"Hmm?"
Hearing the other party's words, Ye Cangtian's brows immediately furrowed. He had seen the Sect Master's expression just moments ago, and it clearly indicated something was amiss.
However, since the other party denied it, he could do nothing.
Thus, he changed the subject and said, "I heard Lanyue came here. Where is she now? I have something important to discuss with her!"
"Oh, you're talking about Lord Lanyue!"
"She has indeed arrived!"
The Sect Master nodded and continued, "Lord Lanyue was concerned about our insufficient strength, so this morning I sent someone to escort her to the camp for an inspection. She is not at the Nan Yan Gate right now..."
Inspection?
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian found himself somewhat speechless at this excuse.
It was normal for a place like the Nan Yan Gate, which built its foundation on speculation and profiteering, to be looked down upon and have their strength doubted.
It was only proper to inspect the Nan Yan Gate's strength.
However, despite this, he still worried that the Sect Master might be playing tricks, especially given his abnormal expression earlier.
Thinking this, Ye Cangtian smiled and said, "Very well, please send someone to notify Lanyue now. Tell her I wish to see her and that she should return swiftly. The inspection can be discussed later."
Ye Cangtian had made up his mind not to give up until he saw Lanyue.
If everything was normal, then so be it. But if not, or if the other party played any tricks, he couldn't be blamed.
"Yes, yes, yes, I will send someone to notify her immediately. Please wait a moment."
The Sect Master quickly agreed, then looked at Zhou Di beside him and said, "Zhou Di, send someone to notify Lord Lanyue.
Also, prepare a banquet. Lord Poxiao has traveled a long way; we must welcome him and wash away the dust of his journey..."
"Yes!"
Zhou Di quickly responded and turned to leave the main hall. From Poxiao's desire to see Lanyue, he had already guessed that this Lord Poxiao was about to meet his downfall here!
Approximately an hour later.
After meticulous preparations, four tables were set up in the main hall, laden with delicacies.
Seeing this, the Sect Master, who had been chatting with Poxiao, quickly rose and made a gesture of invitation.
"Lord Poxiao, the camp is some distance from here. Lord Lanyue will likely take some time to return."
"Perhaps we could eat while we wait and allow us the opportunity to show our hospitality?"
Hearing the Sect Master's words, Ye Cangtian shrugged and smiled, "In that case, I shall gratefully accept."
With that, the two of them approached the tables and sat down, raising their wine cups.
However, after downing a cup of wine, Ye Cangtian's brow twitched. The wine contained a potent aphrodisiac and a spirit-sealing pill!
Upon discovering this, Ye Cangtian did not make a sound. A slight smile played on his lips as he subtly neutralized the effects of the medicine.
"Good wine! Truly good wine, strong and exhilarating!"
Ye Cangtian let out a hearty laugh and glanced at Man Tuoluo and Fei Yan beside him, saying, "You two should try some as well. Such excellent wine is a rare find!"
Even though he knew the wine had been tampered with, Ye Cangtian still gestured for Man Tuoluo and Fei Yan.
The reason was simple: the two women were now both at the Earthly realm. If they saw him collapse at the table, they would surely understand everything, and the charade would be ruined.
After all, drugging their wine proved that the other party was not to be trusted.
Therefore, Ye Cangtian was worried that Lanyue might fall into their trap and be captured.
If that were the case, a direct confrontation might endanger Lanyue's safety, so it was better to play along with their scheme.
On the other side, upon hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Nan Xi and Fei Yan did not hesitate. They immediately picked up their wine cups and drank them down.
Seeing this scene, the Sect Master inwardly smiled.
He did not care about mere Black-ranked deacon; whether they drank or not was irrelevant, as it would not affect his plan.
Since the two women had now drunk the wine, it was even better, saving him some trouble.
Originally, the two women might have had a chance to resist, but Poxiao had pushed them into the fire pit.
With this thought, the Sect Master quickly raised his wine cup and said, "Lord Poxiao, let's have another cup. This one is to our cooperation and our shared effort to drive the Guangming Hall out of the Dark Ruins!"
"Good!"
Ye Cangtian responded and then drank the wine in his cup in one go.
"Good wine! Truly good wine..."
As the wine entered his throat, Ye Cangtian's head began to sway, and he then slumped onto the table.
Seeing this, Nan Xi and Fei Yan on the side immediately drew their weapons. However, a wave of dizziness washed over them, and in the next instant, both women collapsed onto the ground.
