Douluo Continent: Speaker above, Dragon God kneels to receive orders

Chapter 26 Dark Night Murder, Bloodstained Clues at the Divine Craftsman's Mansion

The night in Mingdu isn't dark. Everywhere are streetlights and lanterns, illuminating the streets as if it were daytime. If you stand there, you can't see many stars when you look up.

Zhenhua's Divine Craftsman's Mansion is located in the very center of Mingdu. It's not just his house, but also the headquarters of the Forging Masters Association, the holy land of the forging industry across the entire continent. A large protective shield surrounds the mansion, emitting a pale golden light and looking incredibly sturdy. There are also a bunch of detection soul guides, like eyes, watching over the surrounding area for miles, so that no movement can escape their notice.

The welcome banquet was about to begin, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the Parliament building. In that brief moment, two figures, like drops of water merging into the sea, silently slipped into the backyard of the Divine Craftsman's Mansion.

"Is this the Divine Craftsman's Mansion?" Tang Wulin asked in a low voice, crouching behind a large tree. Xu Tianqi used a secret technique to suppress their breathing and heartbeats to the lowest possible level; even he himself could barely hear his own heartbeat.

"Don't make a sound. Look." Xu Tianqi transmitted her voice coldly. "That's the Heavenly Craft Array, a level nine soul-guided defensive array. If Mo Runshu hadn't given you that sword heart fragment as a token, we wouldn't even have had the chance to get close."

Tang Wulin looked up. The pale golden light screen was covered with dense patterns, each one carrying an aura of destruction. The Golden Dragon King bloodline within him seemed to become excited upon encountering this, as if it had smelled something delicious.

"Zhenhua is inside." Xu Tianqi pointed to the tallest tower in the middle of the mansion. "Mo Runshu's message says that assassins from the Holy Spirit Cult have infiltrated. Remember, we're not here to kill anyone, but to protect Zhenhua and find the scapegoat who's trying to frame us."

"Understood." Tang Wulin nodded, a cold glint in his eyes.

Suddenly, something happened.

A blood-red light tore the night sky apart.

With a loud bang, the Divine Craftsman's Mansion exploded. The supposedly impenetrable "Heavenly Craft Array" began to shake violently, and the light dimmed considerably.

"They've made their move!" Xu Tianqi's eyes sharpened. "Let's go!"

The two stopped hiding. Xu Tianqi drew his longsword, and a black sword aura cleaved open the gap that had been blasted in the protective barrier. Tang Wulin followed, and the two rushed in like lightning.

Inside the Divine Craftsman's Mansion, in the Forging Hall.

It was a complete mess. The rare metals on the shelves were overturned and scattered all over the floor.

An old man in a gray robe stood in the middle of the hall, gripping a large forging hammer. His face was taut as he blocked attacks from all directions. His hair and beard were completely white, but his eyes shone brightly. Each time he swung the hammer, a golden ripple would explode outwards, blasting away anyone who approached. Zhen Hua. A Federation Master Craftsman, a Level Nine Blacksmith.

Standing opposite him were three men dressed in black robes and wearing masks. The soul power fluctuations emanating from all three were terrifying; they were all Title Douluo.

"Zhenhua, hand over the Heavenly Forging Secret Technique, and I'll leave you with a whole corpse!" The leader, a man in black robes, had a hoarse voice, like two pieces of iron grinding against each other, which was unpleasant to listen to.

"Dream on!" Zhenhua roared, slamming his hammer into the ground. "Symphony of Metal, Break!" A metallic storm exploded from his body, tearing apart the surrounding walls. He wasn't good at fighting, but he was a level nine blacksmith, his control over metal was unparalleled. In this place full of iron, he could perform at his best.

"You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences." The man in black robes sneered, forming a hand seal, "Blood Sacrifice - Thousand Soul Burial!" Countless black dots flew out from their bodies, gathering into a large bloody skull hand, carrying a disgusting stench, and grabbed at Zhenhua.

Zhenhua's expression changed. He knew this was going to be tough, and he was preparing to fight with his life on the line.

