"Elder Lewis, what was that just now?" Damien Darkmoon asked in shock.
"I don't know. It looks like a Devil Realm emissary has intervened in this contest, and a powerful one at that," Elder Lewis replied.
Damien was about to say something when a guard sent him a message. After reading it, his expression changed drastically.
"What's wrong?" Elder Lewis asked, noticing Damien's change in expression.
"We've been discovered," Damien replied.
"Discovered? How is that possible?" Elder Lewis exclaimed.
"Elder Lewis, wait here for now. I'll go handle it," Damien said, then left the secret chamber. Elder Lewis remained behind, suspiciously muttering, "Looks like they came prepared."
Outside Damien's castle, crowds from various sects and families had gathered. Their only goal was to force Damien to hand over the contestant.
The leader was the Skybow Sect master. Though he didn't fully believe the rumors, they had spread widely. If he didn't show up to calm things down, he'd lose authority—especially since the situation was serious.
When Damien stepped outside, he frowned and asked, "What are you all doing here?"
When Damien appeared, the crowd surged forward. Even with several guards holding the line, they could barely keep the mob at bay.
The Skybow Sect master stepped forward and asked, "Emperor Damien Darkmoon, our sect has lost a contestant. I heard your people seized him. I'd like to know what's going on."
"Seized? When did we ever seize anyone? Do you have any proof?" Damien asked. This was a secret operation—no one should know, and even if someone did, they shouldn't be able to trace it here. Unless that person just now was involved, so Damien refused to admit anything unless they had real evidence.
Damien's words stumped the crowd, who all turned to look at the Skybow Sect master.
The Skybow Sect master had no evidence and wouldn't have come unless someone else provided it. He turned and said, "Sect Master Zi, would you say something?"
Drake Long stepped forward and said, "Emperor Damien Darkmoon, this concerns the interests of all coalitions. If we've offended you, please forgive us."
"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Damien said, sounding annoyed but inwardly wanting to know who had tipped off the crowd.
"Emperor Damien Darkmoon, I don't know what connection you have with that person, but someone did abduct the Skybow Sect contestant—and that person is likely your aide," Drake Long said.
"Oh? Which aide do you mean?" Damien asked.
"I have an image," Drake Long said, activating the projection. In midair, it showed someone abducting the Skybow Sect contestant.
Damien was startled—he hadn't expected them to come so prepared, and was shocked they'd managed to discover this.
"Emperor Damien Darkmoon, surely you know who this person is?" Drake Long pressed.
"That's right, he is indeed my aide," Damien admitted, knowing there was no way to hide it now.
"In that case, explain to everyone why the Eighth Great Power is abducting our contestants. Are you planning to slowly devour us?" Drake Long demanded.
The scene grew chaotic. Damien knew that if he didn't resolve things now, it would only get worse, so he said, "You want answers? I'll show you something."
Without hesitation, Damien waved his hand and projected a recording for everyone. It showed the contestant's final moments before death.
Everyone saw black qi erupt from the contestant's body, his face twisted in terror, then he died.
Drake Long was shocked inside, but kept his composure. The Skybow Sect master, however, was horrified and shouted, "What is this? Did you murder him?"
The crowd grew even more chaotic at those words, but Damien declared, "It wasn't murder—it was something else."
"Emperor Damien Darkmoon, what do you mean 'something else'? Are you saying you killed him yourselves?" Drake Long pressed.
"Sect Master Zi, don't make wild claims if you don't know the facts. But I can tell everyone—he was controlled by a Devil Realm agent. What you saw just now was him being killed by the Devil Realm," Damien said.
"Ridiculous! Emperor Damien Darkmoon, you just show an image and claim he was killed by a Devil Realm agent. Are you saying the Devil Realm is living in your house?" Drake Long scoffed, not wanting the Devil Realm emissary exposed, since it would implicate him too.
The crowd grew suspicious. The Skybow Sect master was furious and shouted, "Emperor Damien Darkmoon, you must give us an explanation or we'll escalate this to the Eighth Great Power headquarters!"
The scene heated up again, and news spread everywhere. More people arrived, sensing it was about to erupt into a major crisis.
Damien knew he had to give everyone a reasonable explanation. Otherwise, the contest would lose all meaning, and even the Eighth Great Power couldn't control the situation.
"This will all be explained soon. Please, everyone, stay calm," Damien said.
"Then explain it to us. Tell us why you abducted the Skybow Sect contestant, and why you killed him," Drake Long demanded.
