The peddler coughed up more blood and said, "There's a remnant soul inside this Flame Dragon Sword—I think it's the soul of the Fire Dragon King. He needs to absorb the Stellar Power of Divine Martial Realm cultivators to restore his soul. If I want to unleash the sword's true power, I have to meet his demands."
Hearing this, Evan Chu immediately understood why he'd made Divine Martial Realm experts try the sword—only those at that level have strong enough Stellar Power, so it wouldn't arouse suspicion.
No wonder he set up his stall in these small towns; his real goal was this. Too bad he ran into someone like me and the Flame Dragon Sword flared up instantly. If I hadn't communicated with the Fire Dragon King beforehand, I probably couldn't have made it ignite either. Looks like everything has its fate—there are many things you just can't control.
Evan looked at the peddler, feeling that what he'd done was a bit much, but in this world where the strong prey on the weak, killing someone barely counts as anything.
Right now, his face was already deathly pale and his breathing was labored. Even if Evan didn’t finish him off, he wouldn’t last much longer anyway.
"Meeting me was just bad luck for you. How many people at your level are there in Sacred Sword Sect? If you have any last wishes, maybe I can help you out," Evan said.
"Sacred Sword Sect is powerful and packed with experts—there are at least fifty people at my level. If you’re planning to mess with Sacred Sword Sect, forget it. I’m just a second-rate figure," the peddler said, pausing as it was clearly hard for him to speak now.
After a while, he finally said, "Can you tell me who you are now? You shouldn’t be one of the Four Young Lords of Azure Tide—I’ve never seen you before."
"Four Young Lords of Azure Tide? Are they some big shots? How come I've never heard of them?" Evan asked in surprise.
He knew almost nothing about the Azure Tide Ruins, but these so-called Four Young Lords were probably outstanding rising stars—most likely top talents from the major sects.
"Three years ago, the Four Young Lords of Azure Tide all broke through to Ninth‑Layer Divine Martial Realm: Sacred Sword Sect’s Unrivaled Young Lord, Freewind Palace’s Soaring Feather Young Lord, Rakshasa Hall’s Young Lord Wenqin, and Spiritvoid Sect’s Voidheart Young Lord. But in the Azure Tide Ruins, there are also two Saintesses—one is Serena Dream of Freewind Palace, and the other is Lynne Nie of Bloodfiend Hall. Both are just as strong as the Four Young Lords."
"By the way, Soaring Feather Young Lord and Serena Dream are a couple. Word is, after this sect martial gathering, they’ll officially marry. I’ve told you so much—can you finally tell me who you really are?" the peddler said with difficulty.
"Alright, since you’ve shared so much, I’ll tell you who I am. I’m a Young Lord too, but not one of those Four Young Lords you mentioned. I’m the Frostbane Young Lord of Frostbane Sect. And one more thing—I’m the one who killed those Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion disciples. The person everyone’s hunting right now is me. I hope you can die with no regrets!" Evan laughed.
The news he got from the peddler was extremely useful to Evan. He hadn’t expected the Azure Tide Ruins to have Four Young Lords and two Saintesses, all Ninth‑Layer Divine Martial Realm experts. Looks like reviving Frostbane Sect is going to be even harder than he thought.
The peddler looked utterly disappointed after hearing Evan’s words. He coughed up several more mouthfuls of blood and said, "Frostbane Sect has long since declined. If not for Sacred Sword Sect, it would’ve disappeared from the Azure Tide Ruins. I’ve been to Frostbane Sect a few times—there’s no such thing as a Frostbane Young Lord. Looks like I really can’t die in peace!"
Evan wanted to say he really was the Frostbane Young Lord, but before he could, the peddler started spitting blood uncontrollably, his whole body trembling as he struggled in his final moments.
Evan couldn’t bear to watch any longer. Besides, the man had just given him valuable information, so he simply cast a fireball on him, ending his pain in a matter of breaths and reducing him to ashes.
Staring at the ashes, Evan suddenly thought, "How could I be so careless—I forgot to take his storage belt! There was definitely good stuff in there."
If a storage belt’s spatial container gets burned, everything inside disappears. Evan had only learned this recently—even items that can’t be burned will still vanish, probably because of the space itself.
Shaking off his thoughts, Evan soared into the sky, heading off into the distance. He’d made up his mind—he had to hurry back to Frostbane Sect, seize the sect master’s position, and then join that so-called sect martial gathering.
The exact location of Frostbane Sect was marked on the map Evan bought in town. Of course, He Juan’s letter also mentioned it, but not as clearly as the map did.
To get back to Frostbane Sect, Evan would have to pass through Freewind Palace and Sacred Sword Sect. Once he reached Freewind Palace, he could immediately get to Sacred Sword Sect, since there was a teleportation gate there.
Given the relationship between Sacred Sword Sect and Frostbane Sect, there was naturally also a teleportation gate. That would make getting back much easier.
Of course, many sects don’t set up teleportation gates between each other; if there’s ever a major invasion, it’s basically inviting wolves into your house.
Evan saw people flying overhead from time to time. He kept a steady pace, and soon spotted a crowd gathering on the ground—something was clearly going on.
Where there are people, there’s news. Evan picked a secluded spot to land, then slowly walked toward the crowd.
He saw several middle-aged men speaking respectfully to a young man, while the rest of the crowd stayed silent.
"What happened at Warren Manor really is baffling. But don’t worry, since I’m passing through, I’ll get to the bottom of this and make sure the victims get justice," the young man said.
Evan was startled. This youth called himself ‘Young Lord’—could he be one of the Four Young Lords the peddler mentioned?
Evan studied him carefully. Sure enough, he was handsome, elegant, and had the kind of aura that could make countless girls swoon.
He looked about Evan’s age, but was already a Ninth‑Layer Divine Martial Realm expert—no wonder people say comparison only brings frustration.
"Now that Young Lord Wenqin has spoken, we can rest easy. We’re really afraid we’ll meet the same fate someday. Please, Young Lord Wenqin, find the culprit soon," said one of the middle-aged men.
"Alright, let’s get the victims buried as soon as possible. I’ll track down the real killer," the youth replied, his expression full of confidence.
With Young Lord Wenqin’s assurance, the crowd broke into praise and flattery. Evan found it all pretty disgusting and quietly slipped away.
Evan had only taken a few steps when Young Lord Wenqin suddenly called out, "Young hero, please wait—Wenqin has something to ask you..."
Chapter 440