Although Zang Xin was only the Vice Sect Master of the Tang Sect, with Cao Dezhi spending most of his time stationed at the Blood God Legion, the Tang Sect was essentially under Zang Xin's control.
But now, such a powerful four-word battle armor Extreme Douluo had ended up in this miserable state. Not only were the netizens in the live stream shocked, but even the high-ranking officials of the Sun-Moon Federation were filled with sighs of regret.
To be seen in such a state by so many people—how could the once high and mighty Zang Xin ever accept this? His eyes flickered with emotions—anger, fear, terror, shame, hatred—all passing through one by one.
In the end, he simply rolled his eyes and fainted.
"Xia Yi!" Seeing Zang Xin's wretched appearance, Yali turned to Xia Yi, her beautiful eyes filled with anger.
Zang Xin had been missing for an entire year.
Looking at his current state, he had likely been soaking in a cesspool for a whole year.
And the one responsible for all of this was most likely Xia Yi?
"What is it?" Xia Yi asked indifferently.
"I…"
Yali was furious. She hadn't expected Xia Yi to be so cruel.
But hearing Xia Yi's calm voice, she suddenly didn't know what to say.
Xia Yi was cruel, but wasn't the Tang Sect cruel too, having killed so many people?
She could only steel herself and say, "Can you at least have someone clean him up so we can proceed with the interrogation?"
Although Yali sympathized with Zang Xin, she also understood that in the current situation, expecting the Federation to release Zang Xin was impossible.
She could only try to make him suffer less.
"No need. Just throw him into the large pit in the Cangshan District as he is. There's nothing left there now—let him bask in the sun properly," Xia Yi said coldly.
"That's not a good idea. What if he gets rescued by the Tang Sect?" Yu Guanzhi couldn't help but speak up.
"If the Tang Sect can just waltz in and take him out of Mingdu, you might as well all commit collective suicide," Xia Yi rolled his eyes. At this point, the Tang Sect only had one remaining Extreme Douluo, Cao Dezhi.
If a mere Extreme Douluo—who wasn't even at the Quasi-God level—could openly rescue the Federation's most important prisoner right under the noses of the Sun-Moon Federation's top brass, then the Federation might as well disband.
If Cao Dezhi dared to bring the Tang Sect's higher-ups to Mingdu to rescue Zang Xin, wouldn't that be the perfect chance to wipe them all out in one go?
"Regardless of Zang Xin's importance to the Tang Sect, Ruthless Douluo would never abandon him given their relationship. Perhaps we can use Zang Xin to negotiate with the Tang Sect," Chen Xinjie said in a deep voice.
Xia Yi glanced at Chen Xinjie and said, "Even if we negotiate, that doesn't mean Zang Xin should have a comfortable time. Maybe if we make him suffer more, Cao Dezhi will be willing to hand over the Tang Sect's underground arms factories."
Hearing this, the Speaker of the Sun-Moon Federation's Parliament's eyes lit up, "Good! We'll follow Xia Yi's plan. Throw Zang Xin into the Cangshan District pit for a few days—let him atone for the innocent citizens who died there."
The Speaker immediately called for people to take Zang Xin away.
They didn't even clean him up—just dumped him, still covered in filth, into the Cangshan District.
With Zang Xin as a bargaining chip, the Sun-Moon Federation finally held the upper hand in their battle against the Tang Sect.
"Sigh…" Yali let out a soft sigh, wanting to plead for Zang Xin. But looking at the massive crater in Cangshan District, she ultimately remained silent.
So many people had died—no matter how the Federation treated the Tang Sect's members, it was deserved.
Shrek City, Tang Sect Headquarters
Cao Dezhi's eyes turned bloodshot as he watched the live stream.
On the screen, Zang Xin had regained consciousness, but only his eyes could move.
Under the scorching sun, the filth on his body had begun to harden into crusted patches, clinging to him like a second skin.
If the explosion hadn't wiped out every single fly in the Cangshan District, his body would probably have been swarming with them by now.
"Xia Yi, I'm going to kill you!" Cao Dezhi roared toward the sky, his hoarse voice resounding throughout Shrek City.
It wasn't just him—every disciple of the Tang Sect, including their spies embedded in various organizations, was red-eyed with fury.
In just one day, the Sun-Moon Federation had already captured dozens of Tang Sect spies who couldn't bear to see Zang Xin suffer and had attempted to rescue him.
