The headquarters of the Dark Association.
In the grand hall, Zi Long, Huang Shan, and Lu Luo sat in their respective positions, their eyes gleaming with confusion.
The three had gone out to quell the disturbances, and it had been extremely smooth; the bandits had fled at the mere sight of them.
They had intended to pursue further and completely eradicate these long-standing tumors, but unfortunately, they learned of the news from Ghost City.
Thus, the three decisively abandoned the pursuit and chose to immediately support Ghost City.
Ghost City was the headquarters of the Dark Association, and it involved much more; it absolutely could not be lost.
However, upon their hurried return, they found the corpse of Xuan Sanwu publicly displayed, and Xing Yuan and Cheng Hai, who were supposed to be guarding the headquarters, were nowhere to be found.
Moreover, the entire headquarters had no idea of their whereabouts.
"Damn it, the Hidden Group actually joined forces with the Bright Hall. I'll lead my men to destroy them right now."
Hong Mo roared in anger, turning to leave.
"Hong Mo, now is not the time for impulsiveness."
"We should confirm if Shangguan Yanran has left the ruins!"
Seeing Hong Mo leaving in a rage, Huang Shan immediately flashed forward, blocking him and speaking.
Now that the incident had occurred, anger was useless; the losses should be minimized.
Hearing Huang Shan's words, Hong Mo stopped and said indifferently, "Huang Shan, state your plan."
As Huang Shan was about to voice his thoughts, a guard walked in and respectfully bowed to the three.
"My lords, Xuan Qi has returned."
Xuan Qi!
Hearing the name, a murderous aura flashed in Hong Mo's eyes, and he said, "Have him come and see us!"
The guard acknowledged and quickly retreated.
Not long after, Xuan Qi's figure appeared at the entrance of the hall.
Upon seeing Xuan Qi, the eyes of the three Earth-rank deacons, Hong Mo, Huang Shan, and Lu Luo, changed instantly.
Although they could not see the pale face beneath the silver mask, they could still sense Xuan Qi's weak aura; he was definitely seriously injured.
"Xuan Qi, where have you been for the past few days?"
Hong Mo ignored the injuries and questioned him with a cold gaze.
Xuan Qi had offended him before, causing him to lose face, so he naturally held a grudge.
Furthermore, upon his return, he learned that Xuan Qi had disappeared for several consecutive days with no one knowing his whereabouts, naturally arousing his suspicion.
He believed that the matters at the headquarters were related to Xuan Qi.
Of course, it was also possible that he wanted to use this opportunity to eliminate Xuan Qi, as Xing Yuan was not at headquarters, and there was no one to protect Xuan Qi anymore.
On the other hand, Huang Shan and Lu Luo exchanged glances. They ignored Hong Mo's attitude and focused their gaze on Xuan Qi, wanting to hear his explanation as well.
"Lord Hong Mo, your subordinate, along with Lord Cheng Hai, went to the exit of the ruins to intercept the Bright Hall and the Hidden Group..."
Ye Cangtian also did not expect the three Earth-rank deacons to return so quickly. He had intended to thoroughly search the Dark Association while Cheng Hai was away.
It seemed there was no opportunity now.
However, he answered Hong Mo's questions fluently, as he knew he would have to face this sooner or later and was prepared.
"You were with Lord Cheng Hai?"
"Then where is Lord Cheng Hai?"
Mentioning Cheng Hai, Hong Mo's fierce gaze showed a hint of confusion.
If Xuan Qi had returned, there was no reason why Cheng Hai shouldn't have.
If there was truly something that needed to be handled, why not leave Xuan Qi behind?
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian did not explain and took out Cheng Hai's corpse from his Qiankun Bag, placing it in the center of the hall.
"Lord Cheng Hai!"
Seeing Cheng Hai's corpse, Hong Mo roared in anger and lunged forward.
Cheng Hai was his teacher, one of the few people he respected in the Dark Association.
He never imagined that a brief separation would mean eternal separation.
On the other hand, Huang Shan and Lu Luo were also extremely shocked but did not step forward, clearly not sharing the same depth of feeling for Cheng Hai as Hong Mo.
Their gazes turned to Ye Cangtian. Huang Shan asked grimly, "Xuan Qi, what exactly happened? Explain in detail."
