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--- Chapter 481 ---
"Divine Craftsman Zhen Hua, it is a pleasure to meet you..."
Han Tianyi stepped into the forging room, immediately greeted by a wave of smoldering, overbearing heat that washed across his face.
Before him, the one and only Divine Craftsman of the Douluo Continent was engrossed in his craft, relentlessly striking a block of glowing, white-hot metal with his heavy forging hammer.
Without stopping the rhythmic, thunderous rhythm of his hammer strikes, Zhen Hua replied calmly, "Elder Han, I must say your sudden appearance here isn't entirely... a surprise."
"Especially considering you abruptly dragged my personal guard and chef away with you."
"Thankfully, the Blacksmith Association's defensive protocols are quite hard, so I stay completely safe."
Han Tianyi walked closer, the heat reflecting off his protective soul power barrier. "I must apologize for that... It was an emergency on my side."
"Oh? What kind of emergency could cause the Illusory Brain Douluo to lose his composure?" Zhen Hua swung his hammer once more, sending brilliant sparks into the air, the metallic ring vibrating deeply through the room.
"I found my grandson," Han Tianyi stated, a rare, genuine smile breaking through his stern expression. "A young Regimental Commander from the Northern Army Corps discovered him hidden within a den of Evil Spirit Masters this morning and rescued him."
"The location was quite distant... and given the urgency, I had no choice but to resort to unconventional methods. You know just how fast that Red Divine Mecha can fly under Mu Ye's personal piloting."
Zhen Hua's hammer froze mid-swing, stopping a hair's breadth away from striking the glowing metal. He finally glanced back, locking his sharp gaze onto Han Tianyi.
Seeing the Super Douluo's solemn yet incredibly soft look when speaking about the boy's rescue, Zhen Hua's skepticism immediately melted.
As a close brother to Mu Ye, Zhen Hua knew all too well that the infamous Illusory Brain Douluo was a tragic, broken man.
This Super Douluo powerhouse had not only grieved the devastating loss of his son and daughter-in-law to the collateral damage of a chaotic fight, but had also spent months agonizing over his missing grandson, who was kidnapped away by the Holy Spirit Cult.
He was a lonely, unfortunate soul chasing the pinnacle of cultivation while losing everything that gave life meaning.
Furthermore, Zhen Hua had been quite close with Han Tianyi's son, Han Juanyang. Juanyang had not only been the potential successor to the Body Sect but had also had a stunning talent for the forge, having successfully reached the rank of Saint Craftsman before his demise.
Zhen Hua had always viewed him as a half-disciple. "Sigh, Juanyang's son... Han Yuan, correct?"
Han Tianyi nodded slowly, his eyes dimming slightly. "Mm. Xiao Yuan is currently being tended to by Mu Ye in the kitchens."
"He needs proper nourishment to recover. He looks so painfully thin and fragile... my heart aches every single time I look at him."
"Alright... tell me exactly what you need from me, Elder Han," Zhen Hua sighed helplessly, setting his heavy hammer aside on the anvil. "We are no strangers."
"For Juanyang's sake, I will look upon whatever request you have quite favorably."
Han Tianyi's eyes widened slightly before a chuckle escaped his mouth. "You do not have to offer me charity out of pity, Divine Craftsman."
"I am fully prepared to pay an appropriate price to ensure my grandson can live under your roof for the next few weeks."
"You are actually seeking my protection for your grandson, huh?" Zhen Hua was unsurprised.
After all, it would make no sense for an Elder of the Spirit Pagoda to bring his own grandson directly to the Blacksmith Association rather than the Spirit Pagoda's Headquarters, or even the Pagoda branch without a reason.
He stared deeply into Han Tianyi's silver eyes before offering a nod. "Very well. The boy may live here in my private quarters, and I shall personally extend the full protection of the Association to him."
"But there is no need for payment, Elder Han."
"I knew Juanyang well enough to consider myself his half-teacher, so protecting his flesh and blood is only natural to me."
"No, I must insist," Han Tianyi faced the Divine Craftsman with solemnity. "And frankly, I believe you need this item far more than I do."
As those final words left his lips, Han Tianyi flicked his wrist, retrieving a tiny, shimmering grain of emerald dust from his storage ring.
Though the particle was smaller than a speck of sand, the moment it was exposed to the air, an overwhelming wave of pure vitality erupted in the room, instantly soothing the heavy, dry heat.
Yes, it was a life force so concentrated it could pull anyone back from the brink of death.
Zhen Hua's gaze froze instantly. His entire body trembled to the very core, his spiritual perception screaming in sheer, primal desire for that insignificant emerald dust.
The underlying reason was agonizingly simple.
As the one and only Divine Craftsman of this era, performing the Divine Forging process took a toll on his body, severely damaging his vitality and bleeding away his natural lifespan with every Divine-Forged Metal he hammered out.
This was the dark, grim truth behind why, despite countless influenetal powerhouses offering astronomical fortunes for a single piece of Divine-Forged Metal, Zhen Hua refused them all decisively.
Of course, there were certain overbearing individuals he lacked the power to turn away, such as the Shrek's Sea God Pavilion Master, Yun Ming, who demanded massive amount of Divine-Forged Metals like they were nothing more than common weeds growing on the side of the road.
If it weren't for the lingering fear that Yun Ming would bring ruin down upon the Blacksmith Association in his arrogance, Zhen Hua would have never agreed to such forced labor.
Thankfully, the Star Dou Federation had established strict laws stating that Divine Craftsmen could not be coerced into forging by any single faction, under threat of sanctions.
Yet, those laws were largely a public relations facade.
Shrek Academy and the Sea God Pavilion had reigned supreme for ten thousand years, and their upper echelon had long since developed a reputation for being entirely above the law when it suited their interests.
