"You want me to leave while you stay behind? Did I hear that right? I’m from Stormtower—even if Dominic Bai himself showed up, he wouldn’t dare kill me. But you, right now, don’t belong to any faction, so he’s much more likely to target you. Besides, asking a mere early-stage God-Lord to protect a mid-stage God-King—do you really think I’d be grateful? That’s just asking for death!" Lena Zhong snapped back, clearly annoyed.
Evan Lin was about to say something more when he suddenly felt a powerful pressure descend upon him. Three middle-aged men appeared in the air, landing right in front of him. One wore a furious expression—most likely Dominic Bai, the City Lord of Azure Moon City.
"Old He, go check on the young master. How dare someone injure my son, Victor Bai—they clearly don’t respect me at all. Today, I’ll make those who hurt my son pay a heavy price." Dominic Bai declared coldly.
Right now, Evan Lin was under immense pressure. If it had been before, he would have been flattened already. But after enduring so much in Mine Tunnel No. 19, he could now withstand spatial oppression from anyone below the God-Emperor Realm.
Even so, his face was deathly pale. Lena Zhong was frantic; she immediately took out a green jade pendant from her storage ring, used her fingernail to cut her finger, and dripped blood onto the pendant. Instantly, it blazed with brilliant green light, sending signals flying in all directions.
Seeing this, Dominic Bai’s expression shifted slightly. He glanced at Evan and Lena with suspicion, then muttered to himself, “So they really are from Stormtower. Looks like things are getting lively. If Stormtower won’t give me face, then I have no reason to give them any.”
"Evan, are you alright? Dominic Bai, the City Lord of Azure Moon, is a God-Emperor. His Space Domain could easily kill you—this is all our fault for being reckless. I just hope our reinforcements get here in time," Lena said anxiously.
"It’s definitely rough, but I won’t die right away. Looks like he’s not even using his full strength—otherwise, neither of us would survive. If I make it through this, I’ll pay him back double," Evan Lin gritted out.
At that moment, the man sent to check on Victor Bai’s injuries returned. "City Lord, the young master isn’t in immediate danger, but he’ll need a long recovery. His breastbone is completely shattered, and his internal organs are badly damaged—he’s seriously hurt this time."
Dominic Bai waved his hand dismissively. "I understand. There’s likely to be a major battle next. The ones who harmed my son are from Stormtower, and the fact they dared attack him so openly means they don’t respect Azure Moon City or Rainbow Court at all."
"City Lord, should we kill them both now? If we wait until Stormtower’s people arrive, it’ll be too late. Stormtower is the most troublesome force—their assassins are a nightmare, always coming up with new deadly tricks that are impossible to guard against," said Old He beside Dominic Bai.
"I know that well enough. These two really are a problem. Let’s wait for now. If Stormtower doesn’t give me a proper explanation, then I won’t hold back—no matter how high their status, my son’s comes first. I’m not afraid, even if Master Wan himself shows up," Dominic Bai replied.
Just then, four figures appeared in the sky and in a flash landed beside Lena Zhong. At that moment, Dominic Bai withdrew his spatial pressure and quietly observed the newcomers.
The arrival of these four made Dominic Bai’s eyes widen slightly—they were all at the God-Emperor Realm, with two at mid-stage. While he himself was late-stage and didn’t fear them, what really concerned him was that a mere mid-stage God-King and early-stage God-Lord could summon God-Emperor experts. What did that mean?
It meant these two had extremely high status in Stormtower. These four had clearly been assigned by Master Wan to secretly protect them, ready to appear at a moment’s notice. Today’s situation had just gotten a lot more complicated.
"We greet you, Miss!" the four said in unison to Lena Zhong.
Lena Zhong waved her hand and said, "A little trouble cropped up today—I had no choice but to summon you four Protectors. Please make sure you keep him safe."
Evan Lin was stunned—Lena Zhong was actually called ‘Miss’? He’d always thought she was just a talented agent, but it turned out she was Stormtower’s heiress. That was a whole different level of status, and it completely upended his assumptions.
Seeing Evan’s shocked expression, Lena Zhong said, "I know what you’re thinking. I’ll explain later—right now, we need to get through this crisis first!"
After Lena Zhong said that, Evan Lin couldn’t really argue. He was sure Lena wasn’t showing her true face—she must be using some advanced disguise technique, and it was so flawless that no one could spot the slightest flaw.
Dominic Bai glared furiously at Evan Lin and the six Stormtower people. "I’ve always kept well water from disturbing river water with Stormtower, so why did you go after my son so viciously? Do you really think Dominic Bai is an easy target? If you don’t give me an explanation, none of you are leaving here today—even if Master Wan himself were here, he’d have to make things clear."
"Oh, Dominic Bai, you’ve got a big mouth! Our master’s name isn’t for you to toss around so casually. Looking for a fight? We’ll gladly oblige!" snapped one of the Protectors beside Lena Zhong.
Lena Zhong quickly waved her hand to stop the Protector from escalating. "City Lord Bai, it was wrong of us to injure your useless son, but you should at least get the facts first—why we hurt him, why we killed his two attendants but spared him."
"No matter what my son did, it’s not Stormtower’s place to discipline him. I only believe in facts—since you injured my son, I’ll injure you in return. I’ll spare your lives as a gesture of respect to Master Wan," Dominic Bai snapped.
"Save your bluster, old Bai! Others might be scared of you as the City Lord of Azure Moon, but we’re not. Show us what you’ve got! I’ve heard all about your arrogance—today, let’s see if I can put you in your place!" the hot-headed Protector retorted.
Lena Zhong wanted to stop them, but it was already too late. All four Protectors drew their weapons, ready to attack Dominic Bai and his two followers. The targets were clear: the two mid-stage God-Emperors went for Dominic Bai, while the two early-stage God-Emperors targeted his attendants.
A full-blown God-Emperor battle was about to erupt. Such clashes had been rare in the God Realm for years—a fight like this could shake the entire realm. Watching from the sidelines, Evan Lin felt utterly powerless. His strength was simply too low; he’d become a burden, and that bitter feeling gnawed at him…
PS: Extra chapter for the weekend—four updates today!