A bamboo forest a thousand miles away.
In a farmstead, an old farmer lay on a recliner, fanning himself leisurely and sipping tea, appearing quite at ease.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping towards the farmstead gate, a faint smile gracing his lips.
He had sensed the arrival of visitors and, calculating the time, surmised it was likely someone sent by Black Feather.
He had great faith in Black Feather's capabilities and thus believed the incoming news would undoubtedly be good.
Perhaps Black Feather had already dealt with Ye Cangtian and those elite trainees.
A short while later, the farmstead gate was pushed open.
Immediately, a figure clad in black arrived before the old farmer and knelt down.
"Greetings, Lord, I..."
*Slap!*
Before the newcomer could even introduce himself, the old farmer waved his hand, sending the black-clad figure flying.
"You have no manners. Is this how Black Feather teaches you?"
The old farmer's expression darkened. Here, he was merely an old farmer, not some lord!
"This..."
The black-clad figure was stunned by the blow. After a moment, he recalled something.
It was what Black Feather had drunkenly said.
The old farmer before him had a very peculiar temper; he absolutely forbade anyone from calling him "Lord" or using any respectful title.
In fact, one did not need to show any deference to the old farmer; the more natural one behaved, the better.
He hadn't believed it at first, but considering that he had only spoken half a sentence after arriving here and had already tasted bitterness, it was clear everything was true.
With this thought, he quickly stood up and said, "Old man, it was my mistake. Please don't mind."
"Hmph."
Hearing this, the old farmer's expression improved considerably. He nodded and said, "You are teachable. Now, tell me, why have you come?"
"Returning to you, old man, I am here to deliver a message."
"News from Dragon City indicates that Black Feather's mission failed, and he was killed by Ye Cangtian..."
What!
Upon hearing the black-clad man's words, the old farmer froze. In the next instant, the teacup in his hand was crushed.
He truly couldn't believe this news, even doubting his own ears.
According to the information he had, Ye Cangtian was merely at the late stage of the Earth Grade, a significant gap from Black Feather's cultivation.
Given this disparity, Black Feather should have found it as simple as crushing an ant to kill Ye Cangtian. So why had he been killed by Ye Cangtian?
Could it be that Ye Cangtian had hidden strength?
With this thought, the old farmer glanced at the black-clad man and said, "Tell me everything you know, from beginning to end."
"Alright."
The black-clad man quickly agreed and then recounted everything he knew.
By the time the old farmer heard the entire account, his face had turned ashen. It took him several minutes for his mind to return to normal.
A monster, truly a monster!
In such a short period, Ye Cangtian had advanced to a level where he could kill Black Feather. Even with the aid of elixirs, such talent was terrifying.
If allowed to continue growing, Ye Cangtian would likely reach the Heaven Grade before long, at which point even he would find it difficult to defeat him.
With this realization, a cold killing intent flashed in the old farmer's calm gaze.
Clearly, he intended to eliminate Ye Cangtian before he could grow any further.
However, of his two quasi-Heaven Grade subordinates, Black Feather was already dead, and the other was still on a mission and would not be returning anytime soon.
Did he really have to deal with Ye Cangtian himself?
Wouldn't that be giving the brat too much credit!
Musing on this, the old farmer’s gaze fell upon the black-clad man. "What other news is there from Dragon City?"
The black-clad man had expected the old farmer to fly into a rage upon hearing about Black Feather and was still feeling apprehensive.
But upon hearing this question, the black-clad man immediately relaxed and stepped forward, "Reporting to you, sir, the first batch of disciples trained by Long Xuefeng have emerged from seclusion. Their strength has all reached the Earth Grade, and they have proceeded to the entrance of the relic..."
With this single sentence, the old farmer's expression darkened once more.
From this news, the outcome he least wanted to see had finally occurred. The Hidden Group had indeed obtained a large quantity of Nine Revolutions Golden Pills and had utilized them.
With these thirty Earth Grade experts, the entrance to the relic could be considered impregnable, making it very difficult for the Bright Hall to break through the defenses.
It seemed a return trip was necessary.
The old farmer muttered to himself. With the Hidden Group now possessing thirty Earth Grade experts, it was already a troublesome development.
