In the early morning, the sun rose.
The hum of engines announced the arrival of a helicopter, which landed in the courtyard of the villa.
Lan Yue and members of the Death Squad, including Qiangwei, slowly disembarked from the helicopter, awaiting Ye Cangtian's arrival.
Inside the room.
Ye Cangtian tidied up quietly, cast a final lingering glance at the sleeping Tang Xinwan, and then left the room.
“Cangtian, Viper and Scorpion have been settled. The other members are all here, ready to depart at any time.”
Seeing Ye Cangtian approach, Qiangwei hurried to greet him.
Ye Cangtian nodded, glanced at Lan Yue again, and then said, “I won’t say much more. I hope when you return, you will all be entirely new, powerful selves. Depart!”
With that, Ye Cangtian was the first to board the helicopter.
The others, upon hearing Ye Cangtian’s words, felt their blood surge and followed suit.
As the engines hummed once more, the helicopter lifted into the sky.
…
After several hours of flight, Ye Cangtian and his group had arrived at the entrance to the Chinese ruins.
“Greetings, Lord Ye!”
“Greetings, Lord Ye…”
“Lord Ye, could you possibly give me an autograph…”
The guards at the entrance, upon seeing Ye Cangtian, showed looks of adoration in their eyes and stepped forward.
They had already heard the news from the Temple of Light. Ye Cangtian’s series of actions had made him an omnipotent god in their hearts!
“Thank you all for your hard work. Without you guarding this place, I wouldn’t have been able to proceed so smoothly.”
“Therefore, half of this military merit belongs to you as well.”
“As for autographs and such, we can discuss them later. We have important matters to discuss…”
Ye Cangtian responded humbly, then headed towards the main command tent.
As he entered the tent, he nearly bumped into Bai Zhenshan and Jian Wusheng. Upon hearing of Ye Cangtian’s return, they had immediately prepared to welcome him.
However, Ye Cangtian had arrived at the tent a step ahead of them.
“Kid, you’ve practically created a legend. Even this old man is starting to admire you now.”
Bai Zhenshan patted Ye Cangtian on the shoulder with a smile after he recovered, saying.
Jian Wusheng also chimed in, “Kid, you did brilliantly! Our Chinese forces can finally hold their heads high!”
Hearing their words, Ye Cangtian cupped his fists with a smile and replied, “You are too kind, seniors. My achievements are all thanks to your support from behind.”
After a humble reply, Ye Cangtian changed the subject, “Seniors, I have come with important matters to discuss.”
Hmm?
Upon hearing the word “important,” the smiles on Bai Zhenshan and Jian Wusheng’s faces vanished, and they became serious.
If Ye Cangtian called something an important matter, it must be significant, and they had to treat it with utmost seriousness.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian said, “No rush. Seniors, please accompany me to Hidden City. You will understand once we get there.”
“Alright.”
Upon hearing this, Bai Zhenshan and Jian Wusheng did not hesitate. They agreed immediately, gave the necessary orders, and then entered the ruins with Ye Cangtian and his group.
Not long after, they arrived at Hidden City, the branch of the Hidden Organization.
Yin Tao’s heart sank upon seeing Ye Cangtian and the others arrive. Under normal circumstances, Bai Zhenshan and Jian Wusheng would not come together.
One of them would usually remain to guard the entrance.
But now, with both of them present, and Ye Cangtian accompanying them, an ominous feeling suddenly arose within him.
Could it be that Ye Cangtian’s return brought some bad news?
Thinking of this, he lost the mood to congratulate Ye Cangtian.
On the other side, seeing the serious expressions on the faces of the three seniors, Ye Cangtian chuckled and said, “Seniors, although I said I have important matters to discuss, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad news, does it? Why the long faces?”
Uh…
Hearing this, Bai Zhenshan and the other two exchanged glances, and their expressions softened somewhat.
A moment later, Jian Wusheng glared at him fiercely and said grumpily, “You little brat, you did this on purpose to mess with us, didn’t you?”
Ye Cangtian waved his hands repeatedly, saying, “How dare I? I wouldn’t dare even if you gave me a hundred times the courage!”
“Hmph!”
Jian Wusheng snorted and said, “Then get to the point, spit it out if you have something to say!”
Among the three, he was the most familiar with Ye Cangtian and therefore never stood on ceremony with him.
“I’ve come this time to return to Ghost City, and I’m also here to inform you that you can withdraw your troops!”
Ye Cangtian glanced at Jian Wusheng and said with a slight smile.
Withdraw troops?
