Oh? Only those who step onto the King's Path are qualified to know?
Now that is interesting."
After hearing this, You Ye didn't ask any further questions.
Yang Xuequn and the other two likewise did not continue on the topic.
"Ahem."
Cao Gu cleared his throat and changed the subject.
"You Ye, are you interested in visiting our Dark Duelists' Base?
I've already prepared the cards you need."
"Skill Drain?"
You Ye looked at Cao Gu.
With the matter of Deathrattle still fresh, and given that these were cards he needed, the answer was obvious.
"Not just that," Cao Gu said with a mysterious smile.
"I also found you an archetype you'll need."
"Oh?"
You Ye looked at him with slight surprise, then nodded in agreement.
"Senior, would you mind if the two of us accompanied you?"
Yang Xuequn spoke up.
"We're worried that Dark Duelists like Deathrattle might appear again and pose a threat to you."
In truth, they also wanted to offer benefits—but all the cards You Ye needed in the Eastern Region had already been handed over.
Even so, watching You Ye accept favors from the Dark Duelists and possibly form agreements unknown to them was not something they wanted to see.
"I don't mind. Ask Cao Gu," You Ye waved his hand casually.
He neither understood nor cared why they were so cautious—it had nothing to do with him.
"Cao Gu," Yang Xuequn said, fixing him with a threatening stare,
"You'll agree… right?"
Her meaning was unmistakable.
"Of course… no problem."
Cao Gu forced a smile.
"I just hope the two of you will show some leniency in certain matters later."
Offending both the Inspectorate and the Duel Association at the same time would only worsen the Dark Duelists' situation.
Besides, from prior intel, You Ye wasn't someone who liked owing favors.
The cards and archetype would likely be exchanged only for deck optimization advice.
Given everything, refusing made no sense.
Yang Xuequn and the others nodded in satisfaction.
Two Days Later
Time passed in the blink of an eye.
You Ye first visited the Dark Duelists' base, where he obtained Skill Drain and a Frog engine—
Though unfortunately, it did not include Toadally Awesome.
That was understandable.
After all, the Toad didn't belong to a specific archetype.
After agreeing to later help Cao Gu select three people and adjust their decks and playstyles,
You Ye then visited both the Hai City Inspectorate and the Duel Association.
In short, they showed You, Ye, around, hoping to find talents like Chang Xingge.
The result was… disappointing.
On the third day, Ouyang Yanyan sent word:
Zhang Ji from the Gamblers' Organization had news regarding the Dormant God Statue and other cards of the Netherworld archetype, though there were complications.
You Ye immediately left Hai City.
Back at the Shop
Zhang Ji was already waiting.
"What do you mean by complications?" You, Ye, asked.
"Senior, you know that human lifespans are limited, right?"
Zhang Ji changed the subject.
"Even King-tier Duelists."
"So this involves a deceased King-tier Duelist?" You, Ye, asked calmly.
Zhang Ji wouldn't bring up something irrelevant.
Cards.
A dead Duelist.
The conclusion was obvious.
"Yes," Zhang Ji nodded.
"He was one of humanity's earliest King-tier Duelists—and also one of the earliest to pass away.
The Netherworld-related cards are buried in his tomb."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"There is a restriction:
Only Earth-tier Duelists are allowed to enter."
"I see. That is troublesome," You Ye nodded.
That meant he couldn't enter yet—he would have to wait.
"Wait… is it here?"
You Ye suddenly recalled the Egyptian God Cards and the Hand Wipe incident.
Previously, it had been said that the Dormant God Statue was in Egypt,
and Hand Wipe was somewhere in Africa.
It wasn't impossible that they were connected.
He handed an address card to Zhang Ji.
Zhang Ji examined it carefully.
"Yes.
Senior, do you need other cards from this location as well?"
You, Ye, nodded and fell into thought.
Should he ask the Duel Association, the Inspectorate,
or the Gamblers' Organization to handle this for him?
"How many people know about this right now?" he asked.
"Not many," Zhang Ji replied.
"But we, a local family, and the Duel Association are already investigating.
The news will spread quickly."
"I estimate that within a week,
a large number of Earth-tier Duelists will gather to explore that King-tier tomb."
"If you wish, our Gamblers' Organization is willing to serve you—
to retrieve the Netherworld archetype cards and the card you need."
Zhang Ji bowed respectfully.
"Tell me," You Ye said calmly,
"What do you want in return?"
"At this point, you clearly want something."
"We want to know how to deal with Gun King," Zhang Ji answered.
Seeing You Ye remain silent, he quickly added:
"I know that's not enough—but whatever you ask,
the Gamblers' Organization is willing to pay!"
"You're in a bad position, aren't you?" You Ye looked at him.
Previously, they wanted him to join at any cost.
Now they were gambling a King-tier ruin just to obtain a Gun King counter.
Both were clearly about survival.
"Yes."
Zhang Ji nodded firmly.
"Very well," You Ye said after a moment's thought.
"When the cards are in my hands, I'll give you the solution.
And I'll give you a promise—
unless someone offers a greater price than you,
I won't share Gun King's countermeasure with anyone else."
Gun King—whether it was Ban Order Gun King or Utopic Gun King—
posed no real threat to him once known in advance.
"Thank you for this opportunity, Senior!"
Zhang Ji's face lit up with joy.
"Is it worth it?" You, Ye, asked.
Gun King didn't exist as an original card in this world.
It could only be obtained via rule-balanced cards, which were exceedingly rare.
Even strong King-path Duelists like Tian Nan didn't have many.
For an organization to gamble everything on possibly a single card—
That was staking their entire fate.