Others joined in, urging for a full explanation.
So the crowd refused to leave. Damien left them with a promise to wait, then returned to the secret chamber.
He slowly explained everything to Elder Lewis.
Outside, Yvonne Darkmoon overheard the accusations and was shocked. "How could this happen? My father isn't that kind of person. I need to go back and see what's really going on," she said.
Evan Yang also opened his eyes inside the tower. His body had stabilized, so he exited and muttered, "How long has it been?"
His Transmission Stone had received many messages—most from Liam Willow. The latest said Damien had arrested someone and executed them, and everyone was gathering to watch.
"Emperor Damien Darkmoon? Why did he arrest someone? Why execute them? What's really going on?" Evan wondered, putting away the Transmission Stone and heading toward Damien's location.
By then, the area was packed. Evan arrived and hadn't even contacted Liam Willow before seeing crowds denouncing Emperor Damien Darkmoon.
Damien eventually came out and addressed everyone: "I know it's hard to believe, but this is serious. I've already requested an official investigation from Eighth Great Power headquarters. During this period, I'll submit to being taken into custody. I hope you'll all live to see the truth revealed."
The crowd was confused—why would Damien voluntarily submit to arrest? Did he really abduct and kill someone? It made them doubt even more. Damien felt helpless. After discussing with Elder Lewis, he realized the Devil Realm agent was lurking in the shadows. To catch him, he had to use a bitter-meat strategy, so he cooperated with Elder Lewis and found the headquarters leader, briefly explaining the situation.
Headquarters soon sent a team, led by a man with an iron arm.
"Brother Xie," the iron-armed man greeted.
"Brother Dian, I'm counting on you," Damien said.
"I understand. I'll handle this impartially and clear your name," Victor Dian said, then ordered Damien taken away.
Just then, Yvonne Darkmoon rushed forward and blocked them. "Dad, what's going on?"
Damien hadn't expected Yvonne to appear at this moment, but he couldn't interrupt the process, or risk making things worse. He said, "It's fine. I'll be back soon. You should stay home."
"No, don't!" Yvonne had always believed her father was the strongest. Now, seeing him taken away, she was devastated.
"Be good. Go home," Damien said, giving Yvonne a last look before leaving with Victor Dian.
The crowd began to disperse like dying embers. Yvonne stood there, fists clenched, tears streaming down her face. "No, I need to find out what's really going on," she muttered.
"Isn't that Miss Darkmoon?" Terry Yang ran over, smiling.
"Scoundrel." Yvonne glared at Terry Yang.
"How can you say that? I'm the Yang Clan's rising star. You're breaking my heart," Terry Yang joked.
"I'm in a bad mood today. Don't bother me," Yvonne snapped, turning to head back to the castle. She knew she couldn't match Terry's strength, and with her father taken away, she had no choice but to retreat.
Terry Yang couldn't resist teasing Yvonne when the opportunity arose. He smiled and said, "If you're upset, you should go for a walk. Let's take a stroll together."
Yvonne wanted to tell him to get lost, but instead found herself saying, "Okay."
From nearby, Evan Yang wondered if Yvonne was acting strange. Yvonne's expression changed dramatically. Terry Yang laughed, "That's right—a walk will cheer you up."
"Get lost! Who wants to walk with you?" Yvonne snapped back. "What did you say?" Terry Yang grinned.
"No, I meant 'very good,'" Yvonne said, her mouth betraying her, as if she were a different person.
Terry Yang smiled with satisfaction and reached out, but Yvonne instinctively stepped back. "What did you do to me?" she demanded.
"Do what? Miss Darkmoon, weren't we going for a walk?" Terry Yang replied with a smile.
"Okay," Yvonne answered again, sounding like a different person.
Nearby, Evan Yang was baffled by Yvonne's behavior. Yvonne wished she could seal her mouth or bite her tongue, but Terry Yang took the chance to reach for her hand.
Just then, Elder Lewis appeared and asked, "What are you two doing here?"
Terry Yang hadn't expected Elder Lewis to show up and was startled. He quickly released his control over Yvonne. Yvonne, seeing Elder Lewis, felt like she'd found her savior. "Elder Lewis!" she exclaimed.
Elder Lewis nodded reassuringly, letting Yvonne know everything would be alright.
"Didn't expect Elder Lewis to show up," Terry Yang said with a smile, though he cursed inwardly, "Damn old man."