Evan Yang knew that his current strength was indeed not enough to deal with the two strange creatures outside.
At that moment, the two bizarre beings outside kept roaring, especially Firebane, who kept cursing Evan and Lord Ridge.
"Stop cursing. We've already been tricked. Getting them to come out now is nearly impossible," Darkbane stopped his ranting, frustrated.
"So what now? We can't stay like this forever, can we? Damn it, if Greenguard finds out we're struggling so much to deal with Evan, what happens when he gets here? We'll be in real trouble," Firebane said, annoyed.
"Yeah, we all know Greenguard's temper. But what can we do? This Earth Temple formation is completely designed to resist our attacks," Darkbane said, frustrated.
"It's all my fault for trusting him too much before. Damn it, I should've realized—a palace lord who follows and guards the Gods would never really make a deal with me. I was too careless," Firebane complained.
"Complaining won't help now. We have to find a way, or else we're doomed," Darkbane said.
Firebane nodded, so the two began discussing how to break the formation, while Evan and Lord Ridge inside were figuring out how to escape.
"Maybe I can use spatial teleportation," Evan thought after considering for a moment.
"Spatial teleportation?" Lord Ridge asked curiously.
"Yes, that's right. If I use spatial teleportation, I can leave here and make it so they can't find me. But I need to travel a certain distance—otherwise, they'll still be able to sense me easily. So I need some time to prepare," Evan said.
"It's fine. They can't break this formation, so you have plenty of time to gather power," Lord Ridge replied.
Evan nodded, then began channeling power into the Realm-Shuttle Pen. Like that, after spending more than half a month, he finally finished. Turning to Lord Ridge, he said, "I'm leaving now."
"Alright, be careful. When you reach the Wood Temple, just tell Elder Woodspirit about the situation here," Lord Ridge said.
Evan nodded, then activated the Realm-Shuttle Pen. After a few breaths, he vanished into thin air, reappearing far away.
"Hmph, Firebane, Darkbane, just wait. I can't beat you today, but one day I'll invade your Otherworld myself," Evan said. Then he turned and left for the Wood Temple.
After arriving at the Wood Temple, Evan found Elder Woodspirit and told him everything that had happened. When he finished, Elder Woodspirit said, "I understand. I'll arrange for Lord Wood, as well as the other palace lords, to go rescue the Earth Temple."
"Thank you," Evan said.
"Are you ready now?" Elder Woodspirit asked.
"I'm ready. Please make the arrangements, Elder Woodspirit," Evan said.
"Alright, I'll send you to the Heaven-Mystic Mirage Realm first. There, you can fully unleash your power and bring out all your abilities. When you reach the peak Emperor Realm, I'll send you to another place—the perfect spot for you to step into Immortal Sovereign in one leap," Elder Woodspirit said.
"Thank you, Elder Woodspirit," Evan said gratefully.
After Evan finished speaking, a tunnel appeared before him, radiating light.
"Go on in," Elder Woodspirit said.
Evan nodded and walked inside. The tunnel was very long; he kept walking and hadn't reached the end. Only after several hours did he arrive in a void.
There was nothing in the void, except countless illusions flickering before his eyes. They were born from his heart—sometimes flames, sometimes snowy ice, sometimes raging wind, sometimes dazzling light, sometimes devouring darkness, and more.
Evan quickly realized these were manifestations of the different strengths of his internal attributes—direct reflections of his power. So he closed his eyes, intending to cultivate here for a while, focus on his weak points, and strengthen them.
Outside the Earth Temple, Lord Yuna of the Water Temple, the Wind Temple Lord, and Lord Wood arrived. The three of them unleashed their true power together. Seeing the three palace lords, Lord Ridge also revealed his strength, and the four joined forces to confront the two Otherworld creatures.
Seeing that all three palace lords had been hiding their strength, Darkbane was shocked. "Weren't you relying on the Flame Temple Lord before? How come you didn't know the other palace lords were hiding their power?"
"He didn't have those memories," Firebane said, frustrated. "Stop arguing. Actually, you were set up long ago," Lord Ridge said with a cold smile.
"Long ago?" Firebane and Darkbane frowned.
"Firebane, back when we sent people to hunt you down with the Flame Temple Lord, Elder Woodspirit marked everyone with a special symbol. That symbol sealed off part of their memories, meant to lure you out so we could eliminate you. If the Otherworld Progenitor hadn't awakened early, Elder Woodspirit wouldn't have chosen to only deal with you two now," Lord Ridge explained.
