The entire water dragon instantly lunged at the Fire Leech in the sky, biting and tearing.
Countless fiery threads on the Fire Leech's body whipped frantically as it shrieked in alarm, but it couldn't withstand the dragon's bite.
The water dragon swallowed the Fire Leech whole, flooding its belly with a torrent of water that completely drowned the creature. With the Fire Leech trapped inside, the dragon soared skyward, rolling and twisting through the thunderclouds.
Moments later, a violent explosion echoed through the air—the Fire Leech, unable to withstand the dragon's crushing force, burst into a mist of fiery blood midair. With a loud crash, the compass reverted to its original form, fell to the ground, and shattered into pieces.
Rain poured down from the sky as the water dragon streaked through the storm.
Master Byron Whitecloud's face twisted with rage, unable to process what had just happened.
"You—you actually destroyed my magic artifact!"
He trembled as he bent down to pick up the shattered compass fragments. But now, the entire compass was broken beyond recognition, its luster gone, reduced to nothing but a pile of worthless stone.
"I killed your disciples, destroyed your artifact, and now I'll send you down the Yellow Springs."
Evan Lin spoke calmly, his black hair dripping eerily in the rain. Yet not a drop touched his clothes. His pitch-black eyes were cold and indifferent, as he looked at Master Byron Whitecloud as if he were nothing but a dog awaiting slaughter.
"You... you're going too far!"
Master Byron Whitecloud clutched the compass fragments, his face full of grief. He had stolen this artifact from the Profound Clarity Sect, betraying his teachers and hiding in Jinnan for years to cultivate. He even made his disciples gather materials to feed the Fire Leech, only for it all to be destroyed today.
Decades of effort were wiped out in an instant. Compared to his Yin-Yang realm, this nurturing compass was far more valuable!
In the pouring rain, Master Byron Whitecloud raised his head, glaring fiercely at Evan Lin, teeth clenched.
The mighty water dragon that had soared above the clouds now shrank to a fraction of its size, transforming into a small dragon that affectionately circled in front of the young man. It floated along Evan Lin's fingertip, showing none of a dragon's usual majesty.
"It's your turn to go."
Evan Lin shook his head, raised his gaze, and looked straight at Master Byron Whitecloud.
Sensing a chilling killing intent, Master Byron Whitecloud's expression hardened. He gritted his teeth and suddenly turned to flee toward the edge of the mountain.
He moved with lightning speed, almost like a bolt of electricity.
"Once I stabilize my Yin-Yang realm and master its arts, I'll come back for your life!"
Master Byron Whitecloud shouted angrily, his whole body turning into a faint black shadow, almost escaping.
"Is that the Five Elements Escape Art?" Evan Lin muttered, then shook his head. "Too crude. Just showing off in front of an expert."
Evan glanced at the tiny water dragon floating around his wrist, gently rubbed its head with a finger, and then flicked it lightly toward Master Byron Whitecloud.
The little water dragon instantly shot out like an arrow, its small body turning into a mist of water in a flash.
Just as Master Byron Whitecloud was about to step out of the rainstorm, the water dragon suddenly materialized in front of him.
The dragon wasn't large, but in the blink of an eye, it pierced straight through his heart.
He didn't even have time to react, let alone feel pain. His body froze mid-flight and crashed to the ground, dying with his eyes still open.
Evan Lin stood behind Byron's corpse, unmoved. The Scarlet Flame Command, now recovered, slowly returned to his hand.
Evan conjured a ball of fire and directly refined Byron's body into a single Human Pill.
This pill glowed faintly and smelled far richer than the one Evan had refined from the Old Immortal Sage before. After all, this was a Yin-Yang realm cultivator, so its power was naturally stronger.
The wounded Three Maiden Spirits limped back into the Soul-Sacrifice Beauty Scroll inside Evan's backpack to hide and recover.
The water dragon gradually dispersed into the world. As the torrential rain soaked the ground, grass seeds that had been scorched by fire suddenly sprang to life, bursting through the soil and growing against all odds.
Evan Lin took a deep breath, stood for a moment, then headed out. The cold, ruthless aura he once radiated slowly faded, and he returned to his usual appearance.
Far off, outside the forest, many people had witnessed the scene in the sky. They wore expressions of awe, not daring to speak recklessly.
......
At the foot of the mountain outside Capitalview's suburbs, crowds waited three days and nights, but Master Byron Whitecloud never returned.
Many grew restless and anxious. Some guessed Byron might have gone back to the Daoist sect, or perhaps, after revenge, started another round of secluded cultivation.
After all, a master like Byron Whitecloud was impossible to predict.
Someone suggested that maybe Byron was killed by the person who had slain his disciples, but this idea was quickly mocked by those around.
How could a figure as formidable as Byron Whitecloud possibly be harmed by an ordinary person?
It was simply laughable beyond belief.
Mocked by everyone, the speaker was scared into silence and didn't dare say another word.
Even by the seventh day, Byron Whitecloud still hadn't returned. Only the shattered boulder on the cliff seemed to prove he'd ever been there—otherwise, there was no sign of him at all.
"Maybe Master Byron Whitecloud really found a place to go into seclusion again. With his talent and status, he probably forgot all about us long ago."
A wealthy merchant shook his head, finally losing patience and turning to leave.
Once the first person left, others quickly followed. By half a month later, everyone had given up and left.
Even the Su, Lin, and Mu families stopped waiting.
Meanwhile, Evan Lin didn't take a car. With his backpack, he asked for directions and walked toward Capitalview City.
Along the way, Evan kept trying to sense the mysteries of the Grand Dao Foundation Art.
"Compared to ordinary Foundation chapters, the Grand Dao Foundation Art seems able to draw spiritual energy from the surrounding plants and creatures."
"But the spiritual energy is far too thin. Still, it's better than nothing—a definite improvement over before."
Feeling his body's state, Evan walked briskly, never tiring.
Previously, he had only broken through from Qi-Refining to Foundation, but without a proper cultivation art, he couldn't advance further.
Now, having formally started practicing the Grand Dao Foundation Art, he knew that to progress further, he'd need more spiritual energy and pills.
For now, though, that was a real headache.