Huyan Zhen stepped forward to mediate the situation. The tense standoff between the opposing sides did not last long.
Dai Mubai calmly looked at Huyan Zhen, gave a slight bow, and said,
"I have other pressing matters to attend to, so I won't stay any longer."
With a disdainful glance at Ghost Douluo and Ye Tian, Dai Mubai held his head high and strode toward the main road.
In truth, he understood that staying would yield little information.
Neither Spirit Hall nor the Elephant Armored Sect would be foolish enough to discuss important matters in front of him.
Since there was nothing to gain from lingering, he might as well leave early.
He could relay the situation to his father and let the secret agents of the Star Luo Empire investigate in the shadows—perhaps they would uncover something unexpected.
Not long after he had walked away, Dai Mubai suddenly noticed a blonde-haired girl behind Ye Tian, her body trembling slightly.
Such a peculiar reaction was difficult for Dai Mubai to ignore—especially since the girl's hair was golden.
In the Star Luo Empire, golden hair was rare.
Those who possessed it were mostly members of the royal family.
This realization made Dai Mubai take another careful look at the girl.
And then, to his astonishment, he noticed her golden pupils.
Dai Mubai's eyes widened in shock, a deep sense of disbelief washing over him.
Golden pupils—those were a unique trait of the Dai family!
How could a girl around his age possess them?
Dai Mubai's mind raced, digging deep into his memories.
Time rewound rapidly in his mind, pulling forth memories he had long refused to recall.
Dai Mubai vaguely remembered that day.
His father had held a blood-soaked sword in his right hand and his hand in the left, leading him into the palace.
Upon the grand white jade steps, his father had declared in a booming voice, his face flushed with triumph:
"Our empire's new era begins today!"
Back then, Dai Mubai had been too young to understand the meaning of those words.
It was only as he grew older that he uncovered the palace's hidden secrets—his father had slaughtered his uncle's entire family, the rightful heirs to the throne.
After learning the truth, Dai Mubai had nightmares for days.
Every time, he dreamt of his cousin, whose face always carried a gentle smile.
Yet, as the years passed, those memories gradually faded, buried by time and instinct.
By now, his uncle's family had become nothing more than vague, faceless figures in his mind.
Had nothing unexpected happened, he would have lived his entire life without thinking of them again.
But now, staring into the golden pupils of the girl before him, the memories resurfaced with terrifying speed.
Even though the cousin in his memories was still just a young girl, those golden, elf-like eyes had never changed.
A sudden flash appeared in Dai Mubai's mind—his father's bloodstained sword, severing that young girl's neck.
He had never witnessed that scene himself, yet the image haunted him.
Fragments of memory flickered through his mind like a spinning lantern, leaving him gasping for breath.
He wanted to step forward and ask.
To confirm.
To find out the blonde girl's name.
But just as he was about to speak—
He saw the raging fire in her golden pupils.
The fury within them felt almost tangible, as if only by burning him to ashes could she quench her hatred.
That sight only further confirmed Dai Mubai's suspicions—this girl was connected to him.
Desperately, he searched his memory for his cousin's name.
But no matter how hard he tried, he could not recall it.
It was as if that name had never existed.
"Die!"
A furious voice suddenly erupted.
To Dai Mubai's shock, the blonde girl was already attacking him.
Despite possessing only three spirit rings—her first one even being the weakest white ring—
Despite only being a Spirit Elder, whereas he was a seventy-second-level Spirit Saint—
Despite the sheer gap in power between them—
For a brief moment, Dai Mubai forgot how to react.
To be honest, he was utterly overwhelmed.
He had no idea how to face this sudden resurgence of childhood memories.
"Protect His Highness!"
Though Dai Mubai hesitated, those around him did not.
As the second prince of the Star Luo Empire, he was always surrounded by elite guards.
Just as Dai Ya unleashed her spirit skill, an elderly servant standing beside Dai Mubai, who had seemed as frail as a decaying log, suddenly sprang into action.
Nine spirit rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple, black, black, black, black—rose around him.
Though his movements appeared slow, he moved with the speed of a storm.
"How dare you attempt to assassinate the prince? Die!"
The old servant took a step forward, a simple yet ancient longblade appearing in his right hand.
He swung the blade in a wide horizontal arc toward Dai Ya.
"First Spirit Skill—Frenzied Blade Slash!"
As his words fell, crackling lightning surged along the blade's edge, radiating an overwhelming pressure.
It was clear that he held nothing back—this was a full-powered strike.
