The night in Martinburg.
Martinburg was a renowned establishment in Bright City, known for its top-tier services that included not only fine dining but also various entertainment facilities.
Simply put, if you possessed status and influence, everything you could desire was available here.
Inside a diamond suite of Martinburg at this moment, only remnants of food were left on the table.
Men clad in red robes reclined on their chairs, satiated and discussing something amongst themselves.
"Alas! Favoring lust over friendship!"
"We went to great lengths to curry favor with the esteemed lord, only to fall short compared to a woman."
A cardinal spoke with a sigh of complaint to Truomo.
"Silence!"
"How dare you speak of Lord Dames in such a manner? It is already a great honor that he deigned to attend our banquet amidst his busy schedule!"
Upon hearing this, Truomo's expression turned icy cold.
Although he felt a pang of displeasure himself, Dames was currently the favored individual in the Pope's eyes!
He dared not speak ill of him, for if it reached Dames's ears, he would face dire consequences!
The cardinal, hearing this, offered an awkward chuckle and quickly corrected himself, "I meant no disrespect, Your Eminence. I merely envy Lord Dames for his success and his fortune in winning the affections of a beautiful woman..."
Before the cardinal could finish, his voice abruptly ceased. At that very moment, the suite door slowly opened, and three figures entered from outside.
Two men and one woman, they were Ye Cangtian and his companions in disguise.
The trio had just slipped into Martinburg and proceeded directly to this suite.
"My esteemed guests, have you perhaps mistaken the suite?"
Truomo's gaze swept over the three, and after a brief silence, he asked calmly.
Ye Cangtian scanned the individuals before him. Seeing that Dames was not present, he spoke, "Who here is Truomo?"
"Looking for me?"
Truomo inquired, puzzled. He scanned Ye Cangtian and his companions again, confirming for the third time that he truly did not recognize these three.
He then reiterated, "Who are you, and what is the matter that brings you to seek me?"
"Since you are here, I haven't come to the wrong room."
"By the way, where is Dames? Why haven't I seen him?"
Ye Cangtian, without answering the question, continued to inquire.
"Hmph!"
At this remark, Truomo let out a cold snort.
The rudeness from the other party was one thing, but now, coming to the banquet he was hosting to fawn over Dames, was simply too much.
Thinking this, his face grew even colder, and he said, "Young man, I know not from whence you received your information, but I must inform you that you have come to the wrong place, and you must leave immediately, or face the consequences!"
"Heh, face the consequences?"
"I am truly curious to see what these consequences might be!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian let out a cold laugh. Had the other party cooperated without causing trouble, he would not have intended to make things difficult.
But since they were looking for trouble now, they couldn't blame him.
"What an arrogant brat! Then allow me to see what abilities you possess!"
Before Truomo could speak, a cardinal beside him slammed his fist on the table and rose to his feet.
He drew his weapon in an instant and with a swift movement, appeared before Ye Cangtian, launching a fierce attack.
Hmph!
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian let out a dismissive snort, his figure flickered, dodging the opponent's attack. He then retaliated with a punch.
Bang!
The fist landed heavily on the cardinal's chest. The next moment, the cardinal, like a kite with a broken string, was sent flying backward, blood arcing through the air.
This...
In an instant, the others in the suite widened their eyes.
That was a cardinal with Earth-level strength, and he couldn't withstand a single punch from him. Who could believe this?
"Who exactly are you?"
"Such ruthless actions, are you not afraid of being hunted by the Bright Hall?"
Truomo, remaining somewhat composed, seeing how formidable the opponent was, directly invoked the name of the Bright Hall.
"Hmph!"
"Do you think I would have acted if I were afraid?"
Ye Cangtian looked at him disdainfully and said coldly.
This...
With that statement, Truomo's face flushed red. At the same time, he understood that the person before him was likely an enemy of the Bright Hall.
Thinking this, he glanced at the people around him and said, "Brothers, haven't we all wanted to achieve great deeds? Here's an opportunity! How about we join forces and take them down?"
