As Ye Cangtian and others left one by one, Haotian's mood turned grim.
He was frustrated!
He still had no idea what Ye Cangtian was planning.
Although he was surprised by Ye Cangtian's identity within the Dark Association's Dawn faction, and they might be able to uncover Xing Yuan's schemes, how could they break the deadlock with just them?
Thinking this, he was filled with worry about the current operation.
The most agonizing part was that Chen Yi was right beside him, preventing him from reminding Ye Cangtian.
With no other option, he could only suppress his feelings and take things one step at a time.
In another room.
Chen Yi wore a sinister smile.
He had initially been worried that Ye Cangtian might notice something and change his plans, or even abandon the mission.
But after hearing Ye Cangtian's words, he chuckled; this kid was utterly useless.
Without any detailed intelligence, Ye Cangtian not only harbored no suspicion but had also confirmed the plan.
Such recklessness, and he had even considered this brat a formidable opponent.
"Ye Cangtian, rest well. In two days, it will be your demise, young one..."
...
In the ruins of China, Dragon City.
More than ten days after Ye Cangtian's departure, a group of figures in black quietly arrived at Dragon City and intruded into the villa where Ye Cangtian resided.
Facing ten black-clad figures, Qiangwei calmly shielded Yao Bao'er behind her.
"Who exactly are you?"
Qiangwei glanced at the man leading the group and inquired.
"I am Hua Weng."
The man introduced himself casually, then said, "Qiangwei, don't struggle in vain. Bring Yao Bao'er and come with me obediently, or face the consequences."
This was all arranged by Chen Yi before his departure.
When Ye Cangtian returned forcefully, Chen Yi felt something was amiss. As a precaution, he decided to capture the two women first, thus having a bargaining chip.
"You think you can take us away with just you? Do you think too highly of yourself?"
Qiangwei looked at him coldly, flicked her arm, and a long sword appeared in her hand.
"Heh, it seems you're not cooperating!"
"Then there's no choice but to bring out my treasures!"
Seeing Qiangwei's action, Hua Weng smiled eerily. He glanced at his companions, and then they all moved their hands in unison.
As their hands moved, countless red particles were scattered onto the lawn.
They were coiled-up bloody centipedes, which unfurled the moment they hit the ground.
Then, as if trained, they surrounded Qiangwei and Yao Bao'er.
"Qiangwei, I'll kindly remind you, these blood centipedes are full of poison. A slight touch will result in poisoning, and once poisoned, death will follow within the hour..."
As he spoke, Hua Weng gave Qiangwei a meaningful look.
Hearing this, Qiangwei glanced at him and said coldly, "With these venomous insects, plus all of you, it is indeed difficult for me to cope. But it seems you've forgotten where we are."
Speaking, Qiangwei called out, "Senior, if you don't act now, Bao'er will be taken away!"
"Girl, you're asking me to act for such a small matter? You're truly lazy!"
As soon as she spoke, a helpless voice echoed, and then a figure flashed to Qiangwei's side. It was none other than Elder Long.
Qiangwei cupped her hands respectfully towards Elder Long and said, "Senior, this is all his arrangement..."
Before Ye Cangtian left, he had told Qiangwei that Elder Long was always guarding Yao Bao'er, and she could find Elder Long if she encountered any trouble.
Now that the situation was tricky, Qiangwei, fearing she couldn't protect Yao Bao'er, had no choice but to ask him to intervene.
"That scoundrel! When he returns, I'll deal with him!"
Saying this, Elder Long looked at Qiangwei and asked somewhat irritably, "Do you want them alive, or dead?"
"Alive," Qiangwei replied calmly.
Elder Long nodded, glanced at the poisonous insects on the ground, and slowly lifted his leg, bringing it down.
Boom!
As his foot landed, a wave of spiritual energy swept out in all directions, and almost instantly, the poisonous insects on the ground exploded.
"This..."
Seeing this scene, Hua Weng and the others were stunned. They had heard of Elder Long.
