Two days earlier.
Star Luo Imperial Palace.
Dai Mubai walked along a narrow path, his expression hollow and stiff.
He didn't even acknowledge the imperial guards who bowed respectfully on either side.
"Mubai."
A soft female voice suddenly reached his ears, causing his unfocused pupils to gradually sharpen.
He stopped and looked up to see a slender figure clad in a black bodysuit standing ahead of him.
It was Zhu Zhuqing.
She approached him with light, cat-like steps, stopping right in front of him.
Her eyes locked onto his as she asked:
"Black Blade Douluo said your condition was terrible. What exactly did you see in the Elephant Armor City?" (OC)
The Black Blade Douluo she mentioned was the old servant who had protected Dai Mubai—one of the two elders of the Star Luo Empire's Council.
At Zhu Zhuqing's question, Dai Mubai looked at her with a numb expression, as if struggling to speak.
Finally, he sighed softly and shook his head.
He took her slender, delicate hand in his and said:
"I'll explain this matter… once I've sorted it out in my mind."
"Right now, I need to see Father."
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes flickered with confusion.
This was the first time she had ever seen Dai Mubai so disheartened.
Even back when he had avoided the imperial succession struggle before entering Shrek Academy, he had never been this despondent.
"...Alright."
She gave him a tight hug before stepping aside to let him pass.
With a faint smile, she waved her pale hand. "I've also broken through to Spirit Saint. We should spar sometime."
Hearing this, a trace of a smile finally appeared on Dai Mubai's face.
"Sure. Just wait to be petted, little kitten."
"Or maybe the White Tiger will be the one lying down," Zhu Zhuqing retorted with a smirk.
---
Dai Mubai entered the Imperial Court Hall.
This was where his father handled daily affairs of state.
But at this moment, the usually diligent Star Luo Emperor was not seated at his desk, buried in paperwork.
Instead, as Dai Mubai stepped inside, he saw his father's resolute back.
The emperor stood with his hands clasped behind him, gazing at a painting hanging on the wall behind the desk.
It depicted a vividly lifelike White Tiger.
"Father." Dai Mubai bowed respectfully.
As if he had long sensed Dai Mubai's arrival, the emperor remained motionless, still fixated on the painting.
After a long silence, the emperor finally turned and beckoned for Dai Mubai to come closer.
Looking at his father's firm face, Dai Mubai noticed that his beard had grown whiter, making him appear even more aged.
Yet Dai Mubai knew his father was only in his fifties.
His aged appearance was entirely due to years of relentless toil.
When his father gestured toward the painting, Dai Mubai instinctively walked over, staring at the White Tiger.
"Father…"
Dai Mubai wanted to speak about meeting his cousin.
He felt deep guilt over what had happened to her.
After all, his father had inflicted too much suffering on his uncle's family.
And worse—this was a wound that could never be healed.
Dai Mubai couldn't understand why imperial families had to be so ruthless.
If that was the price of the throne, he would rather yield the succession to his elder brother than ascend a throne built on blood.
But before he could voice these thoughts, the emperor raised a hand to stop him.
Instead, the emperor pointed at the painting and asked:
"Do you think this White Tiger truly represents our family?"
Dai Mubai didn't understand the meaning behind his father's question.
He bowed slightly and answered honestly:
"Our family's inherited martial soul is the White Tiger."
"There could be no better symbol."
Hearing this, the emperor's previously calm expression suddenly turned solemn.
"I believe so as well."
"The tiger is the undisputed king of the forest. A single roar sends all beasts into panic!"
"Such a regal soul is the perfect emblem of our Star Luo Imperial Family! It is under this kingly spirit that our empire has flourished!"
"However—"
The emperor's tone abruptly shifted as he locked eyes with Dai Mubai.
"A king is destined to walk alone. Two tigers cannot share one mountain!"
"A nation can have only one ruler—and it must be the strongest!"
"And all other threats… must be torn apart!"
Dai Mubai fell into heavy silence.
It seemed the Black Blade Douluo had already reported everything to his father.
If that was the case, there was no need for him to explain further.
At this realization, a hollow emptiness filled Dai Mubai's heart.