If they were not curbed, the Hidden Group would undoubtedly continue to enhance the strength of their loyal subordinates, leading to a further surge in their power.
In such a scenario, it would become even more challenging to maintain control over all aspects of the Hidden Group.
Thus, the old farmer made up his mind.
...
Dragon City.
A period of over ten days of calm ensued.
During this time, Ye Cangtian smoothly assisted the Bai family in holding a grand funeral for Bai Yuanhang.
Apart from that, the only significant event was the gradual emergence of thirty Earth Grade experts from seclusion, all of whom then proceeded to the relic entrance.
Ye Cangtian had now largely straightened out the various matters within the Hidden Group and was able to handle them with ease, thus feeling much more relaxed.
When idle, he often visited the training grounds.
Firstly, to check on the seclusion status of the second batch of thirty Earth Grade experts.
Secondly, to gain wisdom from Elder Long, hoping to avoid detours in his future cultivation path.
Concurrently, he could relay information reported from various parts of the relic to Dongfang Mingyue.
For certain difficult problems, he could also consult Dongfang Mingyue and hear her opinions.
At this moment, Ye Cangtian was chatting with Dongfang Mingyue in a small hut.
They had been conversing for an unknown duration when the topic shifted to the Bright Hall.
The next moment, Dongfang Mingyue, with a hint of hesitation, looked at Ye Cangtian and said, "You brat, there's something I've wanted to ask you for a long time. Why do you advise against letting the people from the Bright Hall in?"
Previously, Dongfang Mingyue had strictly guarded the Hidden Group's entrance, fearing that once the Bright Hall entered the relic, they would quickly establish a foothold and oppose the Hidden Group.
But now, she was no longer worried. Both she and Ye Cangtian had reached the quasi-Heaven Grade, and with Yin Tao's return to serve the Hidden Group.
Coupled with Elder Long, a Heaven Grade expert, overseeing matters, with such a lineup, even if the Bright Hall entered the Hidden Group, she was confident they could handle them.
Dongfang Mingyue was even considering luring the Bright Hall in, similar to what happened in the Dark Relic, to expand the Hidden Group's territory and acquire more resources.
At this moment, although she was unaware of the matters concerning the Imperial Dragon Seal and the Dark Seal, she knew that Ye Cangtian's acquisition of so many elixirs was definitely related to the Dark City.
Therefore, Dongfang Mingyue also hoped that there would be a place like the Dark City in the Huaxia relic, so that the Hidden Group could obtain even more resources.
However, such existences were inherently extremely dangerous, and in the words of their own people, heavy casualties were unacceptable. If they could use people from the Bright Hall, it would be perfect.
It was just that Ye Cangtian remained silent on such matters, leaving her quite puzzled, as there was no way the other party couldn't have thought of these things.
On the other side, upon hearing Dongfang Mingyue's question, Ye Cangtian fell silent.
After a moment, Ye Cangtian spoke, "It's not that I don't want to, but I worry that after suffering a loss once, the Bright Hall will become more cautious and won't be easily fooled. Furthermore, I also worry about losing control of the situation!"
"Little brother, aren't you being too cautious?"
"With the three of us, plus Elder Long, how could we possibly lose control?"
"If the Bright Hall attacks, you handle the outside, and I'll handle the inside. With your ability, plus me as your backup, wouldn't it be a simple matter to deal with them?"
Hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Dongfang Mingyue glanced at him and quickly replied.
In her opinion, the Hidden Group was no longer the same as before. With the gradual emergence of high-level combatants, their strength had been greatly enhanced.
This also filled Dongfang Mingyue with confidence, wanting to achieve something significant.
"Sister Mingyue, don't underestimate the heroes of the world."
Ye Cangtian responded to Dongfang Mingyue with Elder Zhou's words.
From the current perspective, the Bright Hall was unaware of the Hidden Group's rise. Those they sent were all Cardinal Bishops with Earth Grade strength.
Dealing with them alone, the Hidden Group would have no problem.
But the Bright Hall had more than just these individuals; they also had the support of the Inner Hall. Within the Inner Hall, there were at least three Heaven Grade experts, and the number of quasi-Heaven Grade experts was still unknown.