The nine people were all deeply grateful to Evan Yang, so their first priority was to recover as quickly as possible. Evan, meanwhile, carefully stored away the ten needles. He didn't know exactly what they were, but they were clearly powerful treasures, so he didn't discard them.
After tidying up, Evan began searching the cave. At the spot where they'd originally entered, he felt along the wall, then used his earth attribute and brute force to break it open.
Once the wall was broken, Evan stepped outside the cave and looked around, discovering that the cave was actually hidden within a secluded forested mountain of the Blue Robe Sect.
Evan walked back into the cave and said to everyone, "I need to find my master, so you all should follow me to him first. That's your best chance to survive."
"We'll do as you say." Everyone understood what kind of person Simon Spring was—without enough strength to deal with him, they'd just be captured again.
Seeing everyone agree, Evan didn't linger. He immediately led the group toward Mad Elder's location.
About half an hour later, Evan and the others arrived at Mad Elder's place.
Mad Elder was in the cave, worrying about Evan. He couldn't shake his unease. When Evan spoke, Mad Elder thought it was just a hallucination from worrying too much, and muttered, "No way...?"
"Senior Mad Elder." Evan's voice rang out again.
Once Mad Elder was sure it was real, he hurried outside and saw Evan standing there, along with nine people who all looked unwell.
"What's going on here?" Seeing Evan alive, Mad Elder was overjoyed, but also curious about the nine people behind him.
"Senior Mad Elder, what comes next is very important. Let's go inside and talk." Evan said.
Seeing Evan's serious demeanor, Mad Elder quickly brought them inside. Evan explained everything that had happened. When Mad Elder heard about Simon Spring and the testimonies of the nine people, he was furious. "So that's how it is! No wonder you three disappeared without a trace!"
Those three were disciples of the Blue Robe Sect. Their disappearance had naturally drawn attention from the sect, and now their sudden reappearance would surely deal a huge blow to Simon Spring.
"Senior, what should we do now?" Evan asked.
"The sect master has gone to the Immortal Realm Alliance. Right now, the other vice sect master is in charge." Mad Elder replied.
"That's not ideal. Maybe I should have them hide for now. If Sect Master Spring finds out, we'll be in trouble," Evan said.
"Alright, you lot, I'll send you to a safe place to recover. When the sect master returns, I'll help clear your names." Mad Elder said.
Everyone nodded. Evan was relieved, glad he'd managed to rescue them after all.
After Mad Elder took them to another place, he asked, "Do you want to stay hidden?" Evan replied, "No need. If he wants to catch me again, it won't be so easy. Besides, now that we've all left, he'll definitely realize it and try to escape. That's why I want to trap him and keep him from running."
“So you want to wait until the sect master returns?” Mad Elder asked. “That’s right. That’s why I’ll need your help, Senior,” Evan Yang replied.
“Alright, no problem. I’ll help you out,” Mad Elder said.
Meanwhile, Simon Spring was feeling confident and decided to check on Evan Yang and the others inside the cave. But when he reached the entrance and saw the scene before him—and then looked inside—his expression twisted in shock and fury. “Who did this? Who the hell did this?!”
“That would be me.” Evan Yang suddenly appeared behind him, a faint smile on his face.
“You—how did you get out?” Simon Spring stammered in disbelief. Evan Yang had clearly been struck by that needle, yet here he was, alive and well, standing right behind him.
“I had my ways,” Evan Yang replied calmly.
“Damn you! I’ll make you pay for this!” Simon Spring snarled, his anger boiling over.
“Elder Simon Spring, after what you’ve done, I’ve already informed the other elders. You’ll be facing punishment very soon,” Evan Yang said, his voice steady.
“The others?” Simon Spring suddenly realized no one else was in sight. Evan’s words sent a chill through him.
“That’s right. Everyone else has already been moved to the elders’ protection. You’re on your own now,” Evan Yang said, his tone cold.
“You brat! You ruined everything I worked for. Fine, then I’ll drag you down with me!” Simon Spring growled, rage twisting his face.
With that, he lunged at Evan Yang. Evan dodged in a flash, then burrowed into the ground using earth-escape. Simon Spring whipped out his tracking compass and continued the chase, finally cornering Evan in a desolate stretch of land. “Come out!” Simon Spring bellowed.
Evan Yang emerged from underground and faced Simon Spring. “I’m out now.”
“You brat, you ruined everything!” Simon Spring shouted, his fury barely contained.
“And what exactly did I ruin for you?” Evan Yang replied, his gaze steady.
“You’re not even afraid of death, but you still messed up my Dual-Heaven Pill project. Now you’re pretending you don’t know?” Simon Spring sneered coldly.
“You tried to use me for your pill, so I had no choice but to defend myself,” Evan Yang answered.
“Do you have any idea how much time I spent capturing all those dual-attribute cultivators? How many rare ingredients I gathered? And now, it’s all ruined because of you!” Simon Spring raged, his voice trembling with frustration.
“I know. That’s exactly why, today, there’s no way I’ll be helping you,” Evan Yang said with a cold smile.
Simon Spring had no idea what Evan Yang meant, but before he could react, more than twenty elders suddenly appeared all around him. He froze, stunned.
The leader was the other vice sect master. He glared at Simon Spring and said, "Elder Simon Spring, I never expected you to commit such a monstrous, inhuman crime."
