Elder Woodspirit noticed Evan Yang's expression and smiled, "What's wrong?" "I'm a bit surprised," Evan replied.
"Are you ready?" Elder Woodspirit asked.
"I have a few things to take care of first. I'll come find you later," Evan said.
"Alright. I hope you come back to see me within three months. No other requirements. There's not much time, so go quickly," Elder Woodspirit said.
Evan nodded, then left. The three God-grade artifacts landed in Elder Woodspirit's hands.
Elder Woodspirit looked at the three artifacts, chose not to use them, and said, "Evan, I'll keep these artifacts as part of your training."
At this moment, Evan had already arrived outside the Wood Temple, releasing Palace Lord Yuna, Morgana Dreamhaven, and the others.
"You're back?" Morgana Dreamhaven exclaimed.
"Yeah, I'm back," Evan said with a smile.
"What about the God-grade artifacts?" Morgana Dreamhaven asked.
Evan smiled, "The God-grade artifacts have already been safely delivered to Elder Woodspirit."
"That's good. At least they didn't fall into the hands of Otherworld creatures," Morgana said.
"I'm going into seclusion soon, so I need to take care of some things first. This is where we part ways. Until next time," Evan said.
Morgana didn't know why Evan chose this moment for seclusion, but it must be related to the awakening of the Otherworld Lord, so she didn't stop him. "Go ahead. We'll need you to resist the Otherworld creatures in the future," she said.
"Then I'll go now, everyone." Evan said, then disappeared.
"He just left like that? Didn't even take me along," Miss Cloud complained.
"Alright, stop fussing. He has things to do. If you want to play, go back to the Water Temple," Palace Lord Yuna said.
"The Water Temple is so isolated from the world, nothing fun there. It's boring," Miss Cloud said, feeling depressed.
"It's still better than being outside. Let's go," Palace Lord Yuna sighed.
"Let's return to the palace. I wonder how the Water Temple is doing now," Morgana Dreamhaven said.
Palace Lord Yuna and Miss Cloud followed Morgana Dreamhaven toward the Water Temple.
Evan arrived at the Blue Robe Sect. He came here because he had promised Mad Elder to deliver a message to someone, but after returning to the Immortal Realm, he hadn't had a chance to meet Mad Elder.
When Mad Elder saw Evan return, he was excited. "How did it go? How did it go?"
"I delivered the message," Evan replied.
"How is she now? Is she doing well?" Mad Elder asked, still excited.
"Why don't you see for yourself?" Evan said, then brought the woman out.
The moment the woman appeared, Mad Elder's eyes turned red, and so did hers. The two walked toward each other at once, as if they had countless words to say. Evan quickly stepped outside to give them privacy.
"Whew, what a touching scene," Evan smiled.
After a while, Mad Elder and the woman came out, looking a bit awkward.
Mad Elder looked at Evan and said, "Thank you. Without you, even sending a message would have been impossible, let alone saving her."
"Senior, don't make me sound so amazing," Evan said with an embarrassed smile.
"You, embarrassed? Alright, enough teasing. What are your plans now?" Mad Elder asked.
"Things are about to change. I'm preparing to go into seclusion, and after that, I'll be going somewhere I might never return from," Evan said.
"Where? Is it that dangerous?" Mad Elder frowned.
"A place even Gods fear," Evan replied, and said no more.
Mad Elder was stunned. A place even Gods feared, yet Evan wasn't even an Immortal Sovereign. What was he going there for?
"Why are you going there?" Mad Elder asked suspiciously.
"For this world. For my home and my friends," Evan said simply.
Mad Elder paused for a moment, then said, "Take care of yourself."
"Thank you, Senior. I hope we'll meet again," Evan said with a smile.
"We will," Mad Elder said.
Evan smiled, then turned and left to find Lora Luo's master to confirm something.
Lora Luo's master had also learned about the early awakening of the Otherworld Lord and was worried. When she saw Evan arrive, she exclaimed, "You're here."
"I have a few questions, Master," Evan said.
"Ask away," Lora Luo's master replied.
"The Otherworld Lord is awakening early. Is there any way to stop it?" Evan asked.
Lora Luo's master shook her head. "No. Unless you kill the Otherworld Lord, there's no way to stop the awakening."
"Is there any hope for this world?" Evan asked.
