"I wasn't talking to you!" Nangong Palace Lord snapped angrily.
"So stingy. Losing and still refusing to let others speak, and even trying to cheat after losing," Xie Xiaoyuan said. She'd been holding back her frustration these past few days, and now couldn't help but vent it.
"Emperor Damien Darkmoon, do you always let your daughter speak for you?" Nangong Palace Lord said, his tone full of irritation.
"Not really, but my daughter isn't wrong. Everyone saw what happened. If you lost, you lost. Surely Nangong Palace Lord wouldn't claim unfairness just because he lost?" Damien Darkmoon replied.
Elder Lewis Lu also spoke up: "That's right. Everyone saw it with their own eyes. If there's anything unfair, feel free to say so. If we can address it, we'll handle it impartially."
"You lot..." Nangong Palace Lord knew they were doing it on purpose, but without any evidence of foul play, he could only snort angrily and leave. Yang Tian and the others followed behind.
The arena fell silent. Ethereal Sanctuary had suffered heavy losses for two days straight, leaving everyone confused. But the facts were plain—no matter how much they doubted, there was nothing they could do.
Seeing everyone's expressions, Damien Darkmoon knew things still needed to be handled. He announced, "If anyone feels something was unfair, speak up. We'll handle things impartially."
No one had any objections, especially since it wasn't their business. With one less opponent, they were more excited than anything.
Seeing that all was settled, Damien Darkmoon declared that the contest would continue tomorrow, then left with Elder Lewis Lu and the others. On the way, Xie Xiaoyuan couldn't help laughing, "That felt so good!"
Damien Darkmoon said, "Girl, you realize you just made Nangong Palace Lord furious."
Xie Xiaoyuan replied, "Let him be mad. I never liked him, especially when he hangs out with that Terry Yang. It's a miracle I haven't called them out for being partners in crime."
Damien Darkmoon chuckled, "You little rascal. Still, it felt good. Just don't do this again."
Getting Damien Darkmoon's approval, Xie Xiaoyuan grinned, "Got it."
Meanwhile, Nangong Palace Lord sat in the main hall, looking absolutely grim. Many sect masters and clan chiefs surrounded him, demanding an explanation—after all, he'd promised victory was likely. Yet not only had they failed to win, they'd lost their capital as well.
"Are you done yet? I said from the start it was only 'likely' we'd win, not guaranteed!" Nangong Palace Lord snapped impatiently.
The crowd quieted down, though they were clearly unhappy. Terry Yang spoke up, "Aren't there still a hundred planets? Worst case, if we win, everyone can split them. It's not as much as before, but at least we'll have a base on Flowcloud Star."
The others looked at each other, not wanting to offend Nangong Palace Lord, so they agreed. Still, some worriedly asked, "Young Lord Yang, are you sure you can take them?"
Terry Yang smiled, "No problem. If I don't manage it, how about each representative pays the value of a planet?"
Hearing this, everyone started discussing excitedly, until Nangong Palace Lord said, "If there's nothing else, just head back."
The crowd nodded and left.
"Damn it, they're like a pack of hungry wolves. Happy when they win, but ready to strip your whole family when they lose," Nangong Palace Lord grumbled.
"It's human nature. Still, these two matches were pretty strange," Terry Yang said.
"Yeah, I've already called Meng He over," Nangong Palace Lord replied.
Terry Yang saw Meng He approaching. Meng He, a peak Profound-Immortal, had lost to Evan Yang before. After learning Evan had advanced to Profound-Immortal and could even challenge Immortal Lords, Meng He had been unwilling to accept it. Now, after another inexplicable defeat, he was even more frustrated.
"Palace Lord, Young Lord Yang," Meng He greeted respectfully.
"Sit," Nangong Palace Lord said.
Meng He sat down, and Nangong Palace Lord asked, "What happened in this match?"
"It was weird. When I was about to attack, I suddenly felt a surge of energy coming at me—really strong, stronger than me. When I tried to push back, the opponent got even stronger," Meng He said.
"That is strange," Terry Yang muttered after hearing this.
"I feel like someone is messing with us. There's no way we'd have the same issue in twenty-four matches, twice in a row," Nangong Palace Lord said.
"Yeah, I think so too, but there's no evidence and we don't know who it is. There's nothing we can do," Terry Yang sighed.
