"Finally—I'm out! At last, the Immortal Realm awaits me!" Evan Chu shouted, his voice ringing with fierce excitement. Without hesitation, he activated Earthshift, burrowing deep into the earth. In moments, he emerged in the mine tunnels and strode out into the open.
This time, Evan didn't bring out his Earth Golden Body or Fire Golden Body. He left both avatars cultivating inside the Timewheel Bracelet—if danger arose, he could summon them with a single thought, far more convenient than merging them back into his own body. This way, his Golden Bodies could keep growing stronger without interruption.
Evan took a deep breath of the fresh air outside the mine, a smile tugging at his lips. "Four years of the five-year agreement have already passed. I wonder how Gavin Jin is doing now... Old Transmission Master, it's time I avenge you."
Just as Evan stepped forward, a guard clad in golden armor appeared before him, blocking his path. The guard eyed Evan suspiciously and barked, "Who are you, kid? Why are you in the mine—trying to steal Immortal Stones, are you? Speak up!"
This guard was just a mid-stage Heavenly Immortal—nothing worth Evan's attention. "I'm a friend of Mine Master Gavin Jin. I came here to find him, not to steal your so-called Immortal Stones. Frankly, those stones aren't even worth my notice."
The guard's eyes gleamed with excitement. "So you're Gavin Jin's friend, huh? Perfect! Gavin Jin betrayed the Lord of Coldriver City and now he's locked up in the dungeon. Since you're his friend, you must be his accomplice. Looks like luck's finally on my side—catching one of his cronies is a huge merit!"
Evan's eyes widened in shock. "You said Gavin Jin was captured by the City Lord? What happened?"
"Kid, you'd better surrender and save yourself some pain. Gavin Jin killed the City Lord's spy in the mine, thinking he could fool the City Lord by impersonating a guard and keeping up the fake reports. But the City Lord saw right through him. He betrayed the Lord, so now he's locked up. Still, the City Lord is merciful—spared him for his years of service. And you, as his friend, are obviously one of his cronies. Isn't that a huge merit for me?" The guard grinned, eyes full of malice.
"A huge merit, indeed. Thanks for the useful info—now I know Big Brother Jin is still alive. Out of gratitude, I'll leave you a complete corpse." Evan spoke slowly, his killing intent rising like a tide. If not for Gavin Jin recognizing my worth, I never would've obtained the Immortal Crystal or broken through to late-stage Da Luo Golden Immortal.
The moment Evan's killing intent erupted, the guard's face turned ashen. Evan had been suppressing his aura at early Earth Immortal, so the Heavenly Immortal guard hadn't cared. But now, Evan revealed a realm two full stages above—Da Luo Golden Immortal. The sheer pressure left the guard frozen, cold sweat pouring down like rain.
"Wh—who are you, really?" the guard stammered, unable to withstand the crushing pressure of Evan's killing intent. Only now did he realize—this wasn't a chance for great merit, but a one-way ticket to death.
"You're not qualified to know. Lapdogs of the City Lord's Mansion are destined to die. Now, go to hell!" Evan spat, flicking his hand. A streak of white sword-light—the Heart-Sword—shot from his fingertip, aimed straight at the guard.
It was the Heart-Sword unleashed. Evan didn't want to waste a second—he had to rescue Gavin Jin. He struck with eighty percent of his power, and the guard could only watch as the white sword-qi pierced his chest. There was no chance to resist; in a single instant, both his body and Immortal Infant were obliterated.
Evan glanced once at the corpse, then tossed a fireball from his palm and shot into the sky. The fireball instantly burned the body to ash, even melting the rock beneath into bubbling magma...
Hovering high above, Evan spread his Divine Sense. In moments, he detected a sprawling city—far larger than the Royal Capital of the lower realms—lying tens of thousands of miles away. The sheer range of his Divine Sense now was almost frightening. With a single teleport, he appeared above the city.
Still, Evan kept a low profile. His strength was impressive now, but the Immortal Realm was teeming with experts far stronger than himself. Some things demanded caution—he couldn't afford carelessness.
He landed in a secluded spot, then walked onto the main road and headed toward the city gate. Immortal Realm cities were much like those of the lower realms, with guards posted at the entrance and an entry fee required. But here, the fee wasn't paid in Immortal Stones—it was a purple coin called the Purple Gold Coin.
Immortal Stones were just too precious—most people couldn't afford to pay with them. The purple currency, known as Purple Gold Coin, was the standardized money of the Immortal Realm: one hundred Purple Gold Coins equaled one Crystal Coin, and one hundred Crystal Coins equaled a single low-grade Immortal Stone.
It was clear just how rare Immortal Stones were. Evan, oblivious to these customs, found himself near the front of the queue. When his turn came, he casually handed over a low-grade Immortal Stone. The guard took it, then abruptly ordered him to stop.
"Is it not enough? If you need more, I can give you another," Evan said, puzzled. But the guard exchanged glances with his fellows, and suddenly several of them surrounded Evan.
"Kid, where'd you get that Immortal Stone? Spit it out! Everyone pays the entry fee in Purple Gold Coins, but you just toss out an Immortal Stone like it's nothing. You think you're some kind of big shot? Why not show us all the Immortal Stones you're hiding?" one guard demanded, eyes gleaming with greed.
"This brat's just an early Earth Immortal—I'm sure he snuck out of the mines. Otherwise, how could he not know the rules for entering the city? The City Lord has strict orders about runaway miners: arrest them on sight. Maybe he's even Gavin Jin's accomplice!" another guard sneered.
"He's gotta have a stash of Immortal Stones on him. We're getting rich today, brothers! Tonight, we'll blow it all at Prismflower Pavilion—I've been holding back for ages, but tonight I'm gonna let loose!" another guard crowed.
Evan could only sigh at these ant-like fools. "Enough of your nonsense. If you don't want to die, get out of my way. I don't have time to waste on trash like you," he spat, voice icy and contemptuous.
The captain glared at Evan, barking, "Still acting tough, huh? You've got guts—too bad you're clueless. In Coldriver City, everyone knows our rules. Looks like you're begging for death! Brothers, cripple him and strip his storage ring. Tonight's drinks are on him!"
Several guards, oblivious to their own impending doom, charged straight at Evan. Naturally, all that awaited them was death...