“So you’re stopping me from entering the city now?” Evan Yang asked.
“That’s right. This city belongs to us. Don’t even think about getting in.” Damon Luo glared at Evan with a cold snort. In the past, he might have admitted Evan was stronger, but now, on his own turf, he was determined to make things difficult for Evan—maybe even get him killed.
“And what if I go in anyway?” Evan said.
“If you’ve got guts, force your way in! I’d like to see if you really have three heads and six arms.” Damon Luo sneered.
“Force my way in? Just with these guys you’ve got?” Evan asked.
“That’s right, kid. Do you dare? If you beat them, I’ll let you in. If not, get lost.” Damon Luo said arrogantly.
“Your attitude really needs work. If you keep this up, I won’t hold back. Have your guys get ready.” Evan replied.
Hearing that Evan was about to fight Damon Luo’s men, Lydia Quinn anxiously sent a sound transmission: “Are you really going to do this?”
“We came all this way, there’s no point in backing out now. Besides, this guy is just asking for a beating.” Evan said.
“Do you know who’s backing the Luo Clan?” Lydia Quinn asked worriedly.
“No matter what, does this city really belong to the Luo Clan? Are they saying no one else is allowed in? If that’s the case, they’re way too arrogant.” Evan said.
Lydia Quinn hadn’t expected Evan Yang to be so determined, but they really needed to go inside—the only way to learn more about Drakehorn was from within the city.
Meanwhile, Damon Luo had already ordered his men to get ready, then sneered at Evan, “Come on, out here is your territory. Let’s see if you can actually get in.”
Evan told Lydia to stay aside, then stepped onto an open area outside the city. Damon’s men surrounded him, putting Evan in the center. All of them were peak Emperor Realm, but to Evan, that level posed little threat.
As soon as they made their move, a few loud crashes rang out—they were knocked straight to the ground in front of Damon Luo.
Damon Luo was stunned—Evan’s strength was beyond anything he’d imagined. He quickly kicked the fallen men and cursed, “Useless trash.” Then he slunk back into the city in embarrassment.
“Let’s go.” Evan walked over to Lydia Quinn, bypassed the defeated men, and strode directly into the city.
Of course, plenty of people had witnessed the fight. As Evan and Lydia walked through the streets, they were stared at by many. Everyone figured Evan was doomed for provoking the Luo Clan like that.
“Are people here really that timid?” Evan glanced around, noticed everyone’s looks, and guessed what was going on.
“No idea. Either way, we should gather information and leave as soon as possible—the Luo Clan isn’t just for show.” Lydia Quinn said, still worried.
Evan said, “I actually want to see what makes the Luo Clan so powerful—why are so many people afraid of them?”
“Are you really afraid of nothing?” Lydia Quinn said helplessly.
“Alright, let’s drop it. We need to keep moving—where can we get some information?” Evan asked.
“Follow me,” Lydia replied.
After a while, Lydia brought Evan to a tavern. Inside, many people were chatting, and by sitting nearby they could pick up on all the latest happenings.
Evan and Lydia sat down and listened closely. Most of the talk was about what Evan had done at the Dragonhorn Mountain Range.
“Didn’t expect your story to spread this far,” Lydia said with a smile.
“It’s a big deal, so of course word travels fast. If it were just some minor thing, nobody would care,” Evan replied with a laugh.
“That’s true.” Lydia nodded, and the two kept observing and listening.
Meanwhile, Damon Luo slunk back to the clan, sat in his room, and raged, “Damn it, even an outsider dares to act so wildly!”
“Young master, what’s wrong?” A Luo Clan steward asked, seeing Damon Luo in a fury.
“I ran into some rotten luck lately. Tried to teach someone a lesson, but ended up getting schooled myself. And I can’t even tell the clan about it. Tell me, am I unlucky or what?” Damon Luo grumbled.
“So that’s what happened. Well, it depends. If it’s something worth the clan’s attention, they’ll step in. But if it’s just a minor issue, they won’t bother.” The steward said.
“Have you heard about Howling Wolf?” Damon Luo asked after thinking for a moment.
“I’ve heard about it. He was caught up at the Dragonhorn Mountain Range, but someone rescued him—and that same person drove Drakehorn away.” The steward replied.
“That’s the guy who keeps going against me. He even showed up in our city today.” Damon Luo said.
“What? You mean the one who drove off Drakehorn is here?” The steward asked suspiciously.
“That’s right. It’s him.” Damon Luo replied.
“Looks like I need to report this to the higher-ups. Thank you for the information, young master.” The steward seemed excited by the news, immediately turned and left, leaving Damon Luo confused, “What’s going on?”
