Stirring Up Trouble and Becoming a Wanted Man

Leo Lie and Jack Jiang stared in disbelief at the scene before them. They never imagined that Evan Yang, trapped inside the Immortal Fire Painting, wouldn't be afraid of the flames within.

Those flames seemed to vanish on their own, disappearing right above Evan Yang's head.

Unwilling to accept this, Leo Lie intensified his control over the painting. Once again, flames crawled out inside, spiraling from Evan Yang's feet up to his head, only to disappear when they reached the top.

This time, Leo Lie couldn't stay calm. He stared at Evan Yang and said, "You don't have this kind of treasure too, do you?"

"Your painting is quite interesting. Why not keep going?" Evan Yang said with a smile.

Trapped beneath the painting, Evan Yang was no longer surprised, but he genuinely admired the Immortal Fire Painting. Using it to imprison someone was a solid choice, especially since it also had soul-attacking capabilities.

Since Leo Lie had already deployed the Immortal Fire Painting, he had no intention of stopping. He only wanted Evan Yang dead, so he frantically poured more spiritual power into it.

But no matter what he did, spiritual power would eventually run out—especially with this painting, which consumed spiritual power at a shocking rate.

Evan Yang also noticed the painting's restraining force was weakening. With a flash, he escaped from the painting and launched a frenzied attack at Leo Lie.

With his spiritual power nearly depleted, Leo Lie could only endure Evan Yang's relentless assault until he was covered in wounds, ending up lying on the ground just like Jack Jiang.

Evan Yang held the Immortal Fire Painting and said, "This painting is mine now, and you both deserve to die!"

Leo Lie hadn't expected Evan Yang really killed the other five, his face full of terror. "You really can't kill us," he pleaded.

Evan Yang withdrew his flames, and seeing this, Leo Lie and Jack Jiang were overjoyed.

But next, something they never expected happened—Evan Yang stabbed each of them with his dagger, and both died just like that.

"Watching you suffer so much, it's simpler this way." Evan Yang put away his dagger and sighed.

After checking and confirming there was nothing valuable, Evan Yang left. After a while, something crawled out of Jack Jiang's body—a small black bird that blinked its eyes and disappeared.

The news of Evan Yang's killings quickly spread across the Three Palaces and Genius Pavilion, even though he had no idea how it got out.

Reed Kong was shocked when he heard about Evan Yang's killings and hurried to contact Evan for clarification.

Evan Yang, who was training, received a message on his Transmission Stone, which he'd set up with Reed Kong. Curious, he opened it.

"Evan Yang, where are you?" Reed Kong asked anxiously.

"I'm out here killing savage beasts. What's up?" Evan Yang asked suspiciously, sensing Reed Kong's urgency.

"Did you really kill seven people?" Reed Kong asked tentatively.

Evan Yang was startled by the news, but quickly calmed down. "Yes. How did you know?"

Reed Kong sighed, "All those Star Lords set up something before they died. As soon as they died, the news was transmitted to Ninefold Star headquarters by special means. I confirmed you really killed seven Star Lords and was shocked."

Evan Yang hadn't expected these Star Lords would have such tricks, but he wasn't afraid. "If they know, so be it. They tried to rob me, and I killed them in self-defense."

"Who would believe that? Now your case has reached Ninefold Palace, and they've started negotiating with Genius Pavilion. If it weren't for everyone competing over this planet, they'd have already confronted Genius Pavilion. To appease them, Genius Pavilion will have to do something to satisfy Ninefold Palace." Reed Kong explained the situation to Evan Yang.

"So that means I'm temporarily safe?" Evan Yang asked curiously.

"Only for now. Once this month is over and the results are out, Ninefold Palace will bring it up again. Genius Pavilion will have to step in, especially since you killed seven, plus the previous one makes eight. Even though they're just fifth-class Star Lords, Ninefold Palace won't allow Genius Pavilion to trample their Star Lords like this. Otherwise, the Star Lords would have rioted long ago." Reed Kong sighed.

"Temporary is fine. Worst case, I just won't return to Genius Pavilion," Evan Yang said calmly.

"But you're still recognized as a genius by Genius Pavilion. Who knows how they'll handle you? I doubt it'll end well, especially since you're only Green Fourth-Tier. There are too many talents like that in Genius Pavilion, not enough for them to value you." Reed Kong said helplessly.

"Doesn't matter to me. As for Genius Pavilion, looks like I can't go back anyway. What a waste of your effort, senior." Evan Yang sighed. Now that his situation was exposed, he had no intention of returning—who knew what was waiting for him there? Better to roam free outside.

