In this frozen wasteland, the number of people in the squad kept dwindling. Evan Chu didn’t feel any regret about it. Maybe the ones who died could have played some role in the Immortal-Beast War, but he didn’t need that kind of person. Survival of the fittest—only true powerhouses can make it out alive.
A thousand li—under normal circumstances, you could cover that distance in the blink of an eye. But here, everyone could only march on foot. Evan Chu had set this rule: every single person had to obey, and nobody dared defy his orders.
The survivors had all improved noticeably, both in combat power and teamwork. What grew out of life-and-death struggle was a mighty division—no ordinary army could compare. This army of one-against-ten was Evan Chu’s true trump card.
During their march, Evan Chu lured many ice-element immortal beasts into the thousand-li zone—some strong, some weak. The most terrifying time, he brought in over three hundred Ice Giants at once, causing enormous trouble for everyone.
But when it came to Immortal Stones, Evan Chu was generous—he regularly supplied the squad with more. Without Immortal Stones to restore Immortal Spirit Force, even the strongest army would be useless; in the end, they’d be slaughtered by enemies or destroyed by the brutal environment once their power ran dry.
By the time they reached Evan Chu’s designated destination, only thirty people remained. Among the twenty dead was even one Immortal Emperor. The survivors no longer feared death—if Evan ordered any one of them to self-destruct, they could do it instantly, no hesitation.
The survivors were all basically late-stage Immortal Lords, with only five at mid-stage. The early-stage ones had been completely eliminated—the cruelty of survival of the fittest.
Once they arrived at Evan Chu’s destination, everyone felt the cold hit them again. Here, you had to run your Immortal Spirit Force at full power just to survive. One careless moment and you’d be frozen solid—a real danger.
"If you’ve made it this far, I believe every one of you has mastered true teamwork. We’ve been in these icy lands for more than half a year, but the mission isn’t over yet. Next up—it’s time for all of you to go into closed-door cultivation here."
Only in truly harsh conditions can your potential be forced out—only then can your realm and power really break through. I’m confident that before the Immortal-Beast War erupts, every one of you will reach the Immortal Emperor realm.
Just imagine—a mighty division made up entirely of Immortal Emperors. Their fighting power would be absolutely terrifying. With your tight teamwork and danger awareness, you’ll smash the immortal beast army to pieces, no question.
There’ll still be immortal beasts showing up here, but don’t worry—I’ll personally take care of any threats so you can cultivate in peace. What you need now is real endurance and resistance.
You’ll have to cultivate while constantly fighting off the cold. If you can pull that off, your results will multiply. Give it your all!" Evan Chu said.
Right away, Evan Chu handed out a huge supply of Immortal Stones to everyone, then found a spot to start cultivating himself. While he trained, he released two Golden Bodies as a warning signal against nearby threats.
This time, he wasn’t cultivating to raise his realm—he was trying to sense Stellar Power. Ever since the Crimson Demon Star incident, he’d understood the cosmic mission on his shoulders. He knew he couldn’t master Stellar Power overnight, but slowly building experience was the right way.
The thirty survivors each picked a spot to cultivate, staying fairly close together. Everyone set up a personal Immortal-Force barrier, then absorbed energy from Immortal Stones inside their formation.
These barriers could usually only last two days before breaking down, so everyone kept rebuilding them and absorbing energy in a cycle.
As they got better at controlling their barriers, the duration kept increasing—from just two days at first to over ten days now. The progress was obvious.
In a flash, five years passed. Plenty of immortal beasts still showed up, but Evan Chu easily slaughtered them all. Over those five years, everyone made clear progress—their defenses got stronger, their endurance improved. The only exception was Evan Chu’s Stellar Power, which hadn’t advanced at all.
His Star Mark was still just the brightest one in the Big Dipper. But every time he tried to borrow its power, he got splitting headaches—a clear sign his method was wrong. The only way forward was to keep sensing and exploring the mysterious link between his Star Mark and the Big Dipper, and figure out what it would take for true resonance.
Evan Chu had only grasped the bare basics—he was just a beginner. With no guidance or foundation, all he could do was fumble forward, not even knowing if his methods were right or wrong. Stellar Power was incredibly dangerous; one wrong move could be fatal.
At best, he’d suffer qi deviation; at worst, he’d be wiped out completely. So Evan Chu was extremely cautious with Stellar Power—maybe too cautious, since that’s why he hadn’t made progress. If he’d dared to take risks, ready to die trying, maybe he’d already be halfway there.
In a blink, thirty years passed. Everyone’s strength skyrocketed—training in these brutal conditions was the best way to break through. At first, the squad had all resented Evan Chu’s demands, but nobody dared speak up.
Now, after seeing the results, they finally understood Evan Chu’s good intentions. Gratitude filled their hearts—they felt honored just to follow him.
More than half of the thirty broke through to early-stage Immortal Emperor realm; only a few hadn’t. Their barriers now lasted a full month—an incredible achievement, and a cause for celebration.
One day, Evan Chu told everyone to stop cultivating. "Now that your strength has improved, it’s time to train your teamwork again. This round won’t last long—just enough to get back your old rhythm. The Immortal-Beast War is almost here, and only by regaining that feeling can you become a true mighty division," Evan Chu said.
"Palace Lord, rest assured—we won’t let you down!" said one of the Immortal Emperor experts.
"Palace Lord, rest assured—we won’t let you down!" Everyone echoed, their voices booming like thunder across the icy wilderness, filling the air with excitement and pride.
Evan Chu then led them to the early-stage Immortal Emperor beast zone for training. The thirty of them were like a sharp blade, slaying every immortal beast in their path.
Even in the early-stage zone, they ran into quite a few mid-stage Immortal Emperor beasts—and still managed to kill them. Of course, it came at a cost, but thankfully, not a single person died.
After nearly a year in this brutal environment, the Golden-Winged Roc suddenly flew to Evan Chu and delivered news. Evan’s expression changed. "Didn’t expect it so soon—but it’s time for the immortal beasts to see what the Immortal Realm can do."
He gathered everyone and announced, "The barrier between the beast region and the Immortal Realm is now fully open. In less than ten days, the Immortal-Beast War will erupt. It’s time to return to Frostbane Imperial Palace and prepare!"