"You're Yang Ming's grandson?" Elder Lewis Lu asked.
Terry Yang was surprised, but quickly calmed down. Only those at the very summit would call his grandfather by name so directly, so he smiled knowingly. "Yes, I am," he replied.
"If you get the chance, send my regards to your grandfather. That's all—come inside with me." After addressing Terry Yang, Elder Lewis Lu turned to Yvonne Darkmoon.
Yvonne realized Elder Lewis was helping her out, so she nodded quickly and followed him inside. Terry Yang could only glare, unwilling to accept it, but knowing the other's strength, he didn't argue and slipped away.
Not far away, Evan Yang saw the whole exchange and overheard their conversation, wondering, "Who is that old man?"
Evan, who had never met Elder Lewis Lu before, had no idea who the old man was—he guessed he might be a relative of Yvonne Darkmoon. He picked a deserted spot, went invisible, and followed Yvonne into her castle, wanting to see what was really going on and why Damien Darkmoon had been taken away.
Inside the castle, Yvonne pleaded with Elder Lewis Lu, "Elder Lewis, please, save my father."
"Don't worry, this was your father's own plan. He won't be harmed—and with the Eighth Great Power watching over him, no one would dare cause him trouble. This incident is strange, so your father has to endure some temporary hardship," Elder Lewis Lu explained.
"What actually happened? Why does my father have to go?" Yvonne asked suspiciously.
"It's hard to explain, but I can assure you your father entered safely," Elder Lewis Lu replied, not knowing how to clarify further.
Yvonne pressed, "Elder Lewis, I'm begging you! What really happened? Please tell me!"
"Alright, I'll tell you a little. Someone from the Devil Realm infiltrated here and took control of a person. Your father and I wanted to investigate, so we captured that person, but in the end, the Devil Realm agent somehow killed him. Now the sects are here, blaming your father," Elder Lewis Lu said.
"What? Why not just explain it to everyone?" Yvonne protested.
"The sects are furious right now—no matter how your father explains, it won't help. To calm their outrage, the Eighth Great Power and I decided to have your father go in first. Only this way can we temporarily ease their anger. Besides, your father is so powerful, no one can hurt him," Elder Lewis Lu said.
"But..." Yvonne felt helpless, though her mood improved a little—at least she knew it was her father's own decision.
"Enough with the 'but.' What happened just now?" Elder Lewis Lu asked curiously.
Yvonne thought back and replied, "I'm not sure—I just feel as if I become a completely different person sometimes."
"Let me check." Elder Lewis Lu asked Yvonne to extend her hand and examined her body.
Yvonne waited anxiously, desperate to know what was going on.
Time ticked by. Elder Lewis Lu asked curiously, "Have you felt any discomfort before?"
"No, nothing before—only today, when I talked to that guy, I felt uncomfortable," Yvonne Darkmoon said.
"Not even a little? Think carefully!" Elder Lewis Lu pressed.
Yvonne began to recall. When she remembered that odd moment, she said suspiciously, "On the day I left home, I met a strange man. No matter what I asked, he wouldn't say who he was. Suddenly he came up behind me, and I just felt a cool sensation at my neck. When I turned around, he was gone."
"That's it!" Elder Lewis Lu exclaimed.
"Elder Lewis, what's going on?" Yvonne asked.
"Listening Butterfly. You've been infected by a terrifying Listening Butterfly," Elder Lewis Lu said.
"What's a Listening Butterfly?" Yvonne asked, confused.
"It's a strange insect, cultivated with the caster's own blood. They inject it into someone's body, and that person is controlled without ever realizing it," Elder Lewis Lu explained.
"What? Elder Lewis, are you saying I've been poisoned? And the one who did it is Terry Yang?" Yvonne was shocked.
"Yes, that's right," Elder Lewis Lu replied.
"I'm going to kill him!" Yvonne said angrily.
"Don't be rash. You have no proof—if you confront him, he'll never admit it. Besides, with your father's situation, no one will believe you," Elder Lewis Lu said.
"Then what do I do? I don't want to obey that guy!" Yvonne said anxiously.
"Don't worry. I'll contact my junior martial brother—he specializes in these insects. I'll have him come over," Elder Lewis Lu promised.
"Thank you, Elder Lewis," Yvonne said gratefully.
"It'll take a few days for him to arrive, so in the meantime, don't go anywhere near Terry Yang. If he tries anything else while you're vulnerable, it'll be trouble," Elder Lewis Lu warned.
"Got it. Thank you, Elder Lewis," Yvonne nodded.
"Just stay home for now. I have other matters to handle—when my junior arrives, I'll come find you," Elder Lewis Lu said.
"Okay," Yvonne nodded.
