Evan Yang hadn’t expected the Grand Elder to speak so bluntly about the other elders. Still, since Elder Deng had gotten into a spat with Elder Xie because of him, Evan felt a bit sorry for Deng. He just smiled and said, "Grand Elder, I understand."
"Good, as long as you understand. By the way, how was your visit to the Formation Pavilion? Did you find what you were looking for?" the Grand Elder asked.
"I did find it, but..." Evan said.
"Oh? But what?" The Grand Elder was curious, unsure what Evan meant.
"The ancient teleportation array I want isn’t on any of these planets. The records say it was once seen on Flowcloud Star, but Flowcloud Star is huge. If I want to search for it, it’ll be a hassle," Evan explained.
"I see. Don’t get discouraged. These ancient teleportation arrays are usually hidden in inconspicuous places. Maybe if you spend some time on Flowcloud Star, you’ll find it," said the Grand Elder.
"That’s true. At least the Immortal Realm is so vast, but now I’ve narrowed it down. I guess I’ll have to go there and investigate. Do we have any branches of the Celestial Resonance Sect on Flowcloud Star?" Evan asked.
"Yes, quite a few. I’ll give you a map showing our Celestial Resonance Sect’s locations on Flowcloud Star. If you have any questions, ask the local managers—they’ll all listen to you," said the Grand Elder.
"They’ll all listen to me?" Evan was surprised. He was just a core disciple—how did his authority suddenly become so great?
The Grand Elder smiled. "Do you think becoming a core disciple is easy? Once you’re a core disciple, you can access precious places in the sect, and the managers on other planets are usually trained from among core disciples. In other words, you’re all equals."
"I see." Evan Yang finally understood.
"If you like, I can even let you govern an entire planet." The Grand Elder said with a smile.
"No, Grand Elder, please don't joke like that. I'm really not cut out for it. If I had to manage a whole planet, I'd probably collapse from the stress." Evan replied with an awkward laugh as soon as he heard the Grand Elder's words.
"Haha, alright, I won't. But if you're heading to Flowcloud Star, take this with you." The Grand Elder took out a clamped board, with a sheet of paper sandwiched between two panels.
When Evan opened it, he saw an image inside—an image of the Grand Elder speaking.
"Take it. This will let you get some help from the Celestial Resonance Sect branches on Flowcloud Star." The Grand Elder said.
After looking it over, Evan thanked him, "Thank you."
"Mm, if you need anything, you can always come find us here." The Grand Elder said.
Evan was curious why the Grand Elder treated him so well. After all, he was just a newly arrived disciple. But since the Grand Elder didn't say, Evan didn't ask. He just bid the Grand Elder farewell, then went to find Elder Deng to inform him before leaving.
After Evan left, the Grand Elder pondered. He had long known about the ancient teleportation array Evan was seeking, having seen it in the Formation Pavilion himself. So he knew Evan would definitely go to Flowcloud Star, and had prepared records in advance for Evan to use.
Afterward, the Grand Elder called someone in. A man entered, greeted the Grand Elder, and said, "Master, what did you call me for?"
"You've cultivated in the sect for tens of thousands of years. I took you in back then for a reason. You don't resent me, do you?" The Grand Elder sighed.
"Master, your life-saving grace is something I'll never forget. If you need anything, just tell me." the man replied.
"Good, good. Now, there's something I need you to do—protect someone." said the Grand Elder.
"Protect? Who?" the man asked curiously.
"Protect him. Once he reaches the Immortal Lord realm, your task is complete." The Grand Elder told the man.
The person the Grand Elder wanted protected was Evan Yang.
After reading Evan's information, the man nodded. "Understood, Master."
"Mm, go now." The Grand Elder said. The man nodded and left, while the Grand Elder muttered, "This should keep him safe."
Evan had no idea the Grand Elder had assigned someone to protect him, let alone until he reached the Immortal Lord realm.
As for Evan Yang and Hannah Nangong, they were with Elder Deng at the moment. When Elder Deng heard Evan was leaving, he said, "Then be careful out there. I don't think that Elder Ethan will let you off so easily."
"Is he really that domineering? But if he really comes after me, I'm not afraid." Evan smiled. "You—just be careful, don't get careless," Elder Deng said.
"Don't worry, I'll be back when I have time." Evan said.
"Mm, safe travels." Elder Deng said.
Evan nodded, then left the Celestial Resonance Sect with Hannah Nangong. As soon as they stepped out, he sensed many auras—some hostile, some friendly.
"Could someone really be secretly protecting me?" Evan muttered, and at the same time noticed the three people watching him from not far ahead.
"You three must have waited a long time." Evan said with a smile.
