The wedding ceremony pressed on, but anxiety was etched across everyone’s faces—Evan Chu was truly out of his mind. The enemy was already at the gates, and he still had the nerve to go through with the marriage rites.
Still, remembering that Sean Xiao, the founder of Sacred Sword Sect, was present, everyone felt a bit more secure. When the final bow between husband and wife was completed, a collective sigh of relief swept through the crowd as all eyes turned to Evan Chu, eager to see what he would do next.
"Earth Dragon, you’re responsible for keeping them safe. The rest of you, stay put. Sean Xiao and I will go see which dark faction is bold enough to crash my wedding!" Evan Chu declared, his voice sharp and commanding.
Just as Evan finished speaking, an ancient, thunderous voice boomed from the sky: "Lord Frostbane, you’re really something! Getting married and not inviting your old friend—is that how you treat people? Do you really think those two little artifact spirits of yours can hold me? You’re overestimating yourself!"
The voice was deafening, like a lightning bolt striking everyone’s mind. Evan Chu’s face darkened—Demon Lord Solus had come calling. "Demon Lord Solus, what’s your game? Want to fight me? Fine, name the time and place, I’ll be there. But if you dare harm anyone here today, you’ll never leave this world alive!"
"Hahaha, Lord Frostbane, are you threatening me? I despise threats more than anything. You’d better watch your mouth, or I might just erase Frostbane Sect from Azure Tide Ruins!" Demon Lord Solus sneered.
Sean Xiao exploded with rage, "Old bastard, if you’ve got guts, show yourself! Fight me face-to-face—what’s with all this sneaky hiding?"
"Little punk, you dare call yourself an old man in front of me? You must be tired of living. With your measly Fourth-Layer Venerable Martial cultivation, you’re nothing to me. If you don’t behave, you’ll be the first one I kill." Demon Lord Solus spat back.
Evan Chu’s expression kept shifting, but finally he couldn’t hold back and roared, "Don’t push me! You really think I’m afraid of you?" With that, he flashed out of the main hall.
At that moment, Evan saw Jade Chu and Tom Chu struggling to keep Demon Lord Solus trapped in midair—they were clearly straining. Evan barked, "Jade, Tom, fall back! Let your big brother handle this!"
The two quickly joined Evan’s side. Jade Chu warned, "Big brother, be careful! This old freak is strong—his soul body is almost solid, even stronger than the Earthfire Wraith. Tom and I can only trap him for a while; killing him is impossible."
Evan’s heart skipped a beat—he hadn’t expected Solus to be this powerful. "Solus, what do you want? Stop wasting my time!" he snapped, his tone hot-blooded and confrontational.
By now, the dark forces had reached Frostbane Sect’s mountain gate. Evan handed them over to Sean Xiao—he could have wiped them out alone, but this time he let Sean join the fight.
Demon Lord Solus spotted Sean Xiao and laughed, "In three months, it’ll be Seven-Star Convergence Day. The entrance to the Immortal Realm will appear at Divine Dragon Valley. When the time comes, I want you to break open the void for me. Today is just a warning—and those dark pawns outside? Consider them my welcome gift. Hope you enjoy it."
"You really think I’ll agree? Unless you defeat me first, forget it. If you’ve got the guts, meet me at the Godfall Battleground—let’s see if you’re even qualified for me to open your precious entrance." Evan Chu shot back, his words full of challenge.
"Looks like your strength skyrocketed in the Netherworld—already reached Eighth-Layer Saint Martial Realm. But don’t get cocky; you still can’t beat me. Since you’re so eager to see my power, I’ll show you!" Demon Lord Solus declared.
Ever since he saw Demon Lord Solus, Evan had been trying to read his face, but it was just a blur—no features at all. "Lead the way. You know the entrance better than I do!" Evan said coldly.
Demon Lord Solus vanished into the void in a flash, moving at terrifying speed. Evan wasn’t slow either—he activated teleportation and chased after him. The two streaked through the sky for a while, and Evan was stunned: Solus was much faster than he was.
Since breaking through to Eighth-Layer, Evan’s speed had soared, especially with Windshift boosting him. Yet even so, he couldn’t keep up—Solus kept pulling farther ahead. That just showed how terrifying Solus’s power really was. Evan had no idea if he could win this fight, but one thing was certain: right now, Solus wouldn’t kill him; he still needed him alive.
Suddenly, Demon Lord Solus stopped in front of a small mountain and said, "Didn’t expect you to improve so much. Give you a few more years and even I might not be your match. Behind this mountain is the entrance to the Godfall Battleground. The entrance constantly shifts, so finding it isn’t easy. This time, I’ll help you again—don’t disappoint me."
With that, he fired a jet of black mist straight at the mountain’s midsection. With a deafening boom, the mountain was flattened, dust filled the air, and Evan Chu saw a compact teleportation gate appear before him.
"A teleportation gate? You left this here?" Evan Chu blurted out, shocked.
"That’s right. It’s one of the few teleportation gates I left in the Godfall Battleground. Go on in—let me see if you’re strong enough to tear open the void." Demon Lord Solus said, then vanished into the gate.
Just then, Sword Spirit Luna spoke up: "Evan, this guy’s cultivation is at least Ninth-Layer Venerable Martial. Defeating him won’t be easy. If Lynn Chu could help, your odds would go way up—but she’s stuck inside the Chronos Band right now. And I can’t use the Immortal-Slaying Sword Array again, or the Imperial Palace will find us. So be careful!"
"Understood. This is mainly to test his strength. If I can kill him, great. If not, at least I’ll know my limits and can plan for next time." Evan Chu replied, steeling himself.
"Go on, and be careful!" Sword Spirit Luna urged once more.
Evan Chu flashed into the teleportation gate. A massive pulling force gripped him, and he was dragged through space into the familiar yet deadly Godfall Battleground.
Here, there’d be no interference—just Evan Chu and Demon Lord Solus, face to face. Solus hovered in midair and called down, "Show me your strongest attack. I want to see what you’re really made of. If you’re too weak, I might just change my plans. You know exactly what that means, don’t you?"