468: Chapter 468 You little brat, you're like a rat's tail!

The urgent voice of the Prime Minister of Norway came from the other end of the phone.

"Karl, have you seen the news?"

Karl gritted his teeth. "I've seen it."

"Then what do you plan to do?"

The Prime Minister of Norway directly pressed him for an answer.

"I'm telling you, Norway can't take the fall for this!"

"Regarding the matter of the Hall of Saints, everyone agreed to it at the beginning!"

"Now that something has gone wrong, you can't make us bear it alone!"

Karl's face turned various shades of blue and white.

Suddenly, another call came through on his other phone.

When he turned on the speakerphone, before he could even speak, a voice came through—it was the King of Denmark.

"Karl! You saw the statement from the Dragon Kingdom, didn't you?"

"Do you know what this means? It means they could impose economic sanctions on us at any time!"

"Don't you have any idea how much trade our five countries combined have with the Dragon Kingdom?"

Veins bulged on the hand Karl used to hold his phone.

Immediately after.

Calls from the Prime Minister of Suomi and the Prime Minister of Iceland came in one after another.

Everyone's voice was filled with anxiety and panic.

"Karl, this was your own initiative that led the Hall of Saints to cause trouble; you must take full responsibility!"

"Exactly! It was your people who took the contract from the Manluodi Family. What does that have to do with Finland?"

"Karl, if you don't settle this, our five countries will lose all face!"

"Losing face? This isn't a matter of face anymore! If the Dragon Kingdom really imposes sanctions, what will happen to our economies?"

Karl was completely panicked.

He never expected...

That his act of turning a blind eye would directly bring about such a catastrophic disaster!

It was over!

Everything was over!

This time, not only had his daughter died, but he also had to apologize to the Dragon Kingdom.

It was simply too humiliating!

...

In an inconspicuous barbecue shop in the old town of Stockholm.

Ye Chen sat by the window, with a large pile of...

...sizzling mutton skewers, a few side dishes, and two bottles of chilled beer set before him.

He picked up a skewer of mutton, took a bite, and spoke indistinctly, "Mmm, the flavor here is quite good."

Yan Qingwu sat opposite him, her phone screen showing the statement from the Dragon Kingdom's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

She read it over three times and then looked up at Ye Chen.

"Did you... did you know it would turn out like this all along?"

Ye Chen chewed his mutton with an innocent look. "Know what?"

"Know that the Dragon Kingdom would issue this statement!"

Yan Qingwu held the phone up to his face with a strange expression.

"Clearly, we were the ones who blew up their headquarters and killed their princess, yet now we've become the victims?"

Ye Chen swallowed the mutton, took a sip of beer, and spoke slowly.

"Then tell me, wasn't it the Hall of Saints who took the contract first? Wasn't it them who first sent people to break into my home? Wasn't it them who made the first move?"

Yan Qingwu faltered.

Ye Chen set down his glass and began counting on his fingers.

"First, they took the Manluodi Family's contract to kill me."

"Second, their people broke into my home, injured my people, and terrified my parents."

"Third, they lured me into a trap, wanting to crush me into a meat patty."

"Fourth, they made the first move. I was only acting in self-defense."

He spread his hands with an innocent look.

"You see, from beginning to end, I am the victim."

"Is there something wrong with a victim seeking justice for himself?"

Yan Qingwu was speechless.

He wasn't wrong!

But when put all together, it just felt like something was off.

Yan Qingwu thought for a long while before finally squeezing out a sentence: "But you blew up their headquarters..."

Ye Chen waved his hand.

"That was them wanting to perish together. What does it have to do with me?"

"The Grand Speaker pressed the button himself, and the missiles fell by themselves."

"I only egged him on a little bit."

"While instigating someone is illegal, compared to what I went through, it doesn't seem like much, does it?"

Yan Qingwu: "..."

What a line, 'just egged him on a little bit'!

Suddenly!

Ye Chen's phone began to vibrate.

He pulled it out and saw the words 'Old Man Xuanyuan' flashing on the screen.

Ye Chen answered the call. "Old man, you've called quite timely. Have you eaten?"

Xuanyuan Huo spoke crossly from the other end.

"Eat? I'm so angry at you that I can't eat!"

Ye Chen looked innocent. "What did I do now?"

"What did you do?"

Xuanyuan Huo couldn't hold it back anymore. "You blew up the Hall of Saints, and now the heads of five countries are in an uproar. You're asking me what you did?"

Ye Chen unhurriedly took a bite of mutton.

"Old man, what you're saying isn't right."

"The Hall of Saints was blown up by themselves; it has nothing to do with me."

"Besides, haven't you already settled things for me?"

Xuanyuan Huo was choked into silence.

After a long while, he finally let out a long sigh. "You brat... you're just banking on the fact that I'll clean up your mess, aren't you?"

Ye Chen spoke with a grin.

"How could that be? I just believe in the power of the country."

"Furthermore, everything I said is the truth."

Xuanyuan Huo found that he actually had no retort.

But the problem was...

This kid clearly went there to cause trouble, but he somehow managed to turn himself into an innocent victim.

