"You'd better be prepared. This grand tomb is the ancestral site guarded by the Oceanport tomb-keeper clan for generations. As for how dangerous it really is inside, none of us know."
"If you're not willing to go, you can refuse. No need to worry about losing face."
On the other end of the phone, Bella Xiao's voice was filled with a kind of calm detachment.
"I'll wait for you to come."
Evan Lin didn't waste words.
Evan was also curious about what might be inside the Oceanport Grand Tomb.
Especially after visiting that strange mysterious place, Evan was even more eager to uncover the truth.
At the very least, he needed to figure out what this so-called 'karmic cause and effect' really was.
A white robe.
A cascade of black hair.
A blood-red cord.
Always there, like a shadow.
He couldn't tell if this karmic thread belonged to the Evan Lin who had never been to the Immortal Martial Continent, or if it was carried back from there.
After hanging up, Evan originally wanted to call Lily Zhong.
But just after he hung up, Yvette Ye called again.
Evan frowned, hung up once, but she wouldn't let it go—her calls kept coming nonstop.
"What's up?"
Evan finally picked up.
"The Upper-Grade Lin Clan people have already made their move. You'd better listen to me and find somewhere to lay low!"
"Are you in Beijing right now? The Lin Clan already has people showing up in Beijing!"
Yvette sounded anxious. She talked for a long time, but got no response from Evan, which made her even more frantic.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Where are you?"
"Hey!"
She was so frustrated she wished she could crawl through the phone and slap Evan herself.
"I'm listening."
Evan leaned back in his chair, gazing out the window. "I'm not in Beijing right now."
"Good, as long as you're not in Beijing..."
Yvette clearly breathed a sigh of relief. "Lately, things are getting crazier—strange incidents keep popping up everywhere."
"Nightstar and Moonshade people are all starting to move."
"For now... forget it, I won't assign you any tasks. Just stay put, behave, and don't stir up trouble. Otherwise, even if Azure Dragon steps in, he might not be able to protect you!"
Yvette sounded huffy, but she didn't bother hiding the concern in her voice.
Evan hadn't even said anything yet.
A crisp click.
Yvette on the other end hung up first.
"What did he say?"
No sooner had Yvette hung up than Azure Dragon, walking beside her, asked the question.
Today, Azure Dragon looked a bit dusty and travel-worn, but the one thing that hadn't changed was the unbeatable aura he carried.
"He's not in Beijing right now. The Upper-Grade Lin Clan seems to have all gone to Beijing, so maybe they're not after him?"
Yvette herself was a bit confused by the situation.
The Upper-Grade Lin Clan hadn't mobilized like this in decades. Even Yvette had been shocked when she first heard the news.
Last time, just one Blake Lin coming out was enough to shake the entire martial world.
In Beijing, tales of him were everywhere.
If he hadn't been forcibly defeated by Master Lin from Seacrest and sent back home, Blake Lin might already be challenging the Divine Ranking by now.
"Let's hope so."
Azure Dragon took a deep breath. The two of them were walking along a mountain path, the scenery unchanged in every direction, and the silence was almost eerie.
There wasn't a single sound of birds or insects.
"Earlier... when you were in that mountain with the Woman Statue, what exactly did you see?"
Yvette glanced at Azure Dragon's solemn expression, hesitated, but couldn't help asking.
Earlier, they'd set out together to investigate the mysterious disturbances, and with all the bizarre incidents lately, they needed answers.
Then, by a strange twist of fate...
They saw that colossal Woman Statue.
Azure Dragon spent over ten days breaking through the mountain, and a few more before he finally emerged.
After he came out, Yvette felt that Azure Dragon's mood was off.
It was an odd feeling.
The old Azure Dragon was calm and detached, almost ethereal.
That confidence came from overwhelming strength.
But lately, Azure Dragon sometimes showed hints of worry.
That was almost unheard of before.
"Inside..."
Azure Dragon stopped mid-sentence, glanced at Yvette, then shook his head.
He turned to look behind him.
Far in the distance, a mountain carved into a giant Woman Statue loomed, half-hidden in clouds and mist.
Beijing.
Inside a luxurious villa estate.
In the main hall.
There were five people in total.
All were young—the youngest just over twenty, the oldest barely thirty.
"The world is about to change. The key to the new era lies with this person."
A rugged-looking man spoke in a deep, booming voice.
As he spoke, he took out a photo and placed it on the table.
He also glanced over at a young man sitting cross-legged nearby, his tone tinged with mockery: "Beixun, on the way here, I kept hearing about that Master Lin from Seacrest who beat you. Is that kid really so strong?"
"Back when you left the Lin Clan, we were all waiting for you to reach the top of the Divine Ranking. Who would've thought you'd lose to such a nobody."
"Master Lin from Seacrest—tsk, even the name doesn't sound intimidating. Shouldn't it be Master Lin of China instead?"
He sneered, and the others glanced at Blake Lin, who was sitting cross-legged.
Since Blake Lin lost to Evan, he'd returned to the clan and gone into seclusion, unseen for a long time.
Now, his aura was even stronger than before.
Hearing those words, Blake Lin slowly opened his eyes, his gaze cold as he looked at the speaker: "Give him time. I think he could challenge Azure Dragon."
"Losing to him wasn't unjust—even if my strength was limited at the time."
"Frankly, if you faced him at your peak, you'd need at least a hundred moves to beat him."
Blake Lin spoke calmly.
He said that only after a hundred moves could the man in front of him defeat Evan.
If word of this got out, it would shock everyone.
Master Lin from Seacrest was already a legendary figure among the youth!
And this man, needing a hundred moves to defeat Master Lin from Seacrest—just how strong was he?
Yet here, when the man heard Blake Lin's words, his face darkened and he replied coldly, feeling insulted: "To deal with someone like Master Lin from Seacrest, I'd need a hundred moves?"
"If he stood before me, one punch would be enough to kill him!"
"What a joke!"