Leaving the Elder Hall, Ye Chen followed the man in purple robes back to the space station orbiting the planet. From there, they entered the warp lane and departed the dark red world aboard a Rune Ship. Following the new trajectory indicated by the radar, they arrived at the Ninth Great Star of the Star Bay cluster.

Viewed from afar, this Star Bay was dazzlingly brilliant, a beautiful expanse of starry sky within the vast cosmos. Stars swirled within it, twinkling incessantly, with nine particularly luminous suns circling the single largest planet at the center.

According to the data, Ye Chen knew that this colossal central planet served as the Elder Star presiding over the Star Bay, where all major and minor affairs could be handled.

The Rune Ship followed the radar coordinates, arriving above the Ninth Great Star. Gazing down from the ship’s external viewport, Ye Chen saw a planet shaped like an ellipse, beautifully azure, shrouded by a faintly luminous atmospheric shield. Beneath it, the vast oceanic plates were faintly visible, stretching out infinitely blue.

As the Rune Ship approached, the radar immediately scanned a STOP signal, forcing it to halt on the designated approach lane. Moments later, several vessels were seen sweeping in from nearby, positioning themselves before the Rune Ship. The lead ship, a purple mechanical craft, opened its hatch, and from it stepped a burly man with dark skin and a pair of horns protruding from his brow—a Demon Man from the Hell Civilization.

His expression was gentle as he approached the Rune Ship and boomed, "May I inquire if the arrival is Lord Ye Chen?"

Ye Chen emerged from the Rune Ship, glanced at the middle-aged man, and nodded slightly. "I am he."

The Demon Man studied Ye Chen for a moment, his eyes brightening, and he quickly hurried forward with a smile. "We have awaited your arrival for a long time, my Lord. Everything on the planet is currently in a primal state. Please proceed to choose your residence, or entrust the entire arrangement to my care. I will certainly commission the highest-tier planet construction firm to build your palace."

Ye Chen nodded gently. Surrounded by his escorts, he was transported inside the planet via the space service station’s long-range supersonic elevator. This elevator was a stroke of genius, connecting the planet’s surface directly to outer space. The forced metal glass of the cabin featured an external scenery simulation system that captured and displayed exterior visuals, allowing everyone inside to clearly see the surrounding starry sky despite their supersonic ascent.

Beautiful, vast, and magnificent!

The starscape was always the most beautiful place.

Ye Chen sighed internally, then entered the planet’s interior. Looking around, the entire sphere was encircled by white clouds, the air was fresh, and a man-made sun orbited the planet overhead. The continents were covered in lush forests, the scenery was pleasant, and the sea glittered under the light.

Led by the attendant ships, Ye Chen toured the planet before finally stopping above a vast ocean expanse. Ye Chen’s expression remained calm and indifferent. "Build my residential palace here, and construct quarters for the servants near the shore."

"Yes, my Lord." The Demon Man smiled and nodded. "I will instruct the workers to complete it within two days. Does the Lord have a preference for architectural style, or would you prefer to design it yourself?"

Ye Chen replied casually, "The classical style of the Spiritual Civilization."

The Demon Man nodded. "Understood."

With matters settled, Ye Chen departed the Ninth Great Star alone, returning to the Rune Ship. Following the warp channel, he left the Yan Dragon Universe.

Returning to the Ancient World, Ye Chen did not pause. He immediately issued an email, accusing the eight deacons of the Premium Genius Hall who had previously assisted Hua Zhan in coercing him, complete with audio recordings. With the might of the Yan God Empire, this matter could certainly be thoroughly investigated.

Given his current status, his words carried immense weight, far beyond what they once did. As soon as the email was sent, it received immediate, high-level attention. The senior officials of the Yan Dragon Hall Elder Council received it with grave expressions and swiftly ordered subordinates to commence a series of investigations.

After dispatching the email, Ye Chen traveled to Donglin City, located within the First-Rank Genius Hall. Upon presenting his Secret Fire Token at the city entrance and passing inspection, he instantly drew considerable notice.

Other people entering the city nearby were shocked when they recognized Ye Chen’s appearance. They gathered at a distance, murmuring amongst themselves, yet none dared approach.

Ye Chen piloted the Rune Ship directly toward the central district of Donglin City—the headquarters of the Hualong Group!

"Beep! Beep!"

The Rune Ship's radar chirped: "Please reduce altitude. This is private corporate property; flying is prohibited."

The old man with the green talisman grumbled, then lowered the altitude, aiming for the main entrance of the Hualong Group. Three thousand meters from the main gate, the radar warned again: "Warning! This is private corporate property. Flight prohibited!"

"Damn your ancestor!" The old man with the green talisman rolled his eyes irritably and turned to Ye Chen. "What now, Little Chen Chen?"

Ye Chen glanced at him. "Charge through!"

