Yvonne Darkmoon snapped, "Why should I? You're not helping me, and now you're trying to drive my friend away? Ian Wood, don't leave!"
Yvonne Darkmoon was furious, and she hated her father's actions. She didn't know all the details, but she was certain—it was the Yang Clan's status that had made Damien Darkmoon change his mind.
"How long are you going to keep this up?" Damien Darkmoon demanded, his patience wearing thin.
"Then explain yourself! What's really going on? Or are you just too scared to stand up to the strong and only bully the weak?" Yvonne Darkmoon shot back, furious.
"Bully the weak, bow to the strong? Is that who I am? I'm worried about your safety! Do you realize what the Yang Clan's status means? If they wanted, they could wipe out the entire eighth great power! Do you get it?" Damien Darkmoon was genuinely worried for Yvonne, so he gave up pursuing Terry Yang, but her accusation made him angry.
These words didn't wake Yvonne Darkmoon up, but they shocked Evan Yang. He hadn't expected the Yang Clan to be so powerful, able to destroy an entire eighth great power.
Yvonne Darkmoon was livid. "Stay out of my business from now on!"
"No way. You're coming home with me, and you're not allowed to wander outside." Damien Darkmoon knew Yvonne would never agree to the Yang Clan's marriage proposal, so he wouldn't let them get close. He hurried to bring her back and planned to keep her locked up for a while.
Yvonne Darkmoon, stubborn as ever, threatened, "If you don't let me go, I'll destroy myself!"
"Destroy yourself? You'd even say something like that? Are you really so desperate to die?" Damien Darkmoon shouted angrily.
"At least dying isn't as cowardly as you," Yvonne Darkmoon snapped.
Yvonne Darkmoon muttered angrily, "He's a total hypocrite. Just because he's got powerful backing."
Yvonne Darkmoon was startled when she heard that. If she really went back and was forced into a centuries-long sleep, the Yang Clan could disappear without a trace. She quickly calmed down, not being stupid, and hurriedly said, "Fine, fine, I won't die, okay? At least let me go and give me some freedom."
"Freedom? You think I don't know what you're planning? You're definitely going to try and get revenge on the Yang Clan. That's impossible, so I won't let you go," Damien Darkmoon said firmly.
"Dad, I'm serious, I won't go looking for trouble with the Yang Clan!" Yvonne Darkmoon pleaded anxiously.
Yvonne Darkmoon paused, then flashed a mischievous grin.
"Then what do you want me to do so you'll let me go?" Yvonne Darkmoon asked.
"Swear a Soul Oath," Damien Darkmoon said.
Yvonne Darkmoon scowled. She hadn't expected her father to demand a Soul Oath, but for her freedom, she relented: "Fine, I'll swear it!"
Seeing Yvonne Darkmoon agree to the oath, Damien Darkmoon eased up and released her to make the Soul Oath.
Yvonne Darkmoon recited her Soul Oath: she would never take the initiative to go after the Yang Clan, or else her soul would be destroyed.
After hearing Yvonne Darkmoon's words, Damien Darkmoon said, "I know you're not happy about this, but I just don't want you to get into trouble—especially with the Yang Clan. Stay away from them. Besides, they're trying to propose marriage. If you really fall into their hands, it'll be a disaster."
"Got it, stop nagging. I'm going to do my own thing now." Yvonne Darkmoon said, angry.
Damien Darkmoon knew Yvonne Darkmoon had sworn the oath, but he was still worried. He reminded her, "Here's something for you. If they ever catch you again, just crush it."
"Got it." Yvonne Darkmoon snatched it up. It was a round orb, she wasn't sure what it was for, but according to Damien Darkmoon, it should be a communication artifact.
"Alright, I'm heading back." Damien Darkmoon said, finally at ease as he left.
"Isn't that still picking a fight?" Evan Yang muttered. The loophole in Yvonne's oath was obvious—she couldn't start trouble herself, but she could get Evan to do it.
"Your father was just looking out for you." Evan Yang finally spoke, since Damien Darkmoon had been suppressing him earlier, almost deliberately keeping him silent.
"Looking out for me? I think he's just a coward. So what if it's the Yang Clan? What's so great about them?" Yvonne Darkmoon snorted.
"Your father said that if the Yang Clan really made a move, even the eighth great power wouldn't be able to resist. You should understand what that means." Evan Yang wasn't stupid.
As for Yvonne Darkmoon, she wasn't stupid either—she'd cultivated to her current realm. But she couldn't swallow her anger, especially after Terry Yang's marriage proposal. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. He looked like a gentleman to outsiders, but behind the scenes used such dirty tricks. He was the definition of a hypocrite.
Thinking about all this, Yvonne Darkmoon said angrily, "He's a complete hypocrite. It's just because he has powerful backing."
"If you were at the Emperor Realm, you could challenge him openly. But you're not, and now your father has decided to let it go. Besides, after this, the Yang Clan probably won't try anything like that again." Evan Yang knew that even a cornered rabbit would bite, let alone Damien Darkmoon. If the Yang Clan tried something again, Damien would probably stop holding back.
"Emperor Realm? You think everyone can just become an Emperor? Damn it, that guy is a monster. And with that kind of power, it's infuriating! I have to find a way to get revenge." Yvonne Darkmoon said, unwilling to accept it.
"Didn't you just swear not to take the initiative against him?" Evan Yang said helplessly.
