Ye Cangtian had roughly deduced the outcome.
Qing Dao was first struck heavily in the back, then subjected to humiliation by the opponent, and finally met his end with a fatal blow to the throat.
It was also due to the commotion caused by Qing Dao that others were drawn to this location.
This led to the bloodstains in the hall.
It was simple; if the battle had occurred in the hall first, with Qing Dao’s strength and heightened alertness, it would have been difficult for anyone to get the drop on him.
As he thought this, Ye Cangtian glanced at the other corpses, noting a commonality among them.
A single, fatal blow!
Either to the neck or the chest, executed cleanly and decisively.
After examining several bodies, Ye Cangtian then inspected the room.
Just as Zi Long had said, there were no traces in the room; it was evident that the assassin had meticulously cleaned up all evidence.
Not long after, Ye Cangtian returned to Zi Long, shaking his head in resignation.
Seeing this, Zi Long understood Ye Cangtian's meaning and immediately summoned several deacons of the Dark Association to properly handle the burials.
Zi Long himself then led Ye Cangtian and Lan Yue to an unoccupied and relatively quiet room, where they sat down.
"Po Xiao, do you believe this matter is related to the Guang Ming Hall?"
Zi Long inquired, suppressing his overwhelming rage.
In truth, he had already reached a conclusion, but he was unwilling to admit it.
He was unwilling to admit that Guang Ming Hall had not acted against the Chinese factions, but had instead initiated a killing spree against the Dark Association.
Nor was he willing to admit that his own carelessness and arrogance had led to Qing Dao's death.
Therefore, when asking Po Xiao, he still harbored a sliver of hope, wishing it to be the work of other factions!
"Besides them, who else could it be!"
Ye Cangtian said helplessly, looking at Zi Long forcefully suppressing his anger.
Not to mention anything else, Qing Dao was a Earth-level expert. Even if ambushed, it would be difficult for someone without considerable strength to achieve it.
And looking at the international powers, few could contend with Qing Dao, and even fewer could successfully ambush him.
However, these were all in the past.
For a long time, Earth-level experts were not common, being few and far between.
It was only recently that Guang Ming Hall, from an unknown source, obtained a large number of Nine Revolutions Golden Pills, leading to a surge in Earth-level experts.
Most importantly, this batch of Earth-level experts had also undergone training at Tian Wang, mastering assassination skills.
And judging by the wounds on Qing Dao's body, there were traces of at least five different weapons.
This coincided with the number of Red Cardinals Ye Cangtian had seen at Ting Feng Lou previously.
With this information, Ye Cangtian could basically conclude that these five individuals were likely the five Red Cardinals led by Ha Sa Er and Qiao.
*Grumble...*
Upon hearing Po Xiao's words, Zi Long clenched his fists tightly, producing a grumbling sound.
This was a blatant slap in the face!
Just yesterday, during the day, Po Xiao had warned him to be cautious, yet due to his arrogance, he had completely disregarded it, even mocking the other party in his heart.
But less than twelve hours later, the Dark Association paid a bitter price for his misjudgment, with an Earth-level deacon dead in his own mansion.
This was a complete humiliation, and it fully ignited Zi Long's rage and his bloodthirsty nature.
"Guang Ming Hall, I don't care who you are! How dare you touch my brother, I will hunt you down and flay you alive!"
Finally, Zi Long could no longer suppress his anger and roared.
"Brother Zi Long, please remain calm. This is not the time for anger."
Ye Cangtian quickly stepped forward to placate him, continuing, "This is near Kyoto, who knows if the other party has drawn the Chinese factions here, so it's best for us to leave as soon as possible."
As for anything else, it could be discussed after they returned.
What worried Ye Cangtian the most at this moment was this very possibility.
If the people from Guang Ming Hall, while withdrawing, intentionally led the Chinese factions to this location.
Then, given Zi Long's current furious state, he would absolutely go on a rampage to vent his anger!
Therefore, the most urgent matter now was to persuade Zi Long to leave.
"Po Xiao, you are always so calm!"
Hearing Ye Cangtian's voice, Zi Long stared at him intently and said grimly.
It was clear that he was very dissatisfied with Po Xiao's attitude.
After all, Qing Dao was not an ordinary Xuan-level deacon, but a comrade with whom they had shared life and death, an Earth-level deacon of the Dark Association.
With the loss of Qing Dao, they not only lost a brother they could rely on, but the Dark Association's strength would also be greatly diminished.
Yet, from Po Xiao's eyes, Zi Long saw no trace of grief, only depth and calmness, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.
"My lord, not showing something does not mean it is not in one's heart."
Ye Cangtian glanced calmly at Zi Long, naturally understanding the underlying meaning of his words.
To be honest, although Qing Dao was temperamental and had limited abilities.
