Bang! With a thunderous crash, Evan Chu was sent flying several meters by the black-clothed man's sword, yet he landed firmly on the ground. Aside from his chest clothes being a little disheveled, he bore not a single scratch.
The disciples of Skystar Valley couldn't believe their eyes. To emerge completely unscathed from such a powerful attack was simply unbelievable.
But this was happening right before their eyes, whether they believed it or not. Some quickly put the pieces together: Evan Chu's age, build, and that rusty iron sword in his hand—they realized he was the newly risen sect master of Frostbane Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects.
With his arrival, hope surged from rock bottom to heaven in everyone’s hearts. He was their true savior—this disaster in Skystar Valley was resolved thanks to him.
Meanwhile, the black-clothed man’s face twisted with ferocity, soul-wounded agony forcing cries of pain from his lips. He looked on the verge of collapse, shocking the crowd.
No one understood why the black-clothed man changed so drastically after fighting the Frostbane Sect Master—he didn’t seem physically injured at all.
At this moment, Evan Chu was like a killing machine, unleashing martial skills he'd mastered in the secret chamber. Each technique rivaled Tyrant Cleave in power, but consumed far less Chaos Dragon Force.
There were about thirty black-clothed attackers in this raid on Skystar Valley, and once again an insider had betrayed them, poisoning many disciples. The toxin wasn’t lethal, but it rendered them unable to use Stellar Power.
It was just like the Fragrant Tendon-Softening Powder Yang Rhea used before—leaving people limp and powerless. Only this new poison was several times stronger than Yang Rhea’s powder.
Of course, dozens managed to avoid the poison—some were out on errands, others escaped it because they were in secluded cultivation. Otherwise, Evan Chu might have arrived to find the valley littered with corpses.
Evan Chu was like a killing machine—every swing of the Frostbane Sword meant another black-clothed enemy dead, their bodies dissolving into black mist and vanishing into the air.
Of course, some black-clothed men tried to flee when they saw things turning against them, but Evan Chu’s teleportation was blindingly fast—the faster they ran, the quicker they died.
In just half a stick of incense, Evan Chu had slaughtered every black-clothed attacker. Only the Protector was spared—he needed the information locked inside him.
"This matter is settled. This man is useful to me, so I’ll be taking him away. Do not spread word of this incident—the dark organization’s strength is beyond your imagination. I could save you once, but there’s no guarantee I can save you a second time. Take care of yourselves." With that, Evan Chu prepared to leave with the soul-wounded Protector.
"Sect Master Chu, please wait! If not for your intervention, no one in Skystar Valley would have survived. Please, honor us by coming to Cold Valley for a cup of wine-water before you go!" called out an elderly man with white hair.
Evan Chu didn’t need to ask—he knew this must be the valley master of Skystar Valley, though his name was a mystery. Evan replied, "I appreciate your kindness, Valley Master, but I have urgent matters to attend to. I'll take you up on that drink next time!"
With that, he grabbed the Protector and vanished with a teleport in front of the crowd, leaving another deep impression of his terrifying strength.
After a few teleports, Evan Chu arrived at a deserted spot. He tossed the Protector to the ground and said, "How does it feel? Like you'd rather die than live, right?"
The Protector was formidable, but his soul had been ravaged. Now, even if he wanted to escape, it was impossible. Enduring the agony, he snarled at Evan Chu, "Kid, if you think you can get secrets about my organization out of me, you’re dreaming. I’d rather die than let you succeed."
Evan Chu was startled by his words—the man clearly intended to die. If he really killed himself, Evan’s plan would be ruined.
Just then, a white light flashed between Evan Chu’s brows—a tiny silver sword shot out, instantly vanishing into the Protector’s sea of consciousness.
The Protector was absolutely determined to die, but Luna’s timely intervention sent him rolling on the ground, overwhelmed by pain so intense he couldn’t even muster the strength to kill himself. All he could do was howl in agony.
His face twisted with pain, sweat pouring like rain. Summoning all his strength, the Protector roared, "Kid, even if I die, you won’t have it easy! When all our elders return from seclusion, that’ll be your sect’s annihilation!"
Luna’s sword flew back out of his mind, circled in the air, then returned to Evan Chu’s brow. The Protector, bleeding from seven apertures and with shattered heart meridians, died instantly.
Within a few breaths, he dissolved into black mist and vanished before Evan Chu’s eyes. Evan felt a chill—members of the dark organization were terrifyingly resolute, willing to die rather than leak secrets. Their discipline was truly frightening.
Evan Chu turned to Luna and asked, "Luna, did you get anything useful? Any progress?"
"Not much," Luna replied. "His soul was marked, and I was pressed for time. I only got two things: his code name is Number Two, and the organization plans to attack a major sect soon. But I couldn’t tell which sect."
Evan Chu’s heart clenched. As expected, these people were going to target the sects of the Azure Tide Ruins step by step. He needed to warn the sects—especially to watch for strange behavior among trusted disciples. A single traitor close to the sect master could destroy an entire sect overnight.
Glancing at the sky, Evan Chu quickly hurried back toward Frostbane Sect. If the dark organization wanted to retaliate, Frostbane Sect—still the weakest—would be their first target.
With each teleport, Evan Chu’s range grew farther and farther. He was pleased with the improvement. In no time, he returned to Frostbane Sect, which had completely changed—now it looked every bit the part of a major sect, with far more buildings and disciples than before.
While Evan Chu was away cultivating and traveling, the elders had handled everything perfectly. Nearly three thousand new disciples had been recruited, all at least Heaven Martial Realm—the minimum Evan required.
Frostbane Sect’s expansion was nearly complete. Next up was preparing for his wedding. With himself anchoring the sect, Evan Chu feared no dark organization—he was now immune to all poisons, and nothing could harm him...