"Lord Cheng Hai and I arrived at the exit of the ruins ahead of time. To avoid alerting the Bright Hall and others, we deliberately did not notify the branch in Jieyin City."
"Everything was going smoothly. We successfully intercepted the carriage carrying Shangguan Yanran and gravely injured Badak, Ye Cangtian, and others."
"Just as everything was about to conclude, Ye Cangtian and Badak fought back desperately, injuring Lord Cheng Hai. At the same time, three arrows were shot from the forest, hitting Lord Cheng Hai's vital points..."
Ye Cangtian quickly recounted the events, weaving in some fabricated details.
"There's a hidden expert in the shadows?"
Hearing this, Huang Shan's eyes widened. Someone who could kill Cheng Hai from a distance, even if Cheng Hai was injured, must possess strength at least at the Earth rank.
And in their impression, no faction dared to send an Earth-rank expert.
After all, Earth-rank experts were almost at the ceiling of power in the outside world, and their numbers were extremely scarce.
The headquarters of the Dark Association was too dangerous for them, and it was difficult to retreat safely. No faction would be willing to let an Earth-rank expert risk coming here.
"Yes, that expert was very powerful, but he did not reveal himself."
Ye Cangtian replied and quickly added, "Lord Cheng Hai died too unjustly. If he hadn't been careless and underestimated the enemy, he wouldn't have been injured, let alone given an opportunity to be exploited..."
"Please describe the entire process of Lord Cheng Hai's injury in detail!"
As Ye Cangtian's voice faded, Hong Mo's deep voice came through.
Xuan Qi's explanation was hard for him to believe. Given the overwhelming advantage they had, how could Cheng Hai still get injured?
Cheng Hai had extremely rich combat experience; even if he was careless, he wouldn't be so easily ambushed!
What a troublesome fellow, Hong Mo, Ye Cangtian muttered inwardly. He replied, "Before Lord Cheng Hai was injured, I had already been severely wounded by Ye Cangtian and Badak working together..."
Ye Cangtian stated that when Badak and the others realized they were cornered, they wanted to kill him.
Cheng Hai, while being distracted by saving him, was also facing the desperate counterattacks of Ye Cangtian and Badak, which led to his severe injuries.
Upon hearing this, Hong Mo became somewhat convinced. Given Cheng Hai's personality, taking Xuan Qi with him was likely for the purpose of tempering Xuan Qi, and it was entirely possible that he would let Xuan Qi face a strong enemy.
And Xuan Qi being heavily wounded was also reasonable.
Afterward, without Xuan Qi's assistance, coupled with being distracted protecting Xuan Qi, it was indeed easy for him to get injured.
Thinking of this, Hong Mo's eyes flashed with killing intent, and he roared, "It's all because of you, you trash! If it weren't for you, how could Lord Cheng Hai have been harmed? I'll kill you right now!"
As he spoke, Hong Mo flashed in front of Ye Cangtian, grabbed his collar, and raised his other hand high.
"Hong Mo, don't be rash!"
Seeing Hong Mo about to strike, Huang Shan quickly stepped forward, grabbed Hong Mo's wrist, and stopped him.
"Huang Shan, do you think you can stop me?"
"Get out of the way, don't force me to attack you!"
Hong Mo looked at Huang Shan coldly and said angrily.
Hong Mo's roar caused Huang Shan to pause, and his eyes clearly showed apprehension, making him hesitate.
"Lord Hong Mo, I understand how you feel."
"Using Lord Cheng Hai's life to save me was extremely unworthy."
"But if you kill me now, won't Lord Cheng Hai have sacrificed in vain?"
"Therefore, I think instead of venting your anger on me, it would be better to find the murderer and avenge Lord Cheng Hai!"
At this moment, Ye Cangtian spoke slowly.
His words made Hong Mo, who had raised his hand, hesitate. He desperately wanted Xuan Qi to die immediately, but what the other party said also made sense!
He could not let Cheng Hai die in vain!
"Who can give this seat an explanation? What exactly happened in Ghost City!"
Just as Hong Mo was hesitating on how to deal with Ye Cangtian, a somber voice echoed through the hall.
Turning to look, a figure had already appeared on the main seat of the hall. This person wore a purple-gold mask. Wasn't that Xing Yuan, who had left?