Simon Spring wasn't a fool—he immediately realized Evan Yang had set him up. In his rush to find Evan, he hadn't noticed that the Evan before him was just an illusion.
"So you lured me here with this setup, thinking you could take me down?" Simon Spring sneered, glancing at the empty, desolate surroundings.
"Elder Simon Spring, after what happened today, I will see to it that you're apprehended and judged according to sect law. When the sect master returns, your fate will be decided," the vice sect master declared firmly.
"Do you really have that authority? Or are you all going to gang up on me?" Simon Spring scoffed, his cold laughter echoing.
"We know how powerful you are, but I don’t believe you can escape the Blue Robe Sect’s Ten-Thousand-Swords Formation," the vice sect master replied. With that, more than twenty elders each summoned a flying sword, weaving them into a dense web that sealed off every escape route. The swords moved in perfect harmony, never colliding with one another.
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Simon Spring’s eyes narrowed. "So you intend to block every path of escape. Fine—if that’s how it is, I won’t let you have it easy either. Truth is, I’ve already studied this sword formation. There’s a flaw in it. Watch and see!"
With a surge of powerful immortal qi, Simon Spring focused his strength on a single point in the formation. Instantly, the elders felt the sword web lose its balance. With a thunderous crash, all the swords clattered to the ground, the formation broken.
Simon Spring shot Evan Yang a cold glare. "Boy, I won’t let this go. You’ll pay for this."
He turned to flee, but Mad Elder was ready. He'd secretly left a sword buried underground—now it shot up and pierced Simon Spring's foot, pinning him in place.
Simon Spring cried out in shock, then forced himself free and fled at top speed.
The others gave chase, with Evan Yang following Mad Elder. But as they pursued, they suddenly realized Simon Spring had vanished without a trace.
The vice sect master said, "He’s wounded, so he can’t have gone far. Spread out and search!"
The elders fanned out in all directions. Evan Yang naturally followed Mad Elder.
As for Simon Spring, he had already slipped away—but he didn’t leave Blue Robe Sect territory. Instead, he went straight to Elder Joe Qiao.
Elder Joe Qiao had no idea what was happening. When he saw Simon Spring in such a state, he was shocked. "Senior brother, what happened to you?"
"What do you think? Evan Yang set me up. Find me a place to hide—and don’t tell anyone I’m here," Simon Spring demanded.
Elder Joe Qiao realized they were in the same boat, so he didn’t hesitate. He quickly led Simon Spring into his own secret cultivation chamber inside the mountain.
That chamber was hidden deep within the mountain. Elder Joe Qiao asked, "Senior brother, what exactly happened?"
Simon Spring recounted everything. When Elder Joe Qiao heard that Evan Yang had escaped and gathered all the elders to testify against him, he realized Simon Spring had lost all authority in the Blue Robe Sect.
"Damn it, that kid is tougher than I thought," Elder Joe Qiao exclaimed. Simon Spring replied, "No matter how strong he is, he’s still just a Heavenly-Immortal. I want to know how he escaped, and where those other nine went—they were hard-won prizes. I can’t let them slip away."
"No one suspects my connection to you yet. I can quietly investigate, and if possible, capture that kid in secret," Elder Joe Qiao said.
"That’s exactly why I came to you," Simon Spring replied.
Elder Joe Qiao nodded. "Stay here for now. I’ll go out and see what I can find."
With that, Elder Joe Qiao left, while Simon Spring remained behind, seething with rage and unwilling to accept defeat at the hands of a mere Heavenly-Immortal—especially one who had ruined everything.
Meanwhile, Evan Yang and Mad Elder searched for a long time, but found no trace of Simon Spring.
"He couldn’t have left the sect, right?" Evan Yang wondered aloud.
"No. If he wanted to leave, he’d have to use the teleportation array, and there are guards posted at every array," Mad Elder explained.
"So he’s hiding somewhere on the planet?" Evan Yang asked, suspicion in his voice.
"Probably. He’s likely holed up somewhere," Mad Elder muttered.
"Does he have any close friends? Or disciples?" Evan Yang asked. Mad Elder replied, "He always thought he wouldn’t live long, and he’s always been a loner. He never took disciples or got close to anyone."
"No wonder no one discovered his crimes for so long," Evan Yang said, shaking his head.
"It’s lucky you uncovered the truth. Otherwise, the Blue Robe Sect would have been burdened with a terrible reputation," Mad Elder said.
"It’s nothing, really. I was just protecting myself. He’ll definitely try to get close to me again—he hates me that much," Evan Yang said.
"No doubt about it. He hates you deeply," Mad Elder agreed.
"So what now? Keep searching? If he keeps hiding, we’re out of options," Evan Yang said, frustration creeping into his voice.
Mad Elder thought for a moment. "I think you should return to my internal space and focus on cultivation. That way, even if he tries to find you, he won’t succeed."
"Alright," Evan Yang agreed. There was really no better option.
"Go on, then. As for those rescued cultivators, I’ll keep them safe until the sect master returns and can judge the matter himself," Mad Elder said.
Evan Yang nodded and followed Mad Elder back to the mountain’s inner sanctuary. There, he saw Chase Chu still cultivating diligently. Though Simon Spring was exposed, his whereabouts remained unknown. The crisis wasn’t over—and Evan knew he’d need to grow even stronger for the battles ahead.