"You total weirdo! Looks like you're about to join the ranks of the Immortal Realm's legendary freaks." Hannah Nangong shot him a teasing glare.
"Oh? Are there really that many freaks in the Immortal Realm?" Evan Yang asked curiously.
"Of course. The Immortal Realm is huge, plus countless world-realms. What do you think? Especially in the big clans and sects—most of them are freakish geniuses." Hannah Nangong replied.
"Oh? How do they define a freak?" Evan asked, genuinely curious.
"I'm not sure. I think it's mostly about reputation. Usually, someone like you—sweeping Heavenly-Immortals as a first-tier Earth-Immortal—gets a pretty loud name." Hannah Nangong explained.
"Low profile? Everyone in this city saw you, unless you wipe them all out. But I doubt you're that ruthless." Hannah Nangong said.
"True. Didn't think of that. Should've lured them out first." Evan Yang clicked his tongue.
"Enough. Don't bring this up now. Let's go—to the Woodstar System. It's remote and dangerous." Hannah Nangong said.
"I like a challenge." Evan Yang grinned.
Hannah Nangong let out a helpless sigh and could only lead Evan Yang away.
A few days later, the city was swarming with members of the Qing Family, including Qing Buer.
"Qing Dong, didn't you tell Qing Xi to wait for us here? Why is he missing?" Qing Buer asked curiously.
"I'm not sure. Maybe he went to search nearby." The one called Qing Dong replied.
"That could be it. We're here to find that miracle healer who specializes in toad poison, but the guy demanded so many treasures—talk about greedy!" Quentin Qing said, his anger barely contained.
"The Qing Family is so big, why fear one man? We'll give him what he wants, then deal with him back at the clan." Qing Dong said.
Qing Buer paused, then said, "Hmm, that's a good idea. I'll go back to the clan and fetch those items."
"So we wait here?" Qing Dong asked.
"Yes, that's right." Qing Buer nodded.
Qing Dong nodded. Just then, someone came running from not far away, looking terrified. He nearly got mistaken for an assassin, but Qing Dong stopped him. "Who are you?"
"Brother Dong, it's me, Xiaolin," the man said.
"You? Weren't you with Qing Xi and the others? Where are they?" Qing Dong asked curiously.
The man said, "Something's wrong. They've all been defeated."
"All defeated? What happened?" Qing Dong was shocked. Qing Buer was also upset, frowning.
The man explained what had happened. After hearing his story, Qing Buer and the others were stunned. Qing Dong, especially, asked, "Is it really that terrifying?"
"Yeah, yeah. Right now, Qing Xi and the others still can't move. I moved them to the inn." the man said.
"Come on, take us there." Qing Buer urged impatiently.
The group followed the man out of the city gate and arrived at an inn. Inside one of the rooms, Qing Buer and the others saw more than twenty ice sculptures.
Qing Buer said, "Remove the ice!"
A few flame specialists stepped forward and melted the ice blocks. What appeared before everyone were rows of wooden men, sitting stiffly in place.
"What happened to you all?" Qing Dong asked, but no one responded. This was a bad sign. Qing Buer also tried asking, but still got no reply. Finally, everyone heard Qing Buer curse, "Damn it! Why does Evan Yang have such bizarre abilities?"
"What do we do now?" Qing Dong asked.
"Issue a bounty! All Qing Family branches and operatives are to hunt him down. Anyone who spots him must report immediately!" Qing Buer said angrily. It was all because of Evan—his son was poisoned, now with only a few years left to live, and they had to beg for help, even offering up precious treasures.
"Understood!" Qing Dong replied.
Before Qing Dong could issue the order, Quentin Qing added, "And make sure this is clear: anyone who spots him gets a fifth-tier Immortal Artifact—a powerful treasure ranked by tier. Anyone who brings him in alive gets a sixth-tier Immortal Artifact, which is even more valuable."
This order showed just how seriously the Qing Family took things—it was a full clan mobilization. For Evan Yang, this meant extra danger, since the Qing Family was a top-tier clan in the Immortal Realm. They weren't the absolute strongest, but they had plenty of Emperor-level experts, not to mention Immortal Lords.
As for that sixth-tier Immortal Artifact, Immortal Lords without treasures would jump at the chance. Those who already had one wouldn't bother. So the biggest temptation was for Heavenly-Immortals (mid/high-level cultivators) and Profound-Immortals (even higher).
But Evan's true strength wasn't revealed. Qing Buer didn't let Qing Dong spread it, either. The idea was simple: even if weaker cultivators couldn't beat Evan, they'd still get rewarded for spotting him.
After providing clues, the Qing Family could then send their real experts to handle things.
Evan Yang never expected he'd bring this much trouble to the Qing Family. It also showed just how high Quinn Qing ranked in the clan.
