Seeing the Sunstone, Evan felt a surge of excitement—and a burning desire. He never imagined there could be such a terrifying fire-attribute crystal in this world. How could the tears of a Golden Crow possibly condense into something so monstrous?
"Kid, this time I'll show you the true power of the Golden Crow clan's sacred treasure! Prepare to die!" The Golden Crow King crowed arrogantly, raising the Sunstone high above his head.
Immediately, a torrent of fire-attribute energy poured into the Sunstone. The Sunstone in the Golden Crow King's hand erupted with dazzling golden light, as blinding as the sun itself—so intense that no one could open their eyes for a moment.
And that was just the beginning. The golden light instantly turned the whole sky into blazing daylight, driving the temperature up yet again. Its reach covered thousands of li, showing just how terrifying the Sunstone truly was.
When the golden light fell on Evan, an agony he'd never felt before surged through him—like his body was burning alive. He could clearly see his own muscles twisting and warping, and the stench of scorched flesh filled his nose.
The golden light's coverage was immense. Right now, the Sunstone was like a miniature sun, shrouding thousands of li in a golden radiance. Evan tried to escape by teleporting, but discovered that as long as he was bathed in that light, he couldn't use his teleportation at all.
It was as if he'd entered a space domain—except he could still move freely within its bounds. The Sunstone's weirdness sent a chill down Evan's spine; he'd never seen such horrifying power before. If this kept up, he really might die here. He had to find a way out, and fast.
He racked his brain for a solution, but nothing came to mind. Using the Unicorn Arm and Divine Cleave was out of the question right now—his Chaos Immortal Force was draining away at a terrifying rate, and he had no idea why. The only explanation was that it was somehow tied to the Sunstone's golden light.
The searing pain and heat made Evan desperately want to use Watershift, but that was just as unrealistic—in this hellish temperature, triggering Watershift could be suicidal unless he had something as cold as the Heart of Frostflame.
The moment he thought of the Heart of Frostflame, Evan's spirits soared. Maybe that was his ticket out. With a single thought, he pulled a Heart of Frostflame from his storage ring—not daring to touch it directly, so he used Star-Siphon Art to hold it at a distance, away from his body.
The instant the Heart of Frostflame appeared, Evan felt the pain all over his body ease up. Without hesitation, he flung the Heart of Frostflame away—wasting one was worth it if it could get him out of this mess.
He'd thought he was the strongest expert below the God Realm, but now he realized there were still treasures out there that could suppress him. Without the Heart of Frostflame, he really might have died here. Evan finally understood he needed to act with more humility—there's always someone stronger out there.
The moment the Heart of Frostflame appeared, the Golden Crow King was stunned. As a fire-attribute Netherbeast, he was hypersensitive to the Heart's extreme cold flame—it was like meeting his natural enemy. His whole body trembled, unable to fathom how Evan could produce such a heaven-defying object.
Blue flame burst from the Heart of Frostflame, sending bone-piercing chill in all directions. The scorching heat in the air vanished completely, replaced by countless clouds of vapor—a bizarre phenomenon.
For the first time ever, the Extreme South saw a torrential downpour—rain so heavy it turned to mist as soon as it hit the ground, cycling endlessly in a strange loop.
At the same time, the Sunstone in the Golden Crow King's hand instantly dimmed. He never imagined Evan's Heart of Frostflame would be the Sunstone's natural nemesis. Still, the Heart couldn't freeze a thousand li in an instant like it did in the Extreme North; here, it could only drop the air to a biting cold, still far from forming Mystic Ice.
All Evan's pain vanished, and the wood element within him frantically repaired the injuries caused by the Sunstone's light. He felt deeply grateful to have the Heart of Frostflame—this was a lesson he'd remember.
Now the Sunstone was basically useless against him, and the Golden Crow King could no longer threaten him. Evan spoke up: "Golden Crow King, your Sunstone's power isn't all that impressive after all. Shouldn't you hand it over now? Or are you really going to force me to wipe out the entire Golden Crow clan before you're satisfied?"
His voice was cold and filled with killing intent, making the Golden Crow King shudder. The king never dreamed Evan would have the Sunstone's nemesis—maybe this really was the end for the Golden Crow clan, and he couldn't bear to be the one who doomed them.
"Kid, what do you even want with the Sunstone? You've seen its power firsthand. To activate it, you need extremely strong fire-attribute energy—most people can't use it. Even in the Golden Crow clan, fewer than three can wield it. Even if you get it, it'll be useless to you," the Golden Crow King said.
"Whether it's useful or not is none of your concern. Just hand over the Sunstone—my patience has limits, and I don't have time to waste," Evan said.
Right now, the Golden Crow King hesitated. Giving up the Sunstone meant losing all his dignity; refusing meant risking the annihilation of the Golden Crow clan. He had to choose between pride and survival. Facing Evan, he felt powerless, but remembering the damage Evan had already done, he chose dignity—even if it meant death, he wouldn't let the clan's honor be trampled.
"Kid, you really are the strongest opponent I've ever faced. Maybe I'm not your match, but the dignity of the Golden Crow clan won't let you walk all over us. Even if I die, I won't agree to your terms. Today, I'll fight you to the death!" the Golden Crow King declared, steeling his resolve.
As soon as he finished speaking, black flames roared to life all over the Golden Crow King, engulfing him completely. A black longsword appeared in his hand, and he stood in midair like a war god, radiating awe-inspiring might.
Evan laughed. "I gave you a chance, and you didn't cherish it. Maybe that's what a true monarch should do. Don't worry—I'll spare your clan if I can. But that Sunstone is mine, no matter what. Show me your real strength. I hope you won't disappoint me."
And so, in the mist-shrouded Extreme South, the duel between Evan and the Golden Crow King began once again...