Hmph!
A cold snort echoed, and a middle-aged man in a commander's uniform emerged from the guards.
His gaze was icy cold. "Death God, you'd better understand the situation. Most of your subordinates are already prisoners. Now, the people here are all ours!"
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian's gaze swept across the crowd. Seeing that no one had retreated or surrendered, a cold smile appeared on his face.
"Seeing as you also claim to be from the Imperial Dragon Villa, I advise you to think carefully..."
Clang!
Before Ye Cangtian could finish speaking, the commander drew his long sword and pointed it forward.
He couldn't let Ye Cangtian continue to sow discord here.
"Ye Cangtian, who do you think you are? You're alone, and you think you can threaten everyone here?"
Sigh!
His words interrupted, Ye Cangtian didn't get angry. He simply sighed and said, "Little pest, it seems you're determined to follow Changsun Lingxi? In that case, don't blame me for being impolite!"
With that, Ye Cangtian's palm shot out, and a spiritual energy hand instantly grabbed towards the commander.
Upon seeing this, the commander's heart jolted. Without hesitation, he thrust his long sword forward with all his might.
Puff!
As the long sword collided with the spiritual energy hand, the hand instantly shattered.
A look of triumph appeared on the commander's face. However, just as he was about to mock, a figure flashed before him.
Before he could even react, a heavy punch landed squarely on his abdomen.
Puff!
The commander spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward like a kite with a broken string.
"Considering Changsun Lingxi didn't attack Zhan Wufeng and the others, I'll spare your life for now!"
Saying this, Ye Cangtian glanced at the entire scene and continued, "The rest of you listen up, I'm giving you time to consider. But anyone who dares to stop me will surely die!"
With that, Ye Cangtian stepped forward without hesitation, heading towards the main hall.
Everyone in his path either stepped back or contracted their formations. No one dared to block Ye Cangtian.
At the same time, in the main hall.
Changsun Lingxi, seated on the main throne, had an extremely grim expression.
He was already furious from Zhan Wufeng and the others refusing to pledge allegiance. Hearing about the Death God's return made him even more enraged.
"Villa Master Changsun, there's no need to be angry. In my opinion, the Death God's arrival is a good thing!"
In the main hall, Hun San, seeing Changsun Lingxi's murderous intent, spoke after a moment of silence.
Huh?
Hearing this, Changsun Lingxi looked at him in confusion, awaiting a reasonable explanation.
Seeing this, Hun San smiled slightly and said, "Your enemies are Lei Ming and Sikong Longyin, not the Death God. If you can join forces with him, then Imperial Dragon Villa will become even stronger than before."
Hun San's meaning was simple: if Changsun Lingxi could ally with the Death God, then Imperial Dragon Villa would have two Heaven-tier powerhouses, increasing its deterrent force.
Furthermore, those imprisoned by him who refused to yield would also pledge loyalty to him out of respect for the Death God.
"That makes a certain amount of sense!"
Changsun Lingxi nodded, his gaze fixed on Hun San. He continued, "But you don't know, the Death God is the true disciple of Master, while we are merely registered disciples..."
Changsun Lingxi implied that the Death God held a higher position than him, so how could he easily hand over the reins now?
"Heh, you're worrying too much about that!"
"You must understand, superiority in status isn't about connections, but about strength!"
This time, it wasn't Hun San who spoke, but An Yi beside him.
He knew Changsun Lingxi's background and believed that the Death God was definitely no match for Changsun Lingxi.
Hearing this, Changsun Lingxi slowly nodded. "That's right, fists are the ultimate argument. If he doesn't comply, I'll beat him into submission..."
Tap, tap, tap...
Just then, the sound of footsteps approached. Everyone looked and saw the Death God walking step by step onto the main hall.
Ye Cangtian glanced at Hun San, then his gaze fell upon the middle-aged man on the main throne, and he slowly said, "Is it comfortable sitting in my seat?"
"It feels quite good! But whether it's your seat or not, that remains to be discussed!"
Changsun Lingxi forced a smile and then spoke, "Junior Brother Death God, you were the last to join. According to seniority, senior brother should be in this position, don't you agree?"
