Ye Cangtian sat down and said, "I met Nancy once. I wonder how she is doing lately?"
Upon mentioning Nancy, Badak's eyes flashed with a hint of obsession, but he quickly regained his composure.
He then scanned Ye Cangtian and said, "Nancy is doing well. She often thinks of Mr. Ye, Xuan Qi, and Yuwen Chengji. I suppose you all made quite an impression on her..."
Heh, this girl really holds a grudge!
Hearing Badak's words, Ye Cangtian revealed a faint smile.
He naturally knew that her constant thoughts of him were unlikely to be a good thing.
It was just that he hadn't expected Badak to have feelings for Nancy. He had clearly noticed a flicker of obsession in the other man's eyes just moments ago.
With that in mind, Ye Cangtian exchanged a few more pleasantries before getting down to business.
"Badak, since we both have the intention to cooperate, honesty between us is very important."
"As a purple-robed bishop, why are you here? Or rather, what is the objective of the Church of Light this time?"
Hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Badak immediately became serious and said, "Let's talk about you first, Mr. Ye."
"Heh, alright."
Ye Cangtian nodded with a smile and said, "My purpose here is simple: to rescue Shangguan Yanran!"
There was nothing for Ye Cangtian to hide about this. He was from the Huaxia Stealth Group, and Shangguan Yanran was from Huaxia. Moreover, the Dragon Group's search for her had caused quite a stir.
He figured that even if he didn't say it, they could probably guess.
As he spoke, Ye Cangtian made a gesture. "Your turn."
Seeing this, Badak smiled slightly and said, "Our missions do not conflict. My mission is to eliminate Xuan Qi."
"..."
His statement caused Ye Cangtian to pause slightly. He asked, "Eliminate Xuan Qi? Why?"
Badak did not conceal this, stating, "Xuan Qi has considerable talent and has a high chance of becoming the next Earth-rank deacon of the Dark Association. Therefore, he must be nipped in the bud."
"Alright, a valid reason."
Ye Cangtian slowly nodded, then said, "Then let's make a simple agreement. You help us rescue Shangguan Yanran, and we'll help you eliminate Xuan Qi. How about it?"
"This... doesn't seem entirely fair!"
Badak frowned upon hearing this and slowly replied.
Even if eliminating Xuan Qi was difficult, how could it be more difficult than rescuing Shangguan Yanran?
Their mission, if they found the right opportunity, would only require them to face Xuan Qi alone. However, the Stealth Group's mission was different; they would likely have to face the entire Dark Association.
One had to remember that Shangguan Yanran held the Heart of the Relic. The Dark Association had painstakingly captured her, so how could they let a perfectly good meal slip away?
"It seems we have nothing to discuss. Let's part ways!"
Hearing Badak's words, Ye Cangtian stood up and walked towards the door.
The other party was clearly trying to extort him, and he couldn't possibly let that happen!
"I'm very curious, where do you get the confidence that I would call you back!"
On the other side, looking at Ye Cangtian's leisurely figure, Badak's expression changed from pleased to angry.
He knew Ye Cangtian was doing this intentionally, waiting for him to lower his stance. Otherwise, his walking speed wouldn't be so unhurried.
"Because you are incompetent, because you are too weak. Are you satisfied with these reasons?"
His voice reached them, but Ye Cangtian didn't turn around. He paused for a moment, then reached for the doorknob.
Bang!
The next moment, Badak slammed his hand on the table, and the stone table instantly shattered into pieces. His entire face turned red, and he trembled with anger.
After all, he was a purple-robed bishop in the Church of Light. Whether among the younger generation or the established powerhouses, his strength was always ranked highly.
In his opinion, the only purple-robed bishop who could consistently suppress him was Nancy.
But that wasn't because his strength was lacking; it was because he was infatuated with Nancy and couldn't exert his actual combat power when facing her!
At least, that's what he believed!
"Say that again!"
An enraged voice came from behind him. Ye Cangtian stopped and slowly turned his head.
Their eyes met. Ye Cangtian's eyes held no trace of fear, only amusement.
