"Evan Lin, what on earth happened in there? I felt the barrier around the forbidden land collapse, and a terrifying energy erupted. If we hadn't dodged in time, we might've been buried alive!"
The Sea Dragon Hall Master, a God-Emperor powerhouse, was still shaken. That energy wave might not have killed him, but with Evan Lin at the very heart of it, he couldn't help but worry.
"It's nothing serious. I just absorbed the Wood-Element Spirit, which caused the forbidden land to collapse. I'm really sorry about that."
Evan Lin felt genuinely apologetic. He'd already wrecked a forbidden ground once back at Loveless Sword Tomb, and that time quite a few innocents got caught up in it. Luckily, this time there were no casualties.
Clearly, every forbidden ground has its own secrets. Next time, he'd have to be much more careful.
"You're too polite. There wasn't any real loss anyway. Oh, by the way, did you find the Ghostshade Herb you needed?"
"Yeah, I found it. I might need to borrow this place a little longer."
"Suit yourself."
Seeing Evan Lin safe and sound, the Sea Dragon Hall Master finally relaxed. He called the other elders and Silver Dragon out for a meal, and had someone escort Evan to a secret chamber.
The fake Princess Serena was still under Silver Dragon's close watch. No matter what she tried, she couldn't get her way. Still, she was well aware that her days trapped in the Sea Regions were numbered.
Inside the secret chamber, Evan Lin focused his mind and returned to the Timewheel Bracelet. Selena and Lynn were chatting with Mina, and from the looks of it, the three were getting along well. Evan smiled.
"Alright, Mina, I’ve got the Ghostshade Herb. It’s finally time to break your seal."
"Huh? You got it?" Mina’s expression changed—not quite surprised, not exactly sad either.
She knew in her heart that once the seal was broken, her father would truly become just her uncle. She might go from 'waste' to genius, but her path ahead would never be peaceful again...
"Mina, your father was the North Sea Dominion Lord. Now both your parents are gone, and your uncle is gravely wounded. Only if you work hard can you restore the North Sea Dominion Palace. I believe this is what your uncle and your parents would have wanted."
After Evan said this, Mina thought long and hard. At last, she nodded heavily.
"Then I’ll do as my benefactor says!"
"Good. Now close your eyes and clear your mind. Let me handle the seal."
With that, Evan began channeling Chaos Divine Power within himself. Wood-element energy surged wildly as he melted the Ghostshade Herb, using it to help Mina break the seal.
Off to the side, Lynn and Selena watched Evan in amazement, their mouths hanging open.
"His aura just got stronger again!"
"Yeah, the wood-element energy swirling around his body is insane. He must’ve broken through to Woodshift’s fourth layer!"
"Looks like we need to hurry up and train, too. Even though we’ve been in the Timewheel Bracelet all this time, our progress is nowhere near his. At this rate, we won’t be his right-hand allies—we’ll just be a burden."
A glint of determination flashed in Lynn’s beautiful eyes. She’d once been the Second Domain Lord of Dream Spirit Sanctuary, a position she took pride in. Even after ascending to the God Realm, she wouldn’t stand behind Evan Lin—she’d stand at his side!
So Lynn and Selena threw themselves into deep cultivation once more. The Immortal Crystal spirit, by absorbing the surrounding divine power, was about to fully evolve into a God Crystal spirit.
Right now, the divine energy it released was incredibly dense. Cultivating here wasn’t just twice as effective—it was like advancing a thousand miles in a single day!
Meanwhile, Evan Lin’s efforts to break Mina’s seal had reached the final step. Suddenly, as he withdrew his power, a vivid battle scene flashed through his mind.
"Was that a divine imprint left by Mina’s mother? To help her remember her parents’ final moments? But that person..."
There was also a blurry figure, radiating overwhelming power. Evan couldn’t make out the face, but the Frostbane Divine Sword in their hand and the technique they unleashed were unmistakable.
"So the one who killed Mina’s parents in the secret realm was Lord Frostbane himself... And now, in this life, I’ve met Mina again. It seems fate truly has its plans."
Seeing Lord Frostbane, Evan Lin understood—he must have used the Ethereal Divine Shuttle to reach the Sea Regions back then. But now, with the shuttle’s artifact spirit lost, how was he supposed to leave?
With no solution for now, Evan brought Mina out of the Timewheel Bracelet and left the secret chamber. Just then, news arrived from Sea Dragon Hall: someone had suddenly appeared in the North Sea Dominion Palace, triggering a brutal civil war!
"Young Master, could it be that Mina’s uncle has returned?"
"It must be. With the old Domain Lord gone and the impostor exposed, those seeking power will make their move. But the old lord’s loyalists aren’t few, and he left behind a daughter—so they won’t give up the position easily."
Evan Lin quickly pieced together the situation in his mind.
"So what do we do now?"
"You’ll come with me. We’ll help Mina reclaim the North Sea Dominion Lord’s title—it’s rightfully hers. And since I played a part in the old lord’s downfall, consider this my atonement."
Besides, I have a feeling that the North Sea Dominion Palace might hold the key to returning to the God Realm.
"We’ll do whatever you say, Young Master."
This time, Evan Lin didn’t seek out the Sea Dragon Hall Master. After all, this was a struggle for power within the Sea Regions, and Sea Dragon Hall’s intervention would be inappropriate. Besides, Evan alone was more than enough to handle this.
Half an hour later, Evan Lin and the Silver Dragon arrived at the North Sea Dominion Palace. The place had become a battlefield—powerful figures clashed in the skies, while devastation reigned below.
"Grand Elder, there are two strangers here! They must be reinforcements that guy brought—let me go kill them!"
One crazed fighter, seeing Evan Lin and the Silver Dragon arrive, charged at them without hesitation.
He was only at early God-Venerable realm. Evan didn’t need to act—the Silver Dragon could handle him easily.
"How dare you disrespect the Young Master—die!"
The Silver Dragon struck with overwhelming force, drawing even more attention than the battles raging elsewhere between God-Venerable experts.
When the early God-Venerable was slain, the whole battlefield suddenly fell silent.
"Everyone, stop fighting!"
Evan Lin unleashed his power, drawing every gaze to him—including Mina’s uncle, who stood below.
"It’s our benefactor! Second Elder, he’s the one who saved us!"
Standing beside him, the Second Elder was a mid God-Venerable expert, just finished fighting another mid God-Venerable.
"Who are you people? This is an internal North Sea Dominion affair—stay out of it! I’m the Grand Elder, and if you don’t leave now, I won’t be polite!"
Evan Lin found the blustering elder irritating. After all, he’d just been fighting beside Mina’s uncle and the Second Elder—he was clearly the one scheming to seize power.