Right now, what Evan Frost wants to know most is everything about the Godblood Lineage. Venerable Solus said that once awakened, it would be an invincible existence, and Evan finds that a little hard to believe.
After a long pause, Venerable Solus finally said, "Godblood Lineage is just a name I gave it. I don't know its true nature either. But inside your body, there's a drop of essence blood left by a supreme powerhouse. If the power of that essence blood awakens or you manage to release it, you'll become the strongest—at least in the Immortal Realm, no one would be your match. I believe that essence blood probably comes from the God Realm, so I call it the Godblood Lineage."
Evan stared at Venerable Solus in disbelief and said, "Are you messing with me? I probably know my own body better than you do. The thing is, I haven't noticed anything myself, so how could you possibly know? Solus, quit playing tricks in front of me. I'm not a three-year-old—I won't fall for your games."
"If you don't believe me, I don't care to argue. You should know, I knew you back when you were Lord Frostbane. At that time, because your physique was so unusual, I entered your body and discovered the sealed bloodline power. But your body simply couldn't withstand that kind of bloodline force—it could've made you explode or die, or maybe you'd never awaken it, because you were too weak.
Back then, I decided I had to avoid your body, or maybe use you to tear open the void and return to the Immortal Realm. So I erased that part of your memory. That's why you have no idea what's really going on inside you. My time is running out—I only hope you'll fulfill my last wish. To die at your hands, well, I guess that's fate. Maybe it's time I found release. This hatred has weighed on me for tens of thousands of years, and I've had enough..." Venerable Solus said.
At that moment, Evan saw Venerable Solus's body slowly turn transparent, then vanish all at once. Meanwhile, Jade Chu's true body—the Wind-Binding Pearl—fell from the air, its former radiance gone, now looking like an ordinary bead.
Evan knew that Venerable Solus was finally slain by Jade Chu burning her life essence. Thinking that she now needed to sleep for centuries, he felt an overwhelming guilt. Just as he was about to put the pearl into his storage ring, the Sword Spirit spoke up:
"Evan, you don't have to be so sad. Jade Chu does need to sleep for a few centuries, but you can wake her up in just a few months. Don't forget you have the heaven-defying artifact—the Chronos Band. Put Jade Chu into the Chronos Band and she'll recover much faster. Inside, one day can equal one year outside, or you can set it so one year inside is just one day outside. That's the essence of the Chronos Band, and it's up to you to control it."
"You mean I can freely change the flow of time? That's impossible! If that's true, then the Chronos Band is just way too heaven-defying!" Evan asked, utterly shocked.
"You're really clueless. Don't forget, the Chronos Band has saved your life more than once. With such heaven-defying abilities, of course it's a top-tier artifact. If I'm not mistaken, the Chronos Band probably belonged to the owner of that essence blood inside you—it's most likely a supreme divine artifact. If you want to know if it works, just give it a try," the Sword Spirit said.
Evan trusted the Sword Spirit deeply. Even though he didn't understand why she also didn't know much about the Godblood Lineage, he was sure she knew far more than he did. Looking at the Wind-Binding Pearl in his hand, he said, "Jade, let me take you into another space to recover. I hope you get better soon."
Just then, Jade Chu's voice echoed in Evan's mind, "Big Brother, thank you! I may need to sleep for a while. If you run into danger, I won't be able to protect you, so please take care of yourself!"
Evan was deeply moved. He knew it must be exhausting for Jade Chu to speak to him at this moment, so he focused his mind and slowly placed the Wind-Binding Pearl into the Chronos Band.
Only then did he look up and say, "Tom, withdraw the illusion. Venerable Solus is dead, so the danger in the Azure Tide Ruins is finally gone. It wasn't easy, but I feel so much lighter now."
The space instantly shifted back to the Divine Battlefield. After Tom Chu returned to Evan's side, his eyes were a bit red as he looked at Evan and said, "Big Brother, Sister Jade is hurt. I don't know when she'll recover. It really hurts my heart."
"It's okay, Tom. Your Sister Jade is recovering inside my Chronos Band—she'll be out soon. I couldn't have killed Venerable Solus without your help this time. I trust you, Tom," Evan said.
"Big Brother, don't say that. Even if it meant dying for you, Sister Jade and I wouldn't hesitate. As long as you're safe, anything we do is worth it!" Tom Chu said.
Evan steadied himself. If this kept up, he might end up crying because of this little guy. "Tom, let's head back. Let's see if Sean Xiao and the others have finished off the dark organization. I can't believe Venerable Solus didn't care about those people's lives at all—he totally deserved to be struck by Soul Lightning."
But soon, Evan was stunned. He'd entered the Divine Battlefield with Venerable Solus, but during their battle, the teleportation gate had been destroyed. Now, he couldn't get back. The Divine Battlefield is an independent space—finding an exit is incredibly hard.
"Luna, what should I do? Am I stuck here? Can you help me find where the exit is?" Evan asked.
Right now, only the Sword Spirit could help him. It really was a mix of joy and worry! After a long pause, the Sword Spirit finally said, "Evan, since you're already here in the Divine Battlefield, why not stay a while? It's a great place—you might get some heaven-defying treasures. Last time you didn't stay long and missed out on a ton of rare treasures. Don't let that happen again."
"Not interested. All I want now is to return to the Azure Tide Ruins, then go to the Dragon Shrine and rescue my mother. Once that's done, I'll restore your body and make you my woman. I've waited so long for that day—I don't want to wait anymore. Now that Venerable Solus, my biggest threat, is gone, I can finally relax," Evan said.
"Actually, there is a way out. The Divine Battlefield is tightly connected to the Azure Tide Ruins, but it's also like a special sub-region. Do you remember how you left the first time you came here? Maybe you should check that place again—there might be a surprise," the Sword Spirit said...