Outside the main hall of the Hall of Light.
The Pope stood on the rooftop, gazing at the endless firmament, his eyes flickering.
Regarding the matter of the Listening Wind Tower, he had initially thought it would become a powerful support for the Hall of Light.
Yet, after executing only one mission together, the Listening Wind Tower had suffered a heavy blow.
Now, with Hasal and Qiao leading their people, it was still uncertain whether they could successfully resolve the crisis.
At this moment, the Pope had already prepared himself for the worst possible outcome.
"Report!"
Just then, a divine envoy arrived behind the Pope and said respectfully, "Your Holiness, Hasal, Qiao, and others have returned and are waiting in the main hall."
What? So soon!
Upon hearing the news, the Pope immediately frowned.
Traveling back and forth, even by plane, three days seemed too fast.
Had they encountered the Dark Association and the Hua Xia forces upon arriving at the Listening Wind Tower?
Or had the Dark Association and Hua Xia forces retreated?
If that were the case, to what extent had the Listening Wind Tower been destroyed? Was there still a need for cooperation?
With such thoughts racing through his mind, the Pope flickered and headed straight for the main hall.
However, upon seeing Hasal and the others in the main hall, the Pope's expression instantly turned exceedingly grim, and his gaze sharpened.
Hasal and Qiao were wrapped in bandages, their faces pale. The other three newly appointed cardinals hung their heads in shame.
In his eyes, they looked like defeated dogs. It was evident that this mission had surely failed.
"Who can tell me what happened!"
Having prepared himself psychologically, the Pope was still able to suppress his anger and inquired grimly.
Hearing the Pope's question, four of the five cardinals present turned their gazes to Hasal.
After all, Hasal was the most senior among them.
Sensing their gazes, Hasal had no choice but to step forward and sigh, "Your Holiness, your subordinate is incompetent. This mission has failed..."
After confessing his failure, Hasal recounted everything.
Although his trip to the Listening Wind Tower was a hurried one, he had managed to gather rather accurate information.
For instance, Dawn had schemed against the Listening Wind Tower, killing Felav and some of the elders.
Although they had withdrawn due to the楼主's declaration on the battle net, the Listening Wind Tower's strength had already plummeted.
The day after Dawn's withdrawal, Ye Cangtian and others, as if by prearrangement, directly attacked the Listening Wind Tower.
Unable to resist, the楼主, in his desperation, chose to take his own life. They had arrived only a step too late...
Hasal recounted the intelligence he had gathered word for word, with a simple objective: to establish the fact of the Dark Association and Hua Xia forces joining forces.
This was also to divert the Pope's attention, perhaps allowing them to be overlooked.
However, everything was not as simple as he had imagined. The Pope was not concerned with the previous matter of Felav.
He wanted to hear the final outcome and what exactly had happened during this mission.
Upon hearing the Pope's persistent questioning, Hasal had no choice but to narrate the subsequent events.
This included the fact that Elder He was not dead, and the great battle that ensued with Ye Cangtian due to Nancy's matter.
Of course, he naturally omitted the part where he was tricked by Ye Cangtian into giving up a Nine-Turn Golden Elixir, and the final act of using the Qiankun Bag to redeem his life.
He knew that these details would undoubtedly incur the Pope's thunderous wrath.
"Bang!"
As Hasal slowly recounted the events, the Pope's palm directly shattered the armrest of his seat.
Firstly, since Elder He was not dead, the Listening Wind Tower would certainly not return to the Hall of Light's camp. No one could stop the Listening Wind Tower from secluding itself, as the island protection formation had already been activated.
Under such circumstances, destroying the Listening Wind Tower would inevitably come at a terrible cost, making it truly not worth the effort.
This also implicitly meant that all the hard work and sacrifices the Hall of Light had made previously were in vain and had no meaning.
Secondly, Nancy had now become Ye Cangtian's maid, which was a complete humiliation for the Hall of Light.
It was not difficult to imagine that the Hall of Light would now become a laughingstock among all factions.
These two points alone were enough to make the Pope's rage immeasurable.
"Wastes of space!"
"How dare you return!"
"Do you know what the matters of Elder He and Nancy mean! You should have killed them at all costs, even if it meant your own death!"
