Back in his room.
Ye Cangtian quietly smoked his cigarette, his mind preoccupied with thoughts.
The conflict with Xuan Sanwu today, though seemingly giving him the upper hand, felt somewhat strange.
Cheng Hai was an old guard of the Dark Association; his disposition should have been well-known to others.
Even though Xuan Sanwu was beaten, he wasn't entirely in the right for the entire incident. If the matter escalated, he would surely be punished.
Yet, Xuan Sanwu showed no concern for this, persistently targeting him.
If Xuan Sanwu wasn't foolish, then it could only mean one thing.
He was Cheng Hai's man, or at least had a close relationship with Cheng Hai, believing Cheng Hai would vindicate him.
Thinking back to Cheng Hai now, if his status truly meant he was impartial and disregarded the Dark Association's reputation, then there could only be one reason.
Cheng Hai was the mastermind behind the entire affair.
This meant Xuan Sanwu's repeated obstruction of the investigation was to protect Cheng Hai.
With this thought, Ye Cangtian recalled Xuan Yi's warning. He had previously judged that Xuan Yi was hinting at someone among Xing Yuan, Cheng Hai, or Hong Mo.
Only these three could consistently suppress Zi Long, leaving Zi Long unable to cope.
Now, his conjecture aligned with Xuan Yi's warning. He absolutely refused to believe it was a coincidence.
Upon realizing this, Ye Cangtian slowly shook his head. Although everything seemed connected, he still found it hard to believe.
In his eyes, Cheng Hai was a person of high standing. Even after Ye Cangtian had injured him, Cheng Hai still chose to let bygones be bygones for the sake of the Dark Association.
Therefore, to label Cheng Hai as the true mastermind, engaging in such clandestine activities, was something Ye Cangtian, from a personal standpoint, did not believe.
Moreover, given Cheng Hai's status, if he desired a woman to serve him, wouldn't there be many eager to step forward? There would be no need for such methods.
For a moment, Ye Cangtian's head spun with the complexity of the matter.
He decided to let it go. Regardless of who the mastermind was, it didn't matter to him, as it had nothing to do with saving someone.
Besides, the less popular the Dark Association was, the better.
...
In another corner of the headquarters, roars echoed from a room.
"Do you even have a brain! Is it worth falling out with Xuan Qi over this?"
"What good would it do to launch an investigation into such a matter? Everyone follows your orders; can't you achieve the desired outcome with just a word?"
"You had to escalate it! Can I openly show favoritism towards you?"
Cheng Hai glared furiously at Xuan Sanwu, wishing he could strike him down.
This matter was so simple!
He should have just agreed superficially and appeased Xuan Qi, and whether to investigate or not would have been Xuan Sanwu's decision.
Why create such a fuss, catching him completely off guard!
Most importantly, why offend Xuan Qi, of all people?
Was Xuan Qi an ordinary person?
He dared to attack Hong Mo in front of Lord Xing Yuan and was still alive today. How many in the entire Dark Association could achieve such a feat?
In other words, was Xuan Sanwu capable of offending such a person?
Cheng Hai was truly on the verge of spitting blood from anger.
"Lord Cheng Hai, I know my mistake. Don't worry, I've already made arrangements. I guarantee no trace will be found!"
Seeing Cheng Hai's furious outburst subside, Xuan Sanwu quickly stepped forward and whispered.
He did have his own ulterior motives, after all.
There were simply too many Xuan-level enforcers in the Dark Association, and their strength was not to be underestimated.
He wanted to use this incident to attract the attention of the higher-ups and be groomed for advancement.
And Xuan Qi, with his renowned reputation and considerable abilities in the Dark Association, who had recently fallen out of favor, was the perfect candidate.
But he couldn't say any of this now!
Cheng Hai's attitude explained everything. It clearly implied that he was incomparable to Xuan Qi, and speaking would only lead to reprimands. It was better to keep silent.
"Hmph! You're making arrangements now? What were you doing before."
Cheng Hai snorted coldly, clearly not appreciative of Xuan Sanwu's efforts.
After a moment of deliberation, he slowly said, "Learn to be smarter next time! Also, find me three more women. My cauldrons are running low!"
