A thousand miles away, at the Guangming Hall.
Dracula sat on the main seat of the grand hall, his eyes tightly closed, appearing to be resting, but in reality, he was waiting for news from the intelligence department.
"Report!"
Just then, an announcement sounded.
Following that, an intelligence operative hurried into the grand hall and said, "Lord Dracula, we have just pinpointed Ye Cangtian's location.
They are still at sea, only fifty nautical miles from the nearest Duanmu Mercenary Group..."
Upon hearing the news, Dracula's heart skipped a beat, but out of caution, he still asked, "Wait, won't you be tricked again this time?"
The intelligence operative immediately vowed, "My lord, rest assured. While Viper from the Grim Reaper Squad is formidable, they can only do things that are not on the table.
Now that we have the opportunity to capture him, there is no possibility of escape!"
"Good! Very good!"
Dracula's eyes lit up, and he then ordered, "Pass down my command, the entire Duanmu Mercenary Group is to mobilize and blockade Ye Cangtian. Additionally, key members of the Golden Knights and the Red Cardinals from the outer hall, will accompany me on the flight!
I will turn that sea into Ye Cangtian's burial ground!"
Apart from repairing the damaged palace, Dracula had already made preparations for mobilization, waiting only for accurate news from the intelligence department.
Now that the news had arrived, he directly led his men onto the plane and headed straight for the sea, determined to personally kill Ye Cangtian!
...
However.
When he arrived over the sea after several hours of flight.
The cruise ship on the sea had stopped due to a lack of fuel, but no Duanmu Mercenary Group warships were found in the vicinity.
Instead, what was discovered were countless floating corpses scattered in the sea, and some survivors struggling in the water.
What happened?
At such a sight, Dracula's mind went blank.
He knew that with the manpower of the Duanmu Mercenary Group, blocking the cruise ship should not be a problem, but capturing Ye Cangtian and the others was impossible.
But he never imagined that the Duanmu Mercenary Group would suffer such heavy losses.
What he found most unbelievable was that even the warships of the Duanmu Mercenary Group had sunk.
After all, the other party was just an ordinary cruise ship, how could it possess offensive capabilities!
Thinking this, he immediately ordered the crew to fly at a low altitude, and then Dracula landed on the cruise ship.
But at this very moment, Dracula's expression turned even more somber. He couldn't sense anyone on the cruise ship!
This meant that both Ye Cangtian and Viper had already escaped!
To clarify the situation, Dracula ordered his subordinates to rescue some survivors and understand what had happened.
It was then that they learned that when the Duanmu Mercenary Group caught up to the cruise ship, there was no one on board.
And at that moment, a giant wave struck, capsizing all the ships.
Under the natural disaster, many people drowned.
This was too bizarre...
Listening to the Duanmu Mercenary Group's account, Dracula was rendered speechless. He thought that these Chinese forces were blessed by the heavens!
All the warships were capsized, but that cruise ship was not!
It was truly a ghost of a chance!
Although he was so depressed that he felt like spitting blood, Dracula had to accept this reality. The operation to encircle and suppress Ye Cangtian had been a complete failure.
...
A thousand miles away.
Ye Cangtian and the others had returned to the Grim Reaper Squad's island.
Everyone was exhilarated by the feeling of narrowly escaping death.
After a long while, a beautiful figure emerged from the sea, it was the returning Nami.
Seeing Nami return, Ye Cangtian finally felt relieved and stepped forward, asking, "Are you alright?"
Nami glanced at Ye Cangtian and slowly shook her head, saying, "Just a little tired, I'll be fine after a rest."
"What's the situation with Guangming Hall?" Ye Cangtian continued.
"Nothing much, they just capsized all their ships, and about sixty percent of their men drowned in the sea..."
As she spoke, Nami flickered and returned directly to the Qiankun Bracelet.
This...
With that single sentence, Ye Cangtian was instantly stunned. The Duanmu Mercenary Group had at least sent their entire force, and sixty percent of them would likely be in the tens of thousands.
