Evan Chu opened his eyes and gave a bitter smile. "You really are impatient. If I had just another half hour, I'd have fully mastered Star-Cleave. Never mind, I should go out and see what's happening first."
He opened the stone door of the secret chamber and walked out, then instantly teleported to Frostbane Sect’s martial practice ground. At this moment, all the Frostbane Sect disciples had gathered there, but the Red-Robe Youth had brought only a few hundred followers, acting as if he didn’t care about the sect at all.
"You actually dare to show up? I thought you’d already run off. If you’d been any later, these Frostbane Sect people would all be corpses by now. Seems you do know your place!" the Red-Robe Youth sneered when he saw Evan Chu appear.
"You’re arrogant, wild! As the Blood Emperor’s successor, I suppose you’re entitled to that much pride. But you’re still not quite up to my level. Do you know who I am?" Evan Chu smiled, his gaze fixed straight on the youth.
"Heh, if I dared to come to Frostbane Sect, of course I know your background. Rumor has it you’re the reincarnation of Lord Frostbane—who knows if that’s true? I came here today just to test you. But you haven’t broken through to the Saint Martial Realm yet, so fighting you almost feels like bullying the weak. Don’t hold it against me!" the Red-Robe Youth laughed.
Everyone could hear what he meant. Some Frostbane Sect disciples even wanted to flare up, but Evan Chu stopped them. He glanced at the people the Red-Robe Youth had brought and smiled, "Did you bring these men just to wipe out Frostbane Sect? I guarantee they’ll be wiped out instead."
"Go ahead and try!" the Red-Robe Youth said with a wave of his hand, sending his hundreds of followers to attack the Frostbane Sect disciples.
Evan Chu didn’t care about these people’s strength. Only one of them had broken through to the Saint Martial Realm, and Heaven Ape alone could handle him. The other Frostbane Sect disciples could deal with the rest.
Evan Chu drew the Frostbane Sword and swiftly slashed at the Red-Robe Youth. The attack had no real power—he simply didn’t want to fight the youth here at Frostbane Sect.
After all, their destructive power was so great that they could easily destroy Frostbane Sect, and with so many disciples around, innocent lives might be lost as collateral damage.
The Red-Robe Youth naturally understood Evan Chu’s intention. With a flicker, he dodged Evan’s attack and laughed, "Don’t worry, since we’re going to fight, it’ll be somewhere with no one around. This place couldn’t withstand a full-powered clash between us."
With another flash, he appeared several hundred meters up in the air. Evan Chu was slightly surprised—apparently, the youth also mastered instant movement. He wondered whether his own teleportation range was longer. This guy really wasn’t simple.
Evan Chu wasn’t slow either and instantly appeared behind the Red-Robe Youth. The youth took out a blood-red longsword from his storage ring; from hilt to blade, it was crimson like fresh blood, exuding a sinister aura.
Evan Chu didn’t dare be careless. He gripped the Frostbane Sword tighter, but even at this distance, it wasn’t safe. Even his Heaven-Cleave could flatten Frostbane Sect, let alone the terrifying Star-Cleave.
The Red-Robe Youth’s sword swept through the air with a casual motion, as if he were simply dancing with the blade. There was no sign of energy fluctuation, but a gigantic spatial black hole appeared before him.
A single effortless slash tore open the void—this level of power made Evan Chu suck in a cold breath. Even he might not be able to do that so easily. Once again, he felt a trace of fear toward the Red-Robe Youth’s strength.
Staring at the gaping black hole, the Red-Robe Youth smiled, "Sect Master Chu, aren’t you worried about hurting your disciples and sect? I’ll give you a chance—do you dare enter this spatial black hole and fight me?"
Evan Chu didn’t hesitate and replied, "Why wouldn’t I dare? I’m just worried that if I kill you in there, no one will know, and your sect won’t be able to recover your corpse."
"Good! Let’s go!" The Red-Robe Youth stepped straight into the black hole, not caring whether Evan Chu would follow.
Anyone who can tear open space so easily can just as easily leave. He had no worries about Evan Chu, because if Evan wanted to fight him, it would have to be inside. Both men knew just how destructive true experts could be.
Evan Chu stepped inside as well. Returning to the black hole space, he felt a strange sense of familiarity—he’d spent years here before. As the void winds blew, his worries eased a little.
"Qing Shuang, you’ve gotten so weak—I’m honestly a bit disappointed!" The Red-Robe Youth’s tone suddenly grew old and hoarse.
"Who are you? Blood Emperor? You’re still alive?" Evan Chu exclaimed in shock.
"Hahaha! If you survived, how could I possibly be dead? That battle back then only gravely wounded me and Nether Monarch Ming. If I’m right, Nether Monarch Ming isn’t dead either!" the Red-Robe Youth said.
Evan Chu only half understood that earth-shattering war on the Divine Battlefield years ago, but he did know one thing: the Blood Emperor and Nether Monarch Ming had been used by the Demon Lord as tools for revenge against him.
"Blood Emperor, didn’t you and Nether Monarch Ming realize you were being used by the Demon Lord? I really don’t get why you’re still seeking revenge on me now!" Evan Chu demanded.
"Of course I knew we were being used. But even if he hadn’t used us, we’d still have dealt with you. You were too strong, strong enough to terrify us. If you’d had a few more decades to develop, no one in this world would be your match. With someone like you around, we’d always be threatened. Isn’t that why the Demon Lord attacked you too?" the Red-Robe Youth said.
"If you want a fight, I’ll give you one! Even though I can’t break through to the Saint Martial Realm because I lack the Netherghost Violet Orchid, I’m still strong enough to battle you. But I have one question I want you to answer." Evan Chu said.
"Go ahead, I’ll grant your dying wish. I’ve waited ten thousand years for this day—it hasn’t been easy. In fact, Nether Monarch Ming and I knew you’d reincarnate; we just didn’t expect you to show up so late." the Red-Robe Youth replied.
Evan Chu wasn’t surprised by this. He looked at his opponent and asked, "What’s the story with your body? Did you reincarnate too?"
"I didn’t reincarnate—I possessed this body, or you could call it inheritance. The original owner isn’t dead; he’s just temporarily controlled by me. After you wounded me so badly back then, it took me thousands of years to recover, but my flesh was ruined. So I waited, and finally found a rare Earth-Spirit Physique that could withstand my power. So today, prepare to die!" the Red-Robe Youth declared.
As he finished, the blood-red longsword in his hand slashed toward Evan Chu. The blow instantly whipped up a hurricane inside the spatial black hole, shaking the entire space as if it might rupture.
Evan Chu hadn’t expected him to attack so suddenly. With no time to prepare, he hurriedly used instant movement to vanish hundreds of meters away...