Bamboo forest.
The old farmer returned, slowly stepping into the small courtyard.
After a period of treatment, the wound on his chest had healed, though a faint scar remained.
The Medicine Saint had stated that this scar could not be removed in the short term and would only fade and disappear over time.
Throughout the entire treatment process, the old farmer could tell that the Medicine Saint had given his all, without any trickery. Therefore, he had no choice but to accept this reality.
Regardless, his injuries had healed. An extra faint scar that could eventually disappear had little impact on him.
With this thought, the old farmer picked up his hoe and began farming.
However, before he could finish, a figure appeared at the doorway.
The person was dressed in black, appearing to be in their forties or fifties, with a horrific scar on their face.
They came directly behind the old farmer, knelt on one knee, and said, "Greetings, old sir."
The old farmer heard this and glanced back at the person.
This was one of his two quasi-Heavenly rank subordinates, Dark Wing.
The old farmer gestured towards the small stone table not far away. Dark Wing immediately understood, said nothing further, and walked over to the stone table and sat down.
A short while later, the old farmer finished his farm work and came to the small stone table, pouring a bowl of clear water and handing it over.
"Thank you."
Dark Wing thanked him, drank a few sips of water, and placed the bowl aside. "Old sir, I heard that Black Feather is dead, killed by Ye Cangtian of the Hidden Group. Do you need me to eliminate him?"
"What? You came here for that?"
Mentioning Ye Cangtian, the old farmer's expression turned very grim. He had suffered significant losses at Ye Cangtian's hands and could not help but feel resentful.
Sensing the old farmer's mood, Dark Wing quickly said, "Not entirely. I was mainly worried that you might be too busy and wanted to offer some help."
"Hmph!"
The old farmer let out a light snort, his expression softening considerably. He said calmly, "Your intention is appreciated. I don't need you here yet. Hurry up and complete the task I assigned you.
By the way, what's the situation over there?"
Upon hearing this, Dark Wing quickly replied, "Reporting to the old sir, within the Dragon Taming Villa, the contradictions among the senior disciples are very deep.
If that old fellow doesn't return soon, I believe the Dragon Taming Villa will collapse before long. Then we can gradually absorb them, or deal with them one by one!"
"Very good."
"Remember, our primary objective is to control the Dragon Taming Villa, or to install a puppet. If this objective cannot be achieved, then destroy the Dragon Taming Villa."
"Besides that, try to buy over as many disciples as possible to serve us..."
As Dark Wing spoke, the old farmer slowly began to say.
He knew that those disciples were all promising talents selected by the fellow surnamed Zhou from tens of thousands of people. The facts proved that they were indeed capable individuals.
If they could all be brought under his command, it would undoubtedly be a tremendous help, making it effortless to stir up any waves in the ruins.
"I understand."
Dark Wing solemnly acknowledged, then recalled the information he had gathered along the way.
He hesitated for a moment before finally stepping forward to report it.
"Old sir, I've heard some rumors along the way. Recently, due to the rise of the Temple of Light, their ambitions have also inflated."
"It is said that the Temple of Light has not only targeted the Huaxia Ruins but has also simultaneously attacked the Dark Ruins."
"The rumors also say that Qing Dao, one of the seven Earthly rank stewards of the Dark Association, has died at the hands of the Temple of Light..."
Although Dark Wing moved within the Huaxia Ruins, he knew who he was serving.
Therefore, upon hearing anything related to the Dark Ruins, he immediately investigated and was now reporting it to his superior.
"What!"
The old farmer's eyes widened in shock.
Because of the ongoing battle between the Temple of Light and the Hidden Group at the entrance, much information could not be transmitted.
Thus, the old farmer was unable to confirm the authenticity of this news at the moment.
He cast a serious glance at Dark Wing and asked very earnestly, "Dark Wing, where did you hear this news, and how reliable is it?"
"The reliability is very high, it's being spread everywhere.
"And I also heard some whispers within the Hidden Group, and they have the same idea.
"They are even using this to stabilize morale, claiming that the Dark Association will immediately organize a counter-attack, and with the strength of the Hidden Group combined with the Dark Association, the Temple of Light will surely be utterly defeated..."
Dark Wing quickly replied.
Hearing this, the old farmer fell silent, his eyes darting around.
If this was the case, then the credibility was indeed very high.
Firstly, rumors don't come from nowhere, and the Hidden Group had never been one to bluff.
Secondly, fabricating such a lie would be meaningless, as many factions had already stationed themselves in Hidden City.
If they doubted this statement, they could easily investigate it outside.
