The Dragon Group members had already set up their cordon, but in Elder Xu's view, their strength was still insufficient to rescue the hostages.
After all, the Dragon Group only had two Earth-level experts, while the Temple of Light had the same number, plus a quasi-Heaven-level expert.
If they were to engage in a direct confrontation, the Dragon Group would suffer heavy losses and might not even be able to rescue the hostages.
Therefore, Elder Xu urgently summoned Ye Cangtian.
"Damn it, these Temple of Light bastards are courting death!"
"Elder, rest assured, leave this to me. I will minimize casualties!"
Ye Cangtian said coldly, then gestured for the helicopter hovering in the air to lower a rope ladder.
"Wait."
As Ye Cangtian turned to leave, Elder Xu called out to him, "Do you have a plan?"
"Yes!"
"When soldiers come, I'll block them; when water comes, I'll cover it with earth!"
Ye Cangtian said lightly, then grabbed the rope ladder and flew away from the family compound.
...
Within the capital, in a small factory.
As Ye Cangtian rappelled to the ground, Shangguan Yun immediately came forward to meet him.
"Big Brother, you're finally here. The people are in the factory."
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian nodded and said calmly, "Let's go in. It's time to put an end to everything."
With that, Ye Cangtian strode into the factory.
It was a large equipment factory, very spacious, with only a few control rooms and rest areas.
In the very center of the factory, a figure.
He lay on a lounge chair, leisurely sipping red wine, slowly swaying his head as if immersed in the aroma of the wine.
This person was none other than Seladong, whom Ye Cangtian had met before.
Seladong knew very well that the factory was surrounded by Chinese forces, but he remained unafraid. The reason was simple: he had hostages as leverage!
Moreover, frankly speaking, few of the Chinese forces members posed a threat to him.
"Heh heh, Seladong, long time no see! You seem quite at ease!"
"Is it to boost your courage with wine?"
Ye Cangtian looked at Seladong, who was in a state of bliss, and said with a playful smile.
As the voice reached him, Seladong slowly put down his wine glass, turned to look at Ye Cangtian, and pulled his sunglasses down slightly.
"Ye Cangtian, what are you saying? Do I need wine to boost my courage to deal with you?" Seladong said disdainfully.
"No! You've misunderstood!"
"In ancient China, death row inmates were given a sip of wine before their execution, to bolster their courage..."
Ye Cangtian waved his hand and said with a cold smile.
In his eyes, the other party was like a death row inmate now, about to face his judgment and punishment.
Hmph!
Before Ye Cangtian could finish speaking, Seladong let out a cold snort and interrupted him.
"Ye Cangtian, I hope you understand the situation. A large number of your citizens are in my hands. If you displease me, I will absolutely make them die miserably!"
Hearing Seladong's words, Ye Cangtian spread his hands helplessly and said, "Alright, whatever you say. Where are the hostages?"
In the empty factory, he did not see any sign of the hostages. Ye Cangtian could not push too hard and had to know the condition of the hostages.
"Heh heh, for now, the hostages are still very safe!"
"But don't expect to see them."
"There's no other way. You are too powerful, so powerful that I am afraid..."
Seladong said with a slight smile. Although he said this, in reality, he took another sip of red wine and enjoyed himself.
"Seladong, the Temple of Light's target is me. Why bother involving innocent people?"
"Wouldn't that tarnish the reputation of the Temple of Light?"
"Besides, I'm already here. You can release the hostages now, can't you? Otherwise, it will affect the reputation of the Temple of Light!"
Ye Cangtian's gaze fell upon Seladong, and he spoke slowly.
He had to find a way to make the other party release the hostages, otherwise, he would be hesitant in everything he did.
"Release the hostages? Of course!"
"The Temple of Light never said they wouldn't release the hostages. But the problem now is that you are too powerful, and there are so many Chinese forces around!"
"Without certain guarantees, do you think we would release them?"
Seladong put down his wine glass and said slowly.
