After Evan Yang left, he went to another inn, but continued to use Thousand-Mile Echo to follow that group, wanting to hear what they were really up to—and why Mason Lewis was here.
"Young Peak Lord, when can you take us to meet the Grand Peak Lord?" Mason Lewis asked with a smile.
"No rush. Once I finish up things here, I'll take you to him," the Young Peak Lord replied with a smile, already viewing Mason Lewis and the others as his own.
Mason Lewis had no idea what the Young Peak Lord was planning. Right now, he just wanted to join a powerful force that rarely showed its face in the world, so he sought out Sevenmile Peak and happened to connect with the Young Peak Lord. Now he hoped to use the Young Peak Lord's influence to get himself and his grandfather into the upper ranks of Sevenmile Peak.
"Young Peak Lord, is there anything we can help you with?" Mason Lewis replied.
The Young Peak Lord shook his head. "No need. My men aren't pushovers. They'll be back soon."
"Any idea when things will be settled?" Mason Lewis was a bit worried—he'd just seen Evan Yang and suspected Evan knew he and his grandfather had escaped the Fiend Realm, and was sending people after them.
"Let me check," the Young Peak Lord said, pulling out his Transmission Stone to contact his people, but none responded. His expression turned strange. "Weird, no response."
He tried again, but still got nothing. Checking the status of their Transmission Stones, he found most of them were already dead.
Seeing the Young Peak Lord's expression, Mason Lewis asked curiously, "Young Peak Lord, what's wrong?"
"Except for one, everyone else is dead," the Young Peak Lord said grimly.
Mason Lewis was stunned. "What...?"
"Looks like they ran into trouble. Damn it," the Young Peak Lord muttered, not expecting things to turn out this way. With everyone dead and unable to reach the last survivor, he was left frustrated.
Mason Lewis stood there, unsure what to say, afraid of provoking his anger.
After cursing quietly for a while, the Young Peak Lord said, "Let's go, back to Sevenmile Peak."
"Let me tell my grandfather first. Young Peak Lord, wait here for a moment," Mason Lewis said.
"Alright, go ahead," the Young Peak Lord replied.
After Mason Lewis left, the Young Peak Lord sat alone, fuming. "Damn it, how could they all be dead?"
"Simple. Because I killed them," Evan Yang suddenly appeared.
The Young Peak Lord had just sensed someone approaching with Flash Step. Before he could react, Evan Yang's voice rang out. Not recognizing Evan, he demanded, "Who are you? Why did you kill my people?"
"I haven't even mentioned you yet. How dare you target my people," Evan Yang snorted coldly.
"You—I'll kill you!" The Young Peak Lord was furious when he realized Evan Yang had slaughtered his men and lunged at him.
But this was an inn, and Evan Yang had no intention of getting tangled up here; he had other things to do. He quickly subdued the Young Peak Lord.
The Young Peak Lord couldn't believe Evan Yang was so monstrous. He stared at Evan in shock. "Let me go, or you'll die a miserable death."
"Still acting tough? Believe it or not, I could kill you right now," Evan Yang snorted.
"I'm from Sevenmile Peak. Don't think you'll get off easy. No matter who you are, you'll pay for this," the Young Peak Lord said angrily, his pride preventing him from surrendering to Evan Yang.
Evan Yang sneered. "I don't care who you are. Speak—who was talking to you earlier? Where are they from, and how did you meet them?"
"Who are you, anyway?" The Young Peak Lord snorted, seeing Evan Yang ask about Mason Lewis.
"Not talking? I'll toss you out onto the street and let everyone see you in all your glory," Evan Yang said with a grin.
Hearing this, the Young Peak Lord immediately lost his confidence and muttered, "Fine, I'll tell you. His name is Mason Lewis, and his grandfather is Elder Lewis. They're from the Ninefold Star System and came here hoping to join Sevenmile Peak. I saw his grandfather was pretty strong, so I agreed."
"Ninefold Star System?" Evan Yang thought to himself. He knew those two must be hiding in the shadows now—especially after Mason Lewis saw him, he was sure Mason would report to Elder Lewis. Evan concluded they were starting to grow suspicious of him.
"I've told you. Now let me go," the Young Peak Lord said.
"I'll let you go, but not yet. I want to see what those two are up to," Evan Yang mused for a moment, then knocked the Young Peak Lord out and stashed him in the Tower.
Evan Yang waited elsewhere for Elder Lewis and Mason Lewis to appear. About an hour later, Mason Lewis showed up, but Elder Lewis was nowhere to be seen. Evan was curious—why only one person? He had told them to prepare. He opened his divine sense, sweeping nearly every corner of the city with multiple strands at once.