"It is," Zhang Ji replied with a smile.
Gun King was one of only two things that gave the Gamblers' Organization hope.
The other…
Was You Ye himself?
Once his Duel Rank rose and his cards were complete,
no one could confidently claim they could defeat him.
You, Ye, nodded and said nothing more.
Soon after Zhang Ji left,
Silver Princess Zhao Jingqing and Luo Hao arrived, also seeking commissions.
That night, even the Inspectorate came—late, but eager to help.
You Ye gave the same response to all of them:
Bring me the cards I want, and I'll pay the corresponding price.
Thus, the Duel Association and the Inspectorate both began exploring as well.
One Week Later
Progress was far slower than expected.
The tomb had six layers.
After two days, the deepest explorers had barely reached the lower third layer.
After a full week, they reached the end of the fourth layer.
At that moment, You Ye received his third—and final—Mystic-tier mission.
Defeat a rule-designated Heaven-tier Duelist.
That Afternoon — Duel Association Special Arena
Wang Cheng and Luo Hao looked at You Ye with complicated expressions.
That morning, You Ye had informed them
that he would duel a Heaven-tier Duelist.
They weren't surprised he got the mission quickly.
What terrified them was this:
The third Mystic-tier mission already involved Heaven-tier Duelists.
Then what would come after Earth-tier?
Just thinking about it was terrifying.
At that moment, all thoughts of coercing You Ye vanished completely.
Faced with a Duelist of such limitless potential,
any sane organization would choose cooperation over force.
Soon, an elderly man and a youth under twenty entered the arena.
"This old one is Guo Buxuan,
and this is my junior, Guo Jing.
We greet you, Senior."
"You have no request of me—this is merely the rules of the duel,"
You, Ye, replied.
"Formalities are unnecessary."
Guo Buxuan was the ancestor of Hang City's second-ranked Guo family.
Their missions had aligned.
"This is not courtesy," Guo Buxuan shook his head.
"Your talent alone ensures that even if you haven't surpassed me yet, you will."
"In matters of mastery, the capable go first."
"…Very well," You Ye said simply.
After brief exchanges, they entered the arena.
Brilliant, multicolored light filled the air—
Yet You Ye felt a heavy, solid barrier pressing down.
"A defensive barrier?" he asked.
"Yes," Luo Hao explained.
"From Earth-tier onward, Duel Monsters become increasingly real.
At Heaven-tier, their presence rivals that of spirits themselves."
"Without restraint, duels would be catastrophic to an entire city."
"We've set the barrier to maximum.
Please duel without worry—
Senior Guo's monsters will not harm you."
"…Alright," You Ye said, half amused.
Duel Begins
You Ye (8000 LP) vs Guo Buxuan (8000 LP)
You Ye, choose to go first.
Both draw five cards.
Guo Buxuan was known to have:
Maxx "C"
Ash Blossom
Two Called by the Grave
Effect Veiler
Infinite Impermanence
And likely D.D. Crow
You Ye considered carefully.
Then—
"I activate Horus' Glory – Imsety from my hand.
I send it and one card to the GY,
add King's Sarcophagus to my hand, then draw one."
"I discard Rainbow Bridge, banish it,
and add Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise and
Primeval Planet Pearl World to my hand."
"I activate Primeval Planet Pearl World,
add Reinoheart to my hand.
I Normal Summon Reinoheart and activate its effect—
I miss Merrli!"
At that moment, Guo Buxuan raised a card.
"C2, I send D.D. Crow from my hand to the GY,
targeting Merrli in your GY—
I banish her."
"As expected… D.D. Crow," You Ye muttered.
Without hesitation—
"C3, I activate Called by the Grave,
targeting your D.D. Crow.
It is banished, and cards with the same name have their effects negated until the end of the next turn!"
Guo Buxuan remained calm.
"Senior, unfortunately for you—
A Heaven-tier Duelist's pride won't allow me to lose to a Mystic-tier Duelist."
"C4, I activate Maxx 'C'!"
"You still have Maxx 'C'? Interesting!"
You Ye laughed.
A Galaxy-Eyes Duelist with no answers would be boring.
"Are you going to challenge it?" Guo Buxuan smiled.
"No," You Ye shook his head.
"With D.D. Crow gone, you still have more counters. No need to push."
Chain resolution:
C4 Maxx "C" resolves
C3 Called by the Grave resolves
C2 D.D. Crow negated
C1 Merrli + Emerald Tortoise fuse → Narcissus Mermaid
"Narcissus Mermaid effect—
I add Elegy to my hand."
"I set one card. Turn end."
"This is the most absurd 'compromise board' I've ever seen,"
Guo Buxuan said gravely.
Despite its simplicity, it was full of a lethal threat.
"Tearlaments are the strongest known archetype," You Ye replied calmly.
"Then let me see just how strong they are," Guo Buxuan declared.
"My turn—draw!"
"I activate Harpie's Feather Duster!"
You Ye, had no response.
"Elegy was destroyed and sent to the GY—
I activate its effect and add Little Mermaid to my hand."
Guo Buxuan began his play.
Then—
"C2, Maxx 'C'!" You, Ye, declared.
"Unfortunately, I refuse this one," Guo Buxuan smiled.
"C3, Called by the Grave, targeting your Maxx 'C'!"
"Is that all?" You, Ye, grinned.
"C4, Maxx 'C'!"
"You're chaining another?!" You Ye was surprised.
Because of chain resolution rules,
this Maxx "C" would resolve before Called by the Grave.
I can only allow myself to draw, Guo Buxuan said calmly.
Interesting… but my chain isn't over yet!