In the capital city.
The chain reaction it caused was considerable. For the people of the capital, everyone was shocked, not a single one was not shocked.
Because no one had expected that Ye Longlin, such a powerful figure, would be directly missing, and it happened during this battle.
A dignified Saint realm expert, logically speaking, no matter how many enemy personnel there were, he could still come and go freely. They would not pose any threat to him. Even if the enemy was entirely composed of warriors like the Dragon Pavilion, a Saint realm expert could still move freely.
Moreover, a Saint realm expert could easily annihilate thousands of warriors with just one hand!
Therefore, when the news returned to the capital, almost no one believed it. Yet, they had no choice but to believe it, because Ye Longlin had truly disappeared!
No one knew what had happened on the battlefield, nor did anyone know what unexpected events had occurred in that battle. In the end, this was the result they received.
Those who later went to the eastern battlefield had searched thoroughly. Ye Longlin could be confirmed as missing, along with Xuan Niao and Yuan Gang, all of them disappeared without a trace.
"Find them! I don't care what the situation is, they are definitely not dead. Find them for me!"
For the Hall of Honor, Ye Longlin's existence was more beneficial than detrimental. They certainly wanted to find Ye Longlin, but the most important thing now was that if they were indeed missing, then most likely, they were all gone.
Sunk into the sea, completely submerged!
Even if they were still alive, even if they were at their peak, they wouldn't have the ability to traverse the entire ocean, would they?
So, it was most probable that they had all died.
"Great Elder, we cannot continue searching. Various factions are watching us. Even if we want to keep searching, we cannot. Let the Qin family and the Dragon Pavilion search secretly."
Ning Qi sighed deeply, his tone filled with resignation.
During this period, he had watched the Great Elder lose sleep and appetite over this matter, becoming thinner. If this continued, before Ye Longlin could be found, the Great Elder himself would not be able to endure it.
"Do you think he's still alive?"
The Great Elder gazed wistfully at the horizon, a hint of hope and helplessness in his eyes.
No one had expected this outcome.
Why did he suddenly disappear when everything was fine? Even their king's army and Ye Longlin's hundreds of thousands of soldiers were gone. Only a hundred thousand bodies were found in total at the scene.
No matter how you looked at it, it shouldn't have been like this!
"He's alive, he's definitely alive!"
"Didn't you go to see the Grand Tutor? The Grand Tutor said he's alive, so he must be alive!"
...
In the Ye family.
Ye Nantian, who had just received the news, also refused to believe that Ye Longlin was dead. This was indeed difficult to believe, as, after all, Ye Longlin had become a peak-level expert. It was impossible for him to just disappear.
Furthermore, with his strength, how could he possibly die? He could only be temporarily missing.
And with his disappearance, the time they were left with was very precious. No one knew when Ye Longlin would return. Therefore, capturing his wife would give them bargaining chips when he returned.
And the result? The result was that Ye Moran called to tell them that there were experts guarding her, as well as Dragon Pavilion soldiers.
The most crucial point was that they received news that Mu Hanqi was pregnant!
Upon hearing this news, Ye Nantian couldn't help but stand up from his Grand Tutor chair.
"Are you sure? Is this true?"
Ye Nantian took a deep breath, his eyes filled with disbelief.
If this was the case, then Mu Hanqi's importance was self-evident. If they could control Mu Hanqi, even if Ye Longlin returned, the Ye family would still have leverage to negotiate with him. Even if he didn't care about Mu Hanqi, the Murong family must care, right?
Ye Longlin must at least care about his child, shouldn't he?
"It's true, Patriarch. I would never dare to lie to you. Moreover, there is an old woman in her shop, very powerful. With just a light touch, our people disappeared."
Ye Moran said with fear. He was just a spoiled young master. When had he ever seen such a scene?
After hanging up the phone, Ye Nantian immediately convened a family meeting to discuss how to handle this matter.
After a meeting of over an hour, one thing was finally decided: they still had to capture Mu Hanqi, because only in this way could they have absolute control when Ye Longlin returned!
"Since that is the case, Sixth Elder, thank you for making the trip."
In short, the reactions of each family were different. Some wished Ye Longlin dead, while others wished Ye Longlin alive. In short, now, many people wished Ye Longlin alive.
Only when he was alive could everything be maximized in benefit, whether it was deterrence against outsiders or suppression within.
At the very least, the current capital, without Ye Longlin, had no one capable of suppressing everything.
The biggest loss, without a doubt, was the Dragon Pavilion.
Xuan Wu, due to prior commitments, did not go to the eastern battlefield. But who knew such a thing would happen? Xuan Wu thus became the highest-ranking person in the Dragon Pavilion. Naturally, he became the leader of the Dragon Pavilion.
This was forcing his growth, and this was forcing him to quickly become a qualified leader.
But if he had a choice, he would never want to become such a leader. Such a leader was built on the deaths of everyone. He was unwilling.
"Boss, Sis, where on earth did you go?"
Xuan Wu stood by the window, his eyes cast down.
"Boss Xuan Wu, the Qin family has sent news. The Qin family head, Qin Shimeng, is currently by Sister-in-law's side protecting her. Our hidden sentries discovered people from the Ye family secretly leaving the capital. It looks very likely they are heading to Jiangnan."
Xuan Wu frowned and immediately ordered, "Send the highest-cultivation group in the Dragon Pavilion. No, let the lowest-ranked members of the Dragon Pavilion personally go and protect Sister-in-law!"
"Understood!"
In the Qin family, the same order was received.
Qin Shimeng was very clear about the consequences of letting Ye Moran go. She wasn't a fool. Ye Moran would definitely relay this news to the Ye family. Upon hearing this news, the Ye family would go mad with capturing people.
This was certain, no doubt about it.
"Have two Saint realm experts from the Qin family come and guard here. Anyone from the Ye family found will be killed without mercy!"
The battle between the Ye family and the Qin family, revolving around Mu Hanqi, began. And this battle became the biggest highlight in the capital before Ye Longlin's return.
The battle between these two families would inevitably cause a series of factors. To put it bluntly, the Zhenwu Qin family represented the Zhenwu Division, and the Hall of Honor would not stand by and watch the Zhenwu Division decline.
If the Qin family was defeated, the Zhenwu Division would definitely intervene. This was a given.
But if the Ye family was defeated, the Hall of Honor might even turn around and stab them in the back.
Of course, the specific situation would only be known after all these events unfolded.
"Ye Longlin? I told you long ago he was no good. Now look, he's gotten himself lost. Serves him right!"