Evan Chu stood quietly in line with the others, waiting for the guards to inspect them. Every guard wore a look of utter arrogance, as if they were the true rulers of All‑Stars City and no one dared defy them.
"What's your name? Why did you come to All‑Stars City? You'd better tell me the truth, or you'll regret it." one of the guards said to a middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man was about mid-stage Heavenly God Realm, while the guard was only early-stage Heavenly God. But with so many guards around, even though his cultivation was higher, he could only endure in silence.
Just as the middle-aged man was about to answer, another guard suddenly said, "Mid-stage Heavenly God Realm... If he has a divine weapon, he could kill a God‑Lord. Take him away."
Everyone was stunned at these words. This was arresting people for no reason! Evan Chu glanced at the guard who spoke—he was clearly the squad leader, late-stage Heavenly God Realm, with a fierce, villainous look that screamed trouble.
"I haven't broken any laws—why are you arresting me? I refuse!" The middle-aged man finally snapped. With such a baseless accusation, he couldn't take it anymore and nearly lost control.
"Oh? You still dare to act tough in front of me? Today I'll show you there are people you simply can't mess with. Cripple him!" the squad leader barked.
Three guards immediately stepped forward to attack the middle-aged man. All three were early-stage Heavenly Gods. For the middle-aged man, they weren't much of a threat, but he was caught in a dilemma—if he didn't fight back, he'd be badly hurt; if he did, he'd be admitting guilt.
The middle-aged man hesitated, then gritted his teeth and roared, "Either way, I'm dead today. Might as well take a few of you with me!" As he finished, a longsword appeared in his hand.
He spun his sword, sending a flurry of sword-light slashing toward one of the guards. As the blade swept out, wind and thunder roared—he was clearly ready to die for his dignity.
The guard never expected the middle-aged man to be so bold, actually daring to cause trouble in All‑Stars City—a capital offense. Caught off guard, the guard was run through the chest by the man's sword, blood gushing out and splattering across the man's face.
In an instant, the middle-aged man was drenched in blood. He yanked his sword free and prepared to attack the other two guards. The guard with the pierced chest collapsed to the ground, barely breathing—but at least his God Infant hadn't been destroyed, or his death would have been truly unjust.
It all happened so fast that most people couldn't react. Even Evan Chu sucked in a breath—this man was courting death for sure. In this world, living is the greatest hope. Without life, all plans are empty talk.
It looked like this man was doomed. Evan Chu felt sympathy for his bad luck but wasn't about to help him—only a fool would step in now.
"You brat, you dare kill a City Lord's Mansion guard? Today you die!" the squad leader roared, lightning-fast as he charged the middle-aged man. Knowing how strong the leader was, the man darted into the air to escape.
There are rules in the God Realm too: only a tiny handful have the right to fly over a city. The middle-aged man certainly didn't, but the squad leader was permitted while on duty. Just flying in the air doomed the man, never mind killing a City Lord's Mansion guard.
For a moment, the people at the restaurant entrance were thrown into chaos. Two even tried to escape while everyone's attention was on the fight in the sky, but the guards immediately spotted them and gave chase.
Suddenly, everything was in disarray—one dead, two chasing after escapees, and one fighting in the air. That left only six guards to watch over dozens of people outside the restaurant. Everyone started thinking about running.
No one knew who shouted, "Run!" but it was like a command—everyone bolted at once, plunging the scene into total chaos. Evan Chu also ran, but deliberately not too fast; he was doing it on purpose.
Evan Chu had two reasons for running. If he just stood still, he’d look like a fool or someone with a hidden agenda. But by running, he could get caught and brought into the City Lord’s Mansion. With only early-stage Heavenly God strength, he was no suspect for Protector Liu’s murder, but being caught would get him inside.
Up in the air, the middle-aged man and the squad leader were locked in a fierce battle—one fighting like a man with nothing to lose, the other being cautious. For the moment, they were evenly matched.
More than half the escapees were caught, while the rest got away. All the inns and restaurants slammed their doors shut, the whole street going dark as if an army was at the gates—almost comically dramatic.
Naturally, Evan Chu was captured too. During the process, he even resisted and struck one of the guards on purpose—only by doing this could he be sure of getting sent to the City Lord’s Mansion and have a chance to rescue the old man who once exchanged Violet Cloud Crystals for him.
He wasn’t close to the old man, but Evan Chu felt he was genuinely kind—maybe the only person in enemy territory who had truly helped him since arriving in the God Realm. For someone like that, Evan was deeply grateful.
With a loud crash, a corpse plummeted from the sky—it was the middle-aged man, his chest blown open and heart shattered. Even his God Infant seemed to have been destroyed. His eyes stared wide in death, unwilling to close.
The squad leader flew back, bearing a few superficial wounds but nothing life-threatening. He glared at the captured crowd and barked, "You dare defy our orders in All‑Stars City? You're courting death! Take them all to the City Lord’s Mansion—let them learn what real power is."
A lot of people despaired—getting taken to the City Lord’s Mansion was almost a one-way trip. Few ever came back out; most weren’t executed but locked away, doing who knows what. The very thought was terrifying.
Evan Chu, however, was delighted—he’d been wracking his brain for a way in, and now he’d gotten in easily!
PS: Happy National Day in advance to all readers! The book was blocked a few days ago, so I've been revising the text. I originally planned a big update for the holiday, but it might not happen—still, five chapters tomorrow for sure. Thanks for understanding!