"Gentlemen, there’s no need for further discussion. Tianwang’s affairs will be handled by Tianwang itself in the future! If you have time, you can check Zhanwang, where Xueye’s last words are!"
"Furthermore, I must remind you all that China will be a forbidden zone for assassins from now on. Anyone who infiltrates China will be killed without mercy!"
"A word of advice for you all: Those who invade our China will be punished, no matter how far away they are! Xueye is the best example. So, I hope you all conduct yourselves wisely!"
Although these words were spoken from the perspective of Poxiao, the Dark Association was originally a part of China, merely in opposition to the Hidden Group.
Ye Cangtian looked at the crowd.
These assassins before him had already surrendered their resistance. Seeing the current outcome, they would certainly not dare to resist him now.
As for their future thoughts, Ye Cangtian was not worried. He believed that Cigua and Balas could keep Tianwang in check, so there was no need for him to say anything more at this moment.
...
Airport.
Two helicopters were parked side by side, and the area outside the airport was swarming with people.
Two separate groups saw Ye Cangtian and his companions off.
First, it was Butcher and other intelligence personnel from the Dark Association.
Ye Cangtian had just sent them away when Cigua and Balas arrived with all the killers from Tianwang.
After finally managing to see off the two groups, Ye Cangtian approached Qiangwei.
"I’m entrusting Kaisha to you. Remember to have Tushe teach her everything he knows. Tell him that if he dares to hold back any knowledge, I'll beat him when I get back!"
Kaisha was the head of the information department. It went without saying that she must have achieved something in information, which perfectly matched Tushe's expertise.
If she could receive Tushe's guidance, she would undoubtedly become a rare talent in the future.
"Alright, I'll tell him," Qiangwei replied with a cool nod to Ye Cangtian's words.
"Wait, you're confusing me."
"You just mentioned Tushe. If I remember correctly, he's an intelligence operative from the Grim Reaper squad. What's his relationship with your Dark Association?" Kaisha stared intently at Ye Cangtian, questioning him.
She had clashed with Tushe online numerous times in the past, both as the attacker and defender, and had been utterly defeated each time.
Later, after investigating through various channels, she learned that her opponent was Tushe, also known as the "Emperor of Hackers" in the industry.
However, the other party belonged to Ye Cangtian, and Poxiao was from the Dark Association. She couldn't understand why Poxiao would send her to Tushe.
*Poof!*
At her words, Guiwu, standing nearby, let out a laugh. "You silly girl, don't you understand yet?"
As she spoke, she pointed her slender hand at Kaisha and said, "This is Qiangwei from the Grim Reaper squad, and the Poxiao in front of you is actually Ye Cangtian."
Since there were no outsiders around, and Ye Cangtian was sending Kaisha to the Grim Reaper squad, he was prepared to reveal his identity. Therefore, Guiwu spoke directly.
Ye Cangtian shot Guiwu a glare, but paid it no mind. He then removed the mask from his face.
Just as Guiwu had surmised, he had no intention of concealing his identity.
"Uh..."
Guiwu's words, coupled with Ye Cangtian's face, left Kaisha stunned, her mouth agape as if she could swallow an egg.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian smiled playfully. "Alright, there's no time to be surprised. You can come to terms with it slowly later. Go board the helicopter with Qiangwei first."
Upon hearing this, Kaisha nodded blankly and then boarded the helicopter.
Although she was struggling to accept Ye Cangtian's identity, she was still very eager to learn from Tushe.
Meanwhile, Qiangwei glanced at Ye Cangtian. After a moment of silence, she asked, "What are your plans next?"
Whether it was Ye Cangtian's identity or Poxiao's identity, both had brought grave consequences upon the Bright Hall.
Qiangwei knew that the Bright Hall would not let this matter rest, and she was, therefore, quite worried.
"I don't have specific plans yet, but I should be heading to the Dark Ruins, or perhaps the China Ruins..." Ye Cangtian said slowly after a moment of thought.
According to the known information, the Bright Hall had already made a move on the Dark Ruins, causing chaos within the ruins.
