In the darkness of night, Qiao fled desperately.
He was unsure if Po Xiao would pursue him closely, but by fleeing with all his might, he felt he had a sliver of hope.
*Ring!*
After an unknown amount of time, a phone rang. Qiao quickly grabbed his phone and saw it was Hasaer's call. He immediately pressed to answer.
However, even then, he continued to run, not stopping.
"Qiao, where are you? I just managed to shake off Po Xiao and I'm coming to meet you!"
Hearing Hasaer's voice, Qiao stopped abruptly and turned to look in the direction he had come from. The corners of his mouth twitched.
All along, he had been fleeing frantically, worried about Po Xiao catching up.
But now, hearing that Po Xiao had gone after Hasaer, Qiao's face suddenly flushed. He had truly scared himself silly, and there was no one else like him!
Thinking this, he quickly said, "I'm not sure of the exact location, but I just passed a废弃的厂房 (abandoned factory building), though I didn't dare to stop.
Since you're coming now, I'll send you my location, and we'll meet at the factory building."
"Alright, wait for me."
Hasaer replied, hung up the phone, and then looked at Po Xiao.
"You're honest, let's go, we're going to see your old comrade."
Feeling Hasaer's resentful gaze, Ye Cangtian revealed a satisfied smile.
With that, the two headed in the direction Qiao had fled.
In just two minutes, Qiao's exact location was sent.
Looking at the distance between them, Ye Cangtian couldn't help but mutter.
Good heavens!
In such a short time, this fellow had already fled over ten kilometers.
...
The dilapidated factory building.
Qiao leaned against a dusty executive chair.
Due to his disheveled state moments ago, his expression was very unpleasant. He felt he had utterly disgraced the Red Archbishop.
At the same time, he was contemplating a serious issue.
After meeting Hasaer, should he continue to stay in China, or persuade Hasaer to temporarily withdraw?
Whether it was Ye Cangtian or Po Xiao, neither of them could be dealt with by him and Hasaer.
If they continued to stay and forcibly execute their mission, it would be a near-certain death.
*Thump, thump, thump...*
As Qiao was thinking, the sound of footsteps approached.
Qiao instinctively hid in a corner, wary of everything around him.
After a short while, he saw a familiar figure. Wasn't it Hasaer?
"My God, you're still alive! How did you escape from Po Xiao?"
Recognizing Hasaer, Qiao immediately revealed himself and rushed to ask.
Hasaer looked deeply at Qiao, then slowly said, "Brother, it's my fault for failing you! Brother didn't manage to shake off Po Xiao..."
"How is that possible! What kind of joke are you playing on me!"
Qiao was stunned and immediately interrupted Hasaer.
Hasaer was right in front of him, and there was no one else around, so he instinctively thought Hasaer was joking, albeit a very unfunny one.
"Alas!"
Hearing Qiao's voice, Hasaer sighed helplessly, then moved aside slightly, revealing the door behind him.
In an instant, Qiao stood there, stunned.
A figure had silently appeared at the doorway. The person wore a golden mask. Wasn't it Po Xiao?
"You!"
"Hasaer, you scoundrel, you actually betrayed me! Do you have any regard for the Hall of Light, or for me?"
The next moment, Qiao roared at Hasaer!
He finally believed that Hasaer wasn't joking, but had truly sold him out and betrayed the Hall of Light.
"I'm sorry, Qiao, I was forced into it!"
Hasaer bowed deeply to Qiao, expressing his apologies.
Then he stepped aside. He knew clearly that from now on, even if Qiao were killed by Po Xiao, it would have nothing to do with him.
"Qiao, I must say, you run quite fast!"
"If it weren't for Hasaer, you would have practically escaped!"
"But unfortunately, you ended up with a captain who fears death..."
Ye Cangtian glanced at Qiao and said mockingly.
He paid no mind to Hasaer's feelings.
*Hmph!*
Qiao snorted and said nothing, his gaze fixed on Hasaer, as if he wanted to flay him alive.
Feeling Qiao's stare, Hasaer lowered his head in shame, not daring to meet his eyes.
On the other side, Ye Cangtian chuckled softly and said, "Qiao, I can give you a choice. First, continue to resist, and then die here.
Second, voluntarily cripple your cultivation, and then be imprisoned for eternity. Which do you choose?"
There was no way around it. Even if his cultivation was crippled, Ye Cangtian would not give Qiao a chance to leave.
After all, times had changed. The Hall of Light possessed a large number of Nine Revolving Golden Elixirs, which could completely restore Qiao's cultivation. If that happened, Qiao would still be a threat.
"What!"
These words made Qiao's expression extremely grim.
Die here? He naturally did not want to choose that.
But to ask him to cripple his cultivation, that condition alone was unacceptable. Moreover, to be imprisoned for eternity? It would be better to die!
The next moment, Qiao glanced at Hasaer, seemingly understanding something.
Hasaer's spiritual energy was completely gone. Even if his cultivation wasn't crippled, he had at least consumed a Spirit Sealing Pill.
It seemed Hasaer had accepted the condition of eternal imprisonment.
Thinking this, Qiao's face showed a hint of disdain.
He turned to Ye Cangtian and said coldly, "Po Xiao, I will not make a choice. My fate is my own, not yours!"
"Heh heh, well said. You have more backbone than Hasaer."
Ye Cangtian smiled mockingly, then made a gesture of invitation, saying, "You make the first move. This might be your last strike, so make sure you seize the opportunity!"
*Hmph!*
Qiao snorted, drew his cross-shaped long sword, and the next moment, a faint golden light emanated from him, forcefully raising his aura to the late Earth realm.
"Holy Light Praise?"
Ye Cangtian's brows furrowed. He had seen this technique used by Qiao in his home courtyard last time. It was known for its incredibly strong defense and recovery capabilities.
If he wanted to end the battle quickly, the best method would be to use Nami's Golden Trident.
But after pondering for a long time, he ultimately chose the Golden Great Ringed Saber.
There was no choice. Qiao had seen Ye Cangtian use the Golden Trident. If he were to use it again now, Po Xiao's identity would be exposed.
Therefore, out of necessity, he could only use the Golden Great Ringed Saber. Although its power would be greatly reduced, fortunately, his cultivation had also improved significantly compared to before.
"Kill!"
With a roar, Qiao instantly charged at Ye Cangtian, and the two immediately clashed.
However, although Qiao fought fearlessly and possessed astonishing recovery abilities, he could do nothing to him.
Alas!
Hasaer, watching the battle, sighed helplessly.
Holy Light Praise was indeed a divine skill, but it was only effective in battles between opponents of the same level.
And although Po Xiao was an Earth realm expert, his actual combat strength far surpassed Qiao's by several streets.
Under such circumstances, Qiao could only endure beatings.
Once the duration of Holy Light Praise ended and he entered a weakened state, it would all be over.
Reality unfolded just as Hasaer had imagined.
No matter how Qiao attacked, Po Xiao easily dodged them, and Po Xiao's attacks repeatedly hit Qiao's vital points.
Although Qiao was protected by a layer of holy light that absorbed some of the damage, after repeatedly enduring such attacks, the light around him was rapidly dimming.
He was confident that Qiao wouldn't last much longer.