Evan Chu pulled off a classic escape maneuver, shedding his shell like a golden cicada. Desmond Mansfield couldn't help but admire him—he watched as those three fools actually took the hot potato right in front of everyone, grinning as they chatted with Evan for ages.
Needless to say, at that moment, everyone believed those three were the forces backing Evan Chu, and that he'd bought the Starry Void Sigil just to serve them!
It wasn't just the dynasties—Savage Brotherhood thought so too. If Desmond Mansfield hadn't been in on the plan ahead of time, even he would've been fooled.
From then on, all eyes shifted away from Evan Chu. No one cared who he was anymore—he was just a minor errand boy in their eyes.
Aboard a starship, Evan Chu sat across from Desmond Mansfield. "Have those three left Yellow-Blade Star City yet?"
"Not yet. It's been a month since the auction ended, but those three have stayed put in Yellow-Blade Star City without budging."
"Looks like their internal conflicts run deeper than we thought. Do they seriously believe I'd send someone to tell them where my Star Crystal stash is? Honestly, their intelligence is worrying!" Evan Chu snorted.
Evan Chu sighed, feeling helpless. With those three refusing to move, his whole plan was stuck. Desmond Mansfield, who'd been preparing for ages, was even more stifled—he was practically dying of frustration.
"There's nothing we can do but wait. Your 'lure the calamity elsewhere' move was genius. Now, they've got huge conflicts brewing among themselves. If I'm not mistaken, they've probably called for reinforcements from their dynasties already. For the Starry Void Sigil, they might even turn on their own allies. This calm won't last much longer." Desmond analyzed.
Desmond Mansfield's insight was razor-sharp—he saw straight to the heart of the matter.
"But they're practically playing with fire now—the longer they drag this out, the more assassins will gather in the shadows. When things finally explode, they might not care that Yellow-Blade Star City belongs to Star-Treasure Pavilion. I wouldn't be surprised if someone storms in and starts killing for treasure right inside the city."
"Exactly! And the more chaotic things get, the worse it is for me. We wanted to sit back and play fisherman, let them fight and wear each other down, then grab the Starry Void Sigil at the perfect moment. But now, with so many factions mixing together, anything could happen. The Mansfield Family's experts are limited, and honestly, you don't have any real heavy hitters on your side yet." Desmond Mansfield frowned.
"We need to act fast and force those three idiots out." Evan Chu said bluntly.
"Right. By the way, are you sure your methods won't fail if this drags on too long?" Desmond asked, voice low.
"Relax. My grasp of Stellar Power is solid. Plus, I'm totally in control of star souls now, and with my mid–Saint Venerable avatar, I can easily track the Starry Void Sigil's location." Evan Chu replied with confidence.
"They only know the Starry Void Sigil is in their hands, but they have no clue I've already branded it with a star-soul imprint. Unless I die, no one can use it!" Evan smirked.
Evan Chu shot Desmond Mansfield a meaningful glance. Desmond sighed—he understood perfectly. Evan was guarding against betrayal, in case the Mansfield Family turned on him once the dust settled.
That's why Evan had planned ahead, securing the Starry Void Sigil for himself as an absolute trump card, so no matter what happened he'd have a guaranteed way out.
Evan Chu had already relocated all his wives and companions into his Chaos World. He planned to use the leftover Starstones plundered from five dynasties to boost everyone's cultivation—at the very least, he wanted them all to reach the Saint Lord Realm.
"Reporting, sir! Something unexpected has happened!" a subordinate rushed in, voice urgent.
Suddenly, an urgent report came from outside the starship. Desmond Mansfield arched his brow. "Come in and speak!" he called.
A late-stage Saint Lord Realm scout hurried in, bowing to Desmond Mansfield before delivering his report.
"Young Master, latest intel: Marcus Lin, Savage Brotherhood's Third Boss, has secretly contacted those three Holy Emperors multiple times. At first things were cordial, but when someone mentioned Evan Chu's name again, a fierce conflict erupted."
"Now Marcus Lin is locked in battle with all three Holy Emperors—the fight's spilled out of Yellow-Blade Star City and into the outer star-domain!" the scout reported.
"What? Is the info reliable?" Evan Chu was instantly excited—talk about wish fulfillment! Just as they were trying to flush those three idiots out, someone did the job for them.
"I saw it with my own eyes, sir!" the subordinate confirmed, voice firm.
"Good, very good! Hahaha!" Desmond Mansfield burst out laughing, unable to contain his delight.
The starship Evan Chu and Desmond Mansfield were on belonged to the Mansfield Family, anchored in a small star-region not far from Yellow-Blade. The moment trouble broke out in Yellow-Blade Star Region, they moved to observe at once.
Even Desmond Mansfield was puzzled—why would the Savage Brotherhood suddenly clash with those three fools? Was it really for the Starry Void Sigil? Something didn't add up.
If it was about the Starry Void Sigil, they'd have fought from the very first meeting. So why did it take several encounters before things exploded? And the crucial detail: only when Evan Chu's name came up did the fight break out!
In a remote corner of Star-River Dominion, the endless void was torn open as four mighty Holy Emperor Avatars collided. Thunder rolled, Stellar Force exploded, and for ten thousand miles around, no one could get close. Weaker cultivators couldn't even glance at the scene without their very souls fracturing.
The four Holy Emperors fought with their spatial domains unleashed—their destructive might was beyond imagination. If this battle were raging inside Yellow-Blade Star Region, half the region would already be wiped out.
Honestly, this eruption of force was no weaker than Evan Chu's Stellar Detonation of three thousand meteors.
Far away, Evan Chu watched the clash, utterly shaken.
"Those golden, close-combat phantoms—that's the Holy Emperor Avatar? And that terrifying Stellar Force, that's what the Holy Emperor Realm can do? This is insane!" Evan Chu muttered, awe in his voice.
Evan Chu glanced at Desmond Mansfield, who admitted with some trepidation, "And this is just early-stage Holy Emperor combat. Once you reach mid-stage, the Holy Emperor Avatar holds even greater mysteries. We're nowhere near understanding that level yet..."
"Thank the heavens the Starry Void Sigil isn't on me. If it was, I wouldn't even be able to stand here talking to you. Three apex families, four dynasties—they've all sent Holy Emperors into the fray. I bet a full-scale Holy Emperor war is about to break out!" Evan Chu said, relief flooding his voice.
"Exactly. All we can do is watch, wait, and plan for the moment the Starry Void Sigil lands in our hands. But there's still one thing that bugs me—the Savage Brotherhood didn't fight those three idiots just to seize the Sigil, did they? So what was their real motive? What made Marcus Lin risk his life against three Holy Emperors all at once?" Desmond Mansfield wondered aloud.
Desmond Mansfield's question hung in the air. Evan Chu had no answer—the Savage Brotherhood's true intentions remained a mystery.