The steward made his way through many secret passages in the Luo Clan estate, finally arriving at a hidden chamber. Inside sat two people—a man named Victor Luo and a woman named Elise Ling, the clan’s supreme leaders.
“Why are you here?” Victor Luo asked suspiciously when he saw the steward enter.
“Clan head, madam, I have something important to report.” The steward said.
“What is it? What could make you so anxious?” Victor Luo asked curiously.
“The one who drove off Drakehorn is in our city.” The steward said.
"Is that true?" Victor Luo asked suspiciously.
"Yes, Young Master Damon just said so, and he even had a run-in with him," the steward replied.
"Go, hurry, invite him to the Luo Clan in my name. Make sure to be as courteous as possible, understand?" Victor Luo ordered.
"Yes, Patriarch," the steward replied, then turned and left. After the steward departed, Victor Luo grew excited. "I can't believe he's here. Excellent. If he cooperates with us, Drakehorn will be ours."
"Drakehorn is injured right now. It's the perfect chance to control it. With that man's help, Drakehorn will definitely belong to us," Elise Ling answered.
"Exactly. Once Drakehorn is ours, so is this world. We'll make Drakehorn our mount," Victor Luo said with a cold laugh.
Evan Yang, completely unaware he'd become the target of others, was still gathering information about Drakehorn in the tavern.
Just then, a group arrived outside the tavern. A stranger led several people inside, and Damon Luo was among them. Seeing the scene, Evan and Lydia Quinn exchanged a glance, thinking they might be here for trouble, and stood up.
"May I ask your name, young master?" the steward asked respectfully.
Seeing the steward's respectful manner, Evan Yang replied, "I'm Evan Yang. May I ask what this is about?"
"We're here to settle the score with you," Damon Luo said, still unaware of the real situation. He assumed the steward brought people to arrest Evan, so he snorted coldly.
But the steward turned to Damon Luo and said, "How can you speak to Young Master Yang like that? Apologize immediately."
"Steward, are you kidding me? Have you lost your mind? I'm your young master, your boss! You want me to apologize to some outsider? Are you serious?" Damon Luo exploded, unable to process the sudden turn of events. The people around them were just as confused about what was happening.
Even Evan Yang was curious about what was going on, so he waited for the steward to say more.
"Young Master Damon, this is the patriarch's order. You'll understand soon enough," the steward said.
Damon Luo wilted as soon as he heard it was from the patriarch, but he couldn't understand why the patriarch would have the steward do such a thing. What happened next was even harder for him to believe.
"Young Master Yang, my apologies. On behalf of the Luo Clan, I hope you'll forgive us. Our patriarch would like to invite you to the Luo estate as an honored guest," the steward said.
"A Hongmen Banquet?" Evan Yang thought immediately. Lydia Quinn had the same concern—if Evan went, and they trapped or captured him, it would be trouble.
"What is it? Young Master Yang, are you not interested?" the steward asked when he saw Evan Yang hesitate.
"It's not that. I'm just curious—I've never met anyone from the Luo Clan. Why invite me?" Evan Yang voiced his doubt.
The steward smiled. "Our patriarch admires you for driving off Drakehorn, and even wants to tell you where Drakehorn went."
It was definitely tempting. Evan Yang and Lydia Quinn exchanged looks. They couldn't tell if the offer was genuine, but if they didn't go, they'd never learn anything about Drakehorn. If they did go and things went south, Evan wasn't afraid. He quickly made up his mind and smiled, "So that's what this is about. Fine, I'll go."
The people in the tavern were stunned to hear that the quiet young man was the one who drove off Drakehorn. They couldn't believe the person sitting there was the expert who defeated Drakehorn.
Lydia Quinn was worried. Evan Yang had just clashed with the Luo Clan, and now they were sending someone to invite him with unprecedented courtesy. The Luo Clan had never treated anyone like this before, which made the situation even stranger.
"Don't worry. Just follow my lead. If anything happens, don't think about it—I'll get you out," Evan Yang whispered to Lydia Quinn.
Hearing Evan Yang's words, Lydia Quinn relaxed. At least Evan was on guard.
Damon Luo, following behind, was baffled and furious. He couldn't understand why his patriarch would invite Evan Yang, let alone treat him like this.
At the Luo Clan gates, members stood in a line, clearly to welcome Evan Yang. As Evan and Lydia Quinn approached, they called out in unison, "Welcome, Young Master Yang."
The display shocked not only Evan Yang, but even Damon Luo couldn't figure it out. Evan's treatment was far too high. Passersby were also confused—what kind of status did Evan Yang have to deserve such honors?