"There's always hope as long as someone is willing to fight," Lora Luo's master said.
"Thank you, Master," Evan said, then left.
"That's right, it's me. I survived last time just to kill you one day. This formation is prepared for you. How about it? Pretty powerful, huh? I don't believe I can't destroy you," Sovereign Ruthless sneered.
Evan checked the formation. It was indeed powerful, both offensively and defensively. He tried a few punches, then stopped.
Seeing Evan stop attacking, Sovereign Ruthless laughed. "Well? What do you think?"
"This formation is indeed powerful," Evan said with a smile.
"Then just accept your death. Today, no one can help you," Sovereign Ruthless snorted coldly.
Evan knew this formation was something Sovereign Ruthless had spent years crafting. It wouldn't be easy to break, so he stood inside, chatting with her. "Your formation is impressive, but it's not unbreakable. Give me enough time and I can crack it," Evan said.
"You have a way? Don't make me laugh. I spent years making this formation. I was wondering how to lure you back, and you just showed up. The heavens must favor me," Sovereign Ruthless laughed. "You really think this formation can trap you forever? Let me show you what it means to break a formation with another formation," Evan smiled.
With that, Evan began setting up arrays—dozens at a time. He didn't stop, knowing how strong the formation was. He needed enough arrays to trigger an explosion, otherwise the effect would be minimal.
Seeing Evan lay out so many arrays, Sovereign Ruthless sneered, "Evan, what's the point of all those arrays? Their power can't match mine. Breaking a formation with another formation? Ridiculous." "One isn't enough, but what about thousands, or tens of thousands?" Evan asked with a smile.
"Ridiculous. Thousands, tens of thousands—unless you can trigger them all at once, it won't work. You might as well try something else," Sovereign Ruthless mocked.
"Sovereign Ruthless, I heard you learned formation arts from the Heartless Dao. Who is the Heartless Dao? Are they still alive?" Evan asked.
"The Heartless Dao? That's not someone you can address so casually. They’re powerful. Are you cursing them, hoping they're dead?" Sovereign Ruthless snorted.
"Oh? If the Heartless Dao is so powerful, why would they choose someone like you to learn formation arts? You seem pretty clueless," Evan said with a smile.
"You..." Sovereign Ruthless was provoked again, furious.
By now, Evan had laid nearly ten thousand arrays. He smiled, "Watch this."
After that, Evan moved to the other side of the formation to avoid the backlash, then shouted, "Activate!"
With his shout, a violent roar erupted. Sovereign Ruthless witnessed the impossible—all the arrays exploded simultaneously.
The combined power of all the arrays was immense, tearing open a gap in the Heartless Dao formation. Evan walked out through the breach, looked at the formation, and smiled, "Sovereign Ruthless, what do you think?"
"I was too careless. If only I’d interrupted you while you were setting up those arrays," Sovereign Ruthless said angrily.
Evan had already located Sovereign Ruthless's true body. Without hesitation, he sent out a burst of Polar Sacred Flame, instantly wrapping around her.
Sovereign Ruthless was shocked and tried to escape, but Evan drew the Soul-Devouring Divine Sword and struck down. Still not fully recovered, Sovereign Ruthless was engulfed by the sword, unable to even let her soul escape.
In her final moment, Sovereign Ruthless muttered in disbelief, "An Immortal Sovereign's soul is supposed to be indestructible. How could it end like this?"
Evan looked at the Soul-Devouring Divine Sword and noticed it had absorbed a trace of Sovereign Ruthless's power.
"Strange. Can the Soul-Devouring Divine Sword absorb souls? Devour them?" Evan wondered aloud.
He communicated with the sword spirit inside the Soul-Devouring Divine Sword. Although the spirit was still sealed, that last strike allowed it to explain what had happened.
When Evan struck down with the sword, Sovereign Ruthless's body was destroyed. Her soul tried to escape but was caught by the sword's unique soul-devouring ability, unable to flee and ultimately consumed.
This confirmed that the Soul-Devouring Divine Sword is a specialized execution weapon, able to override an Immortal Sovereign's soul-level immortality and ensure true death.
With Sovereign Ruthless finally erased, Evan removed a long-standing enemy as he prepared for closed-door cultivation and the dangerous mission of entering the Otherworld to confront the awakening Otherworld Progenitor.