"Star Abyss, your subordinate Gu Hai pledges loyalty to you."
"Your subordinate was previously threatened by Kong Ling, which led me to commit many wrongdoings. I beg Star Abyss to forgive me..."
Now that Kong Ling was dead, the strongest and highest-ranking member of the Dark Association was none other than Star Abyss, who would undoubtedly take charge of the entire organization.
Therefore, only by swearing allegiance to Star Abyss could he hope to preserve his life and status.
Heh.
Upon hearing this, Star Abyss let out a disdainful laugh and said, "I will not be the one to play the villain. Whether you live or not depends on Po Xiao's decision."
Having spent considerable time with Po Xiao, Star Abyss was well aware of his personality.
Po Xiao would definitely not spare someone like Gu Hai.
He saw no need to create friction with Po Xiao over Gu Hai, so it was better to leave Gu Hai to Po Xiao's judgment.
"Po Xiao, Lord Po Xiao, your subordinate admits his mistakes and begs you to spare my life!"
On the other side, Gu Hai crawled to Ye Cangtian's front and desperately began kowtowing, begging for mercy.
He knew he had wronged Po Xiao terribly in the past, but to save his life, he could only do this.
"Gu Hai, I will not settle past grievances with you!"
"You followed Kong Ling for decades, and Kong Ling treated you well. His body is barely cold, and you've already switched allegiance. Do you think I would accept someone like you?"
Ye Cangtian looked at Gu Hai with disdain, despising such a faithless individual.
Hearing this, Gu Hai's expression changed, and he quickly said, "I had a master-subordinate relationship with Lord Kong Ling. Now that he is dead, our master-subordinate relationship has ended. My switching allegiance to another cannot be considered a mistake, can it?"
"Heh, if Kong Ling could hear your words, I wonder if he would be angered back to life."
Ye Cangtian smiled mockingly and continued, "Let's put aside your master-subordinate affairs for now. Let's talk about Lan Yue. You subjected her to severe torture and interrogation. Do you think I should not seek an explanation?"
"This..."
At this, Gu Hai broke out in a cold sweat.
The fact that the other party dared to fight Kong Ling as a weaker party for Lan Yue was enough to prove Lan Yue's status in his heart.
Now, seeking revenge for Lan Yue would likely cost him his life.
With this thought, he quickly said, "Lord Po Xiao, I know I was wrong. I am willing to be your beast of burden for Lan Yue. Please spare my life!"
Bang!
As soon as Gu Hai finished speaking, Ye Cangtian raised his leg and kicked him directly in the chest.
In an instant, Gu Hai was sent flying backward, and blood splattered across the sky.
This kick was not light; it directly shattered Gu Hai's meridians and crippled his cultivation.
"Lan Yue does not need a dog like you!"
Saying this, Ye Cangtian flashed to Lan Yue's side, removed the rag from her mouth, and untied her.
"Senior Sister, I apologize for making you suffer. I came late."
"Gu Hai's cultivation has been crippled. How do you plan to vent your anger, Senior Sister?"
Listening to Ye Cangtian's gentle voice, Lan Yue slowly shook her head and said, "Forget it. Just give him a quick end with a knife. He was just following orders."
"Alright!"
Ye Cangtian agreed, then with a flick of his hand, a cold light shot out.
"No!"
Gu Hai watched the approaching cold light as he screamed, his eyes filled with despair. His cultivation was gone; how could he block this strike?
Pfft!
The next moment, a faint sound was heard as the dagger pierced directly through Gu Hai's neck.
After completing this, Ye Cangtian took out a Nine Revolutions Golden Pill from his Qiankun bag and gave it to Lan Yue.
Seeing Lan Yue begin to absorb the medicinal effects, he slowly walked towards Star Abyss.
However, before he could ask any questions, Star Abyss's voice reached him first.
"I know you have many questions, but now is not the time to explain them to you."
"We will discuss them after Huang Shan and the others arrive! I don't want to repeat myself!"
Uh...
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian was taken aback, but since the other party had said so, he could only suppress his impatience and nod in agreement.
Seeing this, Star Abyss smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, you won't have to wait too long. They will arrive in Ghost City within three days!"
