「No. I got you.」
Seeing that you weren't the least bit afraid—instead, a mocking smile tugged at your lips—the "driver's" ferocious expression flickered with unease, as if he'd just realized something was terribly wrong.
RIIIP!
A black clawed hand suddenly burst out from the leather backseat, lashing out in a panic, desperate to tear your spinal cord out.
Your expression remained calm as you spoke in a cold, steady voice:
「Do it.」
BOOM!
A terrifying inferno erupted from the ground without warning, incinerating the black hand to ashes in an instant. Sun Zhong—your protector, who'd supposedly gone after Ye Fan—suddenly materialized out of thin air.
A massive golden hand wreathed in flames clamped down on the "driver's" head. Ignoring his terrified screams, Sun Zhong wrenched him out of the car with brute force.
As the once-arrogant "mastermind" was dragged out and beaten within an inch of his life, he finally realized he'd walked straight into a trap. Sun Zhong hadn't been delayed chasing Ye Fan—he'd intentionally staged the whole thing.
「NO!!!」
You watched calmly as the mastermind, who'd been so cocky moments ago, was pummeled by Sun Zhong. His limbs were torn off one by one, his flesh and blood splattering everywhere. A faint, satisfied smile curled at the corners of your lips.
Just as you'd suspected, this so-called mastermind was strong—but nowhere near strong enough to take on Sun Zhong head-to-head. Otherwise, he wouldn't have resorted to such underhanded schemes to ambush you.
Earlier, you'd openly ordered Sun Zhong to hunt down Ye Fan, the Destiny's Child. But secretly, you'd sent him a voice transmission via spiritual energy, telling him to give chase for a while before doubling back immediately to lie in wait. All to set a trap for the mastermind, to catch him completely off guard.
However, to your surprise, the mastermind's powers were incredibly sinister. He could shapeshift into a shadow, his form twisting and shifting endlessly—he almost slipped away from Sun Zhong's grasp.
But Sun Zhong was no ordinary protector. As the man the Sun Clan had assigned to guard you, his strength was formidable. With a roar, he transformed into a colossal golden ape, slamming his fist down and pinning the mastermind to the ground once and for all.
The fight was over in seconds.
Sun Zhong's face was cold with killing intent as he dragged the mastermind—now a limbless, writhing torso—over to you. 「Young Master Sun, this abomination practices the Thousand Shadow Devil Art—a lost, evil cultivation technique that lets him control shadows and shapeshift his face at will. It's incredibly sinister. I almost let him get away. As for his origins… I can't tell which faction he belongs to.」
You weren't the least bit surprised. This so-called mastermind was probably just a disposable pawn. Naturally, he wouldn't be using any recognizable techniques that could trace back to his true masters.
「Soul Search.」
Your voice was icy, devoid of any mercy.
Once a cultivator reached the Seventh-Rank Saint Ascension Realm, their soul condensed into a tangible form, granting them supernatural abilities—Soul Search included. But the price was steep for the victim: they either turned into a mindless vegetable, or died on the spot.
This mastermind had killed you once in the first simulation. There was no way you'd let him off the hook so easily!
Sun Zhong nodded, then began performing the Soul Search technique on the whimpering mastermind. Daring to lay a hand on the young master of the Sun Clan? He was asking for a death wish.
It didn't take long. Under the agony of the Soul Search, the mastermind's eyes rolled back, blood gushing from his seven orifices as his body convulsed violently. He soon breathed his last, dropping dead on the spot. But instead of relief, Sun Zhong frowned, his expression tinged with shame.
「Young Master Sun… someone erased parts of this scum's memories. I couldn't find out who his real master is. The only useful info I dug up is that he was an orphan taken in by someone, who then taught him the Thousand Shadow Devil Art.」
「Memories erased… they really thought of everything, didn't they? Cut off all loose ends cleanly.」
Watching the simulation play out, Sun Qian felt nothing but calm—as if he'd expected this outcome all along.
Clearly, this trap set for him had been in the works for a long, long time. It was never going to be easy to dig up the truth.
But the mastermind's background made him think of something.
Taking in orphans, raising them in secret, teaching them forbidden dark arts…
This was the classic method used by powerful clans to train death squads—loyal, disposable tools who lived and died for their masters.
In a way, Sun Zhong—his protector—was also a kind of death squad member for the Sun Clan. He lived to serve the clan, ready to lay down his life at a moment's notice.
That was exactly why Sun Qian trusted him implicitly.
「This just makes the Gu Clan of Qianyuan look even more suspicious.」
「And the Zhao Clan of Magic City isn't off the hook either.」
「It's just a shame that the me in the simulation still lacks concrete evidence…」
「But at my level, evidence is both important and unimportant.」
The smile on his lips widened. He was growing more and more curious to see what the "him" inside the simulator would do next.
After all, the Sun Qian in the simulation had a mind of his own. He couldn't interfere directly.
You showed no surprise at Sun Zhong's report, displaying a calmness far beyond your years. For ordinary people, without evidence, they'd have to grit their teeth and bide their time, slowly gathering clues.
But you weren't ordinary. You were the second young master of the Sun Clan, backed by a Heavenly Human Realm ancestor. To you, evidence and the law were nothing but jokes.
When the younger generation gets bullied, you go straight to the top brass for help.
You pulled out a Bloodline Communicator—a device exclusive to the Sun Clan's inner circle—from your storage ring. You sent a message to your elder brother, Sun Shou: I was almost assassinated. The masterminds are linked to the Gu Clan, another Heavenly Human-tier family. Help me get revenge.
Your relationship with Sun Shou was rock solid. Ever since you were kids, he'd always been the one to stand up for you. You had no doubt he'd move heaven and earth to help you. As the heir to the Sun Clan and one of the top prodigies in the Qianyuan Empire, Sun Shou wielded far more power than you did—power enough to stir up a storm and rattle the enemy's cage.
As for the Zhao Clan of Magic City, the other suspect? You planned to investigate them in your own way.
The Li Clan—one of the Four Great Clans of Magic City—was a marital ally of the Sun Clan. The Li Clan's patriarch had married one of your distant cousins, making them family. It was the Li Clan who'd arranged your residence and all your affairs when you came to Magic City. You decided to enlist their help to investigate the Zhao Clan—and deal with them if necessary.
In the first simulation, you'd died before you could even leverage your status and power. This time, you were going to use every advantage at your disposal.
With everything arranged, you told Sun Zhong to write down a copy of the Thousand Shadow Devil Art he'd obtained from the mastermind's memories. Clearly, you were intrigued by this evil technique that granted shapeshifting and shadow manipulation abilities.
Sun Zhong agreed—but then he hesitated, finally asking the question that had been bugging him. 「Young Master… can you cultivate now? Earlier, you sent me a voice transmission using spiritual energy.」 The protector's eyes widened in realization. You'd been hiding your cultivation base this entire time?!
You nodded slowly. For now, Sun Zhong was one of your most important trump cards. There was no point in hiding this from him any longer. You asked him to keep your secret, to tell no one—not even the clan.
The hidden mastermind pulling the strings clearly had no idea you'd broken the curse and awakened your Supreme Imperial Bone, allowing you to cultivate. You wanted to keep that ace up your sleeve.
Sun Zhong fell silent for a moment, then nodded firmly, agreeing to your request.