A week passed in the blink of an eye.
Ye Cangtian remained on Wan She Island, spending his days cultivating and catching up on news during his free time.
From the pursuit and reconnaissance reports of the Rattlesnake Mercenary Group, Ye Cangtian's prediction was correct; Hasar had indeed led the Tam Mercenary Group to the Alliance's waters.
They had arrived two days prior, but consecutive battles had yielded unsatisfactory results, failing to break through the Alliance's defense line.
Ye Cangtian was not surprised by this news.
After all, the Hell Gate Islands were an Alliance stronghold, and they were well-prepared.
His only concern was Hasar. Only if Leihadun made Hasar feel that assassination was futile would it be considered a true escape from disaster.
In addition to news from the Alliance, Ye Cangtian also received updates on the situation in Dongying from the Grim Reaper squad.
In Dongying, the resistance from the Shinobi Division was weakening.
It was rumored that both the Dark Association and the Radiant Hall had temporarily put aside their animosity to pursue the last surviving high-ranking shinobi, Hyuga Yuichi.
Upon seeing this news, Ye Cangtian displayed a mocking smile.
As the leader of the Shinobi Division, being hunted by both the Dark Association and the Radiant Hall on his own territory could only mean one thing.
The Shinobi Division was at its last legs, utterly incapable of resistance. He believed that before long, this battle would be decisively concluded.
Ring!
At some point, the phone rang. Ye Cangtian picked up his mobile, saw the number belonging to Rose, and directly pressed the answer button.
"The WarNet has big news, have you seen it?"
The moment the call connected, Rose's voice came through.
Ye Cangtian was slightly taken aback. It was clear something major had happened, and likely good news. Thinking this, he hung up the phone and logged onto the WarNet.
The homepage of the WarNet featured a group of photos as its headline news.
The photos showed an elderly man kneeling on the ground, a samurai sword pointed at his abdomen.
Then, in a series of sequential shots, the entire process of the elder's seppuku was presented.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian was stunned. The elder's appearance was somewhat familiar, but he couldn't recall it immediately.
Looking at the title, Ye Cangtian understood everything.
This elder was the last high-ranking shinobi of the Shinobi Division, and also its minister, Hyuga Yuichi.
In the next moment, Ye Cangtian quickly dialed Rose's number.
"Rose, is the news of Hyuga Yuichi's suicide accurate?"
As soon as the call connected, Ye Cangtian urgently inquired.
He was somewhat disbelieving. As the minister of the Shinobi Division, he was a figure of considerable influence. How could he so easily abandon his life and power?
In this era, while martial arts might not be as prominent as in ancient times, the power of technology could not be underestimated.
Ye Cangtian worried that the Shinobi Division might have released fabricated photos to deceive all factions in order to evade disaster, which was not impossible.
Therefore, he needed to ascertain the authenticity of the photos.
At this moment, he could not afford to give the Shinobi Division any opportunity to rise from the ashes.
"The photos have been verified and show no signs of tampering."
"Furthermore, both the Radiant Hall and the Dark Association have sent back relevant videos, and some individuals from both factions have witnessed it firsthand."
"Therefore, the news should be accurate. Hyuga Yuichi truly chose ritual suicide to atone for his crimes and preserve the future of the Shinobi Division!"
Rose immediately provided her confirmation.
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian finally breathed a sigh of relief.
...
After hanging up the phone, Ye Cangtian's eyes began to shift.
The conflict in Dongying had concluded. He expected that the Tam Mercenary Group on the Alliance's side would soon withdraw.
The reason was simple: with the situation in Dongying resolved, a large number of experts from the Dark Association would become available.
If the Radiant Hall attempted to annex the Alliance again, the Dark Association would certainly not stand idly by.
After all, the Dark Association did not wish to see the Radiant Hall grow more powerful.
The Radiant Hall itself was aware of this. Therefore, rather than the Dark Association intervening and causing friction, leading to unnecessary casualties, it was better to withdraw proactively.