A golden shadow rushed in from the side and blocked his way.

Tang Wulin.

He didn't use any soul skills. With just the Golden Dragon King's physique, he punched the blood skull hand.

Boom! The golden-red light collided with the blood skull, the sound so loud it made your ears ring. The ground beneath Tang Wulin's feet cracked, and he slid back more than ten meters, but he managed to stop himself.

"Who are you?!" The man in black robes was surprised and angry, not expecting anyone to interfere.

"I'll take your life." Tang Wulin slowly straightened up, and the golden dragon king scales on his right arm emerged, exuding a pressure that made people uneasy.

Xu Tianqi also emerged from the other side, his sword tip pointing directly at the black-robed man hiding in the shadows, secretly setting up an array.

"Want to keep the Star Luo Empire's token? Not so easy." She sneered, and with a flash of sword light, she shattered the array plate in the man's hand. The array plate was engraved with the Star Luo Empire's royal emblem, clearly intended to stage a scene.

"Damn it! The plan has failed!" The leader of the black-robed men knew that the mission was not going to succeed, and shouted, "Retreat!" The three of them crushed the soul tools in their hands, and black smoke instantly filled the entire hall.

"Trying to run?" Tang Wulin's eyes gleamed with golden light, and he was about to give chase.

Zhenhua stopped him. "Don't chase them. The Holy Spirit Cult's Shadow Escape Technique can't catch them." He looked at the mess on the ground, then at Tang Wulin and Xu Tianqi, his eyes filled with doubt. "Thank you both for your help. May I ask who you two are—"

"They were sent by the Speaker." Xu Tianqi sheathed his sword, his tone indifferent. "Speaker Mo was worried about something happening tonight, so he sent us to protect you."

"Mo Runshu..." Zhenhua murmured, then bowed slightly to the two of them. "Thank you for your concern, Speaker, and thank you both for saving my life. If you hadn't arrived in time, this old body of mine would probably be here today."

Tang Wulin quickly returned the greeting. "Senior Divine Craftsman, please don't be so polite. You are a treasure of the Federation, and nothing can happen to you."

The top floor of the Federal Parliament building.

Mo Runshu was still standing in front of the French windows, swirling a glass of red wine in his hand, watching the black smoke rising from the Divine Craftsman's Mansion in the distance. A slight, cold smile played on his lips.

Yue Mianmian stood beside him, her silver hair fluttering in the night breeze. Her eyes, which could see into the future, were closed, as if sensing something.

"It seems Wu Lin and the others have made it in time," Mo Runshu said.

"The threads of fate are tangled." Yue Mianmian opened her eyes, her voice clear and ethereal. "Although the Holy Spirit Cult failed this time, they left more spies than expected. And something seems off about the Star Luo Empire delegation as well."

"So what if something's not right?" Mo Runshu turned around, his golden hair gleaming in the light. "As long as Zhenhua isn't dead, as long as the evidence isn't solid, the war won't break out. I need this state of suspense."

He walked to the table and pressed a red button.

"Order the First Division of the Central Army to immediately seal off the area around the Divine Craftsman's Mansion. The pretext is an anti-terrorism exercise. Not a single fly is allowed to escape. Also, send someone to pick up the Star Luo delegation and tell them that there has been a minor incident in Mingdu. For their safety, they should stay at the post station and not move."

"Yes, Speaker." The adjutant's voice on the communicator was quite respectful.

Mo Runshu hung up and looked at Yue Mianmian. "What do you think of Wu Lin?"

Yue Mianmian opened her eyes, her silver pupils reflecting his image. "He's a double-edged sword. The Golden Dragon King's power is devouring him, but Xu Tianqi's teachings are suppressing him. If he can survive your game, he might truly become the variable."

"He will survive," Mo Runshu said confidently. "Because his opponent is not only the Holy Spirit Cult, but also the rules of the entire world. I'm very interested to see what it will be like when the rules are shattered."

Outside the window, the night in Mingdu grew deeper. Although a conspiracy against the two great empires had been thwarted, an even greater storm was just beginning to brew.