"Nonsense!"
Ye Cangtian sneered dismissively. "You, a mere registered disciple, have no right to say such things?"
He paused, then continued, "Besides, even if you take this position, what good is it? Do you have the Imperial Dragon Seal, which represents the Villa Master's authority?"
"I just temporarily don't have the Imperial Dragon Seal. Now that you're here, I believe I'll have it soon!"
Changsun Lingxi looked at Ye Cangtian, his smile turning somewhat sinister.
Heh heh.
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian's expression became even more disdainful. "So, you intend to seize it by force? Then let's stop the chatter and get straight to it!"
"No rush!"
Changsun Lingxi raised his hand to stop Ye Cangtian, then continued, "Fighting is merely our last resort. Perhaps we can find a better way to resolve this!"
Oh?
Ye Cangtian looked at him curiously and said with disdain, "You've allied with outsiders to deal with Imperial Dragon Villa. Do you think we can still negotiate?"
"Of course, there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests! Besides, Flying Cloud Pavilion is also a very reliable ally!"
Changsun Lingxi nodded without hesitation and looked at Ye Cangtian, continuing, "Let's get to the point. How about you and I join forces?
I'll be the Villa Master, and you'll be the Deputy Villa Master. Together with Flying Cloud Pavilion, we will surely restore Imperial Dragon Villa to its former glory!"
"Not good! And I must tell you, you've picked the wrong person!"
Ye Cangtian looked at Changsun Lingxi and unceremoniously rejected his offer.
He continued, "Changsun Lingxi, you must have inquired. My chosen partner is the Hidden Group faction, and we are already in an adversarial relationship with Flying Cloud Pavilion..."
"I know all of this!"
Changsun Lingxi nodded. Before making a move against Imperial Dragon Villa, he naturally would have investigated.
Otherwise, Flying Cloud Pavilion wouldn't have helped him reclaim the Villa Master's position.
He then looked at Ye Cangtian and continued, "Death God, I just told you, there are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. What development can you have by following the Hidden Group alliance..."
Changsun Lingxi began to persuade him earnestly.
Although the Hidden Group had a certain momentum of rise, it was ultimately not a peak force.
Moreover, the Hidden Group controlled the entire ruins. This was both the Hidden Group's advantage and disadvantage.
It was simple: such a large area controlled by the Hidden Group was difficult to defend.
As for the Hidden Group's allies, although they sounded impressive, being peak forces, they probably wouldn't last much longer.
Huh?
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian's eyes flickered. It seemed his guess was indeed correct.
Flying Cloud Pavilion intended to deal with the other peak forces first and secure its dominant position within the ruins.
Thinking this, Ye Cangtian looked at Changsun Lingxi and said faintly, "Then tell me, what benefits are there in allying with Flying Cloud Pavilion?"
With a single sentence, Changsun Lingxi's face lit up with a smile. The other party hadn't retorted, which he took as a sign of wavering.
So, he quickly said, "There are too many benefits! Flying Cloud Pavilion has numerous Heaven-tier powerhouses, which is more than enough to deter other forces. Secondly, Flying Cloud Pavilion has accumulated countless treasures and cultivation techniques..."
Changsun Lingxi stated that the most important thing was that Flying Cloud Pavilion was currently the strongest force, bar none.
Even in his opinion, Flying Cloud Pavilion had the power to surpass other peak forces!
On the surface, Flying Cloud Pavilion had only a few thousand disciples, similar to other peak forces. However, this was not the case in reality.
After decades of preparation, Flying Cloud Pavilion had secretly annexed countless small and medium-sized forces and had been secretly cultivating the strength of the disciples of these forces...
So that's how it is!
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian's doubts were finally cleared.
He had been very puzzled before.
Now, the matter of the Hidden Group's alliance with the four peak forces should have spread among various factions. Yet, Flying Cloud Pavilion was infamous.
Under such circumstances, there were still many forces allied with Flying Cloud Pavilion. Wasn't that seeking their own destruction?
Now, after hearing Changsun Lingxi's words, he understood everything. It turned out Flying Cloud Pavilion had been planning for this day for so many years.