Yvonne Darkmoon froze for a moment, then showed a sly smile.
"What's with that smile?" Seeing Yvonne Darkmoon's expression—and her figure so close—Evan Yang felt a bit uneasy.
"I swore not to take the initiative against him, but you, on the other hand, can." Yvonne Darkmoon looked at Evan Yang with a sly smile.
"Huh? You want me to go after him? What do you take me for? Besides, I'm only at the Heavenly-Immortal level." Evan Yang hadn't expected Yvonne Darkmoon to pull such a trick and looked at her helplessly.
Yvonne Darkmoon laughed. "Don't get so worked up. We might not be able to beat him out in the open, but in the shadows, we might just stand a chance, right?"
"Come on, what if your dad finds out and throws me under the bus? Then what?" Evan Yang protested.
"Why worry about my dad? He doesn't know anything," Yvonne Darkmoon replied.
"You never know. He could find out any time," Evan Yang answered.
"Didn't expect you to be a coward too," Yvonne Darkmoon said, glaring.
[Irrelevant passage skipped.]
"This isn't about being a coward. It's called knowing your limits," Evan Yang replied.
Yvonne Darkmoon grinned, "Whatever you say. Anyway, you're already being targeted. I have my dad to protect me, but what about you? Are you going to run or stay here? By the way, you have quite the grudge with the Yang Clan, don't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't have saved me. That means you were hiding there on purpose. I'm curious, though—how did they not notice you?"
Evan Yang saw that Yvonne Darkmoon wasn't stupid and laughed, "I thought you were clueless, but you're not. You're right, I do have some history with the Yang Clan. I went there just to investigate something, not for the reasons you think."
"Sure, investigating something. I bet you were either there to steal something or you have old grudges and wanted to assassinate someone. Still, your methods are impressive—not getting caught by them," Yvonne Darkmoon laughed.
"You know how to provoke people? Go ahead, try all you want. I'm not dumb enough to go start trouble with the Yang Clan now," Evan Yang said.
"Is that so? You don't really have a choice. Don't you realize someone's been following you? It's only because I'm here that they haven't shown themselves," Yvonne Darkmoon said, smiling.
Of course Evan Yang knew—he was just stalling for time. He hadn't expected Yvonne Darkmoon to notice, so he smiled, "I thought you didn't know."
"Do you take me for a fool? Now you have two choices: one, leave on your own and let them track you; two, stick with me—at least with me around, they won't bother us. Then we can teach them a lesson when the chance comes. Wouldn't that be more satisfying?" Yvonne Darkmoon explained. "Your plan is tempting. Looks like I'm stuck on your pirate ship now," Evan Yang laughed. Actually, Evan was doing this on purpose. He knew that if he wanted to learn about Blaze Mountain, he'd have to ask those Yang Clan people. If he acted alone, it'd be tough, but with Yvonne Darkmoon's protection, he could occasionally make moves and maybe catch someone to ask about Blaze Mountain's whereabouts.
"Of course. I know smart people always choose to stick with me," Yvonne Darkmoon said with a smile.
"So, what's your brilliant plan?" Evan Yang pretended to ask innocently.
"Sure, investigating something. I bet you were either there to steal something or had scores to settle and wanted to assassinate someone. Still, your stealth is impressive—they never caught you," Yvonne Darkmoon laughed.
Evan Yang laughed, "Alright."
"You know how to taunt people? Go ahead, try all you want. I'm not stupid enough to mess with the Yang Clan right now," Evan Yang said.
"Of course we follow them. I don't believe those two will stay together forever," said Captain Li.
The four nodded and disappeared in a flash.
"Do you take me for an idiot? You have two options: leave alone and let them chase you, or stick with me—while I'm here, they won't make a move. Then we ambush them when the time's right. Isn't that more satisfying?" Yvonne Darkmoon explained. "Your plan's tempting. Looks like I'm boarding your pirate ship," Evan Yang chuckled. Actually, Evan was deliberately playing along. He knew that if he wanted to ask about Blaze Mountain, he'd need to catch one of the Yang Clan. With Yvonne as cover, he could make moves and maybe get answers.
Evan Yang and Yvonne Darkmoon flew for quite a while, even passing through the formation's entrance and leaving the array behind.
Outside the formation, dawn was approaching. Evan Yang was still flying with Yvonne Darkmoon. "What's your plan?" he asked, curious.
"I know a strange forest—it's dense, and you can't use spiritual sense there. But I'm familiar with it. As long as we find a good spot and prepare, we can wait for the prey to come to us," Yvonne Darkmoon said.
"That depends on whether we can actually catch them. Besides, those four are probably all at the peak of Immortal Lord," Evan Yang said.
"So what if they're at the peak of Immortal Lord? There are plenty of strange places in that forest. Just follow my instructions, and you'll be fine. After all, I've already sworn not to start trouble with them," Yvonne Darkmoon said.
"Isn't that still starting trouble?" Evan Yang was speechless. The loophole in Yvonne Darkmoon's oath was obvious—she couldn't start trouble herself, but she could get Evan to do it.
So the whole plan was for Yvonne Darkmoon to scheme and Evan Yang to attack, while the four pursuers foolishly followed them.
Evan Yang wasn't really stupid. He only acted that way on the surface, but secretly kept track of everything around him to make things easier in the future.