"Soulburn Wine? Is this stuff actually dangerous if I drink it?" Evan Chu asked.
"That's right. The name says it all—Soulburn Wine is a liquor that does massive damage to the soul. It's one of the Ghost Clan's most notorious brews. Drink it, and you'll black out, while your soul slowly gets corroded. Eventually, you'll spill every secret you've got." Luna explained.
Evan's face darkened instantly. He glared at the commander and snapped, "You people are unbelievable! Trying to pass off Soulburn Wine as Ghostwine—did you really think I'd fall for that?"
With that, Evan smashed the bottle on the ground, not caring about the consequences at all. Just like Luna said—if a fight is coming anyway, might as well go all out. Besides, he was curious to see if Faye Knox would step in to help him.
Even if she didn't, Evan was confident he could get away unharmed—or maybe even kill a few of them. If Faye did help, it would mean she truly liked him, and getting her Nether Yin qi would be that much easier.
"Kid, looks like you've got a guilty conscience. Can't keep your cool, huh? So what's it going to be—are you surrendering, or do I have to take you down myself?" the commander sneered.
Right then, the elder who'd just been humiliated by Evan jumped in. "No need for you to dirty your hands with this brat, my lord. The kid nearly drove me mad just now—let me teach him a lesson!"
Evan shot the old man a look and said coldly, "Old geezer, if you want to die, I'll help you out. I haven't had enough killing in the Land of the Undead—today, let's go another round!"
Faye Knox's face changed dramatically. Was this little thief insane? How could he be so reckless here? Didn't he realize both the commander and the city lord were Saint Martial Realm powerhouses? Was he just asking to die?
"You dare look down on me, boy? Today I'll show you what real power is!" the old man roared. He stretched out his hands—gnarled and claw-like—and lunged at Evan with lightning speed.
Evan hadn't expected anyone to attack him bare-handed—talk about not knowing their limits. Sure, the old man's hand technique looked impressive, but up against the defense of his Seventh-Layer Starforge Body, it was nothing.
Not backing down, Evan unleashed the seventh move of Demon-Breaking Fist, ready to go head-to-head with the old man. If he was lucky, maybe he'd cripple both of those hands. It had been ages since he'd used Demon-Breaking Fist—he almost missed it.
This time, Evan had fused the five elements and lightning into Demon-Breaking Fist, making it dozens of times stronger than before. The old man's shriveled claws whipped up a storm of claw shadows, slashing down at Evan from every direction.
For a moment, icy winds howled and the scene was terrifying, but Evan just smiled. His fist and the old man's claw collided with a deafening crash that echoed across the plaza.
Space rippled violently, and the ground for dozens of meters around split into a web of cracks, some over a meter wide. A few unlucky Ghost clansmen even fell into the fissures—talk about bad luck.
Faye Knox was stunned. This guy was showing off way too hard—she had no idea what to do. Jump in and help? It wasn't the right moment. Turn and leave? She couldn't bear to. Right now, she hated Evan so much her teeth hurt, but there was nothing she could do.
The old man felt like he'd grabbed a red-hot iron bar instead of Evan's fist. Pain and numbness shot up his fingers.
In an instant, his finger bones shattered. The force of Demon-Breaking Fist sent the old man flying in a perfect arc, crashing to the ground and lying there, unable to get up.
It wasn't that Evan could kill a Saint Martial Eighth-Layer expert with one Demon-Breaking Fist. The real trick was that the lightning paralyzed him, and the five elements wrecked his body—enough to leave him badly injured. After all, even with Evan's breakthrough to Second-Layer Saint Martial, finishing off someone like that head-on was impossible without using Heaven-Cleave.
Evan shook out his arm and laughed. "Pathetic. You think you can take on me? Know your place!" He made sure the commander and the other middle-aged man heard every word.
Nobody expected Evan to take down a Saint Martial Eighth-Layer expert with a single punch—not even Faye Knox. The commander's and city lord's faces were especially ugly. To have one of their men beaten up by a snot-nosed kid right in front of them? Humiliating didn't even begin to cover it.
At the same time, everyone realized this kid was a top-tier expert. Even a Saint Martial Ninth-Layer couldn't necessarily pull that off. The Ghost Clan elder's attack was his signature move—Ghostshadow Claw. Normally, it could tear through stone and metal, but Evan was completely unharmed. That meant his defense was terrifying.
Evan said, "Hey, that old guy was too weak. Why don't you two come at me instead? I've never fought a Venerable Martial Realm expert before—I'm looking forward to it."
"You've got guts, kid. Who are you, and why did you come to the Ghost Clan? If you tell the truth, maybe I'll let you keep your corpse intact. Otherwise, you'll die right here!" the commander snarled.
"Who do you think you're scaring? Honestly, I haven't paid you any mind. If you piss me off, I'll turn Grimchart City into rubble. Want to know who I am? Beat me first." Evan grinned, but he'd already drawn his Frostbane Sword—these guys were Venerable Martial experts, so bluffing was one thing, but he wasn't about to drop his guard.
"You're asking for death!" the commander finally snapped, drawing his own longsword and slashing at Evan.
Evan was ready for him. There was no way he'd let the attack land. As the commander swung, Evan flashed into the air. The sword strike missed and instantly killed several Ghost clansmen nearby, leaving a massive crater in the ground.
Furious, the commander charged after Evan. "So you're not just all talk—you're quick, too. Let's see how you escape my Venerable Domain today!"
Evan's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected this guy to have a Domain. He'd tangled with one back in the Earth Martial Realm, but that one was weak—his Demon-Breaking Fist tore right through it.
After leveling up, Evan had learned to use Domains himself, but none were all that impressive—against an opponent of similar rank, they barely made a difference. But this was a whole new ballgame.
The commander was a Venerable Martial Realm expert, while Evan was only at Saint Martial. The difference was obvious. Just then, a strange light flashed from the commander, and Evan felt a crushing pressure fill the space around him. Was this his Domain?