With this thought, Ye Cangtian called Miller to his side.
"Lord Po Xiao, what are your orders?" Miller bowed to Ye Cangtian and asked.
"Prepare the team. We are withdrawing from Wan She Island today, leaving no one behind!"
Ye Cangtian stated. Since the situation in Dongying had been resolved, he intended to uphold his promise.
Miller hesitated slightly and said, "My lord, if I may speak out of turn, Kzela is clearly an ungrateful wretch. Why not seize this opportunity to eliminate him!"
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian shook his head slightly and said, "Let me tell you something else: in the conflicts between factions, while schemes and stratagems are indispensable, integrity is paramount!"
After a pause, Ye Cangtian continued, "Moreover, the Rattlesnake has severed ties with the Shinobi Division, suffered heavy losses, and the Radiant Hall is watching them from afar. Where do you think the Rattlesnake's way out lies?"
This...
At his words, Miller fell silent, his mind repeatedly analyzing the situation.
Being coveted by the Radiant Hall was no small matter.
Unless the Radiant Hall realized that annexing such a faction would result in devastating losses and be entirely not worth the effort, their intentions would remain.
However, the current Rattlesnake clearly lacked such capability.
Therefore, their only path forward was to find a power that could contend with the Radiant Hall for protection.
The powers capable of contending with the Radiant Hall were essentially two: firstly, Chinese powers, and secondly, the Dark Association.
Chinese powers had historically not supported any overseas factions. Furthermore, the Rattlesnake Mercenary Group had previously accompanied the Shinobi Division in assassinating Ye Cangtian in China.
Considering these two factors, even if the Cobra Mercenary Group offered themselves willingly, Chinese powers would not accept them.
In that case, if the Cobra Mercenary Group did not wish to surrender to the Radiant Hall, their only option would be to seek refuge with the Dark Association.
Given the choice between the two, the Rattlesnake Mercenary Group would not choose the former, as the current predicament was entirely due to the Radiant Hall's actions.
On the other hand, the Dark Association had consistently provided them with protection during this period. The relative closeness and distance were obvious.
With this realization, Miller gave Ye Cangtian a thumbs-up, his eyes filled with admiration. "As expected of my lord, your foresight is unparalleled. I am completely convinced, and this is not flattery, but heartfelt admiration!"
"Alright, enough talk, hurry up and make the arrangements!"
Ye Cangtian said with a smile, waving his hand, and then paid them no further attention.
He closed his eyes, continuing to cultivate his mental power techniques.
At some point, the sound of hurried footsteps entered his mind.
Through identifying the sound and the lightness or heaviness of the footsteps, Ye Cangtian instantly recognized that it was Kzela.
In the next moment, Ye Cangtian opened his eyes, a smile appearing on his face.
These mental power techniques were truly treasures. In such a short period of cultivation, his mental power had increased by more than twenty percent compared to before.
And this was only after reaching the first level of the mental power techniques. He couldn't even imagine the further improvements he would experience if he reached the highest ninth level!
After a short while, the tent flap opened, and Kzela's figure entered.
His eyes were filled with excitement, but his face bore an expression of regretful bitterness.
"Po Xiao, I've heard about the matters in Dongying."
"But why are you leaving so suddenly!"
"You and these brothers from the Caesar Mercenary Group have protected us for so many days. At least let me express my gratitude..."
Kzela said with a hint of complaint. In Ye Cangtian's view, this was clearly a case of "profiting while pretending to be wronged!"
How could he not know that Kzela had been eagerly awaiting this day!
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian looked at Kzela with a playful gaze and said, "I am merely abiding by my promise. However, since you've put it this way, I will reluctantly stay for a few more days!"
Uh...
At his words, Kzela felt as though something was stuck in his throat, rendering him speechless.
Frankly speaking, he was just making polite remarks. Who would have thought that Po Xiao would take him seriously, leaving him utterly at a loss for words.