"You scoundrels, I never treated you poorly in the past, how can you be so heartless..."
As his subordinates pressed closer, the guard captain was filled with boundless anger and began to curse.
Before he could finish, he felt the blade at his neck press closer. He immediately shut his mouth, fearful that the slightest movement of his Adam's apple would be sliced open by the blade.
"Heh, it seems you've been a guard captain for nothing! Your subordinates don't even listen to your orders!"
Ye Cangtian scoffed, then his gaze swept over all the guards. "You think you're my match? Let me tell you, if Zhang Fan isn't killed, all of you will die here today."
"Go to hell, who are you trying to scare!"
As Ye Cangtian's voice fell, a guard roared in anger and charged forward, brandishing his weapon without hesitation.
"It seems you need to face reality!"
Ye Cangtian gave a cold smile. With a casual flick of his wrist, he knocked away the opponent's dagger.
Before the dagger even hit the ground, he lifted his foot and swept out, striking the handle of the dagger perfectly.
*Swish!*
A sound of whistling through the air followed as a silver glint instantly pierced through the body of the attacking guard.
"This..."
Watching blood splatter and a comrade fall to the ground, the remaining guards broke out in a cold sweat, their bodies trembling.
The next moment, they hesitated no longer. They turned directly and with the speed of a charge, plunged their weapons into Zhang Fan's body.
They had no other choice. One was to die immediately.
The other was to live a little longer, and perhaps the Dark Association, seeing they were threatened, might spare their lives.
In such a situation, any thinking person would gamble on the former.
"You, you guys..."
Zhang Fan, his body riddled with holes, glared at the guards.
He never imagined, even in death, that these guards would change their tune so quickly, nor that they would be so ruthless in attacking him, showing no restraint...
"Hmph, dying at the hands of your drinking and eating buddies is also a form of betrayal."
"How does it feel to be betrayed?"
"Remember in your next life, don't be a traitor again!"
Ye Cangtian looked at Zhang Fan's indignant face and said with a cold snort.
Killing Zhang Fan was as easy as lifting a finger. He had done it intentionally.
Firstly, he disdained to dirty his own hands by personally dealing with Zhang Fan.
Secondly, he wanted the other party to taste the bitterness of betrayal before dying.
"You..."
Hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Zhang Fan's eyes widened abruptly, then he spat out a mouthful of blood and became still.
*Bang!*
Ye Cangtian kicked the guard captain away.
He then glanced at everyone and said, "Given that you followed orders, I'll spare your lives today. I hope you'll conduct yourselves properly in the future."
As he spoke, Ye Cangtian walked step by step towards the prison gate.
Seeing this, the guards all made way.
Before Ye Cangtian disappeared from their sight, they dared not even sound the alarm, let alone breathe heavily.
Fortunately, when Zhang Fan was shouting earlier, the guard captain had sensed something was wrong and sent someone to notify Xuan Shisi.
He assumed Xuan Shisi would be waiting with men at the entrance by now.
...
On the other side, Ye Cangtian slowly arrived at the dungeon entrance. As soon as he pushed the door open, he saw two to three hundred guards surrounding the area, with Xuan Shisi at the forefront.
Upon receiving the news, he had immediately gathered his men and rushed over.
In his opinion, anyone who could infiltrate the dungeon silently must be a big fish. Catching him would surely bring greater merit than catching Zhang Fan.
However, when he saw the person emerge from the prison cell, his face immediately turned extremely grim, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
While other guards might not know this person, as their strength was too low to reach this level, Xuan Shisi, as the steward of Jieying City, was naturally not unfamiliar with him.
"Ye Cangtian, you dare to come to the Jieying City dungeon? You truly have the guts of a leopard!"
"I can give you a chance to survive. Surrender now, and I guarantee no harm will come to you!"
Despite his internal dread and nervousness, Xuan Shisi gritted his teeth and put on an aggressive front, advising Ye Cangtian to surrender.
"Xuan Shisi, are you not awake yet!"
"With you and your shrimp soldiers, you think you can make me surrender? Are you even worthy? Don't you think too highly of yourselves?"
"How about I give you a choice!"
Ye Cangtian glanced at Xuan Shisi and said dismissively.
"You..."
Hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Xuan Shisi pointed at Ye Cangtian furiously, but felt as if he had a fishbone stuck in his throat, unable to utter a word.
He felt as though his insides were about to explode from anger. This was, after all, the Dark Association's dungeon, his territory, and he had two to three hundred guards.
Yet, under these circumstances, the other party was shouting provocatively, and he found it difficult to refute.
Who told him the world was ruled by the strong?
After a brief silence, Xuan Shisi managed to calm himself slightly. He glanced at Ye Cangtian and asked, "I ask you, what happened to Zhang Fan?"
"He's dead."
Ye Cangtian shrugged his shoulders and said casually.
What!
At these words, Xuan Shisi felt as if the world was spinning, and his vision went black.
Zhang Fan was his bargaining chip to curry favor with Red Devil. Without Zhang Fan, how could he explain himself to Red Devil?
Would Red Devil, in his rage, strike him dead with a single blow?
Thinking of this, Xuan Shisi roared indignantly, "Ye Cangtian, what do you mean? Zhang Fan is just someone from the Anti-Black Alliance, why would you kill him?"
"Stop shouting at me, or I'll kill you!"
Ye Cangtian coldly warned Xuan Shisi. Seeing Xuan Shisi instantly quiet down, he then said, "Zhang Fan wasn't killed by me. He was killed by your dungeon guards. I'm not taking this blame!"
Dungeon guards?
Xuan Shisi's eyes widened.
Weren't those guards on good terms with Zhang Fan? Why would they attack him? Were they idiots? Didn't they know Zhang Fan's importance?
Countless question marks flashed in his mind, and Xuan Shisi felt like cursing.
"Alright, you know what you needed to know."
"Now, I ask you, are you prepared to fight, or will you obediently let me pass?"
Ye Cangtian, seeing Xuan Shisi speechless with rage, wasted no more time and pressed him directly.
This...
With just a sentence, Xuan Shisi not only snapped back to reality, but the cold sweat that had just dissipated instantly reappeared.
The reason was that he could already feel the killing intent radiating from Ye Cangtian.
It was clear that if he didn't let Ye Cangtian pass, Ye Cangtian would surely go on a rampage.
But if he let him pass, how could he explain himself to Red Devil? And afterwards, the Dark Association would likely hold him accountable.
"Fight... Fight..."
Finally, Xuan Shisi made up his mind. He wanted to rely on the two to three hundred guards around him to make a desperate stand. If they won, he would soar to great heights.
However, before he could finish speaking, Ye Cangtian's voice cut through.
"I'll remind you, you'd best think carefully before issuing an order!"
"And I must also tell you, if you choose to fight, you will surely die!"
Staring blankly at Ye Cangtian, Xuan Shisi's expression shifted.
He truly dared not gamble. If these guards couldn't stop the opponent, he would lose his own life...