The eyes of the green-talisman man lit up, and he chuckled gleefully. "Got it!" With that, he piloted the Rune Ship straight ahead, bringing it to the main entrance of the Huatian Tower. The tower was constructed to be towering and majestic, like a beautiful crystal peak, shining brilliantly all over and veiled in faint, colorful clouds. Standing at the entrance were a dozen greeters, all exquisitely beautiful women, elegant and charming.

Ye Chen stated calmly, "Tell your Chairman to come out."

"No problem." The old man with the green talisman grinned confidently and pressed the loudspeaker button, bellowing, "Hey, little ones across the way, listen up, your Grandpa Green is just visiting today! Hurry up and bring out your boss to kneel and welcome us—my Boss wants an audience!"

At those words, the entire surrounding, bustling street instantly fell into profound silence—so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone simultaneously turned their heads, staring at the ship hovering within the restricted airspace. Their expressions were filled with suspicion and awe; they couldn't imagine who this powerful figure was to dare act so brazenly!

Swish, swish, swish!

From within the Hualong Group’s main gate, a line of men in black uniforms quickly filed out, armed with light cannons, S-grade photon launchers, light-stream sniper rifles, and heavy machine guns of the Meteor model. They lined up, aiming their weapons at the Rune Ship, assuming a defensive posture. Leading them was a middle-aged man with a full beard and a stout build, holding up a transparent energy shield. He frowned at the Rune Ship and demanded, "This is the Huatian Group Headquarters. Who are you people?"

That resonant voice echoed across the entire street and traveled into the Rune Ship's audio receiver.

The old man with the green talisman adopted a proud demeanor. "Let me tell you underlings, my Boss is the dashing, handsome, universally adored, unrivaled genius, the peerless prodigy, a member of the Yan Dragon Hall—Ye Chen!"

The crowd, suppressing their rising anger through the preceding string of nonsense, visibly stiffened when they finally heard the name Ye Chen. Their pupils contracted, and their faces registered disbelief.

Ye Chen?

Ever since the battle on Tianlong Star, Ye Chen had become utterly famous throughout the Yan God Empire; the name was known by virtually everyone.

With the aftermath of that storm still swirling, Ye Chen's sudden appearance here was explosive news.

The previously silent street instantly became dead quiet, as if even the breeze held its breath.

The middle-aged man quickly sobered up, his mind racing. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as he frantically dialed a communicator device in his hand. Regardless of whether the claim was true, this matter was far beyond his authority to handle.

Beep…

The call rang several times before being answered.

"Hello, Chairman, the Yan Dragon Hall member Ye Chen is at the main gate demanding you come down to meet him personally," the middle-aged man reported urgently.

There was a brief silence on the line before a voice replied, "Stabilize the situation first. I will be down shortly." The line clicked dead.

The middle-aged man let out a sigh of relief, immediately looked up at Ye Chen, and subtly lowered his hand. The comrades behind him understood the unspoken command and lowered their military-grade weapons.

"Please wait, Lord. The Chairman is on his way down immediately," the middle-aged man said respectfully.

"Understood. You can step aside," the old man with the green talisman said dismissively.

The middle-aged man smiled sheepishly and moved to the side. All the onlookers on the street wore expressions of stunned amazement, filled with an unarticulated mix of excitement, surprise, and slight nervousness as they quietly fixed their gazes on the scene.

Before long, the sound of footsteps slowly emerged from the Hualong Group's main entrance. In the wide street, the sound was unnervingly loud. Soon, several pairs of shoes appeared in the doorway's light, followed by several figures. In the center walked an elderly man, perhaps eighty years old, yet his skin was smooth and delicate, flushed pink against white. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression warm and benevolent, his eyes slightly narrowed like a gentle old fox.

Beside him were several men wearing black sunglasses, moving with him closely like bodyguards.

"Genius Ye Chen, what instructions do you have for this old man?" The benevolent elder stopped before the Rune Ship, tilting his head back to gaze at the imposing vessel, speaking with a smile.

The old man with the green talisman turned to look at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen stated plainly, "He is to compensate one million True God Stones."

The eyes of the green-talisman man narrowed. He snapped his fingers, grabbed the microphone, and boomed, "Little old man, my Master instructs you to pay compensation of one million True God Stones! There was a brat named Hua Longtian who previously offended my Lord. Now, you must pay for the mental distress!"

The moment these words were spoken, the entire street fell silent.

Even the elder, renowned for his excellent composure and deep guile, couldn't prevent the corners of his mouth from twitching slightly. Two prominent veins pulsed on his forehead. If he hadn't clenched his jaw and kept his mouth shut, he might have spat blood.

This wasn't a request for compensation; it was naked robbery!

One million True God Stones was equivalent to ten thousand Lesser Divine Artifacts!

The old man with the green talisman remained unperturbed, leisurely continuing, "Your Grandpa Green is busy and has no time for your chatter. I'll give you ten minutes to hand it over immediately, or else my Master will go to the Genius Hall and cripple or kill that brat Hua Longtian! You figure it out!"