"I..."
"Yes, yes, it was these men in black. They suddenly rushed out and attacked Mandala and them. I just arrived and was about to help!"
Xuan Si Yi's eyes darted around as he quickly and dryly explained.
He had initially intended to tell the truth, but he also knew very well that this matter involved Lord Hong Mo. If Hong Mo were implicated, it would undoubtedly cause trouble for him, and then he wouldn't even have anyone to protect him.
Moreover, once he offended Hong Mo, Hong Mo's methods were far more ruthless than Ye Cangtian's.
With this thought, he could only betray his brothers. After all, all his brothers wore black, and their identities were not discernible.
The most crucial point was that he didn't want to face an enraged Po Xiao.
As for Mandala and Fei Yan before him, he didn't care at all. As long as he stuck to his story, it would be a case of he said, she said.
Po Xiao couldn't act against him based on one-sided words. This matter might eventually be brought before Xing Yuan, and with Hong Mo's help, he shouldn't face major trouble...
"Heh, you can actually say such a thing? So, in your heart, I am a complete idiot!"
Ye Cangtian's eyes flashed with contempt and disdain.
The bloody facts were right before him, yet the other party still tried to fabricate the truth. Did he really take him for an idiot?
Without hesitation, he raised his hand and flicked it. A cold glint shot out, precisely hitting the space between Xuan Si Yi's legs.
A miserable scream instantly drowned out the cries of all the men in black. Xuan Si Yi clutched his groin, rolling in extreme pain.
Hiss...
Looking at Po Xiao's ruthless action, Mandala and Fei Yan gasped, then exchanged glances.
They knew very well what this knife meant. Xuan Si Yi had likely been castrated, which for a man, was far worse than death.
Moreover, Xuan Si Yi was a favored subordinate of Hong Mo. Po Xiao crippling Xuan Si Yi would undoubtedly enrage Hong Mo, and that was extremely dangerous.
After all, Hong Mo was the strongest among the Earth-level stewards in the Dark Association, and Po Xiao had just broken through to the Earth level. If they fought, it would be difficult for Po Xiao to win.
Thinking that Ye Cangtian was willing to take such a risk to stand up for them, their hearts were filled with emotion.
"You wanted to disfigure them, so I'm giving you a little punishment. Fair enough, right?"
Ye Cangtian slowly walked forward and stepped on Xuan Si Yi's chest, preventing him from rolling and struggling. He then lowered his body.
"Hey, I'll ask you one more time, are you going to confess or not?"
The pressure on his chest made Xuan Si Yi's breathing difficult, adding to his pain.
Upon hearing Ye Cangtian's voice again, he gritted his teeth and looked up, "It was me. I just didn't like them, so I wanted to give them a permanent memory..."
"Heh, still not telling the truth?"
Ye Cangtian smiled mockingly. The Mandala sisters were his people; everyone in the Dark Association headquarters knew it.
How could a mere Xuan-level steward dare to attack them?
If he weren't in Ghost City, perhaps this would be understandable. But while he was in Ghost City, they still attacked the two women. Wasn't that suicidal?
Therefore, it was obvious that someone behind the scenes had instigated it, and that instigator was Hong Mo. Ye Cangtian knew this clearly.
Thus, he had to make the other party expose Hong Mo so that he could accuse Hong Mo in front of Xing Yuan.
Crack, crack, crack...
As Ye Cangtian's voice fell, a slight sound of bone cracking came from Xuan Si Yi's chest, followed by a pig-like scream.
"Spare... spare me, I'll say it, I'll say it all..."
Finally, in the face of endless pain, Xuan Si Yi chose to compromise.
There was no other way. Po Xiao's actions were too brutal. If he didn't compromise, he would definitely die under Po Xiao's feet.
The most crucial thing was that Po Xiao's gaze was very calm, as if stepping on him to death was as simple as stepping on an ant.