"Am I wrong?"
"If you truly had the strength to eliminate Xuan Qi, would you come to cooperate with me?"
"It seems our relationship isn't that good either, right? Even if we cooperate, we wouldn't trust each other, would we?"
You...
With those words, Badak's anger surged. His weapon had already appeared in his hand. If it weren't for the fear of attracting the attention of the Dark Association, he would have already made his move.
"Don't look so upset. You know in your heart that everything I'm saying is the truth!"
"If it were to eliminate someone else, you might have a chance of success, but to eliminate Xuan Qi, you have no chance!"
"Let alone you, even Nancy would be the same here. Otherwise, Nancy wouldn't be so obsessed with him!"
Looking at Badak, who was struggling to control his anger, Ye Cangtian continued to speak without restraint, completely unafraid of escalating the situation.
"You!"
The words, each one striking a nerve, infuriated Badak to the point of explosion.
However, he had to admit that Ye Cangtian was telling the truth.
First, after Nancy returned from Dongying, she immediately went into seclusion, vowing not to emerge until she reached Earth-rank strength. From this alone, it was evident that Nancy had suffered a significant loss at Xuan Qi's hands in Dongying.
Then there was the matter of Ghost City.
He had originally decided to make a move on Xuan Qi, but recently, a piece of news had reached him that forced him to reconsider and proceed with extreme caution.
It was rumored that a couple of days ago, Xuan Qi not only survived a confrontation with Hong Mo but also caused Hong Mo to lose face completely.
Based on this alone, Badak felt that his chances of winning against Xuan Qi were slim.
Moreover, this was the headquarters of the Dark Association. If he couldn't resolve the battle quickly, it would undoubtedly attract their attention.
If reinforcements arrived for Xuan Qi, he would find it difficult to escape.
This was why Badak hadn't acted, and it was also why he had come to see Ye Cangtian.
"Heh, since you know Xuan Qi is so powerful, do you have the confidence to eliminate him?" Badak said coldly after a long silence.
"To be honest, I don't have absolute confidence!"
"However, if we join forces, perhaps we can give it a try!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian pondered for a moment and slowly shook his head.
He didn't give a definitive answer because that would be too unbelievable and the other party would surely refuse. Only by making it sound difficult would the other party perceive him as more sincere.
"Alright, you win."
Badak stared at Ye Cangtian for a long time, then finally sighed and said.
He was now certain that Ye Cangtian was definitely a formidable character. After driving him nearly mad, he still managed to hit the nail on the head. Cooperating with such a person was truly terrifying.
"You're smart."
Ye Cangtian showed a satisfied smile and returned to his seat, lighting a cigarette.
After taking a couple of puffs, he said, "Since we've reached an agreement, let's discuss the specific plan. First, help me rescue Shangguan Yanran, and then I'll help you eliminate Xuan Qi."
"That's not a good idea."
Badak frowned and continued, "If Shangguan Yanran is rescued, the Dark Association will undoubtedly go berserk.
At that time, we'll likely have no opportunity to deal with Xuan Qi and will only be busy trying to escape!"
"Heh, no wonder Nancy doesn't think highly of you. It turns out you have no brains at all!"
Ye Cangtian glanced at Badak and began to mock him mercilessly.
From the moment the other man showed that look of obsession, he knew Badak hadn't won Nancy over yet.
Otherwise, his expression wouldn't have been like that; it would have been filled with tenderness, or perhaps pride and happiness.
You!
With those words, Badak's calm expression turned grim again, and his chest heaved violently.
He didn't know where the other man got this information, but his words were enough to enrage him.
The truth was indeed as Ye Cangtian implied. He had tried every means to win Nancy's favor, but she had rejected all his advances.
This time, it wasn't just because the Church of Light wanted to eliminate Xuan Qi; he also wanted to prove through this event that he was stronger than Xuan Qi and gain Nancy's admiration.
After holding back for a long time, he snorted coldly and said, "You say I have no brains, but I'd like to hear your brilliant idea!"