The pain in his body was becoming more and more obvious. Even with Evan Chu's iron will, it was hard to bear. A hint of panic crept into his heart, as if something had suddenly come to mind.
"A curse? The Yin–Yang Demon Empress is a cursed one—how is that even possible?" Evan was shocked, unable to believe it.
Back when he first cultivated the Icefire Eye, Evan remembered clearly: if you encounter someone cursed, using Icefire Eye will weaken your own strength and inflict painful backlash. Now it had come true—he really was suffering the consequences. Looks like he’d better avoid using Icefire Eye in the future.
But what was done was done—regret was pointless now. Evan had suffered a heavy blow, but he’d also managed to stop the Yin–Yang Demon Empress from attacking Sect Master Treasureforge, giving him the chance to escape safely from the army.
Evan collapsed to the ground and couldn’t get up—not because he didn’t want to, but because his whole body felt powerless, as if he’d been torn apart, the pain almost unbearable. He knew the Yin–Yang Demon Empress definitely wouldn’t let him go; he had to find a way out.
If he could just get away, maybe he could use Earthshift to burrow straight into the ground, or activate Light Transformation and slip away invisible. But right now, he realized his Chaos Immortal Force was locked down—he couldn’t use it at all. The shock made cold sweat break out all over his body.
A sense of crisis welled up in Evan’s heart. He couldn’t just sit and wait to die, but he was also powerless—almost no one ever experiences this kind of feeling. Only those who’ve truly been through it can understand what it means to be utterly isolated and helpless, what it means to wish for death.
Just then, Sect Master Treasureforge unleashed another talisman attack—his very last one. In this Immortal–Demon War, he’d killed nearly a million demonic soldiers single-handed, but also tens of thousands of Immortal soldiers who were caught in the blast radius.
The Yin–Yang Demon Empress slowly climbed up, the two massive holes in Selena’s body gradually healing. Her breathtakingly beautiful face was pale now, but she threw her head back and laughed—wild, triumphant laughter echoing across the battlefield.
“Hahahaha! Heaven really does favor me! I never expected someone in the Immortal Realm would dare use Icefire Eye. But I am the natural nemesis of anyone who uses Icefire Eye! Evan Chu, this time you’re dead for sure! Your body will be mine!” the Yin–Yang Demon Empress roared with laughter.
Evan was some distance away, but he heard every word clearly. His heart skipped a beat—he hadn’t expected this guy to know about Icefire Eye. Clearly, he couldn’t afford to underestimate him.
After unleashing his final talisman, Sect Master Treasureforge didn’t linger. He quickly retreated back toward the Immortal army. He hadn’t expected to inflict such heavy damage on the demon forces so smoothly—maybe Treasureforge Sect would end up killing more demonic troops than any other sect.
The thought of this honor made his heart race with excitement. Within a few breaths, he’d left the demon army’s range. Naturally, the Yin–Yang Demon Empress noticed Sect Master Treasureforge’s escape. “You old bastard, I’ll let you live a few days longer. Once I seize this guy’s body, I’ll come for you!” she sneered.
The Yin–Yang Demon Empress began walking slowly toward Evan. Right now, Evan couldn’t move at all—he could only watch helplessly as she approached. He didn’t understand why he was in this state. He knew Icefire Eye would weaken him against a cursed opponent, but this total paralysis was something else.
But to be completely immobilized, unable even to use Chaos Immortal Force—that was bizarre. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on it, though, because the Yin–Yang Demon Empress was already right in front of him.
“Hahahaha, how does it feel, kid? Hurts like hell all over, doesn’t it? But you can’t use your Immortal Spirit Force at all, can you? Bet you never thought I’d be a cursed one! My curse is innate, and this time you’re dead for sure,” the Yin–Yang Demon Empress taunted.
"Innate? What do you mean by that? I really didn’t expect it—maybe this is just my destined tribulation. But you think you can seize my body? Not so easy!" Evan retorted.
“Still mouthing off at death’s door? I was born from the hidden miasma of heaven and earth, cursed by countless souls. That’s why I can’t ascend to the upper Demonic Realm. But as long as I seize a powerful body, maybe everything will change.
And you’re the perfect candidate for me to change everything. Kid, you should be honored to become me. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for using Icefire Eye against me!” The Yin–Yang Demon Empress laughed, no longer seeing Evan as a threat.
Evan had felt a flicker of panic earlier, but now it was gone. He glanced at the Yin–Yang Demon Empress and said, “Maybe I really can’t escape you today. But there’s one thing I don’t get—if you seize my body, what happens to my soul? Are you saying you can actually erase my soul?”
"Your soul will obviously be erased by me, kid. I won’t give you the slightest chance to survive, so don’t bother struggling!" the Yin–Yang Demon Empress laughed.
Evan’s heart lurched. If that was true, then Selena’s soul must have been wiped out by this monster too. Without a soul, no matter how strong he was, there’d be no way to save her.
Looks like your current body is a beautiful woman—did you erase her soul too? You really are ruthless—even someone as beautiful as Selena wasn’t spared." Evan said, probing to see if Selena’s soul had really been destroyed.
"Why are you still worried about anyone else right now? You think you have that luxury? Even if I handed you Selena’s body, it’d be useless—her soul was destroyed long ago. She’s dead beyond dead." The Yin–Yang Demon Empress laughed, and a white light appeared in her hand.
Hearing this, Evan’s heart twisted in agony. He spat a mouthful of golden blood. If Dream Princess Meng Ji really was gone, then no matter how many times the Yin–Yang Demon Empress died, it would never erase the hatred in his heart.
The Yin–Yang Demon Empress paused, puzzled by Evan’s reaction. Why was he coughing blood—and golden blood at that? It was bizarre. Did he have some connection to this woman? It didn’t make sense.
The battle raged on. Explosions and cries of pain filled the battlefield. The Yin–Yang Demon Empress knew time was precious—if anyone came to rescue Evan, all her efforts would be wasted. The backlash from Icefire Eye would only last half an hour; after that, Evan would recover and be able to move again.
By then, seizing his body would be much harder. So now was the perfect moment. With that, a beam of white light shot from her hand straight at Evan…