By the time Evan Chu hurried back, Faye Knox was nowhere to be seen. Aside from the mess left behind by their fierce battle, the riverside was completely deserted.
Where did that girl run off to? The Land of the Undead is huge—trying to track her down again is going to be a pain. Just like that, I missed another chance, wasted for nothing." Evan Chu muttered, staring at the empty surroundings, frustration clear in his voice.
He shot up into the sky, heading off in another direction. After flying for a while, a sudden surge of violent energy rippled through the air—a sure sign of experts fighting. Evan Chu immediately steadied himself and looked toward the source of the disturbance.
Could it be Faye Knox battling some monster over there? I have to check it out—maybe I can help, and who knows, I might even get my hands on the Netherghost Violet Orchid!" Evan Chu whispered to himself, hope flickering in his eyes.
Without hesitation, he sped toward the source of the energy. In the blink of an eye, Evan Chu arrived at the scene, but instead of revealing himself, he quietly concealed his presence.
His guess was spot-on. This was a canyon, its peaks piercing the clouds on both sides. Right now, Faye Knox was locked in a fierce duel with a middle-aged man. The fight was so intense that parts of the cliffs had already collapsed, and huge boulders had tumbled down, blocking the way.
"Not bad, little lady. To be able to fight me to a standstill is something to be proud of. And you look pretty good, too. Out of the kindness of my heart, I'll give you a chance to live—as long as you agree to be my woman, I'll let you go. What do you say?" the middle-aged man sneered.
Evan Chu grimaced at the words. Old pervert chasing after young girls—classic! This creep actually said that out loud, no shame at all. No doubt Faye Knox is about to go berserk.
Sure enough, Faye Knox snapped, "You should take a good look at yourself before spouting nonsense like that. You think someone like you deserves me? Dream on! Taste my sword!"
As soon as she finished, Faye Knox's longsword whipped up a dazzling arc, unleashing a fierce wave of sword-qi straight at her opponent. Evan Chu could tell at a glance—it was the same sword-qi attack she'd used against him, and its power was formidable.
The middle-aged man's face showed a hint of amusement. "So you're a spicy one, huh? Striking so fiercely—let me show you what real power looks like, or you'll never learn to respect a true man."
Suddenly, a glowing white orb appeared in the man's hand. The space around him began to tremble violently. Even from a distance, Evan Chu could sense the terrifying energy radiating from the orb—if it hit Faye Knox, she'd be in serious trouble.
The glowing orb shot out, colliding with Faye Knox's sword-qi attack. "Boom!" The ground in front of them instantly caved in, and the canyon walls began to rumble as massive boulders crashed down, filling the valley with thunderous noise.
Faye Knox was blasted dozens of meters away by the man's strike, black blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Her face turned pale—clearly, his attack was even stronger than hers, and she'd suffered internal injuries.
The middle-aged man, on the other hand, was barely affected—his clothes were torn in a few places, but he wasn't hurt at all. He stood there, staring at Faye Knox as if admiring a work of art, his eyes burning with desire.
Evan Chu's hiding spot was no longer safe—the avalanche of boulders had already buried where he'd been concealed, forcing him to fly up into the open and reveal himself.
Evan Chu's sudden appearance startled both combatants, especially the middle-aged man, who was shocked. Evan had been hiding so well that even he hadn't noticed—an extremely rare feat.
"Evan, this guy is no ordinary opponent. His strength might even surpass that Tyrant Earthwyrm you faced before. Be careful—right now, your Chaos Dragon Force can only support one more Heaven-Cleave. Unless it's an emergency, don't use it yet," Luna warned.
"Luna, what exactly is this guy? He doesn't look human to me. Is he one of the monsters here—a beast that can take on human form?" Evan Chu asked.
"That's right. This should be a Nether Viper, and it's a strange one—it's not just a Netherbeast, but a hybrid of magical beast and Netherbeast. Its power reached Ninth Layer of the Saint Martial Realm long ago. If it manages to absorb enough Starstones, I bet it'll soon break through to the Venerable Martial Realm," Luna replied.
"That strong? Looks like I came at the wrong time. I thought I was here to help Faye Knox, but now it seems I might lose my own life. Doesn't it absorb energy from Phantasite? Why does it need Starstones instead?" Evan Chu asked, confused by Luna's explanation.
"Are you really that dense? Since when do magical beasts absorb Phantasite energy? If you hadn't shown up, this Nether Yin Constitution girl would've been killed by that monster—and you'd regret it forever. Don't act like you're doing anyone a favor," Luna snapped.
At that moment, Faye Knox glanced at Evan Chu and asked, "Hey, thief, what are you doing here? This thing is way too strong—hurry up and run!"
