Upon hearing these words, killing intent surged in Ye Cangtian's gaze.
The fact that these guards showed symptoms within mere moments of the formation being erected proved it far exceeded his imagination.
He had initially thought the guards' symptoms would manifest slowly, like the citizens of Jinlian City.
This situation could only mean one thing: Hun Jiu had not exerted his full power when setting up the formation previously.
With this thought, Ye Cangtian coldly shouted, "Little bug, you dare to siphon so much mental power from so many people! Even a celestial being couldn't save you today!"
As his voice carried, Ye Cangtian's figure blurred into motion. Simultaneously, streaks of cold light shot from his hand.
*Pfft! Pfft! Pfft…*
With each flash of cold light, daggers pierced through the bodies of those forming the array, sending them flying.
In just an instant, the great formation shattered.
As the formation collapsed, most of the guards fell to the ground. Those in better condition were dazed, while others had fainted outright.
It was normal for such a situation to occur after having a large portion of their mental power suddenly drained.
"Hahaha, Hidden Dragon, you're too late! I still managed to extract a lot of mental power!"
Just then, Wu Haodong's figure stood up, laughing heartily at Ye Cangtian.
Ye Cangtian knew these people were being controlled, so he had refrained from killing them. This gave Hun Jiu the opportunity to continue controlling Wu Haodong.
"Little bug, even if you've siphoned their mental power, do you think you can do anything to me?"
Ye Cangtian looked over, his eyes filled with killing intent.
Involving innocents like this had touched his bottom line. Such a person must die!
"Heh heh, then let's find out!"
Wu Haodong smiled sinisterly, and then a powerful, unmatched surge of mental energy erupted from his eyes, which were glowing with black and red light, rushing towards Ye Cangtian.
"Hmph! Is that all you've got?"
Sensing the intensity of the mental attack, Ye Cangtian let out a disdainful cold snort.
He then activated his Heavenly Eye in the center of his brow, and a Soul Pierce shot out.
*Pfft!*
The two attacks collided, and in an instant, Hun Jiu's attack shattered completely.
The next moment, the Soul Pierce struck Wu Haodong directly, and Wu Haodong let out a piercing scream!
"Ah…"
Hun Jiu, on the city wall, also let out a similar scream.
Previously, he had only employed the simplest method of control, which was the Soul Seizing technique from Feiyun Pavilion.
However, this time was different; he had adopted an upgraded version called Soul Fusion.
The difference between Soul Fusion and Soul Seizing was the shared mental energy, and it could also slightly boost the controlled individual's mental power.
Most importantly, the controller could use Soul Fusion to make the controlled person unleash any of their own martial techniques.
The reason Hun Jiu adopted such a technique was to maximize Wu Haodong's strength and thus defeat Ye Cangtian.
But he had never expected Ye Cangtian's mental power to be so formidable, nor that he would understand mental attacks!
Because of Soul Fusion, he too had suffered Ye Cangtian's mental assault.
Fortunately, when his attack was broken, he had severed his connection with Wu Haodong, thus only enduring a portion of the attack.
Otherwise, given the intensity of Ye Cangtian's mental attack, his sea of consciousness might have been shattered.
The people from Feiyun Pavilion nearby, seeing Hun Jiu's pained cry, did not hesitate and immediately fled with him.
The strength of the Hidden Dragon had far exceeded their expectations. If they didn't leave now, no one would be able to escape.
On the other side, Ye Cangtian, upon hearing the scream from the city wall, instantly pinpointed the location of the source and rushed towards it without a word.
However, it was a pity that he was still some distance from the city wall. By the time he reached it, the people from Feiyun Pavilion had already vanished.
"Consider yourselves lucky. I hope I never see you again!"
With that, Ye Cangtian left the city wall and went directly to the carriage outside the gate.
"Thank you, Mr. Hidden Dragon, for your help. I, Yan San, will never forget this kindness. Should you ever need anything in the future, I would go through fire and water without hesitation!"
Upon seeing Ye Cangtian return, the guard who had spoken earlier quickly stepped forward and knelt before Ye Cangtian.
He understood perfectly that without the Hidden Dragon, he would have been decapitated long ago!
