Hearing the young man's words, Tosvachin frowned and said, "How many people have come from the other side?" His voice held a touch of gloom; the fact that his subordinate had rushed in without even announcing himself, clearly in a panic that made his underlings scatter, indicated the situation was far from ordinary.

The youth forced himself to calm down, yet his voice couldn't help but tremble, "They are demanding we hand someone over, saying an instructor from our guild killed several elite members from their guild. They demand we surrender the instructor, or they will declare war!"

Tosvachin frowned again. "I strictly forbade anyone in the guild from engaging in unauthorized combat with members of the Hand of God guild. Which instructor acted on their own initiative?"

Beside him, White Dragon, Yue Heng, and the others exchanged glances, their expressions slightly odd. Ye Chen frowned. "I instigated this conflict." He guessed that his identity had likely been leaked while using the communicator, and someone with ill intent had reported it. He had anticipated such an outcome and wasn't surprised, only that the retaliation from the Hand of God guild had arrived so swiftly.

"You?" Tosvachin was momentarily stunned, then seemed to realize something and sighed, "Forget it, it's not a major issue. The Hand of God guild hasn't been pleased with us for more than a day or two; they just lacked the pretext to start a fight."

Ye Chen didn't reply, instead asking the youth, "How many people did the Hand of God guild send?"

The youth observed their expressions and saw Ye Chen seated alongside the Guild Lord, which caused a flicker of awe in his heart. Facing the question, he dared not delay in the slightest. "The Hand of God guild sent a total of four people this time. They gathered in the combat zone, severely beat many guild members who were training or idling there, and even killed quite a few."

"What! He dared to kill people?!" Tosvachin slammed his palm onto the table, the metal surface denting slightly, leaving a faint handprint. He glanced at the youth, confirming he wasn't exaggerating, and clenched his fist, his heart surging with rage!

The fact that the other party dared to slaughter his subordinates indiscriminately was equivalent to slapping his face!

The youth jumped in fright, staring at the palm print on the metal table with secret horror. He lowered his head, afraid to say more, lest he become the target of the venting wrath.

Tosvachin's chest heaved violently, filled with anger that had nowhere to be released. He clenched his fists, murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

After a moment, the youth whispered, "Guild Lord, what should we do now?"

"What to do?" Tosvachin gritted his teeth, "What else can we do? We can only dispatch one instructor to let them deal with him. Are we really going to start a war? Having been caught with our hand in the cookie jar this time, with us being in the wrong first, the Base City won't side with us!"

"Dispatch an instructor to take the blame?" The youth was greatly shocked. Instructors were Level 100 powerhouses... the value of one instructor was far from comparable to two or three elite members. He looked at Tosvachin's face, almost distorted by fury, and sighed inwardly in helplessness. There were explicit regulations in the Base City: major guilds were forbidden from fighting arbitrarily, and if things escalated too far, the Base City would intervene to support the party that acted second!

And this time...

It was the Blue Mountain Guild that made the first move.

Historically, although the two major guilds often had minor frictions, neither dared to strike first easily. If they did, the party acting second could fight with full force, knowing that if their guild faced annihilation, the Base City would step in to help!

This was the Base City's method of maintaining the balance of relations among the major guilds.

Although with the Blue Mountain Guild's influence, the Base City wouldn't concern itself with a few deaths, as long as it didn't escalate too much. However, in terms of sheer power, a guild was still not as formidable as the Base City itself!

"This time I lose an instructor, next time, I will make him lose ten thousand people to compensate!" A fierce glint flashed in Tosvachin's eyes. He was a powerful figure of his generation, certainly not a pushover who would only suffer losses without striking back.

"But, where is that instructor?" the youth asked bitterly. No one in the world was foolish enough to volunteer to die.

Tosvachin frowned; this was indeed a problem. He pondered for a moment, then remembered, "Instructor Misoer has a wife whom he cherishes deeply. Go tell him, if he agrees, I will ensure his wife receives the best care imaginable. Unless I die, no one will be able to touch a single hair on his wife's head!"

"Will he agree?" The youth hesitated; dying for a woman seemed utterly foolish.

"He definitely will," Tosvachin's eyes held a strange light. "No one knows him better than I do. For his wife, you could ask him to tear out his own heart, and he wouldn't even blink an eye. He's a fool utterly blinded by love!"

The youth paused for a moment, his lips twitching slightly, then nodded subtly and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Ye Chen suddenly spoke, his tone indifferent. "There's no need to send an instructor to take the blame."

"No need?" Tosvachin and the youth were both startled.

Ye Chen glanced at Tosvachin, his eyes holding an inscrutable meaning. "Since we acted first this time, this is a heaven-sent opportunity for them. While making you lose a Level 100 powerhouse is significant, the leader of the Hand of God guild has ambitions that extend beyond just this, otherwise, he wouldn't hold that position!"

