"Is that so?" Evan Yang curiously took the fine thread and examined it, finding it quite ordinary—nothing special at all.
"Yes, only Fiend Palace has these. Elder Liu probably gave the Liu Family a few extras to use on the sly." Barton Bai explained.
"So that's how it is. Looks like Fiend Palace really can do just about anything." Evan Yang thought about the captive diviner he'd caught, who was able to predict and track people using their qi signatures. Now, seeing how these tools worked, it all made sense.
"Heh, senior, I've told you everything I know. How about letting me go now?" Barton Bai was obviously just trying to save his own skin.
"Seems like you might still be useful. Fine, get out of here." Evan Yang said.
"Thank you, senior!" Barton Bai quickly limped away, dragging his injuries with him.
"Master, why'd you let him go?" Derek asked, genuinely curious.
"Let him go? I doubt he'll remain a Sixth-Rank General. The Liu Family will surely question him, and Elder Liu might even kill him. Why bother dirtying our own hands?" Evan Yang replied, smiling.
Derek thought that made sense, but he didn't ask further. He then worriedly said, "Master, I've really caused you trouble."
"Don't say that. Looks like we'll have to deal with a lot more Fiend Palace matters in the future." Evan Yang smiled.
"Mm." Derek wasn't afraid of Fiend Palace, nor was he afraid of death.
Kai Hart owed his life to Derek, so he naturally followed Derek. The two were like real brothers.
Seeing Kai Hart come looking for Derek, Evan Yang could tell their relationship was strong—Kai would rather die than surrender. So Evan had no objections and took them both into the Tower.
Ye Chen was delighted to see Derek, and the others, upon learning he was Evan Yang's disciple, came over to chat as well.
Meanwhile, Evan Yang found the man who could predict things, while the Fiend Realm youth remained unconscious.
After unsealing his speech, Evan Yang smiled and asked, "What do you do in Fiend Palace?"
"Let us go!" the man immediately shouted.
"You haven't answered my question." Evan Yang said.
"I'm from Fiend Palace's Tracking Hall." the man replied, gritting his teeth.
"Tracking Hall?" Evan Yang was curious about the term, especially since they'd just been tracked.
"Don't look at me like that. Your grandson, Mason Liu, tried to kill my disciple. As his master, of course I had to step in." Evan Yang smiled simply, as if he'd done nothing wrong.
"You! I'll scatter your soul to the winds!" The phantom raged, its voice booming with fury.
Right after that, Mason Liu vanished as if by magic, taking the phantom with him. The rest of the crowd stared in shock, then hurriedly fled.
Barton Bai was left standing there, gloomy and anxious, clearly wanting to escape but blocked by Evan Yang.
"Hey, since you're here, don't be in such a rush to leave." Evan Yang was curious about what happened just now, especially about that strange phantom that could even carry people away through the void.
"Senior, please let me go. It was all Mason Liu's fault, not mine." Barton Bai knew nobody could save him now, so he could only beg Evan Yang to spare his life.
"Tell me, what was up with that phantom just now? And where's Mason Liu's corpse?" Evan Yang asked.
"That phantom is from the Liu Family, but it's also a Fiend Palace elder. He leaves a phantom on every close relative—when they die, the phantom appears, just like you saw." Barton Bai explained.
"And what kind of secret art is that supposed to be?" Evan Yang asked, skeptical.
"I don't know. Honestly, I don't know anything about it." Barton Bai replied, sounding clueless.
"Seriously?" Evan Yang took the thread, looked it over with curiosity, and found it was completely ordinary—nothing special at all.
"Yep, only Fiend Palace has these. Elder Liu probably gave the Liu Family a few extras to use on the sly." Barton Bai admitted.
"So that's how it is. Looks like Fiend Palace really can do just about anything." Evan Yang thought about the captive diviner he'd caught, who was able to predict and track people using their qi signatures. Now, seeing how these tools worked, it all made sense.
"Heh, senior, I've told you everything I know. How about letting me go now?" Barton Bai was obviously just trying to save his own skin.
"Seems like you might still be useful. Fine, get out of here." Evan Yang said.
"Thank you, senior!" Barton Bai quickly limped away, dragging his injuries with him.
"Master, why'd you let him go?" Derek asked, genuinely curious.
"No need to dirty our own hands. The Liu Family will probably deal with him anyway." Evan Yang replied, casually.
Evan Yang paused, thinking about the future. He realized that Fiend Palace matters would come up more and more, but neither he nor Derek was afraid.
Kai Hart, Derek's loyal follower, naturally stuck with him, like a brother.
Evan Yang had seen Kai's willingness to die rather than betray Derek, so he had a good impression of him and took both Derek and Kai into the Sky-Piercing Tower.
Inside, Elena (Ye Chen) was delighted to see Derek; they chatted warmly. Lance Blue and the others, who didn't know Derek, quickly struck up conversation when they learned he was Evan Yang's disciple, reinforcing the Tower-family dynamic.
Meanwhile, Evan Yang went to the captured Fiend diviner—the same expert who once predicted and tracked them in the Fiend Realm—and unsealed his voice.
He asked what role the man played in Fiend Palace. The captive demanded to be released, but under pressure admitted he belonged to Fiend Palace's Tracking Hall, specializing in tracing targets.
Evan Yang then asked about the unconscious Fiend youth. The diviner revealed he was their 'little young master,' specifically the Fiend Palace Lord's younger son.
Evan Yang's eyes narrowed. If the Fiend Palace Lord's son was involved, things would get even messier.
But Evan Yang wasn't afraid. He grinned, ready to face whatever came next.