"What? He did this to you?" Eldon Liu frowned when he heard that Blake Bai had been beaten by Evan Yang.
"That's right, it was him. He's always got some strange tricks up his sleeve, and even after being hit with Lightspeed Drain, he came out completely unharmed," Blake Bai said.
"I didn't expect the Holy Saintess to find such a weird guard. Just these abilities alone make him stronger than you," Eldon Liu remarked.
Blake Bai could only sigh. He'd thought Evan Yang was just an ordinary guy, but he nearly got himself killed instead. This was something he never saw coming.
Seeing Blake Bai's grim expression, Eldon Liu said, "Go on, get their help. If the Four Great Guards still can't handle him, don't bother coming to see me again. But remember, no one can know I'm the one targeting that kid. Got it?"
"Understood. I'll go right away," Blake Bai replied.
After Blake Bai left, Eldon Liu frowned and muttered, "The Holy Saintess really has her methods. To get such a guard... Looks like he must be eliminated, or he'll become a disaster later."
Meanwhile, Evan Yang had already returned to his cave. He couldn't shake off his worries about Blake Bai—this guy would be trouble if he survived. But soon, Evan calmed himself. Worst case, he'd just fight it out.
After leaving, Blake Bai visited three different places. Finally, the Four Great Guards gathered atop a mountain. When the other three saw Blake's injuries, they exchanged suspicious glances.
"Eldon Liu said we have to get rid of him, or else we shouldn't bother seeing him again," Blake Bai said.
"Isn't that simple? Just take him down in Eldon Liu's name," one of them suggested.
"Green Guard Gavin, that's not going to work. Eldon Liu said no matter what, we can't let it slip that he's the one who wants Evan Yang dead. Otherwise, we'll be in even bigger trouble," Blake Bai warned.
Blake Bai's words were a reminder: when dealing with Evan Yang, it had to be them, and Eldon Liu's identity couldn't be exposed.
"Blake Bai is already injured, so it's just the three of us left. How should we make our move? Maybe Blake should analyze that kid's strength for us first," Green Guard Gavin said.
Blake Bai nodded, then explained how Evan Yang could conjure ice and wield a strange fire. After hearing his account, the four guards began to strategize together.
One day, while Evan Yang was in his cave, a stone suddenly flew in, wrapped with a piece of paper. Curious, Evan opened it and frowned as he read the note.
"Blake Bai wants to meet me outside?" Evan Yang muttered to himself.
After thinking it over, Evan Yang decided it was time to settle things. He headed for the meeting place.
Galen Chao had long noticed the attempts on Evan Yang's life. He was curious how Evan kept handling things, and now, seeing Evan leave again, Galen quietly followed to see what would happen this time.
Evan Yang had no idea Galen Chao was following him. He kept walking, and soon arrived at the designated spot—a lakeside surrounded by rocks and trees.
Blake Bai stood atop a large boulder, his injuries still not fully healed.
"You escaped, and now you come back? What, still want to kill me?" Evan Yang asked.
"Kid, not killing me was your mistake. And today, you've got guts coming here—your luck's run out," Blake Bai said.
Evan Yang was about to respond when he sensed several auras and laughed, "So you've brought backup. Come on out."
Sure enough, three people flew out from the corners of the lake. Now, the Four Great Guards stood together, facing Evan Yang.
"This is the kid you mentioned?" Green Guard Gavin asked. "That's right, it's him!" Blake Bai replied.
"Just looking at him, you got beat up like this? Blake Bai, you're getting worse," Green Guard Gavin mocked.
"Gavin, stop talking and show what you've got. If you're so tough, go ahead," Blake Bai retorted.
"Fine, I'll handle him myself. Watch how I deal with him," Green Guard Gavin sneered.
Evan Yang glanced at the four. From what he'd learned before, these were definitely Eldon Liu's Four Great Guards. Seeing them, Evan knew a fierce battle was inevitable, but he hadn't expected they'd look down on him and even plan to let one challenge him alone first. That was a surprise.
Not far away, Galen Chao was even more shocked. Had Evan Yang beaten Blake Bai, and now drawn the wrath of Eldon Liu's Four Great Guards? With these thoughts, Galen grew suspicious and prepared to rescue Evan at any moment.