Ye Cangtian wasn't overly concerned about these developments. The key issue was that Huangshan and Luoluo still needed to help with the cleanup, which Ye Cangtian was uneasy about.
After all, they were Tang Xinwan's parents, and Ye Cangtian could not abandon them.
Besides that, Ye Cangtian was also concerned about the movements in the China Ruins.
All indications suggested that the Bright Hall was targeting both the Dark Association and Chinese forces simultaneously, so the China Ruins were very likely also their target.
Therefore, Ye Cangtian decided to focus his future efforts on these two major ruins.
"Alright, I understand," Qiangwei nodded slowly, bid a simple farewell, and then boarded the helicopter.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian waved his hand and boarded another helicopter with Guiwu.
...
Bright Hall.
The Pope, seated in the main seat, looked at Sangliev, who had returned in a sorry state with an arm severed, a look of mockery on his face.
This person had been incredibly arrogant in front of him before.
Relying on his status as a cardinal in the inner hall, possessing some knowledge and strength, he looked down upon those in the outer hall.
Now, he resembled a defeated rooster, which truly delighted the Pope.
After a short while, the Pope's expression turned grim. "Sangliev, how do you intend to explain this operation?"
Seeing Sangliev's pathetic appearance, while enjoyable, the failure of the Bright Hall's operation and the loss of three cardinals still filled him with rage.
"Your Eminence, although this operation failed, the responsibility cannot be entirely placed on me..."
Facing the Pope's questioning, Sangliev's face turned red. Gritting his teeth, he braced himself and began to explain.
Firstly, Xueye was a complete failure. He had serious loopholes in managing Tianwang and used people inappropriately, causing the assassination gods of Tianwang to be harmed one after another before the operation could even commence.
Secondly, Xueye's received intelligence was incomplete, leading to him underestimating the enemy. Combined with Poxiao's foresight and meticulous planning, it resulted in the failure of the decisive battle.
Finally, Poxiao's strength far exceeded expectations. He wasn't at the peak of the Earth level, but rather at the quasi-Heaven level.
Sangliev believed that if the opponent had only been at the peak of the Earth level, then even if he couldn't defeat him, he wouldn't have been so utterly defeated.
Quasi-Heaven level?
Upon hearing this, the Pope's brows furrowed.
The Pope knew that strictly speaking, the quasi-Heaven level had already stepped out of the Earth level's domain. They were officially stepping towards the Heaven level.
Below the Heaven level, there were nine heavens, and with each passing heaven, one's strength would increase significantly.
When a powerful individual crossed the ninth heaven, they would become a true Heaven level master.
Those who were in the first to ninth heavens were called quasi-Heaven level experts.
Their strength was already incomparable to peak Earth level cultivators.
If Poxiao truly possessed such strength, then the failure of Sangliev and the others was understandable.
However, the Pope still found it difficult to believe. How long had it been since Poxiao had broken through to the Earth level!
Even after consuming the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir and the Enlightenment Pill, his strength shouldn't have increased so rapidly.
If that were truly the case, then his talent would indeed be monstrous.
Most importantly, among the three major forces, quasi-Heaven level experts were extremely rare.
Furthermore, these forces placed great importance on their quasi-Heaven level experts and entrusted them with significant responsibilities.
Therefore, these quasi-Heaven level figures were rarely seen in the secular world.
But if Poxiao had indeed reached the quasi-Heaven level, then what was the purpose of the Dark Association in releasing him?
Could it be that because the Bright Hall attacked the Dark Ruins, they angered them, and this was a form of retaliation against the Bright Hall?
Thinking about it now, it seemed to make some sense.
The opponent had first participated in the destruction of Tingfeng Tower, and now they had destroyed Tianwang. Both were forces aligned with the Bright Hall, essentially dismantling the Bright faction.
With this thought, the Pope glanced at Sangliev and said indifferently, "Sangliev, if everything is as you've said, then we can only request experts from the inner hall to deal with Poxiao."