"It's not that we're afraid of them. Even if the Yang Clan wants to kill us, we're not scared. But do you realize—Terry Yang is the next heir. If he dies, the Yang Clan will definitely retaliate, and the Eighth Great Power and the Immortal Realm Alliance won't escape the fallout. If a fight breaks out, the Yang Clan will suffer heavy losses, but so will the Alliance and the Eighth Great Power. But have you ever considered—who benefits the most from all this?" Sister Serenity said.
"Who?" Yvonne Darkmoon didn't have such deep scheming and couldn't grasp the implications.
"The Devil Realm. They're desperate to infiltrate the Immortal Realm and slaughter even more people. If a Heaven-Battling Clan and the Immortal Realm Alliance, plus the Eighth Great Power, get tangled in a conflict, the Devil Realm ends up profiting the most. So, from a long-term perspective, we can't kill him." Sister Serenity said.
After hearing Sister Serenity's explanation, Yvonne Darkmoon felt a little better, but she was still unwilling. "So we're just supposed to let him run free?" she asked, frustrated.
"No, that's not it. If Ethereal Sanctuary or the North Sect could teach him a lesson, there'd be no problem. But you should know—the Ethereal Sanctuary Palace Lord is biased against Evan Yang, and the North Sect hasn't recovered yet. They're still so weak, and there's nothing they can do. His backing is too small; no one is willing to sacrifice themselves for him." Sister Serenity said.
"So that's how it is—people with strong backing can do whatever they want, while those without any support can just be slaughtered?" Yvonne Darkmoon felt it was too unfair.
"That's one of the laws of this world—survival of the fittest. With the Yang Clan's powerful backing, they can kill weak people and weak sects and families. No one dares touch them." Sister Serenity said.
"I hate it. If I had the strength, I'd wipe him out—even if the Yang Clan came after me!" At this moment, Yvonne Darkmoon hated her own weakness.
"It's not a choice you can make. Just focus on cultivating. Maybe someday you'll be stronger than him, and then you can do something about it." Sister Serenity continued.
"I understand. Let me go then—I won't curse you anymore." Yvonne Darkmoon said.
“Go back? Wouldn't that just tell everyone I'm afraid of them? No, I'm not leaving. I want everyone to know—I'm not afraid. Besides, even if someone tries something in the shadows, they'd need the strength to pull it off.” Terry Yang said confidently.
“But we didn't bring many experts this time,” the bodyguard replied, his tone worried.
“Let's go to Nangong Palace Lord's place. There are plenty of experts there. With their help and ours, even if someone tries something sneaky, I won't be afraid.” Terry said.
“Alright.” The bodyguard nodded.
So Terry Yang gathered his people, made some preparations, and left his residence for Ethereal Sanctuary.
Nangong Palace Lord had just received the news. Hearing that Terry Yang openly admitted to killing Evan Yang and left everyone speechless, he couldn't help but admire him—and even felt a bit envious. If he had such a powerful force backing him, would he ever care about someone like Evan Yang?
Just as he was feeling excited, someone reported that Terry Yang was arriving with a group. Curious, Nangong Palace Lord got up and saw Terry leading his people inside.
“Palace Lord Nangong, looks like I'll be troubling you for a while.” Terry Yang said with a smile.
“And this is about?” Nangong Palace Lord asked curiously.
Terry explained his intentions. Once Nangong Palace Lord understood, he naturally had no objections—in fact, he was happy about it. After all, Terry Yang was the next-generation heir. Helping him now so he'd remember this favor later could only be a good thing.
That night, the two of them sighed deeply. Meanwhile, Elder Lewis and Damien Darkmoon met outside and began discussing how to deal with Terry Yang.
“How did those deathsworn infiltrate?” Damien asked, curious.
“They probably mixed in with the loose cultivators. Paid the fee, and slipped right in,” Elder Lewis explained.
“That must be it. Otherwise, you can't get people through using space rings,” Damien said.
“So, what now? Honestly, I wish I could just slap Terry Yang dead,” Elder Lewis said, frustrated.
“If they can hire deathsworn, why can't we?” Damien replied.
“You've already contacted them?” Elder Lewis asked in surprise.
“Yeah, I've reached out. I'm hoping they'll send a few strong deathsworn. But once they heard the target was Terry Yang, they raised the price,” Damien said.
“How much?” Elder Lewis asked, curious.
“The price of a seventh-grade immortal artifact,” Damien replied.
“That expensive?” Elder Lewis was shocked.
“Yeah. Luckily, I've saved up quite a few seventh-grade immortal artifacts. I sent them all and hired five people. Hopefully, they'll deal with Terry Yang. Otherwise, this hatred will never be settled,” Damien sighed.
“If even this doesn't work, then we really have let Evan Yang down,” Elder Lewis said, thinking of today's events with a helpless sigh.
“Yeah. Evan Yang did so much, and now no one dares to stand up for him,” Damien said, equally helpless.
