Ye Cangtian let out a light hum at Yao Bao'er's statement.
Although his current physical condition was very poor, with the three great seals in his hand, he was not someone who could be easily manipulated.
Simply participating in an auction was not a problem.
However, before he could say anything, Lan Yue, Qiangwei, and the others pushed Yao Bao'er back into the secret room.
The reason was simple: Ye Cangtian's affairs were absolutely paramount in their eyes, and other matters could be postponed.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian could do nothing and had to give up.
Report!
Just then, a guard came before them and bowed respectfully.
"Lord Ye, Lord Lan Yue, Zhao Jie has arrived at headquarters and is waiting in the main hall."
Ye Cangtian glanced at the guard and said calmly, "Take Zhao Jie to Qingfeng Hall, and summon Hong Liu as well."
The guard acknowledged and turned to leave.
Ye Cangtian and the others also returned to Qingfeng Hall, waiting in the main hall of Qingfeng Hall for the two to arrive.
Before long, Zhao Jie was brought to Qingfeng Hall. Upon seeing Hong Liu present, he immediately understood everything.
Needless to say, it must have been Hong Liu of Yulong Mountain Villa who came to the Yin Zu to lodge a complaint, forcing Ye Cangtian and Lan Yue to investigate the actions of the Five Poisons Sect.
With this thought, his gaze then shifted to Ye Cangtian and Lan Yue at the head of the table.
"Your subordinate Zhao Jie, pays his respects to Lord Ye and Lord Lan Yue!" Zhao Jie bowed respectfully.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian waved his hand, and a surge of spiritual energy lifted Zhao Jie.
The next moment, Ye Cangtian spoke, "Zhao Jie, regarding the operation to eliminate the Five Colors Grass Hall of the Five Poisons Sect, I want to hear your account."
"Yes!"
Zhao Jie replied. He knew this day would come, as Yulong Mountain Villa had lost many people, and they would not let it go.
Therefore, Zhao Jie had long been mentally prepared.
"The situation is like this: Hong Liu brought people from Yulong Mountain Villa, and I welcomed them warmly. However, that night, the branch discovered suspicious figures..."
Zhao Jie stated that these suspicious figures were undoubtedly from Yulong Mountain Villa.
Therefore, Zhao Jie sent people to track Yulong Mountain Villa. Later, due to an order from headquarters, Zhao Jie had to cooperate with Yulong Mountain Villa and act in conjunction.
However, to prevent Yulong Mountain Villa from defecting, he was constantly on guard against them.
Unexpectedly, they still fell into the trap of the Five Colors Grass and suffered heavy losses.
Yet, even so, Zhao Jie persisted in cooperating with Yulong Mountain Villa and continued to carry out the mission.
But in the end, when the people of Yin Zu were about to apprehend the Hall Master of the Five Colors Grass Hall, Hong Liu led the people of Yulong Mountain Villa forward and attacked forcefully.
In this situation, a battle broke out between the Yin Zu and Yulong Mountain Villa, resulting in heavy losses. In the end, the Yin Zu was defeated, and the Hall Master of the Five Colors Grass Hall was killed by the enemy...
"You're spouting nonsense! It was clearly..."
Upon hearing this, Hong Liu could no longer bear it and became enraged.
But before he could finish, Ye Cangtian extended his hand and stopped Hong Liu.
Then Ye Cangtian's gaze fell upon Zhao Jie, and he slowly said, "Is everything you said true?"
"Your subordinate dares not deceive Mr. Ye!"
"If Mr. Ye does not believe me, you can ask the soldiers of the Yin Zu branch to verify!"
Zhao Jie said with utmost certainty and solemnity.
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian fell silent for a moment, then said, "From Hong Liu's mouth, I heard two completely different versions!"
After a pause, Ye Cangtian continued, "Zhao Jie, let me ask you, what was the strength of the Hall Master of the Five Colors Grass Hall?"
Zhao Jie quickly replied, "The Hall Master of the Five Colors Grass Hall was at the peak of the Quasi-Heavenly realm triple heaven, and the deputy hall master was at the first heaven."
Ye Cangtian slowly nodded, then looked at Hong Liu and asked, "Hong Liu, besides the Hall Master and Deputy Hall Master, are there any other Quasi-Heavenly realm experts in the Five Colors Grass Hall?"
"Yes!"
Hong Liu nodded and said, "At that time, there was also an elder from the headquarters of the Five Poisons Sect in the Five Colors Grass Hall, whose cultivation was also at the peak of the Quasi-Heavenly realm triple heaven!"
Upon hearing this, and seeing that Zhao Jie did not argue, Ye Cangtian then asked, "Zhao Jie, in the final battle, how many people from the branch were used to surround these individuals, and how many were lost?"
