After a short while, the guards brought a man to the main hall.
Lei Ming’s gaze swept over him, his brow slightly raised. Judging by the man’s attire, he was indeed a guard from Frost City.
However, his current attire was somewhat disheveled, and he was dirty, looking more like a beggar.
"Who are you?" Lei Ming looked at the man with disdain and finally asked.
"Your subordinate was originally Hong Da, a guard of Frost City. Because I had a slight conflict with the God of Death, I was subsequently expelled from the Imperial Dragon Villa by the God of Death. I implore the Villa Master to uphold justice for me..."
Without a word, the man quickly knelt on the ground, introduced himself, and recounted his ordeal.
That's right, this person was Hong Da.
Since being expelled by Ye Cangtian, many people had made a move against him. At best, they would beat him up; at worst, they would take his life.
He didn’t know how he had survived these past few days.
The reason he returned to the Imperial Dragon Villa was twofold. Firstly, he truly had nowhere else to go. If he wandered outside, he would be unable to sustain himself.
After all, he had offended quite a few people over the years.
Secondly, Fang Deming was Lei Ming's man, and Frost City was the territory of the Imperial Dragon Villa. Now that the person was imprisoned by Ye Cangtian and the city had been retaken by the Hidden Group, this was bound to anger the Villa Master.
Therefore, in his opinion, Lei Ming would definitely go to war with Ye Cangtian.
And by siding with Fang Deming, he could not only save his life but possibly witness the God of Death being dealt with, which would be killing two birds with one stone for him.
On the other side, Lei Ming, seated on the main throne, didn't think too much after hearing Hong Da's words and directly asked, "It is said that you have some information. You can speak now."
Upon hearing this, Hong Da quickly replied, "Reporting to Your Excellency, the news from this subordinate is not very good. I beg Your Excellency's forgiveness and ask that you be mentally prepared."
"Speak," Lei Ming's expression turned cold, and he said in a deep voice.
Seeing Lei Ming's growing impatience, Hong Da hurriedly said, "Earlier, Lord Hua Guang led his men to attack the Hidden Group, but they never returned...
Later, after several inquiries, I learned that Lord Hua Guang and his subordinates were all eliminated by the other party. Moreover, it is said that Hua Guang was tortured to death, his arm being crushed..."
Bang!
At these words, the entire hall erupted in an uproar. Lei Ming, seated on the main throne, was so enraged that he smashed the table.
Although Hua Guang's cultivation was not particularly outstanding among his fellow disciples, he was his confidant. Now that he had been killed by the God of Death, it was equivalent to severing his left and right arms.
Thinking this, he looked at the guards and asked, "Is this news accurate? Have you verified it clearly?"
"Accurate, your subordinate dares to stake his life on it!"
The guards quickly nodded in agreement and continued, "It is said that the reason the God of Death took his life was because Hua Guang had killed an ordinary guard..."
What!
At these words, Lei Ming's eyes widened. An ordinary guard was like a lowly life to him, no different from an ant.
To exchange such a lowly life for his confidant junior brother was truly difficult for him to accept.
"Villa Master, that God of Death is too arrogant, daring to kill Hua Guang. We must make him pay with blood!"
"Yes! Blood debt must be repaid with blood. Hua Guang was his senior brother, after all. Since he doesn't even consider the bonds of brotherhood, there's no need for us to be polite to him!"
The two people speaking were a disciple of Elder Zhou, Shen Kuo, and the captain of the Imperial Dragon Villa, Feng Jun.
Both were Lei Ming's men. They knew Lei Ming's relationship with Hua Guang, and Lei Ming would surely be furious and seek revenge after Hua Guang was killed.
Therefore, they preemptively steered the conversation towards revenge, forcefully making a presence for themselves.
"What about the others? What are your opinions?"
Upon hearing this, a hint of appreciation flashed in Lei Ming's eyes, and he then scanned the others, asking for their thoughts.
Although he was the Villa Master of the Imperial Dragon Villa, he still had to go through the motions before making any decisions.
When Lei Ming's voice fell, everyone in the hall expressed their agreement, with not a single discordant voice.
Seeing this, Lei Ming displayed a satisfied smile and said, "Shen Jun, with the manpower of three brigades, can you bring back the God of Death and his companions?"
"Not enough!"
Feng Jun quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Villa Master, Fang Deming and Hua Guang were both defeated in Frost City. This indicates that the opponent is very strong, so I need two experts to be present."
