Late at night, Evan Yang sat outside the city, gazing at the towering city wall with curiosity. Why did the Yang Clan build it so high, and surround it with protective arrays? Did their status here really require such defenses—was there anyone else who dared to challenge them?
With these questions in mind, Evan pondered how to draw out his target while also considering the mystery of the wall.
Terry Yang had already returned from the fiery red planet and spent a few days entertaining Simon Spring and the others. Now, bored and restless, he sat in the hall, feeling stifled.
"Lord Yang, is there anything you need me to do?" Simon Spring wanted to earn merit and get good things from the Yang Clan, so he needed to contribute. More than ten days had passed, and he was growing impatient. Today, he finally sought out Terry Yang and asked.
Terry Yang, bored and frustrated, was restricted from leaving Yang Clan territory. He was troubled about how to pass the remaining year—otherwise, he really would die of boredom.
Seeing Simon Spring’s request, Terry Yang thought for a moment, then stood up with a smile. "Come, follow me to the city wall for a walk."
"Yes, sir," Simon Spring replied, then followed Terry Yang out.
After a while, Terry Yang led Simon Spring up to the city wall, with Sean Shen and Bald Lee trailing behind.
"Lord Terry," the guard captain on the wall greeted Terry Yang upon his arrival.
"Mm, how's it been lately? Are those things still coming?" Terry Yang asked.
"They show up every so often," the guard captain replied.
"What about now?" Terry Yang asked.
"This time, it should be within the next few days," the guard captain answered.
"Got it. Prepare twenty elite archers for me," Terry Yang said.
"Lord Terry, you want twenty elite archers?" The guard captain was shocked. He knew how precious these archers were—each one was specially trained by the Yang Clan, and there were only a few tens of thousands across all territories. This city had just fifty, so requisitioning twenty at once was a big deal. He wondered what Terry Yang was planning.
"Once they show up, I won’t just wipe them out—I’ll also check out their nearby stronghold," Terry Yang said with a smile.
"What? Lord Terry, that's not allowed! Without the patriarch’s order, we can’t attack those strongholds at will," the guard captain protested.
"What are you afraid of? It's just a stronghold—not a big deal," Terry Yang said.
"Lord Terry, you don’t understand. Some strongholds aren’t much, but others are extremely powerful. If we run into a tough one, not only will you be at risk, but those twenty archers could be in danger, too. I wouldn’t know how to explain it to the patriarch," the guard captain said.
"What’s there to explain? Just one thing—give them to me or not. If not, I’ll go alone. If something happens to me, I doubt you’ll need to explain anything," Terry Yang said.
The guard captain grew anxious and said gloomily, "Lord Terry, please don’t make things difficult for me."
"I’m not making things difficult. Just give me a straight answer—and don’t try to tell anyone else. If I find out, you’ll be finished," Terry Yang said.
The guard captain was very troubled, but finally said, "Lord Terry, I think you should take thirty. But please be careful."
"Alright, got it. Just wait and see how I take down a stronghold. You’ll see for yourself," Terry Yang said confidently.
"I hope so," the guard captain sighed.
Terry Yang saw the captain’s doubt and asked, "You really don’t trust me?"
"Lord Terry, there are many strongholds, but I need to warn you—the smaller the stronghold, the more you should avoid it." The guard captain explained. "Oh? Why’s that?" Terry Yang asked curiously.
"Because the smaller the stronghold, the stronger the creatures inside. We judge their strength by the size of the nest," the guard captain replied.
"Alright, I understand. Go prepare thirty archers. I’ll wait here," Terry Yang said.
The guard captain went off to make preparations, while Simon Spring asked curiously, "Lord Yang, what kind of archers are so precious? He seemed really reluctant."
"Of course! This city has only fifty archers, and each one is precious. To be precise, every archer can unleash power comparable to an Emperor-Realm cultivator, and more importantly, they can combine their attacks into a powerful arrow formation," Terry Yang explained.
"Oh? Is that so? I’ll have to see for myself," Simon Spring said, surprised that the Yang Clan had such special personnel.
"You’ll see soon," Terry Yang replied.
Evan Yang naturally overheard their conversation, eyeing the group on the wall suspiciously and muttering, "Archers? Why does the Yang Clan raise these, and what exactly are they fighting against?"
This made Evan, outside the wall, even more puzzled. After a while, the guard captain returned, followed by thirty archers, each carrying a bow and quiver.
At first glance, there was nothing special, but on closer inspection, in the night, the bows and quivers emitted a faint glow. Evan was shocked: "Are they all seventh-rank immortal artifacts?"