But in their eyes, Elder Long was just a cripple.
How had he recovered his strength?
That was the power of a Heaven-level expert. Even though their strength was not weak and they were skilled in using poison, they were no match for him.
"Surrender, or die?"
Just then, Elder Long's voice boomed. Hua Weng and the others knelt on the ground almost instinctively.
Facing a Heaven-level expert, they found it difficult to muster any thought of resistance.
"Seeing as you are all quite sensible, I won't kill you today. However, while your lives are spared, your crimes cannot go unpunished. Your cultivation will be crippled!"
As he spoke, Elder Long waved his hand, and dense spiritual energy surged from his body. In the next moment, more than ten people collapsed on the ground, spitting blood.
After finishing this, Elder Long turned to Qiangwei and said, "Next time, deal with such minor matters yourself."
Qiangwei glanced at him and said helplessly, "But that guy said you should stretch your muscles and not let them get rusty. I couldn't do anything about it..."
In fact, this was all Ye Cangtian's arrangement.
Ye Cangtian knew very well that after this operation, the Hidden Group would be short one Heaven-level expert, which would be a blow to them.
Therefore, Ye Cangtian intended for Elder Long to step forward and prevent morale from dropping.
After all, they would soon cooperate with the Guangming Hall, and low morale would not do.
"This scoundrel! He even calculated me into it!"
"Hmph! When he returns, I'll definitely loosen his muscles for him!"
Hearing Qiangwei's explanation, Elder Long grumbled, then no longer paid attention, and disappeared into the night...
...
A civilian residence in Ghost City.
Ye Cangtian returned from outside, and Haotian and the others' gazes were fixed on him.
Ye Cangtian smiled slightly, first took a sip of water, then slowly said, "The intelligence personnel did not obtain any useful information, but I believe that no information is the best information. Therefore, the plan remains unchanged!"
Upon hearing this, Haotian became anxious and said, "Kid, this matter is of great importance. I believe we should reconsider!"
"What is there to reconsider!"
"The arrow is on the string and must be shot! Besides, with our combined strength, even forcefully breaking into the Dark Association's headquarters would not be a problem!"
Chen Yi stepped forward upon hearing this.
He had already received a signal from Xing Yuan, and Xing Yuan was ready, just waiting for the fish to bite.
At this critical juncture, how could he let everything fail?
"I believe Senior Chen Yi is correct."
"Therefore, the plan remains unchanged, and we depart immediately! Of course, if Lord Haotian has any concerns, you are welcome to withdraw."
"However, even so, I will charge towards the Dark Association headquarters with Senior Chen Yi!"
Hearing Chen Yi's words, Ye Cangtian said calmly.
Having concealed so much from Haotian for so long, he felt a pang of apology towards him.
But there was no other way. If Haotian didn't raise any objections, everything would seem too strange, and Chen Yi would surely become suspicious.
Therefore, he could only inconvenience Haotian, with the aim of deceiving Chen Yi.
On the other side, seeing Ye Cangtian's stubbornness, Haotian truly wanted to slap him. However, he also knew that at this moment, he could not change the other party's mind no matter what.
After a moment of silence, he finally gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I will accompany you on this trip."
Having no other choice, Haotian couldn't let Ye Cangtian take such a risk himself.
If he went, perhaps he could still carve out a path to survival.
"In that case, we move at midnight."
Ye Cangtian said faintly, then returned to his room.
...
Midnight.
The Dark Ruins were still dim, but most people had already rested according to the time.
And the guards responsible for the night watch were all drowsy.
Just then, figures in black stealthily infiltrated the headquarters. It was none other than Ye Cangtian and his companions.
Ye Cangtian and the other three, with their extremely high cultivation, were difficult to detect. Coupled with the drowsy guards, they easily infiltrated.
"Is it not a joy to have friends coming from afar!"
"Since you are all here, please come in!"
As they approached the main hall, a loud voice boomed, and the doors of the hall were flung wide open.
Seeing this, the four stopped in their tracks.