Back in the room.
After informing Manduluo and packing his bags, Ye Cangtian headed to the entrance of the headquarters.
Lan Yue was already waiting there.
Soon, Zi Long also arrived to join them.
Thus, the three of them gathered, boarded a carriage, and left the ghost city.
On the other side, Xing Yuan's actions were also very swift.
He had already dispatched people to urgently contact Hong Mo, Huang Shan, and Lu Luo, ordering them to obey Po Xiao's command and proceed to the border cities of the southern region to rendezvous with Po Xiao and the other two.
Concurrently, Xing Yuan also mobilized the guards of the border cities in the southern region to blockade the desert area.
No one was allowed to enter or leave except those from the Dark Association.
This was a ruse to make the Light Hall believe that the Dark Association was planning to take action against the southern desert region.
Coupled with the gathering of six Earth-grade deacons, he was confident that this would be a hundred times more effective than leaking information about a certain secret realm or dangerous place.
By keeping it concealed, the Light Hall would surely assume that the Dark Association had made some astonishing discovery in the desert region, prompting them to investigate, thus achieving his objective.
However, if the information were disclosed directly, the Light Hall might suspect a trap, which would be counterproductive!
...
Nanhuang City.
Within the Dark Ruins, it was the southernmost city in the human residential area.
Behind it lay a range of barren mountains with sparse vegetation, while before it stretched an endless desert.
The environment here was harsh, with strong winds and sandstorms.
It was said that the wind only blew once a year, and it blew for the entire year.
The harsh conditions were not suitable for ordinary citizens to survive, so this place was primarily garrisoned by the Dark Association's guards, along with a few civilians.
After all, it was one of the cities closest to the desert, and many adventurers came here for their final resupply, so it could not be abandoned.
Therefore, the Dark Association also provided a certain subsidy to the residents here periodically to help them make a living.
When Ye Cangtian, Zi Long, and Lan Yue arrived at Nanhuang City.
Xuan Si Liu, the manager of the Nanhuang City branch, had already led his men to greet them at the entrance.
"Lord Po Xiao, meeting you in person is far more fortunate than hearing of your fame! It is a blessing to meet you today!"
Seeing the three alight from the carriage, Xuan Si Liu immediately stepped forward, his face beaming with a fawning smile.
"Hmph!"
Zi Long, seeing Xuan Si Liu's obsequious demeanor, felt a surge of anger.
Truly, the world was a fickle place!
A dignified, veteran Earth-grade expert was seemingly ignored, as the man began to curry favor with someone favored by Xing Yuan.
Zi Long truly couldn't stand such a servile attitude.
Perhaps sensing Zi Long's cold snort, Xuan Si Liu finally turned his gaze to Zi Long and Lan Yue, saying, "Greetings, Lords Zi Long and Lan Yue."
Hmph!
Zi Long snorted again. The difference in the man's attitude was evident, clearly showing a lack of respect for him. Naturally, he wouldn't show Xuan Si Liu any pleasantries.
"You've worked hard."
Ye Cangtian glanced at Xuan Si Liu, smiled, and then walked into the branch.
Upon entering the branch and taking a seat, Ye Cangtian finally spoke, asking, "Have Hong Mo and the others arrived at Nanhuang City?"
"Lord Hong Mo has already arrived. Huang Shan and Lu Luo should be here soon."
Hearing Xuan Si Liu's reply, Ye Cangtian couldn't help but frown. It seemed Hong Mo was very displeased with this operation!
Otherwise, he should have been waiting here, or at least come out to greet him, even if he didn't come out personally.
With that thought, Ye Cangtian bothered to pay Hong Mo no mind and then looked at Xuan Si Liu, saying, "Bring the map."
Upon hearing this, Xuan Si Liu quickly retrieved the map and handed it to Ye Cangtian.
Unfolding the map.
Ye Cangtian immediately saw a dotted line, which extended from Nanhuang City into the desert.
Beyond the dotted line, secret realms and dangerous places were marked along the route.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian cast a glance at Xuan Si Liu and asked, "What is the situation with this dotted line?"
"Reporting to Your Lordship, this dotted line is the route taken by Lord Ba Tian..."
Xuan Si Liu replied respectfully.
When Ba Tian had previously explored the desert, someone had initially reported everything he explored, relaying it to this branch and marking it on the map.
The end of this route was the last message Ba Tian had sent; after that, he had vanished without a trace.
