"Five late-stage, one Great Perfection—all wiped out in an instant!" Kade Santos exclaimed in shock as he hurried with his entourage to the site of the recent explosion.
Standing beside Kade was a man in tight clothing, with stern eyes and a scar running down one side of his face—a lean figure who seemed ready to strike the moment anyone threatened Kade’s life.
"Young master, let me deal with him!" the scarred, lean man requested.
"You? Do you think you can even get close? Better let the specialist handle it." Kade glanced at the man and shook his head, then pulled out a Transmission Stone and issued instructions to someone on the other end.
"Young master, are you sure you don’t want me to act?" The lean man looked a bit unwilling, clearly eager for a chance to make a move.
"Don’t worry, when it’s time for you to act, you’ll get your chance. For now, it’s best if the Shaw Family doesn’t find out we’re the ones who killed that kid." Kade reassured him, eyes fixed on the ruined bamboo grove ahead.
His thoughts, however, were on Evan Yang. For someone to single-handedly wipe out six people with ease—it was even more terrifying than what happened at the inn before. It made Kade wonder if Evan had been deliberately hiding his true strength all along.
After celebrating with Evan Yang, Tanner Shaw and Evan returned to the soundproof chamber. "I still don’t know how to make him slip up," Tanner Shaw said, knowing that to convince Cyril Shaw the butler was a threat, the butler would have to expose himself. So as soon as they got back, Tanner muttered this aloud.
"Isn’t that pretty simple?" Evan Yang smiled.
"What’s your suggestion?" Tanner Shaw asked, curious after seeing Evan Yang’s strange smile.
Evan Yang recalled what Tanner Shaw had told him—capturing the assassins wouldn’t solve anything. He just hoped Tanner Shaw was making progress and would discover something.
"I’d like to hear it." Tanner Shaw was eager to know what Evan Yang had in mind.
Evan Yang pondered for a moment before saying, "If he’s really involved, all I have to do is leave the Shaw Family alone under his watch. He’ll definitely make a move. So this part is up to you."
"You want me to keep an eye on him?" Tanner Shaw asked suspiciously.
"Yeah, but is his true body and clone together?" Evan Yang suddenly asked, curious.
"No, according to him, his clone was destroyed long ago. Only his true body remains now," Tanner Shaw replied.
"If that’s really the case, he’ll definitely act—unless he still has a clone," Evan Yang muttered.
"That’s hard to judge." If the butler really had a clone, even if Tanner Shaw watched the true body, he couldn’t tell if the butler was trying to harm Evan Yang.
"Let’s try it. Even if he’s not involved, I want to find out who’s after me." Evan Yang only saw the butler as one suspect; he wasn’t certain the butler was the one targeting him.
"Alright, just be careful." Tanner Shaw said after hesitating for a moment.
Evan Yang nodded, and after exchanging ideas with Tanner Shaw, they set their new plan in motion.
Evan Yang went to the main hall. After walking for a while, he ran into the butler, who smiled and said, "Daoist Yang, heading out?"
"Yeah, I wanted to check out the scenery in the west of the city. Any recommendations?" Evan Yang asked with a smile.
"West of the city? Sure. There’s a natural lake there, with several small islands. The scenery is beautiful," the butler said, clearly delighted to hear Evan was heading out.
Evan Yang noticed the butler’s excitement but kept his expression neutral. "I’ll head over, then. If Tanner asks, just tell him I went to the lake in the west of the city."
"Of course, go ahead. If the young master asks, I’ll be sure to tell him," the butler replied with a smile.
Evan Yang nodded, said goodbye to the butler, and set out alone.
Half an hour later he reached the west of the city, then flew for about fifteen more minutes before a large lake appeared before him.
The lake was naturally colored, with several small islands scattered across its surface. Evan Yang released his divine sense and found the area quiet—almost no one ever came here. But the next moment, he spotted familiar figures on one island: a masked woman and four men.
"What are they doing here?" Evan Yang muttered from the thicket. The group had no idea anyone was hiding nearby, let alone someone who could clearly hear their conversation.
"Miss, should we be heading back?" one of the men asked respectfully from behind.
"With scenery this beautiful, why leave so early?" the masked woman replied with a smile.
"Miss, that’s not what I meant—I meant leaving this planet," the man said, frowning.
"What, are they urging us again?" The masked woman's smile faded, replaced by surprise and suspicion.
"Yes, messages keep coming in. If you don’t return soon, they’ll issue a Black Order," the man replied.
"A Black Order? That’s ruthless—they’re treating this like a major crisis!" the woman exclaimed, visibly moved.
"Miss has been gone for over half a year. They’re worried, so they keep sending messages. But you haven’t replied or returned, so now they’ve set a deadline: if you don’t show up in a month, they’ll enforce the Black Order," the man reported.
