Terry Yang glared at Evan Yang, furious that Evan was mocking him in return. He wanted nothing more than to fight Evan right then and there, but with Patriarch Ming Yang ahead of them, even Terry's boldness didn't dare act out at this moment.
Seeing Terry's expression, Evan couldn't help but laugh to himself as he followed Patriarch Ming Yang and the others back to their residence.
As soon as they arrived, Ming Yang called Terry and Evan aside, leaving the Wine Beggar and others curious—why would their father summon only these two?
They came to a quiet, deserted spot. Ming Yang stood motionless, while Evan and Terry kept silent. It wasn't until Ming finally spoke: "Do you know why I called you here?"
"No idea," Evan and Terry replied in unison.
"If you don't know, then let me tell you. This tournament is extremely important. No matter what, you must seize first place—this is our Yang Clan's best chance to become the leader of the Four Great Families," Ming Yang said.
"Leader of the Four Great Families?" Evan and Terry were confused. They didn't know there was a ranking among the Four Great Families.
"That's right. The Lynn Family used to hold that position, but now you two have both advanced—it's a rare opportunity. So you must give it your all, understand?" Ming Yang said.
"Yes, Grandfather," Terry replied.
Evan stayed silent. The only reason he wanted first place was because of his deal with Ming Yang. Even though the man before him was his grandfather, Evan refused to call him that—he just stood there, staring at Ming's back.
Ming Yang saw Evan's silence and felt a pang inside, but he knew he had to do this. He turned to Terry and said, "That's all. You two can go back now."
Just as Evan and Terry were about to leave, Ming Yang sent a secret voice transmission to Evan: "Come see me here tonight."
Evan was puzzled—why did Ming want him to come tonight? But since he said so, Evan decided to follow his instructions.
After Evan and Terry returned, the Wine Beggar approached Evan and asked, "So, how did it go?"
"Nothing much. He just told us to make sure we get first place, and something about becoming the leader of the Four Great Families. But that's not my concern. I just want first place so I can rescue my dad," Evan said.
The Wine Beggar and Lydia Yang seemed to have something to say, but held back. Instead, they discussed the Lynn Family's cultivation method with Evan, since his next opponent was Quinn Lynn from the Lynn Family.
"Quinn Lynn—he cultivates earth, and the Lynn Family's signature art is called Earthwalk Dominion. Only one Immortal Sovereign in their history ever reached its highest realm, but Quinn is said to have the potential to become the next Sovereign. So don't underestimate him," the Wine Beggar explained.
"Potential Sovereign? Then I really want to see what he's capable of," Evan smiled.
"But you also have earth—dual attributes, right?" The Wine Beggar laughed.
"Yeah," Evan nodded.
"If you need to, use it again. But the fact that you have earth attribute is already well known—everyone was talking about it after the Territory War Contest. It's not a secret anymore," the Wine Beggar said.
"I know," Evan smiled. Ever since he absorbed those earth attributes at the Blue Robe Sect, he'd undergone a transformation—his earth attribute was now incredibly strong. He wondered how he'd fare against Quinn Lynn.
After that, the Wine Beggar and Lydia Yang gave Evan some final advice. That night, Evan left under the pretense of cultivating and went to the spot Ming had indicated. A shadowy figure was already waiting for him.
The shadow spoke: "You came?" "Yeah, but I don't know why Patriarch Yang called me here," Evan replied.
Hearing the words 'Patriarch Yang,' Ming Yang's expression twitched, but he forced himself to stay calm. "Evan, I know your talent is high, and your bloodline—does it contain Flameblood?"
"Is that why you called me?" Evan asked. "That's one reason. If you don't want to answer, I won't press," Ming said. "Maybe I'll tell you another time. If I reveal it now, it could bring disaster," Evan replied. "Disaster? You don't trust me?" Ming asked suspiciously.
"It's not that I don't trust you. There are too many hidden experts out there—sometimes you don't even know who's around you," Evan said.
"That's true. Your caution is necessary. Since that's the case, I won't ask anymore. Let me tell you something else," Ming said.
"What is it?" Evan asked.
"This tournament—you and I agreed: if you win, your father will be freed. Right?" Ming said.
"That's right," Evan nodded.
"But do you know what first place really means?" Ming asked.
"No idea," Evan shook his head.
"First place means becoming the leader of the Four Great Families. That's why I told you and Terry earlier—one of you must win. But I know Terry's strength; he can't get past Linus Fenn, even without the Divine Wind Spear. So all our hopes rest on you," Ming said, decisively dismissing Terry's chances.