"Good, I understand."
After familiarizing himself with the map and memorizing everything marked on it, Ye Cangtian returned the map to Xuan Si Liu.
He also asked him to arrange a resting room.
Xuan Si Liu had already prepared resting rooms and directly led Ye Cangtian and the others there.
...
After everyone had left the room.
Ye Cangtian took out the Imperial Dragon Seal and infused it with a trace of spiritual energy.
A phantom of the Imperial Dragon Seal appeared, and three rays of light immediately emerged.
Looking at the direction the light beams were pointing, Ye Cangtian compared them with the map he had seen earlier in his mind.
He was startled to find that these light beams were generally in the same direction as Ba Tian's winding route.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian's brows furrowed. A Heavenly-grade expert and his elite team had gone missing in the desert without a trace.
If they had simply lost their way, it would have been understandable.
But if they had all perished here, it meant that there were at least demon beasts with Heavenly-grade strength in the desert.
And if this demon beast was truly guarding what he wanted to find, then it would be troublesome.
Let alone the six Earth-grade deacons of the Dark Association, even with the more than twenty Cardinal Bishops from the Light Hall added, they might not be able to kill the demon beast.
Ye Cangtian was self-aware of this.
One should know that the gap between Heavenly-grade and Earth-grade was as vast as the difference between clouds and mud.
To put it simply, even with his current strength, which had surged to the quasi-Heavenly-grade realm, he still felt a sense of powerlessness when facing Xing Yuan.
With this in mind, Ye Cangtian finally understood why the Light Hall was making such a grand gesture and sending Cardinal Bishops.
It was because they knew that to seize that treasure would come at a bloody price, and those with low cultivation were merely sending themselves to their deaths.
Moreover, even with so many Cardinal Bishops dispatched, they might not achieve any results.
"Alas, one cannot force it, one cannot force it..."
Unconsciously, Ye Cangtian kept muttering to himself, constantly admonishing himself not to be greedy.
Otherwise, it would not only harm himself but also those around him.
He had already quietly decided to do his best and nothing more. If he truly lacked the strength to obtain the treasure, he would simply give up.
He would return to claim it after his cultivation had reached a higher level in the future. In any case, he would not risk his life here due to greed.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
At this moment, a knock sounded at the door.
Ye Cangtian quickly put away the Imperial Dragon Seal and then opened the door.
The visitor was none other than Lan Yue, who had accompanied him.
"Senior Sister, why have you come?"
Ye Cangtian asked with a hint of confusion, ushering Lan Yue into the room as he spoke.
After sitting down, Lan Yue finally spoke, "I've inquired just now. Most of the guards in Nanhuang City have been transferred to the desert, forming a barrier with the guards from other cities..."
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian nodded.
On their way here, Ye Cangtian and the others had noticed that the Dark Association's guards were already moving towards the desert area.
At that time, Ye Cangtian had already roughly guessed Xing Yuan's intentions, so he hadn't asked Xuan Si Liu any questions after arriving.
On the other side, seeing that Ye Cangtian was not surprised, Lan Yue remained silent for a moment before continuing:
"Besides that, I also learned that two days ago, before the desert was sealed off, a group of adventurers entered the desert.
They were not many, only about twenty people. If my guess is correct, they should be from the Light Hall."
"Mm, as expected."
"The Light Hall's group action was much earlier than ours, so it's normal for them to enter the desert first."
"But it doesn't matter. Even if they obtained the map, they would be like headless flies, just blindly crashing around..."
Ye Cangtian nodded upon hearing this and said.
After all, the map only displayed Ba Tian's last reported message, not all the information.
And at the end of this route was the starting point for searching for the treasure.
Without any guidance, they would only be blindly charging through the desert.
But Ye Cangtian was different; at least he still had the Imperial Dragon Seal as a guide.
Moreover, even if the other party found the treasure's location first, it wouldn't matter.
Firstly, Ye Cangtian intended to use the dangers of this place to eliminate the Light Hall's active forces, so he naturally had to lure them in first.
If they found it first, it would save Ye Cangtian some trouble.
Secondly, these mere twenty-odd people, among whom were only a few newly appointed Cardinal Bishops.
With such a configuration, it was likely impossible for them to seize the treasure.
Therefore, Ye Cangtian didn't pay much attention to these twenty-odd individuals who were ahead.