credence.
But after he left, although he could clearly see the locations of others, they only reported a few of them!
According to the man in the black robe, this mission involved not a dozen, but dozens of experts at the realm!
If it weren't for his own strength, anyone else might have already been eliminated and sent to reincarnation.
When he hid using the True Turtle Breathing Technique, everyone assigned to the mission had circled his location. If it hadn't been him present at the time, even an expert at the seventh level might not have escaped.
What angered Li Chonglou even more was that afterwards, the old village chief had ignored the information he sent back.
Wasn't this clearly an attempt to set him up?
He figured they had likely guessed that those people were all after him, and once he was dead, these people would naturally disperse.
While this might have been the best option from the old village chief's perspective, from Li Chonglou's point of view, it was simply unacceptable.
Seeing the indifference on Li Chonglou's face, the old village chief understood immediately.
"What happened earlier was my fault, Brother Li..."
Li Chonglou shook his head. "It's only natural, I understand, and I believe you understand me too. It's fine. Since we can't cooperate now, you can lock me back up. The mission failed, it failed. As long as I'm alive, anything is still possible."
After speaking, Li Chonglou looked into the old village chief's eyes.
"Or perhaps, Old Village Chief, you intend to use my life as leverage now?"
"No, no, no."
The old village chief waved his hands quickly.
Following that, a look of conflict appeared on his face.
Li Chonglou did not rush him.
After a long while, a determined expression flashed across the old village chief's face.
"Brother Li, it was my fault earlier, but I still wish to cooperate with you."
"Cooperate on what? Have me go alone and fight them all?"
"No, I know that when you dared to speak to me like that earlier, you had your own methods, or perhaps the strength to deal with them. Therefore, this time, I want to send you into the forbidden area first, and then hunt them down as they enter!"
There wasn't much surprise on Li Chonglou's face. Since the old village chief could see the locations of the attackers, he would naturally know that he had dealt with two assassins.
Coupled with his prior request for cooperation, it wasn't difficult to guess his confidence in his own strength.
Putting aside empty words, the fact that he could kill two people was already evident. The cooperation the old village chief was proposing now was precisely due to this.
Li Chonglou suddenly let out a cold laugh and said, "Why should I agree? Those are assassination experts from all over the world. It's just a mission; if I fail, it's not me who dies."
The old village chief paused. "What if I said there would be a reward?"
Li Chonglou fell silent.
Was this guy serious?
However, speaking of rewards, he became interested.
"Tell me."
This naturally referred to the reward. The old village chief said in a deep voice, "One kilogram of petrified grass, and one seed. One mother stone for the Transmission Stone, along with two child stones!"
Li Chonglou's eyebrows rose.
"Are these the most precious things on your Thunder Magnetic Island?"
"What do you mean, Brother Li?"
Li Chonglou smiled faintly. "I mean, this reward is not enough for me."
The old village chief's expression changed abruptly.
His voice carried a hint of displeasure. "Brother Li, I sincerely wish to cooperate with you, and consider this an apology for what happened earlier. But this is no reason for you to make outrageous demands!"
Li Chonglou said calmly, "You misunderstand. As for the Transmission Stone, you still have my Moonbeam Ray, don't you? These two have almost the same function, and I am from the General Bureau. Do you think it's difficult for me to obtain them?"
"As for the petrified grass you mentioned, it should be the raw material for the ropes binding me. To tell you the truth, we also have something in our General Bureau with a similar effect of sealing cultivators."
"There's no need for me to lie to you."
The old village chief's face froze.
He had never imagined that treasures he considered unique also had similar counterparts elsewhere.
"Village Chief, it's bad! Someone has brought over a hundred experts and surrounded our entire island!"
A man in beast hides suddenly rushed in frantically, and his words caused the expressions of everyone present to change.
For the islanders, they naturally worried that these people were targeting their forbidden area.
As for Li Chonglou, he realized something.
This mission was likely a death trap specifically designed for him!
Just then, another man in beast hides ran in, shouting as he did.
"Village Chief, the forbidden area has suddenly become abnormal! The Thunder Pool seems to be about to erupt!"
The old village chief's face instantly turned pale.
He stumbled backward uncontrollably. The beast-hide men standing on either side quickly grabbed him.
"Village Chief! Are you alright?"
The chief gave a bitter smile. "I finally understand why there have been so many anomalies this time. It turns out they are after the Divine Thunder Source."
Yes, he finally understood.
From the sudden occurrence of the spiritual explosion, to the appearance of numerous unfamiliar experts on the island, and now the blatant sealing of the island, all these actions could only be explained by one reason.
That reason was the true secret of their Thunder Magnetic Island: the Divine Thunder Source!
Li Chonglou, who was beside him, heard these three words for the first time and couldn't help but ask, "What is this Divine Thunder Source?"
Perhaps due to his earlier apology, or for some other reason, the old village chief, who had always been reluctant to say more than a single word about Thunder Magnetic Island, now explained.
"The fundamental reason for the existence of Thunder Magnetic Island is the Divine Thunder Source. It is a natural treasure nurtured by heaven and earth. Legend has it that those who obtain the Divine Thunder Source will possess a lightning attribute and the ability to control lightning."
Li Chonglou exclaimed in surprise, "Control lightning?"
The old village chief nodded with certainty. "Yes, control lightning. Those who possess the Divine Thunder Source can freely command heavenly lightning. You can strike anyone you wish."
Seeing that the old village chief's demeanor was not one of jesting, Li Chonglou was utterly stunned.
"Doesn't that mean whoever gets this thing becomes invincible?"