In the great hall of the Southern Wasteland City, Xing Yuan scanned the faces of the generals before him. After a moment of silence, he stated, "Although the Bright Hall squad has been on the run from us, their losses are not significant. Dispatch all your subordinates and continue searching for their whereabouts..."
"Yes."
Lü Luo, Huang Shan, and the others immediately acknowledged his command without a word. They turned and left the hall to make the arrangements.
Lan Yue was the only one among the Earth-level Envoys who remained. Lan Yue was originally responsible for external affairs but was recalled due to the Dark Association's shortage of personnel. She was slated to return to external affairs after this crisis passed. Therefore, Xing Yuan had not assigned her any men, and she had no subordinates to command.
At this moment, seeing that no outsiders were present, she stepped forward. After a long hesitation, she spoke, "Lord Xing Yuan, I truly feel it is unfair to you! You worked so hard for so many years, and the Dark Ruins only developed to its current state. Yet, as soon as Lord Kong Ling returned, the Dark Association has been thrown into chaos..."
It was evident that Lan Yue was trying to sow discord. She was from the Hua Xia Imperial Dragon Villa and naturally had her own agenda. Now that Xing Yuan had been replaced, he was naturally filled with anger. Her embellishment at this time was intended to deepen the conflict between Xing Yuan and Kong Ling. This would undoubtedly be beneficial to Hua Xia, as a weakened Dark Association would mean one less formidable rival for Hua Xia.
Hearing Lan Yue's words, Xing Yuan glanced at her, his gaze clearly darkening. "Lan Yue, I will pretend I didn't hear that. The Dark Association is a unified entity. Whoever controls it, as long as they can lead the Dark Association to become stronger, it is all the same. Don't think that the Dark Ruins are in chaos now; Kong Ling is quite capable. Before long, you will see a different Dark Ruins. So, do not speak such words to me in the future, or I will be very displeased!"
Xing Yuan's voice echoed, and Lan Yue immediately fell silent. She had been prepared to make sacrifices to instigate discord, but now that Xing Yuan clearly wasn't listening, she could only halt her efforts for the time being.
"Report!"
At this moment, a voice called out. The next instant, Xuan Si Liu immediately appeared before Xing Yuan and respectfully reported, "Reporting to Lord Xing Yuan, personnel from the Nan Yan Gate of Nantong City have arrived."
"Have him come up!"
As Xing Yuan's voice fell, Xuan Si Liu quickly brought the person in. In a short while, Xuan Si Liu returned with a burly man.
"This junior, Zhou Di of the Nan Yan Gate, greets Lord Xing Yuan." The man bowed respectfully to Xing Yuan and continued, "This subordinate was sent by the sect leader to specifically pay respects to Lord Xing Yuan."
"Hmm, convey my regards to your sect leader as well!" Xing Yuan responded, then asked, "May I know if your sect leader sent you here for any other reason?"
Zhou Di nodded in affirmation and quickly said, "The Nan Yan Gate knows that you are here to annihilate the people of the Bright Hall, so we specifically sent this subordinate to await your command..." Zhou Di indicated that the Nan Yan Gate was at Xing Yuan's disposal at any time and had also prepared some supplies for the Dark Association. However, fearing robbery by the Bright Hall bandits along the way, and being of low strength, Zhou Di dared not carry the supplies with him. He hoped Xing Yuan would dispatch some strong individuals to retrieve them. Simultaneously, he wished to clarify the responsibilities of the Nan Yan Gate...
Upon hearing this, Xing Yuan's brow furrowed, and he felt a bit displeased. Although Nantong City was adjacent to Southern Wasteland City, the two places were still separated by two to three hundred li. A round trip would take at least a day. If the Nan Yan Gate intended to prepare supplies, they should have sent a team to deliver them. The matter of Bright Hall bandits and the like, in his opinion, was merely an excuse. After all, if they truly had no strength, how could they dare to get involved in the conflict between the Bright Hall and the Dark Association!