After Elder Lewis Lu left, the whole castle felt empty. Only Yvonne remained, along with a few guards outside.
"How could this happen?" Yvonne was in an awful mood—her body wouldn't obey her, and her father was in trouble too.
The more agitated she became, the less she could sit still. She stood up and said, "No, I have to go ask the other elders about my father's situation."
Evan Yang, hiding in the shadows, heard everything and thought to himself, "I can't believe so much happened while I was in seclusion. Looks like I need to follow and see for myself."
Yvonne had no idea someone was following her—and that the person was invisible.
Leaving the castle, Yvonne hurried toward the tower and finally stopped in front of a large black castle. The castle was huge and made of special materials—extremely sturdy.
The guards there stopped Yvonne, but she produced a special Pass Token that Damien Darkmoon had given her. Seeing the token, the guards let her through.
[Irrelevant system message, skip translation.]
Evan followed close behind. As he passed the guards, he happened to overhear their conversation.
"Hey, isn't that Elder Damien's daughter?" one of them asked.
"Yeah, that's her," another replied.
"Are we really going to do this? Should we be worried?" one of the anxious guards asked.
"What are you afraid of? I trust Elder Damien. Besides, she has the Pass Token. We only recognize the token—doesn't matter otherwise," another said.
"True enough," the worried guard nodded, finally reassured.
Evan was surprised that even after Damien had been taken away, he still had so many supporters. It spoke volumes about his reputation. Evan was also curious to see what the Eighth Great Power looked like on the inside.
Following Yvonne the whole way, Evan could sense countless powerful auras sweeping over her.
"If I'm discovered, I'm dead for sure," Evan realized. This place was terrifying—like a giant cage.
Yvonne felt the same way—those auras brushing past her felt like they could take her life at any moment. But soon, she spotted her savior.
She saw an old man lying on the ground, sleeping. Yvonne hurried over and shook him awake. "Grandpa Sleepy!"
"Grandpa Sleepy?" Evan was stunned. What kind of name was that?
The first time, Yvonne couldn't wake him, so she tugged his ear and shouted loudly, "Grandpa Sleepy!"
The old man stirred, startled, then opened his eyes and said, "I knew you'd find me, little girl. Even sleeping here, you managed to spot me."
"Grandpa Sleepy, I need your help. Can you help me?" Yvonne asked.
"It's about your father, isn't it?" Grandpa Sleepy smiled.
"Grandpa Sleepy, you're amazing—you even know that," Yvonne said.
"Come on, usually when I want to play with you, you say I'm annoying. Now that you need something, you're here. I'm not going, I'm going back to sleep," Grandpa Sleepy chuckled.
Yvonne felt frustrated. "Grandpa Sleepy, please help me!"
"Help you? What's in it for me?" Grandpa Sleepy lay on the ground, looking at Yvonne as if he could sleep anywhere.
"Um, um... If you help me, I'll play with you once a month from now on," Yvonne offered.
"Deal!" Grandpa Sleepy laughed heartily.
"So can you take me now?" Yvonne asked.
"Sure, follow me!" Grandpa Sleepy jumped up happily, and Yvonne quickly followed behind.
"Once a month—great! That way I won't get too bored, just sleeping all day," Grandpa Sleepy said.
"Exactly," Yvonne laughed, though she secretly thought, "If I get stronger, maybe I won't have to do this every month."
Grandpa Sleepy had no idea what Yvonne was really thinking—he was just happy to have someone to play with. Evan followed behind as they reached a spot that looked like empty space.
"So there's a hidden space inside," Evan realized, watching the void stretch out ahead. Grandpa Sleepy and Yvonne flew across, and Evan followed.
After a while, they reached the other side, then walked for another quarter hour and arrived at a dark place.
"Your father's inside—go see him, but you'd better come out quickly," Grandpa Sleepy said.
"Okay, I will. Thank you, Grandpa Sleepy!" Yvonne said, smiling as she left.
Grandpa Sleepy lay down at the entrance, eyes closed, muttering, "Don't think being invisible makes you safe."
Evan was about to step past the entrance when he was shocked—he hadn't expected to be discovered.
"Don't be nervous. I can't actually see you—my cultivation technique is special, so I can sense changes around me. I know you followed Yvonne in," Grandpa Sleepy muttered, eyes still closed.
Evan knew he couldn't hide anymore, but he also realized no one else could see him—otherwise, all those powerful auras would've caught him already.
Seeing Grandpa Sleepy meant no harm, Evan sent a voice transmission: "Senior, you're truly remarkable."
"Remarkable is too much—I was just curious. I never thought the Immortal Realm would have such a stealth technique. If not for my special cultivation, I wouldn't have noticed you," Grandpa Sleepy said, smiling even with his eyes closed.