Qing Dao had always appreciated him greatly, had helped him, and had unreservedly obeyed his commands. Therefore, Ye Cangtian felt some regret over Qing Dao's current predicament.
However, given their opposing factions, his composure was relatively understandable.
"Zi Long, we are all deeply saddened by Qing Dao's death, and we understand how you feel."
"But anger now will only cause you to lose your judgment and might miss the opportunity for revenge.
"Besides, what Po Xiao said is not unreasonable. If the Chinese factions truly arrive, fighting them wouldn't be an issue, but do you think it's worth letting the Guang Ming Hall people sit back and watch the conflict?"
Lan Yue, on the other side, seeing Zi Long's gaze turn towards Ye Cangtian, paused for a moment before stepping forward and speaking.
After her words fell, Zi Long glanced at the two in front of him and gritted his teeth, "You are probably right. Let's go!"
Lan Yue was right. Zi Long did not fear the Chinese factions.
However, if the people from Guang Ming Hall were to reap the benefits, it would be a loss outweighing the gain.
Leaving the western outskirts of the city, the three headed straight for the Hilton Hotel.
...
Upon returning to their suite at the Hilton Hotel.
The journey had helped Zi Long calm down considerably. He glanced at Po Xiao and said, "Po Xiao, contact Huang Jiu and have her find a way to get the specific location of Guang Ming Hall from Ye Cangtian."
Zi Long knew very well that with the Dark Association's intelligence network in Kyoto, it would be very difficult to search for the whereabouts of the Guang Ming Hall squad.
The most convenient method would be to utilize the Chinese factions.
And Huang Jiu had always been lurking beside Ye Cangtian. If Ye Cangtian received any news, Huang Jiu would naturally have an opportunity to obtain it.
At that time, Zi Long could personally eliminate this Guang Ming Hall squad, or at least sit back and watch the conflict unfold.
"There's no need for that."
The moment he heard Zi Long's words, Ye Cangtian understood his intentions.
He would absolutely not give Zi Long any opportunity to benefit from a situation without his own involvement.
Seeing Zi Long's puzzled gaze, Ye Cangtian quickly added, "Along the way, I've been thinking a lot, and I have some guesses about Guang Ming Hall's actions. You might as well listen..."
First, Ye Cangtian tentatively classified this incident as a retaliatory action by Guang Ming Hall.
The reason Guang Ming Hall had not chosen to act against the Chinese factions.
In his opinion, it was because Ye Cangtian had severely injured Ha Sa Er and Qiao at Ting Feng Lou, leaving them with significant psychological trauma.
And within the Chinese factions, there were ultimately three people Guang Ming Hall would want to retaliate against.
One was Ye Cangtian, and the other two were Gui Wu and the traitor Nancy.
All three lived in Ye Cangtian's villa, making it difficult for Guang Ming Hall to find an opportune moment to act. Even if they did, the risk would be considerable.
Under such circumstances, choosing the Dark Association was naturally the best option, as they could at least be dealt with one by one.
Secondly, following the order of least difficult first, Ye Cangtian believed that Guang Ming Hall's next target should be Lan Yue, and then himself.
Therefore, there was no need to wait for Huang Jiu to get information from Ye Cangtian; they could simply wait by Lan Yue's side.
*Thump!*
Listening to Ye Cangtian's analysis, Lan Yue felt her heart skip a beat. She was truly startled.
If their target had been her last night, then the person who died today could have been herself, especially since the wounds on Qing Dao indicated the presence of at least five attackers.
No matter how overconfident Lan Yue was, she could not deal with five people, let alone being ambushed.
"Wait!"
Hearing this, Zi Long called out to stop him. He glanced at Ye Cangtian and said, "Although what you said has some merit, the problem is, what if their next target isn't Lan Yue?"
In Zi Long's view, this was all just speculation by Po Xiao, and the other party might not follow this path.
Besides, if Po Xiao could think of the order of least difficult first, wouldn't Guang Ming Hall be able to?
Wouldn't they be afraid of having their patterns discovered?
Hearing Zi Long's doubts, Ye Cangtian smiled slightly and said, "If they are truly here for revenge, they will have no choice but to follow this pattern of action!"
Ye Cangtian was very certain of this point.
It was very simple; no matter who Guang Ming Hall targeted, whether it was Gui Wu or Nancy, it would be extremely risky.
If their actions encountered Ye Cangtian, not only would the chance of failure increase exponentially, but they might also face casualties.
After all, the other party also knew that Ye Cangtian was not someone to be trifled with.
Don't forget, this was Chinese territory, and would the Chinese factions simply watch them attack Ye Cangtian?
Therefore, Guang Ming Hall would basically not choose to retaliate against Ye Cangtian and the others first.
With that, Ye Cangtian paused and looked at Zi Long, "Then their targets for revenge are limited to two people, Lan Yue and Po Xiao. Who do you think Guang Ming Hall will strike at?"