Seeing Evan Chu appear, the Skeleton King didn’t look the least bit surprised, as if Evan’s arrival was perfectly normal. “Yin–Yang Demon Empress, isn’t it a little late for you to show up now? Do you really think you can get the Soul Mushroom?”
“Whether I get it or not isn’t up to you. Now that I’m here, you should know I’m determined to take that Soul Mushroom for myself. If you know what’s good for you, you’d better leave quietly—otherwise, your only ending here is death.” Evan Chu said coolly.
At this moment, the Emerald Immortal Empress had already exited the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons. Fairy Lynn’s safety was still critical—she had to finish off that Golden Skeleton before she could return to help Evan Chu seize the Soul Mushroom.
“Death? I’ve already died once—what’s there to be afraid of? Yin–Yang Demon Empress, if you leave now, maybe I’ll let you live. But if you stick around until I absorb the Soul Mushroom’s power, that’ll be your death sentence. Don’t think I’m bluffing—think it over carefully!” the Skeleton King said.
Right now, it was impossible for Evan Chu and the Skeleton King to actually fight—any random strike from either of them could easily collapse the entire Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons. Earlier, Fairy Lynn and the Golden Skeleton hadn’t gone all out either; if they had, their combined power could have done the same.
Right now, it was all about one thing—waiting! Waiting for the Soul Mushroom to ripen, then snatching it as fast as possible. The Skeleton King figured his Corrupt-Heart Venom could block the others, and with his speed, he’d have the advantage. But when he saw another Evan Chu appear near the Soul Mushroom, he started to lose his cool.
That Evan Chu was definitely his clone, much weaker than the real thing. But the Skeleton King wasn’t sure he could kill it in one blow, and with Evan’s true body also present, things were looking tricky—he had to figure out a way to trap Evan Chu.
Suddenly, the Skeleton King let out a long, piercing howl—like metal clashing against metal. The sound echoed through the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons. Hearing it, Evan Chu’s heart jolted, but he quickly figured out what the Skeleton King was up to.
“Trying to send your shrimp soldiers and crab generals to block me? You’re underestimating me. I could scatter those remnant souls with a single casual strike. Looks like you really want to die here today—fine, I’ll grant your wish!” Evan Chu said.
By now, he’d already had his Fire Golden Body set up a protective barrier in front of the Soul Mushroom—just in case the cavern of the Abyss collapsed, which could damage the Soul Mushroom.
“You think I’m scared? If you really think you’re that strong, let me take the Soul Mushroom first and then fight you. Whoever wins that battle gets to rule the Demonic Realm—but I bet you don’t have the guts.” the Skeleton King said.
“Heh, nice try with the reverse psychology, but I’m not falling for it. Prepare to die!” Evan Chu didn’t want to waste any more words with him. With his Fire Golden Body stationed there, he had zero worries about the Soul Mushroom’s safety.
He quickly unleashed Heaven-Cleave with the Frostbane Divine Sword in his hand. Using such a powerful technique in a confined space was reckless—at his current strength, even Heaven-Cleave alone could destroy this whole cavern.
A domineering surge of sword-qi blasted out from the Frostbane Divine Sword, shooting straight at the Skeleton King. At the same time, the Skeleton King swung his bone sword with equal speed—the force behind his strike seemed just as fierce, maybe even stronger than Evan Chu’s.
Right after that slash, the Skeleton King shot toward the Soul Mushroom at lightning speed, while at the same time launching a palm strike at the Fire Golden Body. It all happened so fast—Evan Chu’s sword-qi couldn’t land in time, but the Skeleton King’s attack forced Evan to dodge.
The whole thing had been calculated by the Skeleton King—he’d waited for Evan Chu to attack, then sprang a surprise assault to snatch the Soul Mushroom.
Evan Chu dodged in a hurry, but it was already too late to catch up to the Skeleton King. With a thought, he instantly ordered the Fire Golden Body to unleash Heavenfire—a terrifying force. Even if the Fire Golden Body took a hit from the Skeleton King’s palm, it wouldn’t die outright, but the Heavenfire could still inflict serious damage.
It’s just like that old saying: you have your clever schemes, I have my ladder over the wall. "Boom!" With a thunderous crash, their sword-qi collided, and the massive energy clash instantly collapsed the whole cave. Evan Chu immediately activated Earthshift, hiding himself within the earth.
Almost at the same moment, a red glow flared from the Soul Mushroom—a sign it had fully matured. The Skeleton King was already attacking the Fire Golden Body, which responded with Heavenfire. Everything happened in a flash, perfectly timed.
The cave-in buried the Fire Golden Body under a pile of rocks. The remnant souls summoned by the Skeleton King didn’t even get a chance to reach Evan Chu before they were buried too. As for the Skeleton King himself, he was struck by Heavenfire from the Fire Golden Body, halting his charge and trapping him in flames. He howled in pain, but after a few breaths the Heavenfire went out, and he was left buried under the rubble.
With Earthshift, Evan Chu moved through the ground as easily as walking a flat road. The Corrupt-Heart Venom was still there, but the path he’d burned open with dragon blood remained. Evan quickly followed it, emerging in front of the Soul Mushroom.
With a thought, he recalled the Fire Golden Body back into himself—no time to check for injuries now. Getting the Soul Mushroom was all that mattered. Without hesitation, he broke the restriction on the Soul Mushroom, plucked it, and stowed it in his storage ring.
Only after stowing it did Evan Chu finally let out a long sigh of relief. Not far behind him, the Skeleton King began to roar—he’d realized Evan had gotten the Soul Mushroom. His whole body shook with rage, and the surrounding rocks shattered to powder as he burst free from the rubble.
The whole process took barely two breaths. But in that brief span, Evan Chu had already seized the Soul Mushroom. The Skeleton King had thought he’d snatch it during the cave-in, but he hadn’t expected Evan’s Golden Body to unleash such devastating Heavenfire and block him.
The Soul Mushroom’s ripening time had been carefully calculated by the Skeleton King. He’d made his move at the exact moment, but still failed at the last step. That feeling—watching something slip away just as you’re about to grasp it—made him furious enough to want Evan Chu torn to pieces.
“Yin–Yang mutt, get out here! I’ll destroy you today!”
The Skeleton King shouted himself hoarse, but Evan Chu didn’t answer. By now, Evan had already left the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons. Overhead, not far away, the Emerald Immortal Empress and Fairy Lynn were locked in a fierce battle with the Golden Skeleton—neither side had the advantage yet.
Evan Chu hadn’t expected the Golden Skeleton to be so powerful—he’d underestimated it. What shocked him even more was the sight of blood at the corner of Fairy Lynn’s mouth.
“How dare you hurt my woman—Skeleton monster, die!” Evan Chu’s form flashed as he unleashed Divine Cleave with the Frostbane Divine Sword, striking at the Golden Skeleton…