This is suicidal!
A flicker of killing intent flashed in Ye Cangtian's eyes. Zuo Hu was still targeting the Hidden Group, truly walking further and further down the road to his own demise.
Qing Yan, seated in the main position, frowned again.
He naturally knew that Zuo Hu was deliberately targeting the Hidden Group, but he couldn't stop him.
After all, verifying these red gems required sacrificing the lives of disciples from various factions. If the Hidden Group were excluded, it would be unfair.
With this thought, Qing Yan said calmly, "All factions will be treated equally. Those with insufficient personnel can only blame themselves for not valuing the Peak Gathering enough! These factions have only two choices..."
Qing Yan stated that if personnel were insufficient, they must either all participate in the verification, with their fates left to chance!
Or they could withdraw from the Peak Gathering, but in doing so, they would forfeit their qualification to enter the Mustard Seed Space if it were to be opened.
Hearing this, Zuo Hu's face broke into an excited smile.
He had quietly tallied the red gems collected earlier, amounting to over a hundred pieces.
This meant that, on average, each faction would have to send eight to nine personnel to verify the authenticity of the gems.
And before the operation, he had confirmed that only six people had come from the Hidden Group.
Thus, the Hidden Group had only two choices: either withdraw from the Peak Gathering and lose all hope of obtaining the treasure, or have all their members participate in the verification.
If it was the latter, the Hidden Group might be completely wiped out during the gem verification process!
Thinking of this, his face lit up with excitement. He said, "Ye Cangtian, I am very curious about your choice. I wonder if the Hidden Group will be wiped out after this, hahaha..."
Ye Cangtian's gaze swept over Zuo Hu as he walked towards him, saying, "Rather than answering your question, I have something else I'd rather do!"
Something else?
Zuo Hu was slightly taken aback, then sneered dismissively, "Ye Cangtian, you're not going to try and teach me a lesson, are you? Come on, I'm not afraid of you!"
Seeing Ye Cangtian's unfriendly gaze, Zuo Hu knew that Ye Cangtian was enraged, but he was not afraid at all.
Regarding the previous incident, no one had spoken up for him, and it had been dropped.
Now that people from all factions were gathered here, if a fight broke out, he didn't believe Qing Yan would stand by idly!
"You got it right!"
Ye Cangtian reached Zuo Hu, raised his hand, and swung it over.
Seeing this, Zuo Hu smirked. Instead of dodging, he deliberately stuck his head out to meet the blow.
*Slap!*
Ye Cangtian's hand landed on Zuo Hu's face without hesitation, sending Zuo Hu flying back.
Everyone was stunned by Zuo Hu's swollen cheek.
They had all thought Ye Cangtian was just trying to scare Zuo Hu, but they never expected Ye Cangtian to disregard Qing Yan's presence and directly strike Zuo Hu.
"Zuo Hu, I told you before, if you provoke me and the Hidden Group again, I won't let you off lightly!"
"But today, for Qing Yan's sake, I'll give you another chance. If you continue to court death, even Qing Yan won't be able to save you!"
Ye Cangtian glanced at the dishevelled Zuo Hu, who was struggling to get up, and said coldly.
"Hahaha, Ye Cangtian, you finally made your move!"
On the other side, upon hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Zuo Hu not only didn't get angry but burst into excited laughter.
As he laughed, he looked at Qing Yan and said, "Sect Master Qing Yan, you saw it too. Ye Cangtian attacked me and broke the rules again. You should intervene this time, shouldn't you?"
Headache, what a headache!
Qing Yan, from his seat of honor, rubbed his temples at the sight of this scene.
Ye Cangtian was a Heaven-grade expert and a formidable combatant, but he had actually taken action.
Although there was provocation first, it takes two to tango!
This truly made it difficult for him!
He couldn't possibly kick Ye Cangtian out of the Peak Gathering, could he?
Doing so would weaken the entire team's strength.
With this thought, he looked at Zuo Hu and said, "Zuo Hu, Ye Cangtian did indeed make a move, but we are not blind. You provoked Ye Cangtian first, so you deserved the humiliation. You brought it upon yourself!"
With Qing Yan's words, Ye Cangtian's face showed a faint smile. In fact, he had already anticipated this outcome.
He wouldn't joke around with the chance to enter the Mustard Seed Space.
"Hahaha, Zuo Hu, after all that commotion, it turns out you were the clown all along!"
