Back in the room, Ye Cangtian's brows furrowed slightly.
From Xue Changjiang and the shadowy figure, he learned that the Dark Shadow Tower and the Xue family were cooperating with the Bright Hall.
But the problem was, regarding that Kuxi, both of them were nowhere to be found.
They didn't even know how to contact the other party.
There was no other way; every contact was initiated by Kuxi, and it was a single-line communication.
This left Ye Cangtian feeling helpless.
He had thought that by staying in Dongjiang City and dealing with the Dark Shadow Tower and the Xue family, he could follow the clues and directly eliminate the Bright Hall squad.
But now the lead had gone cold.
It was clear that he had underestimated the caution of the Bright Hall.
On the other side, Lan Yue slowly drank her tea, her brows slightly furrowed, her gaze somewhat vacant.
She was also thinking about the Bright Hall.
After a long while, she looked at Ye Cangtian and said faintly, "Do you think the Bright Hall might have really crossed the river?"
In her impression, the Bright Hall had always been insidious and cunning, truly embodying the ultimate in cunning, not speaking a single truthful word even to their allies.
Therefore, although they had told the Xue family and the Dark Shadow Tower that they would send some people to distract Po Xiao and Gu Hai, they did not send their divine envoys.
Instead, they turned the tables and dispatched the true high-end combat power of their squad.
This would create a false impression for the Xue family and the Dark Shadow Tower, making them believe that the Bright Hall squad was still in Dongjiang City and could continue to support them.
"The possibility is slim!"
Listening to Lan Yue's words, Ye Cangtian was silent for a moment before slowly speaking.
What Lan Yue said was not impossible, but the probability was too small.
According to what Hei Ying and Xue Changjiang had revealed, Kuxi was the captain of the Bright Hall squad, and she was only at the Earth-level cultivation.
Such cultivation was insufficient in front of him or Gu Hai.
Under such circumstances, how bold would the other party be to use themselves as bait?
Besides, the result gained from using oneself as bait was not significant, only eliminating a Xuan Sijiu, which was definitely not worth it!
Therefore, in Ye Cangtian's opinion, the other party was most likely still hidden within Dongjiang City.
"They are only contacting the Dark Shadow Tower and the Xue family through a single line, so how should we draw them out?"
Hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Lan Yue frowned and asked.
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian's eyes darted around. After pondering for a long time, he slowly said, "Let's go. Let's deal with the Xue family and the Dark Shadow Tower first."
Lan Yue nodded, and then she and Ye Cangtian left the room.
However, after leaving the branch and changing into casual clothes and white masks, a question reappeared in Lan Yue's mind.
She could understand dealing with the Dark Shadow Tower and the Xue family, but why did they have to go in this identity?
For this, Lan Yue merely suppressed these questions in her heart. She believed that Ye Cangtian had his reasons for doing all this, and as long as she waited patiently, everything would be revealed.
...
In Dongjiang City, in the southern area, within a luxurious mansion.
At the entrance of the main gate stood two guards, who were currently dozing off. According to the hourglass, it was already deep into the night.
"Brother, don't touch me, let me doze off for a bit. You watch, and we'll switch later..."
A guard leaning against the door suddenly felt someone pat his shoulder. Thinking it was his companion, he mumbled without even opening his eyes.
"Don't make noise, let me sleep a little longer."
As the voice fell, another guard also mumbled.
The next moment, both guards opened their eyes. Normally, they could take turns resting, but one of them had to stay alert to prevent any mishaps.
But in their drowsy state, hearing each other's voices, they immediately realized how utterly exhausted they both were.
They were just about to discuss who would rest first and who would stand guard when they opened their eyes and saw two figures appear before them.
"You, who are you people..."
The guards were startled and instantly sobered up, becoming very vigilant as they looked at the masked man and woman in front of them.
"Go and announce that we want to see your family head, Xue Yongchang," Ye Cangtian said calmly.
