The Immortal Realm Alliance Grand Hall was bustling. The Alliance Leader, several elders, and Immortal Painter Ling were present, along with the heads of the Four Great Heaven-Battling Families.
When everyone saw Liam Yang appear, they were all shocked—except for the Alliance Leader, who already knew and showed no surprise.
Elder Lu stepped forward to congratulate him, "Congratulations on your recovery, Brother Yang."
"Thank you, Elder Lu," Liam Yang replied with a smile.
Seeing that Liam Yang was indeed in good health, everyone grew curious—when exactly did he recover? Meanwhile, as Liam Yang is Evan Yang's father, the Fenn and Lynn Families now hate the Yang Family to the bone.
The Lynn Family Patriarch had already restored his physical body, but his cultivation was not yet recovered.
Once everyone had arrived, the Alliance Leader spoke, "I trust you all know what happened. Since that's the case, we must investigate thoroughly. However, this time when we went to the Devil Realm to retrieve people, we only brought one back."
Everyone turned their gaze to that person—it was none other than Ling Ziqiong, who was covered in wounds and seething with anger.
Now everyone wanted to know what would happen next. The Alliance Leader turned to Ling Ziqiong and said, "You may speak."
Ling Ziqiong immediately began by cursing Evan Yang, then explained that Evan lured them into Demon Mountain and its tomb, ultimately escaping alone while they were left behind and captured by Demon Mountain's people—forcing them to hunt for Evan and his companions.
Just as the Alliance Leader was about to punish Ling Ziqiong, Immortal Sovereign Ling spoke up, "This matter can't just be settled like this. Since Evan Yang was the one in charge, why did he abandon the others and escape alone?"
Seeing his family's Immortal Sovereign speak up for him, Ling Ziqiong quickly added, "That's right! He abandoned us, that's his fault."
Ming Yang replied, "The situation was critical. He didn't have the ability to save you all, so of course he left. Is that really a mistake?"
Everyone looked at Ming Yang, surprised that he would stand up to an Immortal Sovereign for Evan Yang.
Immortal Sovereign Ling stared at Ming Yang, his gaze murderous, but finally he just smiled faintly. "Let the Alliance Leader decide. How should this be resolved? We can't just let it go, can we?"
The Alliance Leader understood Immortal Sovereign Ling's intent, so he spoke up, "Immortal Sovereign Ling, this isn't Evan Yang's fault. You saw everything: it was only because they resented Evan Yang for not saving them that they allied with Demon Sovereigns. If that's Evan Yang's fault, how can we convince everyone?"
"Looks like the Alliance Leader has already decided. I have nothing more to say, but I want to protect him—even if it means I owe the Alliance a favor," Immortal Sovereign Ling said, knowing the Alliance Leader had made up his mind and that changing it was unlikely.
The Alliance Leader hesitated. If he pushed too hard, the Immortal Realm Alliance would fall into chaos. So he said, "Fine. But for fairness, he must accept a punishment—his cultivation will be weakened. Otherwise, we can't explain it to those who died."
"Weakened?" Immortal Sovereign Ling asked. Then he grabbed Ling Ziqiong and, with a few quick moves, crippled Ling Ziqiong's cultivation. Ling Ziqiong never expected his ancestor to act against him; he didn't even have time to scream before the pain knocked him out.
"Is that enough?" Immortal Sovereign Ling asked. Everyone was stunned—no one expected him to be so ruthless, even to his own descendant. The Alliance Leader knew he'd already offended Immortal Sovereign Ling, so he could only sigh, "Yes, that's enough."
"Let's go," Immortal Sovereign Ling said, taking Ling Ziqiong with him and addressing Patriarch Lynn.
Patriarch Lynn was so stunned he forgot to speak. Only when Immortal Sovereign Ling spoke did he snap out of it and hurriedly follow.
Seeing the matter settled, the Alliance Leader said to Patriarch Fenn, "Patriarch Fenn, if Feng Zilin returns, report it. And Yang Family Head, if Yang Tian comes back, do the same. Nothing else—everyone can go home."
Patriarch Fenn was secretly relieved—thankful it wasn't Feng Zilin who returned, or else being crippled like that would be too cruel.
Ming Yang had already turned to leave with Yang Lin and the others, but before they got far, the Alliance Leader appeared before them, startling Ming Yang and his group.
"If Evan Yang returns, tell him to come see me. Otherwise, it's dangerous out there," the Alliance Leader said to Ming Yang.
Ming Yang knew the Alliance Leader was looking out for Evan Yang, so he nodded, "Understood."