The next moment, Xuan Si Yi felt some pressure loosen on his chest, and he quickly spoke, "It was all Hong Mo's orders..."
"Heh, you're a smart man."
Ye Cangtian finally showed a smile. He lifted his foot and said indifferently, "Have these surviving minions of yours carry these corpses and follow me back to headquarters!"
Upon hearing this, Xuan Si Yi's face turned ashen. He understood that the other party intended to take him back for confrontation, which would inevitably offend Hong Mo.
He had to find a way, otherwise, he was doomed!
While thinking, Xuan Si Yi roared at the injured men around him, ordering them to follow Po Xiao's instructions and carry their comrades...
...
Headquarters.
Upon hearing the report, Xing Yuan slowly walked to the grand hall.
As soon as he entered the hall, Xing Yuan's brows furrowed, and a strong smell of blood assailed him.
His gaze swept across, revealing the corpses of men in black, along with many injured men in black, and besides them, a few familiar figures.
Po Xiao, Xuan Si Yi, Mandala, and Fei Yan were all standing before him.
However, he couldn't understand why, apart from Po Xiao, everyone else had various injuries.
The next moment, Xing Yuan looked at Po Xiao with a confused expression and asked, "What's going on? Did someone trespass into the headquarters?"
Obviously, his first thought was that the men in black were intruders, and Po Xiao and the others had fought hard to capture them all.
However, what puzzled him was that with such a large commotion, he hadn't noticed it. This was unscientific...
"Lord Xing Yuan, you've misunderstood. These are all Xuan Si Yi's confidantes!"
Po Xiao's teasing voice came, and Xing Yuan was stunned for a moment, then said grimly, "Po Xiao, are you saying that Xuan Si Yi has been secretly forming factions and preparing to rebel?"
"No, no, no."
Ye Cangtian waved his hand, interrupting Xing Yuan, and then said, "Xuan Si Yi was instructed by Hong Mo to attack Mandala and Fei Yan. Your subordinate happened to arrive."
He paused, and Ye Cangtian continued, "Due to the emergency situation earlier, I didn't have time to clarify the situation, so I acted a bit harshly and directly killed those people..."
Damn it! Shameless!
Lying with his eyes open!
As Ye Cangtian's voice fell, Xuan Si Yi was filled with curses in his heart.
What was he talking about, an emergency situation?
The other party had heard him say he wanted to disfigure the two women, not kill them, and that was still an emergency?
Besides, with Po Xiao's abilities, he could have simply subdued all his subordinates. Why would he take their lives?
Although he was angry, Xuan Si Yi dared not speak out. The reason was simple: the Mandala sisters were covered in wounds, and no one would disbelieve that the situation was critical.
"Hong Mo?"
"Since Hong Mo is involved, then summon Hong Mo!"
As Xing Yuan spoke, he waved his hand at the guards.
The guards in the hall immediately understood, bowed respectfully, and withdrew from the hall.
Not long after, Hong Mo's figure appeared in the hall.
When he saw the scattered men in black on the hall, and Xuan Si Yi covered in blood and with his head bowed, his pupils instantly contracted.
He had understood everything. Xuan Si Yi's matter had been exposed.
"Hong Mo, did you instruct Xuan Si Yi to attack Mandala and Fei Yan?" Seeing Hong Mo bow respectfully, Xing Yuan immediately questioned him.
"Lord Xing Yuan, you must have been misled by false accusations!"
"Even if I have a conflict with Po Xiao, I wouldn't vent my anger on two Xuan-level stewards. I could have directly confronted Po Xiao. Don't you think so?"
Hong Mo said respectfully to Xing Yuan. As soon as he entered and glanced at Xuan Si Yi, he had already noticed something unusual in Xuan Si Yi's eyes.
He immediately understood everything. Xuan Si Yi intended to take the blame himself.
With this, Hong Mo was relieved. As long as Xuan Si Yi stuck to his story, even if Po Xiao had the ability to reach the heavens, he couldn't implicate him.