He hung up the phone with Viper and lit a cigarette.
Viper’s decoded message stated, “No need to delay.”
This was clearly telling ‘Qiao’ to act quickly, so he had to devise a counter-strategy. After all, he was playing two roles and did not want his identity in the Dark Association as Dawn to be exposed.
Ring…
Just then, his phone rang. The number belonged to Purple Dragon.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian’s heart tightened. If he guessed correctly, Qiao was probably preparing to make a move.
As expected, after answering the call, Purple Dragon informed Ye Cangtian of the meeting location and time. The location was a high-rise building one to two kilometers away from the villa area, and the time was exactly one hour later.
After hanging up, Ye Cangtian instinctively glanced at the top of the building. This distance was beyond his perception. Helplessly, he returned to his room.
He went to the living room and called Gu Qin and Gu Yue to his side.
“Listen, there will be uninvited guests soon. You two go to Xin Wan’s side. No one is allowed to come out without my permission!”
Upon hearing Ye Cangtian’s words, Gu Qin and Gu Yue immediately agreed. Ye Cangtian had already briefed them on these matters, and they knew the danger, so they would obey. Seeing this, Ye Cangtian gave a few more instructions and then left the villa alone and quietly.
Meanwhile, on the rooftop of the tall building, Qiao, holding night vision binoculars, watched with a changing expression. In the binoculars, Ye Cangtian had clearly glanced in this direction just now. Why? Had he discovered them? Impossible! Even if Ye Cangtian was abnormal, this distance should be beyond his perception. Could it be that he had received some news?
Thinking this, Qiao subtly glanced at Nancy beside him. Seeing that she showed no unusual behavior, he dismissed his doubts. Perhaps it was all just a coincidence.
…
Half an hour later, Ye Cangtian arrived at the rooftop of the building. Actually, he didn’t need this much time to get here, but to avoid suspicion, he had deliberately delayed his journey. He thought he would arrive early, but he didn’t expect Feng Ze to have already arrived when he got there.
“Heh heh, we’re just waiting for Blood Night. Everyone, I’ll be counting on you tonight.” Seeing Dawn walking over, Qiao looked down at his watch and said with a smile. Regardless of anything else, the other party had arrived within an hour, which was considered keeping his word.
“What? You’re not going to make a move tonight?” Ye Cangtian glanced at Qiao, frowning.
Qiao smiled slightly and said teasingly, “Is it too much respect for Ye Cangtian if so many of us make a move? Besides, can’t the two of you deal with one Ye Cangtian with some confidence?”
Hmph! Ye Cangtian understood that the other party was provoking him, so he snorted coldly and said no more.
On the other side, Feng Ze’s face showed a cold smile. “I’ve heard a lot about how formidable Ye Cangtian is. I don’t know if it’s true talent or just a false reputation. I really want to meet him alone.”
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian’s expression sank. He then said, “If you want to fight Ye Cangtian one-on-one, I won’t stop you, but we need to follow the rule of first come, first served. He’s my prey.” There was no helping it. He absolutely could not let Feng Ze make the first move, because if he wasn’t here, who would Feng Ze fight? Moreover, Tang Xin Wan and the other two women had no protection!
“Heh heh, yes, yes, Feng Ze, I’m not favoring Dawn here, but he should go first. He and Ye Cangtian are old rivals…” After Ye Cangtian’s words, Qiao showed a satisfied smile. It was good that both sides were eager to make a move, showing high enthusiasm. However, he had to say something to prevent them from arguing and causing conflict. Therefore, he chose to side with Dawn.
Firstly, Dawn was from the Dark Association. If he could perish together with Ye Cangtian, that would be great. Not only would Ye Cangtian be killed, but the Dark Association’s fighting strength would also be depleted.
Secondly, Feng Ze had only recently advanced to the Earth level. Although he was a bit arrogant, Feng Ze’s strength was not enough. After all, Blood Night, who had been famous for many years, had lost to Ye Cangtian. Considering the role of Listening Wind Tower for the Hall of Light, Qiao had to consider Feng Ze’s safety.
