Evan Yang was intrigued by the artifact’s abilities and felt tempted to go check it out—maybe he’d really get lucky and obtain it. But the thought of those Demon Sovereigns made him cautious: he needed to scout things out first, to see if it was truly as everyone claimed, that luck mattered more than strength.
Leaving the inn, Evan returned to the depths of the mountain, waiting for Clara Snow to come back.
It was late at night when Clara finally returned. Seeing Evan still inside, she went straight to him. As soon as Evan saw her, he couldn’t wait to ask, “How did it go?”
“I managed to get some intel, but it’s in a dangerous place. Not only that, there are lots of Demon Sovereigns guarding the area.” Clara said.
“Where is this place?” Evan asked.
“It’s in the void inside Demon Mountain’s Devil’s Cliff Cavern,” Clara replied.
“The void inside Devil’s Cliff Cavern?” Evan asked suspiciously.
“Yes, that’s right. It’s not just dangerous—even getting close is risky. Plus, the area’s rending power is so intense that even peak Emperor-realm experts don’t dare enter casually,” Clara answered.
“Got it,” Evan replied, then fell into deep thought. Clara thought for a moment and added, “There are times when the Demon Sovereigns aren’t around.”
“Oh? Is that so?” Evan asked curiously.
“Yeah, you know they have to help the Sky-Flooding Demon Sovereign recover, so every so often those Demon Sovereigns go off to assist him. That’s when the area is least guarded,” Clara explained.
“So when’s the next window?” Evan asked, still skeptical.
“About three months from now,” Clara replied.
“Three months? That’s so long!” Evan exclaimed in surprise.
“Yeah. What’s wrong? Are you in a hurry?” Clara was curious why Evan was so eager to investigate the Fiend Realm, not knowing what it meant to him.
Evan replied, “Yeah, but since that’s how it is, I’ll just wait.”
“Alright, if anything changes, I’ll let you know,” Clara said.
“Thanks,” Evan said with a smile.
“No problem, I’ll get back to work, then.” Clara stood up to leave, but Evan thought for a moment and asked, “By the way, have you heard anything about that artifact?”
“What artifact?” Clara asked curiously.
“The one that can shuttle through space,” Evan explained.
“So that’s what you meant. Yeah, I’ve heard about it—lots of people are already searching all over the area,” Clara said.
“Interested in going together?” Evan asked with a smile.
“You’re really going?” Clara asked skeptically.
“Yeah, I really want to check it out,” Evan said.
“If those Demon Sovereigns spot you, it’ll be trouble,” Clara said, frowning.
“I’ll be careful. Besides, it’s not just about strength—maybe luck will really play a part,” Evan said.
“That’s true. Alright, I’ll go with you,” Clara agreed.
“Thanks,” Evan said, smiling.
“No need to thank me. I’ll go take care of a few things, then come find you,” Clara said.
Evan nodded and followed Clara. Clara led him through many planets, finally stopping at one particular planet.
This planet was unusual. Looking up, the sky resembled a giant vortex made of clouds, and even spiritual sense couldn’t penetrate to see what was inside.
Crowds had gathered all around. From time to time, people would fly up from below and enter the vortex, while others stumbled out, looking battered.
“What is this vortex?” Evan asked, feeling uneasy as he looked up at it.
“This is where the artifact is rumored to have appeared,” Clara said.
“Has anyone actually seen it?” Evan asked, curious about how people discovered the artifact given the vortex’s strange nature.
“The artifact has developed some self-awareness. They say it was first seen outside the vortex, then it slipped inside and never came out again. That’s why so many people want to search for it—even Demon Sovereigns have shown up,” Clara explained.
“You can’t use spiritual sense?” Evan asked.
“No, the clouds block it. Even with the naked eye, you can only see people within ten meters—any farther and it’s all a blur,” Clara replied.
Hearing Clara’s explanation, Evan looked up at the vortex and muttered, “If that’s really the case, I’d like to go up and take a look.”
“You’re really going up?” Clara asked, curious as she saw Evan preparing to ascend.
“Yeah, I’ve made up my mind. Are you coming in with me?” Evan asked.
“No, I’ll wait here for you. If anything happens, just come find me,” Clara said.
Evan nodded, then shot up into the sky through the dense crowd. Seeing someone take the lead, others below grew restless, eager to follow.
Some sharp-eyed people recognized Evan.
“Damn it, that brat finally showed himself!” Sovereign Darkmore growled in anger. He had only come to observe, but now he saw Evan flying up right in front of him.