The ten-odd cardinals exchanged glances, their eyes darting about.
The opponent's ruthless display indicated that he certainly did not wish for them to spread the word. Thus, if they wanted to leave, they would likely have to resort to force.
Thinking of Dames again, while he was somewhat stronger, he was by no means overwhelmingly so.
But Dames had become a favorite of the Pope, wasn't it precisely because of his achievements?
If Dames could do it, so could they.
Weren't the three people before them their opportunity?
Taking down the three before them, though not as great an achievement as slaying the Dragon Head,
If they could prove the hostility of these three, it would at least catch the Pope's attention and earn them recognition.
With this thought, all the cardinals nodded in agreement and drew their long swords.
"You all! Truly not very clever!"
"I only intended to kill Dames alone, but you insisted on joining the fray. Alas! There's nothing I can do!"
Ye Cangtian shook his head helplessly. With a shake of his hand, the Reaper's Scythe appeared in his grasp.
Xu Shi'an and Nancy did not step forward to assist but retreated to the side.
With Ye Cangtian's strength, dealing with a dozen or so cardinals was more than enough. Their task was merely to prevent anyone from escaping or to prevent anyone from entering the suite.
"You..."
Seeing the dark golden Reaper's Scythe, Truomo paused slightly, then burst into laughter, "Brothers, we've struck it rich! He is Ye Cangtian!"
Due to the recent encounters between the Bright Hall and Chinese forces, many cardinals had been studying the information on Chinese factions.
This included portraits of powerful figures from the Chinese camp, as well as the weapons they used and their areas of expertise.
Truomo was one of them and immediately recognized the Reaper's Scythe as Ye Cangtian's.
And he hadn't heard of Ye Cangtian's death recently, so there was only one answer: this was Ye Cangtian, merely in disguise.
Ye Cangtian?
Everyone looked at Ye Cangtian in confusion, their faces instantly showing surprise.
The man opposite them had already removed his disguise, revealing his true appearance. It was indeed Ye Cangtian.
In an instant, excitement flashed in everyone's eyes.
The Bright Hall harbored a deep hatred for Ye Cangtian, who had repeatedly disrupted their operations.
If they could capture Ye Cangtian, the merit would be no less than slaying the Dragon Head, and they would surely gain the Pope's favor and generous rewards.
For a moment, everyone was blinded by the prospect of this merit, completely forgetting Ye Cangtian's terrifying strength.
"Heh, I didn't expect to be seen through by you!"
"Then I shall give you another surprise."
Ye Cangtian smiled faintly at Truomo, then glanced at Nancy, giving her a meaningful look.
Sensing Ye Cangtian's gaze, Nancy rolled her eyes in exasperation and then also shed her disguise, revealing her true face.
"Nancy!"
Seeing Nancy's face, the eyes of all the cardinals brightened even further.
Nancy was a traitor to the Bright Hall, and the Bright Hall had repeatedly failed to eliminate her.
Capturing Nancy would also be a great feat.
"Haha, brothers, it seems we've had an incredible stroke of luck!"
"Such merit lies before us! Whether we can seize it depends on us!"
Truomo burst into laughter. He felt incredibly fortunate, as if he were truly favored by heaven, making it impossible not to rise to prominence!
"Heh, you little insect, you're right, the merit is right before you."
"But there's a question: do you have the strength to claim it?"
Looking at Truomo's excited demeanor, Ye Cangtian doused him with a bucket of cold water.
Upon hearing this, Truomo let out a cold laugh and said, "If Ye Cangtian were encountered in China's capital, we would turn and flee. But here, you are trapped with no escape! This is our territory!"
Saying this, Truomo drew his cross-shaped sword and pointed it at Ye Cangtian, shouting, "Brothers, for our future, charge!"
With that declaration, the ten cardinals' blood boiled instantly, and they charged furiously towards Ye Cangtian.