Brocade was frantic. He hadn't expected that just after returning to the real world, Evan Yang would be on the verge of leaving him again. At this moment, Evan was extremely worried as well; he'd never experienced anything like this before. He'd tried every method, but nothing worked—he simply couldn't escape, and his power was slowly fading away.
"Brocade, listen carefully. My life might fade away any moment. If it really happens, you have to help me with something," Evan Yang said.
Brocade anxiously replied, "Boss, you'll be fine! Let me see if I can break through it." At this moment, Brocade was so worried that he set Evan Yang aside and started frantically attacking the light pillar nearby. As his hand swept through the air, the pillar trembled slightly.
Evan Yang, with his hand still on the light pillar, felt the impact deeply. Realizing the pillar was indeed shaken, he was overjoyed and called out, "Brocade, listen up—aim a bit higher and target the light pillar right next to that bead!"
Brocade answered, "Okay!" Though he didn't know why Evan wanted him to do this, he trusted there was a reason. He threw himself into the attack with all his strength. Under his frenzied assault, the light pillar beside the bead began to fracture, then shattered completely. Finally, the bead floated out, and Evan's hand was at last freed.
At that moment, Evan Yang, nearly exhausted, sighed, "That was close. I really thought I was going to die."
"Boss, you're okay!" Brocade exclaimed with joy when he saw Evan Yang escape.
Evan Yang smiled, "What doesn't kill me will bring greater fortune."
"Yeah," Brocade said with a smile. Evan Yang then turned his gaze to the bead. "Brocade, what do you think—how can we take it?"
"Boss, you still want it? What if the same thing happens again?" Brocade asked worriedly.
Evan and Brocade weren’t concerned about who owned this place—they only wanted to find Gavin. Following Brocade’s lead, Evan rushed to their destination, pausing in a certain area of the sea. Together, they dove underwater, discovering a submerged tunnel, and without hesitation, plunged in.
After a short while, they emerged on the other side of the tunnel, finding themselves in a small chamber with several people inside.
The people inside eyed Evan and Brocade suspiciously. Evan approached the nearest man and asked, "Excuse me, are there only a few of you here?"
"No, there are many more," the man replied.
Evan took out a portrait of Gavin and asked, "Have you seen this person?" The man was shocked and said, "She was just taken away."
"Taken away? What do you mean?" Evan pressed, his curiosity piqued.
The man explained, "She was spotted by Hai-Eight, that guy is extremely lecherous. He used to be a lustful fish, and after turning human, he’s become even more depraved. His men took her away."
Evan was furious, but he knew he was unfamiliar with this area and needed help. He quickly said, "Outside, there’s a small island. Go there, find the light pillar, and you can leave this realm."
The man was overjoyed. "Thank you!" he said.
The others, hearing this, hurried to leave for the island. Noticing Evan’s urgency, the man asked, "You really want to find that woman, don’t you?"
"Yes, I just broke the restriction here so everyone could return to human form. My purpose is to find her," Evan explained.
The man finally understood. "So that's why we suddenly turned back into humans. Come on, I'll take you there," he said.
"You?" Evan was surprised someone was volunteering to help, and he was grateful.
"Yeah, I'll lead the way. Let's go," the man said to Evan.
With the man guiding them, Evan and Brocade entered the inner cave. Along the way, Evan learned the cave was naturally formed. Hai-Eight and his gang had discovered it long ago, claimed it as their own, and routinely captured fish and other creatures to bring here as their private property. They wanted to rule this patch of sea as overlords. Now, after regaining human form, Hai-Eight was impatient to enjoy himself.
"We're here. Hai-Eight doesn't let anyone approach this cave. He and his companions are probably inside," the man said.
"Thank you," Evan said gratefully. The man replied, "I should leave now. Farewell." With that, he departed. Evan and Brocade exchanged a glance, then entered the cave. Inside, they saw piles of treasures—spoils Hai-Eight and his gang had accumulated over the years. Two men patrolled the area.
