Evan Yang listened to their conversation and quickly grasped the gist. He also felt a surge of killing intent toward Terry Yang, but since he lacked the power to act now—and didn’t want to expose himself—he slipped past them into a corner where the corpse was kept.
Following the instructions given by Drake Long, Evan checked the corpse’s fingers and found a ring. He quietly removed the ring from the finger.
After pocketing the ring, Evan prepared to leave. Unfortunately, Elder Simon Spring was closest to the corpse and noticed something moving. Looking carefully, he saw the ring had vanished from the body.
"Not good!" Elder Simon Spring exclaimed in alarm.
Nangong Palace Lord and Terry Yang, who had been discussing, looked at Elder Simon Spring, wondering what was wrong. Elder Simon Spring pointed at the corpse and said, "Look, there was a ring on the hand just now, but now it's gone."
Nangong Palace Lord and Terry Yang checked and found the ring was indeed missing. Remembering that Damien Darkmoon had visited earlier, they considered what might have happened. Terry Yang exclaimed in shock, "Not good, Evan Yang was here!"
Everyone was shocked, since only Evan Yang possessed the ability to become invisible and evade their detection.
"Damn it!" Nangong Palace Lord said angrily.
"What should we do now?" Elder Simon Spring hadn’t expected Evan Yang to make a move right under the noses of all three of them.
"This kid is way too bold. Isn’t he afraid of suddenly being exposed?" Terry Yang asked.
"Looks like we'll have to keep relying on Saint Spirit Sect to track Evan Yang," Nangong Palace Lord said.
"That’s not a long-term solution," Terry Yang replied. He knew their tracking could only lock Evan’s position once every hour—too slow, since a lot could happen in that time.
"Do you have any better ideas, Terry Yang?" Nangong Palace Lord asked.
"No real solution. But from now on, we should at least set up a simple formation at the entrance. If someone passes through, we’ll notice," Terry Yang shook his head.
Nangong Palace Lord glanced at the entrance and realized this was the best option. Otherwise, Evan Yang could overhear all their conversations. He immediately ordered someone skilled in formations to set up a simple alarm array—anyone entering or leaving would trigger a flash of light as a warning.
Evan hadn’t expected his theft would prompt them to improve security. They were furious at missing the chance to catch him, knowing it would have been a golden opportunity.
Meanwhile, Evan had already returned with the ring to Damien Darkmoon and the others.
Seeing Evan return safely, Damien Darkmoon and Elder Lewis Lu finally relaxed. Evan handed over the ring and said, "Here."
He gave the ring to Drake Long, who then took out a Transmission Stone and, as planned, contacted the Devil Realm Emissary.
The Devil Realm Emissary received the message and asked, "Have your wounds healed?"
"Almost," Drake Long replied, "but lately those people have been searching for me. I plan to leave for now and recover before coming back."
"Alright, the usual place—underground," said the Devil Realm Emissary.
After Drake Long agreed, he shut off the Transmission Stone. "Where exactly is the usual place?" Elder Lewis Lu asked curiously.
"I'll take you there, but you have to guarantee my safety and give me a new body afterward," Drake Long said.
"No problem," Elder Lewis Lu replied.
"Let’s go then," Drake Long said.
Elder Lewis Lu nodded, bringing Evan Yang and Damien Darkmoon along, while Xiaoyuan stayed behind on Damien Darkmoon's orders.
Meanwhile, the Devil Realm Emissary paced back and forth, then glanced at Drake Long’s original corpse and said, "Looks like it’s finally time."
After a while, Drake Long arrived at the destination. When everyone saw the place, they were stunned—even Drake Long himself was dumbfounded, because there was a pillar with his original corpse tied to it.
"You finally arrived. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time," the Devil Realm Emissary’s voice rang out.
"You knew we were coming?" Elder Lewis Lu exclaimed. After last time, he felt they'd fallen into another trap and glanced at Drake Long’s soul.
Drake Long said, "It has nothing to do with me. I had no idea."
Seeing Drake Long apparently clueless, Elder Lewis Lu asked the air, "Where are you? And how did you know we’d come?"
"Where am I? You think I’d be dumb enough to tell you? As for how I knew you’d come—obviously I’m smart. This guy was just working for me. He drugged that nun and got himself badly injured. But could those wounds really heal so fast? I’m no fool; I knew something was up, so I waited here for you," the Devil Realm Emissary laughed.
"You really are cunning," Elder Lewis Lu said again, and even Evan Yang couldn’t help but admire the Emissary’s caution.
"Thanks for the compliment. Last time you actually escaped—I was shocked. I still don’t know who broke my array," the Devil Realm Emissary said suspiciously.
Elder Lewis Lu and Damien Darkmoon exchanged glances, then looked at Evan Yang. Evan spoke up: "It was me."
"You? And who are you?" The Devil Realm Emissary seemed not to recognize Evan Yang and asked in confusion.
But Elder Lewis Lu and Damien Darkmoon were anxious. Last time had taught them a lesson, but they’d still walked right into danger again. "What’s with those expressions? I’ve got something fun for you all," the Devil Realm Emissary laughed. As he finished, the surroundings suddenly darkened, as if night had fallen.
