All six were Emperor-Realms, and all were deathsworn—throwing themselves into reckless attacks, heedless of their lives. Terry Yang dodged rapidly, thinking up countermeasures as he moved.
Meanwhile, Evan Yang smiled. "Just as well—now I can see what kind of protective artifact your Yang Clan gave you."
Six men surrounded one, all fighting as if they had no fear of death. Terry Yang desperately dodged, but there were always moments he couldn't avoid—a deathsworn slashed a dagger toward Terry's back.
At the moment the blade was about to strike, a flash of golden light erupted, rebounding the dagger. The deathsworn was shocked, but refused to give up, trying several more times with the same result.
Evan Yang asked in surprise, "Is that the protective shield?"
To Evan, this was almost miraculous—was it an artifact or a cultivation art? The deathsworn quickly realized the golden light couldn't be pierced, so one of them struck with his palm, aiming to injure Terry through shock force.
But as the palm landed, it sank into the barrier as if into a swamp. The deathsworn tried to pull away, but it was too late. Terry Yang's face twisted with fury. "Since you've come for my life, you can die here." He thrust his hand through the man's chest, then ignited him with the Yang Clan's signature flame, burning him to ash. The opponent died instantly. "That was ruthless," Evan muttered.
One deathsworn had fallen, but the rest pressed on—they could only die or complete their mission; escape was impossible.
Terry Yang knew this too, so he resolved to kill them all, one by one. The deathsworn fell in turn. When it was over, Terry was left exhausted, but he didn't let his guard down. He snorted, "Damn it, who could afford to hire such high-level deathsworn?" "Deathsworn?" Evan muttered. The term was unfamiliar to him—he only vaguely compared them to assassins.
After resting a while, Terry Yang checked the corpses. Finding nothing, he destroyed the charred bodies and snorted, "Damn it, instead of finding my target, I've just attracted more trouble."
Feeling a bit depleted, Terry Yang decided to return to Ethereal Sanctuary and recuperate.
Evan Yang had now witnessed some of Terry Yang's true power. At his current strength, he knew he couldn't kill Terry yet. For now, he'd keep shadowing Terry, and when Terry eventually left, Evan could follow and track down the Yang Clan.
Terry Yang entered the Ethereal Sanctuary encampment, while Evan Yang waited outside, biding his time for the day Terry would leave.
"Lord Yang, how are you?" Nangong Palace Lord asked, seeing Terry Yang looking a bit weak.
"Don't even ask. I was hunted by deathsworn," Terry Yang said irritably.
"Deathsworn?" Nangong Palace Lord exclaimed in shock.
"That's right—someone hired deathsworn, targeting me. And they were all Emperor-Realms. If those Emperor-Realms had been stronger, I'd probably be dead. I can't exactly tell people I had a great shield," Terry Yang said.
"Emperor-Realms? How much would it cost to hire them—let alone six?" Nangong Palace Lord asked, astonished.
"So whoever could hire them must be loaded. Our Yang Clan already lost and doesn't threaten anyone now. No one would spend that much just to deal with me, so the culprits must be those few people," Terry Yang said.
"Damn it, should we confront them?" Nangong Palace Lord asked.
"No need. We have no proof—going would be pointless. Right now, I just want to draw out the person hiding in the shadows," Terry Yang said.
"So what's your plan?" Nangong Palace Lord asked.
"I'll handle it myself. As for you, are you planning to stay here?" Terry Yang asked.
Nangong Palace Lord replied, "We'll stay until the hidden enemy is dealt with. Otherwise, it's too humiliating—not even knowing who targeted us."
"Alright, then. If there's nothing urgent, don't bother me for now. I'm heading out alone," Terry Yang said, and left by himself.
Evan Yang watched him leave and followed closely. Unexpectedly, Terry Yang returned to the Yang Clan's old encampment. Evan followed along; only a few low-level cultivators remained. When Terry returned, they greeted him respectfully: "Lord Yang."
Terry Yang asked, "Has anyone come by?"
"No," a guard replied.
"Alright, understood. Keep waiting here," Terry Yang said, heading to a room.
It wasn't just any room—it was his personal bodyguard's quarters. Evan Yang muttered, "Looks like he's about to find out."