Evan strolled over with a grin. "Serena, what are you so lost in thought about?" Serena Frost turned around, and when she saw Evan staring straight at her, her cheeks flushed a little. "When did you get back? You always show up out of nowhere and scare me half to death, you know?"
Evan chuckled, "So even the mighty Serena Frost gets scared sometimes? That's a rare sight! What were you thinking about just now?"
"Nothing much. Aren't you supposed to be absorbing Immortal Essence and trying to break through your realm? Why'd you come looking for me? Do you have some question you need me to answer?" Serena asked.
Evan thought for a moment, then said, "After breaking through to Da Luo Golden Immortal, did your Immortal Essence change at all? I feel like it's a hundred times stronger than when I was just a Golden Immortal."
Serena Frost looked at Evan, a little confused. "Why are you asking about that? You'll figure it out once your realm is high enough. Or did something weird happen to you?"
"Yeah, something's a little different. I feel like my Immortal Essence is starting to turn liquid. You used to be a Ninth-Heaven Arch-Immortal, so you definitely know more than me. That's why I'm asking—I'm totally new to the Immortal Realm and have no clue how things work here." Evan said, though he didn't mention that his Chaos Immortal Force had already completely turned into a thick liquid.
But hearing this, Serena Frost couldn't help feeling a bit unsettled. She was so shocked that, if she had her physical body back, Evan would have clearly seen the stunned expression on her face. Even so, Evan could sense something was up.
"You're telling me your Immortal Essence is actually turning liquid? You're not messing with me, are you?" Serena asked, utterly shocked.
"No joke. I really don't know what's going on, that's why I'm asking you. Why do you look so shocked?" Evan replied, acting casual, but inside he was sure this was way out of the ordinary.
"Only after reaching Ninth-Heaven Arch-Immortal does the Immortal Essence in your dantian start to change, slowly turning liquid. Liquid Immortal Essence is insanely powerful. If you're already showing signs of this, it means you have the strength of a Ninth-Heaven Arch-Immortal. But right now you're only at late Da Luo Golden Immortal—do you get what that means? Only true monsters ever show something like this." Serena said seriously.
Evan was also a bit stunned. He hadn't expected to already have Ninth-Heaven Arch-Immortal-level strength. But now, with his Chaos Immortal Force nearly turning solid, did that mean he was even stronger? "If it's about to solidify, what realm would that be? Would it be Immortal Lord-level?" he wondered.
"Pretty much. In theory, if you reach that state, you could unleash Immortal Lord-level power. But since your cultivation realm is so much lower, your attacks would be way weaker than a real Immortal Lord. Honestly, this kind of thing has never happened in the Immortal Realm before."
"Just showing signs of Ninth-Heaven Arch-Immortal-level power at the early stage is already heaven-defying. Once you break through to Ninth-Heaven Arch-Immortal, your strength will skyrocket. Only those who reach Ninth-Heaven Arch-Immortal are considered true powerhouses in the Immortal Realm. Da Luo Golden Immortals can only establish themselves in remote towns and might become local bullies at best." Serena Frost explained.
At that moment, Serena herself didn't understand why she was saying so much to him. Her usual icy demeanor seemed to have no effect on Evan, which left her feeling both frustrated and, strangely enough, kind of happy.
Evan finally understood his current situation. He hadn't realized he was already this strong—his power was comparable to an Immortal Lord. Though he wasn't sure if it was early or mid-stage, one thing was certain: if he faced a Ninth-Heaven Arch-Immortal, he could definitely kill them. Now, he actually had some real security in the Immortal Realm, all thanks to the heaven-defying Timewheel Bracelet and the spirit in the Immortal Crystal.
"Do you want to restore your body? I can help you. If you feel awkward, I can just cover my eyes or something. You know Luna already got her body back and returned to Solarion Palace—are you really planning to stay inside the Timewheel Bracelet forever?" Evan asked.
Serena looked troubled. She'd dreamed of restoring her body, but inside the Timewheel Bracelet there was only five-element power. What she needed was wind and thunder elements to fully recover, so for now she remained half-illusory, half-corporeal.
"But to restore my body, I need powerful wind and thunder elements. Those are extremely rare—most people can't even find them. Can you really make wind and thunder elements appear?" Serena Frost asked, surprised.
"If you're willing, there's nothing I can't do. The real question is, are you sure about this? I'm just worried that once you recover, you'll get mad at me—and honestly, I can't take a hit from a Ninth-Heaven Arch-Immortal!" Evan laughed.
Serena understood exactly what Evan meant—restoring her body would mean appearing completely naked before him. In her world, only the man she truly loved could see her like that; anyone else would have to be killed.
As for how Serena felt about Evan, even she wasn't sure. She didn't dislike him, but she also felt a bit of resistance. What interested her most were his secrets and terrifying talent, which left her feeling conflicted.
Evan had brought this up before, and Serena had thought about it for a long time, but never reached a decision. Still, his image kept popping up in her mind, and she couldn't figure out why. When it came to romance, she felt like a total idiot.
But Serena knew that if she missed this chance, she'd never get another one. With her looks, she was sure Evan would accept her, and marrying a heaven-defying genius didn't feel like a loss at all. So she said, "I need your help, but can we take things slow? I'm not completely ready yet. I admit I don't have a bad impression of you, but this is about a lifelong partner—I can't just rush into it."
Evan knew what she really meant—her words were cautious, but he'd already seen through her feelings. Serena Frost, cold as ice? Faced with his blazing persistence, even the iciest woman would eventually melt. Besides, absorbing women's yin energy didn't matter much for his cultivation anymore; otherwise, he'd have devoured Macy Mei ages ago.
"Just tell me what you need me to do. I won't force you into anything. You're Luna's close friend, so our relationship is already special. If you become my woman too, it'll be even more unique." Evan laughed.