He gave a stiff bow and said dejectedly:
"Father, I shall take my leave."
"Wait."
The emperor stopped him with a raised hand before turning toward the shadows of the hall and speaking coldly:
'Black Blade.'
"At your command." The hidden figure of the Black Blade Douluo emerged from the darkness.
"Eliminate that survivor from years ago."
"Understood." With that, the Black Blade Douluo vanished back into the shadows.
Dai Mubai whirled around in shock, staring at his father in disbelief.
At this moment, he felt an unbridgeable distance between them.
He almost didn't recognize this cold, unfamiliar man before him—his father, the emperor.
"Father… *must it come to this?!"
"She's just a mere Spirit Grandmaster! She has no talent for cultivation, no power to seek revenge!"
"Hmph. You're still too naive, Mubai."
The emperor ignored his son's plea, standing tall with his hands behind his back as he gazed at the ceiling.
"Even if she lacks strength, that doesn't mean she poses no threat to the empire."
"If someone with ill intentions exploits her, she could become a major problem—one that weakens the empire's rule!"
"Is kinship worth nothing in your eyes?!" Dai Mubai demanded, breathing heavily.
The emperor let out a cold laugh, as if hearing something absurd.
"If I believed in kinship, I would have died long ago!"
"And that survivor's fate today would have been yours instead!"
"You are the future crown prince of Star Luo, yet you speak of kinship as if it matters? What a joke!"
The emperor clenched his fist in fury before forcibly relaxing it.
"It seems I've been too lenient with you all these years!"
"Guards!" he barked. "By my order, confine the Second Prince to the Imperial Archives for **one month of reflection!"
"No one is to see him without my permission!"
His glare bore into Dai Mubai like a blade.
"Study our history well! Learn how our empire rose to greatness—through blood and fire!"
---
Elephant Armor Sect.
Ye Tian led a group through the sect's rugged structures, directing members of the Polaris Squad as they worked.
"Place more explosives here."
"And the main hall—when the fuse is triggered, it should collapse everything within a fifty-meter radius."
Hearing this, Huyan Li, who had been accompanying Ye Tian, twitched at the corner of his mouth.
He forced a smile and asked:
"Lord Ye Tian… is this really necessary?"
Ye Tian patted his shoulder lightly.
"No risk, no reward."
"Qianjun Douluo has been a renowned powerhouse for at least eighty years."
"Do you think a few rumors alone will make him fully believe us?"
"But… does that mean destroying the entire sect's buildings?!" Huyan Li looked like he was on the verge of tears.
"After all, as you said, Qianjun Douluo is a veteran expert. An explosion of this scale won't even scratch him!"
Ye Tian remained unperturbed.
"True, it won't hurt him."
"But it will be enough to put him on high alert."
"The more focused a person is, the easier it is to deceive them."
By then, the Sea Witch's domain will take effect.
Of course, he wouldn't explain this part to Huyan Li—he wasn't qualified to know.
Thirteen chuckled and added:
"We usually call this phenomenon… the illusion of control."
Huyan Li scratched his head.
Lord Ye Tian's reasoning did make sense.
As they were talking, the voice of the Sea Witch came from afar.
"Ye Tian, look what we brought back for you."
Ye Tian looked up and saw Gu Yuena running over with two candied hawthorns in her hands. After comparing them for a moment, she reluctantly handed the larger one to Ye Tian.
"Big brother, here."
"Thank you, little Nana."
Ye Tian bent down and ruffled Gu Yuena's silver hair before straightening up and looking at the Sea Witch with a light smile.
"You sneaked out just to buy me a candied hawthorn?"
The Sea Witch blushed slightly but defended herself, "Not just that! The most important thing was to accompany Sister Dai Ya and cheer her up."
As she spoke, she grew more confident.
"You, as a younger brother, really don't care enough about your sister."
Ye Tian gave Dai Ya a helpless glance.
He did want to ask, but he felt it was better not to.
After all, his sister seemed unwilling to bring up the past.
However, at this moment, Dai Ya stepped forward.
Biting her red lips, she said, "Ye Tian… I thought about it, and I shouldn't keep hiding things from you."