These spies had originally been deeply hidden, yet despite knowing they had no chance of saving Zang Xin, they still couldn't resist exposing themselves.
Suddenly, Cao Dezhi's office door was pushed open, and a Tang Sect disciple entered.
"Sect Master, Director Ling is here. She's in the reception room, demanding to see you."
"Ling Zichen, Zang Xin's adopted daughter? Why is she here? Let her in. No… I'll go see her," Cao Dezhi took a deep breath and walked toward the reception room.
Before he even reached the door, he heard an angry voice gritting out each word:
"That damned Xia Yi… he better not fall into my hands, or I'll blow him to pieces!"
"Sigh!" Cao Dezhi knew there was no avoiding this. He pushed open the door and stepped inside.
The moment he entered, he saw Ling Zichen standing by the window, looking out while hammering the windowsill with her fists.
Her figure was rather striking.
She was wearing a simple black uniform—a black over-knee pencil skirt, a fitted black blazer, and a white dress shirt visible at the neckline. Her black hair was tied up in a bun, secured with a wooden hairpin.
But what set her apart was her highly exaggerated curves.
Her waist was slim, but her hips were disproportionately large—round, perky, almost overly ample. Paired with her long legs, she was undeniably a symbol of sensuality.
Because her hips were so pronounced, they immediately drew the eye.
Her face wasn't extraordinarily beautiful, but her large eyes, sun-kissed tan skin, and light freckles gave her a wild charm. Yet, the black-framed glasses she wore added a professional touch to her otherwise untamed appearance.
"Old Cao! You have to save my father!" The moment Ling Zichen saw Cao Dezhi, her eyes turned red again.
"Don't worry. I'm already working on it," Cao Dezhi assured her.
"Damn the Federation! If something happens to my father, don't blame me for making all of Heaven Dou City pay for it!" Ling Zichen's eyes burned with madness. And she had the means to make good on that threat.
"Enough, don't say such reckless things. If word gets out, it'll be bad for the Tang Sect's image," Cao Dezhi shook his head. "The Federation wants to use Zang Xin to force us to surrender our underground arms factories, so they won't actually kill him."
Truthfully, Cao Dezhi also wanted to threaten the Federation with Heaven Dou City.
If they didn't release Zang Xin, he'd blow up the whole city.
But the weight of such a statement was too heavy—he didn't dare to say it out loud.
"But are we really going to just watch my father be humiliated?" Ling Zichen asked, her eyes red.
"There's only one way to save Zang Xin," Cao Dezhi's gaze turned ruthless.
"What way?" Ling Zichen's sorrow turned to joy.
"The… Holy… Spirit… Cult!" Cao Dezhi slowly uttered three words.
"Holy Spirit Cult?!" Ling Zichen's expression changed—she knew exactly what that name meant.
"Mingdu has millions of dead—there's no way the Holy Spirit Cult would pass up such a chance to collect resentful spirits. They're already in the city, but the Federation is too focused on us to notice. If we're willing to pay the price, they'll gladly save Zang Xin for us. All we need to do is create a diversion," Cao Dezhi said coldly.
"What price? What can we offer them?" Ling Zichen asked.
"Four-word battle armor."
Cao Dezhi's voice was icy. "The Holy Spirit Cult has no Divine Craftsmen. Even if they have four-word battle armor, it's artificially enhanced—not true four-word armor. If we give them Divine Craftsman Zhen Hua, they'll definitely agree to the exchange."
Cao Dezhi snorted coldly, he couldn't save Zang Xin, but he could take Zhen Hua.
As long as he could take control of Zhen Hua, he believed that the attention of the powerful figures in the Sun-Moon Federation would be entirely drawn to him.
This would create the perfect opportunity for the Holy Spirit Cult to make their move and rescue Zang Xin.
"Brilliant! We have people inside the Blacksmith Association. Finding the right moment to take Zhen Hua down will be incredibly easy. Hahaha! The Sun-Moon Federation would never expect us to target Zhen Hua, no matter how hard they try to predict our actions!" Ling Zichen burst into laughter.
"But how are we supposed to contact the Holy Spirit Cult?" Ling Zichen suddenly realized a crucial issue.
"Heh, we previously captured a few evil soul masters from the Holy Spirit Cult and have been keeping them imprisoned. Although they're just insignificant pawns within the cult, they should still be capable of delivering a message," Cao Dezhi said with a sly smile.