With this thought, the old farmer quickly asked, "Regarding the Dark Ruins, have you obtained any other intelligence?"
Upon hearing this, Dark Wing immediately replied, "There's not much else in detail. Oh, and there's one more thing.
About half a year ago, the Temple of Light sent over 20 Cardinal Bishops, who were later annihilated by Dawn, the leader of the Dark Association, along with all the Earthly rank stewards..."
Twenty Cardinal Bishops?
The old farmer's face almost turned to blood.
The Dark Association had only seven Earthly rank stewards in total, and the Temple of Light had sent 20 Cardinal Bishops at once, which was indeed no small trouble.
Fortunately, the crisis had been averted.
But because of this, the old farmer's expression became even more somber.
The Temple of Light deploying so many Cardinal Bishops at once clearly indicated their determination to deal with the Dark Association.
Having failed this time, they would not give up and would surely send even stronger teams, making the situation for the Dark Association even more dire.
With this thought, the old farmer began to strategize.
It seemed he could not target the Hidden Group for the time being. Not only that, but in some matters, he even had to help them.
It was simple: if the Hidden Group became stronger and exerted enough pressure on the Temple of Light, the Temple of Light would focus all its efforts on dealing with the Hidden Group.
This would give the Dark Association enough time to develop.
With this realization, he had to temporarily set aside the idea of pursuing Ye Cangtian.
He knew very well that facing this situation, given Ye Cangtian's personality, he would definitely support the entrance to the ruins.
If Ye Cangtian were killed, it would be tantamount to indirectly helping the Temple of Light, greatly weakening the Hidden Group's strength. Then his expectations would become impossible to fulfill.
However, he could not place all his hopes on the Hidden Group.
Therefore, the old farmer had quietly decided that if he had the opportunity, he must return to the Dark Ruins to see the situation there with his own eyes.
After a long silence, the old farmer slowly said, "You don't need to worry about the matters of the Dark Ruins. Just focus on completing your task. I will naturally handle everything on that end."
"Subordinate understands."
Hearing this, Dark Wing quickly and respectfully responded.
...
A thousand miles away, Hidden City.
After several days of rapid travel, Ye Cangtian finally returned to Hidden City.
Hidden City was now a gathering place for various small and medium-sized factions.
As Dongfang Mingyue had said, these factions had basically formed an alliance and were stationed within the entrance, primarily responsible for logistical work.
For example, obtaining external battle reports and transmitting them, or transferring supplies and casualties, and so on.
Ye Cangtian did not say much about this.
Although these factions did not directly participate in the battle for various reasons, being able to do what they could was considered easing the burden on the Hidden Group.
However, based on their current actions, they had little hope of obtaining the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir.
But this was not his concern. Everyone had their own scales. These factions knew very well how much they had contributed and what benefits they could gain.
If they harbored unrealistic fantasies, he could not be blamed for turning his back on them.
After touring Hidden City, Ye Cangtian left the ruins and went to the external entrance.
As soon as he arrived outside, Ye Cangtian smelled the scent of blood in the air.
Looking around, there were still many bloodstains, though the battlefield had been cleaned up.
The next moment, Ye Cangtian walked directly towards the Hidden Group's camp. The guards saw him and naturally let him pass.
However, before he could find Yin Tao and the others, he first spotted a familiar and burly figure.
It was Yang Chen.
When Yang Chen saw Ye Cangtian, he was stunned on the spot and even rubbed his eyes, thinking he was hallucinating.
Only after confirming it was Ye Cangtian again did he rush forward and give him a big bear hug, "Boss, you're back! I missed you so much!"
Feeling Yang Chen's strong arms and powerful aura, Ye Cangtian heavily patted him on the shoulder. "Good job, you brat. Your strength has already reached the middle stage of Earthly rank. You truly didn't disappoint me."
Previously, when Yang Chen was severely injured, Ye Cangtian had urgently administered a Nine-Turn Golden Elixir to him.
Considering his injuries and Yang Chen's cultivation, he had predicted that Yang Chen's breakthrough to the Earthly rank realm would essentially be his limit.
Now that Yang Chen had made further progress, he was truly happy for him.
"Haha, this is all thanks to you, boss. Otherwise, I would have probably lost my life long ago."
Yang Chen laughed heartily and cupped his hands to salute Ye Cangtian, but Ye Cangtian stopped him.
"Alright, let's not waste any more words between us."
"Where is Yin Tao? Take me to see him first, we can talk later."
Hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Yang Chen quickly responded and then led Ye Cangtian into the command tent.