Simply put, they are troublemakers!
While the Federation's gestures protected Zhen Hua from being publicly harassed, they did little to stop the secret, immense pressure applied by Shrek behind closed doors.
As a result of that severe strain on his lifespan, Zhen Hua was forced to continually consume life-extending heavenly resources to nourish his failing vitality, which was also why Mu Ye frequently used his specialized cooking techniques to prepare restorative feasts for him.
Yet, that treatment was merely akin to feeding a roaring furnace with dry twigs. It delayed the inevitable, but it wasn't enough to keep the fires of his life burning.
"Life Gold..." Zhen Hua whispered, his voice trembling in awe.
What lay in the palm of Han Tianyi's hand was a heavenly treasure that possessed barely any records in the modern era, famously known only in ancient texts detailing the exploits of the Spirit Ice Douluo ten thousand years ago.
It was the crystallization of the purest, densest vitality. For Zhen Hua, this was the greatest cure to extend his fading lifespan. Even a single grain of it was worth a fortune, and no sane powerhouse would ever dream of trading it away.
Yet, Han Tianyi was offering it without a single shred of hesitation, entirely for the sake of his grandson's security.
'Is this the extent of a grandfather's love...?' Zhen Hua mused inwardly, a quiet sigh echoing in his heart.
He had never married, nor had he ever fathered children, having lost the love of his life long ago to a cunning, silver-tongued junior brother.
He had sacrificed everything—personal happiness, family, and lifespans, solely to stand at the peak of his profession as the Divine Craftsman.
Was it truly worth it? Perhaps, but Zhen Hua had never allowed himself to look back with regret.
Taking a deep breath, Zhen Hua looked up. "Very well. I give you my word as the Divine Craftsman."
"I will protect Juanyang's son, Han Yuan, with everything at my disposal. Regardless, please understand this, Elder Han, I am not accepting this charge purely because of the Life Gold. It is also to repay the unfulfilled debt of guidance I owe to his father."
Han Tianyi's tense shoulders finally relaxed, a soft smile appearing on his solemn expression. "That is more than enough for me, Brother Zhen."
.
.
Meanwhile, far, far away from the Heaven Dou City, a different scene was unfolding. On an isolated, undocumented island situated in the dangerous depths of the vast ocean, a terrifying gathering of powerhouses had silently occurred.
The surrounding air was entirely locked down, occupied by the towering, formidable figures representing Shrek's Sea God Pavilion, the Tang Sect, the Clear Sky Sect, and even the elusive, tightly guarded Sea God Clan.
"Atlas Douluo... it is an honor to meet you here," A burly, exceptionally imposing man said as he approached the number one expert of the Douluo Continent.
Yun Ming, the current Master of the Sea God Pavilion, was suspended casually in mid-air. His handsome features were entirely serene, yet a deep, unfathomable aura radiated from his body.
Clutched loosely in his right hand was the Atlas Spear, his martial soul, which hummed with a faint, terrifying vibration that signaled his extreme readiness for combat.
"Sect Master Tang Tian, long time no see," Yun Ming greeted back calmly, his voice carrying effortlessly across the roaring ocean waves. "I must admit, I did not expect the Clear Sky Sect to receive the same guidance as we Shrek do."
"Indeed. The Ancestral Hall within our sect suddenly delivered a divine revelation," Tang Tian, the iron-willed Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect, replied with utmost gravity.
"The prophecy explicitly dictated that the world-ending threat to the stability of the Douluo Plane has officially manifested at these exact coordinates."
"We were commanded to assemble here and eradicate it before it can fully grow into a threat."
He then shifted his sharp, authoritative gaze toward the other high-level representatives standing on the rocky shores below. "Rong Tian, Chen Bofan..."
"It appears that neither Zang Xin nor Chen Xinjie could personally attend this sudden mobilization."
"It seems the Tang Sect and the Sea God Clan are operating under the same divine mandates."
"Regrettably, yes, neither our Sect Master nor our Vice-Sect Master could personally join this operation due to the Federation's vigilance toward the Tang Sect," explained Rong Tian, a Level 97 Super Douluo representing the Tang Sect.
"However, rest assured, I have brought forth several tactical soul tools and possessed more than enough firepower to temporarily rival a Level 99 Limit Douluo in a fight."
Chen Bofan, the acting clan head of the hidden Sea God Clan, stepped forward, his eyes reflecting the deep blue of the ocean. "The same goes with us. But I am more than ready to fight!"
Despite the overwhelming assembly of power, Yun Ming's brow furrowed slightly as he stared down at the desolate island below. "To be completely frank with you all... I harbor an incredibly bad premonition regarding this entire affair."
Sect Master Tang Tian narrowed his eyes, tracking the Pavilion Master's gaze. "How could that possibly be?"
"With your unrivalled strength, Pavilion Master Yun, there is quite literally no man on this plane capable of matching you in combat. Even if a hidden threat does exist, they could never hope to escape this coordinated siege unscathed."
"I cannot explain it," Yun Ming shook his head slowly, his hand tightening slightly around the shaft of the Atlas Spear. "I just feel something was wrong from this entire divine revelation."
"It feels entirely too deliberate."
"Perhaps it is merely a caution on my part... A feeling..." He murmured, his divine perception sweeping deep into the underground caverns of the island.
At that same time, deep within the underground of the island, the fabric of space violently tore open. A flicker of jet-black flame ignited within the rock and seawater, expanding to reveal a terrifying pair of eyes.
Those massive eyes were filled with a complex mixture of burning, tearful emotion and total, uncontrolled malice.
"I... am... finally... back!" A low, guttural growl rumbled, vibrating through the island and causing the surrounding ocean to begin to boil.