"How about it? Are you letting me in now?"
Ye Yang's seemingly casual movement had actually been deliberately performed for them to see!
Until the very last moment, he had no intention of taking out this Azure Cloud Token!
His voice was not loud, but the two men were clearly knowledgeable. They immediately recognized that this token was no ordinary object.
"Big brother, what do we do now? We thought he was a soft persimmon, but who would have expected him to be such a tough bone?"
One of them had long since lost his earlier arrogance and immediately become cautious. The two of them exchanged a careful discussion.
They secretly observed Ye Yang's reaction while racking their brains for a way to smooth things over.
"What do we do? What else can we do? Of course, we think of a way to apologize to him and hope he's magnanimous enough not to hold it against us."
"Let's hope so. Given the situation, this is all we can do. What else is there?"
After their secret exchange, the two had already come up with their own method of offering compensation and apologizing.
"Hero, you're a magnanimous man. Please don't stoop to arguing with the likes of us."
"That's right. We had eyes but failed to recognize a true dragon and offended you. We'll accept whatever punishment you deem fit."
At that moment, their expressions suddenly turned solemn. They looked at each other as though they had just made some sort of decision.
"Now!" The two moved in perfect unison and dropped to their knees before Ye Yang with a thump!
Each of them reached out to grab one of Ye Yang's hands or feet, but he dodged them directly.
"What are you two doing? This is only a small matter. Why take it so seriously? If you're willing to redeem yourselves through merit, then lead the way."
Ye Yang's skin crawled after the two of them had pulled this stunt, but he had no choice. He was unfamiliar with the place and needed someone to guide him to the vicinity of Heaven's Pride Arena.
"Hero, please wait a moment. The two of us need to hand things over. We'll make the arrangements immediately."
He looked up at the time. It was almost the critical point when night would fall. The moment darkness descended, the area outside the city walls would become a paradise for vicious beasts.
No ordinary person had ever survived a night outside. Unless one possessed formidable strength and extraordinary skills, there was perhaps still a chance of seeing the sun the next day.
That was only the first danger. Furthermore, once a sandstorm arrived, it would bury a person alive so deeply that there would not even be a chance to call for help.
"Fine, no problem. As long as you let me into the city, everything is negotiable. Hurry up and arrange a place for me to stay, or bear the consequences."
For some unknown reason, the two men's attitudes had changed by a full one hundred and eighty degrees. Ye Yang could not be bothered to argue with them now.
White Cloud City had originated from the place where the Azure Cloud Sword Sect was located. It was also one of their core territories and the very place they relied on to survive.
It was even the first battlefield in the campaign to eliminate demons and uphold justice—the first, and also the last, most important line of defense.
On one side, it bordered the Wildlands, where many powerful demonic beasts roamed and wreaked havoc upon the world.
On the other, it bordered Avici Hell, which was a paradise for the Devil Race. Its unique geographical position alone determined its importance.
It was said that there were only seven Azure Cloud Tokens. Whoever possessed one could have the Azure Cloud Sword Sect do three things for them!
The instant one appeared, it would stir up a bloody storm and set the entire martial world boiling again. No one had expected it to appear in his hands, however.
After endless years, six of the seven tokens had already been collected. Only the last one remained scattered in the mortal world, and no one had expected it to end up with this brat Ye Yang.
"What? Something like that happened? How do you people handle affairs? You can't even deal with such a minor matter."
Qin Hao was already blazing with fury. He had long since colluded with Elder Ye Wushuang of the Enforcement Hall from the Ye Household and arranged to capture him. Who would have thought he would actually dare to come?
His hand slammed heavily into the stone table in the room. With a boom, it shattered outright.
His chest heaved violently. Clearly, he found it utterly inconceivable when the man before him delivered the news.
"Young Sect Master, what should we do now?" The other party had an Azure Cloud Token in hand. Seeing that token was akin to seeing the Sect Master himself, so they dared not disobey.
"Come here. When the time comes, do this. Then we can wash our hands of everything completely. Understand?"
Qin Hao crooked a finger. His subordinate immediately understood, pressing an ear close to Qin Hao's mouth and listening attentively.
"This subordinate understands!"
After Qin Hao finished giving his instructions, the void trembled and a portal appeared. He stepped through it in one smooth stride and vanished without a trace!
Ye Yang paced back and forth. He knew certain people would not let the matter rest, but he upheld one principle: before absolute strength, every scheme was futile.
"Hero, sorry for the wait. This way, please!"
In a brief moment, the other party had finished making the arrangements and brought Ye Yang to a secluded room because he liked peace and quiet and disliked being disturbed.
After doing all this, he turned and left. Only when Ye Yang had completely disappeared from sight did the man finally reveal the expression of someone whose sinister plot had succeeded.
"Brat, you actually dare challenge our Young Sect Master? You truly don't know your own limits. This is only a tiny lesson for now. Just wait."
After finishing this task, he took out an object and sent a signal. The person far away had already received the message.
Night fell, and the entire world sank into complete silence. At this moment, White Cloud City appeared even more tranquil.
"How is it? Any gains?"
The group did not dare openly move against a mere Martial Master. What was more, the other party's identity was not simple. The fact that he could produce an Azure Cloud Token was enough to prove that he was extraordinary.
Taking advantage of the cover of night, they finally reached the place and began using their own special technique. The darkness was like a layer of protection draped directly over them, blending perfectly with the night and making them impossible to detect at the first moment.
"How is it? What's the situation?"
Qin Hao hid in the shadows, his eyes sharp as torches as he stared intently at the activity around the secluded room in the distance.
His subordinate hurried over and said in a low voice, "Everything went smoothly. He has entered the room, and Tianluo Earth Net has already been laid all around it."
A cold smile tugged at the corner of Qin Hao's mouth, and a ruthless light flickered in his eyes.
Under the night sky, his figure seemed to merge with the darkness, waiting only for the prey to fall into the net.
In the distance, candlelight swayed inside Ye Yang's room, illuminating a resolute face that remained completely unaware of the storm about to arrive.
"Excellent. Begin the operation. Remember one thing: don't leave behind a single trace."
"Rest assured, Young Sect Master. Leave this matter to us. You just wait here for good news."
All around them, shadowy figures approached without a sound, like ghosts in the night. A clash of hidden currents was about to unfold.
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