Young Lord Feiyu could no longer endure Evan Chu's provocation. He knew full well he was no match for Evan, but a man must have his dignity—especially as the nominal leader of the Four Young Lords, whose pride mattered more than life itself.
Evan, however, couldn't care less about Young Lord Feiyu's bluster. In his eyes, killing him would be as easy as squashing an ant. But he wasn't so foolish as to actually do it—Young Lord Feiyu was the Freewind Palace Lord's beloved disciple, and Freewind Palace was not a force he could afford to antagonize.
Not to mention Serena Dream—if he really killed Young Lord Feiyu, Serena would never agree to his terms. Then all his efforts would be for nothing.
So Evan smiled and said, "Young Lord Feiyu, if you're a real man, let's fight it out. If you defeat me, I'll drop the whole matter. But if you lose, I hope you'll give up on Serena Dream—because only a true powerhouse deserves a woman as noble as her. Well? Do you dare accept?"
Young Lord Feiyu looked at Evan with a troubled expression. "You think I'm afraid of you? However you want to fight, just say it. I'll take whatever you throw at me."
Evan glanced at the Freewind Palace Lord, then said, "Palace Lord, Young Lord Feiyu is your cherished disciple. Rest assured, for your sake, I won't kill him. As for Serena Dream, I hope you'll let me pursue her. Some things, I think we both understand perfectly well. What do you say?"
The Freewind Palace Lord shot Evan a glare. "I honestly don't know what to say about you. Do as you like, but please try not to hurt him too badly!"
"Alright, I accept! Here's the deal—I'm a sect master myself, and even though Frostbane Sect has fallen, I swear I'll make it rise again. For your sake, I'll let him have one free shot. He can attack me with everything he's got. If he can't seriously injure me, then he loses—because once I make a move, he'll be lucky to escape with half his life." Evan declared.
Young Lord Feiyu was even more furious when he heard this. "Who needs your pity? I want to see what makes you so arrogant that you think you can claim Serena Dream!"
"I said I'll let you, so just go ahead and attack. I won't fight back or defend myself. I hope you give me your strongest blow—don't disappoint me!" Evan said, still as arrogant as ever.
If he wanted to establish his reputation, he had to show some real strength. Anyway, his upcoming battle with the Mist Rain Pavilion Master was bound to be sensational—so why not serve up a little appetizer now and let everyone whet their appetite?
Young Lord Feiyu was a shrewd man. Hearing Evan's words, he was secretly delighted—his earlier protest was just for show, to save face. This way, he wouldn't seem petty.
But Evan's declaration left several people completely baffled—especially Ye Suping. Young Lord Feiyu was a peak Ninth-Layer Divine Martial expert, one of the most formidable around. Even she wouldn't dare to take his attack head-on. Was Evan really risking his life here?
Lynne Nie was just as anxious. She knew exactly how strong Young Lord Feiyu was—he could match a First-Layer Saint Martial expert. Evan was actually planning to take a full-strength blow from someone at that level? Without terrifying defenses, it was impossible. She was utterly confused.
"Let's get started—I don't want to waste time. I need to recover my Stellar Power, and tomorrow I've got an even tougher opponent to kill." Evan grinned.
"If you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish. If you really survive my sword, I'll accept your terms. But if you're badly wounded, I'll kill you myself!" Young Lord Feiyu roared.
"Just stick to your promise and don't back out later. With so many people watching, I doubt Young Lord Feiyu would embarrass himself by going back on his word." Evan said with a smile.
Young Lord Feiyu produced a golden fan—a top-grade earth-rank weapon. His real name was Jared Hou, but because his techniques were both dazzling and powerful, fluttering like feathers in the wind, he had earned the nickname Young Lord Feiyu.
At that moment, Evan activated his Chaos Dragon Force, flooding his entire body with it. He quickly used Earthshift to form a rocky armor around himself. This earthen defense was not quite the same as before.
He was now at Eighth-Layer Divine Martial Realm. The rocks covering him weren't quite as tough as the flying stones he'd faced in the spatial black hole, but close enough. Combined with the Fifth Layer of the Starforge Body, his defenses should be more than enough to withstand this attack.
The only thing that bothered him was that he might get sent flying by the attack—his posture would be a little undignified, that's all.
Young Lord Feiyu didn't rush to attack Evan. Instead, he began gathering elemental particles—water particles, specifically. He spent a full half minute preparing this move, clearly making it his strongest strike.
Serena Dream, however, looked deeply worried. She knew this move better than anyone—it was called Thousand-Mile Frostbite, meaning it could unleash ice attacks across a thousand miles. Its power was simply terrifying.
Moreover, this was Freewind Palace's forbidden technique. Using it consumed soul power, and after unleashing it, the user's cultivation would drop by a whole realm. No one used it unless absolutely necessary—yet Young Lord Feiyu was going all out, clearly intending to kill Evan in one blow.
Even the Freewind Palace Lord was mildly shocked, though she didn't intervene. Deep down, she wanted Young Lord Feiyu to seriously injure Evan, but she also wished Serena Dream could marry Evan—after all, only Evan could truly make her happy. Such a tangled mess of emotions in a supreme expert was almost comical.
By now, Young Lord Feiyu was ready. He shouted, "Evan Chu, taste my Thousand-Mile Frostbite! Prepare to die!"
As he finished, the folding fan in his hand danced wildly. Countless water particles instantly crystallized into whirling ice blocks overhead. The fan multiplied into countless shadows, faintly threaded with wind and thunder—its power was extraordinary.
Suddenly, the temperature plummeted, as if everyone had been plunged into an icy wasteland. Young Lord Feiyu's reputation was well-deserved—everyone thought so in their hearts.
But Evan didn't take the swirling ice seriously at all—he still wore a faint smile.
Suddenly, Young Lord Feiyu's fan flashed with a fierce light. Instantly, countless shards of ice, whistling through the air, surged toward Evan.
Bang! Bang! The sound of powerful impacts rang out as the ice struck Evan's body. Everyone stared, transfixed, as Evan was blasted far, far away by the barrage...
PS: Fourth update, at 8:30 PM...