"What talent, what talent! Zuo Hu, you've managed to lift a rock only to drop it on your own foot again!"
"Beautifully done, Zuo Hu. Thank you for putting on such a good show for us..."
The representatives of the surrounding factions began to mock Zuo Hu again. They wouldn't let him off, especially after he had just been so arrogant towards them!
"You, you all..."
Zuo Hu's face turned purple with anger. He never expected Qing Yan to side with Ye Cangtian at such a critical moment.
In his rage, Zuo Hu roared, "Qing Yan, what the hell do you mean?
You took so many benefits from the Tiger King Sect and Xuefeng, and now you're siding with the Hidden Group. Have you forgotten who your master is!"
Zuo Hu was about to go mad. In his opinion, since the Misty Rain Tower had received so many benefits, they should have worked for the Tiger King Sect.
But now they were helping others against him. Hadn't he given them benefits for nothing? How could he feel balanced about such a matter!
Heh, this Zuo Hu has turned into a mad dog again!
As his words fell, Ye Cangtian chuckled again.
It was normal for various factions to curry favour with the peak factions, all for the sake of obtaining protection and maximizing their interests.
However, this was an unspoken understanding.
Now that Zuo Hu had explicitly revealed these matters, how could the Misty Rain Tower face this?
As the organizers, they should have been fair and just, but they had openly accepted bribes, which would damage the reputation of the Misty Rain Tower.
"What nonsense are you spouting? Our Xuefeng has not given any benefits to the Misty Rain Tower!"
Just then, Xuefeng was the first to step forward. Meng Nan was also furious, not expecting this Zuo Hu to implicate him in his anger.
Meng Nan would absolutely not do anything that would offend the Misty Rain Tower, even if it meant breaking ties with the Tiger King Sect!
After all, the subsequent Mustard Seed Space was the most important thing, and he still relied on the Misty Rain Tower for protection!
"Meng Nan... you scoundrel, everyone else isn't helping me, and neither are you!"
Hearing Meng Nan's words, Zuo Hu immediately roared, "Don't you forget, the reason I have enmity with the Hidden Group is all because I was sticking up for you!"
"I haven't forgotten that matter!"
Meng Nan looked at him calmly and continued, "But I also didn't tell you to bite everyone like a mad dog!"
"Zuo Hu, old man, I did accept your benefits, but I promised you that the Misty Rain Tower would help you resolve any dangers encountered during the operation."
"But I never promised you that I would be unfair and side with you in such matters!"
At this moment, Qing Yan's face was filled with murderous intent. He continued, "Furthermore, what do you think your Tiger King Sect is? How dare you call yourselves masters in front of me?
Did you think I wouldn't kill anyone just because I have a good temper?"
Heh, a good show is about to unfold.
As the words fell, the smile on Ye Cangtian's face deepened.
Now, not only Xuefeng had fallen out with the Tiger King Sect, but even Qing Yan had murderous intent towards the Tiger King Sect. If Zuo Hu continued to be obstinate, he might not be able to leave the main tent.
This was a rather amusing spectacle for Ye Cangtian.
As for the loss of the Tiger King Sect's combat power, Ye Cangtian felt no concern.
Zuo Hu, biting blindly like a mad dog, would be a troublemaker even if he remained in the team. It was better to eliminate him sooner rather than later.
Apart from Ye Cangtian, everyone else remained silent spectators to everything unfolding before them.
Zuo Hu's face turned red with resentment. He couldn't believe that no one was willing to step forward to mediate in this situation.
His predicament was even more difficult to resolve. If he persisted in his defiance, he would definitely not be able to enter the Mustard Seed Space.
But if he conceded, even if he entered the Mustard Seed Space, he would likely be targeted by various factions within it.
After a long silence, Zuo Hu gritted his teeth and said, "Since no one welcomes our Tiger King Sect, then our Tiger King Sect withdraws from the Peak Gathering!"
*Hmph!*
As soon as the words fell, Qing Yan let out a cold snort and said, "Do you think withdrawing from the Peak Gathering is the end of it? You must take responsibility for what you just said!"
Oh ho, this Qing Yan has finally revealed his ferocious side. Even withdrawing from the Peak Gathering couldn't resolve this matter?
Ye Cangtian glanced at Qing Yan and muttered to himself. He had always felt that Qing Yan was not to be trifled with, and now it seemed to be true!