"That’s right, each set is. Every archer has at least three seventh-rank immortal artifacts, and even the arrowheads are fifth-rank. The arrowheads can be reused," Terry Yang explained.
Simon Spring was dumbfounded after hearing Terry Yang’s explanation. He hadn’t expected the Yang Clan to be so powerful; just the equipment for these archers could rival the treasures of some entire sects, and there were only a few dozen here.
Seeing Simon Spring’s amazed expression, Terry Yang laughed, "Just watch—you’ll see their power soon."
Simon Spring was eager to witness their might, so he waited. He didn’t know what was coming, but he was curious—not just him, but Evan Yang was curious too, especially after seeing their equipment. He wondered what the Yang Clan was defending against.
The next night, as darkness fell, a sudden buzzing noise sounded. The guard captain said, "They’re here—everyone get ready."
Everyone on the city wall prepared. The archers lined up in formation, standing atop the wall, while Terry Yang and Elder Simon Spring watched from their vantage point.
Evan Yang concealed himself, expanding his spiritual sense to investigate the source of the sounds. After a while, a dark mass appeared behind him, but since Evan was invisible, the creatures didn’t notice him.
As they drew closer, Evan finally saw clearly—it was a swarm of Shard Bugs, including some stronger ones. Their appearance surprised Evan, and Elder Simon Spring exclaimed, "Lord Yang, aren’t these...?"
"That’s right. In fact, the planets around the Yang Clan have long been infested by these bugs, but with our clan here, they’ve never dared run rampant. Instead, they’ve tangled with us for generations, protecting the safety of the Immortal Realm," Terry Yang explained.
"So that’s it—this is the northern Immortal Realm, where Shard Bugs appear most often. I never expected the Yang Clan to have such a presence here," Elder Simon Spring exclaimed.
"That’s right! Our Yang Clan is a Heaven-Battling family—only we have the power to withstand these vile creatures," Terry Yang said proudly.
"So that’s it. What about now?" Elder Simon Spring asked.
"Watch carefully—the city wall and the array provide protection. From inside, you just need to attack outward with your attributes," Terry Yang explained.
Elder Simon Spring nodded, and soon saw the guards on the wall attack with various attributes and magical treasures. Shard Bugs fell in swathes.
These were just minor creatures—Terry Yang didn’t act. Then the guard captain ordered the archers, "Target the ones five miles out!"
The dozens of archers raised their bows, and at the guard captain’s command, arrows shot out like sparks in the night, streaking through the air and striking the stronger Shard Bugs five miles away.
Then the arrows returned to the archers’ quivers.
Amazing! Such long-range, accurate attacks—and the arrows even flew back on their own! Elder Simon Spring exclaimed in shock.
That’s right—now you know how powerful they are," Terry Yang replied with a smile.
If it’s ranged combat, they’re unmatched," Elder Simon Spring praised.
Exactly. Before anyone gets close, they’re already dead under these arrows. This is just a normal attack—you haven’t seen their real power yet. You’ll see soon. Let’s go," Terry Yang said.
The guard captain knew Terry Yang was heading out. Though helpless, his duty was to defend the city, so he told the thirty archers, "Follow Lord Terry. Protect him at all costs and obey his orders."
Yes, sir!" the thirty archers responded in unison.
Terry Yang glanced at them and said with a smile, "Let’s go."
With that, he and Elder Simon Spring flew out, followed closely by the others. The group headed toward the place where the Shard Bugs had just come from.
Evan Yang pondered for a moment, then followed Terry Yang to see what he was up to.
Terry Yang led the group in flight, arriving about five miles out. The Shard Bugs, sensing danger, retreated en masse, but Terry wasn’t about to let them escape—he ordered, "Shoot!"
The archers unleashed a volley—three arrows at once, nearly a hundred arrows appeared, instantly killing the last of the Shard Bugs.
Seeing the archers’ power and mobility, Elder Simon Spring was impressed. With the last bugs eliminated, Terry Yang said, "Pursue!"
The group chased after the bugs, watching as they flew off the planet into the void. Terry Yang and the others followed, seeing the Shard Bugs gnawing at space itself.
The bugs tried to block Terry Yang and his group by biting at space, but their power was too weak—before they could create a large spatial rift, Terry’s group slaughtered many and continued the chase.
After a while, they reached the outer void and saw, not far ahead, a wasp-nest-like structure—much larger than a real wasp nest, about the size of a house.
"What is this?" Elder Simon Spring exclaimed, surprised that Shard Bugs could build a nest like this.
"This is their nest, but it’s only temporary—formed when they gather together," Terry Yang explained.
"This is their nest, but it’s only temporary—formed when they gather together," Terry Yang explained.