This maneuver was so slick he couldn't even bear to watch.

Well...

Even though he himself had a part in the credit.

Xuanyuan Huo spoke gloomily.

"Alright, alright, stop being cheeky."

"I called to tell you something."

Ye Chen set down the mutton skewer. "What is it?"

Xuanyuan Huo's voice became serious. "Over in the Kunlun Ruins, many clans and forces have already begun to take notice of you."

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"The three people in the Tianyi Realm you killed were members of the Holy Sect from the Kunlun Ruins."

Xuanyuan Huo spoke emphatically.

"The Holy Sect is not a small power in the Kunlun Ruins; it's considered a mid-tier force."

"Since you killed their people, they won't let it slide."

Upon hearing this, a meaningful smile curled on Ye Chen's lips. "I recall the Xuanyuan Family is also a major power in the Kunlun Ruins, right? How about you step in, old man?"

Xuanyuan Huo spoke crossly.

"You little rascal, you certainly know how to look for a chance to milk me."

"But you don't understand the rules within the Kunlun Ruins."

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. "What rules?"

Xuanyuan Huo sighed and explained patiently.

"The forces in the Kunlun Ruins, regardless of size, follow an ironclad rule—mind your own business."

"As long as it's something unrelated to one's own force, one cannot intervene recklessly, not even a major power."

"This is a rule set since the Kunlun Ruins came into existence, and no one can break it."

Ye Chen was stunned for a moment. "There's actually such a rule?"

"That's right."

Xuanyuan Huo nodded, his tone becoming somewhat schadenfreude.

"So, being targeted by the Holy Sect is your own business and has nothing to do with the Xuanyuan Family."

"Even if I wanted to help you, I couldn't break the rules."

"You..."

"Better watch yourself!"

Beside him, Yan Qingwu was trying hard to stifle a laugh.

My goodness!

The old man has actually started using memes!

It seems he's been driven crazy with anger by the Chief Instructor...

Hearing this, Ye Chen wasn't panicked but instead laughed. "Old man, you didn't call me specifically just to tell me to be careful, did you?"

Xuanyuan Huo cursed with a laugh.

"You little fox, you certainly have a sharp nose."

"Correct, I indeed have one more thing to tell you."

Ye Chen chuckled. "Go ahead."

Xuanyuan Huo's voice became serious.

"According to the information I've received, it's rumored that this Holy Sect also has a bronze key in their possession."

Ye Chen set down his glass, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

Oh?

Another one?

This truly is...

Searching far and wide only to find it with no effort at all!

He leaned back in his chair and spoke slowly, "Old man, please pass on a message to them for me."

Xuanyuan Huo was taken aback. "What message?"

Ye Chen spoke meaningfully.

"If they don't come looking for trouble with me, even the village dog Ah Huang I keep in the countryside..."

"...would look down on them."

Xuanyuan Huo was stunned for several seconds before finally squeezing out one last sentence.

"You kid are truly..."

"...audacious beyond belief!"

An existence that could become a mid-tier force in the Kunlun Ruins was not as simple as one might imagine!

Ye Chen shrugged.

"Old man, I call this taking the initiative."

"If they want to come, I'll take them on. If they don't..."

He paused, a flash of cunning in his eyes. "Once my business in Xiamen City is settled, I'll go find them. Anyway, whoever has the key is the one I'll look for."

Tomorrow was Bing Lan's birthday.

So, he had to rush back to Xiamen City today.

But what he just said wasn't just talk; he truly intended to do it...

Xuanyuan Huo was completely speechless and then let out a sigh.

"Fine, fine, fine, you're the boss, you're amazing."

"I can pass on the message for you, but you'd better be careful."

"The Holy Sect hasn't been able to stand in the Kunlun Ruins for so long just by talking."

Ye Chen replied with a smile, "Rest assured, old man. If I, Ye Chen, dare to put those words out, it's not just talk either. Of course... I also know my limits."

"You know your limits?"

Xuanyuan Huo couldn't help but roll his eyes. "If you knew your limits, would you have blown up their headquarters?"

Ye Chen looked innocent.

"That was called self-defense."

"And let me correct you on one point: it was that Grand Speaker himself who gave the order. If you don't believe me, ask Yan Qingwu."

Yan Qingwu's face was flushed from holding it in, and hearing this, she could no longer contain herself.

The next second.

She burst into giggles. "Old man, Ye Chen is right. At most, he just egged them on to press the button and then ran away himself."

Xuanyuan Huo: "???"

Damn!

He's even less of a decent person than I imagined...

He spoke with a headache, "Hanging up, hanging up. You guys figure it out yourselves."

Before Ye Chen could reply, the call had already been disconnected.

Yan Qingwu took a sip of beer and asked, "What's next?"

"Returning to Xiamen City today," Ye Chen said without even thinking. "Tomorrow is Bing Lan's birthday; I have to celebrate it with her."

Yan Qingwu looked at Ye Chen with suspicion.

Because.

She always felt that Ye Chen's smile was somewhat indescribably wretched...