Just then, Damien received a message from below, and his expression turned into a frown.
[Irrelevant webnovel navigation message skipped.]
Seeing Damien like this, Elder Lewis asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
“Terry Yang is really cunning. He brought his experts to Ethereal Sanctuary and plans to stay there for now,” Damien said.
“Damn it, that guy.” Hearing this, Elder Lewis realized that if Ethereal Sanctuary's experts and Yang Clan's experts both protected Terry Yang, deathsworn would be useless.
“Sigh, is this just Evan Yang's fate?” Damien said helplessly.
Elder Lewis was frustrated, with nowhere to vent. Though both men were considered experts, they could only look helpless.
This whole affair became a side episode. Even though Terry Yang was the murderer, no one dared challenge him. The next day was eerily quiet, as if everyone was just preparing for the contest.
Evan Yang had no interest in the contest. He went alone to Terry Yang's old quarters.
That place was filled with weak attendants; all the experts had already been sent away. Evan went straight to the room, wanting to see if the man who killed him had left.
To his surprise, the man was still hiding inside.
“Why hasn't he left? Is he afraid he'll be discovered?” Evan wondered to himself. But this was even better—it gave him a chance to take this guy out first.
Evan thought for a moment, then took out an ice needle. Grandpa Sleepy had given him three; he'd already used two to save Elder Lewis, leaving only one. He knew he only had one shot.
So he waited for the right moment. The man stepped outside, scanned the area, and after a while returned and sat down, sighing, “I wonder when Young Master Terry will finish the contest. It's so boring here.”
After sitting and sighing for a while, the bodyguard closed his eyes.
He started meditating, never imagining that someone had already slipped into his room and was watching him from very close by.
That person was none other than Evan Yang.
“Terry Yang actually left you here alone. Well, that's a gift for me—consider it interest. Terry, just wait. Next time, it'll be your turn.” Evan thought to himself.
So, as the bodyguard entered deep cultivation, Evan flicked the needle. By the time the bodyguard reacted, it was too late—he never expected anyone to be inside.
He opened his eyes, instinctively tried to leap forward, then spun around, scanning the room. “Who’s there?”
Evan didn't respond, just kept watching. No one appeared, but something had clearly stabbed his neck. He shouted, “So you won't come out? Then don't blame me for being rude!”
The bodyguard tried to gather his strength, but found he couldn't. He was shocked, his face changing dramatically.
Once Evan confirmed the guard was powerless, he flashed behind him and sealed his cultivation.
Suddenly, the guard felt something touch his back, but he was too weak to resist—he could only let the intruder do as he pleased. Paralyzed, he grew more terrified at how bizarre it all was.
“Who are you? Stop sneaking around!” the bodyguard shouted in fear.
“Who am I? I'm the one who's here for your life,” Evan Yang replied coldly.
The voice sounded so familiar, but the bodyguard just couldn't connect it to the supposedly dead Evan Yang. He demanded, “If you have the guts, show yourself and talk!”
“Show myself? Sigh, I'm already dead—how could I show myself?” Evan said with a mournful tone.
“You!” The bodyguard didn't believe it.
“You seem eager to see me, so I'll show myself.” As Evan finished speaking, his figure flickered in and out in front of the bodyguard, both present and not.
But when the man saw Evan's smile, his expression, and his features, he was utterly stunned. “You—you were supposed to be completely annihilated!”
“Annihilated? Yeah, that's right. So what you're seeing now isn't really me,” Evan said, spinning a story.
“Then what are you?” The bodyguard was dumbfounded. He had no idea a dead man could do this, and was even more terrified.
“I don't know either. Maybe I'm just a vengeful spirit who won't rest until I've had my revenge,” Evan said with a smile.
“Let me go—it wasn't my idea to kill you!” the man pleaded desperately.
“I know, it was your young master who wanted me dead. But you—you're the one who destroyed my soul. What do you think I should do to you?” Evan's voice turned icy.
The bodyguard was terrified, his face pale. He stammered, "I—I didn't mean to. It was all Young Master Terry's orders!"
“Orders? Well, you followed them, and now it's time to pay the price,” Evan said.
The bodyguard wanted to beg for mercy, but Evan didn't give him a chance. With a flick of his hand, he sent the man’s soul flying out, then sealed it away.
The bodyguard’s body dropped lifelessly to the ground, leaving only a faint wisp of soul trapped in Evan's palm.
Evan Yang looked at the soul, then grinned. “Terry Yang, you destroyed my soul. Now, I'll destroy yours. Let’s see who has the last laugh.”
After finishing his revenge, Evan Yang left quietly, not disturbing anyone.
The attendants only discovered the bodyguard's death much later. They were shocked, but since Terry Yang wasn't there, no one dared make a fuss.
The next day, the contest finally began.
Everyone gathered at Ethereal Sanctuary’s arena, waiting for the opening ceremony.
The contest rules were simple: anyone could challenge anyone, and the winner would advance. No restrictions, no mercy.