"This..."
Zhan Wufeng was stunned. He never imagined that in just a moment, he would be subdued by the opponent. It was utterly humiliating.
Lei Ming and the others, who had witnessed this scene, also had drastic changes in their expressions.
They had already anticipated that Zhan Wufeng would be defeated, as Ye Cangtian's dodges in the fight were incredibly composed.
However, none of them expected Zhan Wufeng to be defeated so thoroughly, almost without any ability to resist.
Moreover, the ability to subdue Zhan Wufeng in an instant was something that likely no one in the current Imperial Dragon Villa could achieve.
Thus, it seemed Ye Cangtian's strength was quite formidable, which was not good news for the vast majority of people.
As the saying goes, "A generation of rulers, a generation of ministers."
They were all currently following Lei Ming. If the God of Death succeeded in seizing power, he would undoubtedly cultivate forces loyal to himself. What then would be their fate?
With this thought, many people's gazes fell upon Lei Ming.
Lei Ming's expression was also very grim. However, upon sensing the gazes of everyone, he regained his composure. He then winked at everyone, signaling them to remain calm.
Only then did he look at Ye Cangtian, clap his hands, and say, "Junior Brother God of Death, your strength is formidable. Senior Brother is deeply impressed..."
"Senior Brother is too kind!"
Ye Cangtian released Zhan Wufeng, clasped his hands towards Lei Ming, and smiled playfully. His eyes also intentionally or unintentionally glanced at the main seat in the hall.
Hmph!
Feeling Ye Cangtian's smile, Lei Ming's face immediately darkened.
In his opinion, this was not just a provocation, but more like a question of his qualification to sit in the Villa Master's position!
"Junior Brother, you must be very tired from your journey."
"I will arrange your accommodation now. Please rest first. Afterwards, I will prepare a banquet to welcome you..."
After a long pause, Lei Ming's flushed face eased slightly. He braced himself and said to Ye Cangtian.
Ye Cangtian smiled upon hearing this and said, "Very well, then I shall trouble you."
Hearing this, Lei Ming quickly instructed a servant to escort Ye Cangtian away.
As Ye Cangtian's figure disappeared, the smile on Lei Ming's face vanished, replaced by endless coldness.
He could tolerate Ye Cangtian's every word targeting him, but if the other party dared to covet the Villa Master's position, he would absolutely not tolerate it.
The next moment, after everyone else had dispersed, Shen Kuo stepped forward.
He asked, "Villa Master, this subordinate does not understand. Since God of Death is so impudent, why didn't you eliminate him at the villa entrance?"
"Do you think there was a chance of winning?"
Lei Ming looked at him coldly. Judging by Ye Cangtian's displayed combat power, his strength was definitely not below his own.
Fortunately, he hadn't made a move at the villa entrance, otherwise, it would have been hard to say who would win or lose.
Of course, these were all afterthoughts. What he had thought at the time was not this.
Rather, the other party had killed Hua Guang. To fill Hua Guang's vacant position, he wanted to bring Ye Cangtian under his command.
This way, his influence would not weaken but rather strengthen.
Moreover, even if he couldn't recruit God of Death, since the other party had already come to Imperial Dragon Villa, wouldn't the timing of any action be decided by him?
Hearing Lei Ming's explanation, Shen Kuo understood and continued, "Based on the current situation, this God of Death is like a stone in a latrine, stinking and hard. I think we should eliminate him as soon as possible!"
Shen Kuo could sense the immense pressure God of Death placed on Lei Ming. Such a person had to be eliminated early, otherwise, there could be endless trouble.
Lei Ming glanced at Shen Kuo, remained silent for a long time, and finally shook his head, saying, "Don't make a move yet. We have plenty of time to play with him..."
Upon hearing this, Shen Kuo's face darkened. He quickly stepped forward and said, "Villa Master, are you still not giving up? He is not someone you can control, and he might even be your number one enemy!"
"Shut up!"
Lei Ming directly interrupted Shen Kuo and said coldly, "Don't you understand that success depends on human effort? If we fail, it's not too late to get rid of him!"
