Titus Skyflood looked at Evan Yang and sneered, "He sure runs fast."
"Your target is me. Leave others out of this," Evan Yang said.
"What a noble sentiment—leave others out of it. Do you realize? By coming here, you've walked right into my trap," said Titus Skyflood.
"Walked into your trap? I don't quite get what you mean, Titus Skyflood," Evan replied.
"It means that because of the magnetic field here, you can't use any spatial treasures to teleport. So today, let's see how you escape!" Titus Skyflood laughed.
Evan Yang chuckled. "Do you really think that's enough to trap me?"
"Isn't it? Or do you think that guy who just left can handle me? Those pathetic forests of his—I can force my way through them anytime," Titus Skyflood laughed.
Hearing this, Evan couldn't help but admire Titus Skyflood's strength. At least, without using treasures, it really would be hard to break through by force alone.
"I know I'm no match for Titus Skyflood's power, but that doesn't mean you can definitely control me. If you don't believe it, let's try it out," Evan said with a smile.
"Fine, let's try. Here, I don't believe you can escape," Titus Skyflood snorted. Evan just smiled, then suddenly split into a bunch of clones, each fleeing in a different direction.
Titus Skyflood furrowed his brows. Evan Yang's clones all looked exactly like the real deal, making it tough for Titus to pick out the genuine one. Still, he unleashed his signature demonic attack—spreading his hands wide, ten fingers slashing through the air, each swipe unleashing a barrage of attacks across the space.
Those attacks blasted out in every direction Evan had just tried to escape toward.
All the clones that weren't Evan's real body were wiped out instantly, vanishing under the attacks. Only the true Evan managed to dodge. Titus Skyflood sneered, "Still trying to run?" Then he charged straight for the real Evan.
Evan hadn't expected Titus Skyflood to be so terrifying and sped up to escape. Bastor followed behind, manipulating the willow forest around them to help.
But the willows barely slowed Titus Skyflood down. With his speed, he easily dodged everything, so Evan only managed to keep a bit of distance between them.
Bastor knew that was the only way to stop Titus Skyflood from catching up. Otherwise, with Titus's speed, they'd be finished.
After a while, Titus Skyflood snorted coldly, "You hiding in the shadows—if you keep helping him, I'll deal with you too!"
Bastor ignored him and kept controlling the willows to block Titus's path. Evan knew Bastor's goal—his only hope was to shake off Titus Skyflood, who was just too powerful. 'This guy really isn't simple. Back then, it took who knows how many Immortal Sovereigns to seal him,' Evan thought.
Titus Skyflood didn't know what Evan was thinking. All he knew was, as long as Evan lived, his rage would never fade. He had to catch him—no way he'd let Evan escape. Furious, he let his aura explode, shaking the area. Bit by bit, he started to sense Bastor's presence. "Hmph, you think you can hide? Let's see where you run!" Titus locked on, swung his hand, and five claws ripped through space, striking right at the hidden Bastor.
Bastor was shocked, stumbling back, but he couldn't dodge in time and got hit, taking some injuries. Seeing Bastor hurt, Evan couldn't just abandon him—he stopped and shouted at Titus Skyflood, "Your target is me. Let him go!"
"Didn't expect you to care about him. Fine, I'm not interested in him anyway—you're the only one I want. Stop running. I'll give you a chance: if you face me head-on without running, I'll let him go," Titus Skyflood said with a grin.
Evan thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."
Bastor was stunned by their exchange. If Evan fought Titus head-on, he'd definitely lose—and lose badly.
"You've got guts. Come on then." Titus Skyflood waved his hand, and all the willows around them collapsed.
"If that's how it is, I guess I've got no choice. Bring it on," Evan said.
Titus Skyflood stared at Evan and waved his hand, launching an attack. Evan knew he had to find the right moment to strike back with everything he had. Win or lose, he'd have to retreat immediately.
Titus Skyflood had no idea what Evan was planning—he was just toying with him, slashing left and right. Evan dodged frantically; with Titus's speed, there was no way he could take a direct hit unless he got a lot stronger. "So? Ready to surrender? Beg for mercy and maybe I'll spare your life," Titus sneered.
"Spare my life? I've always relied on myself to survive—never begged anyone," Evan shot back.
"Then today you'll make an exception," Titus Skyflood sneered as he kept pressing. Evan tangled with him, but secretly sent a message to Bastor: "Bastor, is there any hidden place around here where he can't find us?"
