Evan Yang placed the Spirit Condor chick on his shoulder, then looked at the man and said, "I imagine the Ling family will appreciate this gift."
"What? You're going to hand me over to the Ling family?" the man cried out in terror.
"That's right. You just had bad luck running into me. Come on, let's go." Evan smiled and led the man away. The Spirit Condor chick on Evan's shoulder glanced at the nearby condors but didn't look back, seeming to have no attachment to them.
"You don't feel any attachment?" Evan asked curiously.
The Spirit Condor seemed to understand and conveyed its meaning to Evan. After Evan figured it out, he realized the little condor was an orphan—its parents had been killed while foraging for food.
Feeling sorry for the orphaned Spirit Condor, Evan smiled and said, "It's alright. From now on, we're friends."
The Spirit Condor chirped nonstop, looking very happy. Seeing the chick so cheerful, Evan thought of Luna and Brocade and sighed inwardly, "When will they finally wake up?"
Evan had always hoped those two spirit beasts would awaken—they were his two main combat forces. With them, many things would be much easier.
But since they showed no signs of waking, Evan didn't intend to disturb them and continued heading toward the Ling family.
Selena Water, who had stayed at the Ling family for a long time, finally received word of Evan. When she saw Evan return, she was thrilled. Lynn Lee saw Evan and asked curiously, "Why are you back early?"
"I've got something good for you all," Evan said with a smile.
"Something good?" Lynn Lee asked in confusion.
"Call your father over. He'll understand," Evan said.
Lynn Lee was curious about what Evan had brought that would make them happy. After a while, a bottle was brought out, and the soul inside floated out. Then Evan took the man out of his Space Ring.
When Patriarch Ling saw the man, he erupted in fury. "You bastard, it's you!"
The man lay motionless on the ground, staring fearfully at Patriarch Ling. "Ling brother, good to see you." "Good? What's good about it? Look at me—I don't even have a physical body left. You got away, and I didn't even kill you back then!" Patriarch Ling raged.
Hearing Patriarch Ling's tone and the conversation with the man on the ground, Lynn Lee and Walter Wu seemed to understand and both glared angrily at the man.
"If you'd handed over the Spirit-Condor Art back then, things wouldn't have ended up like this. Besides, I was just borrowing it, not keeping it for myself," the man said, trembling.
"You dare say that? Today I'm going to wipe you out. Lynn, he's yours," Patriarch Ling said angrily.
Furious, Lynn Lee drew a dagger and stabbed the man a few times. He screamed in pain, but with his power sealed, he could only take the punishment.
After a while, the man passed out. Lynn Lee asked Patriarch Ling, "Father, what now?"
"What now? I want him to kneel before the Ling clan members." Thinking of the dead, Patriarch Ling was furious.
Lynn Lee nodded and led the man away, with Evan and Selena Water following behind. Soon, they arrived at a cave filled with graves—some marked, some nameless, all desolate. Lynn woke the man, and as he groggily regained consciousness, he saw the graves and became even more terrified.
"These are the ones you helped kill. Today, you'll join them! Walter Wu, it's your turn," Patriarch Ling said angrily.
Walter Wu had been holding back for a long time. He took out his artifact and attacked the man, killing him in just a few strikes. Even his soul was destroyed, showing the Ling clan's deep hatred.
After the man's death, Patriarch Ling finally calmed down. He turned to Evan gratefully and asked, "How did you catch him?"
Evan explained what had happened. When Patriarch Ling and the others heard how Evan had captured the man, they were shocked. Evan also brought out the Spirit Condor chick.
Seeing the Spirit Condor chick, Patriarch Ling was surprised. "That's strange. Normally, Spirit Condors never leave their nest or follow people."
"That's right. Even though I get along well with them, they only listen to me—they never come home with me," Lynn Lee said, equally surprised.
Evan smiled. "Maybe it just likes me more."
Lynn Lee and Walter Wu thought the same. Seeing that everything was settled, Evan said, "Since there's nothing left, we're planning to return to Demon Mountain."
"You're leaving so soon?" Patriarch Ling exclaimed.
"Yes, there are things to handle at Demon Mountain," Evan replied. Selena Water understood—after all, there was still the matter of the Sky-Flooding Demon Sovereign to deal with.
Seeing that Evan had things to do, Patriarch Ling didn't press further and let Walter Wu and another escort Evan and his group out.
Soon, they reached the edge of the forest and left Spirit-Condor Valley. Outside the valley, Lynn Lee said to Evan, "Thank you both so much. Not only did you save us, you helped us get revenge."
"It was just bad luck for that man to run into me," Evan said with a smile.
