When Evan Chu’s voice sounded in Jade Chu and Tom Chu’s ears, both were startled and whipped around to look—yet, to their surprise, Evan was nowhere to be seen.
"Big Brother, didn’t you go out? How did you get in here? What’s going on?" Jade Chu immediately asked, her divine sense probing the space as she tried to locate Evan.
"Stop looking. My real body hasn’t come in. It’s extremely difficult even for my divine sense to get in here this time. Using secret sound transmission to send my voice into your ears is already my limit. Now, it’s time for you two to leave." Evan said.
"Big Brother, we finished our cultivation ages ago, but we couldn’t figure out how to leave the Timewheel Bracelet, so we could only wait here for you to show up. I didn’t expect you’d really come. Isn’t there still a few hundred years left before the Timewheel Bracelet’s restriction ends?" Jade Chu said.
"That’s right, there’s still more than two hundred years left, but that’s not the most important thing. How are you both doing now? Judging by your appearance, you’ve already hit a bottleneck. Not easy!" Evan Chu laughed.
"Big Brother, both Tom Chu and I have reached the stage where we can attempt ascension. What you see as a bottleneck is just an illusion. This time, neither of us is confident we’ll survive the God-Tribulation. If we fail, you must take good care of our artifact bodies. Someday, when you reach the God Realm, we might still have a chance to revive." Jade Chu said.
"It’s not that serious. I believe you’ll both make it through just fine. It’s getting late—let’s leave here! Once we ascend to the God Realm, we can go back into the Timewheel Bracelet to cultivate." Evan Chu said.
With that, Evan Chu locked onto the two with his divine sense. With a thought, he pulled them out of the Timewheel Bracelet. Jade Chu now radiated a peerless beauty—her presence was so striking, even Princess Ivy paled in comparison. She carried herself with a grace and allure that naturally drew every eye.
Tom Chu had also transformed into a handsome young man. At a glance, it was clear the two were deeply in love. Evan Chu couldn’t help but smile, genuinely pleased to see them together.
"Finally out! That was really tough. We were inside for ages this time. Big Brother, are you all about to ascend to the God Realm? What about the sisters-in-law?" Tom Chu suddenly asked.
"They’re ascending too. There are quite a few of us ascending to the God Realm this time, and I’m sure the lightning tribulation will be extremely fierce. You need to be mentally prepared. Big Brother will do his utmost to protect you." Evan Chu said seriously.
"Don’t worry, Big Brother. Even if we can’t survive the tribulation, we can just revert to our artifact bodies. At worst, our souls will sleep inside until one day we wake up again. Honestly, I’m more worried about you." Tom Chu said.
"Tom Chu, how could you say that to Big Brother? Some things are better left unsaid—you’ll just give him more to worry about." Jade Chu immediately scolded.
"It’s fine. Since I’m your Big Brother, I’m family—just say whatever’s on your mind. Are you saying my ascension tribulation will be especially fierce? Could it even be Nine-Heaven Divine Thunder?" Evan Chu laughed, though inwardly he wondered how Jade Chu and Tom Chu could know about his situation.
"Big Brother, the killing intent on you is extremely heavy. With such a monstrous aura, you might face something even worse than Nine-Heaven Divine Thunder—a true Heavenly Punishment. Whether you can survive is completely unknown. We can’t help but worry." Jade Chu said helplessly.
As artifact spirits, Jade Chu and Tom Chu were extremely sensitive to invisible killing intent. That’s the special trait of true treasures—so it was normal for them to be worried about Evan Chu’s situation.
"Heavenly Punishment? It can’t be that bad, right? Big Brother has an important mission—how could there be a Heavenly Punishment? Don’t worry, I’ll be fine!" Evan Chu tried to reassure himself as he spoke.
"Big Brother, the killing intent on you is way too strong. That’s the kind of aura that only comes from slaughtering tens or even hundreds of thousands of people. With such a monstrous sin value, it’s almost impossible to escape. So when you face your God-Tribulation, you must prepare thoroughly—otherwise, the consequences could be disastrous." Jade Chu said, her face grave.
"Alright, I get it. For now, let’s keep this matter to ourselves—don’t tell anyone else, or they’ll just worry. We’ve been in this secret chamber for a while; maybe the sisters-in-law are getting anxious. It’s time to go see them." Evan Chu said.
With that, Evan Chu led the three out of the secret chamber and toward the grand hall of Frostbane Imperial Palace. Quite a few people were puzzled by the sudden appearance of Jade Chu and Tom Chu, not knowing where the Palace Lord had found such outstanding young talents.
After entering the grand hall, Evan Chu sat at the highest seat. Looking over everyone present, he said, "Go notify everyone—I have an important announcement!"
An elder immediately left to carry out the order, while Jade Chu and Tom Chu stood at Evan Chu’s sides, looking every bit the picture of a devoted couple—though both were much older than they appeared.
Soon, all the key figures of Frostbane Imperial Palace gathered in the hall. Evan Chu glanced at everyone and said, "Frostbane Imperial Palace was only able to become the Immortal Realm’s number one power thanks to everyone’s efforts. For that, I sincerely thank you all!"
"Palace Lord, you’re too polite. This is what we should do. May I ask what brings everyone to the grand hall today?" an elder asked.
"As you all know, my wives and I reached the stage for ascension long ago. We’ve been suppressing our realms, but now we can’t hold back any longer—it’s time to ascend. However, Frostbane Imperial Palace can’t be left without a Palace Lord, so I want to hear your opinions: who should inherit the Palace Lord’s position?" Evan Chu said.
Princess Ivy, Lillian Zhang, Selena Yale and the others were already mentally prepared for Evan Chu’s ascension. Once he left, they would go into seclusion, hoping to reunite with him in the God Realm one day.
"Palace Lord, I have a suggestion. The next Palace Lord of Frostbane Imperial Palace should be chosen from among your sons and daughters. With the support of the great elders and the Palace Lord’s wives, I believe the palace will become even stronger." another elder said.
Evan Chu frowned slightly and said, "That’s actually what I was thinking too. But Lena, Ethan, Lynn and the others are all outstanding—I really don’t know who to choose. Does anyone have a better idea?"
"Evan, whether it’s the palm or the back of the hand, it’s all flesh—we have to be fair and just. Since you can’t choose, why not let the siblings compete? Whoever wins the final contest will be the next Palace Lord." Yvonne Xuan said.
"What does everyone think of this suggestion? If no one objects, we’ll do it this way—three days from now, they’ll compete!" Evan Chu said seriously, his voice ringing through the hall. Lynn Chu, Ethan Chu, and the other juniors were all fired up, their hearts pounding with excitement for the coming trial of succession…