"Oh? A secret?"
The Sea Witch grinned mischievously, glancing between Ye Tian and Dai Ya before quietly pulling Xiao Bai away to snack in secret.
She then beckoned to Thirteen, who was directing the work.
Thirteen gave the Sea Witch a puzzled look but quickly noticed the unusual emotions in Dai Ya's expression.
Understanding, he waved at the Polaris Squad members.
"Everyone, good work. Take a break for now."
Within two minutes, only Ye Tian and Dai Ya remained in the area.
Ye Tian smiled. "What's this secret that needs such secrecy?"
Dai Ya lowered her head, her lips pale from biting them too hard.
"I… my father was once a prince of Star Luo."
Her voice was soft, but she tearfully recounted the events of the past.
"...So, all of this was done by the Star Luo Emperor?"
Ye Tian took a deep breath, stunned.
But in truth, he wasn't that emotionally affected.
As a transmigrator, he didn't share Dai Ya's deep personal connection to those events.
"Yes."
Dai Ya's lips were now bleeding from how hard she had bitten them.
She reached out and hugged Ye Tian tightly.
"I'm sorry, Ye Tian. I shouldn't have hidden this from you for so long."
"I just wanted you to live happily, undisturbed."
"But I never expected to run into Dai Mubai."
At this point, her body trembled slightly.
Every time she recalled those vivid memories, she felt fear, dread—until it all turned into hatred, buried deep in her heart.
This suppressed emotion had tormented Dai Ya, making her seem lonely and withdrawn.
Yet when she finally told Ye Tian, she didn't feel relieved.
Instead, it was as if something was choking her, making it hard to breathe.
As an older sister, she felt like a complete failure.
Maybe she didn't even deserve to be Ye Tian's sister.
After all, all she could bring him was sorrow.
But at that moment, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her.
Dai Ya looked up through her tears at Ye Tian's firm, resolute face.
Silently, her tears flowed even more freely.
"The past will eventually become just a memory. We don't have to dwell in sorrow forever."
Ye Tian patted her shoulder gently.
"But blood debts must be repaid."
"Don't worry, sister. I, Ye Tian, promise you—the Star Luo Emperor won't last much longer."
"No." Dai Ya clutched Ye Tian's arm, her misty eyes fixed on him.
"Little brother, I can't let you take such risks."
"He's still the emperor of Star Luo, surrounded by countless experts."
"I've already lost everything. I can't lose you too."
"We don't need to take risks to deal with Star Luo."
Ye Tian looked at her firmly.
Truthfully, even if Dai Ya hadn't told him this, it wouldn't have been long before Bibi Dong moved against Star Luo.
And to help her, Ye Tian naturally couldn't stand aside.
So, Star Luo had already become a potential enemy.
Add Dai Ya's personal vendetta to that, and there was no reason for such a force to continue existing on the continent.
BOOM!
At that moment, a deafening explosion erupted at the main gate of the Elephant Armor Sect.
"What's going on?"
Ye Tian released Dai Ya and looked toward the source of the noise, his eyes narrowing in surprise.
Dai Ya, still flustered, quickly wiped away her tears.
"Young Master, we've caught a big fish."
Zhou Long's voice approached as he dragged an unconscious old man behind him.
"Oh?"
Ye Tian looked up and immediately recognized the old man—wasn't this the same elder who had been protecting Dai Mubai seven days ago?
"How did you catch him?"
Zhou Long chuckled. "This old guy tried to sneak into the Elephant Armor Sect."
"But before he even got through the gate, Thirteen spotted him."
"Then I knocked him out with one strike."
As he spoke, Zhou Long shook the old man violently.
"Stop pretending to be dead. Lift your head, or I'll make sure you never wake up!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the elder in Zhou Long's grip suddenly lashed out.
A pitch-black blade shot toward Dai Ya's vitals.
"HAHA! Even if I die, I'll complete my mission!"
Zhou Long's face paled in horror.
He knew Dai Ya was Ye Tian's long-lost sister.
If anything happened to her, the entire Star Luo royal family wouldn't be enough to atone for it!
(End of Chapter)