Elder Qing was incredibly fast, reaching the two of them in just a few breaths. "Still think you can run?" Elder Qing said, steadying himself as he faced the two fleeing Black Iron Guards.
The two Black Iron Guards were momentarily stunned by Elder Qing's sudden appearance. They couldn't discern this person's Power Level, which meant he was undoubtedly an expert.
"Sir, who are you? Why are you blocking our way?" one of the Black Iron Guards asked Elder Qing.
"You are not worthy of knowing who I am," Elder Qing said flatly, his tone as cold and indifferent as winter ice. "But you'd best stay here obediently. If you try to run, your death will come in the next instant."
Anger flickered across their faces, but they didn't dare act rashly, intimidated by Elder Qing's power. "Sir, there must be a reason you're keeping us here. We don't believe we've offended you!" the other Black Iron Guard said.
"It doesn't matter that you don't know him, because I'm the one who had him stop you. Surprising, isn't it?" At that moment, Ye Tian's figure appeared before the three of them.
"You? Who in the world are you?" The two were startled, never imagining that Ye Tian could command the expert before them to stop them.
"Young Master, how do you wish to deal with these two?" Elder Qing asked Ye Tian respectfully.
"Get the information out of them. We can consider sparing their lives. But if they dare to hide anything, show no mercy." Ye Tian's tone was just as cold.
It was only then that the two of them understood Ye Tian was no simple character. 'We really misjudged him,' they thought. 'This middle-aged man actually calls him Young Master—what power's Young Master could he possibly be?'
"You heard my Young Master! Now talk. Who are you, and why did you come to Lisha City? If you dare hide the slightest detail, this will be the consequence!" Elder Qing said to the pair.
As soon as he finished speaking, he flicked his palm, and a powerful wave of energy shot out, striking a giant boulder dozens of meters away.
"BOOM!" After the deafening sound, the giant boulder turned to dust and scattered into the air, instantly filling the area with a hazy smoke.
The thunderous explosion made the color drain from their faces. They had never seen anyone hit something dozens of meters away with a casual palm strike.
Even when using a Weapon, the furthest one could project Sword Qi was about ten meters, and that was a feat many couldn't accomplish.
In their memory, perhaps only a Golden Guard could strike a target more than ten meters away, and a Golden Guard had to have the power of the Five Veins.
But the Attack Power this middle-aged man had just displayed was far beyond what someone with Five Veins could achieve. They suspected he might be a legendary Seven Veins Martial Emperor.
Ye Tian was also secretly stunned. 'The range of Elder Qing's strike is unbelievable,' he thought. 'And he pulverized the boulder... That Attack Power is truly terrifying.'
Had Ye Tian looked closer, he would have been even more shocked, because the ground in a several-meter radius had also been turned to dust. A whirlwind could have instantly swept the pulverized earth into the air, leaving a pit several meters deep.
"My patience is limited. You'd best tell the truth. If you think your bodies are harder than that boulder, you're welcome to find out," Elder Qing said then.
He suddenly released the aura of a true expert, and the two Black Iron Guards immediately found it hard to breathe, feeling as if they were suffocating.
Ye Tian, standing to the side, felt nothing at all, which showed how well Elder Qing could control the pressure his aura radiated.
"Sir, who are you? My brother and I have no grievance with you. Please, let us go!" one of the Black Iron Guards couldn't help but beg.
"Who are you? And why did you come to Lisha City?" Elder Qing said impatiently. If Ye Tian hadn't wanted answers, he would have already annihilated the two of them, body and soul.
"We are Black Iron Guards from Quanxing City. We came to Lisha City because our Branch Leader received an assassination mission and sent us here," one of the Black Iron Guards said.
"Quanxing City? Branch Leader? Aren't you guys based in the Imperial City? What are you doing in Quanxing City?" Ye Tian asked, confused.
"Sir, you may not know, but the Shadow Celestial Dragon Team's main base is indeed in the Imperial City. That place is filled with masters. With our Power Level, we could never get in.
"In the Imperial City, the weakest are the Silver Guards. The Shadow Celestial Dragon Team has many branches, and Quanxing City is one of them, responsible for some Low Level assassination missions," the other man explained respectfully to Ye Tian. His change of address to "sir" showed just how afraid of death he was.
Ye Tian now understood what was going on. 'The Shadow Celestial Dragon Team is so vast because it's made up of countless branches. Only core members can enter the Imperial City.'
'Ordinary members are probably scattered throughout large and medium-sized cities, while only the weakest Black Iron Guards would show up in a small city like Quanxing City—though Quanxing City is dozens of times larger than Lisha City.'
"So what mission did you come here to complete?" Ye Tian asked.
"Sir, we really can't say! The organization has its rules. We can't betray the organization or sell out its secrets. If the organization found out, we'd be dismembered!" one of the Black Iron Guards said.
"Is that so? You're afraid your organization will dismember you, but you're not afraid that we'll utterly annihilate you, body and soul?" Ye Tian smiled faintly, like a cat toying with a mouse. "If you're smart, you'll deal with the crisis right in front of you. You have zero chance of escaping from Elder Qing."
Hearing this, their expressions changed drastically. They glanced at each other and made a decision.
"Sir, if we tell you the truth, will you let us go?" a Black Iron Guard asked.
"That depends on whether you're telling the truth. If there's even half a lie, you will be shown no mercy!" Ye Tian's voice suddenly turned harsh and severe. His attitude shifted quickly, giving a sense of both threat and promise.
"We were ordered by our Branch Leader to come to Lisha City and assassinate someone named Ye Tian! We came here because we received intel that this Ye Tian had come to this back mountain!" the Black Iron Guard said.
"Assassinate Ye Tian? Heh heh! Then do you know who paid for his assassination?" Ye Tian wanted to know who wanted him dead, and to see if it was who he suspected.
'But based on Ye Feifei's analysis, it was most likely arranged by someone from the Qin Family. To get revenge on me without damaging their relationship with the Ye Family, their only choice was to hire members of the Shadow Celestial Dragon Team from Quanxing City to handle it.'
"Sir, that's an organizational secret! We were just following orders. We really don't know!" one of the Black Iron Guards said hurriedly.
"You really don't know? Or are you trying to hide something?" Ye Tian stared at them, looking like he could erupt at any moment.
"We really don't know! But not long ago, the Qin Family's Grand Elder from Lisha City did appear at our organization. We don't know if it was the Qin Family who paid for Ye Tian's life, but sir, we're telling the truth!" the other Black Iron Guard said, looking like he was about to fall to his knees before Ye Tian.
"The Qin Family. Excellent! Then do you happen to know who I am?" Ye Tian's tone changed again as he offered a slight smile. It was the kind of smile that made one's hair stand on end...