Evan Chu glanced at Jared Jiang and instantly saw he was about to run. Evan barked, "You think escaping is that easy?" He flashed forward, blocking Jared's path.
But Jared didn’t even bother replying. He shot off into the distance at top speed, but he underestimated Evan’s flying speed. Evan caught up after less than a hundred miles—and that was without Evan using his Wind Element. He wanted to see how flying in the Immortal Realm compared to the lower world.
Seeing Evan catch up, Jared gave up on running. He spun around and said, "If you let me go today, I swear I’ll repay you someday. My word is iron."
"Really? You think I’ll buy that crap? The only ones who keep secrets are the dead. So you have to die." As soon as Evan finished, he slashed out with the Frostbane Sword. At the same time, he had Tom Chu appear, ready to trap Jared in an illusion at any moment.
Tom Chu’s illusion domain wasn’t strong enough to hold an Earth Immortal like Jared, but Evan only needed a split second. Jared was already badly wounded and could barely muster the power of a normal Immortal. Evan wasn’t worried about Tom’s safety at all.
Jared realized he was out of options and roared, "Kid, I’ll take you down with me!" He whipped up a sword flower with his silver longsword and lunged at Evan, dead set on dragging Evan to the grave even if it cost him his own life.
Their attacks clashed again. The result was the same: Jared got blasted far away, his wounds getting even worse. He slowly picked himself up and spat, "You think you can kill me just like that? Keep dreaming."
Blood poured out of Jared’s wounds, but he didn’t seem to care. He charged at Evan like a madman. Evan was startled—what was this guy planning? Was he really going for mutual destruction?
Mutual destruction—Evan instantly understood. Jared was about to self-destruct. That was seriously deadly. Evan’s mind raced and he teleported on the spot. To his surprise, teleportation still worked in the Immortal Realm, but the range was way shorter—just a few thousand meters, a huge drop compared to the lower world.
But that was enough to dodge Jared’s self-detonation. Evan was right—Jared, charging at him, poured all his remaining Immortal Essence into his Immortal Infant. The moment Evan teleported away, Jared’s Immortal Infant couldn’t handle the force and exploded.
Right before he blew up, Jared saw Evan vanish. A flash of despair and bitterness flickered across his face—then came a deafening boom that ripped through the air, unleashing a storm of energy that blasted everything within several kilometers. Even Evan got caught by the shockwave.
Luckily, Evan was far enough away that the impact was much weaker. Even so, he was sent flying hundreds of meters before he finally struggled to his feet. A trickle of golden blood slipped from his mouth as he muttered, "Didn’t think self-detonation could be this crazy. Surviving in the Immortal Realm is gonna be tough. Anyone on my level could just blow themselves up and take me with them. I’ll have to watch out for that from now on."
Just then, Evan’s face changed. He’d summoned Tom Chu out of his storage ring earlier—who knew if Tom survived that blast?
Evan quickly flew back and saw a yellow bead floating calmly in the air. It flashed with yellow light and transformed into Tom Chu’s human form, appearing at Evan’s side.
"Tom, you okay? That guy’s self-detonation was no joke—I was worried sick," Evan said.
"I’m fine. That blast was strong, but it can’t hurt me. I’m an innate spirit treasure, you know—it’ll take more than that to destroy me. Anyway, with that guy settled, what’s your next move, boss?" Tom asked.
"I’m heading to the Immortal Stone mine. I don’t know anyone in the Immortal Realm yet, so grinding it out there will toughen me up. With my current strength, I’m basically an ant here—I need to get stronger," Evan said.
"Boss, why not just find a deserted place to train? No one would bother you—it’d be way better, right?" Tom asked, a little confused.
Evan had considered that. Training alone somewhere quiet would help him break through faster. But he didn’t want that—not yet. Only harsh environments could push his limits, and the mine was perfect for that. Unless he got way stronger and needed a breakthrough, he wouldn’t go into hiding just yet.
Besides, fighting other people was the best way to spot his own weaknesses—and learn more about the Immortal Realm. Evan glanced at Tom and said, "No rush. We just got here, so we should get used to the place first. When the time’s right, I’ll find somewhere to train."
Actually, Evan already had the perfect place to train—inside his Timewheel Bracelet. A hundred years inside would only be a year outside. If his opponent was at a similar level and both needed closed-door cultivation, Evan would have a huge advantage. But for now, he couldn’t use it. He’d wait until he had real status in the Immortal Realm before making that move.
Evan glanced at the distant sky. The Immortal Realm looked just like the Azure Tide Ruins—mountains, rocks, trees. The only difference was the thick mist everywhere, making it hard to see far. That fog was packed with Immortal Essence.
"Tom, go back in the storage ring. I’m heading to the mine now. A new trial’s about to begin, and honestly, I’m pretty hyped," Evan said with a grin.
He soared into the sky, heading for the Immortal Stone mine marked in the jade tablet from Coldriver City. Wind howled in his ears as he flew for nearly half a day before reaching the outskirts of the mine. Evan hadn’t seen a single person along the way—just another sign of how vast and terrifying the Immortal Realm really was.
Evan landed and saw crowds moving in and out of a massive mountain range. Several armored guards stood watch while others whipped people like convicts. "This must be the mine," Evan muttered. "Can’t believe it’s like this… Those people look just like prisoners, getting flogged and everything."
He wanted to temper himself, but he didn’t need to suffer like this. Honestly, he was feeling pretty depressed—maybe Tom was right and he should find a quiet place to train for a while.
Evan was about to leave, but just as he turned, he noticed a fat, big-eared guy staring at him. The weird, greasy smile on the man’s face made Evan’s skin crawl…