Ye Cangtian nodded and said, "I'll stay and observe the situation further. What if there's an opportunity for a fisherman to benefit?"
"However, such an opportunity is rather slim. After all, Ye Cangtian is not easy to deal with. So, even if you stay, it won't make much difference. It's better to go back first..."
Hearing Po Xiao's words, Qing Dao nodded in agreement.
Even though he felt somewhat unconvinced, he had to admit that Po Xiao's strength was terrifying, far surpassing his own.
And Ye Cangtian, who had not settled the score with Po Xiao, must have been equally strong. It wouldn't be easy to kill him, and he had no hope of doing so.
Thinking this, Qing Dao said, "Po Xiao, be careful here. When we get back, I'll treat you to a drink!"
On the other side, Lan Yue's eyes flickered. She wanted to say something more, but with Qing Dao present, she couldn't voice it.
With no other choice, she decided to leave with Qing Dao. It was nighttime, the best time to withdraw.
...
In a side hall of the Temple of Light.
The Pope was sleeping soundly on his bed. Suddenly, he heard hurried footsteps, and the next moment, his eyes snapped open.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Hearing the knocking at the door, the Pope's expression turned extremely gloomy.
It was the middle of the night, and anyone who dared to disturb him could only mean one of two things.
Either it was incredibly good news that would bring him immense joy.
Or it was a major crisis.
He pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "Come in."
Hassall and Qiao entered the room, their heads bowed, seemingly afraid to meet the Pope's gaze.
Seeing this, the Pope's heart sank. Without waiting for them to salute, he quickly asked, "What happened? Speak quickly!"
Hassall glanced at Qiao, seeing Qiao sweating profusely and his face pale. He then pondered for a moment and took a few steps forward.
"A servant just reported that there's some bad news on the battle network. It's... it's from the Master of Tingfeng Tower himself..."
Hassall stopped mid-sentence, hesitating to reveal everything, fearing the Pope's wrath.
"Speak!"
"Are you calling me up in the middle of the night just to tease me?"
The Pope was instantly enraged, though he had some inkling of what was to come.
Since the message came from the Master himself, even if it was bad news, it proved that the Master was still alive. In that case, Tingfeng Tower wouldn't be in serious trouble!
Sensing the Pope's anger, Hassall trembled and no longer dared to hesitate, speaking directly.
"Your Excellency Pope, the Master has just declared that from this day forward, Tingfeng Tower severs all cooperation with the Temple of Light and will go into seclusion, never to reappear in this lifetime..."
"What!"
As Hassall's voice reached him, the Pope leaped from his bed and, with a flash, appeared beside Hassall.
He grabbed Hassall by the collar, lifting him entirely.
"Tell me! Tell me what happened at Tingfeng Tower!"
The Pope's roar echoed through the side hall. Hassall's face turned pale, and his body trembled. "I... I don't know. We tried to contact Fellav, but he's gone missing..."
Hassall explained that they had also tried to contact the Master and others, but their calls went unanswered, and there was no reply to any messages.
It seemed they were resolute in severing cooperation with the Temple of Light...
*Bang!*
Before Hassall could finish, the Pope's large hand directly flung him away, hitting Qiao beside him. Both flew out.
"Hassall, what kind of trash did you find? Can't you even handle such a minor matter?"
"And you, Qiao! Didn't you think Fellav's plan was foolproof? Now he's missing, how do you explain that!"
The Pope's furious shouts reverberated in the side hall for a long time.
He was truly exasperated. He had specifically asked Hassall to find a shrewd person to go to Tingfeng Tower to ensure foolproof results.
After all, Tingfeng Tower, including its Master, had a total of six Earth-level powerhouses, more than enough in terms of high-level experts.
Furthermore, they were on Tingfeng Tower's own territory, with the support of disciples and countless civilians. Dealing with a few clowns should have been a simple matter.
But what was the result?