“Alright.” Feng Ze had wanted to argue. If he could kill the internationally renowned Ye Cangtian, his reputation and status would undoubtedly increase significantly. It might even change many people’s opinions of him in Listening Wind Tower, perhaps even directly making him the next leader… But since Qiao had said so, he couldn’t say anything more. Now, he could only hope that Dawn and Ye Cangtian would both be injured, so he could benefit from the situation and achieve the same effect.
As they chatted, they scanned the movements near the villa from a distance. Time passed quietly. In the blink of an eye, half an hour had passed. Ye Cangtian couldn’t help but glance at Qiao and say, “Qiao, time’s up. Why isn’t Blood Night here? Why don’t you contact him again?”
“No need to wait. That good-for-nothing has already withdrawn from this operation!” Mentioning Blood Night, a trace of hatred flashed across Qiao’s face as he explained angrily. He recounted how Blood Night had been tracked by Ye Cangtian and then defeated and injured. It was due to his injuries and being scared out of his wits by Ye Cangtian that Blood Night withdrew from the operation.
“This…” Hearing this, Feng Ze felt a sense of relief. Even though he was extremely arrogant, he knew he was no match for Blood Night. If he had fought for the first turn to deal with Ye Cangtian just now, wouldn’t he have risked his life?
Hmph! With the same statement, Ye Cangtian let out a cold snort. It seemed like he was angry because Blood Night withdrew, but that wasn’t the case. If Blood Night had truly withdrawn, why would Qiao wait until today to act? Besides, if Blood Night withdrew, what were they waiting for here? They should have acted half an hour ago! Therefore, in his opinion, Qiao was fabricating lies, but he didn’t understand the intention behind it. Everyone here was targeting Ye Cangtian. What was the point of hiding Blood Night’s information from them?
Thinking this, Ye Cangtian said, “Since Blood Night is not participating, let’s officially enter hunting mode. I’ll go first!” Ye Cangtian was worried that Blood Night was hiding somewhere and had even started his move. In that case, Tang Xin Wan and the others would be in danger, so it was better to return as soon as possible.
“Don’t rush.”
“After all, you are an Earth-level expert and also represent the Dark Association. How can the first battle be taken by you!” Saying this, Qiao glanced at Nancy behind him and said, “Nancy, this operation was organized by our Hall of Light, so it is only right that our Hall of Light should initiate the attack. This task will be assigned to you!”
“You!” Hearing this, Nancy’s face turned very ugly. She had not yet reached Earth-level strength, so she was naturally no match for Ye Cangtian. Having her lead the charge now was undoubtedly making her a cannon fodder!
Beside them, Feng Ze’s expression also changed. He knew that Qiao disliked Nancy, but no one expected Qiao to openly scheme against Nancy. Wasn’t Qiao afraid of being reprimanded by his superiors? However, this was the Hall of Light’s internal affair, so Feng Ze couldn’t interfere too much.
Heh heh, beautiful! Ye Cangtian, who also heard this, inwardly chuckled. Treating Nancy this way, she would become disheartened before long, and then he could try to win her over.
“Lord Qiao, I question your order!”
“You should know that I am no match for Ye Cangtian, and you’re asking me to lead the charge, isn’t that sending me to my death?”
“If this is reported back to the Hall of Light, I believe the Pope will also launch an investigation, right?” Nancy endured the anger in her heart and said in a deep voice.
“Nancy, let me explain it to you clearly!”
“From the incident of Blood Night being tracked by Ye Cangtian, I suspect we have an inside mole, and the most likely person to be the mole is you!”
“Therefore, I want to verify this. If you die in battle, I will naturally clear your name, but if Ye Cangtian lets you go, then I’m sorry!”
“Of course, you can choose not to accept it, but in that case, don’t blame me for being impolite!” Hearing Nancy’s questioning, a sinister look flashed across Qiao’s face as he slowly said.
“You…”
“Qiao, you’re ruthless!” Nancy pointed at Qiao furiously. She had nothing to say about Qiao’s framing. If you want to find fault, you can always invent a reason. Moreover, she was insignificant, and her words were useless. She also knew that Qiao was not joking. If she backed down, he would definitely kill her. In that case, she would likely be branded as a coward and a traitor, so it was better to charge towards Ye Cangtian for a decisive battle, at least to preserve her reputation.