"Slandering someone? Terry, you really underestimate the Immortal Realm Alliance's intelligence network." Elder Lu saw Terry still acting so arrogant. If not for Yang Ming's sake, he would have put Terry in his place right then and there. Besides, he knew Yang Ming's focus was now on Evan. In the past, Elder Lu might have tolerated Terry's attitude, but now he had no patience left, and he let out a cold snort.
This remark left Yang Tian speechless. His father hurriedly explained, "Elder Lu, that's just his temperament. Please don't get upset. I'll make sure to discipline him properly."
Yang Tian never expected his father to be so ingratiating toward Elder Lu, and he felt extremely angry inside.
"If you weren't the Yang Clan Patriarch's grandson, I wouldn't bother being polite to you." Elder Lu snorted, showing no intention of saving face for him.
Yang Tian's father could only force a smile. Yang Tian lacked the strength, so he could only glare at Elder Lu.
As for everyone else present, they quietly watched the situation unfold. Yang Han, of course, was grateful to Elder Lu; everyone could see that Elder Lu was protecting Yang Han.
Seeing everyone quiet down, Elder Lu smiled and said, "Alright, let's not talk about things that hurt feelings. By now, you should all know why I'm here, right?"
Everyone nodded. Elder Lu continued with a smile: "Since you all know, I won't beat around the bush. The four clans will each be assigned to a separate area. All four places are spacious, so rest assured—everything will be fair."
He then turned to four people who had followed behind and said, "Each of you, take one clan to the place I mentioned."
The four replied, "Yes, Elder Lu."
The four assistants each led a clan away, while Elder Lu turned to Evan Yang and said, "Evan, I'd like to speak with you alone."
Evan hadn't expected Elder Lu to seek him out before they left, but knowing Elder Lu was friendly toward him, he nodded in agreement.
The others were left feeling a storm of envy, jealousy, and hatred—why was Evan the one chosen?
Watching Evan being led away by Elder Lu, the rest could only follow their own guides, each of them simmering with frustration.
"Tian'er, why were you so rude just now?" On the way, Yang Tian's father sent him a voice transmission.
"Dad, do you really think I'm wrong? That Elder Lu is obviously siding with Evan. No matter what I do, he'll never change his attitude." Terry snorted coldly.
"How did you offend him anyway?" Yang Tian's father asked, puzzled.
Reluctantly, Terry explained what had happened. When his father realized Evan was the cause, he felt a pang of discomfort—at least now he understood that Evan had a clear advantage in the Alliance compared to them.
"Dad, that's why I say, don't bother trying to cozy up to Elder Lu. He won't appreciate it," Terry said.
"I'll handle this. You just focus on your cultivation," said Terry's father.
"Cultivation? At a time like this, you're still talking about cultivation?" Terry Yang said, speechless.
"Don't worry, there's still at least a month before the tournament," Terry's father replied.
"What? Another month? I thought we came here to start the tournament right away!" Terry said, exasperated.
"Who knows? Every time we come here, the four clan leaders have to stay in the Alliance for a month. Only after that does the tournament begin," his father explained.
"Really? That's pretty strange," Terry said suspiciously.
"So you should focus on cultivating, and make sure to defeat Evan in one go. Don't give him any chance to turn things around," his father said.
"Got it," Terry said, clenching his fists.
Seeing Terry's expression, Lydia Yang and the Wine Beggar were displeased, even though they didn't know what he and his father were talking about—especially since Terry had just called Evan a 'bastard.' They hadn't forgotten it.
"When Evan truly returns to the Yang Clan, let's see who dares call him a bastard," Lydia Yang snorted coldly.
Lydia's remark naturally drew the displeasure of Terry's family.
"Fourth Sister, what do you mean by that?" Terry's father asked.
"Big Brother, you know exactly what I mean. If anyone calls him a bastard again, I'll ask the Patriarch to judge them personally. Hmph." Lydia Yang snorted, then turned away, ignoring them. The Wine Beggar also snorted and left.
Terry's family was furious.
"Damn it, why did those two come here just to oppose me?" Terry muttered, unable to stand it any longer.
Terry's mother said, "You'll get used to it. In their eyes, our whole family will always be outsiders."
"Don't worry, Mom. When the clan is mine, I'll decide who's really an outsider," Terry said.
"That's right. You should have that kind of ambition," his mother replied with a smile.
Terry's father said coldly, "Deal with that kid first."
Whenever Terry and his mother heard Evan's name, they gritted their teeth.
"Don't worry, Dad. That kid won't win—he'll lose his life instead!" Terry said.
