Evan Chu had never suffered wounds like these before—his entire body was mangled and bloodied, a full third of his muscles gone, and golden blood dyed his flesh a brilliant gold.
His internal organs had ruptured multiple times—anyone else would be dead by now, but his vitality was so tenacious that he was still far from true death.
The severe pain made Evan’s facial muscles twist together, sweat the size of beans dripping down nonstop. Yet he didn’t utter a single groan—he just couldn’t muster the strength to get up, no matter how hard he tried.
“I never expected a God-Lord Realm powerhouse to hit so hard. Even with my current attack and defense, I still ended up this badly wounded. Looks like I really underestimated her. If I weren’t here, the Immortal Realm might’ve already been wiped out by this monster. I wonder if I managed to kill her or not.” Evan muttered to himself.
Inside his body, the wood element was working frantically to repair his wounds. This time, the injuries were just too severe—there was no way he could recover instantly. Being able to keep his life was already a miracle. Evan struggled to get up, but every attempt just made his body hurt even more.
Evan looked absolutely wrecked, but the Yin–Yang Demon Empress was even worse off. She couldn’t understand how, with early God-Lord Realm strength, she’d still lost to an Immortal at best half a step into the demigod rank. This body just didn’t make sense to her.
She hadn’t died either—her massive body was just as mangled and bloodied, with more than half her bones broken. Even though she’d seized this vessel, after using Devour it had grown so huge that her soul was now completely bound to it.
The injuries brought her waves of agony too—if she weren’t at God-Lord Realm, she’d have died for sure. By severity, her wounds were even worse than Evan’s; even if she wasn’t dead, she was barely breathing. Once Devour’s backlash hit, she might really be finished.
Black demonic blood pooled all around her. She tried to get up but couldn’t. She wanted to see if Evan had been killed—after paying such a huge price, if he’d survived, it was just unfair.
Her body couldn’t move, but her divine sense could. When the Yin–Yang Demon Empress spread her divine sense, she saw something that shocked her—Evan was still alive, sitting there healing, badly hurt but not in any real danger.
"How is this possible? What kind of monster is he, surviving an attack this powerful? This is just unbelievable." The Yin–Yang Demon Empress gaped, muttering to herself.
Seeing Evan not only alive but actually healing, she felt a chill—maybe today really was her death day. Dying to such a strong opponent was no shame, but one thing still bugged her: how did he have such insane attack power? If she could just figure that out before dying, she’d have no regrets.
Time ticked by. Evan’s wounds healed quickly, thanks to his Eighth-Layer Starforge Body. You could still see his internal organs, but the wounds had shrunk a lot, and the bleeding had stopped.
Evan knew he couldn’t fully recover any time soon. What mattered most right now was killing the Yin–Yang Demon Empress. Even if his physical body died, he could always re-form with an elemental cocoon—it’d just take forever, and in the middle of a war, he couldn’t afford that kind of delay.
Gritting his teeth, Evan forced himself to stand and slowly walked toward the Yin–Yang Demon Empress, each step agonizing as it tugged at his wounds.
When he reached her and saw she was even worse off than he was, Evan burst out laughing. "So much for a God-Lord Realm powerhouse! Beaten by a mere late Immortal Emperor—what a cosmic joke, or maybe just a humiliation for the Demonic Realm. Yin–Yang Demon Empress, you’ve really let me down.
Didn’t you say today was my death day? If you’ve got the guts, get up and fight me! Hahaha! What, you can’t even stand? Want me to do you a favor and put you out of your misery?"
"Evan Chu… don’t push me too far! I lost to you today because your skills were superior. But I still don’t get how you could beat me with just late Immortal Emperor strength—I’m a God-Lord Realm expert!
The martial arts you used—I’ve never seen anything like them. Techniques this powerful shouldn’t even exist in the Immortal Realm. If I could just know the truth before dying, I’d die without regrets," said the Yin–Yang Demon Empress.
"You want to know? Well, I’m not telling you. You want to know why? Because you did something unforgivable. I want to tear you to pieces," Evan said, still rapidly healing as he spoke.
“Just because I started the Immortal–Demon War? That war has existed since ancient times—you can't pin it all on me. If that's your reason, Evan Chu, then you're just small-minded. For someone who calls himself strong, that's a real disappointment.” The Yin–Yang Demon Empress rasped, barely clinging to life.
“The Immortal–Demon War means nothing to me. Do you even know whose body you stole? Her name is Meng Ji—Selena. She was my woman, born of the lower Demon Clan, so she could only ascend to the Demonic Realm. Out of thousands, you chose to possess her—tell me, do you deserve to live?” Evan Chu said coldly, his voice full of accusation.
“Is that so? I truly didn't know. I was only captivated by her beauty and wanted her body for myself. No wonder you tried so hard to save her, but even if you did, it's useless. Her soul was devoured by me long ago—what you recovered is just an empty shell. Reviving her is impossible.” The Empress replied coldly, her surprise quickly turning to indifference.
“To have one of your women accompany me in death—I've got no regrets. Do it! Give me a swift end. I don't want Devour's backlash to make my death even more miserable!” The Yin–Yang Demon Empress said, her voice filled with resignation and a desperate plea.
“Did you really devour Selena's soul? You demon—I’ll annihilate you, body and soul!” Evan roared, his fury erupting. For someone like this, he truly meant to kill.
“If you can spare the people of the Demonic Realm, maybe I’ll tell you the truth. Otherwise, you’ll never get the chance to know. I can only say—I didn’t devour that woman’s soul. I sealed it somewhere no one knows.” The Empress bargained, a hint of hope flickering in her words.
“She and I had no real grudge, and she was so beautiful—I’d never cruelly destroy such a flower. Think carefully!” the Empress added, trying to justify herself and urging Evan to reconsider.
“I thought you wanted me to spare you. If it’s your people, maybe I’ll consider it—but I want the truth. You have no right to bargain: after this defeat, you’re already the Demonic Realm’s eternal sinner. Even if you die, your people will curse your name forever. That’s a humiliation worse than death.” Evan replied coldly, pressing his advantage.