Currently, the Temple of Light's action team had only about ten people left under the attack of the Chinese forces.
These ten or so people were not a match for Ye Cangtian alone, let alone the Chinese forces outside.
Therefore, without sufficient guarantees and before capturing Ye Cangtian, he would never release all the hostages.
On the other side, when Ye Cangtian heard this, he said directly, "Seladong, there's no point in beating around the bush. Speak directly, what do you want?"
"Simple. Have the Chinese forces outside withdraw from the factory area!"
"Also, you yourself take a Spirit Sealing Pill."
Seladong said directly.
Although Ye Cangtian was currently hesitant, he was still a huge threat to him. Therefore, it was necessary to seal Ye Cangtian's spiritual energy.
Once this was done, without the support of spiritual energy, Ye Cangtian would be equivalent to a cripple, posing no threat to him.
As for the Chinese forces outside, without Ye Cangtian, they would be nothing but a pack of stray dogs, scattering in all directions!
"Big Brother, you can't agree to this!"
As the words fell, Shangguan Yun gritted his teeth and said.
Ye Cangtian was the only powerful expert among them who could contend with the enemy. If Ye Cangtian were controlled, and the other party reneged, they would be helpless.
Moreover, this would not only prevent the rescue of the hostages but also lead to countless casualties.
However, before he could finish speaking, Ye Cangtian extended his large hand and stopped him.
The next moment, Ye Cangtian looked at Seladong and said slowly, "It's not difficult to ask the Dragon Group to retreat, but asking me to take a Spirit Sealing Pill, isn't that a bit unreasonable?"
After a pause, Ye Cangtian continued, "The Temple of Light has serious issues with integrity. If you break your promise, wouldn't I have no way to fight back?"
"Ye Cangtian, do you think you have a way out?"
Saying this, Seladong glanced at his watch and continued, "There are five minutes left until the next hostage execution. I hope you consider carefully!"
Seladong's face was filled with a cold smile.
He understood the way these Chinese people operated too well. For these weak ants, they wouldn't even spare their own lives.
Therefore, he would not leave them any room to maneuver and added pressure again.
"This..."
Ye Cangtian feigned contemplation, then looked at the other party and said, "Seladong, I can take the Spirit Sealing Pill, but I have two small conditions!"
"Hmm? What conditions?" Seladong asked, puzzled.
With limited time, Ye Cangtian did not hesitate. He directly extended two fingers and stated his conditions.
First, the other party must let him see the hostages, and release them after he took the Spirit Sealing Pill.
Second, the entire process must be live-streamed.
Ye Cangtian naturally had his own plans. Only through live broadcast would the Temple of Light not renege. Otherwise, the Temple of Light would lose all credibility internationally.
On the other side, Seladong's eyes darted around, and then he said, "Agreed!"
In his opinion, as long as Ye Cangtian took the Spirit Sealing Pill, everything would be settled.
The next moment, Seladong took out his walkie-talkie and notified his subordinates to bring out all the hostages.
Meanwhile, Ye Cangtian glanced at Shangguan Yun beside him and said, "Go and order the Dragon Group members to withdraw from the factory area."
"But..."
Shangguan Yun wanted to say something.
Ye Cangtian was playing with fire. What if the Temple of Light reneged?
But before he could speak, Ye Cangtian winked at him.
It clearly meant to leave everything to his discretion.
Seeing this, Shangguan Yun hesitated for a moment, then finally sighed and withdrew from the factory.
After a short while.
Shangguan Yun returned, having followed instructions and redeployed the Dragon Group members to the outer perimeter.
On the other side, Seladong's subordinates brought forth forty to fifty hostages.
Seeing the terrified expressions of the hostages, Seladong looked extremely pleased.
He looked at Ye Cangtian and said mockingly, "Ye Cangtian, the cameras are set up, and the hostages have been brought here. Now you can take the Spirit Sealing Pill, right?"
After a pause, he continued, "You know, we've already wasted some time. If you don't comply, I will immediately execute one person!"