"I hope so. No matter what, we can't let that kid win—and he has to lose miserably, or else the consequences will be unimaginable." Terry's father thought about Evan's relationship with Elder Lu and felt uneasy, especially since Evan was now being taken away by Elder Lu. It was clear how highly Elder Lu valued him.
Terry nodded. His mother added, "I'll go find my nephews later. No matter what, we have to defeat Evan."
Terry and his father nodded. As for the Lynn and Fenn clans, their mood was no better—they were just as frustrated.
The Water Clan, on the other hand, was curious about Evan. How did he have such ability that even Alliance elders were so familiar with him and willing to stand up for him?
As for Evan, walking with Elder Lu on an empty road, he thanked him, "Thank you, Senior, for protecting me earlier."
"I was just stating the truth. But you—weren't you dead back then?" Elder Lu asked, still puzzled.
Evan smiled. "I really was dead at the time, but not truly dead. It's hard to explain... Anyway, thank you for your concern, Senior."
"You really keep surprising me. If I hadn't confirmed it was you, I wouldn't believe it. But the fact that you're from the Yang Clan—that's even more shocking," Elder Lu laughed.
(This chapter isn't over yet—please click the next page to continue reading!)
"Senior, your information is really impressive," Evan said with a smile.
"Of course. We're the Immortal Realm Alliance—the backbone of the Immortal Realm. If we didn't have access to this kind of information, we'd be even more clueless about the other realms," Elder Lu laughed.
"Other realms? Does the Alliance have connections with other realms too?" Evan asked curiously.
"Absolutely. You have to know both yourself and your enemy to protect the Immortal Realm," Elder Lu replied.
"It seems the Alliance's influence is pretty vast," Evan remarked.
"If you're willing to join us, you'll learn even more," Elder Lu said with a tempting smile.
"Senior, aren't you tempting me now?" Evan smiled.
"Tempting? I suppose I am—but let's see if you can be tempted," Elder Lu laughed.
"Senior, you didn't call me over just to say all this, did you?" Evan asked with a smile.
"Of course not. Besides all that, there's something else," Elder Lu said.
"What is it?" Evan asked, curious.
"I heard you're aiming for first place this time?" Elder Lu asked curiously.
"Yeah. Why?" Evan hadn't expected Elder Lu to know about this.
"Nothing, just wanted to confirm. But since you have that ambition, go for it. This time, first place is different from before," Elder Lu said with a strange smile.
"Why?" Evan asked, puzzled.
"I won't tell you for now. If I did, you might change your mind," Elder Lu laughed.
Evan felt like he was being sold off, but no matter how he pressed, Elder Lu wouldn't say—he just kept smiling at Evan.
Seeing Elder Lu wouldn't answer, Evan sighed, "Fine, I won't ask about that. But at least tell me what kind of tournament it is?"
"The tournament? There's still about a month. Don't rush—I'll show you around during these days," Elder Lu said.
"Huh? A month? Why?" Evan said, surprised.
"Well, it's tradition. Since it's your first time, you wouldn't know, but those who've competed before understand. Just wait," Elder Lu said.
Evan looked at Elder Lu suspiciously and asked, "So we have to stay here for the whole month?"
"That's right. You can't leave, and there's no way to leave," Elder Lu replied.
"I didn't expect there'd be so much hassle with the tournament," Evan sighed.
"Are you in a hurry?" Seeing Evan's expression, Elder Lu asked curiously.
Evan smiled, "Yeah, I'm in a hurry. I need to compete as soon as possible and take first place."
That was Evan's purpose for coming here—to win first place and rescue his father.
Elder Lu was curious about Evan's eagerness, but since Evan didn't explain, he didn't ask. He just smiled and said, "Just wait—a month will pass in the blink of an eye. Let me take you somewhere; it might help your cultivation."
"Oh? Sure, since there's nothing else to do," Evan was curious what Elder Lu had in mind.
Once Evan agreed, Elder Lu led him to a place surrounded by thousands of caves, each cave entrance glowing with different colors—a dazzling, multicolored world.
Elder Lu smiled, "Many ancestors left their residences here. Go ahead—pick any cave you like. Maybe you'll find something valuable left behind by them."
"Me? I can go in?" Seeing so much wealth, Evan wondered if he'd heard wrong.
Elder Lu smiled, "Go ahead."
Evan didn't understand why Elder Lu brought him to this magical place, but since he had time, he might as well explore. He smiled, "I'll head over, then."
Elder Lu nodded, and Evan stepped forward. With so many caves, he felt overwhelmed.
"Which one should I choose?" Evan muttered.
"Choose carefully. You only get one chance to enter a cave," Elder Lu thought to himself as he watched Evan's back.
As for the single chance, Evan had no idea. If he knew, he definitely wouldn't choose so casually.