Everyone's minds were swirling with questions, but no one could find any answers. There are strange happenings every year, but today breaks all records—maybe this is the strangest event in the history of the Slave Ward, and certainly the most captivating.
Fairy Lynn and Selena embraced for a moment before separating, both feeling as if they'd escaped death itself. Their longing for Evan Chu was identical, and to encounter him in a place like this truly felt miraculous.
Fairy Lynn's injuries had improved greatly, though her shattered ribs still throbbed with pain. Yet just seeing Evan Chu again made her pain vanish as if it had never existed.
"Sel, Lynn, remove your disguises. Otherwise, everyone here will think I've lost my mind. If I'm not mistaken, trouble will be arriving soon to demand answers," Evan Chu said with a smile.
The two women nodded and peeled away their disguises. Fairy Lynn's tangled hair instantly became a waterfall of long, lustrous locks, and her face—once sallow, emaciated, and deathly—transformed into breathtaking beauty, leaving the crowd utterly stunned.
Selena likewise regained her beauty, but a long scar still marred her right cheek. Perhaps that was why she'd always seemed distant and hesitant with Evan Chu. Now, restored to her former beauty, she found herself unable to meet his gaze, shame burning in her heart.
In an instant, two slaves had become two peerlessly beautiful women. Their clothes were still ragged and bloodstained, but that did nothing to diminish their allure—the contrast only made them more heartbreakingly pitiable.
Those who stayed behind were shaken. Most were filled with shock and regret—who would've thought these two slaves were peerless beauties, their looks rivaling the famed goddesses of the God Realm? If they'd known, what a thrill it would be to take one home as a wife.
But then fear crept in. If that middle-aged man learned you'd laid hands on his women, he'd surely hunt you down for revenge. Plenty had died just now, and cold sweat involuntarily broke out down many spines.
Blue-Shade God-Venerable's heart was roiling with emotion too. No wonder Evan Chu had been so agitated earlier—these really were his women. Sometimes, what you search for tirelessly appears when you least expect it.
Evan Chu ignored the crowd, placing one hand on Selena's scarred cheek and the other on Lynn's injured ribs. Wood-element energy surged wildly within him, pouring into both women at once—a feat of split-second focus.
Everyone watched in silence. After about half an hour, Evan Chu stopped and said, "Lynn, Sel, come greet your big brother!" He pointed to Blue-Shade God-Venerable.
"Greetings, big brother!" the two women said in perfect unison. At that moment, the scar on Selena's face vanished—proof of Evan Chu's formidable wood-element power.
"No need to be formal, sisters-in-law. It's a blessing you escaped disaster—I've worried about you both, and now that we're finally together, I'm truly happy for you," said Blue-Shade God-Venerable warmly.
Evan Chu turned to the crowd and declared, "The Slave Ward dared to enslave my women—this is intolerable. You're no longer involved, but if you don't leave now, you won't be able to escape later."
As soon as Evan finished speaking, a commotion swept through the crowd. Many people left in haste—today's events were too strange and dangerous, and only a fool would stay any longer.
"You've gone too far—killing in the Slave Ward and showing no respect for our Freewind Sect Master! No one leaves today!" a powerful, commanding voice thundered from the sky.
A cold smile flickered across Evan Chu's face, sending chills through the crowd. He turned to Lynn and Selena: "Enter the Timewheel Bracelet. Inside you'll find a woman named Elena—she's your elder sister. Take good care of her until I come for you after this is over."
The two women nodded and instantly disappeared from view. At that moment, seven figures descended from the sky—two elders, four middle-aged men, and a woman.
Evan Chu glanced at the newcomers and saw that among the seven, four were late-stage God-Emperors, while the woman and both elders were God-Venerables. With Blue-Shade here, he felt no fear—in fact, he was tempted to test himself against the four God-Emperor experts and see if he could take on all four at once.
"Linfeng, you'd better return to the Timewheel Bracelet. When experts clash, stray attacks are inevitable. If I get tangled up, you'll be in danger—one of those old men is late-stage God-Venerable. If he were mid-stage, I wouldn't worry," Blue-Shade God-Venerable said.
"It's fine—I want to see what they can really do to me. I have to avenge Lynn and Sel, so don't worry about me, big brother. I've got plenty of ways to keep myself alive," Evan Chu replied.
"Enough talk! Blue-Shade, what do you mean by slaughtering people in my Slave Ward? Do you realize where you are? Our Freewind Sect and your Shadow Divine Palace usually mind our own business, but after what you've done today, you owe us a real explanation," the strongest elder declared.
"Elder Gu, you're lucky I'm not here to settle old scores—and you dare come after me? Freewind Sect is outrageous, snatching my brother's women for slaves. You've really outdone yourselves," Blue-Shade God-Venerable shot back.
"Your brother? Which ant are you talking about? Freewind Sect doesn't have to ask your permission to take a few captives. By breaking the rules of my Slave Ward, you're provoking our sect—just talking to you is giving you more respect than you deserve!" Elder Gu snapped.
"Give you face? If I kidnapped your mother, would you thank me for it? You're not here to demand answers—it's us who have a score to settle with you. You look down on ants? Well, today this ant will show you that even ants can shake a great tree!" Evan Chu snapped in fury.
"Elder Gu, why waste words with these two? Just kill them. Blue-Shade may be strong, but with you here, he's no match for us. As for that weakling, any one of us could finish him off. If Shadow Divine Palace comes looking for him, we'll have our own reasons," said another elder, a mid-stage God-Venerable.
At that moment, Evan Chu considered two plans. One was to take on all four late-stage God-Emperors by himself, to see just how much stronger he'd grown in seclusion—maybe he could kill them all in a few moves.
Of course, if the others knew what Evan was thinking, they'd be driven mad—a mid-stage God-Emperor daring to challenge four late-stage God-Emperors, and planning to kill them all in just a few moves? No one would believe it.
His other plan was to end things fast by summoning Fire Dragon and the other three from the Timewheel Bracelet. After five thousand years of training inside, all four had reached the God-Venerable Realm—slaying these enemies would be effortless.