If it landed, Dai Ya wouldn't just be injured—she'd be reduced to dust.
"Picking on a junior? A bit excessive, don't you think?"
At the critical moment, a bespectacled Sea Witch stepped forward, her voice carrying a hint of warning.
"Hmph."
The old servant cast her a cold glance but ignored her completely.
His blade continued its arc, aiming to cut down the blonde girl.
Yet, just as the strike reached its peak, his expression suddenly changed drastically.
Even though his eyes saw the girl being cleaved apart, his blade felt no resistance.
Which meant—he had struck nothing but air!
"What an incredible illusion!"
Realizing the truth, the old servant immediately grabbed Dai Mubai and retreated dozens of meters away.
The Sea Witch smiled slightly.
"Your swordsmanship isn't bad either."
She waved her right hand, dispersing the illusion.
Only then did the crowd see Dai Ya, her face pale as a sheet, having been quietly pulled behind the Sea Witch.
"What's going on? Let's not let things get out of hand!"
Among everyone present, the one with the most bitter expression was Huyan Zhen, the Elephant Armored Sect Master.
To him, both sides of this conflict were people his sect could not afford to offend.
Offending either one would bring disastrous consequences to the Elephant Armored Sect.
Dozens of meters away, the old servant ignored Huyan Zhen's words.
Instead, he whispered to Dai Mubai:
"There are no fewer than four Title Douluo present. Leaving is the best option."
Dai Mubai's pupils shrank.
Four Title Douluo?!
Before he could react, the old servant grabbed him and swiftly fled.
As Dai Mubai disappeared into the distance, Ye Tian, who had just processed what had happened, fell into deep thought.
Dai Ya approached, biting her pale lips and whispering softly:
"Sorry, brother, I caused trouble for you."
"It's fine. We'll talk later."
Ye Tian waved his hand lightly.
With too many prying eyes around, this was not the time to discuss anything further.
He stepped forward, extended his hand toward Huyan Zhen, and said with a smile:
"Sect Master Huyan, shall we?"
Huyan Zhen looked at Ye Tian in surprise.
But despite his large build, he was not foolish.
Being able to walk ahead of Ghost Elder indicated that this young man's status in the Spirit Hall was even higher than that of an elder.
How could Hu Yanzhen afford to neglect such a person?
"Hahaha, it was merely my lack of attentiveness that caused this little misunderstanding just now."
Hu Yanzhen laughed heartily three times and waved his hand boldly:
"Please, my lord, come inside!"
He then instructed one of his subordinates, "Go quickly and have the kitchen prepare the finest food and wine! I must host a grand welcome for our honored guest!"
"Yes!" The strong subordinate nodded in response.
Under Hu Yanzhen's lead, Ye Tian and his group were escorted to the main hall.
As they walked, Hu Yanzhen took the opportunity to briefly introduce the state of the Elephant Armor Sect to Ye Tian.
Most of the information was already known to Ye Tian, but the origins of the sect's headquarters were new to him.
According to Hu Yanzhen, the land on which the Elephant Armor Sect was built was originally a mining area.
The current buildings were all modified from the old mine tunnels.
"To be honest, this mine primarily produces Vibranium, which is the foundation of our Elephant Armor Sect."
"Our ancestors settled here to protect the Vibranium mine, and over time, it developed into a flourishing part of Elephant Armor City."
"Living within these mines has now become a symbol of our sect's honor."
"So, we never considered relocating."
"Vibranium?" Ye Tian rested his fingers against his forehead, deep in thought.
The Porcupinefish Douluo, Ci Xue, who had come with Ghost Elder, spread his hands with a light chuckle:
"Brother Ye, you may not know, but Vibranium is the treasure of all metals."
"If even a small amount of Vibranium is mixed into an ordinary blade, its sharpness and durability will increase tenfold!"
"A decent material indeed." Ye Tian smiled indifferently.
If Vibranium could be applied to bullets, its power would surely increase significantly.
At present, the bullets of East Sea City were only effective against Soul Masters below the four-ring level.
For higher-level Soul Masters, other methods were needed.
For example, the Polaris Squad had been using Mandala Poison.
However, this poison was incredibly rare and expensive—more than a hundred times the price of gold by weight.
Even with his wealth, Ye Tian found it difficult to sustain large-scale use.
Only the Polaris Squad, which had fewer than a hundred members, could be equipped with it, making mass production unfeasible.
"What's the price of this Vibranium?" Ye Tian raised an eyebrow and looked at Hu Yanzhen.