The result was Fellav's disappearance, likely a grim end, and Tingfeng Tower officially announcing on the battle network that they were unilaterally severing cooperation and returning to seclusion.
What did this mean?
It meant that the Temple of Light's previous investments had all gone to waste.
Ultimately, it was Fellav's incompetence, not only his but also those who recommended him, and even more so, those who supported his plan!
Thinking of the Enlightenment Pill he lent Fellav to support his actions, the Pope's anger flared even more intensely.
If not for Qiao's instigation, why would he have lost another pill?
Facing the Pope's fury, Hassall and Qiao trembled, not daring to utter a single word.
"Investigate! Go and investigate, get to the bottom of this!"
"If you can't uncover the truth, don't blame me for being harsh with you!"
After venting for a long time, the Pope's emotions stabilized somewhat, and he roared at the two of them.
Upon hearing this, the two felt as if they had received a pardon. They quickly agreed and hurried out of the hall.
...
The sun rose again.
The Master, who had been awake all night, looked exhausted and felt somewhat dazed.
Last night, he had managed to persuade Po Xiao to leave, but new problems weighed on his mind. How should he deal with the Huaxia forces and Elder He?
Ask the Temple of Light for help?
That was impossible. Po Xiao had already forced him to make a declaration on the battle network.
The Temple of Light must have seen it by now and would surely resent him, perhaps even dispatching people to retaliate.
But aside from the Temple of Light, who else could help him through this crisis?
After a night of deliberation, the Master's final conclusion was that no one could help him.
There were three major peak forces internationally. The Dark Association had just been sent away, the Temple of Light was now seething with hatred towards them, and the Huaxia forces were aiming to eliminate traitors.
In essence, he had offended all three forces, and Tingfeng Tower was destined for destruction.
Thinking of this, his heart was filled with despair and regret.
If he hadn't been greedy for power, he wouldn't have agreed to cooperate with the Temple of Light, and none of this would have happened.
In that case, although he was suppressed by Elder He, he would have at least survived. Unlike now, possessing peak Earth-level strength, he had stepped onto a path of no return...
*Tap, tap, tap...*
Unbeknownst to him, hurried footsteps approached.
The Master's gaze swept towards the main hall entrance. A moment later, the First Elder and the Second Elder walked in frantically.
"Master, this is bad!"
"All the disciples of Tingfeng Tower have betrayed us..."
Hmm?
The Master looked at the two elders with confusion. Perhaps due to extreme fatigue, he didn't react immediately.
Seeing the Master with a deathly pale face and little expression in his eyes, the two elders felt their hopes dwindle. They quickly approached.
"Master, the disciples of Tingfeng Tower have all surrendered to Elder He!"
"Even our household guards are the same."
"We have very few people we can rely on now. What should we do!"
The First Elder stepped forward and spoke loudly. He felt a sense of impending collapse, yet he was unwilling to accept defeat.
At this point, their only recourse was to rely entirely on the Master.
"What's the rush? We're not without trump cards."
"Let alone Elder He, even with the Huaxia forces, I will ensure your safety today."
The Master glanced calmly at the two elders. Although he spoke with such confidence, his heart was still hesitant to make a decision.
His only remaining trump card was the island protection formation.
However, if he activated the self-destruct mode of the island protection formation, the Sun and Moon Twin Islands would undoubtedly turn into a living hell.
He could guarantee that very few people would survive, and even he himself would not escape death.
It was precisely for this reason that his heart was filled with tension. He did not want to perish with the enemy.
But this was no longer a matter that he could decide.
It still depended on what Elder He would do...
Meanwhile, listening to the Master's words, the two elders showed no signs of improvement.
They understood everything about the Master. Now that the Master dared to guarantee their lives, he must be planning to use the island protection formation.
Otherwise, no other trump card could possibly subdue Elder He.
But once the island protection formation was activated, they too would have no escape. Now, the two could only hope that the other party wouldn't push things too far, lest the Master go berserk...