After chatting with Qing Dao for a long time and extracting some information, Ye Cangtian returned to his room.
Lying on the bed and looking at the ceiling, Ye Cangtian’s brows furrowed deeply.
He had already found out Shangguan Yanran’s location. She was not in the dungeons of the Dark Association, but was under house arrest in a detached courtyard.
This courtyard was not far from the Dark Association, and all the guards were handpicked by Xing Yuan.
Ye Cangtian was confident he could deal with these guards.
But the key was that these guards were only on the surface. The Dark Association also knew the importance of the Relic Heart, so they probably had Earth-tier powerhouses guarding it in secret.
To put it another way, even if there were no Earth-tier powerhouses, even if he could successfully rescue Shangguan Yanran, how would he leave Ghost City and return to the capital?
This place was guarded by a Heaven-tier powerhouse and several Earth-tier powerhouses!
With his current strength, plus all the trump cards he had, he probably couldn't do it.
Alas! He would take it one step at a time…
After thinking for a long time, Ye Cangtian temporarily put the matter aside and fell into a deep sleep on the bed.
After an unknown amount of time, Ye Cangtian opened his eyes again and glanced at the hourglass on the table.
Because the relic was in perpetual twilight, modern technology was useless here. Therefore, in the relic, only hourglasses could measure time.
At this moment, the scale of the hourglass indicated it was morning. Ye Cangtian quickly got up, tidied himself, and headed to the headquarters.
Unexpectedly, on the way, by sheer coincidence, he encountered Zi Long and Qing Dao.
The difference was that the two were preparing to leave.
“Lord Zi Long, Lord Qing Dao, where are you going?” Ye Cangtian quickly cupped his fists in a salute and stepped forward to inquire.
“Our mission is complete, and we should be leaving,” Qing Dao said with a smile.
After all, they were responsible for external affairs. They couldn’t stay in the relic indefinitely. If they did, the outside would be without leadership, and problems would easily arise.
Therefore, they had to leave as soon as possible.
Zi Long also nodded. He pulled Ye Cangtian aside and whispered, “Remember not to provoke Hong Mo. If you need any help, go find Xuan Yi…”
“Thank you, Lord Zi Long.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian quickly expressed his gratitude. He instantly understood that, without a doubt, Xuan Yi was Zi Long’s man.
At the same time, this also indicated that other Xuan-tier members might have their own factions, and he needed to be careful when interacting with them.
Zi Long patted Ye Cangtian on the shoulder and said, “Xuan Qi, don’t disappoint me. I hope to see you wearing the golden mask in the near future!”
With that, Zi Long got into the car with Qing Dao, and they left the headquarters.
After parting ways with the two, Ye Cangtian went directly to Cheng Hai.
Seeing Ye Cangtian’s spirited appearance, Cheng Hai knew that Ye Cangtian was adapting to the relic environment quickly.
After a moment of thought, Cheng Hai slowly said, “You use a saber, and I use a sword. They are different, so there’s not much I can teach you.”
*Heh!*
*If you don't have the diamonds, don't take on the porcelain work!*
Although he sneered inwardly, Ye Cangtian maintained a respectful demeanor outwardly. After all, Zi Long and Qing Dao both recognized the other’s teaching ability, so he must be good.
“Very good!”
“Although I can’t teach you much, I guarantee you will grow the fastest.”
Seeing that Ye Cangtian had no particular attitude, Cheng Hai smiled with satisfaction and continued, “Come, take out your saber and attack me with all your might!”
“With all my might?”
“Lord Cheng Hai, that’s not good. If I injure you, it would be a sin.”
“Why don’t you let me find another target?”
Ye Cangtian was slightly stunned. Seeing the other party’s arrogance, he considered whether to play a trick on the old man.
If he could successfully cripple Cheng Hai, it would also weaken the Dark Association’s strength.
Since the other party asked him to attack with full force, if something happened, the Dark Association would not blame him. Cheng Hai was simply overconfident, and it would be his own fault.
“Hmph!”
“Where do you get your confidence?”