As he spoke, Feng Jun seemed to recall something and quickly added, "Also, the opponent has a poison expert, so I will also need some antidote pills..."
Hearing Feng Jun's words, Lei Ming's eyes darted around.
After a long pause, he nodded and said, "Alright, let Shen Kuo and Zhan Wufeng accompany you."
Zhan Wufeng?
Upon hearing this name, the scene was once again thrown into an uproar.
Hua Guang was ruthless and practically swaggered through the Imperial Dragon Villa, with only a few people daring not to offend him.
Among them was this Zhan Wufeng, which indicated that Zhan Wufeng's strength was quite formidable.
However, this Zhan Wufeng was not Lei Ming's man. He had originally served as a captain in the Imperial Dragon Villa, but after Lei Ming took control, he refused to yield.
Therefore, Lei Ming had relieved him of all his duties.
No one expected Lei Ming to re-employ someone like him.
However, among them, who knew Lei Ming's predicament?
The God of Death was not to be underestimated. If possible, Lei Ming wouldn't even want to deploy Shen Kuo.
After all, these were all his people; losing one meant one less.
But if he only used others to deal with Ye Cangtian, it wouldn't be enough. If they were to defect to the God of Death, it would be tantamount to bolstering Ye Cangtian's strength.
Therefore, he had to let Shen Kuo accompany them, with the purpose of keeping an eye on Zhan Wufeng.
"Villa Master, I'm afraid I won't be able to convince Zhan Wufeng!"
Shen Kuo spoke. If it were someone else, he wouldn't say such a thing.
It's just that Zhan Wufeng had a notoriously bad temper and was strong. He currently held no official position in the Imperial Dragon Villa, so it was unlikely he would agree to fight!
Hearing Shen Kuo's words, Lei Ming remained silent for a moment before saying, "You all go back and prepare. We will depart tomorrow morning. Zhan Wufeng is my concern."
Zhan Wufeng was indeed difficult to handle, but Lei Ming was no pushover, otherwise, he wouldn't have kept him around until today.
...
At the foot of the Imperial Dragon Mountain.
A carriage slowly approached. Just as they were about to ascend the mountain, a group of guards emerged from both sides of the mountain path, blocking their way.
"All of you, get out of the carriage!"
The guards' gazes were fixed on the carriage, and they shouted.
On the carriage, Ye Cangtian and the others exchanged glances, then alighted from the carriage.
"Who are you! Do you know this is Imperial Dragon Mountain? Unauthorized personnel are not allowed!" Seeing them get out, the guards immediately questioned.
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian looked towards Lan Yue.
Lan Yue immediately understood and took out a token, displaying it to the guards.
Xiao Yue?
The guards frowned. The token in front of them was clearly issued by the former Villa Master to his disciples, but they had never heard of the name Xiao Yue.
Despite this, the next moment, the guards respectfully saluted and said, "Greetings, Lord Xiao Yue. May I ask where Lord Xiao Yue is from?"
Hearing this, Lan Yue's expression turned cold, "What? Do I need to report my origins to you?"
Seeing Lan Yue's anger, the guards repeatedly waved their hands, "No, no, no. It's just that this is the first time I've seen Your Excellency, so I was a bit curious."
Hmph!
Lan Yue snorted and directly said, "If the token is correct, then quickly clear the way and don't delay our journey!"
"Yes, yes, yes."
The guards repeatedly agreed and then retreated to the side with their men.
After the carriage had passed, another guard walked over and said in a low voice, "Captain, I heard that Frost City was lost due to the God of Death and Xiao Yue. Could it be them?"
"What! Why didn't you say so earlier!"
The captain's eyes widened. If such people were allowed to enter the mountain, it would surely cause trouble.
When the Villa Master investigated, he would also be in trouble!
"Captain, I just remembered."
The guard quickly explained, and continued, "However, there are so many experts in the mountain villa, there shouldn't be any problems, right?"
"They are all disciples of the former Villa Master. It's hard to say who is stronger or weaker!"
The guard captain looked at the guard solemnly and after a moment of silence, said, "Quick, gather your brothers and follow me. Remember to only follow them from a distance..."
The guard captain naturally knew his own capabilities. If they were to engage in combat, they would have no chance of winning against such powerful opponents.
Therefore, he planned to follow them from a distance. This way, even if they were investigated by their superiors, they would have something to say. At least they discovered something was wrong and immediately followed.