"Hahaha! Is this the number one Earthly-ranked deacon of the Dark Association?"
"Is this the legendary Lord Poxiao?"
"Pah! What a joke! Taken down so easily, I don't know how he's lived this long!"
Seeing Poxiao and the other two fall, the Sect Master burst into laughter, uttering contemptuous words.
He had expected Poxiao to be a formidable opponent, but he had never imagined he would be so easily subdued. It was a waste of his long period of apprehension!
"Sir, isn't this too easy?"
"It seems the rumors were all false..."
On the other side, Zhou Di, who was responsible for serving them, stared dumbfoundedly at everything before him, truly unable to believe it.
It was one thing that Lanyue had been tricked, but now even Poxiao had fallen like this. It was truly disappointing!
"Hmph, isn't it good that it was easy?"
"Go, lock them up with Lanyue, and then hand them over to those people!"
"Remember, the two Black-ranked deacons can be disregarded. With Poxiao and Lanyue, the bargaining chips are already sufficient. Afterwards, these two Black-ranked deacons can be shared among our brothers..."
The Sect Master snorted and gave his orders.
Upon hearing the Sect Master's words, Zhou Di's eyes lit up. He licked his lips and quickly agreed.
...
In the prison cell.
Zhou Di personally escorted Poxiao, Man Tuoluo, and Fei Yan into the cell.
Looking at Lanyue, who had just regained consciousness, Zhou Di offered a polite, faint smile.
It's them?
Lanyue recognized Ye Cangtian and the other two at first glance, and her expression instantly changed.
She was naturally aware of Ye Cangtian's strength. Now that Ye Cangtian was unconscious and brought here, it was clear that he, like her, had fallen victim to these scoundrels.
Her heart immediately grew tense.
Being imprisoned here, it was unknown when the Dark Association would discover them and come to their rescue.
During this time, with their spiritual energy sealed, how could they protect their lives?
Thinking this, she glanced at Zhou Di and asked, "Zhou Di, why did your Nan Yan Gate attack us!"
"Heh heh."
Facing this question, Zhou Di chuckled playfully. He had long anticipated such a question.
However, since their spiritual energy was sealed, there was nothing to worry about.
So he said, "Naturally, it's for a big deal. You don't know it yet, but your lives are quite valuable..."
With that, Zhou Di stopped paying attention to Lanyue and began to rummage through Poxiao's body.
He certainly wouldn't miss the Qiankun bags on Poxiao and the others.
Firstly, it was possible that the antidote to the spirit-sealing pill was on them.
Secondly, these were Earthly-ranked deacons of the Dark Association; their Qiankun bags were bound to contain many treasures, which could not be missed.
After only a short time, Zhou Di had reached for a Qiankun bag. However, just as he was about to take it out, he found that his hand would not move.
Looking down, he saw that Poxiao's hand had, at some unknown time, grasped his wrist. No matter how hard he tried, his hand could not move an inch.
"You... what's happening to you!"
"Didn't you ingest the aphrodisiac and the spirit-sealing pill? Why do you still have so much strength?"
Zhou Di immediately realized something was wrong and questioned in astonishment.
"Heh heh, what if I told you that the aphrodisiac and the spirit-sealing pill were ineffective against me, do you believe it?"
Ye Cangtian glanced over, his smile brilliant as he spoke.
Now that he had seen Lanyue, there was no need to continue the charade.
Ineffective?
Zhou Di wanted to retort, but he couldn't open his mouth.
The reason was simple: the aphrodisiac's effects had not yet worn off, and the other party should not have woken up at this time. For instance, Man Tuoluo and Fei Yan were still asleep.
This clearly indicated that the aphrodisiac had very little effect on Poxiao.
Furthermore, the other party's immense strength clearly showed that his spiritual energy had not been sealed.
With this in mind, Zhou Di quickly opened his mouth and said, "Come..."
As soon as he opened his mouth, his voice abruptly cut off. Ye Cangtian's large hand had already seized his throat.
"Little bug, if you make any noise, you'll only die faster!"
After a warning, Ye Cangtian released his neck, and Zhou Di instinctively shut his mouth.
There was no alternative. His cultivation was merely at the peak of the Black-ranked realm. In front of an Earthly-ranked expert, he was completely outmatched.
Now that Poxiao's cultivation was still intact, it would only take a moment for him to kill Zhou Di.