The Pope could no longer contain his anger and roared in the hall.
In his opinion, Hasal and the others should have fought to the death to eliminate Elder He and Nancy. Even if they had died in battle, they would have paved the way for the Hall of Light's future endeavors.
But the five cardinals before him, every single one of them, were men who clung to their lives, allowing Ye Cangtian to be so audacious and disrupting the Hall of Light's grand plan!
Facing the Pope's fury, Hasal and the others all lowered their heads.
They knew that any further explanation at this moment would be weak and powerless, and would only further enrage the Pope.
...
A thousand miles away.
Ye Cangtian and his party also returned to the capital of Hua Xia.
As soon as they disembarked from the plane, Gui Wu and Nancy returned to the villa, while Ye Cangtian went alone to the family compound.
It was necessary to inform Old Master Xu about the matter at the Listening Wind Tower.
...
Family Compound.
Old Master Xu was, as usual, enjoying the shade under a tree, sipping his tea, looking exceptionally relaxed.
When he saw Ye Cangtian approaching with a smile, he instantly sat up.
"Boy Ye, you're back. What's the situation with the Listening Wind Tower?"
Old Master Xu had received some news about the Listening Wind Tower in the past two days, such as the declaration of the Listening Wind Tower's楼主.
However, this information was very general, and he wanted to know more specific details.
Listening to Old Master Xu's words, Ye Cangtian walked forward and sat down, saying, "It's a long story. I'll tell you slowly..."
Ye Cangtian slowly recounted most of the events, the only thing he concealed being his identity as the young master of the Imperial Dragon Villa.
After all, according to Ting Xuan Liu, Old Zhou had several registered disciples, each possessing formidable strength, and each harboring ambitions for the position of young master.
Therefore, whether he could firmly hold onto his position as young master remained uncertain, hence his temporary decision to conceal this matter.
On the other hand.
Upon hearing that the Listening Wind Tower originally belonged to the Imperial Dragon Villa, a force of Hua Xia, Old Master Xu's eyes flickered.
He had never expected that Old Zhou had subdued the Listening Wind Tower decades ago. Everything had been kept so secret, and he had been kept in the dark for so long!
However, he could not blame them, as Hua Xia had always advocated for not annexing or supporting any force.
With that thought, his gaze fell upon Ye Cangtian, and he nodded, "Well done."
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian shrugged and said irritably, "I'm tired of hearing that. Don't you have any substantial rewards?"
Hmph!
Old Master Xu snorted lightly and glared at Ye Cangtian, "Have you not gained enough benefits from this mission? How dare you ask me for rewards?"
"Uh..."
Ye Cangtian was slightly taken aback and immediately became anxious, saying, "Old man, be decent. What I gained was all from the Hall of Light, and it has nothing to do with the Dragon Group!"
"Besides, you can't be like a stingy iron rooster, not giving an inch!"
Hearing this, Old Master Xu laughed heartily and said teasingly, "Let me ask you a serious question, are you a member of the Dragon Group now? Or was this mission authorized by me?"
"..."
With one sentence, Ye Cangtian was instantly rendered speechless.
Strictly speaking, he was now a member of the Hidden Group, and the mission rewards should be paid by the Hidden Group.
Moreover, this mission was not initially supported by Old Master Xu; it was an operation he had agreed upon with Dongfang Mingyue.
In this regard, asking for rewards from him was indeed inappropriate.
With that in mind, Ye Cangtian glared fiercely at Old Master Xu and said irritably, "Old man, you're just being stingy."
"Heh heh, am I stingy?"
"Then let's talk about it. After your mission this time, the Hall of Light will surely retaliate. Won't I be the one cleaning up the mess for you then?"
"In that case, it's not unreasonable to ask for some hard work fees, right? After all, many people had to be mobilized!"
Listening to Ye Cangtian's words, Old Master Xu smiled faintly and said teasingly.
As his voice fell, Ye Cangtian immediately clutched his Qiankun Bag, then got up and ran.
As he ran, he chuckled dryly, "Ahem, well, sir, I was just joking with you! I have something to do, so I'll leave now. Please enjoy your cool shade..."
"This kid, he runs so fast whenever this matter is brought up..."
Watching Ye Cangtian flee, Old Master Xu was amused and exasperated.