The Former Black Hand Gate Sect Master Reappears

Evan ignored him and said, "Palace Lord, let's go."

"Alright, it's a good chance to visit the mortal world. I'll go with you." The Fiend Palace Lord smiled, then addressed the others, "If the sixth map appears, let me know. I'll show up."

With that, the Fiend Palace Lord followed Evan. As soon as they left, Iris Storm, Palace Lord of Hundred-Bloom Palace, said, "I'm going out for a walk, too. Waiting here all day for the map is boring."

So Iris Storm left, and the black-clad man from Black Hand Gate, seeing nothing else happening, said, "I need to talk to that kid about something. I'll go ahead."

In no time, most people had left. The remaining ones exchanged helpless looks—after all, there were five map fragments, but no one dared show theirs, afraid of being tricked.

While Evan was chatting with the Fiend Palace Lord, Iris Storm appeared, blocking Evan. When he saw it was the masked woman, he asked in surprise, "It's you?"

"I think you forgot something, Evan. I was just at the Fenn Family," Iris Storm sighed.

Evan had only been focused on the Fenn Family and didn't expect her to appear among the crowd—after all, these were big figures from the Three Palaces.

"Sorry, are you here with the Hundred-Bloom Palace Lord? I didn't see her."

"She wasn't free, so I came instead," Iris Storm replied.

"She let you come instead? You can substitute for this kind of thing? Your Palace Lords must be really busy," Evan joked.

"Let's not talk about that. Aren't you going out? Take me with you. It's boring here anyway," Iris Storm said.

Evan and the Fiend Palace Lord exchanged helpless looks. Evan originally wanted to refuse, but remembering that he owed her a favor, he reluctantly said, "Alright, let's find a tavern nearby and chat."

"I heard you're a master brewer," Iris Storm suddenly said.

"You know? Don't expose me like that," Evan said, surprised. He had once infiltrated the Fenn Family as a disciple of the Wine Immortal, but later his identity was revealed. If Iris Storm didn't know, it would be impossible—so she must also be a disciple of the Wine Immortal.

There were two disciples of the Wine Immortal—Iris Storm was the other one. Evan grinned, "You're not bad yourself."

"You really have the nerve! You knew we were both disciples of the Wine Immortal, but never told me! If the Fenn Family hadn't revealed your identity, I'd have been in the dark!" Iris Storm grumbled.

"Hey, now you know, isn't it the same?" Evan grinned.

"You think you can just brush it off? To make up for it, what are you going to do?" Iris Storm teased.

"We're from the same sect, aren't we? Why be so calculative? By the way, I don't even know your name or what you look like," Evan replied, seeing she wanted compensation and taking the chance to ask about her identity.

The Fiend Palace Lord stood nearby like a third wheel, then said helplessly to Evan, "I'll wait for you at the Heavenly Fragrance Grand Tavern."

"Alright," Evan replied with an awkward smile.

After the Fiend Palace Lord left, Iris Storm became even more insistent. "That's because you weren't strong enough! We agreed long ago—you have to use your strength to take off my veil."

"Oh? You mean you want me to take off your veil right now?" Evan smiled. With his current strength, he doubted he couldn't do it.

"Go ahead, try it," Iris Storm smiled.

Evan smiled and quickly reached out, trying to remove her veil, but she vanished.

When Evan snapped back to his senses, Iris Storm was already in the void.

Evan was shocked. With a flash, he entered the void and looked at her in surprise. "How are you so fast?"

"Because my attribute is wind. My speed is far above ordinary people—even faster than some Pseudo-Immortal experts. While my strength isn't as great as yours, when it comes to speed, you might not be able to catch me." Iris Storm said proudly.

"Wind? Your speed is impressive, but I won't give up. Watch this." Evan smiled, then activated his Fly-Fire Boots, and infused his soul into them.

He fitted his gloves with Attraction Spirit Stones.

With these enhancements, Evan's speed was many times greater than before. Iris Storm, noticing Evan's odd behavior, tried to use her technique again, but before she could take a few steps, Evan blocked her. His hand brushed lightly past her ear, and as he touched her face, her veil fell from the void.

Iris Storm stared at Evan in shock, and Evan looked at her as well. She quickly retreated, saying, "What a clever move. I really lost to you this time."

"Losing to me is normal. Don't worry about it," Evan said calmly, though he wasn't sure what else to say.

"Am I really ugly?" Iris Storm suddenly asked.

Evan didn't know how to explain. Iris Storm's face was different from most—she had a mark, a flower, bright and colorful, almost like a painted mask.

Seeing Evan didn't respond, Iris Storm suddenly felt uncomfortable, tears welling in her eyes. She knew this day would come, but hadn't expected it so soon.

Evan finally spoke, "You're overthinking it. You're not ugly."

"Really? You're not just comforting me?" Iris Storm asked sadly.

"I'm not comforting you. It's just a mark—it doesn't affect your charm," Evan said.

"What?" Iris Storm was unused to hearing about the mark. She'd had it since childhood, never able to remove it, and always felt upset when others mentioned it.

Evan was about to explain when another person appeared in the void—it was the black-clad man from Black Hand Gate.

"Sorry to interrupt your romantic moment," the black-clad man sneered.

His words immediately drew the attention of both Evan and Iris Storm.

"What, afraid to be seen together?" the black-clad man laughed again.

"Go on, what do you want with me?" Evan finally asked.

"You know full well. Last time, you injured the Black Hand Gate's master. Now I'm here to take you back to Black Hand Gate." The black-clad man sneered.

"You're confident, aren't you?" Evan asked.

"You may have defeated the three elders of the Three Palaces, but let me tell you—their strength is only half of mine. Do you really think you're stronger than me?" the black-clad man sneered.

"How would we know unless we try?" Evan replied with a smile.

The black-clad man stared sharply at Evan, while Iris Storm said, "He's dangerous. None of the Three Palaces' people can defeat him. We should leave."

"No need," Evan replied.

"Kid, she's worried about you, and you're still ungrateful. Are you really planning to die?" the black-clad man sneered.