"So you found him?"

Shen Tian drove calmly through the city while speaking on the phone with Bai Xue.

On the other side of the call, the underground queen’s voice sounded cold with killing intent.

"I found that bastard hiding on top of a mountain," she said angrily. "He’s just wandering around naked, doing nothing..."

Shen Tian rubbed the bridge of his nose with one hand while driving.

"...Of course he is."

After letting out a small sigh, he spoke again.

"Send me the location."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"I’m heading there now."

Then after a brief pause...

"Oh, and I’ll need you there too. Meet me at the bottom of the mountain. Got it."

Bai Xue immediately hung up.

A second later, Shen Tian received the location.

Not long afterward, the two met at the base of the mountain.

The moment Shen Tian stepped out of his car, he immediately noticed something.

Bai Xue had brought over a dozen subordinates with her.

Every single one of them was armed with handguns.

Shen Tian instantly shook his head.

"You’ll just be leading them to their deaths," he said bluntly.

"You shouldn’t let emotions cloud your thinking."

Bai Xue bit her lip in frustration.

"I know..."

Her fists clenched tightly.

"I just want Ye Chen dead."

Shen Tian walked over before casually patting her head.

The moment this happened...

Every subordinate froze.

Their eyes widened in shock.

Someone touching their boss so casually should’ve been a death sentence.

They were already mentally preparing for Bai Xue to order Shen Tian’s execution.

Instead...

Bai Xue visibly calmed down like an angry kitten being soothed.

"...I’ll listen to you."

The subordinates looked completely horrified.

Their terrifying underground queen was acting obedient.

To a man.

Bai Xue then turned toward her people and waved her hand. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"You all stay here. I’ll head up with Young Master Shen."

The subordinates immediately panicked.

"No, Boss!"

"Please let us go with you!"

"We beg you!"

All of them immediately began bowing their heads repeatedly.

Bai Xue glanced toward Shen Tian.

Shen Tian rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"I mean... I don’t really see why not if they want to come."

The subordinates instantly looked at him with gratitude shining in their eyes.

Bai Xue sighed helplessly before waving her hand again.

"Fine. You can all come."

The entire group immediately stood up excitedly.

"Thank you, Young Master Shen!"

"Thank you, Boss!"

They repeatedly thanked both of them.

[Are you sure about this?]

Shen Tian’s inner voice echoed inside Bai Xue’s mind.

[There’s a 99% chance they die.]

Bai Xue quietly looked at him before giving a small nod.

Shen Tian simply shrugged afterward and began walking up the mountain.

The others quickly followed behind him.

Soon enough, the group finally reached the top of the mountain.

But for some reason...

The wind stopped.

The sounds of insects disappeared.

Even the temperature felt unnaturally cold.

Only Shen Tian noticed it immediately.

Something...

Or someone...

Was watching them.

His eyes narrowed slightly, but he continued walking calmly.

"What the hell!?"

One of Bai Xue’s subordinates panicked.

The others quickly realized something was wrong too.

The forest around them had completely changed.

The paths no longer made sense.

Trees seemed to repeat endlessly.

No matter where they looked, everything appeared unfamiliar.

Everyone except Shen Tian had lost their sense of direction.

"...An illusion," Shen Tian muttered quietly under his breath.

Bai Xue heard him immediately.

She quickly turned toward her nervous subordinates.

"Everyone, calm down!"

Her cold voice instantly stabilized the group.

"Just follow Young Master Shen."

Hearing her confidence, the subordinates forced themselves to calm down and obeyed.

Shen Tian quietly circulated his Qi.

A faint, invisible thread seemed to guide him through the illusion like a compass.

One step.

Then another.

Soon enough...

The scenery suddenly changed again.

The illusion shattered completely.

The group finally emerged into a quiet clearing deep within the mountain forest.

At the center stood a small wooden house.

Beside it was an old stone well.

And sitting calmly on a rocking chair outside the home...

Was the old master.

The rocking chair slowly creaked back and forth.

"To actually escape my illusion..." the old master said calmly.

Then slowly...

He stopped rocking.

"Who are you? And what do you want?"

Shen Tian smirked slightly.

"I’m here for Ye Chen."

His tone remained completely casual.

"So if you could kindly hand him over, that’d be great."

The old master remained silent for a moment.

Then the atmosphere around the entire mountain subtly changed.

"You..." the old master muttered slowly.

"You are the one who injured my disciple."

Shen Tian shrugged casually.

"Guilty as charged."

The old master slowly stood up from his rocking chair.

The moment his feet touched the ground...

BOOM!

An overwhelming wave of Qi exploded outward from his body like a storm.

The air itself became heavy.

Trees violently shook.

The ground cracked under the pressure.

Bai Xue and all of her subordinates instantly collapsed to their knees.

"UGH!"

Their faces turned pale as they struggled just to breathe.

Some of them even felt blood rising in their throats.

Only Shen Tian remained standing calmly.

Not even his clothes moved.

A small smile appeared on his face.

[Thank you, System...]

[No problem, Host.]

[This is a free protection reward for all your hard work!]

Shen Tian chuckled inwardly.

[And here I thought you were gonna screw me over one day.]

Bai Xue couldn’t even hear his inner voice anymore.

The pressure surrounding the area was disrupting all of her senses.

At the same time, the old master’s expression subtly changed.

"...Interesting."

He could clearly sense that everyone else was struggling.

Yet Shen Tian stood perfectly fine.

As if the pressure simply didn’t affect him at all.

The old master spoke slowly again.

"I will ask one more time. What is your name?"

Shen Tian calmly put his hands into his pockets.

"I am Shen Tian. The young master of the Shen Family."

His expression remained relaxed.

"And I’m here because your disciple is honestly a huge pain in the neck."

Then Shen Tian shrugged casually.

"If you calm down, I can explain everything."

Silence filled the mountain clearing for a moment.

The overwhelming pressure disappeared completely.

Everyone behind Shen Tian immediately gasped for air.

The old master slowly sat back down onto his rocking chair.

"...Go on."

-----------------------

(Author Note: IMPORTANT!)

JUNE SPECIAL EVENT!!!

If we can push Golden Tickets and Power Stones past 1,000, there’ll be a HUGE surprise for all readers at the end of the month!

Super Gifts will also help push us toward the goal as well!

Thank you all for the insane support!