Aunt Yang knew Yang Li was innocent. She said, "I will take responsibility for everything."
"Young Miss, I don't know your relationship with him, but you're already breaking Yang Clan rules," Yang Gui said, his tone stern.
"And what exactly are the Yang Clan's rules?" Aunt Yang asked, her voice calm but probing.
"Yang Clan rules are clear: anyone who isn't a member of the Yang Clan cannot enter. You didn't just let a non-Yang in, you brought an outsider inside. That's a grave violation," Yang Gui insisted.
Aunt Yang replied, "I understand. But aren't you curious why I allowed him to enter?"
"Why?" Yang Li pressed, unable to contain his curiosity.
Yang Gui dismissed any explanation. "No matter the reason, he isn't qualified to enter," he stated firmly.
"You'll know the reason soon enough. I won't talk with you anymore; I'll wait at the Star Sea entrance." With that, Aunt Yang left.
Yang Gui was furious. If she hadn't been the Young Miss, he would have taken harsher action.
After she left, he turned to Yang Li and said, "Steward Li, don't think the Young Miss will shield you. If you help her break clan rules, you'll be held responsible."
"I'm well aware, you don't need to remind me," Yang Li replied.
He then slipped away to the Star Sea entrance. Yang Gui, still fuming, followed suit.
Seeing them arrive, Aunt Yang asked, "Why are you two here as well? Are you waiting for them to come out?"
"I'm waiting for Lord Terry to bring out his corpse, then I'll report to the clan head," Yang Gui said.
"Whatever," Aunt Yang replied, then closed her eyes.
Yang Li, still curious, said, "Young Miss, I want to know why."
"It's hard to explain. Maybe you'll understand after a while. Or, could one of you lend me a Pass Token so I can go in?" Lydia Yang thought for a moment, then decided to enter herself.
Yang Li handed over his Pass Token. "Here."
Aunt Yang took the token with gratitude. "Thank you."
Then, she hurried into the Star Sea.
Yang Gui, not wanting any more mishaps inside, quickly produced his own Pass Token and followed after her.
As for Yang Li, he glanced around, then slipped away to a secret chamber.
Inside the chamber, after Yang Li entered, a voice sounded again:
"What's wrong? Did something happen to him?"
"No, but there's been a change at the Star Sea," Yang Li replied.
"The Star Sea? What happened?" the voice asked curiously.
After Yang Li explained the situation, the voice grew angry:
"What? That young miss actually let an outsider in? Is she crazy? Isn't she afraid the elders will punish her? Unbelievable!"
"Clan head, something feels off. The Young Miss wouldn't let that kid in for no reason," Yang Li said.
"What am I supposed to do? Even though I'm the clan head, this family needs laws. If the elders come after me, what should I do? Am I supposed to let my daughter repeat the same mistakes? Am I just supposed to watch my children get hurt again?" The voice sounded unusually agitated.
Aunt Yang, who arrived behind them, showed a look of delight, while Yang Gui looked suspicious. "Could he be a member of the Yang Clan?"
"You must. But before you go, I want to know why you didn't stop that kid. If you had blocked him, he wouldn't have gone in, and we wouldn't have so much trouble." The voice asked curiously, knowing Yang Li wasn't someone who would ignore such importance, yet he helped his own daughter.
"Because he once saved the second young master," Yang Li replied.
"What? Are you saying he's the one who saved that brat?" The voice sounded surprised.
"That's right. When I saw him, I didn't stop him. I'm also curious why the young miss would let a stranger in, so I assisted her and gave her my Pass Token," Yang Li explained.
"I see. Here, take my Pass Token and go inside. I want to know what's really happening. If possible, bring that stranger and the girl to me." The voice said after thinking for a moment. "Understood, clan head." Yang Li took the stone that flew over, then flashed away.
"Young Miss, are you going to stop me?" Yang Gui said angrily.
"Since I let him come, I'll make sure he gets through safely," Aunt Yang said.
As for Evan Yang, as soon as he entered the Star Sea, everything was pitch black except for a few points of light in the distance. Evan didn't know where Blaze Mountain was, but he knew he could find it by following those starlights.
"Let him get through safely? Dream on. Without Emperor-Realm strength, no one can cross this Star Sea. Even Lord Terry, with his power, would need years to get through," Yang Gui sneered.
"You don't need to worry about this. I believe he can make it," Aunt Yang replied.
"Get through? Let's see how Lord Terry deals with him first," Yang Gui said, glancing at Evan and then at Terry.
Aunt Yang said, "He can do it."
"What do you mean, unharmed?" Evan Yang had no idea what Terry was talking about.