Mason Lewis entered the Young Peak Lord's room, but when he saw the Young Peak Lord was gone, he muttered suspiciously, "Strange. He said he'd wait for us. Did he leave on his own?"
Nothing in the room had been touched—it was as if someone had simply walked out. Mason Lewis didn't suspect the Young Peak Lord had been taken by Evan Yang.
Faced with this situation, Mason Lewis looked around, made sure no one was watching, then left. About fifteen minutes later, he arrived at a shabby hut in the city. Inside, Evan Yang saw Elder Lewis—not in his original body, but something was odd: Elder Lewis's face was pale, with dark circles under his eyes, looking like a corpse.
"Grandfather," Mason Lewis called.
"What is it?" Elder Lewis replied, his voice especially sinister.
"The Young Peak Lord left," Mason Lewis said.
"Left? What's going on?" Elder Lewis asked suspiciously.
"I don't know. When I got there, the room was empty. Nothing left behind," Mason Lewis said.
"Is that so?" Elder Lewis continued to ponder.
Mason Lewis stood by, waiting for Elder Lewis's response.
"That Fiend Palace brat is tailing us, but he doesn't know who we really are. That's our biggest advantage. Until we're strong enough to deal with him, we need to keep a low profile and keep searching for a way into Sevenmile Peak," Elder Lewis said, his whole body trembling.
"Grandfather, are you alright?" Mason Lewis asked worriedly, seeing Elder Lewis like this.
"I'm fine. Just need to absorb some blood. Go fetch me some fresh cultivator blood," Elder Lewis said.
Mason Lewis nodded and left the hut. Elder Lewis stayed behind, pondering his next move.
Evan Yang watched all of this unfold. "Absorbing cultivator blood? What kind of technique is he practicing?"
Mason Lewis had no idea Evan Yang was watching him. He went outside the city, hoping to spot some low-level cultivators he could capture.
Evan Yang kept a close eye on Mason Lewis, tracking his actions. Mason spotted a weak cultivator, severely injured him, stuffed him into a spatial ring, and took him away.
After entering the hut, Mason Lewis closed the door. Evan Yang could only judge what was happening inside by sound.
"Grandfather, I've brought it," Mason Lewis said.
"Good, give it to me," Elder Lewis replied, sounding urgent.
Mason Lewis released the severely injured man. As soon as he was out, the man cried in terror, "Seniors, please let me go!"
"Let you go? Who will save me?" Elder Lewis tutted, then bit down—so fast the victim didn't even have time to scream.
About half an hour later, Mason Lewis and Elder Lewis came out. When Evan Yang opened the door, he saw a corpse inside—the one Mason had brought. The body was completely drained, skin shriveled, blood gone.
"Damn, that's vicious. What on earth is he cultivating?" Evan Yang exclaimed. Elder Lewis's complexion had improved, the dark circles were gone, his skin looked normal, and he no longer trembled.
"Have you seen that kid again?" Elder Lewis asked.
"No, didn't see him when I left. He probably left already," Mason Lewis replied.
"Alright. Try not to provoke him for now. I could deal with him, but can't guarantee he doesn't have powerful backup," Elder Lewis said.
"Got it, Grandfather." Mason Lewis hated Evan Yang to the core, but given their situation, he could only agree helplessly.
"Let's go. To Sevenmile Peak," Elder Lewis said.
Mason Lewis nodded.
Evan Yang frowned. "To Sevenmile Peak?" Hearing their destination, he considered whether to follow.
"The Fenn Family hasn't made a move yet. I'll check things out first—if I can take those two down, even better." Evan Yang knew they hated him; he had to deal with them ahead of time. He couldn't allow anyone to threaten his life.
Evan Yang followed Elder Lewis and Mason Lewis, keeping his distance. He didn't want them to notice him.
The two entered Sevenmile Peak. Evan Yang watched from afar, then quietly slipped inside as well.
Inside Sevenmile Peak, Evan Yang saw many cultivators, each with different auras. He kept his divine sense hidden and carefully observed his surroundings.
Elder Lewis and Mason Lewis didn't notice Evan Yang behind them. They walked straight to the registration area.
Evan Yang followed, blending in with the crowd. He watched as Elder Lewis and Mason Lewis handed over their credentials to the registrar.
The registrar looked at Elder Lewis and Mason Lewis, then nodded. "You may enter. Welcome to Sevenmile Peak."
Elder Lewis and Mason Lewis walked inside. Evan Yang followed at a distance, making sure not to draw attention.
The registration area was bustling. Evan Yang saw several familiar faces—some from Fiend Palace, others from different star systems.
He kept his divine sense hidden, carefully watching the crowd.
Elder Lewis and Mason Lewis soon disappeared into the depths of Sevenmile Peak. Evan Yang quietly followed, determined to keep an eye on them.
He had a feeling that something big was about to happen.