It was precisely because of Ye Cangtian's intimidation that the opponents had flung him away, and even isolated him and a select few guards from the others when forming the great formation.
Otherwise, even if he survived, he would at least have ended up like the other guards.
"I told them earlier that you were with me, so I naturally had to bring you back safely!"
As he spoke, Ye Cangtian helped Yan San up.
After a moment of silence, he asked, "After you return, how do you plan to explain this matter to Wan Mingxuan?"
As his words fell, Yan San glanced at the dazed figures around him and quickly pulled Ye Cangtian aside.
He whispered, "Mr. Hidden Dragon, how do you wish for this to be explained? As long as you say the word, Yan San is willing to serve you!"
"Heh heh, I have no other intentions. I just hope you tell the truth!"
Ye Cangtian patted his shoulder, a satisfied smile on his face.
The reason he asked this question was to gauge the man's attitude.
After all, this person was one of Wan Mingxuan's confidants, and he might be needed in the future.
And now that the man was willing to conceal this matter for him, it indicated that if he were to be needed in the future, he would not refuse.
Truly, sowing good seeds reaps good fruit!
On the other side, Yan San quickly agreed and then said, "Mr. Ye, let's go back first!"
Ye Cangtian glanced at the guards around them.
Seeing that many of them were still conscious, he said, "After today's events, I'm feeling a bit tired. I'll rest at the inn first. I'll pay you a visit in a couple of days!"
Hearing this, Yan San didn't say anything further, nodded, and then personally drove the carriage to take Ye Cangtian back to the inn.
…
Returning to the inn, Ye Cangtian went back to his room to rest.
About an hour later, Ye Zhenghao and Yi Feipeng returned to the inn.
Hearing the commotion of their return, Ye Cangtian also came out of his room.
"What's the situation? Why didn't you return to the Gale Tower and come back here instead?"
Yi Feipeng quickly stepped forward, inquiring.
He had been anxious because the other had been gone for so long, and his mind had started to race when he returned directly to the inn.
Upon seeing him now, he couldn't wait to ask.
"Don't rush. Sit down and have some water. I'll explain it to you slowly!"
Ye Cangtian gestured for Yi Feipeng and Ye Zhenghao to take seats, and then sat down himself.
He then continued, "When I was returning earlier, I was intercepted by Wu Haodong and his men at the entrance…"
"What! Wu Haodong?"
Ye Zhenghao and Yi Feipeng found it somewhat unbelievable. Had Wu Haodong not learned his lesson from last time?
Furthermore, even if Wu Haodong was unwilling, with Wan Mingxuan's summons, even the three tower masters would have to show some respect, wouldn't they?
So how could Wu Haodong dare to intercept Ye Cangtian with his men?
"I apologize, I didn't explain clearly!"
Seeing their expressions, Ye Cangtian smiled helplessly and continued, "I forgot to tell you that both Wu Haodong and those captain-level guards were being controlled by Feiyun Pavilion."
"You…"
Upon hearing this, Ye Zhenghao and Yi Feipeng's eyes widened.
The next moment, Yi Feipeng exclaimed, "Kid, what kind of time is this? You're still in the mood to joke!"
"Haha."
Ye Cangtian laughed heartily and said, "It's not that I'm in the mood to joke, but rather that I'm in a rather good mood!"
Ye Cangtian explained that what made him happiest was that Feiyun Pavilion had finally couldn't hold back and emerged from the shadows.
Moreover, Feiyun Pavilion's actions this time were extremely foolish. Using the people controlled by the Gale Tower to deal with him was equivalent to offending both the Gale Tower and the Blazing Fire Courtyard simultaneously.
In such a situation, not only would the danger for the Feiyun Pavilion team here be greatly reduced, but Feiyun Pavilion itself might also be implicated.
Hearing this, Yi Feipeng nodded in understanding. What he said made sense; Feiyun Pavilion's actions this time were indeed very foolish!
With that thought, he said, "Alright, let's stop talking about Feiyun Pavilion for now. Tell me about Feng Lingzi. Did you see him…"
Compared to Feiyun Pavilion, Yi Feipeng was more eager to know Feng Lingzi's condition.
Hearing his inquiry, Ye Cangtian did not conceal anything and directly explained Feng Lingzi's situation.