Evan Yang found a small stone cave, just big enough for one person to hide inside, with both eyes able to observe the surrounding situation ahead.
After sitting down, Evan Yang closed his eyes to check what changes had occurred in his divine-sense space.
Because his divine-sense space had been massively expanded by the Strange Fiend back in the Fiend Realm, all the attributes inside usually seemed especially weak—but here, they were starting to stir restlessly.
He saw lightning, earth power, Ice-fire, and Sacred Flame—four attributes—beginning to slowly expand within the space, as if something here could make them stronger.
Seeing their changes, Evan was overjoyed.
If anyone else saw Evan's transformation, they'd be shocked—his abilities were just too abnormal. Normally, others would need months to react to this place, but Evan had only been here a short while and already saw such results. This was mainly because of the unique nature of his divine-sense space, and because his attributes were considered relatively weak by Immortal Lords and others. With a vast divine-sense space and weaker attributes, their growth potential was huge, and combined with the environment here, their development naturally sped up.
Evan had originally planned to enter the Tower, but after thinking it over, he decided against it. After all, there could be hidden experts lurking in the shadows here, and if they discovered his treasure, it would be trouble.
So Evan focused and sat there in seclusion.
Sometimes, a closed-door cultivation session could pass in the blink of an eye, or it might take a long time to wake up. As for Evan, he had no idea how much time had passed—he simply devoted himself to training.
At this moment, the affairs of the outside world had nothing to do with him; he had no idea what was happening beyond.
Chris Lee, now openly protected as a North Sect disciple, was no longer bullied by anyone. It was as if he'd become someone under an invisible shield, which made him ecstatic.
As for the Heavenly-Immortal, he wanted to cripple Evan Yang, but couldn't act directly—so he had to seek help from elsewhere.
That help, naturally, came from within the dark space. As a Heavenly-Immortal, he knew plenty of other Heavenly-Immortals, and he was aware that someone was currently cultivating in the first layer of the dark space. So he contacted that friend and explained the situation.
When the friend heard the target was someone Immortal Lord Lin wanted crippled, he eagerly went to the A‑Zone to search for Evan Yang.
Since the A‑Zone was maze‑like everywhere, finding a single person was a bit difficult—but the man still managed to locate Evan quickly.
At that moment, Evan was sitting with his eyes closed. Sensing someone approaching, he opened his eyes and asked, "Who?"
"You're Evan Yang?" the man asked.
"Yeah, who are you?" Evan felt the person in front of him was a complete stranger, with an unfamiliar aura as well.
"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is, I'm here to tell you—I'm going to cripple you." the man said.
"Cripple me? Who exactly are you, and why do you want to cripple me?" The man before him was already at the Heavenly-Immortal stage—in Evan's eyes, at least second-tier.
"I'll tell you later—after I've crippled you!" The man grinned as he spoke, then reached out a hand to destroy Evan Yang's cultivation.
In his eyes, Evan was just a sixth-tier Earth-Immortal, while he himself was a third-tier Heavenly-Immortal—handling Evan should be easy.
Evan was curious—could fighting really be allowed here? He floated up, dodged at incredible speed, and asked, "Aren't you afraid of disturbing others?"
"Others? I don't think so. I've already set up a protective barrier here—no one outside can see or sense what's happening inside." The man smiled.
Evan activated Heaven’s Eye Sight and, sure enough, saw a formation shielding the area. So he asked again, "Are you really sure no one else can see?"
"Why would I lie to you?" the man replied confidently.
"Then tell me—who exactly wants me crippled?" Evan asked.
"Why should I tell you?" the man sneered.
"Not telling me? Doesn't matter—soon enough, you'll speak up anyway." Evan smiled.
"Quite the attitude. I see your reputation for stubbornness is well-deserved. Today, I'm definitely going to cripple you—let's see how you survive in Ethereal Sanctuary after that." The man chuckled darkly.
