Not long after, the sound of shouting and killing was heard.
Concealed by the miasma, Ye Cangtian quietly approached.
"Heh, what a coincidence!"
He saw two groups of people, at least one to two hundred, slaughtering each other. One group was the Wild Wolf mercenary group, and the other was the Lightning mercenary group.
The Lightning mercenary group was not among the top ten in the mercenary alliance, meaning they had little renown. However, the Lightning mercenary group did have some skilled individuals.
As soon as both sides entered the ruins, they immediately engaged in a deadly battle.
Ye Fan originally had no intention of intervening, as these individuals were not strong enough to warrant his attention, and staying would only waste his time.
However, he spotted a familiar face amidst the chaos. It was Torrey, the squad leader who had cornered the Dragon Team upon their arrival on the island.
Recalling Torrey's arrogant demeanor earlier, a wicked smile spread across Ye Cangtian's face.
He then changed into a divine envoy attire he had prepared beforehand.
A divine envoy of the Hall of Light!
Meanwhile, on the other side, in the ongoing battle, the Lightning mercenary group was at a disadvantage and in full retreat. Torrey was leading his squad in a final encirclement and annihilation of the Lightning mercenary group.
At this moment, no one noticed a figure quietly entering the scene.
"Damn it, block their escape route! Don't let anyone get away!"
Torrey roared, but suddenly stopped. A figure now stood before him.
The person's face was so dirty that his features were unrecognizable, but Torrey recognized the attire.
"Are you a divine envoy from the Hall of Light?"
Torrey was very wary. Although the other party was alone, he dared not harbor any killing intent.
The Hall of Light was an extremely powerful faction, not to be trifled with by the Wild Wolf mercenary group. Therefore, it was best to avoid offending them if possible.
"Heh, since you know my identity, everything becomes much simpler."
"It's true that this ruin holds many treasures, but they are not meant for the likes of trash factions like the Wild Wolf and Lightning."
"Now, I'll give you a choice: cripple your own legs and wait here until the ruins are over..."
Seeing the other party's caution, Ye Cangtian smiled slightly and stated his terms.
What?
Torrey's expression instantly turned extremely grim. The Wild Wolf mercenary group had already paid a heavy price to enter the ruins, losing a fifth of their forces on the island.
Now, having just entered the ruins without gaining any benefits, they were being forced to retreat. How could he possibly accept this?
Thinking this, he glared fiercely and said, "Although your Hall of Light is powerful, you cannot be so overbearing! You feast, but will you not even leave us a sip of soup? Are you not afraid of incurring the wrath of the masses!"
"Heh, the wrath of the masses?"
"They are all mere ants. If they are not satisfied, we will simply kill them!"
"Let me tell you, all treasures in this ruin belong to the Hall of Light. Anyone who harbors greed will do so at the risk of their lives!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian's face displayed disdain as he slowly advanced.
"All men, hear my command! The outer perimeter will continue to intercept the Lightning mercenary group. The rest will follow me to eliminate this divine envoy!"
Seeing that the other party was about to make a move!
Torrey understood that words were useless now, and only a fight remained. He was determined not to go down without a struggle.
Killing a divine envoy would undoubtedly incur the wrath of the Hall of Light, but he had no other choice. He had to eliminate both the divine envoy and the Lightning mercenary group to ensure that the matter remained undiscovered and untraceable.
The next moment, the surrounding mercenaries immediately lunged at Ye Cangtian. Torrey also moved, blending in with them, ready to strike Ye Cangtian when an opportunity arose.
"Since you do not cherish the opportunity, then do not blame me."
Facing the dozens of mercenaries charging at him, Ye Cangtian sneered, his figure flickering as he directly engaged them.
For a time, blades clashed and swords gleamed, with screams echoing in succession.
The Wild Wolf mercenary group, though numerous, lacked individual strength. Against them, Ye Cangtian did not need to exert his full power.
After all, firearms were useless in the ruins.
Only bare hands and cold weapons like combat knives could be used!
How could these people pose any threat to Ye Cangtian?
Indeed, this was the case.
Figures flew out, collapsing to the ground. In just a few minutes, only Torrey remained.
Looking at his companions lying in pools of agony, Torrey's eyes flashed with deep fear and apprehension.
He quickly pleaded, "I yield. I promise to stay put and not seize any treasures. Please spare my life."
The person before him was no longer someone he could contend with. Torrey just wanted to ensure his own survival.
He could only wait to rendezvous with his legion commander and then seek revenge.
"Heh, I gave you a chance earlier, but you didn't cherish it. Isn't it too late to say this now?"
