Jiang Cheng let go of the three hostages in front of him; he instructed Bald and Thin to refrain from contacting their superior during this period. As for Ba Lv, he drove her away.

Staying here now would be meaningless. As they were leaving, Bald and Thin candidly expressed their true feelings to Jiang Cheng, saying that if they were in charge, they would never oppose Jiang Cheng again.

If they had said this earlier, it would have been nothing short of a plea. But now, Jiang Cheng has already agreed to spare them, and the sincerity of their words carries great weight.

Bald and Thin felt a deep sense of gratitude.

In their Dark World, encountering a situation like theirs, an opponent would never easily let them go just because of a few words.

Bald and Thin have spent decades in the Dark World, going through numerous battles. Regardless of how they treated their captives or their companions fell into enemy hands, the end was almost always the same—death.

Whether they would endure inhuman torture and suffering before death entirely depended on the mood of their opponent.

If their opponent were in a good mood, they might grant those captives a quick death.

And if their opponent were in a bad mood, the hostages could only pray to their gods—assuming those wandering in the Dark World had gods.

Occasionally, there were exceptions when the organization made an appearance, paid substantial ransom, or agreed to the opponent's demands, sparing the captives from death.

But even in such circumstances, those ransomed captives couldn't expect to have their bodies intact.

They have seen firsthand the treatment their companions received.

Missing a few fingers, losing an ear, having an eye gouged—these were commonplace occurrences.

There was a time when a significant figure from the Black Exhaust Group fell into enemy hands. Despite the organization rapidly responding, contacting the enemy, willing to pay a substantial ransom, and returning a few captives of their own, the enemy's cruelty still vastly exceeded expectations.

The person responsible for the contact relayed their conditions in full, demanding that the prisoner remained physically unharmed.

The enemy indeed complied with their conditions, not physically harming the prisoner.

They only destroyed his psyche.

Who knows how their enemy achieved this in such a short time?

Bald and Thin clearly remembered, when they brought the prisoner back, although outwardly it seemed not a single fingernail or hair was lost, the person was utterly changed.

He would scream at anyone he saw, instinctively shrinking back into dark corners. Once, when someone with a gun approached to comfort him, he was so frightened he urinated himself, collapsing directly.

A substantial amount of money and several captives were exchanged for a broken person.

This incident once became a joke in the Dark World, and the Black Group lost face. Although in subsequent battles, the Black Group retaliated fiercely against the enemy, the shadow of this event remained etched in their minds like a clear stigma.

That is, under no circumstances should one become a prisoner.

Just with a few words, the alien man in front of them gave Bald and Thin a straightforward chance to survive, which was entirely unexpected.

Regardless, removing a few items from them seemed like the correct thing to do.

Though the man proposed conditions to them and the ensuing treatment was rather harsh, from this, Bald and Du Zi felt deep gratitude.

But regardless, he didn't harm them, didn't let them endure those inhuman trials Jiang Cheng waved his hand as a farewell to Bald and Thin.

Until Jiang Cheng and Yanran's silhouettes disappeared from their sight, Bald and Thin finally sank weakly to the ground.

The two of them had just returned from the gates of hell, luckily the outcome was favorable, allowing them to survive intact.

The pressure vanished along with the departure of the two aliens, and they finally felt relieved.

Surviving really isn't easy.

Yanran regained her spirits, walking beside Jiang Cheng. She asked her teacher: Where are we going now, boss?

Go back. Jiang Cheng's answer was simple.

Go back? What about Little Flaming Crow? Aren't we going to take care of it anymore? Yanran suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Of course we'll take care of it. We'll go back and pack up before setting off.

Yanran couldn't discern Jiang Cheng's thoughts and fell silent.

Since her teacher said he wouldn't give up on finding the Little Flaming Crow, then he must have a plan.

Teacher, why didn't you keep Ba Lv with us? It would be more lively with one more person, wouldn't it?

After a few steps, Yanran couldn't help but ask.

That girl would only get in our way, Jiang Cheng turned his head to look at his disciple, "Don't you want to find Little Flaming Fire anymore?"

I do, of course I do! Yanran's tone was enthusiastic, but soon her mood sank again. "Teacher, you don't know how worried I am about her, scared she's being mistreated by them. She has bad feet and is a picky eater."

Yanran had plenty to say about Little Flaming Firebird and continued rambling on. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

I don't know what those bad people capture her for; she's just a little bird. Even if she's special, what can she do besides spitting fire when she grows up?

Jiang Cheng didn't say a word, his female disciple's love for chatter was not to be underestimated, but Yanran didn't notice her teacher's expression. She asked again, "But what does driving away Ba Lv have to do with finding Little Flaming Firebird?"

Jiang Cheng told her that he left a Spiritual Mark on Ba Lv's body, as long as she doesn't stray too far from him, he can locate her through his spiritual symbol.

Now, he ordered Ba Lv to leave Delmar Island, thus Ba Lv will undoubtedly return to Black Exhaust Group to report the results of this operation, allowing them to follow the trail to locate Black Exhaust Headquarters.

And since they value Little Flaming Crow so highly, in a short time, they won't dare harm her, giving them ample time to act.

Therefore, Jiang Cheng's expulsion of Ba Lv had a deep strategic purpose, unknowingly leaving his Spiritual Mark on Ba Lv.

The so-called Spiritual Mark, akin to the spiritual coordinates Jiang Cheng left between cosmic planets, allows him to travel to the planets or find the people he wants to locate.