The demonic qi grew thicker and thicker—clearly, they were nearing the entrance between the Immortal Realm and the Demonic Realm. Evan Chu and the other three became even more cautious.
Every wraith they encountered was cut down by Evan Chu. Most of them couldn’t be seen at all, but the sounds they made as they died were still clearly audible.
Everyone found it strange how Evan Chu could kill these wraiths so accurately, not knowing how he was able to spot them. Evan, for his part, kept the secret of his Icefire Eye to himself.
After traveling several more li without meeting any more wraiths, Evan Chu said, “The demonic qi is getting thicker. I think we should split up—it’ll be easier to search that way. If anyone finds Zane Zuo, signal immediately. With our speed, we’ll be able to regroup fast.”
“Evan’s right. Splitting up makes sense. The only thing we don’t know is whether our guess is correct—if Zane Zuo isn’t here, we’re in real trouble.” Nolan Nangong said.
The four immediately spread out. Evan Chu kept straight ahead, Nolan Nangong and the Grand Elder went left, and Jade Qin headed to the right. All four drew their weapons—this place was extremely dangerous, and there might be more than just Zane Zuo lurking here.
Some Demonic Realm remnants would also show up in this place, since only demonic qi could keep them alive. Everyone had to stay alert.
After Evan Chu walked about a hundred meters, he immediately activated Light Transformation and turned himself invisible, making things much safer. If he only maintained invisibility, Light Transformation barely consumed any light element, and at second layer he could keep it up for days.
As time passed, Evan Chu spread out his spiritual sense—and sure enough, he ran into some Demonic Realm cultivators. Their strength wasn’t impressive, around early to mid Immortal Lord level.
He didn’t kill them right away, since that would make a commotion and alert the enemy. If Zane Zuo really was here, he might escape at the first sign of trouble.
Of course, it depended on how many there were. If he ran into Nolan Nangong or Jade Qin, he wouldn’t be afraid at all. To be safe, Evan Chu held back—he could take care of Zane Zuo first and deal with these others later.
As the demonic qi thickened, Evan Chu sensed something was off. By rights, Demonic Realm miasma shouldn’t reach this concentration in the Immortal Realm. Either there was a massive crack at the barrier entrance, or the barrier itself was about to break open.
If it was the latter, things would be extremely dangerous. Evan decided to check it out, and soon reached the edge of a cliff. Sure enough, a plume of demonic qi was constantly pouring out.
Demonic qi in the Demonic Realm and Immortal Essence in the Immortal Realm were never supposed to gather in one place. This vortex was happening because the crack here was sucking in demonic qi from the Demonic Realm.
He couldn’t tell how wide the cliff was. Since this was the entrance from the Demonic Realm to the Immortal Realm, there should have been a massive seal here—but there wasn’t. That was strange. Either the seal had already been destroyed, or the Demonic Realm’s seal was broken, letting people enter the Immortal Realm directly.
Evan Chu swept the area with his spiritual sense but didn’t detect any signs of life. With so much demonic qi here, Zane Zuo ought to have chosen this spot. He started to doubt whether his deduction was wrong.
Just then, a thunderous boom sounded from the right—a noise only a fierce battle could make. The spatial tremors made it clear this was the work of experts. Evan Chu immediately thought of Zane Zuo.
The right side was where Jade Qin had gone. Looks like fate had thrown them together. Evan Chu’s figure flickered as he teleported over, arriving in a blink. At the same time, Nolan Nangong and the Grand Elder also arrived.
But Evan Chu was still invisible, so Nolan Nangong had no idea he was already there. Looking closely, Nolan saw Jade Qin locked in combat with a black-robed man surrounded by demonic qi—clearly someone from the Demonic Realm.
Just as everyone assumed he was a Demonic Realm cultivator, the black-robed man spoke: “Jade Qin, last time you failed to kill me. This time you deliver yourself to my doorstep—do you really think this palace lord can’t kill you?”
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone was shocked. Who else could this guy be but Zane Zuo? They’d searched high and low for him, only to find him right in front of them—almost too easy.
“Zane Zuo, you’re dead today! You actually dared to cultivate demonic arts—anyone in the Immortal Realm has the right to kill you. No wonder you don’t dare return to Coldshroud Imperial Palace. At least you know you’re a sinner!” Jade Qin shouted angrily.
Zane Zuo glanced at Nolan Nangong and the Grand Elder, then laughed: “None of you are leaving alive today. Did you really think I was alone here? Demon Kings, show yourselves! These two are the strongest sect masters in the Immortal Realm. If we kill them, half the Immortal Realm’s leadership will be wiped out.
Once the Demonic Realm’s armies invade, our chances of victory will go way up. With all of us working together, they won’t have a chance to escape.”
At that moment, the air trembled and two more black-robed middle-aged men appeared. Their auras marked them as late-stage Immortal Emperors. Now the field was truly evenly matched.
Jade Qin and Nolan Nangong were both alarmed—not because two more experts had appeared, but because they thought Evan Chu wasn’t here. If Evan were present, even two more Demon Kings would be doomed.
Zane Zuo laughed, “You’re bold, coming here like this. In the Immortal Realm, the only one I fear is Evan Chu. But you didn’t bring him, so today you’re all destined to die.”
Evan Chu actually wanted to speak up, but held back. He was ready to ambush the nearest Demon King, inching closer with one hand on the Frostbane Divine Sword and the other gripping the Firmament Light Mirror.
He covered both artifacts with light element to make them invisible. But since the enemy was a top expert, he moved with extreme caution, afraid of giving himself away.
“Don’t get cocky, Zane Zuo. Even without Evan Chu, you’re still dead today. If we dared come looking for you, it means we’re confident we can handle you. Demon Kings like you aren’t even worth my attention,” Nolan Nangong said.
But inside, he couldn’t figure out why Evan Chu hadn’t shown up yet. Was he being held up by other Demonic Realm enemies? But there was no sound of fighting, which was strange. And the idea that Evan might run away was just impossible.
One of the Demon Kings was furious at being insulted. “Let me see just how strong you really are!”
Just as he finished speaking, a streak of white light shot toward him—the Firmament Light Mirror’s beam, deadly against Demonic Realm cultivators. At the same time, a razor-sharp sword aura blasted toward his body with thunderous force…