Blending into the crowd, Ye Luo silently waited for the start of this gathering. He wanted to see exactly what the Heavenly Palace Corporation had planned.

However, looking around at the room full of Huaxia people, and even hearing occasional bits of Huaxia dialect, Ye Luo felt a rare sense of delight in his heart.

...

"Hey, brother, where are you from?"

Suddenly, a young man approached Ye Luo, laughing gleefully as he posed the question, even casually putting a hand on Ye Luo’s shoulder.

This mannerism was practically the archetype of a street rogue!

If it had been any other day, this man wouldn’t have had a chance to touch Ye Luo’s shoulder. But today, seeing so many Huaxia people, Ye Luo couldn’t help but feel glad, so he didn’t mind such trivialities.

"Are you asking me?"

Ye Luo smiled as he looked at the young man, preparing to reply. But unexpectedly, the guy casually patted Ye Luo’s shoulder again and said, "Forget it, doesn’t matter where you’re from. Anyway, we’re not getting any chance—the opportunity this time is reserved for the Ninth Prince! Haha, listen, our Heavenly Palace Corporation has finally turned things around. No idea why, but we’ve hitched ourselves to the Ninth Prince’s mountain. Truth be told, the higher-ups of the corporation have already collectively decided to pledge allegiance to the Ninth Prince."

This didn’t surprise Ye Luo much. Given the openly growing strength of his forces, the Heavenly Palace Corporation pledging loyalty to him was entirely logical.

However, what puzzled him was what the young man meant by saying there was "no chance."

"Brother, make it clear—what do you mean by ’no chance’?"

Indeed, that’s all Ye Luo was curious about.

The young man glanced at Ye Luo and asked, somewhat strangely, "How long has it been since you were back at the corporation? How come you don’t even know about such a major event?"

"Alright, let me explain. Actually, our Heavenly Palace Corporation and a few other Earth-based factions have always possessed a special artifact capable of returning to Earth. However, this artifact can only be used when all fragments are assembled, and even then, only one person can teleport back to Earth each time. Normally, it’s just used to issue Martial Dao Orders, facilitating more people to come to the Martial Realm and expand our strength!"

"But later, those aristocrats found out about Earth, didn’t they? Even the Third Prince of the Great Tang secretly wanted to meddle in Earth’s affairs. Their strength far outpaces ours, so not long ago, one faction developed a new type of Celestial Artifact. This artifact is quite miraculous—it supposedly allows teleportation across time and space back to Earth. Unfortunately, three consecutive experiments failed." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"But guess what happened after that?"

Ye Luo almost felt like punching this guy. At the most critical part of the story, he dared to leave it hanging for Ye Luo to guess!

Guess, my ass!

Fortunately, the guy didn’t tease him further and continued, "Our Heavenly Palace Corporation somehow got hold of this intel and sent a team of elites to infiltrate that faction. They successfully stole the key technologies! Haha, they couldn’t make it work, but that doesn’t mean we can’t. After all, we have the precise Earth coordinates, and every one of us ascended from Earth!"

"So, kid, let me tell you—tonight’s banquet is actually a celebration for the birth of this new type of Celestial Artifact! While no one has tested whether it truly works yet, at least, in theory, it’s feasible!"

Returning to Earth was now possible!

Ye Luo felt a surge of joy. Using the Celestial Artifact to return to Earth—Ye Luo had known about this method from the beginning. Back then, he also obtained a Celestial Artifact, but later learned it was merely conceptual and couldn’t be realized.

But now, it seemed the Heavenly Palace Corporation had been tirelessly refining this artifact to make Earth-returning a reality!

Ye Luo couldn’t suppress the joy in his heart, his face already brimming with a smile.

At that moment, he noticed several figures entering the hall.

Judging from their expressions, they appeared to be searching for someone, and among them was Li Wuyue.

Well then, no reminder needed—Ye Luo already knew they were here looking for him!

It was likely that, after waiting so long without seeing Ye Luo, they checked the invitation list and discovered he had already entered, thus coming to find him.

Ye Luo quietly walked forward. There was much he needed to clarify with them face-to-face, as well as lingering doubts he hoped they could resolve.

Seeing Ye Luo, Li Wuyue instinctively wanted to call out, but Ye Luo shook his head. Shortly after, the group entered a private chamber together.

"Haha, well done, kid, you’re doing great! Never thought you’d actually become the Ninth Prince, with the power to establish your own household. Looks like our Heavenly Palace Corporation will be counting on you from now on!"

As soon as they entered the chamber, a middle-aged man addressed Ye Luo loudly.

Ye Luo frowned slightly, an unmistakable hint of dissatisfaction in his heart.

Indeed, the people of the Heavenly Palace Corporation were from Huaxia. But let’s be clear—Ye Luo is Ye Luo; the Heavenly Palace Corporation is the Heavenly Palace Corporation. Ye Luo had no obligation, nor any reason, to serve the Heavenly Palace Corporation in any way—let alone to bow to them!

The only relationship to be established was the Heavenly Palace Corporation submitting to Ye Luo, not the other way around!

After all, the authority and strength Ye Luo commanded far surpassed the Heavenly Palace Corporation countless times over!

"Shut up, Third Brother!"

Seeing Ye Luo frown, the others immediately caught on.

Indeed, while they were all Huaxia people, this was the Martial Realm—a place ruled by strength. Sentiment?

No. Sentiment wasn’t necessary here. What counted was only power!

"We pay our respects to His Highness, Ninth Prince!"

Led by one individual, the rest quickly realized and knelt before Ye Luo in unison.

Their situation was more dire than it seemed—one could easily call it perilous. Within the Great Tang Empire, someone had their sights set on the Heavenly Palace Corporation; beyond the empire, others had their sights set on them too.

They sought Ye Luo’s protection. Trying to conquer Ye Luo? They didn’t have the strength for that, nor did they dare entertain such thoughts!

"Rise, and tell me the real purpose of tonight’s banquet. I’ve heard you’ve developed a new Celestial Artifact capable of returning to Earth—is this true?"

Ye Luo looked at the group, casually sitting down in a nearby chair before asking.

Don’t assume Ye Luo was cold-hearted. The truth was, had Ye Luo bowed his head here, these people would only endlessly exploit him, driven by human nature!