Lu Yuan quietly left the Yellow Bear Sub-branch Base, careful not to alert anyone.

In an open space near the base entrance, he boarded a Fly Shuttle that had long been prepared.

He was the only one in the Fly Shuttle, and it launched in autopilot mode, ascending into the air.

Sitting quietly in the shuttle cabin with his eyes closed, Lu Yuan continuously issued course correction orders to the shuttle through the optical computer linked to his consciousness.

In his mind, a silhouette emerged faintly from the swirling gray mist.

A faint red wisp of smoke connected Lu Yuan to this silhouette, spanning an immense distance across space... a connection only he could perceive.

This was the effect of the Level 1 Hunting Perception skill from the Spear Holder (Extraordinary) Class Panel: Guided by the great God of Martial Arts and Hunting, a true hunter never loses their chosen prey.

Guided by the faint red wisp, the silver-gray Fly Shuttle soon flew beyond the borders of Disk City.

The silhouette in Lu Yuan's mind grew clearer and clearer...

Finally, the figure's features sharpened, revealing the face and appearance of his quarry: a handsome young man in a black trench coat, sitting on a sofa with fingers interlaced, speaking expressionlessly to someone nearby.

SWOOSH—

Lu Yuan's eyes snapped open.

Looking down through the shuttle's window, he found himself over a suburban area of a city neighboring Disk City. Below, the distinct shadows of several buildings were visible.

Lu Yuan took a shallow breath and calmly rose to his feet.

***

In a villa somewhere in the desolate outskirts.

In the living room, Pei Ye sat expressionlessly on the sofa, with three figures standing before him.

"Killed a Red Bear and a dozen White Bears... antagonized Yellow Bear, and achieved nothing. Excellent..."

A silver-haired old man, his face gloomy and his nose slightly aquiline, stared at Pei Ye and sneered, "Truly befitting our Night Emperor. Marvelous, simply marvelous..."

Beside the old man, a middle-aged man with a long face and narrow, triangular eyes, couldn't help but frown. "You've bungled this badly. Guardian Lei already holds significant power. It was already a struggle for the three of us to support your bid for the title of new Evil Emperor. Now you've offended Yellow Bear. If they use this to pressure the War God Alliance... the other Guardians will have even more justification to block your ascension! Why didn't Guardian Xiang stop him when he did this?" The long-faced middle-aged man then looked questioningly at a massive figure, fully concealed within a black cloak, to his side.

The cloaked figure's eyes flickered, but before he could speak, Pei Ye, still seated on the sofa, erupted with impatience.

"Enough!"

Pei Ye rose coldly. Black moths materialized around him, fluttering and stirring his trench coat, resembling black paper ash scattered by the wind. "I am the Evil Emperor!" he declared. "You are merely Guardians who assist the Emperor. Since when do my actions require your instruction?!"

Pei Ye's aura flared. He addressed the aquiline-nosed old man and the long-faced middle-aged man, his voice chilling. "It is precisely because of your cowardice and timidity, your constant hesitation and fear of every shadow, that the War God Alliance has fallen into such decline! If I can break through my inner demons, merge the Martial Arts Grandmaster Realm with divine power, and attain the supreme Divine Martial Arts Grandmaster Realm... then Yellow Bear and Penglai will kneel at my, Pei Ye's, feet and submit!"

Pei Ye slammed his foot onto the marble coffee table before him, shattering it with a crack. The hem of his trench coat danced wildly as he proclaimed, each word dripping with arrogant abandon, "When that time comes, will these concerns of yours... still even be concerns?"

The aquiline-nosed old man and the long-faced man were momentarily stunned by Pei Ye's sheer force of will. Their expressions shifted, wanting to argue, but they found themselves speechless.

They could only snort coldly and remain silent.

Pei Ye sneered at them and was about to speak again when suddenly—

BOOM!

A deafening crash erupted.

All four in the living room snapped their heads around.

A large hole had been violently torn open in the ceiling of the villa.

A dark figure plummeted from the sky, crashing heavily into the center of the living room. The tremendous impact ripped up the floor tiles, sending them flying. A visible shockwave of dust and debris billowed outwards, whipping at the four individuals' clothes.

Their expressions tightened. They instantly readied themselves for battle. Both the long-faced middle-aged man and the massive figure known as Guardian Xiang vanished in a blur, presumably having dashed outside the villa.

Quickly, the dust settled, revealing the landed figure to Pei Ye and the aquiline-nosed old man.

In the center of the villa's main hall, a crater several meters deep had formed.

Standing within the crater was a young man with short hair, around 1.8 meters tall, with a well-proportioned build and handsome features.

He wore a pure black combat suit and stood calmly in the crater, his gaze fixed on the two men.

"Er..."

Recognizing the figure in the pit, Pei Ye froze for an instant, then his eyes swiftly turned glacial.

"No one."

Guardian Xiang and the long-faced middle-aged man quickly returned.

"Within a several-kilometer radius, there are no other enemies besides this kid."

"It seems..." Guardian Xiang looked at the handsome young man in the crater and said hesitantly, "he came alone."

"Are you sure?"

The iciness in Pei Ye's eyes gradually faded, replaced by an increasingly perplexed expression.

"Who is this kid?"

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