"Kid, my name is Green Guard Gavin. Even if you die, remember who killed you. Don't let death catch you without knowing your killer," Gavin said.
"So you guys can just kill people whenever you want?" Evan Yang laughed.
"Kill people? Ha! If no one knows, it doesn't matter how many we kill," Green Guard Gavin laughed.
"Oh? So you abuse your power and break the rules. In that case, I don't need to hold back either," Evan Yang replied.
"Kid, don't think beating Blake Bai makes you something special. Come on, watch how I deal with you," Green Guard Gavin sneered.
Evan Yang smiled, "You plan to come at me alone?"
"That's right, just me! Stop wasting time, let's go!" Green Guard Gavin snorted.
"Then let's do this," Evan Yang said.
Green Guard Gavin spread his hands, blue light gathering and forming a massive sphere. He hurled it at Evan Yang, who tried to dodge but couldn't—the sphere instantly expanded several times, enveloping Evan completely.
"Heh, this is my Light Barrier! There's no way you can break it! Just watch as my light devours your body," Green Guard Gavin laughed.
Evan Yang realized this barrier was no ordinary formation. Inside, it was filled with light, pressing on every part of his body, and it even had a devouring effect.
Seeing the situation, Evan Yang knew that to escape, he'd have to break the barrier first.
Seeing Evan Yang trapped, Green Guard Gavin laughed, "Blake Bai, you see that?"
"You've got some skills," Blake Bai replied with a smile.
The other two guards saw Evan Yang captured and figured it was only a matter of time before he was finished, so they didn't take it seriously.
Not far away, Galen Chao was about to intervene when Evan Yang suddenly shouted. The barrier exploded with a thunderous boom, light scattering everywhere.
Green Guard Gavin was shocked, and so were the other guards. Evan Yang had broken free, and they hadn't even seen how he did it.
Actually, Evan Yang had simply expanded the light gathered on his body and reflected it all outward. Then, with his own power and formation force, he destroyed the entire barrier.
Even Green Guard Gavin, who controlled the barrier, was lightly injured, glaring at Evan Yang.
Galen Chao was shocked, but quickly calmed down. Evan Yang looked at Green Guard Gavin and laughed, "Is that all you've got?"
"You brat!" Green Guard Gavin retreated to the side, clearly less arrogant than before. The remaining two guards realized Evan Yang was no pushover, so they teamed up, attacking him from both sides with concentrated light.
Facing two opponents, Evan Yang couldn't hold out for long. But the lake turned out to be his ally—without hesitation, he jumped into the water.
Blake Bai exclaimed, "He went into the water!"
"So what if he's underwater? You two wait here, we'll go after him," one guard said to Green Guard Gavin and Blake Bai.
Green Guard Gavin and Blake Bai nodded, and the other two guards dove straight into the lake.
From a distance, Galen Chao could see beams of light flashing across the water's surface, scattering in all directions.
"Can they handle it?" Blake Bai asked worriedly.
"Two should be enough," Green Guard Gavin replied, now regretting his solo attack. If he'd known Evan Yang was this tough, he would have gone at him with three from the start.
Underwater, Evan Yang used the lake to dodge attacks. Not only that, he froze the two guards beneath the surface, so all that could be seen above were flashes and waves of light. Blake Bai and Green Guard Gavin watched as the water churned like boiling soup.
"Two working together really aren't easy to deal with," Evan Yang muttered to himself.
At that moment, Evan Yang saw that the two guards, though frozen, managed to break the ice together. With a thunderous roar, they burst out of the water, cold air swirling around them, and Evan Yang flew out as well.
The two glared at Evan Yang. One shouted, "Damn it, you think you can trap us like that?"
"If it was just one, maybe you'd be stuck," Evan Yang replied with a smile.
"You! Fine, let's see what you've got!" the guard snapped back.
Evan Yang smiled, "Again? Then I'll send all four of you down together."
With a wave of his hand, Evan Yang sent pillars of ice shooting up from the lake, attacking all four guards.
The four guards panicked, dodging desperately. The injured Green Guard Gavin and Blake Bai suffered even more. Seeing things spiral out of control, the other two exchanged a glance, grabbed their comrades, and quickly fled the lake.
Watching the Four Great Guards flee, Evan Yang said, "Don't let me catch you again."