"There is, but it's a dangerous spot. Even I can't guarantee we'll get in and out safely," Bastor replied telepathically.
"Doesn't matter. Better than being tortured by him. You lead the way—I'll hit him with everything I've got, then we make a break for it," Evan replied.
"Alright," Bastor answered.
With that, Bastor started getting ready, while Evan drew his massive greatsword.
The moment he gripped the greatsword, it felt different—the aura was overwhelming. Titus Skyflood's eyes narrowed as he recognized something extraordinary. "Where'd you get that thing?"
"I picked it up," Evan replied bluntly.
"Picked it up? Don't be ridiculous—you think I'm a three-year-old? That's the long-lost Soulreaver Godblade, a legendary artifact," Titus Skyflood said greedily.
"Artifact? Soulreaver Godblade?" Evan echoed, suspicious.
"What, you don't even know what you're holding?" Titus Skyflood sneered.
Evan stared curiously at Titus Skyflood—how did this guy know everything, even about a weapon its own wielder didn't understand? That just made Evan even more curious. Titus noticed Evan's look and snorted, "What are you looking at? Don't tell me you don't even know your own weapon?"
"Nope, but now that you told me, at least I know its name. Thanks for that," Evan said with a grin.
"Looks like you really don't know, but I do. Why not just hand it over? Maybe if I'm in a good mood, I'll let you live," Titus Skyflood chuckled.
"I don't believe you'd actually let me go. So why don't you see for yourself what this artifact can do?" Evan said.
Titus Skyflood eyed Evan and the godblade warily. If this really was the Soulreaver Godblade, its power would be terrifying, so he started to hesitate.
Evan noticed Titus's hesitation and realized the sword had put him on edge—that's why he hadn't attacked yet.
Evan gathered his strength into the godblade and slashed down at Titus Skyflood. Titus was shocked and quickly retreated, but still got caught by the aftershock. Evan seized the chance to escape.
Titus Skyflood staggered back a few steps, blocking the aftershock, and found Evan already gone. With his senses disrupted by the sword, he could only search frantically, cursing, "I can't let him escape! Damn it, that ancient sword will be mine!"
Right now, Titus Skyflood cared more about Evan's sword than Evan's life.
Evan was feeling weak now, and Bastor helped him escape the battlefield. "Did we lose him?" Evan asked worriedly.
"We should be safe for now, but who knows if he'll find us here," Bastor said.
"Either way, let's hurry to that place you mentioned. If he really comes, I won't be able to handle him—my last attack drained all my strength, and I still couldn't lock onto him. It's not that the godblade isn't strong enough, it's that I can't bring out its full power yet," Evan admitted.
Bastor was still shaken by what he'd just seen—he never expected Evan's sword to be so powerful.
With Bastor leading the way, the two of them reached a canyon. Bastor pointed down and said, "Down there—that's the forbidden zone."
"I've been to this forbidden ground a few times, but every time I barely made it out alive. That's why I'm more and more afraid to go down," Bastor said.
"Alright, let's rest for a bit, then head down," Evan said.
"Okay." Bastor nodded, and the two of them rested nearby.
Meanwhile, Titus Skyflood was searching everywhere for Evan, tearing up the willow forest in the process. When he finally found their trail, three days had passed and Evan had pretty much recovered.
As the master of the willow forest, Bastor sensed Titus Skyflood approaching. He turned to Evan and said, "He's here."
"Yeah? Good timing—I'm almost back to full strength too," Evan replied.
When Titus Skyflood saw Evan and Bastor standing at the edge of the cliff, he sneered, "What, not running anymore?"
"You're pretty quick—found us already," Evan said with a smile.
"Hmph, I've been to Deadwillow City a few times. There are only a handful of really dangerous spots, so I figured Bastor would take you to one of them. I checked each, and finally found you here. You two are pretty smart—choosing the most dangerous place," Titus Skyflood said with a laugh.
"The most dangerous place, huh? Perfect. I wonder if Titus Skyflood dares to go down and check it out with me," Evan said, smiling.
Titus Skyflood frowned. "You really don't care about your life?"
"I do want to live, but in front of you, this is the only path left. Isn't that right, Titus Skyflood?" Evan said with a smile.
"If you've got the guts, jump. Honestly, even I can't guarantee I'd make it out in one piece down there," Titus Skyflood threatened, seeing Evan about to jump—which would mean losing the artifact too.