"Linus Fenn is that strong?" Evan asked.
"Yes. He reached Emperor Lord fifth tier long ago—the first among you all. Not only that, he once sent his soul to another realm to forge a second body," Ming explained.
"A second body? That's nothing. I destroyed it already," Evan said.
"What?" Ming seemed genuinely surprised.
Seeing Ming's confusion, Evan briefly explained his conflict with Linus Fenn in another realm, and how he ultimately destroyed Linus's second body.
After hearing Evan's explanation, Ming laughed, "You've really surprised me. Now I feel more at ease. But even so, Terry isn't his match. Linus is at least Emperor Lord sixth tier now, though he's suppressing his strength at fifth tier."
"Got it," Evan said.
"There's something else I need to tell you in advance," Ming said.
"What is it?" Evan raised his eyebrows.
"This time, all eight of you will represent the Immortal Realm in an expedition," Ming said.
"What? An expedition? What do you mean?" Evan asked, puzzled.
"The Sky-Flooding Demon Sovereign has returned. All the Immortal Sovereigns are worried, but they must stay in the Immortal Realm to protect it. The other elders and powerhouses will also remain, so only you eight will be sent out. Not only are your backgrounds special, but your strength is outstanding. This time, first place must lead the team," Ming explained.
"I refuse to take part in this. I have too many things to deal with," Evan said, thinking about his father's situation. Once his father was freed, he'd have to save and awaken him, and track down his mother's whereabouts.
Ming Yang frowned at Evan's words, "What could be more important than the safety of the Immortal Realm?" "My father, and my mother," Evan replied.
Hearing Evan's answer, Ming Yang hesitated, wanting to say more but keeping it to himself. He looked at Evan and asked, "You really won't represent us in the expedition?"
"I won't," Evan said.
"So that's how it is. We'll talk about this later," Ming said, letting Evan go.
Evan turned and left, but his mind kept drifting to the Sky-Flooding Demon Sovereign. After all, he was the one who released him. One day, he'd have to resolve it, or he'd be branded a criminal. But the Immortal Realm mattered less to him than his loved ones.
Ming Yang watched Evan's back and sighed, "Liam, this is your son—just as stubborn as you. But even if he's freed, is there really a way to cure your poison?"
As for freeing Liam Yang, Ming Yang was just going along with it, but he worried that once Liam was released, he might lose control and become truly dangerous.
Of course, Ming Yang would never tell Evan any of this—otherwise Evan wouldn't compete wholeheartedly for first place.
Evan had no idea what Ming Yang was thinking. He returned to his residence, waiting for the next day.
The next day, the arena was packed again. Four people became the focus: Evan, Terry, Quinn Lynn, and Linus Fenn—outstanding talents of the Four Great Families.
The young man appeared again, looking at the four patriarchs. "Looks like it'll be a spectacular showdown this time," he said.
"I wonder if Evan from the Yang Clan or Linus Fenn from the Fenn Family is stronger?" Quinn Lynn said with a smile.
"I'm curious about Evan and Quinn Lynn," said the Fenn Family patriarch.
The Shui Family patriarch was silent. Their family had weakened—few could fight. Even though Shui Tian could, he refused to participate, causing the current situation.
The first match between Linus Fenn and Terry began. The crowd voiced support—some for Terry's fire arts, others for Linus's Divine Wind Spear.
Terry looked at Linus Fenn. "Linus, let me see how powerful your Divine Wind Spear is."
"Divine Wind Spear? What treasures do you have?" Linus Fenn showed his spear and smiled at Terry.
Terry smiled. "I don't have any treasures, but I do have techniques. Let's begin." Flames erupted—a faint purple fire swept across the arena, its heat spreading everywhere.
Many wondered how Evan could remain unfazed by the heat, rivaling the patriarchs—he didn't move at all.
"Evan is a real talent—he's only at Immortal Lord first tier and isn't afraid of the heat," the young man said with a smile.
"Maybe he cultivates fire arts himself, so he's not afraid," Ming Yang said.
"Does he cultivate your Yang Family's strongest fire arts?" the young man asked curiously.
"No, he was already outstanding before returning. As for fire arts, I don't know what he practices," Ming Yang replied.
"Is there any fire art in the Immortal Realm stronger than the Yang Family's?" the young man wondered aloud.