"Damn it, Elder Woodspirit is truly despicable, daring to scheme against me," Firebane raged.
Darkbane hadn't expected to fall into this trap and was furious. But faced with four opponents as strong as themselves—and with Firebane already wounded—their side was clearly weaker. Soon, Firebane was the first to be frozen by Lord Yuna.
Then Lord Ridge, Lord Wood, and the Wind Temple Lord teamed up to seriously injure Darkbane, who was finally sealed by Lord Yuna as well.
"Finally done," Lord Yuna said, taking a deep breath.
"Elder Woodspirit's method really works. They're Otherworld creatures; only this way can we temporarily restrain them," Lord Ridge said.
"Now that these two are suppressed, it's time to start purging the Otherworld parasites hidden in each palace," Lord Wood said.
"Does Elder Woodspirit have any methods for that?" Lord Ridge asked.
"Here are three Purple Exorcism Talismans. Each of you take one. Activate it above your palace, infuse it with your power, and it will release purple lightning. The lightning barely affects us, but it will force the parasites out of their hosts, so we can eliminate them," Lord Wood explained.
This chapter isn't finished yet~ Please click next page to continue reading the rest!
The three took the Purple Exorcism Talismans curiously, each nodding. Lord Wood composed himself and said, "I should head to the Flame Temple now. Such a grand palace can't go without a master even for a day."
After speaking, Lord Wood flashed away, entering deep into the Flame Temple. He arrived at a secret chamber filled with flames, where he saw a haggard man inside a furnace.
This man was the expert who once wanted to meet Evan but was ambushed by Firebane. He'd been trapped here for years, and now, seeing Lord Wood appear, he opened his eyes. "Lord Wood?"
"Senior, I'm late," Lord Wood sighed. He quickly opened the furnace, and only when the sealing force was removed did the man come out.
The weakened man sighed, "I never expected to be tricked by an Otherworld creature."
"Elder Woodspirit knew long ago. He asked you to take this pill," Lord Wood said, handing him the medicine.
The man took the pill without hesitation. Soon, his strength returned and his wounds healed. He smiled, "Elder Woodspirit's Wood God Pill really is extraordinary."
"This Wood God Pill was made by Elder Woodspirit using his own essence, so its effects are naturally excellent," Lord Wood said with a smile.
"So, what's the situation outside now? What about the Otherworld creature?" the man asked.
"The Otherworld creatures have been sealed. I'm preparing to bring them back to the Wood Temple to face Elder Woodspirit. But the Flame Temple can't go without a master, so I hope you'll reorganize the Flame Temple and prepare everyone for future battles against Otherworld creatures. Time is running short," Lord Wood said.
"Time is running short? What do you mean?" the man asked suspiciously.
"The Otherworld Progenitor will awaken early—Elder Woodspirit has foreseen it, so all plans have been accelerated. Here's a Purple Exorcism Talisman. Use it in the sky, and purple lightning will appear. The hidden Otherworld creatures in the Flame Temple will be forced out, and you can eliminate them," Lord Wood explained.
"Understood," the man replied.
"I'll be going now. The Flame Temple is in your hands," Lord Wood said.
"May I ask, how is the Sacred Flame successor?" the man asked, worried.
"He's far more terrifying than you imagine—his strength is immense. Don't worry, he's at least a Three-Attribute successor," Lord Wood smiled, then left.
"Three-Attribute successor?" the man wondered. After regaining his focus, he went to the Flame Temple, gathered everyone, and announced he was taking charge.
The Flame Temple had been chaotic without a leader. Now that a veteran expert appeared, everyone naturally followed him. He said, "Next, I'll purge the Otherworld creatures. If you find any, capture them without hesitation."
After his words, some people stirred restlessly. Ignoring their reactions, the expert activated the talisman toward the sky. Purple lightning erupted, striking every corner of the Flame Temple.
Instantly, many screamed, and one by one, strange creatures crawled out. The prepared Flame Temple cultivators angrily slaughtered them. The creatures, weakened by the purple lightning, were quickly killed.
The Flame Temple had the most Otherworld creatures; the other palaces had fewer.
With this, the Otherworld creatures in all the palaces were cleared out. Lord Wood returned to the Wood Temple and handed the two strange creatures over to Elder Woodspirit.
Elder Woodspirit moved the two creatures into his wooden hut.
The ice around the two creatures quickly melted.
After thawing, Firebane and Darkbane immediately stood back to back, looking around at the dark surroundings.
"Where is this place?" Firebane exclaimed.
"Hello, and welcome to my domain," a calm, slightly mocking voice greeted them.