"Let them issue the Black Order—I don’t believe they can find me!" the woman snorted coldly.
Seeing her anger, the four men exchanged glances.
"Miss," the four said in unison.
"Enough. If anyone mentions going back again, you can leave on your own. Don’t follow me anymore," the woman ordered, leaving the four silent.
The masked woman sighed helplessly, while Evan Yang, hidden in the shadows, wondered about their true identities.
Just as Evan Yang’s curiosity peaked, a surge of divine sense detected newcomers behind him.
"They’re here?" Evan Yang snapped back to attention.
Two people arrived.
"Only two?" Evan Yang thought suspiciously upon seeing just the pair.
The two blocked Evan Yang’s path. They were the same type of people, but not the same individuals—their aura was different.
Masked, wielding daggers, one called out, "You’re the one!"
"I’ve been waiting for you two for a long time," Evan Yang said with a smile.
"You’ve been waiting for us?" The two looked at Evan Yang in confusion.
Evan Yang’s smile faded as he burst into action. Now at the Great-Perfection stage, he easily handled the two opponents at his level.
The two were shocked to find Evan Yang’s aura matched theirs, but his speed far surpassed them. They shouted and quickly retreated.
Their cries drew the attention of those on the nearby island.
"Who’s there?" the masked woman asked curiously.
The four attendants used their divine sense to look toward Evan Yang, just in time to see him facing off against the two assassins.
"It’s him!" The five quickly recognized Evan Yang.
"Why is he here? And aren’t those two Black Hand Syndicate assassins?" The masked woman asked, startled by their attire and daggers.
"He must have offended someone and been targeted for assassination," one of the men remarked, seeming familiar with such situations.
"Doesn’t that mean the beggar isn’t from the Three Palaces, nor any major clan, and isn’t recognized by the Talent Pavilion? He vanished for over a month, then reappeared—and those two Black-clad men are both Great-Perfection stage, while the beggar…" Seeing the beggar easily suppress the two assassins with speed, the masked woman was astonished.
"Did he hide his cultivation from us last time?" one of the men exclaimed, unable to see through Evan Yang’s current level.
"Impossible. Last time he was only late-stage, now he’s at Great-Perfection. Did he just advance?" the masked woman wondered aloud.
"Such speed—he’s even more terrifying than we thought," the man said, still doubtful.
"Looks like he held back his true strength before." Seeing Evan Yang’s speed, it was clear his cultivation wasn’t the only reason—his technique was special.
Just as the masked woman finished speaking, the two masked, black-clad men were already knocked down by Evan Yang. Normally, Black Hand Syndicate assassins would self-destruct, but these two lay motionless, making the group wonder when the Syndicate stopped dying for their cause.
It wasn’t that the two didn’t want to self-destruct—Evan Yang had sealed them, leaving them immobilized. Having learned from past mistakes, Evan Yang wouldn’t let them self-destruct this time.
He walked up to one and asked with a smile, "Who sent you to kill me?"
"We don’t know," the assassin replied, staring wide-eyed at Evan Yang.
"You don’t know?" Evan Yang asked, suspicious.
"Of course. Orders come from above, so we don’t know who the client is." The assassin explained, knowing Evan Yang would ask who wanted him dead. Though unlucky to encounter someone with such strange abilities, as assassins, they could never reveal any information.
Evan Yang recalled what Tanner Shaw had told him—capturing the assassins wouldn’t solve anything. He just hoped Tanner Shaw was making progress and would discover something.
"You tried to kill me, so I won’t let you go so easily," Evan Yang said with a smile, then knocked both of them unconscious.
He smiled at the group on the island, then stored the two assassins away.
"He has a treasure that can hide people?" Seeing Evan Yang make them disappear so easily, the masked woman and her group were astonished.
After storing the assassins, Evan Yang took a few quick steps and soon arrived on the island. "Hello there," he greeted with a smile.
"Looks like someone wants you dead," the masked woman said, surprised Evan Yang had come over so quickly.
Evan Yang approached because he was interested in the woman, especially since she hadn’t tried to harm him before. That made him feel more favorable toward her.
"Yes, this is already the second time," Evan Yang said with a smile.
The masked woman was momentarily stunned by Evan Yang’s casual tone, then smiled. "If I hadn’t seen it myself today, I wouldn’t have known your cultivation is at Great-Perfection stage, and your technique is so unique."
"Thanks for the compliment. But when I arrived earlier, I saw you all—what were you discussing?" Evan Yang asked with a smile.
Earlier? None of the five had noticed him. It wasn’t their fault—Evan Yang had used Old Clam’s natal treasure. Though anyone above Spirit-Wandering realm could see Evan Yang’s true cultivation, when he concealed all his aura, no one would suspect someone was watching nearby.
That was also because Evan Yang reused the white pearl.