“With your peak Xuan-tier strength, you think you can hurt me?”
This remark seemed to stimulate Cheng Hai, and a look of disdain appeared in his eyes.
In the Dark Association, besides Hong Mo, no other Earth-tier deacon was his match!
What could such a mere Xuan-tier deacon do to him?
Now that he dared to question and underestimate him, he truly couldn't stand it.
Seeing Cheng Hai’s anger, Ye Cangtian said with a wry smile, “Lord Cheng Hai, please don’t be angry. I’m just worried about injuring you. I have no other intentions…”
“Hmph! Enough nonsense, hurry up and attack!”
Before Ye Cangtian could finish speaking, Cheng Hai directly interrupted him. To avoid being looked down upon by a junior, he even offered to catch Ye Cangtian’s attack barehanded.
“Alright.”
Ye Cangtian agreed helplessly, but inwardly he was overjoyed. He took out his golden great ring saber.
“What a fine saber…”
Looking at the gleaming golden great ring saber, Cheng Hai couldn’t help but exclaim.
But before he finished speaking, Ye Cangtian had already leaped high into the air. A golden light shadow, like thunder, descended.
Ye Cangtian was using the killing move, “Sky Breaking,” from the Yin Yang Sky Breaking Saber.
However, his attack was too fast, and Cheng Hai was not ready, which caught him somewhat off guard.
But even though it was sudden, Cheng Hai was only slightly startled. His hands immediately clasped together above his head.
After all, he was an Earth-tier powerhouse who had experienced battles on the edge of life and death. He still had this level of reaction.
*Crack!*
With a soft sound, Cheng Hai’s hands firmly clamped the golden great ring saber, and a proud smile appeared on his face because of this.
However, this smile only lasted for a moment before it completely vanished.
What seemed like an ordinary jumping cleave actually hid a hidden trick, and its power was far beyond what could be blocked with bare hands.
At this moment, Cheng Hai’s rich combat experience was evident. He forcefully moved his hands sideways, and at the same time, his body instantly retreated to the rear.
In the next moment, the golden great ring saber descended, and a stream of blood sprayed out from Cheng Hai’s chest.
Although Cheng Hai avoided the golden great ring saber, the saber energy on it still cut open a gash on his chest.
Fortunately, his reaction was timely, and the vital parts were not injured.
“Lord Cheng Hai, are you alright?”
“Your subordinate was wrong, please forgive me, my lord!”
“My lord, let me help you get bandaged…”
On the other side, seeing Cheng Hai injured, Ye Cangtian inwardly regretted it, but outwardly, he rushed forward with great anxiety and remorse.
He hadn’t used his full strength in this attack, as he didn’t want to fully expose his strength to Cheng Hai.
Therefore, he was also very fortunate, because with Cheng Hai’s reaction speed, even if he had gone all out, it would have been difficult to kill Cheng Hai, and he would have exposed everything.
“Spiritual energy piercing through the body!”
Cheng Hai stared at Ye Cangtian in astonishment, spitting out a few words.
It was known that very few peak Xuan-tier cultivators could achieve spiritual energy piercing through the body. Those who could, were all considered to have exceptional talent.
Even if they couldn't become Earth-tier powerhouses in the end, they would at least be far superior to ordinary peak Xuan-tier cultivators.
Simply put, those who could achieve spiritual energy piercing through the body were, in the strict sense, no longer at the peak Xuan-tier cultivation level but had taken one step towards the threshold of Earth-tier.
As for whether they could cross the threshold completely, it depended on individual effort and talent.
Thinking of this, his heart calmed down a bit, and he said, “It seems I truly underestimated you. You are very good…”
*Uh…*
*Is this old guy crazy?*
Ye Cangtian muttered to himself again upon hearing this.
*I’m the one who’s injured, and instead of getting bandaged, he’s still rambling. Did I hit his head and make him stupid?*
Thinking this, Ye Cangtian quickly helped him up and said anxiously, “Elder Cheng Hai, let’s hurry and get you bandaged.”
This time, Cheng Hai did not refuse and went with Ye Cangtian to get bandaged.
…