Evan Chu's mastery of fire transformation had now reached a state of perfection. The flames he unleashed, while not quite at the level of Heavenfire, were nearly as strong as Earthfire, and he sent them surging toward the mass of resentment-qi.
But the resentment-qi seemed to suddenly gain intelligence, splitting apart to dodge Evan Chu's flames and leaving his attack striking nothing but air. This was the first time he had ever encountered such a phenomenon.
When the flames faded, the mass of resentment-qi reformed itself, looking bizarre and unnatural. Evan Chu froze for a moment, then sent out another burst of flame, but the result was exactly the same, making him snap angrily:
"Damn it! I refuse to believe I can't wipe you out!" Evan Chu roared, unleashing Heaven-Cleave with a surge of fighting spirit. He knew this move probably couldn't destroy the resentment-qi either, but at least it could blast it apart, slow its reformation, and give him a chance to smash it piece by piece. If brute force couldn't do it, he'd just keep pounding until it did!
His hopes were high, but reality was cruel. After he unleashed Heaven‑Cleave, the resentment-qi didn’t try to dodge at all—the powerful sword‑qi struck it head‑on, but instead of blasting it apart, the attack simply passed straight through, shooting off into the distance.
Evan Chu was stunned. The resentment-qi wasn’t afraid of physical attacks at all—the only thing it feared was fire. For a moment, he didn’t know what to do. Meanwhile, the two super experts were rapidly closing in.
"Big Sis Luna, I’m in real trouble this time. This resentment-qi just can’t be destroyed! Is there any other way?" Evan Chu asked urgently. If he didn’t annihilate the resentment-qi now, once those experts arrived, he’d have no chance. If the resentment-qi escaped or got absorbed by a Shade Clan member, he might become the Netherworld’s eternal sinner.
"Try using your thunder power—it might work. Of course, I can’t be sure, since you haven’t learned Thundershift yet and can’t unleash your full lightning strength," Luna, the sword spirit, said.
Evan Chu didn’t hesitate. He frantically channeled the thunder element in his body into his palm, then struck at the resentment-qi before him. Instantly, a thumb-thick bolt of lightning shot from his palm and slammed into the mass of qi.
This strike worked—Evan Chu saw the resentment-qi shrink dramatically, meaning his lightning had destroyed a large portion of it. If he kept attacking, he could wipe it out completely.
At that moment, the resentment-qi seemed to realize how dangerous Evan Chu was and started fleeing into the distance at incredible speed. Evan was shocked: "Trying to escape? No way!" He immediately gave chase, unleashing another bolt of lightning from his palm.
After a frantic chase, Evan Chu managed to destroy part of the resentment-qi, but suddenly stopped—someone was blocking his path. The aura this person gave off was that of a super expert, at least Second-Layer Venerable Martial Realm or higher.
"Kid, you’ve got some skill—being able to destroy resentment-qi. Do you have any idea how important that qi is to me? Be smart and get lost, or I’ll cut you down right here and now," the newcomer said.
Evan Chu glanced at him and sneered, "What's wrong with your head, old man? You think just because you're strong, everyone has to bow to you? Dream on! I'm not scared of you, so why don't you shut up and get lost!"
The newcomer was actually a middle-aged man, dressed in a long gray robe and looking almost human. If you didn’t know better, you might really think he was human, but Evan Chu knew he was Shade Clan. The man had just said the resentment-qi was crucial to him—if he absorbed it, he’d become the strongest in the Netherworld, and Evan couldn’t let that happen.
"You’re courting death! If you won’t take the easy way, I’ll make you regret it!" the middle-aged man roared, waving his hand as a wave of gray, hazy energy shot toward Evan Chu.
Evan Chu had no idea what that gray, hazy energy was, but he could sense its power—his wood element inside him was going berserk, as if trying to break free. It was incredibly strange.
"Evan Chu, get out of the way! That's death-qi—if it touches you, you're finished! This Shade Clan bastard is practicing a forbidden art, definitely a villain of the worst kind. If someone like him gets his hands on the resentment-qi, the whole Netherworld will be doomed!" Luna shouted.
It was Evan Chu’s first time hearing about death-qi, but if Luna said it was dangerous, he believed her. He dodged frantically, then used teleportation to dart to the side and continued flying toward the fleeing resentment-qi.
Evan Chu moved fast. The Shade Clan man was shocked to see the youth dodge his attack so easily, but quickly realized Evan’s intent and turned to chase after the resentment-qi as well. This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to power up—he couldn’t afford to miss it.
Just then, an elder emerged from the ruins and hovered over the martial field. When he saw the devastation below, his anger exploded: "I'll find the real culprit behind this disaster—even if I have to tear them limb from limb! If I can't, I'm not worthy to be called human!"
He unleashed his powerful divine sense, quickly discovering two figures flying in the distance. One had a terrifying aura, equal to his own. A thought flashed through his mind: "Is that the guy who destroyed Grimchart City?" He rushed toward Evan Chu and the others.
The elder could also teleport, though not as far as Evan Chu. He would catch up to them in just a few jumps. Now, he saw a Ghost Clan youth and a Shade Clan middle-aged man fiercely battling, with a mass of resentment-qi fleeing nearby.
Seeing this, the elder understood everything. He didn’t know who the Ghost Clan youth was or why he possessed such strength, but when he saw the Shade Clan man, he was convinced that this was the culprit behind the disaster.
He rushed up to Evan Chu and the Shade Clan man, a jet-black staff materializing in his hand. He bellowed at the Shade Clan middle-aged man, "You old bastard! How dare you commit such a heaven-defying atrocity—I'll see you ground to dust!"
He swung his staff, sending out several staff-shadows that smashed toward the middle-aged man. Evan Chu could feel the power of the blow—space shook violently, and countless streams of energy instantly turned into violent astral winds that whipped in all directions.
This elder’s staff strike was every bit as powerful as Evan Chu’s Heaven‑Cleave. The Shade Clan man scrambled to dodge, shouting, "Marcus Yang, don’t go too far! I’ve got no quarrel with you—why are you trying to kill me?"
He quickly struck out with his palm, dodged to the side, and glared furiously at the elder.
Evan Chu's heart was pounding—nervous, excited, and desperate all at once. If he could stir up these two to fight each other, he'd have the window to destroy the resentment-qi. But if they saw through it and joined forces, he'd be up against two super experts at once. That would be a death sentence! No matter what, he had to make sure the first outcome happened—even if it meant fanning the flames and provoking them to the edge!