"Damn it, if I ever find out who's sabotaging us, I won't let them off," Nangong Palace Lord said angrily.
"From how things look, we're being targeted. If I want to win, I have to block this weird energy," Terry Yang said.
"Got any ideas?" Nangong Palace Lord really didn't want to lose the last hundred planets.
"I haven't figured it out yet. If I do, I'll let you know. We have to find whoever's behind this," Terry Yang said.
"That's troublesome," Nangong Palace Lord said, pinning his hopes on Terry Yang.
Terry Yang nodded. He wanted to figure out what was going on too, but to block the energy, he'd have to rely on some treasures.
After thinking it over, he realized he didn't have many treasures on hand—only one could block the energy.
Terry Yang planned to let the first contestant use it, then hand it off to the second when it was their turn.
Evan Yang had no idea Terry Yang and the others were already working out a counter-strategy.
Right now, he was still thinking about how he'd embarrass the Yang Clan when the time came.
Of course, Terry Yang had no clue Evan Yang was the one sabotaging them, and Evan's goal was to target him.
Both sides were busy plotting their own strategies.
But there were still several days before the Yang Clan's match, since they had to sort out the other contestants first. The Yang Clan's special match was scheduled for the end.
So Evan Yang wasn't in a hurry—he just slept and cultivated whenever he had free time.
Time passed little by little, until a month later, the results were out.
Seeing all the planets divided up, Nangong Palace Lord felt bitter, but there was nothing he could do. A loss was a loss, and no one spoke up for him.
As for the Yang Clan, they were ready to go. He sent out three contestants, all peak Immortal Lords—just like the other teams.
This was the real highlight for everyone; after all, these were hidden sects and ancient families, showing off their powerful strength in battle.
In everyone's eyes, the Yang Clan was obviously a top contender, but the others still wanted to try their luck.
Terry Yang led his three contestants onto the stage with an impressive aura, but none of the other teams were intimidated.
Each group competed according to their original team numbers, ranking by points to see who scored highest.
Winning three points meant advancing early—so if a team won at least three matches against others, they'd move on. If they didn't reach three points, they'd be eliminated. Each team had five chances.
In other words, if a team lost more than three out of five matches, they'd have no shot at advancing.
Terry Yang was confident about advancing and even equipped his people with his own treasures, just in case someone tried any underhanded tricks.
The first day had nothing to do with the Yang Clan, so they spent it comfortably. The second day was the same, until finally, on the third day, it was their turn.
The first to compete was a Yang Clan bodyguard, a peak Immortal Lord.
The opponent was also an Immortal Lord—not peak, but still strong. Watching the two on stage, Terry Yang was full of confidence.
Nangong Palace Lord was nervous—he couldn't handle another blow. Xie Xiaoyuan watched and said, "If only the Yang Clan lost, it'd be great to see them wiped out."
"The Yang Clan isn't like other sects," Damien Darkmoon said, shaking his head.
"What's so special? Isn't it just one of the Heaven-Battling Clans?" Xie Xiaoyuan retorted.
"You don't get it. The Heaven-Battling Clans are one of the Four Great Families of the Immortal Realm. If they're called the 'Four Greats,' do you really think they're weak? Just watch," Damien Darkmoon replied. In his eyes, the Yang Clan couldn't lose—at least, advancing was no problem.
Elder Lewis Lu and the others agreed. Meanwhile, Evan Yang was hidden somewhere in the arena, muttering to himself, "Peak Immortal Lord, impressive. But my energy grows stronger against stronger opponents—hopefully it'll work this time."
After Evan Yang finished muttering, the match began. A duel between peak Immortal Lords was something else—their attacks seemed to spark in mid-air.
After a few rounds, the Yang Clan's contestant had their opponent completely suppressed and was about to win. Evan Yang made his move, sending his energy over, expecting the Yang Clan fighter to react.
But the guy didn't react at all—it was as if the energy had met no resistance.
"Weird? Why isn't there any reaction?" Evan Yang wondered, and tried several more times, but it was completely ineffective.
As for the Yang Clan's opponent, they'd already been knocked down and admitted defeat. Seeing the Yang Clan win a match, Nangong Palace Lord was overjoyed, and Terry Yang was all smiles.
Xie Xiaoyuan cursed, "That opponent was useless."