The two guards spotted Evan and Brocade and angrily charged at them. Evan and Brocade each took down one with swift moves, tossing them aside and sealing their cultivation.
"I can sense Gavin’s aura—quick!" Evan said. He rushed toward another tunnel, and as he burst in, he saw Gavin surrounded by a group of men. A burly man sat atop a stone platform, laughing loudly, "Who would’ve thought we’d regain our freedom, and have a beautiful woman delivered right to us!"
One of the men asked, "Boss, aren’t we going to leave?"
Hai-Eight replied, "Leave? Not yet. First, we enjoy ourselves here, then take all the treasures with us. Otherwise, everything we’ve accumulated over the years would go to waste."
Another henchman pointed at Gavin and asked, "Boss, what about her?"
Hai-Eight grinned lewdly, "What do you think? After so many years, I can finally indulge myself. You all wait outside—when I’m done, I’ll call you back."
The henchmen left, snickering, but as soon as they reached the door, Evan and Brocade knocked them out and sealed their cultivation, tossing them aside.
Gavin, still weak and not used to her restored human body, was seething with anger but powerless to resist. She had been trapped in fish form for days, unable to move freely, and felt despair—until she looked up and saw Evan. At first, she thought she was dreaming; she had spent every day imagining escape but had no way out.
Evan, seeing Gavin, couldn’t help but smile in relief. "I finally found you," he said.
"I thought I’d never see you again," Gavin said, still in disbelief.
Hai-Eight, hearing unfamiliar voices and learning his men had been attacked, exploded in anger. "Damn it! Who dares lay a hand on my brothers? You must be tired of living!"
Brocade stepped forward and engaged Hai-Eight in battle. Hai-Eight was no match for Brocade’s sharp, brutal attacks, quickly sustaining wounds to his limbs. Panicked, he tried to flee, but Evan flashed to the cave entrance, blocking his way. "Trying to escape? Dream on!" Evan said coldly.
Evan struck Hai-Eight with a powerful palm, adding to his injuries. Knowing he was doomed, Hai-Eight begged for his life, offering wealth in exchange.
Hai-Eight pleaded, "If you let me live, I’ll tell you a big secret about this sea area!"
Evan snorted, "Those treasures outside? Ordinary folks might be interested, but I’m not. You almost assaulted my wife—do you really think I’d let you go? Today you die, but I’ll drag your secret out of you first."
Hai-Eight was terrified as Evan prepared to strike.
Evan sealed several acupoints on Hai-Eight’s body, causing excruciating pain—like being bitten by thousands of insects. No matter how Hai-Eight begged and pleaded, Evan showed no mercy.
Evan showed no pity, and only when Hai-Eight finally fainted from the agony did Evan turn away. "Let’s go," he said.
Because Gavin was still very weak, Evan placed her into the Strange Spiral Shell to rest and stay safe. He and Brocade left together.
Brocade was curious. "Boss, who was that woman just now?" He’d only seen how urgently Evan searched for her and didn’t know her identity. Evan smiled, "She’s my wife, and she’s already pregnant with my child."
"What? You already have a wife and a kid? That’s quick, Boss!" Brocade exclaimed. Evan laughed, "Quick? I’m old enough—you're still just a youngster."
Brocade grumbled, "Who’s a youngster?" The two joked as they reached the pile of treasures. Evan glanced at the hoard, found it an eyesore, and ordered, "Destroy it all. I don’t want Hai-Eight to benefit, even in death."
Brocade gleefully complied, spreading his hands. His claw energy whirled like a shredding storm, grinding the treasures into dust while Evan watched, closing this stage of the Skyhollow Realm arc with Gavin rescued, the realm’s curse broken, and new hidden risks looming from the Black Tortoise’s mysterious master and the ongoing battle outside between Heavenly Mansion and Hell Palace.