The return of the Divine Craftsman could not be kept a secret.
Not just in Heaven Dou City—even Mingdu received the news instantly. Even Cao Dezhi and Long Yeyue, who had secretly returned to the Douluo Continent, heard it at once.
"Impossible. Impossible! Zhenhua is in the Holy Spirit Cult. How could Xia Yi possibly rescue him?" Heartless Douluo Cao Dezhi shook his head madly.
The news that Zhenhua had returned, and was rescued by Xia Yi, was deeply troubling for them.
If Zhenhua were to publicly seek revenge on the Tang Sect, the influence of a Divine Craftsman's call to action would be terrifying.
Even with the Tang Sect now fully operating underground, it would still be affected.
"Holy Spirit Douluo has already set out for Heaven Dou City. Whatever the case, we'll wait for her to investigate first," Long Yeyue frowned slightly. Zhenhua's return had indeed taken them by surprise.
It would significantly impact their plans to rebuild Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect.
As the wealthiest and most influential guild in the Federation, the Forging Association's headquarters was nothing short of luxurious.
In all of Heaven Dou City, only the local branch of the Spirit Pagoda and the royal palace could compare to the headquarters of the Forging Association.
The Heaven Dou Royal Palace, which had once served as the palace for both the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires, had endured many wars. But after being rebuilt by the Federation, it remained one of the most lavish buildings in the city.
It may not have been the tallest, but it was certainly the most luxurious.
Other than the Spirit Pagoda and the palace, even the government offices couldn't match the Forging Association's headquarters.
Taking the elevator, Xia Yi soon followed Mu Xi and her family to the top floor of the headquarters.
Though it was technically the top floor of an office building, it was more like a luxury estate—complete with mountains, water features, and gardens.
It used to be Zhenhua's exclusive space. But after he went missing, Mu Chen took over as acting president of the Forging Association, and Mu Xi's family moved in.
Mu Chen had just taken Zhenhua to a cultivation chamber to rest and recover when one big figure after another began arriving at the headquarters.
The return of the Divine Craftsman was such major news—how could these people not show up?
Even though Zhenhua was still resting, none of them left. They all waited for his appearance.
With time to spare, many people came up to Xia Yi to chat.
Since Xia Yi and Leng Yaozhu had always seemed to have a good relationship with Zhenhua—and now that Xia Yi had rescued him—combined with Xia Yi's own forging talent, everyone was convinced that he would be the next Divine Craftsman. They believed the Forging Association would one day belong to him.
So naturally, many tried to build connections and were curious how he'd managed to rescue Zhenhua.
Xia Yi didn't hide anything. He told them directly that the Leng sisters had already destroyed the Holy Spirit Cult—it no longer existed.
"What? You broke through the Holy Spirit Cult?" Everyone was stunned. That organization had once stood against the combined might of the Tang Sect, Shrek Academy, the Sun-Moon Federation, and the Spirit Pagoda—yet it was now gone without a trace?
How could that not shock them?
"Yeah, it's gone," Xia Yi nodded. "The major criminals of the Holy Spirit Cult have already been taken to Shrek City by Zhu'er. Their identities will be made public soon."
"What did you say?" A figure appeared instantly in front of Xia Yi. Tall and graceful, she appeared no older than twenty, her presence radiant with inner strength.
She wore a flowing aqua-green gown that perfectly outlined her tall, elegant frame. She looked pure and graceful, yet full of life. Her features were beautiful and refined, and her long dark green hair flowed freely behind her.
"Ya Li, you've broken through the limit!" Xia Yi looked at her, stunned. When Shrek Academy had just been bombed, she was weak and aged, her hair white with age and her vitality drained.
But now, she looked even younger and more beautiful than when Xia Yi had first met her. The vitality within her body was several times more potent than before. Everyone around could feel their own life force becoming more active due to her presence.
As everyone was shocked at Ya Li's breakthrough, they also looked wide-eyed at Xia Yi.
Even with Leng Yaozhu present, someone of Ya Li's stature should be addressed as "Your Grace, Holy Spirit Douluo." Yet Xia Yi had directly called her by name.