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"Don't say that. Even though we've only known each other briefly, I know you won't be defeated so easily. Be careful in the future. If there's anything I can help with, contact me anytime." Reed Kong replied.

Evan Yang was grateful for Reed Kong's words, and quickly realized Reed was reminding him. Otherwise, Reed could have easily tricked him into returning and been rewarded by Genius Pavilion. But Reed didn't; he'd rather risk punishment from above than warn Evan Yang and let him know the seriousness of the situation.

Reed Kong was never afraid of authority, especially since he brought Evan Yang in. He wasn't the kind to sacrifice others for his own gain—otherwise, he wouldn't have clashed with the Qiao Family before.

So Reed Kong, once he confirmed the facts, immediately warned Evan Yang about the seriousness, then acted as if he didn't know where Evan Yang was.

Sure enough, not long after, the higher-ups asked Reed Kong about Evan Yang. Reed Kong simply said he couldn't reach him.

The higher-ups sent a message: "If you know where he is, capture him and bring him to headquarters for Ninefold Palace. You'll get a thousand merit points."

"Understood," Reed Kong replied.

The message ended abruptly.

A thousand merit points—for a Green Fourth-Tier like Evan Yang, finding such talent only earns ten points. It would take a hundred Evan Yangs to reach a thousand. But Reed Kong was resolute, unwilling to sacrifice a friend's life for his own gain.

Originally, killing fifth-class Star Lords wouldn't have made Ninefold Palace target Genius Pavilion. But in these extraordinary times, and with Evan Yang killing eight of them—if it were just one or two, Genius Pavilion could have made excuses. But eight, and one after another, forced by triple pressure, Genius Pavilion abandoned Evan Yang to continue fighting for this planet.

Evan Yang was never one to accept being controlled. He thought that after killing eight, things would quiet down and no fools would come after him.

But after hearing that Genius Pavilion couldn't find Evan Yang, Ninefold Palace issued a new order: Evan Yang was worth a hundred merit points—the same as killing a hundred beasts of the same realm or twenty higher-realm beasts.

So whenever Ninefold Palace members saw a beggar, or someone resembling Evan Yang, they would attack him unconditionally.

Just as this happened—right after finishing his conversation with Reed Kong, the next day, Evan Yang was hunting a beast and encountered a mid-stage Out-of-Body cultivator who tried to ambush him.

Ambush? Evan Yang's divine sense had already locked onto him as he approached. When the attacker struck, Evan Yang dodged, letting the beast confront the ambusher.

With a loud crash, Evan Yang seized the opportunity to strike the beast, completing his training. If previously he hunted beasts for points, now it was purely personal training, honing his reflexes.

The attacker thought Evan Yang was tangled with the beast, making him an easy target.

The beast died, and Evan Yang grabbed the mid-stage Out-of-Body cultivator, sealed his spiritual power, and laughed, "Who are you, and why did you ambush me?"

The man was terrified. He never expected Evan Yang to anticipate the ambush, nor did he know how Evan Yang had frozen all his spiritual power.

"I—I am a Star Lord from Ninefold Palace," the man said in terror.

"Ninefold Palace again? Are you all bandits, specializing in robbery?" Evan Yang snorted coldly.

"No, it's an order from above. If we capture or kill you, we get a hundred merit points," the man complained.

Evan Yang realized the situation was more serious than he thought. After questioning further, he understood Ninefold Palace had pressured Genius Pavilion and issued a notice to all subordinate Star Lords: whoever captures him earns the equivalent of killing a hundred beasts. This temptation made many Star Lords hunt for Evan Yang.

"Aren't you afraid of dying?" Evan Yang pondered for a moment and snorted coldly.

"I—I didn't mean it. Please let me go," the man begged.

Evan Yang didn't answer, just glanced at him coldly, then knocked him out and left him there.

After this, Evan Yang became even more cautious, always on guard against any Star Lords who might attack him.

He kept a low profile, avoiding crowds and focusing on hunting savage beasts for training.

But the bounty on his head kept growing, and soon, every Star Lord in Ninefold Palace territory was after him.

Evan Yang didn't back down. Even though he felt the pressure, he pressed on, determined to survive and grow stronger.

The days were hard, but Evan Yang's resolve only grew firmer. No matter how many enemies came after him, he wouldn't give up.

He was a wanted man now, but he kept moving forward, step by step, on his own path.

In the vast world of cultivation, Evan Yang's story was just beginning.

No matter how many trials awaited him, he would face them head-on, never wavering.

End of Chapter 565.