Ye Cangtian wore a triumphant smile upon hearing this.
He then spoke, "Senior, when you trained me before, I didn't see you resort to corporal punishment. Were you being too lenient with me? Isn't that a bit of preferential treatment!"
"Hmph! Can you compare with them? They are humans, but you are a monster!"
Elder Long shot him a fierce glare and said irritably.
Truth be told, when he was instructing Ye Cangtian, he had considered being strict, but he never had the chance!
For example, for the same training routine, Ye Cangtian could master it in a day, whereas the members of the Death Squad would probably need ten to eight days of practice.
This was the gap between them.
It was precisely because of this vast difference that Elder Long was naturally very satisfied with Ye Cangtian's growth, and thus didn't need to resort to corporal punishment.
"Heh, thank you for your recognition, senior."
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian's face immediately lit up with a proud smile. After repeatedly expressing his thanks, his gaze shifted to his brothers and sisters in the great river.
Looking at them, Ye Cangtian couldn't help but give Elder Long a thumbs-up in his heart.
Although Rose and the others were undergoing corporal punishment, in his eyes, it was undoubtedly a unique form of cultivation.
To avoid being attacked by the schools of fish, everyone had to infuse their spiritual energy into their bodies to resist the fish's onslaught.
This, in turn, led to a considerable consumption of spiritual energy.
Ye Cangtian understood that the greater the expenditure, the more beneficial it would be for the improvement of their cultivation.
"Alright, you brat, no more idle talk. Quickly get me a couple of Ruin Sturgeon to feast on. Ever since you left, I haven't had such delicious food in a long time!"
Just as Ye Cangtian was contemplating, Elder Long's voice resounded again.
"Alright!"
Ye Cangtian was slightly taken aback, and a wry smile crept into his heart. To ensure Yao Bao'er's safety, Ye Cangtian had left Nami by her side.
Now, he was truly in a difficult spot for a task like catching fish.
However, this was Elder Long's request, and Ye Cangtian couldn't refuse. So, he said, "Alright, I'll try."
As he spoke, Ye Cangtian took the fishing rod from Elder Long and then activated his heavenly eye.
In just a moment, Ye Cangtian perceived everything in the water.
The next instant, he moved swiftly. After traversing over a hundred meters horizontally, he suddenly cast the fishing rod.
Whoosh!
A sound of breaking air instantly followed. The fishhook transformed into a cold glint and shot into the water, then was abruptly pulled up.
Behold, a plump Ruin Sturgeon was already caught on the hook.
This...
Seeing Ye Cangtian's seamless action, Elder Long's mouth twitched slightly, and he thought to himself: this kid's mental power is too monstrous; he can do this...
"Senior, I haven't failed you. This one looks good!"
Ye Cangtian walked back, carrying the Ruin Sturgeon. Elder Long opposite him smiled slightly, said nothing more, directly ignited a bonfire, and set up a large pot.
Then, Elder Long took out two wine gourds from his Qiankun bag.
He directly tossed one to him and said, "Brat, it's been a long time since you've accompanied me for a drink. This time, we'll drink until we're thoroughly intoxicated!"
"Yes, yes, yes, it is my honor, kid."
Ye Cangtian agreed repeatedly, then handed the fish over to him and sat down.
On the other side, Elder Long cleaned the fish, put it into the pot, then raised his wine gourd and said, "Brat, I heard you've been busy with quite a few things outside. Tell me about it?"
"Tell you?"
Ye Cangtian smiled and looked at him, continuing, "Sure, I'll tell you. It's just that I've had quite a lot to do recently. Which part do you want to hear?"
Hearing this, Elder Long gave him a look. This kid was clearly feeling smug.
However, he couldn't dampen his spirits much, as any single thing he had accomplished would be enough for others to boast about for a lifetime.
After a brief silence, Elder Long spoke, "Most of what you've done has already spread within the Hidden Group. So, why don't you tell me about this recent operation?"
"Alright!"
Ye Cangtian responded, took a large gulp of wine, and then began, "It's really nothing much. I originally went to destroy the headquarters of the Five Poisons Sect, but unfortunately, the information I received was false.
After that, I casually dealt with the Imperial Dragon Villa..."
