"Alright, I need to cast a spell first. Make sure none of those people slip away," said Empress Myra.
"Don't worry, Empress. They've all been marked. If they try to leave, we'll know right away," said General Hugh.
"Good." Empress Myra nodded, then left for a quiet hall deep inside the palace—a place she used for cultivation and raising insects.
She entered the room, placed the insect corpses on a table, and opened a box. As soon as she did, several black bugs crawled out.
With a wave of her hand, a flash of light fell on the black bugs. The black insects immediately began devouring the corpses, then spat out a breath of energy from their mouths.
Empress Myra waved her hand, collecting the breath into a small bottle until it was filled with the gathered aura.
Looking at the bottled aura, Empress Myra smiled. "Let's see where you run to now."
After finishing the spell, Empress Myra summoned her general. When General Hugh arrived, she said, "Go. This bottle contains that person's aura. I trust you won't let me down."
"Understood, Empress." With the bottle in hand, General Hugh began inspecting people one by one.
At that moment, Evan Yang was in his room, watching the two creatures fuse. When the fusion was complete, the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Insects was exhausted, so Evan put it back into his inner space. Tidying up, he muttered, "Death and rebirth—not a bad ability."
Just then, a powerful aura swept past the window. Evan Yang waved his hand, sending a counterforce back. When he went to the window, the aura had vanished.
"Interesting. Was that a probe?" Evan murmured after realizing the aura was just a test.
In fact, the aura belonged to General Hugh. He had come to investigate Evan Yang, but found Evan's counterforce didn't match the bottled aura, so he left.
Curious, Evan Yang decided not to waste the opportunity. He used his divine sense to follow the source, eventually locking onto an armored man in the capital who was scanning people with the same method.
Each time he scanned someone, he compared their aura to the bottle. When Evan saw the aura in the bottle, he was shocked. "How do they have my aura?"
The aura in the bottle was Evan's original energy, but he was currently masking and disguising his own.
"No idea how they managed it. Strange." Evan was curious how they had collected his original aura, and realized they were clearly trying to find its owner.
Unable to figure it out, Evan kept watching until dawn. General Hugh, exhausted, frowned and muttered, "Strange. Why can't I find him? This shouldn't be possible."
Confused, General Hugh hurried back to the palace. Evan, meanwhile, composed himself and stepped outside the inn.
At that moment, a group appeared outside—desert people, just like yesterday. The Brute King, whom Evan had badly injured before, pointed at him and said, "Brute King, that's him! He's the one who hurt our brothers!"
"So it's you? An outsider, huh. Just my luck—I've got nowhere else to vent. Today's your unlucky day," sneered the muscle-bound man.
"Is this all the desert people can do?" Evan Yang laughed, seeing the muscle man was only at Immortal Sovereign level.
Hearing this, Brute King roared, "Damn it, die!" He threw a punch with tremendous force—he truly lived up to his name. But Evan met it with a seemingly weak fist.
Brute King staggered backward. The crowd was stunned—someone had actually knocked back the desert's Brute King. Brute King himself couldn't believe he'd met such a terrifying opponent, but he refused to be looked down upon. "Die!" he shouted again, spreading his hands toward Evan. Suddenly, a sand domain appeared around Evan, forming a barrier to lock him in.
Evan was enveloped in the sand, and the crowd cheered. But moments later, the sand vanished, turning to dust and blowing away.
The crowd was shocked—what kind of power was this? Brute King froze, "How...how did you do that?"
"Want to know? Figure it out yourself." Evan grinned, then dashed forward and punched Brute King in the chest, sending him flying.
Brute King's followers quickly helped him up and hurried away.
Evan sighed, "Man, that was boring."
Just then, Lynn Lin and Melody Wood came downstairs. Lynn looked at Evan and asked, "Why are you fighting so early in the morning?"
"Can't help it—they came looking for trouble. If I don't teach them a lesson, they'll keep bothering us," Evan Yang said with a smile.
"Alright, alright, stop bragging. So, how about yesterday's thing?" Lynn Lin asked.
"Can't talk about that yet. Let's just wander the city and act like nothing happened. When things settle down, we'll leave the capital," Evan replied.
Lynn nodded, and the three of them wandered the city, buying plenty of things.
