The Sea-Sky City Lord's elder was seething with rage after being struck by Evan Chu's lightning, but with the City Lord present, all he could do was grit his teeth and hold it in. Still, his face was dark as thunder, and at any moment he looked ready to lash out at Evan Chu.
"Oops, my bad! I lost control for a second and accidentally zapped this esteemed elder. You’re not mad, are you?" Evan Chu grinned, his tone light and casual.
The crowd couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the elder who’d been fried by lightning. Getting struck by lightning was rare in the Sea Regions—usually only possible on the ocean surface—and now the elder looked ready to explode with fury.
"Kid, did you do that on purpose? Out of all these people, you just had to zap me. Got some beef with me or what?" The elder’s face was dark as ink as he snapped at Evan Chu.
"Misunderstanding! Total misunderstanding! Lightning doesn’t have eyes, how was I supposed to know it’d hit you? Guess you just had bad luck today!" Evan Chu laughed, completely unfazed.
By now, the dust and smoke had gradually cleared, and the vast Martial Testing Ground was covered in scars and craters. Evan Chu’s storm of wind, rain, and lightning had pretty much wrecked the place. The Sea-Sky City Lord hadn’t said a word, but inside, he was burning with fury.
He was waiting—waiting for the poison in Evan Chu and Silver Dragon to kick in. Let them show off for now; once the toxin did its work, they’d be begging for mercy. He’d make sure they paid the price soon enough.
The Sea-Sky City Lord could afford to wait, but the elder who’d been struck by lightning couldn’t swallow his anger. Especially after Evan Chu secretly transmitted: "A dignified elder who can’t even dodge a little lightning—what a joke! And you still have the nerve to question me?" That was the last straw.
If Evan Chu hadn’t thrown out that taunt, maybe the elder could’ve forced himself to let it go and waited for the City Lord’s signal. But those words set his fury ablaze—a mere early-stage God-Venerable, an ‘ant,’ actually dared to mouth off to a late-stage God-Venerable? Unthinkable!
"Kid, you’ve got guts! Care to duel me here in the Martial Testing Ground? You’re just early-stage God-Venerable, so I’ll suppress my power to seventy percent—wouldn’t want to kill you in one move. Well? Do you dare?" The elder challenged, voice dripping with arrogance.
"Seventy percent? You think that highly of me? If you’re really itching for a fight, why not go all out? I’d hate for you to regret it when I kill you with one move. What do you say, Sea-Sky City Lord?" Evan Chu turned to the City Lord, eyes gleaming with defiance.
The Sea-Sky City Lord laughed, "Since both sides are interested, a duel is fine—but don’t go overboard. No killing each other, all right? We’re all friends here, no need to become enemies." He was secretly hoping Evan Chu and the elder would clash hard, so the poison in Evan’s body would kick in faster and he could subdue them on the spot.
"Kid, even seventy percent is giving you plenty of face. Don’t get cocky. Since you’re so eager, let’s see if you’ve got the guts to back up that attitude!" With that, the elder flashed into the air, moving with astonishing speed.
Evan Chu didn’t rush to follow, instead turning to the City Lord: "City Lord, if we fight here, a powerful attack might wreck your mansion. Maybe we should call it off? I wouldn’t want to be responsible if your buildings get flattened."
"Don’t worry about it! Just go ahead and duel—the Martial Testing Ground is huge, it’ll be fine." The Sea-Sky City Lord smiled, not realizing Evan Chu was warning him for a reason.
Evan Chu knew exactly what the City Lord was thinking—he figured Evan would be instantly defeated, so why worry about damage? But Evan just smirked to himself: since they dared to poison him and Silver Dragon, he’d make sure they paid dearly.
Today, Evan Chu was going to tear this City Lord’s mansion apart and show them what happens when you mess with him. As for that arrogant elder who thought seventy percent power was enough—he’d be the first to pay the price.
With his mind made up, Evan Chu grinned. "Since the City Lord says so, I’ll go all out. Just don’t blame me if things get messy. If this elder kills me, it’s my own fault for lacking skill; if I injure him, don’t say I went too far!"
The crowd roared with laughter. Was this kid daydreaming or what? An early-stage God-Venerable claiming he might hurt a late-stage powerhouse—he clearly didn’t know his place. The City Lord’s four elders looked like they were already picturing Evan Chu getting flattened in one move and then rolling around in agony.
Just then, Evan Chu soared into the air, drawing his Frostbane Divine Sword. Facing a late-stage God-Venerable, he had no intention of holding back. Since the elder insisted on seventy percent power, Evan would make sure he regretted it for the rest of his life.
"Come on, kid! Show me what you’ve got—let’s see if you’re really as fierce as you claim!" The elder called out, not taking Evan Chu seriously at all.
"Since you’re being so gracious, Elder, I’ll accept your challenge. Watch closely!" Evan Chu laughed, then instantly activated Ninefold Divine-Dragon Metamorphosis—seven Evan Chu figures appeared in the sky. The Sea-Sky City Lord and his elders were stunned; this kid actually had terrifying clone techniques. Clearly, he wasn’t just some random sidekick.
The reason the Sea-Sky City Lord wanted to keep Evan Chu and Silver Dragon around was because he had a secret pill that could force anyone to obey his commands. With it, he’d gain two new powerhouses—or rather, one; he only cared about Silver Dragon. Evan Chu was just an afterthought.
But he’d completely misjudged the situation—the real monster was Evan Chu. This time, the City Lord had truly bet on the wrong horse, and Sea-Sky City was about to pay the price.
Seeing Evan Chu unleash his clones, the elder gave a mocking smile. "Didn’t expect you had a few tricks, huh? But you only get one shot—make it count, because if I strike, you won’t survive!"
"Thanks for the heads-up, Elder." Evan Chu replied coolly.
Evan Chu poured Chaos Divine Power into his Chaos Arm, then unleashed Absolute Cleave. Silver Dragon had seen this move before and knew its power rivaled his own best attacks—maybe even stronger. He could tell that even if the elder survived, he’d be half-dead.
The seven Evan Chu clones merged their sword-qi into one devastating attack, then, in a flash, blasted straight toward the elder with lightning speed.
The force of the attack shook the entire space violently. Huge cracks split open across the Martial Testing Ground, spreading in seconds to the City Lord’s mansion buildings—dozens of structures collapsed on the spot.
The power of Evan Chu’s attack made the Sea-Sky City Lord and his elders’ faces change dramatically. The ‘ant’ they’d dismissed turned out to have terrifying strength—far more than they’d imagined. Evan had warned he might wreck the mansion, and now he’d proven it.
At that moment, the elder facing this overwhelming strike felt his heart tremble with terror. Even at full power, he might not be able to withstand it—let alone at seventy percent. He wanted to go all out, but it was too late; all he could do was hastily swing his sword to block…