"Replying to Lord Ye, about a hundred people surrounded these individuals, and one-third of them died in the end!"
Zhao Jie replied quickly. He had been prepared for this and mostly told the truth.
After all, the guards of the Yin Zu were registered, and the number of casualties could be easily checked from the roster, so it was impossible to falsify.
"Alas! What a pity for so many guards."
Ye Cangtian sighed, his gaze suddenly becoming sharp, "Zhao Jie, are you not afraid of death for lying to me? Why don't you tell the truth!"
Uh...
Sensing the killing intent in Ye Cangtian's eyes, Zhao Jie's heart trembled, and cold sweat flowed down his forehead.
After a moment, he calmed down a little and, bracing himself, said, "Lord Ye, I don't understand what you're talking about. When did I lie?"
Hmph!
Ye Cangtian snorted and said lightly, "Your cultivation is only at the late stage of the Earthly realm, while the guards of your branch are generally at the peak of the Profound realm.
Only a small portion are at the Earthly realm. How could such a lineup contend with the enemy?"
This...
Zhao Jie was slightly stunned and was about to explain, but before he could, he suddenly remembered something.
The Hall Master and Deputy Hall Master of the Five Colors Grass Hall, along with the elder from the headquarters of the Five Poisons Sect, were all powerful.
If they had desperately wanted to escape, with only about a hundred people from the Yin Zu, it would have been difficult to keep them.
And if they had fought to the death, the Yin Zu would not have suffered casualties of only one-third, as the disparity in strength was too great.
Moreover, the Five Colors Grass Hall was not only the three powerhouses; there were also some remnants around them. In that case, the casualties of the Yin Zu would have been even higher.
Therefore, Ye Cangtian had determined that he was lying.
He also realized that if he lied now, everything he had fabricated earlier would be a lie.
Thinking of this, Zhao Jie's legs began to tremble, and they suddenly softened, causing him to kneel on the ground.
"Ye, Lord Ye, this subordinate deserves to die. It is all this subordinate's fault. This subordinate was blinded by greed. Please spare this subordinate!"
Zhao Jie wailed instantly, slapping himself fiercely in the face.
He had originally thought that Ye Cangtian, being from the Yin Zu, would show him some favoritism.
Coupled with the fact that he had bribed all his subordinates, he thought this time should be without any problems, but he never expected Ye Cangtian to act so unpredictably.
Ye Cangtian ignored the other details and only asked about the final battle, having already discovered the problem, which truly caught him off guard...
Ye Cangtian looked down at Zhao Jie and said calmly, "Tell me, why did you disobey the headquarters' orders, and what grievances do you have with Yulong Mountain Villa?"
Ye Cangtian did not believe that a perfectly good head of a Yin Zu branch would act like this without reason.
Hearing this, Zhao Jie no longer concealed anything and said, "I am from Han Shuang City in the northern ruins. My family was persecuted and died by Yulong Mountain Villa..."
Deep hatred flickered in Zhao Jie's eyes. If it weren't for Yulong Mountain Villa attacking the Yin Zu, his family would not have been annihilated.
Huh?
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian's brows furrowed tightly.
He knew that when Yulong Mountain Villa was in control of Lei Ming, they had placed the Yin Zu branch in Han Shuang City under house arrest and persecuted them.
This was not Zhao Jie's fault. Anyone who encountered such a situation would deeply resent Yulong Mountain Villa.
After a moment of silence, Ye Cangtian sighed and said calmly, "I can understand your hatred for Yulong Mountain Villa, but that cannot be an excuse for your crime!"
After a pause, Ye Cangtian's gaze sharpened, and he continued, "Because of your personal grudges, so many soldiers from Yulong Mountain Villa and the branch died, this is unforgivable!
I must also give a satisfactory explanation to those who died!"
Hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Zhao Jie nodded and said, "I know. Once this matter is investigated and confirmed, I will surely die. However, even if I had to do it again, I would still choose to do so..."
Alas!
Ye Cangtian sighed. The resentment of the other party was too deep to be resolved.
He looked at him helplessly and said, "Since you have already anticipated the outcome, you can leave your last words, or tell me if you have any unfinished business!"
Zhao Jie heard this, looked at Ye Cangtian deeply, and then said, "I hope you will treat my wife and children well, and do not tell them what I have done, and also treat my brothers well!"
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian nodded and said, "Don't worry, you will be treated as a sacrifice after your death, and we will take good care of your family.
As for others, if they have no malicious intent, we will not pursue them."
Hearing this, Zhao Jie cupped his hands in a salute, then took out a dagger and stabbed it directly through his heart.
He had no regrets.