Ye Cangtian mocked him, slowly approaching with his dagger.
But just then, a beastly roar sounded, forcing him to stop in his tracks...
Roar, roar, roar...
Through the hazy miasma, angry roars echoed, and pairs of eerie green eyes glowed like phantom fires in the darkness.
In an instant, leopards slowly advanced. They seemed intelligent, adopting a pincer formation. Even the small squads of the two mercenary groups that were still fighting were forced to retreat.
"Heh, these little guys have arrived at the perfect time. It seems I don't need to lift a finger here anymore; they are more than enough."
Ye Cangtian released Torrey, his eyes filled with a cold smile.
He hadn't intended to kill them to silence them in the first place; he merely wanted to cause trouble for the Hall of Light behind the scenes. Now that these leopards had arrived so opportunely, he could easily find an excuse to leave.
As he spoke, Ye Cangtian did not wait for a reply and instead darted away in one direction.
"Whoosh!"
"Damn scoundrel, you just wait! If I make it out alive, I'll kill you!"
Torrey, having narrowly escaped death, finally breathed a sigh of relief and said fiercely.
However, only one or two of the pursuing leopards were lured away by the other party. The remaining leopards were still closing in.
He could no longer afford to pay attention to anything else and immediately organized his subordinates who could still fight, retreating while fending off the attacks.
...
On the other side.
After dealing with two leopards that had pursued him, Ye Cangtian had successfully broken through.
Glancing back, Ye Cangtian showed a faint smile.
These leopards were extremely ferocious, but with just over a dozen of them, it was unrealistic to wipe out both mercenary squads entirely. There would inevitably be survivors.
His plan had succeeded.
Thinking this, Ye Cangtian's expression suddenly changed. He suddenly felt a binding sensation from the ground beneath him, followed by a strong gust of wind descending from above.
Hiss!
Ye Cangtian gasped sharply, suddenly realizing that his feet were entangled by vines.
And from the large tree he was leaning against, a dark shadow suddenly sprang down, and cold light descended like lightning.
Ninja!
Ye Cangtian was alarmed and, without a second thought, immediately parried with his dagger.
With a clang, the ninja was repelled and landed steadily in front of Ye Cangtian.
Using the brief moment, Ye Cangtian swung his hands repeatedly, cutting through the vines around his feet, and then looked at his opponent.
"You sneaky, despicable trash, daring to ambush this envoy! Are you tired of living!"
Ye Cangtian said coldly.
He couldn't help but inwardly sneer. He hadn't even gone looking for trouble with the Eastern Japanese Ninja Sect, and yet they had delivered themselves to him. Truly seeking death.
"A mere low-level divine envoy dares to bark at me. Today, I will show you what it means to die!"
The ninja glanced at Ye Cangtian, his eyes filled with disdain.
He was a Genin, and he didn't put a mere divine envoy in his eyes.
As he spoke, the ninja flickered and charged at Ye Cangtian.
Simultaneously, he brandished his hands repeatedly, shooting out six or seven shurikens.
"Tricks!"
Ye Cangtian snorted disdainfully, his figure flickering. Instead of retreating, he advanced to meet the attack head-on.
Clang, clang, clang...
As his dagger swung repeatedly, he deflected the incoming shurikens. Then, his dagger left his hand and shot directly towards the charging ninja.
Poof!
The dagger pierced through the ninja's chest, sending him flying backward.
The ninja fell to the ground, clutching his chest, his face filled with shock. "You... you are not an ordinary divine envoy. An ordinary divine envoy would never possess such strength..."
He had intended to launch a surprise attack while the other party was busy deflecting the shurikens, but he hadn't expected the opponent's reaction to be so swift.
And when he realized that the incoming dagger was unavoidable, he was preparing to use the Substitution Jutsu, but unexpectedly, he didn't have time.
All of this was absolutely impossible for a divine envoy to accomplish.
"You are correct, but it is already too late."
Ye Cangtian smiled slightly and ruthlessly pulled the dagger from the ninja's body.
"You will not fare well. My comrades will surely avenge me..."
The Genin glared at Ye Cangtian venomously, forcing out a sentence before closing his eyes in unwillingness.
"Heh, it won't be long before your comrades join you below."
Ye Cangtian sneered, then removed the Hall of Light divine envoy attire, and put on the silver mask of the Dark Association.
He left the scene.
As the saying goes, enjoy the spoils equally. If the Hall of Light was going to be in trouble, the Dark Association shouldn't be allowed to have an easy time either.