Ning Fengzhi opened his mouth.
The word "difficult" had already reached his lips—yet he couldn't bring himself to say it.
His eyes swept across the room.
They lingered for several seconds on Qian Daoliu, Gold Crocodile Douluo, and the dozen or so Spirit Hall members whose auras were deep and unfathomable.
In the end, Ning Fengzhi said nothing.
He quietly withdrew his gaze, picked up his teacup, and took a small sip.
His silence was already the answer.
Get it back?
With what?
With his head?
The last glimmer of light in Emperor Xue Ye's eyes went completely dark.
His entire body went slack as he collapsed into his chair, his chest aching so badly he could barely breathe.
And just as despair swallowed him whole—
A loud, boisterous laugh, brimming with schadenfreude, suddenly erupted from behind him.
"Hahahahaha! I truly never imagined this—never imagined it, Old Man Xue Ye!"
The voice was arrogant, grating, and filled with undisguised mockery.
Emperor Xue Ye abruptly turned his head.
The face he least wanted to see in this lifetime came into view.
The Emperor of the Star Luo Empire—Dai Tianfeng!
Dai Tianfeng strode over, Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhuyun following behind him. His smile was so bright it was as if he had just picked up a million gold coins.
"Wasn't your Heaven Dou Empire always so arrogant?"
"What? You didn't even know your Crown Prince had been swapped out?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk—and half of your national treasury was taken too!"
"Absolutely hilarious!"
He plopped himself down at the table beside Emperor Xue Ye, his mouth firing insults like a machine gun.
"No way, no way? There really exists an emperor so incompetent that he doesn't even know his own Crown Prince was replaced, huh?"
"No way, no way? There really exists an emperor so incompetent that half his national treasury gets taken away, huh?"
"No way, no way? There really exists an emperor so incompetent that he watches others spend his money on food—and doesn't even dare to fart or ask for it back, huh?"
Good heavens!
This wave of passive-aggressive, low-grade mockery nearly sent the already-fragile Emperor Xue Ye straight into a fatal stroke.
He pointed at Dai Tianfeng, his lips trembling for a long time, unable to utter a single word.
In the end, humiliation and fury overwhelmed him.
Emperor Xue Ye slammed his palm onto the table, stood up abruptly, and roared as he pointed at Dai Tianfeng's nose:
"Yes! I'm incompetent!"
"I didn't know my Crown Prince was replaced!"
"I'm incompetent! Half of the national treasury was taken, and I don't dare to ask for it back!"
"So what?!"
His voice was hoarse, filled with a reckless, broken despair.
Dai Tianfeng's grin immediately widened. He was just about to pile on more venom—
When Emperor Xue Ye's next sentence froze that smile solid.
It left Dai Tianfeng looking as constipated as someone who hadn't gone to the bathroom for three days and nights.
Emperor Xue Ye stared at him with bloodshot eyes.
"What about you?"
"You old bastard—why are you here?!"
Why am I here?
Of course, because my rebellious son offended a god, and I, his father, had to crawl over and kowtow in apology.
Naturally, Dai Tianfeng would never say that.
If he did, where would his old face go?
How could he ever hold his head high in front of Old Man Xue Ye again?!
Dai Tianfeng coughed loudly, forcibly straightened his back, and raised his voice to cover his inner panic.
"Me?"
His eyes darted around as he bit the bullet and fabricated a reason he didn't even believe himself.
"I naturally foresaw that this place is the dwelling of a divine being—one that contains boundless opportunities!"
"I came here specifically to seek this opportunity, so that the destiny of the Star Luo Empire may continue and its strength rise to even greater heights!"
His words were loud, righteous, and grandiose.
Unfortunately for him—
Emperor Xue Ye was no fool.
Having spent decades dealing with corrupt officials and sycophants, he had long cultivated a pair of fiery golden eyes.
Looking at Dai Tianfeng's shifty gaze and stiff expression, how could he not sense the deceit?
Emperor Xue Ye narrowed his eyes, leaned forward slightly, and stared at him with oppressive scrutiny.
"Re…ally?"
Those two simple words nearly made Dai Tianfeng explode on the spot.
He felt as if he'd been stripped naked and thrown into the street for public viewing, guilt and embarrassment having nowhere to hide.
Dai Tianfeng flung his sleeve, his voice rising by eight octaves.
"What good would lying to you do?!"
As if afraid of further questioning, he immediately turned his back to Emperor Xue Ye, striking a "I'm busy—don't talk to me" pose.
"Too lazy to deal with you, old man. I'm going to continue enjoying the delicacies and comprehending the divine Dao!"
Watching Dai Tianfeng's retreating figure—clearly fleeing in disorder—the suspicion in Emperor Xue Ye's eyes only deepened.
And then—
A loud, crude burp, thick with the stench of alcohol, suddenly rang out.
"Hic—!"
Devil Bear Douluo, who had been drinking with Bone Douluo, let out a drunken belch. His face was flushed as he glanced at Dai Tianfeng's back and grumbled in a muffled voice,
"Dai Tianfeng, stop bragging."
"You know damn well why you're here."
The moment those words fell—
Dai Tianfeng's freshly straightened back stiffened as if he had been turned to stone.
Meanwhile, Emperor Xue Ye's eyes lit up instantly.
Whoosh!
They shone like two thousand-watt searchlights!
He instantly forgot about the national treasury, dignity, and sorrow—like a cat that had smelled fish.
In a single stride, he rushed over to Devil Bear Douluo, his face overflowing with flattery and curiosity.
"Brother!" Emperor Xue Ye rubbed his hands, smiling so hard his wrinkles stacked together. "What do you mean by that? Care to explain?"
Devil Bear Douluo, bleary-eyed from drink, glanced at the old man whose face clearly read "I want gossip", then at Dai Tianfeng not far away, who was facing them with clasped hands, desperately making pleading gestures.
Simple-minded didn't mean stupid.
Devil Bear Douluo snorted, swung his thick arm, and shoved Emperor Xue Ye back half a step.
"Why should I tell you?"
"Dai Tianfeng is Spirit Hall's honored… strategic partner!"
Hearing this, Dai Tianfeng let out a massive sigh of relief, nearly collapsing on the spot.
A warm surge filled his chest, emotion welling up to the point where tears almost fell.
Look! Look at Spirit Hall's experts!
This bear may look dumb, but he's loyal at critical moments! A true brother!
From now on, whoever dares speak ill of Spirit Hall—I, Dai Tianfeng, will be the first to fight them!
Unfortunately…
His gratitude didn't last even three seconds.
Because Emperor Xue Ye's next action once again froze his expression solid.
After being pushed back, the Emperor of Heaven Dou fell silent for a brief moment.
Then, as if making a monumental decision, he clenched his teeth fiercely.
Emperor Xue Ye raised his hand—
And forcefully removed the thumb ring he was wearing.