"Mr. Ye, how are you? Are there any strange aspects to this formation?"
As soon as the blood mist dispersed, Song Xinghe rushed forward.
"I'm fine."
Ye Cangtian shook his head, then examined the peculiar features of the formation and said, "The formation is rather strange. Within the blood mist, it can greatly enhance combat power."
"An ordinary Black Wind Sect member's combat power is basically comparable to a guard team member..."
Ye Cangtian described it simply, and Song Xinghe became more and more shocked, his eyes widening like ox eyes.
How could they resist such a monstrous grand formation!
"Don't worry too much. While this formation is powerful, it also has its weaknesses."
Seeing Song Xinghe's grim expression, Ye Cangtian explained directly.
Based on his understanding of formations, this formation could not be maintained for long.
Secondly, the formation setter should only gain enhancement within the blood mist, and the formation itself had no trapping effect, so leaving it was not too difficult.
Therefore, if one encountered the Blood Mist Formation outside, the best course of action would be to retreat from the formation first, and then engage the enemy after they exited the formation or the formation dissipated.
Of course, if one were trapped within the formation and could not escape, then they should try to stall for time...
After hearing Ye Cangtian's explanation, Song Xinghe's expression eased considerably, and he felt more confident.
"Alright, we should continue our journey. We mustn't keep Bai Ying and Chen Wu waiting."
Seeing Song Xinghe regaining his confidence, Ye Cangtian said quickly.
They had already spent considerable time dealing with the Hu family and then clearing out the patrolling forest teams. Ye Cangtian was very concerned about Bai Ying and Chen Wu's safety.
These two must not have any trouble!
Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain, as he had no credibility in the eyes of the Bai family.
The team set off, slowly moving forward, following the markers left by Bai Ying and Chen Wu.
Fortunately, after Tu Ba, they did not encounter any more patrolling forest teams, and everything proceeded smoothly thereafter.
"Report!"
"There are signs of battle ahead!"
After walking for an unknown duration, a guard approached Ye Cangtian and Song Xinghe and reported.
Signs of battle?
Ye Cangtian's expression changed instantly, and he quickly followed to investigate.
Indeed, there were traces of sharp objects scratching the surrounding trees, and some bloodstains on the ground, indicating that the fight had been fierce.
"Who!"
Just as Ye Cangtian finished surveying the scene, he heard rustling sounds.
Glancing over, a figure slowly emerged from the forest. It was Bai Ying.
At this moment, Bai Ying had lost his usual arrogance. His white attire was stained red with blood, and he had deep, bone-revealing wounds all over his body, looking extremely disheveled.
"Didn't I tell you not to take the initiative?"
Ye Cangtian quickly walked up and, with a scolding tone, took out a small replenishing pill and tossed it over.
"Hmph! Do you think we can choose not to fight?"
"You know yourself how late you arrived, don't you?"
Bai Ying glared fiercely at Ye Cangtian and said indignantly.
He didn't want to fight either, and he wanted to wait for Ye Cangtian to bring reinforcements to capture them all in one go.
But he was discovered by the Black Wind Sect members, so what could he do? He had to fight head-on!
"Even so, why are you so badly injured? Where is Chen Wu?"
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian asked doubtfully.
After all, Bai Ying and Chen Wu were both peak Profound-grade experts. If they joined forces, even if they encountered a team like Tu Ba's, they wouldn't suffer a loss!
"The opponents were very strong, like mad dogs, completely disregarding their lives!"
"And they had the enhancement of a strange formation. The two of us were outnumbered, and Chen Wu also sacrificed himself during the battle..."
Bai Ying described it briefly, and Ye Cangtian's brows furrowed instantly.
He knew that ordinary Black Wind Sect members, with the enhancement from the Blood Mist Formation, although their strength increased significantly, were no match for Bai Ying and Chen Wu.
Even their so-called junior captains could at best fight them to a standstill, and if they dragged it out, they would definitely not be their opponents.
But Chen Wu had died, which meant either they encountered Black Wind Sect experts, or the Black Wind Sect had other trump cards.
"Ye Cangtian, you haven't answered my question yet!"
"Why are you so late?"
"Are you trying to stall for time and deliberately put my brothers in danger, then use a borrowed knife to kill?"