"Didn’t expect even the Devil Realm Emissary to know me. What an honor," Evan Yang said with a smile.
Elder Lewis Lu and Damien Darkmoon, influenced by Evan Yang’s calm demeanor, also relaxed and began thinking calmly about solutions.
Elder Lu was alarmed and quickly told Evan Yang, "You should leave now."
"No," Evan Yang replied, understanding Elder Lu’s good intentions. Even though it was a trap, Evan had no intention of retreating.
But Elder Lu and Xie Yue were anxious. Last time had taught them a lesson, but they’d still walked right into danger again. "What’s with those expressions? I’ve got something fun for you all," the Devil Realm Emissary laughed. As he finished, the surroundings suddenly darkened, as if night had fallen.
Realizing they were trapped, Elder Lu sighed helplessly, "Looks like we’re too late. If we want to leave, we’ll have to break this barrier."
"Barrier?" Evan Yang asked doubtfully.
"That’s right, it’s a barrier—and not just any barrier, but the Devil Realm’s famous Ashen-Dark World. It’s said to trap anyone below Immortal Sovereign," Elder Lu explained.
"That strong?" Evan Yang exclaimed in surprise.
Xie Yue showed a wary look, while the voice laughed, "Didn’t expect Elder Lu to know so much about our Devil Realm barriers."
"Of course. Your Devil Realm is a major research target for our Immortal Realm Alliance. But I’m curious—this isn’t your true body, and you already used a barrier explosion before. How do you still have the ability to create an Ashen-Dark World?" Elder Lu asked.
The Devil Realm Emissary laughed, "Want to know? Then I’ll make sure you die with a clear understanding."
Elder Lu only knew the Ashen-Dark World as a trapping barrier, not a lethal one, so he asked suspiciously, "Die?"
"That’s right, you guessed it. This is the Ashen-Dark World, but inside it is also mixed with pure dark attribute. It will slowly devour you, leaving you nowhere to escape. In the end, you’ll die," the Devil Realm Emissary laughed wildly.
"Dark attribute? How is that possible?" Elder Lu couldn’t believe it.
"Why not? It took several Emissaries countless years to develop this latest barrier. We sealed it inside a special artifact, so right now you’re just inside my controlled artifact. Now you know everything. But what good does it do? You’re still going to die," the Devil Realm Emissary said confidently.
Elder Lu and Xie Yue were shocked—they hadn’t expected to be inside an artifact. Zilong quickly begged for mercy, "Emissary, I’m innocent!"
"You? You brought people here to kill me—innocent? I used you before, but now you’re useless. Stay here and wait for death. As for your body, I’ll make good use of it," the Devil Realm Emissary laughed.
Zilong was terrified. Whatever he felt now, it was surely frustration—he’d come all this way only to face death.
Evan Yang wasn’t panicked. He was already searching for a solution, expanding his divine sense to probe the barrier.
Evan was unfamiliar with barriers, so he asked Elder Lu, "Elder Lu, how are barriers formed and what can they do?"
Even at a time like this, Evan Yang still had the composure to ask questions. Seeing how serious he was, Elder Lu patiently explained.
"A barrier, or 'jiejie,' can only be set up by those who have reached the Emperor level. After reaching that stage, you gain the ability to create barriers. The strength of a barrier depends on your cultivation—the stronger you are, the stronger the barrier. You can also infuse it with your own attributes for attack or defense," Elder Lu explained.
"I see. How big can a barrier get at most?" Evan Yang asked curiously.
"Barriers can be very large, but the bigger they are, the more energy they require. That’s why most are small. Large barriers are usually unstable and easier to break," Elder Lu replied.
Evan Yang nodded in understanding. "Got it."
The Devil Realm Emissary laughed, "Kid, you’re about to die, and you still have the mood to ask questions. That’s rare."
"Thanks for the compliment," Evan Yang replied.
"So calm? I think you’re just waiting for death," the Devil Realm Emissary sneered.
"Not necessarily. Maybe we’ll still find a way out," Evan Yang said with a smile.
"A way out? Wishful thinking. This isn’t just a formation—it’s filled with dark attribute. It’ll devour you soon enough. Just wait," the Devil Realm Emissary sneered coldly.
Evan Yang ignored him, but he could sense a dark attribute approaching from all around.
"Elder Lu, is there any way to break through a dark attribute?" Evan Yang asked.
"Dark attribute is tricky. Unless you have light attribute, you can’t break darkness with anything but light. But light attribute is extremely rare in this world. Looks like there’s little hope for escape," Elder Lu sighed.
Evan Yang could have used the tower to protect everyone, but he chose not to. Instead, he kept asking questions here and there, leaving the Devil Realm Emissary unsure about what Evan was planning.
Elder Lu and Xie Yue, influenced by Evan Yang’s calm demeanor, also relaxed and began thinking calmly about solutions.
Seeing all three calm down, the Devil Realm Emissary laughed, "What’s this? Have you given up?"