"Lan Yue, I will leave this matter to you." Despite his displeasure, after much deliberation, Xing Yuan still assigned the task to Lan Yue. With Kong Ling's actions becoming increasingly significant, more and more factions felt the pressure and began to stir. If he refused their goodwill, it might not be a good thing; instead, it might make them suspect he had ulterior motives, which would be extremely detrimental to the current situation. Therefore, Xing Yuan wished to use this cooperation to inform all factions that the Dark Association would only act against hostile forces, and anyone who supported the Dark Association would be warmly welcomed.
On the other side, upon receiving Xing Yuan's order, Lan Yue readily agreed without a second word. Shortly after, she and Zhou Di departed from the Southern Wasteland City.
...
Fifty li outside the Southern Wasteland City. This was a three-way intersection, with one path leading to Southern Wasteland City and another to Nantong City. It was a vital passage connecting the two cities. Consequently, someone had established a teahouse here to offer rest to travelers.
At this moment, a warhorse stopped outside the teahouse, and then a man wearing a golden mask entered the establishment. This person was none other than Ye Cangtian. After several days of rapid travel, he had finally caught up with the Dark Association's army. However, due to the prolonged journey, his horse was exhausted, forcing him to stop here and feed it some quality fodder.
"Waiter, a pot of strong liquor, a plate of beef, and two small side dishes!" Ye Cangtian sat down. He knew that supplies were tight in Southern Wasteland City, and he had been roughing it along the way. Therefore, he decided to have a good meal here first.
"Certainly, honored sir, please wait a moment." The waiter glanced at Ye Cangtian's golden mask and quickly responded before going to make the arrangements.
The next moment, Ye Cangtian's gaze suddenly flickered. With his exceptionally strong mental power, he had already heard sounds in the teahouse that should not have been there. Currently, in the teahouse's back kitchen, more than a dozen experts were hidden, holding swords and blades, their eyes closed in repose, as if waiting for something. And the waiter who had just left first went to the kitchen to confer with the owner.
"Boss, bad news. An Earth-level Envoy has arrived outside, but it looks like he's not from Southern Wasteland City; he should be from the interior."
"What should we do?" The waiter quickly recounted the situation outside.
Another Earth-level Envoy? The owner's expression turned grim. He glanced at the sky, which was nearing the agreed-upon time. If they didn't act now, he feared the other party would disrupt their plans. Thinking this, he gritted his teeth and said, "Never mind, since he's here, it's his bad luck! Let's capture him first..."
"Understood." Hearing the owner's explanation, the waiter personally approached the cook and took out some powder from his Qiankun bag, sprinkling it into the small side dishes and the wine.
Inside the teahouse, Ye Cangtian looked at the sky outside, a mocking smile appearing on his face. There was only one Earth-level Envoy here, and without a doubt, the other party intended to make a move against him. And the other party was clearly not from the Bright Hall, so it seemed they must be from some surrounding faction or family. However, he didn't know why these people would attack the Dark Association? After all, not long ago, the Dark Association's army had just passed through here on their way to Southern Wasteland City. Weren't these people not afraid of being surrounded and annihilated by the army?
Thinking this, Ye Cangtian remained silent, observing the situation. After a short while, the waiter, carrying a tray, approached with a smile, saying, "Honored sir, here are the strong liquor, beef, and two side dishes you requested. Please enjoy them..." He placed the food and drink on the table, bowed, and then retreated.
Heh heh. Ye Cangtian wore a strange smile. Although the waiter had retreated, he sensed that the waiter was still monitoring him from a corner. The next moment, Ye Cangtian poured a cup of strong liquor, picked up a large piece of beef, and put it into his mouth, chewing while taking a sip of the liquor.
In the corner, as soon as the waiter saw Ye Cangtian drink the strong liquor, his face immediately broke into a smile, and he muttered softly, "Three, two, one, down!" As the word "down" left his lips, Ye Cangtian instantly slumped onto the table.
"Oh, honored sir, it seems you cannot hold your liquor?"
"Why have you passed out after only two sips?"
"Let this humble servant escort you back to your room to rest!" Seeing this, the waiter approached, speaking as he did. After all, there were other guests in the teahouse, so he couldn't openly tie up Ye Cangtian; he had to maintain appearances.