"This is the Yang Clan's forbidden land. Only those with Yang bloodline can stand in this Star Sea. Yet you can stand here—did you use some kind of treasure?" Terry was astonished.
Terry's words made Evan Yang's mind explode. He stared at Terry in disbelief, because he knew he hadn't used any treasure. If Terry hadn't said it, Evan wouldn't even know he was in the Star Sea, or that he could survive here.
"Does coming here mean certain death?" Evan Yang asked curiously.
"Obviously. Without Yang bloodline, anyone who comes here will definitely die," Terry said.
Terry's words unsettled Evan Yang. If that were true, did he really have Yang bloodline? Thinking about his father being in the Yang Clan forbidden land, could his father be a Yang clansman—and Evan inherited it? Did that mean he was truly a member of the Heaven‑Battling Clan Yang? But Evan quickly calmed down and said, "Impossible. If my father were from the Heaven‑Battling Clan, how could he have suffered so much?"
So Evan quickly dismissed the idea that his father was from the Heaven‑Battling Clan, then turned to Terry and said, "I don't care what this place is—I'm alive today, that's what matters."
"No matter what treasure you use, today, you're dead here," Terry Yang said, convinced Evan was relying on a treasure. He only wanted to defeat Evan now.
Lydia Yang, who arrived behind them, showed a look of delight, while Yang Gui looked suspicious. "Could he be a member of the Yang Clan?"
"I don't know for sure, but that's my guess," Lydia Yang replied.
"No wonder you let him through. But that alone doesn't prove he's a Yang clansman. If he's relying on some other treasure, we can't test his bloodline," Yang Gui said, still skeptical.
Lydia Yang said, "Is that so? There are plenty of coincidences in this world." In her heart, she was already certain Evan was a Yang, and maybe even her own kin.
Thinking this, Lydia Yang felt excited and grateful she had saved Evan Yang.
"Whether he is or not, let's capture him first," Yang Gui snorted coldly, about to act. Lydia Yang exclaimed, "No!"
"Miss, are you going to stop me?" Yang Gui said angrily.
"Since I let him come, I'll make sure he gets through safely," Lydia Yang said.
"Let him get through safely? Dream on. Without Emperor‑Realm strength, no one can cross this Star Sea. Even Lord Terry, with his power, would need years to get through," Yang Gui sneered. "You don't need to worry about this. I believe he can make it," Lydia Yang replied.
"Get through? Let's see how Lord Terry deals with him first," Yang Gui said, glancing at Evan and then at Terry.
Lydia Yang said, "He can do it."
"He can? Clearly, one is a first-stage Immortal, the other is an Emperor. The gap is huge. You really think he can?" Yang Gui absolutely didn't believe it.
Whether it was him or anyone else, they'd think the same. Even Evan Yang himself knew it was impossible to defeat Terry. His only option was to use the environment here to play hide-and-seek with his opponent.
The two fought there, but the Star Sea had a buffering effect. Both Evan and Terry were obstructed, though Terry had spent time here before and was more familiar with the surroundings, making Evan retreat several times.
Even so, Evan didn't completely lose. He used every method he could to fight back.
Especially when Terry's flames came at him, Evan's internal cold energy rose up just in time and protected him.
Terry was shocked that Evan wasn't afraid of his flames. He remembered Evan had been struck in his own garden but was unharmed, which surprised him even more.
Not far away, Lydia Yang and Yang Gui were also curious how Evan could withstand Terry's flames.
"Strange, does this kid have some powerful treasure? Even Lord Terry's flames don't scare him," Yang Gui exclaimed.
"Is it really necessary to have a treasure?" Lydia Yang asked.
"Miss, I know you're protecting that kid, but he broke the rules. No matter what, even if Lord Terry can't defeat him, I'll still take him away," Yang Gui said.
"As long as I'm here, you won't take him," Lydia Yang replied stubbornly.
"You!" Yang Gui hadn't expected Lydia to be serious. He was troubled—he couldn't use force, but not acting wasn't an option either.
So the two just stood there in a stalemate, until Yang Li arrived.
Seeing Yang Li arrive, both Yang Gui and Lydia Yang looked surprised.
"The clan head's Pass Token let me in," Yang Li said.
Hearing it was the clan head's Pass Token, Yang Gui and Lydia Yang realized Yang Li must have told the clan head everything and was sent here.
Yang Gui asked, "Did the clan head tell you to take him back?"
"He didn't say that," Yang Li replied, clearly favoring Evan.
"Impossible!" Yang Gui exclaimed.
"I'm curious—if he's not a Yang, and doesn't have Yang bloodline, how is he unharmed?" Yang Li was now only concerned about how Evan could be safe.