"Red Devil, you think I *want* to meddle in your mess?"
"I'm incredibly busy. If I didn't owe Ba Tian a favor, do you think I'd be here to see you?"
Ye Cangtian said with a grumble.
Hmm?
Hearing this, Red Devil's eyes flickered again.
He knew that during the last desert expedition, Ba Tian and Po Xiao had joined forces in the City of Darkness to deal with the Lord of Darkness, resulting in his father, Ba Tian, dying. He was aware of this.
Back then, saying Po Xiao owed Ba Tian a favor was not an exaggeration.
After all, Po Xiao was a quasi-Heaven rank force at the time, with a significant gap in power compared to the Lord of Darkness. Without Ba Tian, Po Xiao would never have left alive.
But now, there was a problem: a dead man is like a extinguished lamp. How many people still remember the kindness of the deceased?
Moreover, his relationship with Po Xiao was not good to begin with.
Thinking of this, Red Devil sneered again, "Po Xiao, don't put on a fake act. Dare you say you're not here to steal the credit?"
"Heh, you're right, I am here to steal the credit!"
Ye Cangtian smiled slightly, making no attempt to hide it, and continued, "But if you can accept this credit, I will relinquish it. However, if others try to lay claim to it, you can't blame me!"
Hmph!
Hearing the first half of the sentence, Red Devil's face immediately showed a cold smile, as if he had exposed the other party's scheme, his smile full of utter disdain.
But upon hearing the latter half, the smile on Red Devil's face froze. He looked at the other party's gaze without any evasion, but instead with great sincerity.
He didn't look like he was lying!
After a brief hesitation, Red Devil said coldly, "Po Xiao, annihilating the Light Squad is no small feat. Aren't you tempted by this reward?"
"Heh, do you think it tempts me?"
Ye Cangtian scoffed and said, "My status in the Dark Association is quite high. Besides Xing Yuan and Kong Ling, who else can suppress me?"
"Your status is indeed unmatched by few, but what about resources?"
Red Devil's eyes rolled, and he asked again.
He didn't believe that Po Xiao could remain indifferent to the generous rewards, especially the precious elixirs.
"Resources? Laughable!"
"Those resources do hold some appeal to me, but they are not essential. As you know, I already gave up my rewards from the last mission!"
"Also, this is for you. I got it from Ku Xi of the Hall of Light."
Ye Cangtian sneered, took out a Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir from his Qiankun Bag, and tossed it over.
"..."
Looking at the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir tossed over by Po Xiao, Red Devil was utterly speechless.
What the other party said was true. When Xing Yuan asked Po Xiao what reward he wanted last time, Po Xiao directly refused. He was present at the time.
And looking at the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir in his hand, he had nothing more to say.
The reason his injuries had not healed for so long was the severe shortage of Nine Revolutions Golden Elixirs within the Dark Association.
Yet, Po Xiao could casually toss him such an elixir, indicating that Po Xiao was not lacking in such elixirs.
Similarly, the other party's generosity towards him clearly exceeded common sense.
Even after this mission, the rewards obtained might not equal a Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir.
After all, the Dark Association's stock of Nine Revolutions Golden Elixirs was depleted. Even if they wanted to bestow them as rewards, there were none in stock.
In this regard, Po Xiao's actions had only one explanation: it was because of Ba Tian. It also indicated that the other party was not simply here to snatch credit.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have given him the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir to heal his injuries.
Understanding this, Red Devil's expression towards Po Xiao softened for the first time, saying, "I've judged you by my own small-mindedness!
However, if you expect me to defect to Xing Yuan for this elixir, you should abandon that idea!"
Red Devil had to think more, especially since Po Xiao was notoriously insidious and cunning.
He felt that it was completely not worth it to break ties with Kong Ling because of this.
In his eyes, Kong Ling was far more reliable than Xing Yuan. At least Kong Ling was a friend of his father, Ba Tian, whereas Xing Yuan was not.
Besides, Kong Ling's way of handling affairs was similar to his own, and he had taken care of him quite a bit.
Compared to Kong Ling, Xing Yuan was far inferior. Xing Yuan was indecisive in his dealings, and ever since Po Xiao appeared, he had been biased towards Po Xiao.
It was for this reason that he chose to defect to Kong Ling.
"Heh, it's rare that you've thought so much."
Ye Cangtian smiled slightly upon hearing this. In fact, he wanted to win over Red Devil and gradually pull him away from Kong Ling's faction.
Now that the other party had spoken directly, he no longer had to conceal it.
After a brief hesitation, Ye Cangtian slowly said, "Red Devil, you should see what Kong Ling has turned the Dark Association into. It's riddled with holes!
Do you know how many factions have secretly allied to overthrow the Dark Association's rule?"
"Hmph! Kill as many as there are!"
Hearing Po Xiao's words, a sharp glint flashed in Red Devil's eyes.
Since Kong Ling took control of the Dark Association, he had heard many voices of discontent, but he felt that these factions were not to be feared!
They were merely ants, and even if they united, they would still be a pile of ants!
"Hmph! Foolish!"
"Haven't you heard that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it!"
"When unrest erupts across the land, how many can Kong Ling, with his mere handful of people, suppress!"
Ye Cangtian snorted coldly and continued to reprimand, "You must understand that killing is never the best way to solve problems. You must know that he who wins the hearts of the people wins the world!"
This...
With that remark, Red Devil's face instantly turned red. He really couldn't find a single word to refute the other party.
On the other side, seeing Red Devil fall into a speechless silence, Ye Cangtian sighed.
He slowly said, "I know you're not convinced yet, and I won't force you, but I hope you will consider it carefully."
Hearing this, Red Devil nodded subconsciously. Po Xiao had said it to this extent, so he had to consider it to some degree.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian said, "Alright, we'll discuss other matters later. First, tell me about the situation here. Rest assured, as I said before, I will not snatch your credit."
Upon hearing this, Red Devil hesitated for a moment and then described the situation in Xiyin City in detail.
In Xiyin City, the main force of the Light Hall squad had arrived, personally led by Eugene. Their strength was considerable, with no less than ten Red-robed Bishops among them.
Furthermore, these Red-robed Bishops were all masters from the inner sanctuary of the Light Hall, coordinating seamlessly and possessing a powerful formation with formidable might.
After several battles, the guards of the Xiyin City branch were mostly dead or wounded, and only one Earth-rank deacon under him and Zi Long remained, Sha Ying.
In contrast, the Light Squad had suffered minimal losses, with only two Red-robed Bishops and some minor figures killed.
After several setbacks, the Light Squad's actions became increasingly brazen, often launching sneak attacks on the Dark Association branch.
The enemy's objective was not to completely annihilate the Dark Association branch, but to use these attacks to enhance their prestige.
This would attract more factions to join their ranks.