At the mouth of the well, golden radiance surged.
What followed was a series of shrill, terrified screams from the skeletons inside the well.
Bone-white skeletons burst out one after another. As soon as they crawled from the well mouth, they tried to flee the Zheng family estate, but before they could run more than a few steps, golden light chased after them, instantly enveloping them, and then they vanished completely from the world.
"What is that!"
Raymond Cold's face twisted in shock. The cane in his hand seemed to sense something and began trembling violently, as if trying to break free.
Everyone looked over and saw, at the mouth of the well, a flame-wreathed young man slowly rising from within, standing atop a golden rune.
His eyes flowed like molten lava, full of mockery. Countless bone-white skeletons turned to drifting bone dust at his side, and even the entire Ghost-Soul Well trembled violently, as if it couldn't withstand the overwhelming might radiating from that golden rune.
"If you've got any tricks left, bring them all out."
Standing atop the golden rune, Evan Lin floated upward and stretched lazily, his tone indifferent. Under the golden light, the mouth of the Ghost-Soul Well grew utterly calm, with no more skeletons surging out.
"Don't get cocky!"
Raymond Cold glared up at the sky, frantically chanting spells. Black mist surged around him, but every time the mist began to take shape, it was instantly erased by the golden light.
That golden rune was incredibly mysterious. Raymond broke out in a cold sweat, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t cast any more spells.
Even with his Life-and-Death Mage cultivation, he was being brutally suppressed by that rune!
"What kind of magic artifact is that?!"
In the end, Raymond could only roar in desperation.
"If you’re out of tricks, then get ready to die."
Evan Lin let out a mocking laugh. A violent wind howled around him. In everyone’s eyes, Evan tapped his foot and shot skyward, his entire body wreathed in flames that twisted and tangled, scorching the very air. The clouds overhead turned a blazing crimson.
He dove from midair straight toward Raymond Cold, like a meteor streaking down from the heavens. Faced with that terrifying power, Raymond stomped the ground, trying to leap away and escape.
But before he could even move, the raging sea of fire swallowed him whole!
Boom!
In front of the main hall, the courtyard ground was scorched bare—where marble tiles had been laid, only dust remained.
When the flames faded, Raymond Cold was left half-dead, sprawled on the ground.
Evan Lin bent down, picked up the cane beside Raymond’s hand, then gave him a light kick. Raymond’s whole body was sent flying, rolling into the main hall.
Raymond Cold’s limp body landed in the hall like a dead dog. Instantly, every gaze in the room locked onto Evan.
Evan walked forward step by step. With each step, the fiery red glow faded from his hair, gradually returning to black, and the molten light in his eyes slowly dissipated.
By the time Evan took his final step into the hall, he had returned to his original appearance—at a glance, just an ordinary high school boy.
Inside the hall, Evan swept his gaze around, his tone indifferent.
"Now, who else wants to speak?"
"Step out."
With just those simple words, Old Master Keene couldn’t hold back—he dropped to his knees, face full of terror, kowtowing to Evan again and again.
“It was my Qi family’s blindness that failed to recognize greatness—it was our Qi family that offended the master! Please, Master, spare us! Spare us!”
Old Master Keene’s voice was shrill and trembling.
The Cold Taoist had been their greatest support, but now that pillar had collapsed. The Qi family had lost their strongest backing, and the Evan Lin before them was the unstoppable Master Lin from Seacrest!
Faced with this scene, Old Master Keene was instantly plunged into despair.
As he knelt, Keene No. 2’s heart sank to ashes. He and Master Yan immediately dropped to their knees, banging their heads against the floor and begging Evan for mercy—even when their foreheads started bleeding, they didn’t dare stop.
Evan’s gaze remained calm as he swept his eyes over the Zhu family crowd.
Rowan Zhu had already dropped to his knees at some point, forehead pressed to the floor, his whole body shaking, not daring to look up.
Old Master Zhu’s face was a storm of emotions, full of regret and remorse. Looking at Evan, his aged eyes had lost all the dignity of a Zhu family patriarch—he was consumed by bitterness and pain.
Victor Zhu and Henry Zhu trembled all over; when Evan’s gaze swept past, they were scared out of their wits.
Only Yvonne Zhu kept her eyes fixed on Evan, her expression a complicated mix of genuine joy and an irrepressible hint of loss.
Bryce Gu stood beside Yvonne Zhu and let out a sigh.
Maybe, for Yvonne’s sake, Evan would let the Zhu family off for last night’s incident. But from now on, it was unlikely there would ever be a deeper connection between Evan and the Zhu clan.
Thirty years on the east bank, thirty years on the west—never look down on a poor youth.
The Evan Lin from the countryside was easy to get close to. But the Master Lin who shook Seacrest and Jinnan—he was not someone the Zhu family could hope to reach.
Faye Zheng looked utterly dazed. Her mind was a chaotic mess after witnessing Evan transform into the legendary Master Lin from Seacrest. That image was burned deep into her heart. Now, seeing Evan calm and ordinary again, she felt only a crushing sense of powerlessness.
She didn’t know how to describe her feelings at that moment.
Gavin Pan had completely wet himself. He sat there in a stupor, unable to say a single word.
Seeing that Evan was unharmed, Claire Zheng finally relaxed a little, though her gaze at Evan was now tinged with confusion.
It was as if, from Evan, she could glimpse the shadow of someone else.
Autumn Zheng gave Evan a gentle smile, finally letting out a quiet sigh of relief.
Leon Zheng and Hans Zheng exchanged bitter, self-mocking smiles.
Suddenly, the elderly Zheng patriarch slapped his chair with a loud bang. He got up, shuffled shakily over to Evan, and looked him up and down, his old face full of excitement: “Our Zheng family—this time, we’ve produced someone truly great.”
“Child, welcome, welcome home!”
The old man’s tears streamed down his face.
Old Madam Grace Zheng also hobbled over to Evan, sobbing and sniffling: “You suffered, child, you really suffered.”
“We wanted you to come home and enjoy life, but your grandparents were useless—we even brought in a fake Master Luke, nearly got you killed.”
At this point, Grace Zheng couldn’t help her anger. Still unsatisfied, she gave a kick to the sham Daoist Master Luke, who was lying on the ground pretending to be dead.
Evan glanced at the two elders, frowning slightly. But seeing Claire Zheng’s pleading gaze from the side, he suppressed his urge to pull away, nodded lightly, and gave them at least the surface greeting of a grandson returned in triumph.