"Regardless, you helped us. Thank you again," Lynn Lee said.
"Enough with the thanks. We're off. See you next time," Evan said.
After Lynn Lee and Walter Wu saw Evan off, they returned. On the way, Selena Water asked, "Did you gain anything this time?"
"Quite a lot," Evan replied with a smile.
"What exactly is the Spirit-Condor Art? Is it really powerful?" Selena Water asked curiously.
"If you master it, it's extremely powerful," Evan answered.
Selena Water was itching to try. "Can I give it a shot?" she asked.
"Try it? Not now—better not let others find out. Let's hurry to Demon Mountain. We've been gone for more than half a month, who knows how Terry Yang and the others are doing," Evan said.
Hearing 'Demon Mountain,' Selena Water felt anxious. Thinking of the Demon Sovereign made her uneasy. Even injured, the Sky-Flooding Demon Sovereign was once invincible, feared even by Immortal Sovereigns. With just a few Emperor-level cultivators, could they really handle him?
Evan wasn't worried. He just wanted to find the Demon Sovereign and use that artifact stronger than an immortal weapon to stop him.
This chapter isn't over yet~.~ Please click next page to continue reading!
Soon, they returned to Demon Mountain. They came and went freely, so no one suspected them. Once inside, Evan contacted Terry Yang and the others.
After a while, Terry Yang and his two companions arrived, all carrying injuries. Seeing them like this, Evan asked curiously, "What happened to you?"
"Where have you been these past few days? We've been searching everywhere for you. We thought something had happened to you," Terry Yang said, not answering directly.
"We went out to handle some things. What about you guys? Why are you all injured?" Evan asked curiously.
"Don't ask. We learned about some forbidden zones and got curious, hoping to find clues about the Demon Sovereign. Unfortunately, we ran into some damned demon beasts and ended up like this," Terry Yang cursed.
"Demon beasts?" Evan asked, intrigued.
"That's right. Most forbidden zones aren't guarded by people, but powerful demon beasts. To enter, you usually have to defeat them first," Terry Yang sighed, remembering their strength.
Evan thought for a moment and asked, "Which places did you go?"
Terry Yang listed the places they'd visited, but not the Demon Tomb Grounds where the Sky-Flooding Demon Sovereign was rumored to be. He told them, "I've already found out where the Demon Sovereign might be."
"Where?" Terry Yang asked in shock.
"The Demon Tomb Grounds," Evan replied.
"The Demon Tomb Grounds? Isn't that where so many people have died? Why would he be there?" Terry Yang asked suspiciously.
"I heard it from someone. If you want to know for sure, we have to check it out ourselves," Evan said.
"I see. Let's go in together," Terry Yang said.
"All of us? Too many people might draw attention. How about Selena Water and I go in, and you three wait outside? If we find anything, I'll let you know so you can join us. Sound good?" Evan suggested.
The three discussed it, then nodded in agreement. After some planning, Evan and Selena Water went ahead, while Terry Yang and his companions waited outside for news.
That night, the group finally moved. The three outside chatted as they waited. "We're just patrolling, so no one should suspect us, right?" one asked.
Feng Zhilin laughed. "No way. Besides, there's been no word of Evan lately, so he probably hasn't come."
"Even better. When we've handled things, we'll go back and claim credit. Then we'll tell the Alliance Leader that Evan caused the others to die and ran away in the middle of battle. Let's see how he faces the leader then," Terry Yang sneered.
"Exactly," Feng Zhilin replied.
The three still remembered the harm Evan had caused them, unaware that Evan was actually Mu Han—and even less aware that he was planning to deal with them.
"Why did you want me to come with you?" Selena Water asked curiously.
"It's safer with me. If you went with them, you'd definitely be in danger," Evan replied with a smile.
"Why?" Selena Water asked skeptically.
"You'll see soon," Evan said, smiling as he led the way. Selena Water followed, confused. After a while, they arrived at a vast graveyard, surrounded by dense demonic miasma. Selena Water sneezed. "It smells awful."
"Yeah, the demonic miasma is overwhelming. It's terrible for us, but the Sky-Flooding Demon Sovereign loves it," Evan said with a smile.
"How do we find the Sky-Flooding Demon Sovereign? There are so many graves here," Selena Water frowned.
"No rush. Wait here—I’ll search," Evan said.
Selena Water waited curiously as Evan released many Phantom Spirit Birds. With their help, Evan could quickly find out where people were, who was present, and what they were doing.
Selena Water had no idea what Evan was doing and could only wait. When Evan received the information from the Phantom Spirit Birds, he couldn’t help but look shocked.