Tosvachin's heart skipped a beat, unsure. "You mean..."

Ye Chen said calmly, "Under these circumstances, if it were me, I would certainly drag the instructor who took the blame right to your guild entrance, torture him to death slowly, provoke your nerves, and infuriate you all. The moment someone succumbs to their anger and strikes first, in full public view, they become the aggressor. Then, war is inevitable!"

Tosvachin fell silent.

The youth felt the logic in these words and grew anxious. "Then what do we do now?"

"Very simple," Ye Chen held up a single finger. "We raze the Hand of God guild to the ground."

The reception room fell silent. Provided by the Dawn Update Group.

Tosvachin and the youth were stunned.

Across all three Base Cities in Russia, no one dared utter such an arrogant declaration!

One must remember that the Hand of God guild's power was such that even the Base City treated them with caution. While the Polish Base City could mobilize its full might to flatten the Hand of God guild, it would come at a cost of slaying one thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of their own, with other Base Cities lurking nearby, ready to pounce. No one dared to act rashly against such a massive guild!

Ye Chen slowly rose, patted Tosvachin's shoulder, and said, "Let's go over there too."

Tosvachin looked utterly dazed and couldn't help but protest, "The Hand of God guild's strength far exceeds ours. If a real fight breaks out, even if we win, it will be a pyrrhic victory. Moreover, the Base City might intervene, as conflicts between major guilds weaken humanity's overall strength, while the monster armies outside are lurking..."

"I know," Ye Chen said plainly, patting his shoulder with an air of reassurance.

Tosvachin gave a wry smile and told the youth beside him, "Go summon all the chief instructors and let's depart together."

The youth glanced at Ye Chen, his expression strange. "Yes," he replied, turning to leave.

White Dragon was perplexed. "Only four of them, and we're sending everyone?"

Tosvachin glanced at the youth, quickly noting that although the young man appeared casual, at first glance seeming like a reckless fool, a faint killing aura coiled around him—the cold temperament only possessed by assassins who had long engaged in slaughter. Tosvachin inwardly felt a sharp jolt.

Mo Feng, who rarely spoke, stated calmly, "For now, it's only four people, but the other side has likely guessed we would be gathering personnel. So, once we arrive with our assembled force, they will undoubtedly deploy the hidden armies for a large-scale battle!"

"Oh," White Dragon suddenly understood.

"Emotionally intelligent but lacking street smarts!" Yue Heng rolled his eyes.

White Dragon glared angrily. "Who the hell are you calling an idiot!"

"I'm talking about you!" Yue Heng didn't back down.

"Yeah, the idiot is me," White Dragon cackled slyly.

Yue Heng realized he had been tricked and nearly strangled him.

Tosvachin looked at the two of them in despair. They were about to head into a bloodbath, and they still had the mood for jokes?

Soon, the group followed Tosvachin out of the reception room and arrived beneath the guild headquarters.

When they reached the area, three figures were already standing near the entrance: two men and one woman. They were the three commanders who had directed countless troops to bombard Ye Chen near the ruins entrance.

Hearing the footsteps, the three turned their heads. Upon seeing Tosvachin, they nodded respectfully. Then, their eyes flickered towards Ye Chen beside him, and their pupils contracted sharply; they almost cried out in shock.

"De-de-de-de... Demon!" One curly-haired youth stammered, trembling.

The seductive woman, Philane, and the middle-aged man beside him also paled slightly, feeling the nightmarish scene resurface in their minds, sending chills through their bodies, devoid of any sense of security.

Tosvachin frowned. "Shut up! This Empe—Lord is now the true Guild Master. Do not be disrespectful again!" He had intended to introduce Ye Chen but realized he didn't know the man's name, which caused him some embarrassment.

Ye Chen seemed to notice and stated calmly, "My name is Ye Chen."

"Guild Master Ye!" Philane, the middle-aged man, and the youth paused briefly before quickly regaining composure. Seeing an opportunity, they swiftly shouted their salutations, their respectful demeanor causing Tosvachin a pang of jealousy.

"Just the three of you?" Tosvachin shifted his gaze, noticing only three people nearby.

"We were resting at the headquarters and rushed over immediately upon receiving the notification. The others are likely still on their way," Philane led the explanation.

Thump...

A flurry of footsteps approached, and soon, a tall, imposing figure came running from the distance.

"Misoer has arrived," the middle-aged man smiled, seemingly quite familiar with Misoer.

Ye Chen looked up. It was a young man, tall, with tight black curly hair, fair skin, a high-bridged nose, and quite bright eyes, giving off an energetic aura. He wore white and gold leather armor, relaxed at the joints, and carried a golden longsword on his back, exuding a heroic presence, imbued with an air of royalty and nobility.~~~~