"Qingyan, what exactly do you want!"
Zuo Hu's eyes were wide with rage. He had already given up the Peak Competition, yet the other party was still relentless.
The power of the Tiger King Sect was no match for the Misty Rain Tower. Otherwise, he would have already clashed with Qingyan and would not have endured this much.
"You have repeatedly violated the rules set by the Misty Rain Tower and damaged our reputation. If you do not kowtow and apologize today, you will not be allowed to leave this main tent!"
Qingyan's voice echoed, and the people around them broke into smiles, eager to watch the spectacle.
Feeling the gazes of everyone, Zuo Hu was about to lose his mind.
If he were to kowtow and apologize to Qingyan, how would the Tiger King Sect ever establish itself in the ruins?
With that thought, he looked at Qingyan and said fiercely, "Qingyan, don't push your luck too far! A life is but a head bowed, but you insult the Tiger King Sect like this. The Tiger King Sect will not stand for it!"
"Hmph! You think you can threaten me with the Tiger King Sect? You've come to the wrong person!"
Qingyan snorted coldly, his gaze becoming even more glacial. "Let me tell you, if your Tiger King Sect keeps to itself quietly, I won't say anything. But if you dare to act out of line, I don't mind wiping you out!"
This...
Feeling Qingyan's icy stare, Zuo Hu's expression shifted dramatically. It was clear that the other party was not joking.
If he truly refused to comply, the foundation of the Tiger King Sect might be ruined.
With that in mind, Zuo Hu's knees slowly began to bend, eventually falling to the ground.
"Qingyan, I spoke carelessly earlier and offended the Misty Rain Tower. I apologize to the Misty Rain Tower here. I implore you to be magnanimous and forgive me this once..."
As he spoke, Zuo Hu kowtowed three times with loud thuds. Without waiting for Qingyan's reply, he flickered and left the main tent.
He had lost all face and could not remain any longer.
Qingyan did not stop Zuo Hu's departure, as the latter had already kowtowed and apologized.
"The Tiger King Sect is arrogant. It's good that they withdrew from the Peak Competition, preventing internal strife. Everyone, please don't take it to heart."
"However, since they have withdrawn from the Peak Competition, they naturally forfeit their qualification to enter the Mustard Seed Space. I hope everyone will work together to defend your efforts..."
As Qingyan finished speaking, everyone responded in agreement. Before entering the Mustard Seed Space, they would not express any dissatisfaction towards Qingyan.
Indeed, a ruthless person!
Ye Cangtian mused. Qingyan's words were clearly a hint to everyone.
As long as the Tiger King Sect attempted to enter the Mustard Seed Space, anyone was encouraged to stop them.
He wasn't even willing to share a bite of the pie!
Not only that, but Qingyan also intended to instigate conflict between the Tiger King Sect and other forces, ultimately leading to the Tiger King Sect becoming the target of everyone's combined efforts.
After all, a portion of the red gems collected so far were provided by the Tiger King Sect.
Would the Tiger King Sect willingly be a stepping stone for others? Naturally, they would not. They would do everything in their power to enter the Mustard Seed Space.
As for the other factions, the fewer people to share with, the better. Thus, they were more than happy that the Tiger King Sect was not qualified to enter.
In this way, a conflict would arise between the two sides, and this conflict would likely deepen over time.
Just as Ye Cangtian finished this thought, Qingyan's voice rang out again.
"Ye Cangtian, although your Hidden Group has fewer people, you must participate in the verification of the red gems, and your numbers cannot be less than other factions."
"Otherwise, I fear everyone will feel unbalanced!"
Heh, Qingyan is trying to put me in my place!
Ye Cangtian wore a dismissive smile.
He looked at Qingyan and said, "Qingyan, in terms of the number of people for verification, our Hidden Group might not be able to match other factions. However, in terms of the gems to be verified, our Hidden Group will certainly not be less than any other faction!"
Upon hearing the first part of Ye Cangtian's statement, Qingyan was about to retort, but upon hearing the latter part, he swallowed the words that had reached his lips.
The reason was simple: the verification personnel he requested were ultimately intended to verify more gems.
Since Ye Cangtian had put it that way, he had no room to object further!
"Ye Cangtian, it's not that I doubt you, but verifying gems is a dangerous undertaking..."
At this moment, Meng Nan, standing beside them, stepped forward.
In his opinion, verifying gems required sacrificing a disciple's life, and there were no exceptions.
Yet, Ye Cangtian dared to make such a bold claim, and he immediately became agitated.