When did their relationship get that close?
"What? Only your Zhu'er is allowed to break through, and I'm not?" Ya Li huffed coldly, though she wasn't angry at Xia Yi's "disrespect."
"I didn't mean that. I'm just curious how you managed to break through," Xia Yi grinned.
"None of your business," Ya Li snorted again, but this time her eyes, filled with vibrant life energy, suddenly flared with killing intent. She asked, "What you said just now—about Yaozhu bringing the Holy Spirit Cult's evil soul masters to Shrek City—is that true?"
After what the Holy Spirit Cult had done—bombing Shrek Academy and killing Yun Ming—Ya Li was no longer the gentle Holy Spirit Douluo when it came to them. She was now a vengeful she-devil.
"It's true," Xia Yi nodded. "We rescued the Divine Craftsman when we broke through the Holy Spirit Cult. Ghost Emperor and the other evil soul masters have already been taken back to Shrek City by Zhu'er and are awaiting judgment."
Xia Yi glanced at Ya Li and added, "But if you're hoping Zhu'er will hand them over to you, forget it. She caught them, so naturally, only she can deal with them."
"Evil soul masters deserve death. It doesn't matter who kills them!" Ya Li gritted her teeth. "I don't believe Yaozhu won't give me that courtesy." She had to personally avenge Yun Ming, especially on Ghost Emperor.
"If you insist on getting snubbed, that's on you." Xia Yi smiled and said no more.
"I'm going to check on the Divine Craftsman. I'll talk to Yaozhu about the evil soul masters myself." Ya Li glanced at Xia Yi and turned to leave.
"Mu Xi, lead Her Grace the Holy Spirit Douluo," Yuan Bao'er said. She had to host the others who had come for Zhenhua, so she asked Mu Xi to take Ya Li.
"This way, Your Grace," Mu Xi said promptly. Given Zhenhua's condition, she didn't dare delay and led Ya Li immediately.
"An Ultimate Douluo…" Xia Yi murmured as he watched her leave.
"What is it? Something wrong?" Lan Fozi asked, holding his hand.
"Whether it's Ya Li or Zhu'er, neither of them lacks talent. They should have broken through to the Ultimate rank around the same time as the others like Tang Sect's Duo Douluos and Spirit Pagoda's Qian Gu Dongfeng," Xia Yi narrowed his eyes. "Zhu'er didn't break through earlier because she was emotionally blocked after Yu Lai went missing. Only after she met me and learned Yu Lai's whereabouts did she break through."
"And what does that have to do with the Holy Spirit Douluo?" Lan Fozi asked curiously.
"Although Ya Li and Zhu'er were love rivals on the surface—fighting and competing with each other—they were actually very close, like kindred spirits. Zhu'er understood Ya Li deeply. She guessed that the reason Ya Li never broke through might be the same as her own—an emotional blockage. Specifically, not having a child," Xia Yi said.
"And now that Her Grace has become an Ultimate Douluo, you think she has a child?" Lan Fozi covered her mouth, eyes wide.
And it wasn't just her—everyone present looked at Xia Yi and Lan Fozi with strange expressions.
They had to admit—Xia Yi and Lan Fozi's guess was very bold.
Yun Ming and Ya Li had been married for decades, and never had a child. Now Yun Ming had only recently died, and Ya Li might suddenly have one?
If that were true, then Yun Ming, the great Sky-Transcending Douluo, would become a laughingstock.
If the news spread, rumors that Yun Ming was a eunuch would definitely resurface.
If Xia Yi weren't already the clear successor to the Divine Craftsman title—someone they couldn't afford to offend—some of them would likely be yelling at him for slandering Ya Li's reputation.
"Maybe because of Yun Ming's death, Her Grace became emotionally numb and gave up hope on having a child. Maybe she let go," Xia Yi chuckled. But he knew that this possibility was extremely unlikely. Having a child had become Ya Li's obsession. If she could have let it go, she would have done so when Yun Ming died.
(End of Chapter)