Linus Fenn gripped the Divine Wind Spear, blocking the Limitless Spear. Every clash sent a jolt through his hand, leaving it numb, and he cursed inwardly, "Damn it, how does this kid have such monstrous strength?"
Evan Yang was only a first-tier Immortal Lord, but his strength-magnifying arts could boost his power tens of thousands of times. So even at Immortal Lord level, he could unleash at least the force of a seventh-tier Emperor, and sometimes even rival an eighth-tier. That was why Linus Fenn, a seventh-tier Emperor, couldn’t withstand Evan’s relentless assault.
Aside from that, most people were fixated on Evan’s Limitless Spear—what exactly was this weapon, and how could it possess such terrifying power?
Just as everyone wondered what would happen to Linus next, the Limitless Spear suddenly erupted in flames, engulfing Linus Fenn. “Ah!” Linus screamed in agony, and even the Divine Wind Spear in his hands trembled violently.
The spectators were stunned—Evan’s artifact could actually rival the Divine Wind Spear, matching its attribute synergy.
The Alliance Leader’s eyes lit up and he laughed, “Patriarch Yang, it seems Evan’s artifact is no worse than the Divine Wind Spear.”
"I didn’t expect this either," Ming Yang replied calmly. Patriarch Fenn couldn’t help himself, “Patriarch Yang, do you mean you don’t even know what kind of spear this is?”
“Of course I don’t know,” Ming Yang answered.
Ming Yang’s words made the other patriarchs and the Alliance Leader even more curious about Evan’s spear and its true origin.
Not just the big shots—even the other spectators were curious. When Linus Fenn appeared before everyone again, he was unrecognizable, his whole body covered in wounds, the scent of burnt flesh wafting across the arena.
The Divine Wind Spear was stabbed into the ground, and Linus Fenn, unwilling to accept defeat, gripped it tightly and stared at Evan. "You—"
"Are you conceding?" Evan saw that the surrounding barriers had been withdrawn, so he asked.
"Concede? You think I’d do that?" Linus glared at Evan, and under everyone’s gaze, a sudden gust of wind whipped up around him. The crowd’s eyes lit up—did Linus have a hidden trump card?
Evan noticed the wind power suddenly intensify. Linus’s form became hazy, and then, shockingly, he fused with the Divine Wind Spear. A phantom appeared outside the spear, while the spear itself was inside the phantom, standing there like a formidable weapon.
“Evan Yang, today I’ll show you my human-spear unity technique.” Linus snorted coldly.
The spectators were shocked—achieving artifact unity, especially with a high-grade weapon, wasn’t easy. Yet Linus had done it, proving his perfect resonance with the Divine Wind Spear. This was far more than just one plus one.
Everyone realized Evan was now in danger. If he’d held the advantage before, things were much less certain now.
The crowd stared wide-eyed. Lydia Yang said, “This isn’t good. Evan’s only at Immortal Lord level—he can’t possibly achieve human-spear unity with his artifact.”
“Exactly. Human-spear unity requires at least seventh-tier Emperor strength, plus perfect coordination with the artifact. But Evan—” the Wine Beggar said worriedly.
Not only the Wine Beggar and Lydia Yang, but everyone who cared about Evan showed concern.
Patriarch Fenn laughed, "Patriarch Yang, does your Evan also know human-spear unity?"
"Human-spear unity doesn’t necessarily mean victory," Ming Yang replied calmly.
The Alliance Leader added, "That’s right. Human-spear unity greatly boosts power, but if the unity form takes a heavy hit, both the spear and the wielder will suffer severe backlash."
Evan listened to their conversation, mentally planning how to defeat his opponent.
On the arena, Linus Fenn charged forward like a wind spear, giving Evan no chance to dodge.
Evan knew brute force wouldn’t work against Linus’s human-spear unity; only technique could. Suddenly, several identical Evan figures appeared, each exactly like him.
The spectators were stunned—was this a clone technique? But why did every Evan clone look so real, with identical movements and expressions?
Linus stopped his attack, frowned at the clones, and said, "Evan, what kind of trick is this? Do you really think I can’t destroy you this way?"
"Is that so? Then come and try," Evan said with a smile.
All the clones wore the same expression and spoke in the same tone, but Linus assumed not all could be powerful—most must be illusions. He snorted, "Then I’ll destroy these clones first. I don’t believe none of them are you."