Although Zuo Hu was a bit foolish, he was, after all, his ally.
Now that the Tiger King Sect had forcefully withdrawn from the Peak Competition, it was like losing an arm.
Furthermore, this matter had originated because of Ye Cangtian, so he naturally would not let Ye Cangtian off easily.
"Meng Nan, shut your dog mouth!"
"Another one, the Tiger King Sect, is gone. Do you want your Snow Peak to be the second?"
Ye Cangtian, not waiting for Meng Nan to finish, knew that Meng Nan's words would be nothing good. Therefore, he interrupted Meng Nan directly.
He had no time to continue entangled with the Snow Peak here. If they weren't ashamed, he was!
You!
Upon hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Meng Nan's face immediately darkened. He was about to say something else when Qingyan preempted him.
"Meng Nan, Ye Cangtian is correct. The Tiger King Sect is already an example. Does your Snow Peak still want to cause trouble?"
Qingyan's eyes turned sharp again, and the leaders of the other factions frowned.
In their opinion, Meng Nan's challenge was not without merit, but why was Qingyan intervening, and why was he standing with Ye Cangtian?
The impression they got was that the Misty Rain Tower was unusually wary of the Hidden Group.
In fact, Qingyan was indeed wary of the Hidden Group, and even more so of Ye Cangtian.
The Hidden Group's rise had been rapid, exceeding his expectations. If this trend continued, the Hidden Group would sooner or later return to the ranks of peak powers.
Moreover, according to the information he had obtained, the Hidden Group's resurgence was inseparable from Ye Cangtian.
In addition to this, Qingyan had largely investigated Ye Cangtian's methods of conducting business and his past actions.
In his opinion, this Ye Cangtian was by no means a pushover, and it was best to avoid offending him if possible!
On the other hand, hearing Qingyan's words, Meng Nan immediately became docile.
Seeing this, Qingyan spoke again, "Alright, since no one has any objections, then everyone should return to their camps and arrange for the disciples participating in the verification. Ye Cangtian, stay behind!"
The crowd slowly withdrew from the main tent. Although they were curious why Qingyan was keeping Ye Cangtian behind, they also knew that curiosity killed the cat.
Therefore, they did not inquire further.
After all the faction leaders had left the room, Qingyan looked at Ye Cangtian and said, "Young friend, I received word that the people from the Imperial Dragon Villa are with you?"
Ye Cangtian nodded upon hearing this and replied, "That's right. The people from the Imperial Dragon Villa were separated from the Grim Reapers. To prevent them from being at a disadvantage and facing danger, I kept them here."
"So that's how it is."
Qingyan glanced at Ye Cangtian and continued, "I won't hide it from you. The problem lies here: the Grim Reapers from the Imperial Dragon Villa are missing, leaving only three people. If they continue to participate, it might..."
Qingyan stated that according to the rules, any faction wishing to enter the Mustard Seed Space must send representatives to participate in the gem verification.
But now that the Grim Reapers were absent, the Imperial Dragon Villa had only three people left. If they were to participate in the gem verification, there might be issues.
If that were the case, he would have difficulty explaining to the Grim Reapers if they returned.
However, if he did not proceed this way, he did not have the authority to expel the Imperial Dragon Villa, as they were not like the Tiger King Sect and had to be treated with caution.
Therefore, Qingyan found Ye Cangtian, wanting to discuss a solution.
"Sect Master Qingyan, have you come to the wrong person?"
"I am merely the leader of the Hidden Group. How can I have the authority to decide this matter?"
Ye Cangtian glanced at the other party, not agreeing immediately. He wondered if there was some conspiracy involved.
Seeing this, Qingyan quickly said, "Young friend, please don't worry. I am not scheming against you, but I have genuinely encountered a difficult problem. Rest assured, if there are any issues in the future, my Misty Rain Tower will take responsibility..."
Qingyan found it difficult to make a decision regarding the people from the Imperial Dragon Villa.
One wrong move could bring trouble to the Misty Rain Tower, which was why he had kept Ye Cangtian to discuss the matter.
Looking at Qingyan's expression, Ye Cangtian remained silent for a moment. The other party did not seem to be lying.
After a brief silence, Ye Cangtian said, "In that case, I'll do you a favor. Since the Imperial Dragon Villa came with me, our Hidden Group will be responsible for verifying their portion of the gems..."
"That would be excellent. Thank you, young friend!"
Upon hearing this, Qingyan's eyes lit up. According to Ye Cangtian's proposal, all problems would be solved...