He paused, then continued, "Also, Kong Ling was a significant figure. Since he is dead, there is no need to continue insulting him. It would be best to give him a proper burial!"
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian nodded; this was precisely his thought as well, so he readily agreed.
...
Two days passed in a blink of an eye.
Ye Cangtian had already buried Kong Ling and Gu Hai, and the death of Kong Ling was gradually being suppressed within the headquarters.
After all, a dead person is like a extinguished lamp; one must look forward.
Moreover, the Dark Association was in a precarious state, and they had to rely on Star Abyss.
Therefore, no one truly mourned Kong Ling; they immediately pledged their allegiance to Star Abyss.
Under Star Abyss's control, the matter was quickly settled.
At this time, after dealing with various matters, Ye Cangtian returned to his room to guard Lan Yue as she absorbed the medicinal effects.
Of course, during his leisure time, he also opened Kong Ling's Qiankun bag, hoping to find some treasures.
However, the result greatly disappointed him. Kong Ling's Qiankun bag was practically bare.
Besides a manual of ancient martial arts, there were only some crystals and Great Revival Pills. There wasn't even a single pill of the Nine Revolutions Golden Pill level, which was quite stingy.
However, Ye Cangtian found this normal.
Kong Ling had been in seclusion for many years, so it was normal for him not to have many treasures. Furthermore, he had previously rewarded Hong Mo, Gu Hai, and Zi Long, clearly having bestowed all his remaining treasures upon them.
Thinking of this, Ye Cangtian's eyes suddenly darted around. Ever since Hong Mo had reminded him last time, he hadn't seen Hong Mo again.
Even when the Dark Association underwent a drastic change, the other party hadn't appeared. He was genuinely curious about what the other party was doing.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
Just as Ye Cangtian was preparing to visit Hong Mo, a knock came at the door.
A guard entered and approached Ye Cangtian respectfully, saying, "Lord Po Xiao, Lord Star Abyss requests your presence!"
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian immediately responded.
He knew that Star Abyss was summoning him probably because Huang Shan and the others had returned, and this meeting was likely to provide him with answers.
Therefore, he could only temporarily put aside his intention to visit Hong Mo. After a brief tidy-up, he immediately headed to the main hall.
As expected, when he arrived at the hall, he saw not only Huang Shan and Luoluo but also Mantuo Luo and Fei Yan.
The two women had encountered Huang Shan and Luoluo on their way and had returned with them.
Seeing him safe and sound, their eyes immediately lit up with joy.
Greeting everyone, Ye Cangtian nodded slightly, then his gaze shifted to Star Abyss on the main seat.
"Heh heh, you kid, you're really impatient!"
Sensing Ye Cangtian's gaze, Star Abyss grumbled with a hint of annoyance and continued, "Alright, everyone is here now. You can ask whatever questions you have."
Ye Cangtian did not stand on ceremony and directly asked, "Lord Star Abyss, when did you see through my identity?"
His question caused everyone in the hall to freeze.
Mantuo Luo and Fei Yan looked bewildered; they only knew the person before them as Po Xiao and were unaware of any other identity.
As for Huang Shan and Luoluo, after a moment of astonishment, they instantly became vigilant, even resting their hands on their weapons.
Although Star Abyss had treated them well, he was, after all, a member of the Dark Association, and Ye Cangtian was their son-in-law.
If Star Abyss discovered that Po Xiao was Ye Cangtian, he would undoubtedly kill him immediately, and they could not let that happen, lest their daughter become a widow.
"Huang Shan, Luoluo, don't be agitated."
"If I wanted to make a move against him, he would have been a corpse by now. He wouldn't be alive today."
Sensing the strong hostility emanating from Huang Shan and Luoluo, Star Abyss smiled and said.
Uh...
As the words fell, Huang Shan and Luoluo were stunned, then exchanged a look.
Star Abyss's words made sense.
Thinking this, they retracted their weapons and waited for his explanation.
Watching their actions, Star Abyss smiled slightly, turned his gaze to Ye Cangtian, and said, "Po Xiao, do you remember the first time we met? I brought four items for you to choose from."