Evan Chu and Desmond Mansfield walked side by side—Desmond never left his side, not even when they met the patriarch of the Mansfield Family.
"Desmond, you've returned?"
"Grandfather."
Standing before them was an elderly man with white hair, but his face was ruddy and healthy. His cultivation had already reached the peak late-stage Holy Emperor Realm.
Evan Chu glanced at him, but doubts rose in his heart. Why did this man's cultivation, though impressive, feel so different from when he faced Holden Hong?
To put it bluntly, Evan felt that Holden Hong’s Holy Emperor Avatar was probably several times stronger than this old man!
At first, Evan wondered if it was just his imagination, because according to Holden Hong, the Frostbane Dynasty had suffered curses from the Five Sacred Lands—nobody in Frostbane could break through to the Sacred Emperor Realm, and every step past early Holy Emperor was a brutal struggle.
Holden Hong’s true body was only at mid-stage Holy Emperor, and he’d spent who knows how many years trying to break through to late-stage.
Yet Holden Hong’s Holy Emperor Avatar possessed terrifying power. Even when Evan was much weaker back then, the impression it left on him never faded. Now that his own realm kept rising, his eyes could see much more than before.
Now, after seeing a true peak late-stage Holy Emperor, Evan was absolutely certain—this old man was no match for Holden Hong! Even with a higher realm, he probably couldn’t even beat Holden Hong’s avatar.
The higher Evan’s realm climbed, the more he felt that the secrets lurking behind each level only multiplied. There were probably countless things he still didn’t understand.
Is this the real difference between a dynasty’s top expert and an ordinary powerhouse? Or is it because of the nature of the Trial World itself? Or maybe it’s simply because Holden Hong was the Second Person of Frostbane’s Trial World?
Evan guessed that maybe, even though Frostbane’s Trial World had fallen from Sacred-grade and Frostbane Sacred Land became just Frostbane Dynasty, its foundation was still intact...
"This must be Throne Chu of the Dragon-Chen Legion, whose reputation shakes the stars? About the Starry Void Sigil this time, this old man owes you a great debt, Evan Chu."
Mason Mansfield chuckled warmly, his face full of kindness, without a hint of arrogance. Evan Chu was a little surprised and replied respectfully, "It was nothing, just a small favor."
"Ha! Well said. Not arrogant or impatient—your potential and strength far surpass even Desmond’s."
Mason Mansfield didn’t hold back his praise for Evan Chu.
On the surface, being praised so highly by a peak late-stage Holy Emperor should have left a junior like Evan Chu flattered and overwhelmed. But the more this happened, the more alert Evan became.
These old monsters didn’t reach such heights without scheming. It’d be a joke to think they didn’t have any tricks up their sleeves—who knew what they were plotting for Evan Chu right now?
Desmond Mansfield had already warned him more than once: the Mansfield Family would sacrifice anything to create a true Trial World—including the lives of their own disciples. Even Desmond, as young master, was no exception.
The elders standing behind Mansfield Wuxin grew impatient as he spoke with Evan Chu.
"Patriarch, shouldn't we get started?" one of the elders urged.
Mansfield Wuxin sighed. "Yes, we've delayed too long already. But before we begin, there are things we still need to clarify with Evan Chu."
Evan Chu's heart stirred—he knew the real topic was about to arrive.
Mason Mansfield's expression grew tense as he stepped closer to Evan Chu. He knew that if the dozen Holy Emperors truly decided to strike, not even Evan's heaven-defying power could let him escape. He himself had no power or qualification to stop them.
All Mason Mansfield could do, as he'd said before, was die before Evan Chu did.
"Patriarch, if you have something to say, just say it straight. I'm a straightforward person—I hope all of you won't beat around the bush." Evan Chu said bluntly.
"Mm... Of course, I know King Evan has countless matters to handle." Mansfield Wuxin replied.
Mansfield Wuxin gave a bitter smile, deeply conflicted as he spoke.
Just as Mason Mansfield had guessed, the patriarch and elders of the Mansfield Family had originally planned exactly as Desmond suspected.
Evan Chu? No matter how strong or talented he was, he was still just a Saint Venerable. He might be able to kill an early-stage Holy Emperor, but what about when a dozen Holy Emperors attacked together? Not to mention, several mid-stage, late-stage, and even peak Holy Emperors, dozens or thousands of times stronger than the early stage.
If they really wanted to act, Evan Chu would have no way to resist.
But after news spread of Evan Chu winning the Starry Void Sigil and agreeing to help open the Star Core, other news reached the Mansfield Family as well.
Frostbane Dynasty had unified its realm, standing at the very peak of the Star-River Dominion. Dragon-Chen Legion had swallowed the Savage Brotherhood, and their number of Holy Emperors might soon exceed ten.
These two pieces of news were what truly shocked the Mansfield Family.
If it were just Evan Chu alone, they wouldn't be afraid—killing for the Sigil would be normal. But now, with Dragon-Chen Legion and Frostbane Dynasty on the rise, the Mansfield Family could only bow their heads.
Kill Evan Chu? It's not that they couldn't—it's that they didn't dare.
Even if they got the Sigil and opened a Trial World, what then? Dragon-Chen's revenge, Frostbane's wrath, and retaliation from other allied dynasties—how could Mansfield withstand it? Especially if Owens or Baili joined in to kick them while they were down...
The day of Mansfield's destruction would not be far off. Thinking of this, Mansfield Wuxin could only sigh helplessly.
"It's already our good fortune that Evan Chu could come here at all... But I fear you still don't understand the full situation." Mansfield Wuxin said.
Opening the Star Core is far from simple, and possessing the Starry Void Sigil doesn’t guarantee success."
"Patriarch, just be direct—what are you planning? Desmond already told me the details; I just want to know what all of you think." Evan Chu pressed.
Mansfield Wuxin gave a bitter smile, as if he could already see the star core opening failing, and what came out was not a true Trial World, but just an ordinary fake one.
"Things have come to this point—our Mansfield Family really has no good solution. To be honest, we can only rely on you, Evan Chu."
"Oh? Is it really that simple?" Evan Chu asked.
"It’s only that simple." Mansfield Wuxin replied.
Evan Chu couldn’t understand—was it really that easy? Did this mean... the Mansfield Family had compromised? Even if the Trial World failed, they wouldn’t attack Evan Chu? Or rather, when facing Evan, none of them dared harbor thoughts of murder or theft?