Evan Chu felt there was no need to hide the secret of the Timewheel Bracelet from Heaven Ape and Brother Ape—after all, Heaven Ape already knew his background, and even if Evan didn’t say it, he’d surely guess.
So he took out the Timewheel Bracelet. Heaven Ape was naturally shocked when he saw it, but the Vice Hall Master just looked confused, clearly not knowing what this bracelet was.
“Evan, I can’t believe you actually found your greatest treasure. This is honestly too surprising. With it, I’m not too worried about you entering the Life-and-Death Grove anymore. Still, you need to be careful—the Timewheel Bracelet’s side effects are extremely serious,” Heaven Ape said.
“I’m well aware of that. I just want you both to know that if I really run into danger, I have a way to save myself. As for the Wood Spirit Pearl, I have to get it—otherwise, I won’t be able to gain a foothold in the Azure Tide Ruins,” Evan replied.
“Evan, what’s so special about this bracelet? Why does the Hall Lord trust you to enter the Life-and-Death Grove just because of it?” the Vice Hall Master asked, baffled.
“Haha! Of course you wouldn’t know. That’s the Frostbane Sect’s supreme sect treasure, the Timewheel Bracelet, famous alongside the Frostbane Sword. It’s a divine artifact that lets its bearer instantly rewind time—whether just moments ago or even several hours back,” Heaven Ape explained.
Hearing this, the Vice Hall Master was deeply shaken inside. He hadn’t expected Evan Chu to possess something so heaven-defying—clearly, the Frostbane Sect’s master was anything but ordinary.
“Alright, that settles it. Just don’t tell my friends about me going into the Life-and-Death Grove. I’m sure you understand—those two women are both mine, and their backgrounds are special. It’s best not to pry, or things could get unpleasant!” Evan warned.
“When do you plan to enter the Life-and-Death Grove? We should prepare,” Heaven Ape asked.
“No need. I’ll go in tomorrow. Tonight, I’ll rest up and recover my energy, and Old Ape can come with me. Brother Ape should stay in the Western Beast King Hall—like you said, the Monster Beast Forest isn’t peaceful, and if the other two halls suddenly attack, the consequences could be disastrous,” Evan said.
"Alright then, I’ll just wait here in the Western Beast King Hall for your good news. With me around, I doubt the Southern and Northern halls will dare act so recklessly," the Vice Hall Master said.
With that, Evan Chu and the other two left the secret chamber. Evan went to find Claire Ouyang, then took Alex Xiao, the Violet Thunder Fox, with him. At that moment, Alex was actually able to slowly make her body invisible—if she stayed still, she was almost impossible to spot.
It was just like how Evan could merge his body into water or fire, except Alex was merging directly into space itself. He hadn’t expected that after absorbing the Flame Spider’s beast core, she’d gain such a heaven-defying skill.
All night, Evan was absorbing Stellar Power and slowly converting it into Chaos Dragon Force. By dawn, his Chaos Dragon Force was fully saturated, and he looked completely refreshed and full of energy.
He headed out with Alex Xiao, and by then Heaven Ape was already waiting for him. Seeing Alex, Heaven Ape was a bit surprised. “Evan, how do you have a Violet Thunder Fox? If I’m not mistaken, she’s a descendant of the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox—a very noble bloodline among monster beasts. Are you really planning to bring her?”
“That’s right. With her around, a lot of things get much easier. Is there a problem?” Evan asked.
“Do you know who the Northern Beast King Hall’s master is? He’s a Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox. He used to have seven tails; I don’t know if he’s grown an eighth by now. If he finds out one of his bloodline is following you as a pet, he might kill you outright. There are fewer than five Nine-Tailed Spirit Foxes left in the world, and at least two of them are still very weak,” Heaven Ape warned.
“So that’s how it is. That does make things complicated. But Alex isn’t my pet—she’s my little sister, and that’s how it’s always been. She can leave whenever she wants,” Evan said.
“That’s right! Big Bro always treats me well, so Old Ape doesn’t need to worry. If the Northern Hall’s master ever tries to hurt my brother, I’ll protect him with my life!” Alex Xiao declared.
“Alright, it’s not likely anyone will find out anyway. The Life-and-Death Grove is basically deserted, and monster beasts almost never show up there,” Old Ape finally said, a little helpless. Since Evan had made up his mind, he couldn’t really argue.
Evan picked up Alex Xiao and, together with Heaven Ape, soared into the sky. Heaven Ape was secretly amazed at Evan’s flying speed—at just First-Layer Divine Martial, he was already as fast as a typical Seventh-Layer expert.
Even though both of them were incredibly fast, it still took two full days and one night to fly from the Western Beast King Hall to the Life-and-Death Grove. It just showed how vast the Monster Beast Forest really was.
When Evan and Heaven Ape landed, Heaven Ape said, “Evan, up ahead is the edge of the Life-and-Death Grove. Can you sense the powerful aura of life?”
At Heaven Ape’s prompt, Evan tried to sense it with his heart—and sure enough, he could feel a strong surge of life force coming from the woods ahead.
“It’s definitely strong. Old Ape, just wait here for me. I have no idea how many days I’ll be gone. If you’re worried about the Western Hall, feel free to head back!” Evan said.
“With the Vice Hall Master holding down the fort, I’m not worried. What I’m concerned about is you. Go ahead and enter—I’ll be waiting right here for you to bring me a big surprise,” Heaven Ape replied.
Evan nodded. “Let’s go in, Alex!”
A flash of violet light shimmered around Alex Xiao, and she transformed into her human form right in front of Heaven Ape. Then she followed Evan into the woods ahead.
Evan glanced around at the woods nearby. There didn’t seem to be anything special, except for the strong life aura—otherwise, it was just like any other forest. But he knew it couldn’t be that simple; otherwise, Heaven Ape and Brother Ape wouldn’t have been so tense about him coming here.
Evan and Alex Xiao walked deeper into the woods, spotting quite a few monster beast bones along the way. Some of the bones were so massive, they must have weighed several tons—just imagining how big and powerful those beasts had been was daunting.
Gradually, the air in the woods became fresher, giving a sense of peace and clarity. The trees around them were obviously thicker and taller than those outside.
“This place really is unusual. Alex, we need to be careful. The Life-and-Death Grove is huge, and we still don’t know exactly where the Wood Spirit Pearl is. We’ll have to search slowly,” Evan said.
“Big Bro, the life aura here is so strong—it must be because of the Wood Spirit Pearl. If we find the spot where it’s strongest, the Wood Spirit Pearl will definitely be there. This place is a true illusion realm. With my abilities, I can only tell that the illusion here will drive people into a kind of madness. You need to be careful,” Alex Xiao warned.
“Madness? How crazy are we talking—are there monsters in here too?” Evan asked, startled.
Just as he finished speaking, two massive vines suddenly shot out from the trunk of a giant tree, whipping toward them at lightning speed...