"Yes!"
Xuan Sanwu quickly acknowledged, but inwardly, he muttered with disdain, "A lecherous old pervert!"
"Filthier than anyone, yet pretending to be a lamb?"
"Pah!"
...
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Besides cultivating, Ye Cangtian continued to monitor the movements of Shangguan Yanran's courtyard and awaited news from Xiao Feng.
Finally,
Within the Ghost City, he discovered a coded message left by Xiao Feng, and thus headed to the thatched hut in the south of the city.
Xiao Feng was very capable. In two days, he had already ascertained the whereabouts of the Bright Hall forces and had made contact, agreeing on a time.
His current contact with Ye Cangtian was to inform him of these developments.
Upon receiving all the information, Ye Cangtian nodded and said, "You've worked hard. I'll take care of everything from here on. Also, there are two more things I need you to handle."
"What?" Xiao Feng asked curiously.
Ye Cangtian did not beat around the bush and stated them directly.
To rescue Shangguan Yanran, two conditions had to be met.
First, a retreat route needed to be planned to successfully escort Shangguan Yanran out of the Ghost City and escape the Dark Association's pursuit.
If they could evade the Dark Association's pursuit immediately, the chances of bringing Shangguan Yanran to the Reception City would greatly increase.
Second, tokens to exit the relic. Tokens required completing missions to earn points, which would then be exchanged for the tokens.
Ye Cangtian had just entered the relic and had not completed any missions, making it impossible for him to obtain them. Therefore, he needed Xiao Feng to contact other members of the Hidden Group to exchange for two tokens.
Hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Xiao Feng nodded and said, "Tokens aren't difficult. As for the retreat route, I happened to learn of a secret passage that might be useful..."
Xiao Feng stated that as long as Shangguan Yanran was rescued from the courtyard and brought to the entrance of the secret passage, it would be possible to get her out of the Ghost City.
However, there was one issue: even if Shangguan Yanran was rescued, how would they get her to the Reception City?
The journey was too long, with too many uncontrollable factors.
Even gathering informants from the cities along the way might not guarantee success and could even result in the loss of those informants.
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian smiled and said, "These are not things we need to worry about. Someone is very willing to do it."
Huh?
At these words, Xiao Feng was stunned for a moment, then as if realizing something, exclaimed in surprise, "Are you saying..."
"It's enough to know, don't say it out loud."
Ye Cangtian smiled slightly, tapped his forehead with his hand, and said, "Don't worry, everything is planned here."
Hearing this, Xiao Feng said no more. He still trusted Ye Cangtian's intelligence.
...
Time flew by, and it was soon the appointed time.
Ye Cangtian removed his mask, changed his attire, and headed directly to the teahouse in the north of the Ghost City.
Arriving at the designated private room, he addressed the two guards at the entrance and said, "Go and announce that Ye Cangtian of the Hidden Group has come for the appointment."
The guards at the door immediately nodded. One of them then entered the room.
After a short while, the door to the room opened, and the guard returned, clearing the way at the entrance and making a gesture of invitation.
Entering the room, Ye Cangtian was stunned. There was only one person in the room, and it was a familiar face.
It was Badak, who had previously fawned over Xuan Qi's identity. He had never expected Badak to be the representative of the Bright Hall.
"Ye Cangtian, it's really you!"
Badak was equally surprised.
Although Badak had no direct interaction with Ye Cangtian, he knew from various sources that Ye Cangtian was by no means simple and was a person being groomed by the Hidden Group.
He hadn't expected Ye Cangtian to venture so deeply into enemy territory and come to the Dark Association.
Given that the man might break through to the Earth rank in the future, coming to such a dangerous place could mean the ruin of everything.
"It's me. What should I call you? Shall we get acquainted?"
Ye Cangtian smiled slightly and extended his hand.
Although he had recognized Badak long ago, even Xiao Feng didn't know who he was going to meet today. If he recognized the person immediately, wouldn't that give away his cover?
"Badak, Purple Robed Bishop of the Bright Hall."
Badak stood up, introduced himself, and shook Ye Cangtian's hand.
"A pleasure to meet you."