At that moment, Quinn Qing was still unaware—he was just enduring his suffering. One day, Quentin Qing appeared before him. Quinn was overjoyed. "Father, how is it?" "I've found someone, but it'll cost a lot. Don't worry, your father can handle it. But there's been a new development with Evan Yang," Quentin said.
Hearing there was hope, Quinn Qing was delighted, but when Evan Yang was mentioned, his expression changed. "What happened?"
Quentin Qing explained everything to Quinn. After hearing it, Quinn didn't believe it. "Impossible! He was only at sixth tier—how did he suddenly reach Heavenly-Immortal first tier? And defeat other Heavenly-Immortals?"
"It's true. I saw those Heavenly-Immortals myself. None of them could move after he was done with them, and I have no idea how he did it." Quentin Qing was also incredulous, but the facts were the facts.
"Impossible. It's only been a few years." Quinn Qing couldn't believe it—the person he was supposed to deal with had become so terrifying, able to defeat Heavenly-Immortals.
"For now, don't let this get out. Otherwise it'll affect everyone's motivation." Qing Buer said after thinking for a moment.
"Why?" Qing Yun asked, confused.
"I've already given the order: anyone who spots him gets a fifth-tier immortal artifact, anyone who defeats him gets a sixth-tier. If those Heavenly-Immortals knew about Evan Yang's abilities, they'd never take the risk." Qing Buer explained.
Qing Yun thought it over and agreed. "Alright, I'll listen to you, Father."
"Alright, that's all you need to know. Come on, I'll take you to the Snowveil Star System for detoxification," Qing Buer said.
"But my whole body feels awful. It's hard to move," Qing Yun said worriedly.
"Don't worry, I've already had everything prepared. You can lie down inside, and I'll take you there," Qing Buer said.
Qing Yun nodded. Qing Buer had a bed prepared, loaded it into a flying vessel, then put Qing Yun inside and left with the vessel.
"Father, who is that person?" Qing Yun asked out of boredom on the way.
"He's a master from a sect, specializes in dealing with this poison. He lives alone on a mountain and hates leaving, so I have to bring you there—and bring the things he likes," Qing Buer explained.
"He's got some nerve, daring to demand those things from our Qing Family," Qing Yun cursed after learning what was required.
"Don't worry. Once he cures you, we'll get rid of him," Qing Buer said.
"Alright," Qing Yun nodded.
And so, the two of them, with their attendants, arrived at a snowy peak in the Snowveil Star System. Snow drifted continuously, covering the whole mountain, but halfway up was a wooden cabin, with steam visible from inside.
After arriving, Qing Buer called out, "Senior Shen, we're here!"
"Oh? Come in," an elderly voice replied.
Qing Buer brought Qing Yun inside, leaving the others outside. As the door opened, an old man sat by the bed and looked at Qing Buer. "You brought him?"
"Yes," Qing Buer said, placing Qing Yun on the bed.
The old man looked Qing Yun over. "This poison is no ordinary matter."
"It shouldn't be a problem, right?" Qing Buer asked.
"No problem, but it'll take plenty of time and effort," the old man said.
"I've brought what you asked for, but I'll give you one now and another after you finish," Qing Buer said.
"No way," the old man cut him off sharply.
"What? What if you bail halfway through?" Quentin Qing frowned. "So you don't trust me?" Senior Shane replied, his tone bristling with offense.
"It's not that, but this concerns my son. I can't be so casual about it," Qing Buer said.
"Fine. If you don't want to give it, you can leave now," the old man said, showing some temper.
Qing Buer was stunned. "You—"
"I'm sure the others you could find aren't any worse than me. Go look for a few more old fellows and see if they're willing," the old man snorted.
Qing Buer gritted his teeth, cursing inwardly, "If I could find someone else, why would I come to you?"
Seeing how stubborn the old man was, Qing Buer could only grit his teeth and say, "Fine, I'll give it to you now, but I want to watch."
"That's no problem," the old man said, not wanting to push too far.
So Qing Buer gritted his teeth, took out a box containing two items, and handed it over. The old man checked it and said, "This is indeed what I wanted. Thanks."
"Everyone has their needs. Can you help my son now?" Qing Buer said, frustrated.
"Yes," the old man replied. He then undid Qing Yun's clothes, checked his complexion and body, and said, "Looks like it's at least Million-Year Toad Poison. How did you get it?"
"Toad poison? Is it really toad poison?" Quinn Qing exclaimed, startled.
"Yes, and it's at least a million-year-old toad's venom. Extremely difficult to treat—it'll take several years at minimum." the old man said.
"Strange... How could he have such poison?" Quinn Qing wondered aloud.
"Oh? How did you get poisoned?" the old man pressed.
"It was a man who used some bizarre insects to injure me," Quinn Qing recalled, thinking back to the scene.