And this is considered "nothing much"...
Ye Cangtian described it extremely concisely, but Elder Long's expression was one of shock. Was the Imperial Dragon Villa that easy to deal with?
After all, it was the number one among the five peak powers of the present era!
Thinking this, Elder Long continued to chat with him while drinking.
When he heard about Lei Ming's methods, Elder Long became agitated to the point of wanting to tear Lei Ming into a thousand pieces.
After responding to Ye Cangtian's proposed solution, Elder Long also breathed a sigh of relief.
Gradually, they began discussing the eradication of the Five Poisons Sect. Seeing Ye Cangtian's troubled expression, Elder Long fell silent.
Even if the Imperial Dragon Villa were to assemble a team, even if they were to mend their relationship with the Hidden Group.
It would still be extremely difficult to eliminate the Five Poisons Sect with absolute certainty.
After all, the Five Poisons Sect had developed extremely rapidly in recent years, showing a hidden tendency to rival the five peak powers.
After a long time, Elder Long took a sip of wine and slowly said, "To eliminate the Five Poisons Sect, given the current situation, we may need to seek some external assistance!"
External assistance?
Ye Cangtian frowned. Who would be willing to be an external helper for such a thankless task?
More importantly, with the Four Seals causing such a commotion, if they really needed to invite external help, then the other party would likely demand an exorbitant price.
They might even propose opening the gate to the Heavenly Realm as a condition.
While thinking this, Ye Cangtian still asked, "Elder Long, you mentioned external assistance. Do you have any targets in mind?"
"No."
Elder Long shook his head and then said, "Even if small factions support the Hidden Group, they won't be of much help; at best, they'll be cannon fodder."
"Those who can truly make a difference are likely the peak powers..."
Elder Long stated that to ensure absolute certainty, they would probably need to join forces with one or two peak powers.
Peak powers?
Ye Cangtian's mouth twitched. How could peak powers be easily invited?
Why would they easily emerge from seclusion?
Furthermore, if they were to cooperate with peak powers, it might cause trouble for the Hidden Group.
It was very simple: he didn't believe that peak powers would not be interested in the Four Seals. It was possible that people from the peak powers had already arrived in Dragon City, ready to make a move against the Hidden Group at any moment.
Thinking of this, Ye Cangtian sighed, "I'll think about this matter..."
There was no other way; he had to make thorough preparations before deciding on such a matter.
"Lord Ye..."
Just then, a voice called out. Glancing over, Feifei from the Hidden Group hurried towards them.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian's expression changed slightly.
To avoid disturbing Rose's cultivation, Dongfang Mingyue had specially arranged two assistants: one was Rose, and the other was Feifei.
This way, both of them would have ample time for cultivation.
Now that Feifei had come here, it could only mean that something had happened on Dongfang Mingyue's end.
The next moment, Feifei arrived in front of Ye Cangtian and then said, "Lord Ye, someone claiming to be from the Imperial Dragon Villa has come to cause trouble..."
If it were anyone else, Dongfang Mingyue would not have easily disturbed Ye Cangtian. However, as it involved the Imperial Dragon Villa, she felt it was better for Ye Cangtian to handle it.
Imperial Dragon Villa?
Ye Cangtian's expression slightly darkened. In his opinion, there were only two possibilities.
First, someone was impersonating someone from the Imperial Dragon Villa to deceive the Hidden Group and achieve some objective.
Second, the other party was genuinely from the Imperial Dragon Villa.
If that were the case, then the other party was likely associated with his senior brother and second senior brother.
After all, the current Imperial Dragon Villa was under his control, and there was no way they would come to the Hidden Group to cause trouble.
Therefore, only the senior brother and second senior brother, who had been expelled by Lei Ming, could possibly be targeting the Hidden Group.
Thinking of this, Ye Cangtian looked at Elder Long and said helplessly, "Elder Long, it seems our drinking session has to end here for today. I'll go back and handle it, and we'll get thoroughly drunk another day!"
Elder Long nodded upon hearing this and said, "It is indeed urgent. If you need anything, just let me know..."
Ye Cangtian acknowledged and then hurried back to the Hidden Group with Feifei.
...