Linus swung his spear and attacked the nearest Evan, but as he reached him, the clone vanished. The remaining Evans all moved simultaneously, attacking with flames erupting across the arena. Linus found it hard to breathe from the heat and quickly turned his spear to strike another Evan.
But when he arrived, that Evan clone disappeared again, infuriating Linus as he flew around the arena, letting the flames burn unchecked.
The spectators wanted to curse—was Evan just messing with Linus?
Patriarch Fenn’s face was no better. "Patriarch Yang, this is cheating."
"Cheating?" Ming Yang asked.
"Isn’t this cheating?" Patriarch Fenn pointed at Evan teasing Linus in the arena, as if his strength was being used elsewhere.
"If this is cheating, then what counts as a competition?" Ming Yang asked.
Patriarch Fenn was so angry he wanted to intervene, but the Alliance Leader spoke up, "This is skill—well done. If I’m not mistaken, Evan is also using some formation techniques."
"Formation techniques?" Patriarch Fenn asked in surprise, and the other Alliance Leaders looked on with curiosity.
"That’s right. You can’t see it, but I can. This is a drawn formation, fused with his clones to allow free transformation—truly a genius." Seeing Evan use formation arts and other techniques, the Alliance Leader couldn’t help but praise him.
The four patriarchs knew the Alliance Leader was powerful, so it was no surprise he could see through things. Still, they were shocked—what kind of drawn formation could be so subtle that none of them could recognize it?
Evan was surprised the young Alliance Leader could see through his tricks, but he was nearly finished. Linus, seeing the last Evan, lost all reason and, mistaking it for the real one, charged with full speed and power. The crowd witnessed a tragedy.
Boom! With a loud crash, Linus slammed into a mountain Evan had created, embedding himself in it. Though the mountain was hard, Linus was badly injured—separated from his spear, bleeding from the head, only able to gasp, "You, you—"
"Concede," Evan said, moving the mountain and bringing Linus outside. The match was over, and Evan’s power was clear—no one below seventh-tier Emperor dared underestimate him now.
Yang Tian and the others watching felt chills—Evan was terrifying, having changed so much in just a few years.
The Alliance Leader stood and smiled, "This year’s batch is truly full of geniuses."
Elder Lu walked over, "Evan Yang of the Yang Family has won."
"Good. Now, the eight contestants and four patriarchs, come with me," the Alliance Leader said after Elder Lu’s announcement.
Everyone was curious why the Alliance Leader wanted to meet the four patriarchs and eight contestants. The others could only wait for their return to find out what was happening.
The twelve followed the Alliance Leader to a grand hall, heavily guarded outside. Once inside, Evan and the others felt as if they’d entered another space, completely isolated from the outside world.
The Alliance Leader said to the twelve, "Sit down."
Evan Yang and Yang Tian naturally followed Ming Yang, while the others did likewise. Linus Fenn was still badly injured, supported by another Fenn Family member.
After everyone sat, the Alliance Leader said, "The four patriarchs already know, but for you eight, I’ll explain briefly."
Evan Yang knew this was about the Devil Realm trip, while the other seven were curious about what was happening.
Seeing the eight looking at him, the Alliance Leader said, "This competition has another purpose: to choose one person to lead the eight in a mission. This mission is very important. If any of you object, now is the time to speak."
"A mission?" the other seven asked in surprise.
"That’s right. The mission is to go to the Devil Realm. After completion, your performance will determine your positions in the Immortal Realm Alliance. Consider carefully," the Alliance Leader said.
The seven were delighted at the chance to join the Immortal Realm Alliance, knowing it was an opportunity to become core members and gain access to legendary secrets.
So the seven immediately agreed. When it was Evan Yang’s turn, the Alliance Leader said, "You took first place, so you should lead. What do you think?"
Evan Yang replied, "Alliance Leader, thank you for your favor, but I have other matters. I won’t participate in this mission."
Although others saw this as Evan Yang’s first refusal, he knew it was his third.
Everyone looked at Evan Yang strangely—why would he refuse such a good opportunity, especially as the first-place leader?
The hall fell silent as everyone waited to see how the Alliance Leader would respond.
The Alliance Leader pondered for a moment, then smiled, "No rush. There’s still a hundred years. I’m just letting you know now—when the time comes, I’ll notify the four patriarchs, and you can return then."