Meanwhile, the desert people rushed to their base inside Meyor territory and reported everything to their highest local leader.
The leader stood up. "What did you say? Outsiders bullied you?"
"That's right. He's strong, but we didn't bring enough people this time," Brute King said.
"The desert isn't so easily bullied. We've never been pushed around in any dynasty, and this won't be an exception. If you're shorthanded, borrow some men from the Meyor Empress. Wait here," the manager said.
The manager then hurried off to the palace.
Inside the palace, Empress Myra frowned and asked General Hugh, "Are you sure you didn't find him?"
"Yes, I checked everyone. None of them matched," General Hugh replied.
"That's odd. This method has always worked," Empress Myra said, frowning.
"Unless the person snuck into the monster specimen hall by some special means," General Hugh suggested.
"Impossible. You know what kind of place that hall is, don't you? It's a treasure site, with a giant monster suppressed underneath. If someone could just walk in and out, you'd be underestimating it," Empress Myra retorted.
"Then that's strange," General Hugh said suspiciously.
At that moment, a guard reported, "Empress, the Desert Envoy requests an audience."
"Oh? What's the matter?" Empress Myra had important business, but hearing the desert people sought her, she was puzzled.
"I don't know. He said he wants to see you," the guard replied.
"Alright. General Hugh, come with me." Empress Myra said, then led General Hugh to the audience hall, where they met the Desert Envoy.
"Sorry to trouble you, Empress," the envoy said.
"No need for apologies, Desert Envoy. We're allies—there's no such thing as trouble. But what brings you here?" Empress Myra asked, curious.
"Sigh, I thought things would go well for us here, but we've been bullied by some people," the envoy said helplessly.
"Oh? That can't be. I've already ordered that no one in the capital is to clash with the desert people," Empress Myra said, puzzled.
"It's not the locals—it's outsiders. Unfortunately, I didn't bring enough men," the envoy sighed.
"I see. Then I'll have General Hugh lead a guard squad to help you teach those reckless people a lesson," Empress Myra replied.
"Thank you, Empress." The envoy knew General Hugh's strength and was grateful.
"Go ahead, General Hugh. And keep investigating that other matter," Empress Myra said.
"Yes, Empress." General Hugh replied, then assembled a squad of about twenty to follow the envoy.
Evan Yang and his companions were strolling the street, about to enter another shop, when a squad appeared ahead of them.
Evan noticed that the leader was the same armored man who had investigated his aura earlier.
Lynn Lin was the first to spot Brute King and the others they'd sent packing earlier.
"They're coming in force," Lynn Lin muttered.
Melody Wood also frowned. To Lynn Lin and Melody, these were desert people stirring trouble, but Evan was wary of the armored man—if his true aura was exposed, he'd be in real trouble.
"That's them," the envoy said.
General Hugh looked at Evan Yang and his companions and said, "Surround them."
The group quickly encircled the three, and onlookers scattered, not wanting to get involved in the capital's affairs.
"Who are you people?" Evan Yang asked.
"I'm the Meyor Empress's chief general. I heard you caused trouble and damaged our alliance with the desert tribes, so today you'll answer for it," General Hugh said.
Evan Yang sneered, "You're blaming us for ruining your alliance? Why not ask them why they clashed with us? Does Meyor only protect locals, not outsiders? Ridiculous."
"The Empress's decision isn't yours to comment on. Today I'll show you how I deal with troublemakers," General Hugh snorted.
"I'd like to see what the Empress's chief general can do," Evan Yang said, smiling.
"Surround them, and watch the two women. I'll handle this arrogant fool myself. How dare he cause trouble in Meyor's capital," General Hugh ordered.
Evan Yang told Lynn Lin and Melody Wood, "Be careful, you two. If anything happens, call me right away."
"Okay," Lynn Lin replied.
Evan knew Melody Wood was strong, so he wasn't worried. He stepped forward, facing General Hugh. "Come on," he said with a smile.
"Bold, aren't you? Still daring to challenge me? I'll teach you a lesson today," General Hugh thought his words would intimidate Evan, but Evan was even more defiant, directly challenging him.
Evan Yang drew his Limitless Spear—he knew the Empress's chief general was no ordinary opponent. Last night's clash of auras had made that clear, so he didn't dare let his guard down.