Guangming Hall had indeed suffered heavy losses this time!
...
For several consecutive days, Ye Cangtian was recovering from his injuries.
With the aid of elixirs, Ye Cangtian's injuries not only fully recovered but his cultivation also advanced to the early Heavenly level, making him a genuine Heavenly level expert.
As he emerged from seclusion after his injuries had healed, he saw two familiar figures.
Shangguan Yun and Xu Shian were chatting and laughing with the Grim Reaper Squad, Gui Wu, and others.
"Brother!"
Upon seeing Ye Cangtian emerge, Shangguan Yun immediately stepped forward and gave him a big bear hug.
Xu Shian, however, fell to his knees before Ye Cangtian, "Brother, a thousand words cannot express my gratitude..."
As he spoke, Xu Shian was about to bow and kowtow.
He had already learned from Lan Yue and Gui Wu that Ye Cangtian had not only burned down Guangming Hall but had also brought back Elder Xu.
He didn't know how to repay such kindness.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian waved his hand, and surging spiritual energy emanated from his body.
Xu Shian was stunned. He suddenly felt a powerful spiritual energy supporting him from beneath, preventing him from bowing no matter how hard he tried.
"We are brothers, doing this is too formal."
"Besides, Elder Xu is not only a hero of China but also my elder and friend. Doing something for him is what I should do..."
As he spoke, Ye Cangtian arrived in front of him and personally pulled Xu Shian up.
He directly changed the subject, asking, "Why are you and Shangguan Yun here?"
Xu Shian quickly replied, "My sister heard about your ordeal and sent us to meet you. Later, we learned that you had already returned here ahead of time..."
Oh.
Ye Cangtian responded with an "Oh" and after a moment of silence, looked at Qiangwei and the others, saying, "Qiangwei, this matter is not minor. Guangming Hall will definitely retaliate. Are you prepared for retaliation?"
His successful completion of the mission this time was inseparable from the Grim Reaper Squad.
Guangming Hall naturally knew this, so they might target the Grim Reaper Squad, which was Ye Cangtian's concern.
Upon hearing this, Qiangwei sneered coldly and said, "Let them come if they dare. If they come, they won't be going back!"
"Exactly, if they come, they won't be going back!"
Viper chimed in, adding, "Boss, you don't know, but this entire island has basically been turned into a fortress by us. Coupled with Qiangwei and the others, Guangming Hall can't do anything to us!"
Hmph!
As his words fell, Ye Cangtian suddenly let out a cold snort.
He glared at the boastful Viper and said sternly, "Put away your confidence. Modern weapons are barely enough to deal with cultivators below the Profound level. Don't even think about dealing with Guangming Hall!"
As he spoke, his gaze swept towards Qiangwei, and he let out another cold snort, "And you, don't think that just because you are now at the Earth level, or even at the quasi-Heavenly level, you can withstand the frantic assault of Guangming Hall!"
Seeing Ye Cangtian's anger, Viper and Qiangwei were instantly speechless and lowered their heads.
Seeing this, Scorpion, standing nearby, nervously stepped forward and asked, "Boss, then give me some advice?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian glared at Scorpion, then fell silent for a moment, saying, "I ask you, are you willing to join the Chinese forces with me?"
There was no other way. Although the island was not far from China, if something truly happened, it would be difficult for Ye Cangtian to provide timely assistance.
Therefore, out of necessity, Ye Cangtian invited the Grim Reaper Squad to join China.
And after this period, Ye Cangtian believed that the Chinese forces would accept the Grim Reaper Squad for what they had done for China.
Huh?
With that question, the eyes of everyone in the Grim Reaper Squad immediately lit up.
If it were in the past, they might have hesitated, but having been separated from Ye Cangtian for so long, they had long yearned to fight alongside him again.
"I am willing!"
"I am willing..."
In an instant, Qiangwei expressed her stance, and the rest of the members followed suit.