The man assumed Evan Yang would use his fists, so he ramped up his strength, aiming to cripple Evan’s hand in one blow. But to his shock, Evan’s flames erupted, instantly enveloping his hand.
Startled, the man quickly pulled back and unleashed his qi, scattering the flames with a forceful wave.
“Heavenly-Immortal qi really is different,” Evan muttered. He decided to use another method—one that would catch his opponent off guard, since letting him escape would be troublesome.
“Kid, your attribute is flame, but I’m a Heavenly-Immortal. I wield qi, I can disperse it. You’ll never defeat me like this.” The man sneered.
“So what if you wield qi?” Evan retorted coldly. Suddenly, a sharp stone pillar shot up beneath the man’s feet, stabbing him right in the groin.
The man screamed in agony, never expecting Evan to use earth attributes. He roared, “I’ll kill you!”
“Quick reflexes, but it’s only a flesh wound.” Evan smiled. Though it didn’t cripple him, the injury drastically reduced his strength—now Evan had a real chance to win.
“I’ll kill you!” the man raged, furious at being attacked below the belt.
Both exchanged fierce blows, but Evan kept shifting his strength—sometimes so powerful the man’s hand nearly broke. Faced with this unpredictable ‘monster,’ the man realized he couldn’t keep up and feared what other tricks Evan had.
He tried to retreat, but Evan blocked his escape with earthen walls, trapping him inside.
The man shouted, “Kid, you’d better let me go, or I’ll kill you!”
“Do you really think you can fight back now?” Evan pressed, making the walls thicker and thicker. Even if the man tried to break through, he couldn’t shatter such solid walls in one go.
That’s the fate of anyone who lets the pressure build—attacking gets harder and harder.
The man pounded the walls with his fists, but it was useless. The sealed enclosure kept shrinking around him.
He was finally gripped by fear, realizing he might die here if this kept up.
“No, I can’t die—I must survive!” he muttered, desperately searching for a way out.
But with every exit blocked, escape was impossible. He had to swallow his pride and beg, “I was wrong—please let me out!”
“Let you out? Did you ever consider that before? And you were sent by Immortal Lord Lin and his people. If I let you go, it’s like digging my own grave. Only if you die will I be safe,” Evan said, knowing the man had learned too many of his secrets.
“I won’t say anything—I swear!” the man pleaded.
“Sorry, it’s not about whether you’ll talk.” Evan knew Immortal Lord Lin’s methods—if he wanted the truth, he could easily force it out. Evan had no choice but to act.
Just as he was about to be crushed by the walls, the man gritted his teeth and pulled out an inner core—a powerful treasure he’d painstakingly gathered. Swallowing it in one gulp, he triggered a burst of strength, though the core would be spent forever.
He’d collected it to refine pills, but now, facing death, he had no choice but to consume it.
Evan felt the man’s aura surge, even stronger than before. Alarmed, he thickened the walls, but it was too late. The enclosure exploded with a thunderous crash, and the man stormed out, eyes blazing with fury. “I’ll kill you!”
“How did you do that?” Evan exclaimed, astonished.
“I used the inner core I spent thousands of years collecting! I never wanted to use it—today, you forced my hand!” The man was livid; he’d hoped to save the core, but Evan had ruined everything.
Wasting the inner core meant losing thousands of years of hard work. Unable to hold back his newfound power, he was ready to tear Evan apart.
Evan didn’t dare underestimate him. He unleashed earth and fire together, but still couldn’t withstand the man’s assault.
If this kept up, Evan would soon be struck down.
“Damn it, how did this guy suddenly get so strong?” Evan cursed inwardly, watching for any changes.
He noticed the man’s body swelling in certain places.
“Is his power overflowing?” Evan wondered, noticing the swelling. He quickly thought of another tactic and brought out his flying needles.
Seeing Evan’s flying needles, the man sneered, “Useless. What can your needles possibly do to me?”