General Northcliff and his team found the Second-Rank General. When he heard the young master had been snatched, he flew into a rage, beating several men badly and snapping, "How could you all be so useless!"
"So what now?" Northcliff grumbled, wincing from the pain.
"What now? You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?" The old general snapped back, furious.
"Should we track him down?" Northcliff muttered, knowing that was their only hope right now.
"Track him? You still have the nerve to suggest that? Even our tracker got grabbed—who are you going to call for help?" The old general was getting angrier by the second.
"Let's head back to the Fiend Realm. There should be others who can help," Northcliff said, sounding frustrated.
The old general paused, then snorted, "Lucky for you. I can't leave right now, so you lot head back to the Fiend Realm, go to Fiend Palace, and find Elder Lin from the Tracking Hall. Tell him the young master is in trouble and have him send his best trackers."
"Yes, we'll head back right away," Northcliff replied, then beat a hasty retreat.
Left behind, the old general cursed under his breath, "Damn it, hope he's alright. If not, I'll be in trouble before I even get to retire."
Evan Yang had no clue Northcliff's crew was rushing to the Fiend Realm. He'd already arrived, reaching the mountain as the Cloaked Warden showed up.
Seeing Evan Yang, the Cloaked Warden looked him up and down, curious. "You again?"
"Yeah, it's me. Any chance I can go in?" Evan grinned.
"Sure, just like last time. Go ahead," the Cloaked Warden replied.
A tunnel appeared before him again, and Evan slipped inside with a flash.
Once the tunnel faded, the Cloaked Warden muttered, "Why's he back again? Is everyone from the Human World obsessed with running to the Fiend Realm now?"
Evan, already familiar with the route, retraced his steps and reached the exit. Just before leaving, he sped up—so fast the guards couldn't even see his face before he was gone.
"After him!" Captain Lee shouted.
But they couldn't keep up with Evan's speed, and his face was covered. All they sensed was a familiar aura, but couldn't put a name to it.
"Captain, what now?" a guard asked.
"Nothing we can do. Probably a Human World expert. Forget it—unless he causes trouble, just leave him be," Vice-Captain Lee said, resigned. Some Human World cultivators don't use the normal routes or Pass Tokens.
"What if I don't?" Evan Yang replied with a smile.
"You? Then how will you get the answer from me?" The old man asked gloomily.
"First tell me where Dragon-Nether Grass can be found," Evan Yang said with a smile.
"Kid, if you won't say, then I won't say either. Let's see who gets impatient first." The old man, seeing Evan's refusal, decided to wait him out.
"Is this how Hundred-Wisdom Pavilion does business?" Evan Yang asked gloomily.
"Others can't, but I can. This is a special zone." The old man looked at Evan Yang with a thick smile, as if to say, 'Let's see how you handle this.'
"Alright, you win. I'll tell you—I have a pill formula that needs it." Evan Yang said.
"Kid, are you sure? That thing is extremely poisonous, grows only in baleful places. Just a drop of its leaf juice will kill you instantly." Hearing Evan wanted to use it for pill refining, the old man was stunned.
"Extremely poisonous? That's the first I've heard—but I really need it. Even if it's deadly, I still want to try," Evan Yang replied, startled but determined.
"Kid, can't you just calm down? Why must you use something so dangerous for pill refining?" The old man actually liked Evan Yang and didn't want him to meet a tragic end.
"Senior, if you know, just tell me. I'll pay your consultation fee," Evan Yang said, knowing the old man surely had the answer, otherwise he wouldn't be so anxious.
"I know, but I won't tell you—it's for your own good. I don't want you to get hurt," the old man said, staring at Evan Yang.
"Senior, that's not right. I came here for answers, and you refuse to tell me? That's not very honorable," Evan Yang said gloomily.
"This is a special zone," the old man repeated.
"Senior, just tell me. I need that herb urgently," Evan Yang said helplessly.
"You need it, but I can't let you walk into death," the old man said, staring at Evan Yang.
"Senior, are you just playing with me?" Evan Yang asked gloomily.
"What do you think?" The old man didn't smile at all.
"Forget it, I'll ask someone else. You're such a petty old man," Evan Yang sighed and left.
Watching Evan Yang's departing figure, the old man sighed quietly, "I'm just trying to help you. Even Fiend Realm natives don't dare get close to that place—you're from the Human World, you'd be lucky to survive."
Unable to get an answer from the Hundred-Wisdom Pavilion, Evan Yang decided to ask elsewhere, but no one knew anything.
Evan Yang wandered into a medicinal shop.
It was a fairly large shop, with several floors.
"A shop this big should at least know something," Evan Yang thought, though he wasn't very hopeful—he just wanted to ask.
The shopkeeper was busy with the accounts, while the clerks sorted medicinal herbs.
Evan Yang's arrival immediately caught their attention.
"What do you need?" the shopkeeper asked.
Evan Yang walked over to the shopkeeper and said, "Do you have any Dragon-Nether Grass here?"
"Dragon-Nether Grass? Kid, are you messing with us? How could we possibly have something like that?" The shopkeeper glared at Evan, thinking he was causing trouble.
Evan Yang hadn't expected such a strong reaction from the shopkeeper. At that moment, fighting broke out upstairs.
"Is there fighting here?" Evan Yang wondered.
The shopkeeper and clerks rushed upstairs. Before leaving, the shopkeeper barked at Evan, "Get out of the way, can't you see we're busy?"
Normally, this would be someone else's business and Evan wouldn't care, but a shout caught his attention.
"Pah, I'd rather die than tell you!" someone sneered, apparently surrounded by others.
The shopkeeper, now upstairs, was furious. "Kid, hurry up and tell us—where is Derek?"
"Derek?" Evan Yang felt the name was familiar—wasn't that the disciple he took in the Fiend Realm? How could Derek be hunted so soon after Evan left?
The person being attacked was a thin man wielding a curved machete, at late Out-of-Body Realm.
The shopkeeper, at early Divine Spirit, pressured the thin man, who was covered in wounds. Nearby, a clerk lay injured, slashed by the machete.
"Kid, if you don't surrender, I'll kill you now," the shopkeeper threatened coldly.
"Dream on. Come at me if you dare—I'd rather die than give in," the thin man retorted.
"I don't know how Derek ended up with someone as loyal as you," the shopkeeper said angrily.
"My life was given by him! Of course I have the right to be loyal," the thin man sneered.
"So your life is his, huh? Well, he's not here now—who's going to save you?" the shopkeeper snorted, preparing to strike.
Just then, Evan Yang appeared, flashing between them. He caught the shopkeeper's hand and flung him aside. The clerks were shocked and rushed to help their boss.
The shopkeeper shouted angrily, "Who are you?"
The thin man curiously watched Evan Yang's back, feeling he'd never met him before.
"I'm taking this man. You'd better not follow—if you die, don't blame me," Evan Yang said calmly. He turned to the thin man and said, "Let's go."
The thin man, knowing Evan Yang was powerful enough to throw the shopkeeper aside with one hand, followed him. At least here he was doomed, but outside, maybe he'd have a chance.
The others tried to block the thin man, but Evan Yang threw each of them aside, leaving them all badly injured.
Evan Yang led the thin man out of the shop, then out of the city, heading for the void.
Back in the shop, the furious shopkeeper pulled out a communication stone, while the other clerks lay scattered on the floor.
After leaving the shop, Evan Yang entered the void and asked the injured thin man, "What's your relationship to Derek?"