The Skeleton King stared suspiciously at Evan Chu's Fire Golden Body, his gaze sharp with doubt. "You're not deceiving me, are you? Why must you drive out that remnant soul from your body? Wouldn't sealing it be enough?"
"You think it's that simple? The true owner of this body is every bit as powerful as you, and his remnant soul is no less formidable. Worse, it's starting to devour my energy, and the danger grows with every moment. I can't allow such a threat to linger within me. The only way to make him leave is to let him see the woman he loves one last time—only that could break his obsession." Evan Chu said, his tone grave.
"Really? You're not just playing me, are you?" The Skeleton King's eyes narrowed, suspicion thick in his voice as he stared at Evan's golden body.
"You don't trust me? With my strength, why would I bother lying to you? All I want is to let him see Selena's remnant soul and fulfill his last wish—only then can I resolve my crisis. Since you want to marry Selena's remnant soul, I'll make it happen for you. Don't worry." Evan Chu replied, earnest and resolute.
The Skeleton King paused, then finally said, "Fine, but you'll have to wait. Selena's remnant soul is still far too weak. I was hoping the Soul Mushroom would mature soon, so she could absorb its soul power and perhaps form a skeleton body."
Evan Chu's heart was pounding—he was finally about to see Selena's remnant soul, something he'd yearned for every waking moment. With so many remnant souls in the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons, finding her was nearly impossible, but he'd finally managed to outfox the Skeleton King.
Evan's golden body stood motionless as the Skeleton King departed. After a while, the king returned, a red porcelain bottle in hand. "Selena's remnant soul is inside this bottle. You were the one who sealed her here back then. She was too frail, so I let her remain inside."
"Open it quickly so he can see her. Step aside for now—rest assured, I won't harm her. After all these years of friendship, you should trust me. The remnant soul in my body surely has words for her. Once his wish is fulfilled, I'll leave, and Selena's remnant soul will be yours." Evan Chu said solemnly.
"Don't you dare deceive me. If you do, I'll fight you to the death. You know my strength." The Skeleton King growled, reluctant, but finally stepped away.
The porcelain bottle sat quietly on the ground. Evan Chu hurried to pick it up, glancing back to see the Skeleton King lurking nearby—clearly afraid Evan would break his word.
Evan Chu didn't hesitate. He popped the stopper off the porcelain bottle, and Selena's remnant soul appeared before him. At this moment, she looked much like Yvonne and the Ice Empress did when they were first rescued—only even weaker. Her whole form was blurry, and if Evan didn't have the Icefire Eye, he wouldn't have been able to see her at all.
The moment Selena appeared, Evan's true body sent a secret voice transmission: "Sel, it's Linfeng—I've come to save you! Don't say anything, I just needed to confirm it's really your remnant soul. Now that I know, get back into the bottle!"
Selena's remnant soul shuddered violently. She never imagined Evan would show up here—happiness came so suddenly it felt unreal, like suffering finally turning sweet. She'd always believed Linfeng would come for her, and after countless nights of waiting, he finally did.
Selena didn't linger for even a moment—her whole form swiftly slipped back into the porcelain bottle. Evan sealed it again and, with a thought, placed it into his storage ring.
The Skeleton King saw Evan's move clearly and instantly charged over. "Yin–Yang Demon Empress, hand over the bottle! You promised me—did you forget?"
The Skeleton King had no muscles on his face, but his voice was dripping with rage. If he had a face, he'd look absolutely furious—maybe even twisted with anger.
"What did I promise? I didn't say anything! Hahaha!" Evan Chu laughed, loving how he'd tricked the Skeleton King. With a thought, he recalled his Fire Golden Body and quietly slipped toward the cave entrance.
The Skeleton King saw Evan vanish and exploded in fury. "Yin–Yang Demon Empress, get out here! I'll kill you! Show yourself!"
His furious shouts rattled the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons, and explosions echoed everywhere—the whole cavern shook as if it might collapse. But Evan had already broken through the entrance restriction and escaped.
The Skeleton King finally calmed down. If he lost control and destroyed the Abyss, the Soul Mushroom would be ruined—and that couldn't be allowed. He swallowed his rage, forcing himself to endure.
"Yin–Yang old dog! Once I absorb the Soul Mushroom's power, I'll raze your demonic palace to the ground—just you wait!" Then he went back to the Soul Mushroom and began laying more restrictions.
Evan Chu rejoined Lynn and the Emerald Immortal Empress. Jade had already purged the Bewitching Spirit Pill's effects. Seeing Evan's faint smile, she asked, "Did you gain a lot? Is the Soul Mushroom really inside the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons?"
"That's right. The Soul Mushroom is definitely in the Abyss, but it's not mature yet—we'll have to wait half a month to get it. That means we'll be stuck here for half a month." Evan explained.
"Half a month? The Demonic Realm's gate will have closed by then! How will we get back, Linfeng? Did you think this through?" Lynn asked anxiously, clearly worried.
"I've thought about it. If worst comes to worst, I'll just break the barrier myself. I know it'll be tough, but I believe I can do it. Don't worry about anything else for now. I've got good news—I've secured Selena's remnant soul; it's in my storage ring." Evan said with a smile.
"Are you serious? How did you find Selena's remnant soul? That's incredible!" Lynn exclaimed, staring at Evan in shock.
Evan told the two women everything that happened in the Abyss. When they heard how shamelessly he'd tricked the Skeleton King, both women couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed for him.
"I can't believe getting Selena's remnant soul was so easy. But getting the Soul Mushroom will be much harder—the Skeleton King will definitely be on guard. We'll need a foolproof plan," Jade said.
"Let's leave for now. I'm sure the Skeleton King can sense us through the barrier. We'll come back when the Soul Mushroom is about to mature—things will be much livelier then." Evan said. With that, the three of them flashed away from the Abyss entrance...