After making arrangements, the Alliance Leader left. Ming Yang, still unsettled, took Yang Lin and the others home. Once back at the Yang Family, Ming Yang told them, "You all saw what happened just now. As far as I know, Immortal Sovereign Ling has a bad temper and is extremely protective of his own. Evan Yang has offended the Lynn Family—he's in real danger. And today, Immortal Sovereign Ling crippled one of his own on the spot. The message is clear: if they catch Evan Yang, he'll end up the same way."
"But the Alliance Leader already said it's not Evan Yang's fault. Isn't this too much, even for an Immortal Sovereign?" said the Wine Beggar, unconvinced.
"Patriarch Lynn is already like this, and their most promising junior, Ling Ziqiong, has been crippled. Do you think that Immortal Sovereign will stay calm?" Ming Yang sighed.
Ming Yang made it clear—Evan Yang was facing a huge problem this time. Yang Lin added, "That's right. No matter what, if Evan Yang contacts us, we have to tell him to go see the Alliance Leader. Only the Alliance Leader can keep him safe now."
Ming Yang and the others all nodded.
Meanwhile, at the Lynn Family, Ling Ziqiong lay on a stone bed, while Patriarch Lynn stood nearby. Immortal Sovereign Ling watched the still-bleeding Ling Ziqiong on the bed.
Patriarch Lynn asked anxiously, "Ancestor, what should we do?"
"Don't worry. Evan Yang won't get away," Immortal Sovereign Ling said.
"But the Alliance Leader is protecting him. If Ancestor acts against him, the Alliance Leader might intervene. If two Immortal Sovereigns fight, the Immortal Realm Alliance won't allow it—especially with the Devil Realm running rampant right now."
"Of course I know that. Did I say I was going to act? Are you really all useless in the Lynn Family?" Immortal Sovereign Ling retorted.
"But right now..." Patriarch Lynn wanted to say that with things as they were, and Ling Ziqiong crippled, who else in the Lynn Family could stand against Evan Yang? Even if there were others, it would make it obvious the Lynn Family wanted revenge, drawing the Alliance's attention.
"I said don't worry, so just relax. Leave now—I need to heal him," Immortal Sovereign Ling said.
"You can still heal him?" Patriarch Lynn asked in shock.
"Why not? Just do as I say," Immortal Sovereign Ling replied. Patriarch Lynn had no choice but to leave. Ling Ziqiong continued to lie on the bed. After a while, Immortal Sovereign Ling took out a pill and fed it to Ling Ziqiong. As soon as the pill entered his body, his injuries improved instantly. Immortal Sovereign Ling said, "You can wake up now."
Ling Ziqiong woke up groggily. Realizing his limbs were still functional, he exclaimed, "Ancestor, what is this?" Immortal Sovereign Ling replied, "Did you really think I was that ruthless? That was just for show." "Thank you, Ancestor!" Ling Ziqiong quickly knelt in gratitude, relieved at the explanation.
"You've fought Evan Yang before. What do you think of him?" Immortal Sovereign Ling asked.
"He's terrifying. I heard he even destroyed Grandfather's body," Ling Ziqiong replied.
"That's right, I saw it myself. He's truly terrifying. Do you have confidence to defeat him?" Immortal Sovereign Ling asked. Ling Ziqiong hesitated, knowing his own strength was far inferior. Immortal Sovereign Ling said seriously, "If you want to destroy him yourself, you'll have to endure pain no ordinary person could handle to transform. Do you dare?"
Hearing there was a way to defeat Evan Yang, Ling Ziqiong nodded eagerly, "As long as I can destroy Evan Yang, I can bear any pain."
Seeing Ling Ziqiong's determination, Immortal Sovereign Ling said, "Alright, I'll help you transform now. Your strength will greatly increase, and dealing with Evan Yang will be much easier."
Ling Ziqiong was overjoyed and quickly thanked him, "Thank you, Ancestor!"
"Good. Close your eyes," Immortal Sovereign Ling instructed. Ling Ziqiong did as told and closed his eyes. "It will hurt a lot. Bear with it," Immortal Sovereign Ling continued.
Ling Ziqiong nodded. Immortal Sovereign Ling produced ten needles, then took one and stabbed it into a spot on Ling Ziqiong's head.
As soon as the needle pierced him, Ling Ziqiong let out a scream. If Immortal Sovereign Ling hadn't done it himself, he would have thought someone was trying to kill him.
His scream was so loud that even Patriarch Lynn waiting outside was startled, thinking something terrible had happened.