On the other side, after taking the small replenishing pill, Bai Ying stared at Ye Cangtian and questioned him fiercely.
Given the geographical relationship between this place and Tingfeng City, Ye Cangtian and the guard team should have come to support them long ago, but they were delayed by a full two or three hours.
This led to them being outnumbered and Chen Wu's unfortunate death. He had to suspect that Ye Cangtian had other motives.
"Do I need to use a borrowed knife to kill you?"
Ye Cangtian glared back and continued, "As you heard before, the Hu family has defected to the Black Wind Sect, so before coming here, I dealt with the Hu family first, and then I cleared out a patrolling team..."
"Damn it! When couldn't the Hu family be dealt with, why did it have to be at this time?"
Hearing Ye Cangtian's explanation, Bai Ying instantly roared.
The Hu family was in Tingfeng City, they couldn't run away, and they were just a tiny family, so they could be wiped out at any time.
But Ye Cangtian chose this moment, which meant he didn't distinguish between priorities, in other words, he was deliberately delaying.
"You idiot!"
"The Hu family is an informant for the Black Wind Sect. If they are not eliminated, all actions of the Hidden Group will be under the control of the Black Wind Sect!"
"At that time, if the Black Wind Sect is prepared, it won't be us eliminating them, but them eliminating us!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian directly cursed back.
He indeed had no intention of harming anyone, but Bai Ying was stuck in a rut and refused to listen to his explanation, clearly wasting his breath.
"Mr. Ye did not deliberately delay, I can testify to that."
"He was even urging us to rendezvous with you as soon as possible!"
"It's just that plans change faster than anticipated, and we encountered another patrolling team on the way..."
Song Xinghe, seeing Ye Cangtian and Bai Ying confronting each other, quickly stepped forward to mediate, as it was not the time for arguments.
Hmph!
Bai Ying glared fiercely at both of them. Just as Ye Cangtian had expected, he was now stubbornly convinced that Ye Cangtian was deliberately delaying, and no one could convince him otherwise!
Now that Song Xinghe was speaking up for Ye Cangtian, in his opinion, the other party had also been bribed by Ye Cangtian.
It's just that the other party had more people now, and he couldn't argue his case. He would remember the grudge for now and let Bai Zhensan preside over justice when they returned.
"Bai Ying, let me ask you, have you investigated the Black Wind Sect's stronghold clearly?"
Seeing that Bai Ying had quieted down, Ye Cangtian suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice.
"Hmph! I don't want some people to be clueless about priorities!"
Bai Ying snorted coldly, then raised his hand and pointed into the distance, saying, "In that direction, there is a cave. It should be a secret realm!"
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian nodded, then turned to face Song Xinghe.
"Take your men and set up a cordon around the area. Everyone, hide well!"
"Remember, do not attack rashly. When the Black Wind Sect panics and flees, that's when you strike and capture them all..."
Just as he finished speaking, Bai Ying chuckled scornfully, "You arrange everything clearly for others, what are you doing yourself? Won't you just act as a commander?"
He sneered internally, not allowing them to attack, why would the Black Wind Sect panic and flee aimlessly...
"You're so injured, speak less. No one thinks you're mute!"
Ye Cangtian snorted lightly, then continued, "I'll enter the cave first to assess the situation and act accordingly."
Now that even Chen Wu had died, Ye Cangtian didn't want the guard team to rush in recklessly, as the casualties could be unimaginable.
After all, the situation within the secret realm was unknown, and the space was relatively small, making it difficult to escape the range of the Blood Mist Formation. Therefore, leaving them behind was the safest option.
"You're going alone?"
Song Xinghe's eyes widened.
This was the Black Wind Sect's stronghold. Venturing in alone was fraught with danger, and to put it bluntly, it was sending himself to his death!
Upon hearing this, Bai Ying's expression immediately turned grim. He had intended to mock Ye Cangtian.
But Ye Cangtian's decision to venture into the tiger's den alone was like a slap in the face, a true humiliation!
"Don't worry, I'll be fine on my own."
"Don't forget, I am an 'old friend' of Hall Master Cui Fengxi..."
Ye Cangtian smiled playfully. Cui Fengxi was already dead, and the intelligence had not been passed on. He could use this to his advantage.
Let's stir up some trouble!