"No way? No way?"
Emperor Xue Ye's opening words carried that familiar, blood-pressure-spiking tone.
His voice wasn't loud, yet it felt like poisoned steel needles—each word striking with uncanny precision, piercing straight into Dai Tianfeng's arrogant heart.
"Could it be," Xue Ye continued leisurely, "that a certain Emperor's precious Crown Prince was actually bold enough to attempt to rob a god?"
As he spoke, he shook his head in mock seriousness, clicking his tongue in exaggerated amazement.
"Just how large must one's courage be—and how utterly lacking must one's brains be—to raise such a world-shaking son?"
"Although my Heaven Dou Imperial Family once had a fake Crown Prince, at least we weren't foolish enough to rob a god!"
The moment those words landed, Dai Tianfeng's face began to flush—starting from his neck and rapidly spreading all the way to the top of his head.
But Emperor Xue Ye wasn't finished. Not even close.
He acted as though he didn't notice Dai Tianfeng's murderous glare at all, continuing to mutter to himself in a tone dripping with sympathy.
"No way? No way?"
"Could it be that some Emperor, upon hearing this news, was so frightened he wet himself, fled his imperial city overnight, and knelt before the god to kowtow in apology?"
As he spoke, Emperor Xue Ye even raised his hand and mimicked the act of kowtowing, making exaggerated bang, bang, bang sounds with his mouth.
"I heard the kowtows were incredibly loud!"
"His forehead almost lost a layer of skin! Just hearing about it makes my head ache!"
Dai Tianfeng's body began to tremble violently.
The blood vessels in his eyes bulged, spreading like a spiderweb as they locked onto Emperor Xue Ye.
"Xue… Ye…"
The two words were forced out from between clenched teeth, accompanied by the grating sound of metal grinding against metal.
But Emperor Xue Ye had already gone completely off the rails.
He was fully immersed in the bliss of revenge—fighting magic with magic—and now launched his final, most lethal strike.
"No way? No way??"
He leaned closer to Dai Tianfeng, lowering his voice. His exaggerated expression practically oozed malice.
"Could it be that some Emperor even offered half of his empire's treasury—and a damn hundred-thousand-year spirit bone, his so-called national treasure—as an apology gift…"
He paused deliberately.
Then, as if struck by sudden realization, he raised his voice dramatically.
"And the result?"
"The god didn't even spare it a glance and casually handed it out as employee welfare to the little girl working in the shop?!"
"Is he really that pitiful?"
"Ah!"
Emperor Xue Ye suddenly stepped back, covering his face as he let out a string of exaggerated sighs. His shoulders trembled as if he were genuinely weeping for Dai Tianfeng's fate.
"Those who hear this will grieve, those who see it will shed tears!"
"So tragic! Truly tragic!"
"Brother Dai… you've really suffered!"
The entire performance flowed seamlessly, completely unrestrained.
Throughout Feng Ran Pavilion, countless powerful cultivators who had been secretly listening were desperately holding back laughter—faces flushed, bodies shaking.
Ning Fengzhi quietly lifted his teacup, attempting to conceal the corners of his mouth, which were threatening to split all the way to his ears.
And Dai Tianfeng—the very eye of the storm—
The final thread in his mind labeled reason snapped with a sharp crack when Emperor Xue Ye uttered that heartfelt "You've suffered."
It shattered completely.
"AAAAAHHHHH—!!!"
A roar devoid of all humanity, filled with endless humiliation and fury, erupted from Dai Tianfeng's throat.
"Xue Ye!!"
"May your ancestors be cursed!!"
His eyes were bloodshot, his expression that of a raving madman.
At this moment, he had only one thought—
Kill this old bastard.
However.
He had taken only two steps forward.
A massive shadow suddenly engulfed his entire body.
The next instant, a bear paw thicker than his thigh clamped onto the back of his collar—effortlessly, irresistibly.
Dai Tianfeng's charge came to an abrupt halt.
He was lifted straight into the air, feet dangling, fists and legs flailing uselessly like a chick grabbed by the neck.
"What are you doing?"
A muffled yet ill-intentioned voice sounded above his head.
Devil Bear Douluo, his drunken bear eyes unfocused, tilted his head and held Dai Tianfeng up in front of him as if he were a child's toy.
"What are you doing to my step-brother?"
The moment those words reached Dai Tianfeng's ears, he nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood.
Good.
Very good.
You damn stinking bear.
What loyalty?
He had genuinely believed this brute to be upright and dependable—he had even considered him a trustworthy brother!
And yet?
A single ring had bought him off!
Your loyalty is worth nothing more than a month's worth of food?!
Dai Tianfeng trembled with rage. The words churned violently in his chest, yet he dared not speak them aloud.
He was terrified that if he opened his mouth, this simple-minded beast would crush him to death on the spot.
In the end, all that fury and unwillingness condensed into a single line of stubborn defiance, squeezed out between clenched teeth.
"Let me go!"
"At least… at least let me slap this son of a bitch twice!"
He was the dignified Emperor of the Star Luo Empire!
He could lose.
He could die.
But he could not endure humiliation like this without fighting back!
Devil Bear Douluo merely tilted his massive head and replied in a dull voice.
"That won't do."
"He's my brother now."
"I can't let you hit him."
When Emperor Xue Ye heard this exchange, an unprecedented sense of clarity washed over him.
It was as though his entire existence had been sublimated.
With his hands clasped behind his back, he strolled leisurely over to Dai Tianfeng, who was still suspended in mid-air.
He stopped in front of him.
Then looked up.
Gone was the anger. Gone was the resentment.
Only the serene glow of one who had seen through worldly suffering remained.
He gazed quietly at Dai Tianfeng—at that face twisted by boundless rage—and spoke softly, with genuine sympathy.
"Alas…"
"Brother Dai, why must you torment yourself like this?"
His voice was as gentle as a March breeze, brushing directly against Dai Tianfeng's already shattered heart.
"Isn't it just that your son was a bit foolish and dragged you into a monstrous disaster?"
"Isn't it just that you lost some face, rolled all the way from Star Luo City, and kowtowed a few times before a god?"
"Isn't it just that you gave away half of your Dai Family's treasury—and that damn national treasure—only for it to be treated like trash?"
With each sentence, Dai Tianfeng's face grew even redder.
By the end, Emperor Xue Ye even reached out and gently patted the wrinkled dragon robe on Dai Tianfeng's chest, his expression earnest and sincere.
"It's just a small matter."
"Look at me."
He pointed at his own nose, a contented smile spreading across his face.
"My Crown Prince was swapped. My entire treasury was emptied."
"Did I complain?"
He leaned in close, eyes gleaming with wisdom—like an enlightened monk guiding a lost soul.
"No."
"Because I understand a simple truth."
At this moment, Emperor Xue Ye's voice rang out loud and clear, resounding through the pavilion—
"As a person—"
"The most important thing…"
"Is to be happy."