"It's not so bad. As long as you don't come with us, we'll just keep following you forever," one of them replied.
"Alright, let's talk after I finish my business. I already told you last time, didn't I?" Evan chuckled, then left with Hannah.
The three followed behind, and besides them, there were several other groups shadowing them from the dark.
"Hey, why do I feel kind of weird, like a lot of people are watching us?" Hannah Nangong said, feeling uneasy.
"Yeah, but some aren't malicious. Once we reach the city, let's hurry and leave. Being watched like this feels uncomfortable." Evan originally thought the three would act as protection, but with so many people around, he felt uneasy—like everything he did was being monitored. Even if some meant well, Evan wasn't used to it.
"Mm." Hannah followed Evan's plan.
So Evan and Hannah used a teleportation array to enter the city, then found an inn and closed all the doors and windows in their room.
"How many groups are there, actually?" Hannah asked curiously.
"I'd like to know too. But one group definitely wants to kill me; the others are just watching." Evan replied.
(This chapter isn't finished yet~.~ Please click next page to continue reading the exciting content!)
"So what do we do now?" Hannah asked, curious.
"Go invisible and leave! Get out of their line of sight." Evan said.
"Sounds like a good idea—let's do it!" Hannah said excitedly.
Evan thought for a moment and said, "You should go into my tower first. If anything happens, I can retreat alone."
Hannah understood Evan's concern for her, so she agreed without hesitation and entered the tower.
Evan then went invisible, opened the window, and left.
Outside, those watching Evan's room saw the window open, only to find no one inside. They were shocked.
They searched everywhere but couldn't find any trace of Evan.
Only one person in the shadows, with sharp eyes, muttered, "He's moving? Strange, why can't I see him!"
That person also left, following the direction Evan was moving.
Evan flew out of the city, heading for the star-to-star teleportation array.
After about half a day, just as he was about to reach the teleportation array, someone suddenly appeared in Evan's path and shouted, "Show yourself!"
Evan was startled, revealed himself, and exclaimed, "Elder Ethan!"
"Kid, you sure have a lot of tricks, but you might fool others, not me!" Elder Ethan said.
"Oh? How did you find me, Elder Ethan?" Evan asked.
"It wasn't me who found you—it was this." Elder Ethan produced a black creature that crawled around in his hand, looking disgusting.
"That? Don't tell me it can track people?" Evan snorted coldly.
"That's right. It can track people. Even if you disappear, so what? Today, I'll take your life and feed my Little Black!" Elder Ethan declared.
"Little Black? Feed me? So you think I'm just food!" Evan said angrily.
"You don't get a say!" Elder Ethan struck with a burst of energy, sending Evan flying. Elder Ethan was already at the Emperor Lord level—Evan was no match for him.
Evan tumbled backward, almost falling to the ground, but stared coldly at Elder Ethan and sneered, "My whole body is filled with toad poison. If you think this food is worth it, go ahead and let your pet try."
"Toad poison? Did you really get poisoned?" Elder Ethan asked, suspicious as he noticed Evan's skin was darker than normal.
"You think I'd fake it? Come on, I dare your Little Black. I'm not afraid of a million years of toad poison." Evan taunted.
"Don't get cocky, kid. I have ways to remove your poison first, then feed you to my Little Black," Elder Ethan sneered.
"Is that so? We'll see if you can catch me first!" Evan snorted.
Elder Ethan laughed at Evan's resistance. "You? Ridiculous!"
Elder Ethan didn't take Evan seriously at all. He sent several bursts of energy, forcing Evan to retreat.
"He's so much stronger. Before I could even resist, his energy pushed me back." Evan was shocked. If it came to a battle of energy, Elder Ethan's was so overwhelming that Evan's own couldn't even activate before being suppressed.
"So, kid, do you see the gap in our strength now?" Elder Ethan sneered.
"You're an Emperor Lord now, but once I'm stronger, I won't let you off!" Evan snorted.
"Later? That's for the future. You should worry about today!" Elder Ethan laughed loudly.
"Damn it, I don't believe you can always hit me!" Evan snorted, then went invisible and used the power of wind to escape quickly.
This move actually confused Elder Ethan. Although he used the bug to track Evan, if Evan moved quickly, Elder Ethan couldn't aim his attacks precisely—he could only guess Evan's general direction.
So Elder Ethan didn't know how to strike, and could only chase madly, cursing, "Kid, stop and I'll leave you a whole corpse."
Evan ignored him, running wildly until he reached a rushing river. He jumped in.
"Trying to get in the water? No way!" Elder Ethan shouted angrily, waving his hand to stop the river's flow.
It turned out Elder Ethan had water powers. Evan was shocked in the water, but he quickly used his own control over water to open a path below.