The streets of the Star Luo Imperial City were wide and bustling, filled with an aura of iron and order that Heaven Dou City lacked. Escorted by two soldiers, the caravan made its way through the city and finally stopped before a magnificent and heavily guarded mansion. With its towering walls, tightly shut gilded gates, and eight fierce-looking guards standing watch, this was the residence of the Star Luo Empire's First Prince, Dai Weisi.
"Stop! State your business!" the guard captain called out, his voice as hard as steel. His gaze swept over the caravan like a blade.
The middle-aged steward from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School quickly stepped forward, a professional smile fixed on his face as he presented their documents. "Sir, we are a caravan from the Heaven Dou Empire, entrusted by His Royal Highness, the First Prince, to deliver a batch of crucial goods."
The guard captain examined the documents, glanced at the two city guards who had escorted them, and his expression softened slightly, though he remained vigilant. "Wait here. I will go inform the butler." He turned and quickly entered the mansion.
The wait wasn't long, but the atmosphere was heavy with tension. Through his disguise, Dai Mubai stared coldly at the familiar mansion, his eyes filled with a storm of complex emotions. Meanwhile, Ye Yin casually surveyed the surrounding defenses, his mental force quietly spreading out like an invisible spiderweb.
Soon, the guard captain returned, followed by a middle-aged man in a fine steward's uniform who carried himself with an air of arrogance.
"I am the mansion's head steward, Qian," he announced, his scrutinizing gaze sweeping over the caravan. "His Highness is in seclusion and is not seeing guests. The goods can be handed over to me for inspection." He had clearly been given strict instructions by Dai Weisi and was being exceptionally cautious.
The caravan's steward feigned a look of difficulty. "Butler Qian, it's not a matter of trust. It's just that this shipment is extremely valuable and complex. It's a set of hidden weapons specially ordered by His Highness, and they require a specialist for installation and calibration. There are also some crucial instructions that must be reported to His Highness in person."
Butler Qian frowned. He walked to one of the crates and motioned for a guard to pry it open. When he saw the intricate structure of the Godly Zhuge Crossbow inside, gleaming with a cold light, a flicker of surprise crossed his face. Though not a Spirit Master, he was experienced enough to know that these were no ordinary weapons.
These are indeed fine weapons, he thought. He knew the Prince had been secretly strengthening his personal guard's equipment to deal with that damned Dai Mubai and his friends from Shrek. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's reputation was also solid.
"Very well," Butler Qian finally decided. "You may send two of your skilled craftsmen inside with a sample and the instructions. They can follow me to a side hall to wait. I will go ask His Highness if he is willing to spare a moment to meet them. Everyone else and the rest of the cargo will wait outside!" It was a compromise that satisfied the need for a demonstration while minimizing the risk.
The caravan steward looked to Ye Yin, who gave a slight nod. "In that case, we will follow Butler Qian's instructions," the steward replied. He then turned and pointed to Ye Yin and Tang San. "Mr. Wang, Li San, you two take the sample from crate number three and the blueprints and go with Butler Qian. Make sure to explain everything clearly to His Highness."
"Yes," Ye Yin and Tang San answered in unison, lifting a smaller crate from the carriage.
Butler Qian glanced at the two seemingly ordinary craftsmen with their weak spirit power fluctuations and nodded. "Follow me."
Under the watchful eyes of several guards, Ye Yin and Tang San carried the crate and followed Butler Qian into the heavily guarded mansion. Inside, the courtyards were deep and the corridors wound like a maze. Guards, both seen and unseen, were everywhere. The defenses were incredibly tight.
Butler Qian led them to a secluded waiting hall. "Wait here," he ordered. "Do not move around freely without my permission." After giving the warning, he took one of the crossbows and the instruction manuals and hurried deeper into the mansion.
Only Ye Yin, Tang San, and two guards at the door remained. The opportunity had arrived. The first step of their plan—getting inside the mansion—was a success. Now, it was time to use this brief window to sow the seeds of chaos.
Ye Yin closed his eyes, and his mental force spread out like a silent tide, extending deep into the mansion. The terrifying perception granted by his 100,000-year-old Wisdom Skull allowed him to clearly map the mansion's layout and pinpoint the locations of powerful Spirit Masters. He quickly identified several areas with the most concentrated spirit power—the study, the cultivation room, and the personal guard's quarters. He also saw Butler Qian hurrying toward a particularly well-guarded cultivation room. Inside, a violent and cold spirit power was fluctuating. It was Dai Weisi. His strength had indeed improved significantly, and he was already close to becoming a Spirit King.
A smirk played on Ye Yin's lips. It was time to act.
He had recently developed a new understanding of his Spirit Bone's abilities. He could now use his powerful mental force to employ his spirit abilities without ever revealing his spirit rings. As long as his rings weren't visible, no one would know that he was the one casting the spell.
Without a sound, without a flicker of a spirit ring, Ye Yin reached out with his mind. His fourth spirit ability, Mental Curse, condensed and shot through the walls, penetrating the barriers of distance to strike the meditating prince. The curse was designed to be a trigger. Whenever Dai Weisi was in deep cultivation or experiencing intense emotions, he would be forced to uncontrollably recall his most humiliating and painful memories, generating powerful inner demons that would severely disrupt his focus.
Inside the cultivation room, Dai Weisi suddenly trembled. His mind was instantly flooded with images: the moment he was sent flying by the spirit fusion of Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing; his fiancée, Zhu Zhuyun, betraying him and attacking him; and then, a new, fabricated memory, an intimate scene of Zhu Zhuyun with Ye Yin, an image more humiliating than anything that had actually happened.
"Pfft—!"
Dai Weisi's eyes snapped open, and he nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood. His spirit power fell into disarray, and his aura fluctuated violently.
"Bastards! Ye Yin! Dai Mubai! Zhu Zhuqing!" he roared, his eyes bloodshot with pure, murderous rage. "And that slut, Zhu Zhuyun!"
His deep cultivation state was completely shattered, his mind agitated beyond control.
"Your Highness? What's wrong?" the guards outside called nervously.
"...Nothing!" Dai Weisi forced out through gritted teeth, suppressing the surging fury. He knew this was an inner demon, and the angrier he got, the worse it would become. But that knowledge did nothing to quell the hatred for Ye Yin and the others, which now burned deeper than ever before.
Back in the side hall, Ye Yin felt the strong wave of resentment from the prince and smiled with satisfaction. The seed had been sown. This was just the appetizer.
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