The Grand Elder of East Sea Domain Palace was so shocked his heart nearly stopped. In all his years, he’d never seen anyone survive this long inside his Space Domain—especially not a mere early-stage God-Venerable. Freakish didn’t even begin to describe it.
The other late-stage God-Venerables were just as dumbfounded. Every one of them stared at the Grand Elder, eyes wide, as if asking: How the hell is this even possible?
Evan Chu wasn’t feeling great either. He had no clue why he’d suddenly popped up on top of the soil, but he was sure these people were behind it. That weirdly beautiful flute sound from just now flashed through his mind, making him even more uneasy.
His heart was pounding—Sea Regions experts really did have some monstrous tricks up their sleeves. Compared to them, mainland cultivators were nothing. The pressure on his body was like a mountain crushing him; if he didn’t figure something out fast, he’d be flattened.
If he could just break through to mid-stage God-Venerable, his Ninth-Layer Starforge Body’s defense would shrug this off like it was nothing. But stuck at his current realm, all he could do was grit his teeth and hang on, frustration burning inside him.
He focused hard, reaching out to the elemental molecules swirling inside the Space Domain, probing for a response. Soon, he locked onto one and felt a ripple of resonance—the crushing pressure eased, and just like that, he was out of the danger zone.
Evan Chu kept communicating with the elements in the Space Domain, his resolve hardening. Once he got out of the Sea Regions and settled Elena and Roxanne’s affairs, he’d lock himself in seclusion for tens of thousands of years—he swore he wouldn’t come out until he’d mastered the Space Domain, no matter what.
He’d lost too many times in Space Domains. One day, he’d make these bastards taste what it was like to be trapped and powerless.
Little by little, the pressure kept fading. Evan Chu knew there was no way he could take on this pack right now—he had to bolt, and fast. Sure, he could take out one or two late-stage God-Venerables, but nine at once? Not a chance in hell.
He planned to smash his way out of their domain and use Light Transformation to vanish. Meanwhile, the Grand Elder and the other God-Venerables were so pissed their faces turned green with envy and rage.
Just moments ago, Evan Chu was doubled over, looking like he was in agony. Now? It was like he’d flipped a switch—standing tall, not a hint of pain on his face. From his expression alone, you’d think the Space Domain was nothing but a breeze.
"Kid, I didn’t expect you to have this kind of guts—shrugging off my Space Domain like it’s nothing. Who the hell are you? If you come clean, maybe I’ll let you die with your body whole. Otherwise, I’ll wipe you out—body, soul, and everything. You’ll vanish from existence for all eternity!" The Grand Elder’s voice was icy and ruthless.
"Who am I? Hahaha! You think you’re qualified to know? Not even your Palace Lord is! What’s a Space Domain to me? If I wanted out, I’d walk out whenever I pleased. East Sea Domain Palace—what a joke. You guys are embarrassing yourselves today!" Evan Chu sneered, voice full of contempt.
To deal with an early-stage God-Venerable like me, you needed ten late-stage God-Venerables—oh, wait, it’s nine now. I nearly forgot I sliced one down, though his God Infant managed to scurry off. What a shame!" Evan Chu laughed, eyes blazing with defiance.
"Grand Elder, this punk is way too cocky! I can’t take it anymore. Let me finish him off!" A middle-aged man snarled, face twisted with rage.
Evan Chu’s words made every one of them burn with fury, itching to skin him alive. But the Grand Elder’s face was deadly serious, his eyes boring into Evan Chu like he was trying to pierce his soul—he’d definitely spotted something.
"Impossible... This is impossible!" The Grand Elder muttered, voice trembling with shock.
"What’s wrong, Grand Elder?" One of the God-Venerables blurted out, his nerves stretched tight. It was obvious the Grand Elder had stumbled on something earth-shattering.
"This kid isn’t one of us—he’s from the mainland! Sure, his sea qi is strong, but it’s just stuck to the surface. Real Sea Regions cultivators have sea qi wrapping their whole bodies, inside and out!
The eyes are the hardest to fake—only God-Venerables get sea eyes. But this guy’s eyes are clear as day, no trace of sea eyes at all. I’m certain—he’s not from the Sea Regions!
After all, the Sea Regions have never produced a monster like this guy. Other than the mainland, where else could he possibly come from?" The Grand Elder’s face was twisted with shock.
The moment those words dropped, everyone was floored. All eyes locked onto Evan Chu, still standing inside the Space Domain.
If Evan Chu really did come from the mainland, killing him was off the table. They had to catch him alive, pry the secret out of him—how had he broken through the barrier between Sea Regions and the mainland?
If they figured out the method, Sea Regions cultivators could finally reach the mainland. Rumor had it the mainland was a paradise—birds singing, flowers blooming, scenery to die for. Countless Sea Regions folks dreamed of seeing that mysterious place, but nobody had ever cracked the secret barrier.
Evan Chu heard every word the Grand Elder spat out. He hadn’t expected that old fossil to spot a flaw just by looking at his eyes. If he’d shown his Icefire Divine Eye, they’d be clueless.
One eye blazing with fire, the other freezing with ice—if he showed up like that, he’d scare them all half to death. Evan Chu liked to keep things low-key, but sometimes fate just wouldn’t let you.
Now that his cover was blown, the whole Sea Regions would be in an uproar. Trouble would come flooding in, so he had to slip away while they were distracted.
With a flicker of thought, Evan Chu blasted out of the Grand Elder’s Space Domain, leaving only a shadow behind. The crowd froze for a second, too stunned to chase—so they just watched him go.
"That kid’s got some real skills. We need to grab him alive. And not a word about his mainland origins—every one of the Five Great Sea-Region Powers is itching to break out and see the mainland. This is East Sea Domain Palace’s golden ticket; we absolutely can’t miss it," the Grand Elder ordered.
"He’s probably smacked right into the invisible barrier by now—bet he’s seeing stars. Does he really think he can bust through the formation set by nine of us? Let’s go watch the show," one elder said, smirking.
"Let’s go! Even if we don’t kill him, we’ve gotta teach him a lesson—otherwise he’ll start thinking he’s invincible," another elder growled.
Just like they guessed, Evan Chu barreled into the invisible barrier at full speed, only to be flung back hundreds of meters. Dazed, seeing stars, but not hurt—just seriously pissed off.
"Damn it! What kind of freak barrier is this? No wonder those bastards didn’t chase me—they knew I’d get bounced!" Evan Chu cursed under his breath, feeling more annoyed by the second.
That’s when all nine of them materialized right in front of Evan Chu. "Kid, quit struggling. Even if you try earth escape, we’ll drag you out. Offending East Sea Domain Palace means one thing—death. But if you spill how you got into the Sea Regions, maybe we’ll let you walk away alive," the Grand Elder threatened, voice cold as ice...