Seeing that Lei Ming had made up his mind, Shen Kuo dared not say anything more. He shook his head helplessly and then retreated.
...
At night, after the banquet, in a certain room in the inner hall of the Imperial Dragon Hall.
Lan Yue arrived at Ye Cangtian's room and sat down.
Throughout the day, she had a stomach full of doubts but hadn't found an opportunity to ask.
Now that she finally had some free time, she immediately began to inquire.
"Junior Brother, why didn't you directly apprehend Lei Ming at the villa entrance earlier?"
In Lan Yue's opinion, the villa entrance earlier was a perfect opportunity. As long as Lei Ming was apprehended, Lei Ming's faction would be leaderless.
At that time, would it be difficult to control the entire villa?
But Ye Cangtian had not chosen to do so, which made her very puzzled.
Glancing at Lan Yue, Ye Cangtian smiled slightly and said, "Hearing is false, seeing is believing. Previously, our understanding of Lei Ming was based on what others said, so I wanted to observe him personally..."
Ye Cangtian explained calmly. Lei Ming was, after all, a registered disciple of Elder Zhou. Although Elder Zhou had given him the power of life and death, Ye Cangtian had to be cautious.
He did not want to kill a good person by mistake or let a villain go.
Besides this, he also wanted to see what Lei Ming's sudden change in attitude meant.
Upon hearing this, Lan Yue nodded in understanding.
He continued, "Then, in the grand hall, I saw you constantly provoking Lei Ming, and even agreeing to spar with Zhan Wufeng. Isn't this exposing your strength? Why did you do that?"
"If I don't provoke him, how will I know what methods he has?"
"As for exposing some of my strength, it is to warn Lei Ming that ordinary methods will not work on me! So, don't bother me with minor skirmishes!"
Ye Cangtian stated that he wanted Lei Ming to bring out all his trump cards.
This would also allow him to resolve the troubles of Imperial Dragon Villa in one go, avoiding delays.
After all, the situation in the Hidden Group was not good, so he had to return as soon as possible.
"Junior Brother, then what do you think of this Lei Ming?" Lan Yue asked curiously.
"Not good. This person is glib-tongued, very cunning, and greedy for power!"
Ye Cangtian glanced at Lan Yue and continued, "Coupled with the matter of Hua Guang, this person likely possesses ruthless methods. I'm afraid he won't remain quiet!"
This was what Ye Cangtian least wished to see.
He could feel that Lei Ming's cultivation was not low, and nurturing someone like Lei Ming would likely involve significant investment.
Therefore, he did not want to clear the house. He was thinking about how to make Lei Ming turn over a new leaf. If that happened, China would have another strong expert, which would be a good thing.
But many things, even if done with effort, would still leave regrets.
And from the current situation, it seemed difficult to make the other party change his ways.
"Junior Brother, since you have recognized everything, why don't you reveal your identity?" Lan Yue continued to ask.
"It's not time yet."
Ye Cangtian continued calmly, "If I reveal my identity now, it's possible to make Lei Ming abdicate and yield his position. But we can't stay here for long. So, after we leave, things will likely return to their original state."
Ye Cangtian's meaning was simple: if Lei Ming knew his true identity, he would definitely restrain himself and hide. This was like embers burning in wood.
On the surface, the fire in the embers was extinguished by water, but within the embers, there were still burning flames. When the moisture evaporated, the fire in the embers would still burn fiercely.
This would not achieve the effect of extinguishing the fire.
Hearing this, Lan Yue extended a finger and smiled, "Last question, aren't we just waiting here idly and doing nothing?"
"Of course not."
Ye Cangtian waved his hand, denying Lan Yue, but he did not explicitly state how they would proceed.
The next moment, he said, "Senior Sister, it's getting late. You should go back and rest."
Lan Yue nodded gently upon hearing this and then left the room.
After Lan Yue left, Ye Cangtian changed into night-traveling clothes and then quietly left the room.