Evan Chu grinned, "Aw, my dear wife, you’re actually worried about your husband’s safety! Guess I do have a place in your heart. Just for that, I’ll slice this guy to pieces—anyone who bullies my woman is asking for death!"
The middle-aged man shot Evan Chu a glare and barked, "Where’d this punk come from, daring to meddle in my business? Since you want to play hero, I’ll kill you first!"
"Old man, you think I’m scared of you? A mere viper dares to act up in front of me—what a joke! You’ll be joining the Tyrant Earthwyrm soon. Don’t pretend you haven’t heard it’s already dead," Evan Chu taunted.
The middle-aged man froze, staring at Evan Chu in shock. "You killed the Tyrant Earthwyrm? You have the strength to take down that monster?"
Admitting that might sound weak, but he couldn’t help it. The Tyrant Earthwyrm was a monster on his level—massive and terrifying. He’d fought it countless times and never won, yet this kid claimed to have killed it. This was no small matter.
He’d just seen the Tyrant Earthwyrm’s corpse recently, and the Phantasite had been taken. So the kid was telling the truth. If he could kill that beast, his power must be terrifying. I’d better be careful—maybe even run for it if needed, since that girl’s no pushover either.
"Getting scared, old man? If you’re afraid, get lost now and maybe I’ll spare your sorry life. Otherwise, I’ll take your viper gall and soak it in wine," Evan Chu mocked.
Faye Knox looked at Evan Chu, full of confusion. She had no idea what he was talking about—what was this Tyrant Earthwyrm anyway? But seeing the fear on the middle-aged man's face, she found Evan even more mysterious.
"Don’t get cocky, kid. That dumb Tyrant Earthwyrm is nothing compared to me! Today I’ll show you what real power is—let’s see if you can back up all that talk!" the middle-aged man roared.
He conjured another white energy orb in his hand, but Evan Chu just smirked, "If you don’t revert to your true form, you’re not even worth a single move from me. That little bit of energy isn’t enough to make me go all out—you’re underestimating me!"
Evan Chu flashed forward, appearing right in front of him, swinging the Frostbane Sword in a swift arc. This strike was Soul Rend—not much physical damage, but devastating to the soul. Maybe it would trigger some unexpected effect.
The middle-aged man's eyes widened in disbelief as Evan Chu closed the distance in an instant. That speed—he’d never seen anything like it. Now he was certain this kid was no ordinary foe.
The energy orb blasted toward Evan Chu. He’d seen its destructive power before—stronger than his own Heaven-Cleave. No way was he going to take it head-on. He’d hoped Soul Rend would catch his foe off guard, but now he had to dodge.
Evan Chu’s speed was ridiculous. At the last split second, he reappeared dozens of meters away and shot the middle-aged man a grin. "That’s all you’ve got? You think you can hurt me with that? Guess it’s time you learned what real power looks like."
Suddenly, Evan Chu erupted with the kingly aura of Dominion Slash. The raw power wasn’t huge, but the momentum was terrifying—most people would be scared stiff by that aura. Even this viper, disguised as a man, felt a chill of fear despite his strength.
The viper instantly retreated. With a flash of white light, its true form appeared—a colossal, pitch-black serpent, easily a hundred meters long and at least two meters thick, looming before Evan Chu and Faye Knox.
"Old man, I thought you’d never transform! Come on, let’s see whose Phantasite core is bigger—yours or the Tyrant Earthwyrm’s!" Evan Chu called out, though inside he cursed himself. By forcing it to reveal its true body, he’d made things much harder—its defense and attack were way stronger now.
Evan Chu instantly flashed to Faye Knox’s side. "I know you’ve got a ton of questions, but now’s not the time. We have to team up if we want to kill this thing. Now that it’s in its true form, it’s even tougher—you’ll have to go all out."
Faye Knox shot him a frustrated look. "You just had to be clever. If it stayed human, I could’ve used my finishing move to seriously injure it. Now with a body this huge, where am I supposed to aim?"
"Every true form has a weak spot. Find it and we can kill it. Honestly, I came back because I was worried about you. You’re gorgeous—and I like you!" Evan Chu said.
Faye Knox couldn’t help but feel pleased, though she shot back, "Smooth talker! Who says I want you to like me? Survive first, then we’ll talk!"
The viper glared at them and snarled, "Are you done yet? Let me send you both to your graves!" Its voice was so raspy and grating, it made Evan Chu and Faye Knox feel like ants crawling on their skin—utterly unbearable.
Then the viper opened its jaws and spat out a massive white energy orb, launching it right at Evan Chu and Faye Knox.