Hu Yanzhen, however, burst into laughter. "Since my lord wants it, take as much as you like! Why talk about price?"
Hearing this, Ye Tian couldn't help but chuckle. "I'd like to take a hundred tons. Do you have that much?"
Hu Yanzhen's expression immediately turned awkward.
His words earlier had not been reckless; he simply wanted to offer Ye Tian some goodwill and build a friendship.
However, Ye Tian did not just want a little—he seemed to be looking to purchase in large quantities.
Hu Yanzhen hesitated and said, "Vibranium is extremely difficult to mine. Our Elephant Armor Sect is known for our strength, yet we can only extract two to three hundred pounds per year…"
"No problem. I just happen to have a team of skilled mining engineers under my command."
Ye Tian waved his hand nonchalantly, cutting off Hu Yanzhen before he could continue.
He understood that Hu Yanzhen was reluctant to let outsiders interfere with the sect's lifeblood.
But Ye Tian had to obtain this Vibranium.
As expected, upon hearing this, Hu Yanzhen's expression became extremely grim.
But it quickly faded.
Because deep down, Hu Yanzhen was confident—Vibranium mining was incredibly difficult.
Not to boast, but unless Ye Tian could somehow bring back the long-hidden Strength Clan, no one in the world was better suited for mining Vibranium than the Elephant Armor Sect.
With this confidence, Hu Yanzhen's smile returned.
"Since my lord insists, I will certainly cooperate to the fullest."
"The eastern region of the Vibranium mine has the highest concentration of ore. In a few days, I will clear it out for your team to begin mining!"
"And my Elephant Armor Sect will take not a single coin in return!"
"Even brothers must settle accounts properly. This is business—I can't let you suffer a loss."
Ye Tian's smile deepened as he raised five fingers.
"I will buy the extracted Vibranium at one and a half times the cost."
Hearing this, Hu Yanzhen's face lit up with pure joy.
Earlier, he had claimed they would take no money, fearing Ye Tian might change his mind and force the sect's manpower to do the mining.
That would have meant a huge loss for the Elephant Armor Sect.
But to his surprise, not only did Ye Tian refrain from using the sect's labor, but he also offered to pay for the extracted Vibranium at 150% of its cost!
This was practically free money falling from the sky!
After all, 80% of the mining cost was spent on labor, and only 20% on tools.
As long as the Elephant Armor Sect did not participate in the mining, their cost would be zero!
Earning a 50% markup with zero cost—Hu Yanzhen felt like he had just hit the jackpot!
Seeing Hu Yanzhen's overjoyed reaction, Ye Tian smiled slightly.
Hu Yanzhen likely didn't realize that even unmined natural resources had immense value.
After finalizing the Vibranium deal, Ye Tian took out a personally written letter from Bibi Dong and handed it to Hu Yanzhen.
"This is…"
Hu Yanzhen looked puzzled but did not dare hesitate. He reached out, took the letter, and carefully opened it.
Moments later—
Hu Yanzhen's confusion vanished, replaced by shock and solemnity.
He immediately stood up and bowed deeply to Ye Tian.
"The Pope's will is the will of my Elephant Armor Sect! From today onward, my entire sect will follow your command!"
Ye Tian lifted a cup of tea, took a sip, and smiled as he looked at Hu Yanzhen.
"Then I must trouble you, Sect Master Hu Yan. Go and report the attack on your sect to Qianjun Douluo."
"This…"
Hu Yanzhen hesitated. Though he had read the letter from Bibi Dong and understood the internal power struggle within the Spirit Hall, actually carrying out this task made him uneasy.
If the plan failed, the entire Elephant Armor Sect would face the wrath of the Elder Hall.
That was a consequence Hu Yanzhen could not bear to imagine.
He swallowed nervously and cautiously said,
"Qianjun Douluo is, after all, my grandfather's most cherished disciple. We share a deep bond…"
Hu Yanzhen was hoping to use their personal connection to persuade Ye Tian to spare the sect.
But Ye Tian simply pointed to the four Titled Douluo behind him.
"I have four Titled Douluo standing by my side. Do you think I'm joking?"
"Remember, this is not a request—it is an order."
"Besides, Qianjun Douluo is too important to the Spirit Hall. He won't die—he just needs to temporarily step away from the center of power."
Though Ye Tian's voice was calm, it sent chills down Hu Yanzhen's spine.
He now understood—there was no escaping the power struggle within the Spirit Hall.
(End of Chapter)