Elsewhere, a woman smiled, "Good kid, I didn’t expect you to still be in the Devil Realm—and to come to this place, no less."
Evan had no idea he was being watched by two people. As he entered the foggy area, he found he could only see objects within ten meters—anything farther was completely hidden.
“How am I supposed to search like this?” Evan realized it was like wandering a maze, since the vortex was actually a vast space inside.
Inside this space, there were mountains, rivers, even plants and flowers. At first, Evan thought it was an illusion, but after checking, he realized everything was real.
Faced with such an unfamiliar place, Evan Yang could only take things step by step. If he couldn't find anything within three months, he'd leave and head to the Fiend Realm through Magsha.
Phantom Spirit Birds swarmed out like bees from a hive, instantly spreading in all directions. As Evan searched, he also received information from the birds. Some he only let fly within a hundred meters, not too far, so he could spot things nearby before others could.
This way, Evan often saw people's locations before they even noticed him. If he really wanted to attack, he'd have the advantage.
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Whenever Evan saw people, he'd use Thousand-Mile Echo to listen in. If he caught useful information, he'd investigate; if not, he'd filter it out.
After a while, Evan saw two people discussing something. He carefully eavesdropped.
"What do you think that space-shuttling artifact looks like?" one asked.
The other replied, "I heard it's like a pagoda, but some say it's a book, and others say it's a stone."
"Why is it so confusing?" the first asked suspiciously.
"Who knows. As long as it's something unusual, we should pay attention. Especially since something just shot past here earlier—no idea what it was. Let's keep looking," the second said.
The other said, "Yeah, let's just go by what we see. Come on, let's keep following it."
Hearing their conversation, Evan frowned. "Could something really have appeared?" he muttered.
Curious, Evan followed the two. After a while, they reached a mountaintop, where a gourd-shaped object floated in the air. The two were overjoyed, planning to flank it and seize the artifact.
Just as Evan wondered why the artifact was sitting there so openly, he noticed someone else nearby—a person wearing a mask, smiling strangely at the two.
"Wearing a mask? Who is that?" Evan wondered to himself. He was curious if the person also wanted to snatch the treasure, but then saw the masked man wave his hand. The artifact opened up, releasing a surge of black qi that trapped the two men. They couldn't move, and seeing the black mist, seemed to realize something.
"Dark Soulfiend!" one of them cried out in shock.
The masked man laughed as he walked over. "Didn't expect someone to recognize me." Evan realized this wasn't a space-shuttling artifact at all, but a trap set to catch people.
Before he could see more, Evan quietly stayed put, not revealing himself.
"Dark Soulfiend, what do you want from us?" one asked in terror.
"Of course, I'm going to drain the power from greedy people like you," Dark Soulfiend said with a smile.
"You!" The two stared at Dark Soulfiend, terrified.
Dark Soulfiend just smiled without saying a word. Suddenly, the gourd flashed with black light, and the two men shriveled up like dried husks, turning into skeletons.
Dark Soulfiend retrieved the gourd and laughed, "Another pair fooled."
With that, Dark Soulfiend vanished, continuing his hunt for new targets. Evan approached the two skeletons, frowning. "What a vicious artifact—able to devour people completely."
After a while, Evan muttered, "Looks like I need to be careful around Dark Soulfiend."
Evan composed himself and left, now doubting whether the space-shuttling artifact was real or just bait spread by Dark Soulfiend to lure people in and devour them. In this place, with visibility limited to ten meters, it was the perfect setup.
The more Evan thought about it, the more he wanted to know if the rumors were really spread by Dark Soulfiend. Using Phantom Spirit Birds, he tracked Dark Soulfiend's location. Since the fiend was only hunting people, he wasn't moving fast, just searching for prey.
Evan soon got within thirty meters of Dark Soulfiend—close enough to observe without being detected.
Dark Soulfiend had no idea this strange person was tracking him, and kept searching for victims.
In Dark Soulfiend's mind, he could devour anyone here, especially with his powerful artifact that ordinary people couldn't resist. This made him utterly fearless as he hunted.
Seeing so many people die for no reason, Evan felt compelled to help. So, just before Dark Soulfiend targeted someone, Evan sent a voice transmission to warn them.
The person was puzzled hearing Evan's voice, thinking it was a trick to keep him from finding the artifact. Those who ignored the warning ended up devoured by Dark Soulfiend.