Jian Wusheng, Bai Zhenshan, and Yin Tao were instantly stunned. They did not doubt Ye Cangtian’s authority.
Ye Cangtian had previously acted as the head of the Hidden Organization, and with his accomplishments, even if Dongfang Mingyue had come out of seclusion, Ye Cangtian still had the right to make such a statement.
However, they still had concerns.
The next moment, Jian Wusheng looked at Ye Cangtian and said, “Kid, we know the Temple of Light suffered heavy losses, but that doesn’t mean we can relax!”
Jian Wusheng’s meaning was simple: even without the Temple of Light and the Dark Association causing trouble, there were still other forces.
Especially with the Four Seals in Ye Cangtian’s possession, many forces would undoubtedly try to seize them.
If they withdrew at this moment, wouldn’t it be equivalent to opening a convenient door for the opposition?
This was not a good thing for the Hidden Organization.
Hearing Jian Wusheng’s words, Ye Cangtian smiled and said, “It’s alright. My strength is basically exposed. If they want to deal with me, they will certainly make thorough arrangements…”
Ye Cangtian explained simply that by now, almost everyone knew he had broken through to the Heavenly level.
The safest method to kill him would be to send Heavenly level experts.
If it were truly a team led by Heavenly level experts, the guards at the entrance of the ruins, even if they successfully intercepted the enemy, would suffer heavy casualties.
Ye Cangtian did not want to see the brave soldiers who had guarded there for so long sacrifice themselves in vain. Therefore, after much deliberation, he still felt it was necessary to withdraw the troops.
In this way, if Heavenly level experts were to come, they would seek him out, which would invisibly reduce a lot of combat losses.
“This…”
Hearing Ye Cangtian’s words, the three exchanged glances and fell silent.
Although Ye Cangtian’s words were somewhat harsh, they were also factual.
Even if the guards were battle-hardened, and even if the three of them were present, it would be difficult to resist an assault led by Heavenly level experts. It would be a futile sacrifice.
However, if these guards were deployed to other matters, the effects would be unimaginable.
“I agree with your assessment.”
Yin Tao spoke first. Seeing that Bai Zhenshan and Jian Wusheng had no objections, he continued, “Then what about the Chinese entrance from now on? We can’t just abandon it, can we?”
“Of course, we have to guard it.”
Ye Cangtian glanced over and continued, “My intention is that the guards outside the entrance can be withdrawn, but the interior must still be heavily guarded…”
Ye Cangtian’s intention was that a certain number of troops could remain inside the ruins entrance and in Hidden City to prevent some minor forces from entering.
Of course, someone still needed to be in charge here. Ye Cangtian thought it would be very good for Yin Tao to continue staying here.
There were two reasons: firstly, Yin Tao had guarded this place for so long and was very familiar with everything here.
Secondly, Yin Tao was also quite familiar with other forces, which would facilitate cooperation.
Hearing this, Yin Tao remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll stay.”
Yin Tao himself was a solitary figure. For him, it made no difference where he was, as long as he could contribute to the Hidden Organization.
“Good! Since that’s the case, it’s settled.”
Ye Cangtian responded, then looked at Jian Wusheng and Bai Zhenshan, saying, “Seniors, if you have no objections, please go back and make preparations. I believe those soldiers who have held on for so long must be eager to go home and see their families.”
Hearing Ye Cangtian’s words, Jian Wusheng and Bai Zhenshan nodded slowly, then issued instructions and left Hidden City.
After they left, Ye Cangtian looked at Yin Tao again and said, “Senior, you have worked hard for such a long time. Take these pills and find two helpers to promote.”
As he spoke, Ye Cangtian took out several small porcelain bottles and handed them over.
These included not only Nine Revolutions Golden Pills but also Enlightenment Pills and Nine Heavens Longevity Pills. This was Ye Cangtian’s acknowledgment of Yin Tao.
Although Yin Tao was stationed in Hidden City, without his support, the guards outside the entrance would not have been able to hold on until now.
Looking at the pills in his hands, Yin Tao said, “Kid, you know, I came here to atone for my mistakes. I really don’t need these pills.”
“Senior, you have been diligent and conscientious for many years. What mistakes could you possibly have made?”
“Take these pills. Perhaps trouble will arise here soon, and you will find it difficult to handle it on your own…”
Hearing Ye Cangtian’s words, Yin Tao finally accepted the pills.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian chatted with Yin Tao for a while, then took Qiangwei and the others, boarded a carriage, and headed all the way to Dragon City.
…