After all, the Bai family was just a family, and its strength was not as great as the Dark Shadow Tower, so Ye Cangtian went to the Xue family first.
"Wait!"
Upon hearing this, the guards' eyes darted around.
He didn't know who the visitors were, but they seemed to have no particular hostility towards the Xue family.
The reason was simple: both he and his companion were extremely drowsy. If the visitors had been hostile, they could have easily killed them, but they hadn't.
Besides, they also knew that the Xue family was currently in a fierce confrontation with the Dark Association branch.
Therefore, when some people came to visit, they always wore masks to effectively prevent their identities from being revealed and avoid trouble.
For this reason, they did not question the visitors' identities.
After a short while, the guard who had gone to announce returned to the gate and made a gesture of invitation to Ye Cangtian and the other person.
A moment later, Ye Cangtian was led by him into a courtyard and sat down in the hall.
After waiting for another ten minutes, they heard footsteps coming downstairs.
It was a man in his fifties or sixties, with a goatee, his eyes sharp and carrying a slight sense of pressure.
This person was none other than the head of the Xue family, Xue Yongchang.
Xue Yongchang came before them, ordered a servant to pour tea, and then sat down opposite them.
"Two esteemed guests, may I ask who you are?"
Xue Yongchang inquired with a smile.
In his view, it must be that the Xue family's recent actions with the Dark Shadow Tower had been too aggressive, and success was now beginning to show.
The two in front of him were wearing masks, perhaps representatives of some family coming to join their ranks.
"Allow me to introduce myself, we represent the Anti-Dark Alliance, you can call me Grim Reaper, and beside me is my assistant, Ah Yue."
Ye Cangtian smiled and introduced himself briefly.
However, when Xue Yongchang heard that the visitors were from the Anti-Dark Alliance, his expression turned somewhat grim, and a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.
He had received news of the Anti-Dark Alliance's relocation to Dongjiang City since their arrival, and he knew that the Anti-Dark Alliance was one of the forces resisting the Dark Association.
But to be honest, this Anti-Dark Alliance was too weak, so weak that it didn't even catch his eye.
Although there were some Profound-level experts in the entire alliance, these Profound-level experts were pieced together from even weaker forces.
In his opinion, this was a mess of loose sand.
Moreover, they didn't even have a single Earth-level expert, which was why they were expelled by the Dark Association to a border city like Dongjiang City.
Due to their weakness, and because they were also a force resisting the Dark Association, the Xue family had not taken action against the Anti-Dark Alliance.
And now that they had come representing the Anti-Dark Alliance, Xue Yongchang felt a bit of contempt. Such a force could hardly be entrusted with important tasks.
However, out of the principle of guests being guests, he still forced a smile and said, "So you are Grim Reaper! A pleasure to meet you. May I know what brings you to see this old man?"
"It's like this, we heard that the Xue family has some cooperation with the Bright Hall. We wonder if this is true?"
Ye Cangtian paid no attention to the disdain flashing in the other's eyes and directly inquired.
He hoped to contact the Bright Hall through the head of the Xue family.
After all, Xue Yongchang's position was slightly higher than Xue Changjiang's, and perhaps there was a possibility.
"Heh heh."
Upon hearing this, Xue Yongchang immediately laughed.
He understood now. The visitors were here to curry favor with the Bright Hall.
Needless to say, their ultimate goal was the same as the Xue family's, which was to increase the overall strength of the alliance through cooperation with the Bright Hall.
Thinking this, Xue Yongchang chuckled lightly and said faintly, "You also want to cooperate with the Bright Hall? To be blunt, the Bright Hall's requirements are very high. You probably have no hope!"
Xue Yongchang's words clearly carried a hint of dissuasion.
The reason for saying this was very simple: it was a matter of too many wolves and not enough meat.
The benefits that the Bright Hall could offer were limited, and the forces they supported were also limited. He didn't want to share these benefits with a weak force like the Anti-Dark Alliance.
He also didn't want to give them an equal footing, because they were weak and simply not worthy!