Evan Yang shook his head and smiled, "Nothing is impossible. It's already happened. I temporarily destroyed the Devil-Fiend Well, which caused a spatial rupture and sent me here. That's why the Demon Mountain people are searching for me everywhere, and as for the Devil-Fiend Well, I don't know if they'll rebuild it again."
"Whether it's true or not, this whole thing is strange. Why would they want to absorb the entire Fiend Realm into the Devil Realm? It's really odd," Clara Snow said suspiciously.
"It has to do with a certain place in the Fiend Realm," Evan Yang replied.
"What place?" Clara Snow asked, still puzzled.
"The Demon-Fiend Underpalace," Evan Yang said.
"Demon-Fiend Underpalace? What kind of place is that?" Clara Snow asked, confused.
"It's hard to explain right now. Let's find somewhere to sit, and I'll explain it to you slowly," Evan Yang said.
Clara Snow nodded. She had originally planned to show Evan Yang around, but after thinking it over, she first found an inn. The people in these inns were nothing like those in the Immortal Realm, and the buildings themselves were strange, as if they were made from bones.
Looking at such odd buildings, Evan Yang remarked curiously, "This really is amazing."
"There's nothing strange about it. They're either made from the bones of demonic beasts or from the bones of Devil Realm people," Clara Snow said.
"What? Human bones?" Evan Yang exclaimed.
"Yes, but don't be so surprised. They're just decorations. Not everyone in the Devil Realm is terrible; some are actually quite friendly. It's just that certain cultivation methods change their personalities drastically, so they're very different from people in the Immortal Realm," Clara Snow said with a smile.
"That's true. Some might even suffer qi deviation," Evan Yang replied.
"Exactly, that's what I mean. Now, tell me in detail about the Devil-Fiend Well and the Demon-Fiend Underpalace," Clara Snow said, sounding anxious.
Evan Yang sensed Clara Snow's curiosity about the matter, so he explained everything about the Demon-Fiend Underpalace and the Devil-Fiend Well.
After hearing Evan's explanation, Clara Snow looked even more suspicious than before. "No, we can't let the Fiend Palace merge into the Devil Realm. Even if I don't know their true intentions, just the Demon-Fiend Underpalace alone is an incredible cultivation treasure."
"What can we do? Demon Mountain has probably sent more people. I feel helpless, too. I can only inform the Immortal Realm after I escape," Evan Yang said.
"Don't worry, someone will definitely come out to stop them," Clara Snow said, frowning as she looked into the distance.
"So what do we do now?" Evan Yang asked curiously.
"Oh, I almost forgot. I brought you here to have fun. Come on, let me show you around," Clara Snow said with a smile.
Evan Yang nodded. Since they had to wait a month, there was nothing to do but follow Clara Snow around the city. The city was quite large, but its buildings were very different from those in the Immortal Realm, made of all sorts of strange materials.
"Look, over there," Clara Snow pointed ahead at a house, which was made entirely of wood and stood out in this place.
"What is this place?" Evan Yang asked curiously.
"Come in with me and you'll see," Clara Snow said with a smile.
Evan Yang followed Clara Snow inside, curious. The wooden house was very unusual—so large, and the local Devil Realm people seemed afraid of it, not daring to enter. Clara Snow led Evan in regardless, making them look odd to outsiders.
"What is this place, and why do people look at us so strangely?" Evan Yang asked, curious.
"Because someone from the Immortal Realm lives here," Clara Snow replied.
"Someone from the Immortal Realm? Aren't they afraid of being caught by the Devil Realm people?" Evan Yang asked suspiciously.
"It's different. The Devil Realm people need him, so they won't let anyone harm him. They even built this house just for him, so people outside call him the Immortal Realm Weirdo," Clara Snow said with a smile.
"Immortal Realm Weirdo? I'm curious—what kind of person would the Devil Realm people need?" Evan Yang wondered aloud.
After entering, Evan Yang saw a person inside, in a large hall, wielding a brush—more precisely, painting.
"Painting?" Evan Yang asked suspiciously. Clara Snow looked at the elderly man before them, who was wholly absorbed in painting and didn't notice the two of them until Clara Snow said, 'Senior Immortal Painter.'
"You two have come?" the elderly man said with a smile.
Evan Yang looked curiously at the elderly man, wondering why he said 'you two.'
Clara Snow nodded.
"This young brother, what's your name?" the elderly man asked with a smile.
Evan Yang replied with a smile, "I'm Evan Yang."
"Evan Yang, is it? Come, come, look at this painting. Clara Snow always tricks me. I want others to see it, but the Devil Realm people here don't give me any face." The elderly man pulled Evan over as if they were old friends.
Evan Yang felt bewildered, while Clara Snow smiled at him and said, "Senior Immortal Painter is like this. People outside are afraid of him, so they don't dare approach."
"Why?" Evan Yang asked, confused.
"Just look at the painting and you'll know," Clara Snow said with a smile.
Evan Yang, curious, walked up to the painting the elderly man had just made. As he looked at it, it felt as if something had struck him, and he suddenly entered another space.
The scenery around him was beautiful, like a world of mountains and rivers—very pretty. Suddenly, a fierce beast charged down from the mountain, lightning-fast. Evan Yang quickly dodged, then stared at the departing beast and muttered, "What is this place?"
The sudden change made Evan Yang very curious, and he shouted loudly, "Senior? Miss Clara?"
"Evan Yang, take care of that beast and you can come out," Clara Snow's voice said with a laugh.
"You girl, couldn't you give a hint? Would it kill you?" the Immortal Painter said, frustrated.
After learning how to leave, Evan Yang took out a dagger. When the beast approached, he charged directly at it and killed it. The moment the beast died, Evan Yang regained his senses and found himself standing in front of the painting, with the Immortal Painter and Clara Snow smiling beside him.
"What just happened?" Evan Yang exclaimed in shock.
"Look at the painting," Clara Snow said with a smile.
Evan Yang looked at the painting and showed a surprised expression. He saw a figure among mountains and rivers, with a fierce beast watching from the mountain, then attacking the figure. After a moment of confusion, the figure killed the beast, and the painting became a landscape with the beast's corpse in one spot.
"This..." Evan Yang exclaimed in shock. It was exactly the process he had just experienced.
"Amazing, isn't it? This is Senior Immortal Painter's masterpiece—the Painting Array," Clara Snow said with a smile.
"Painting Array?" Evan Yang asked suspiciously.
"That's right. As long as Senior is willing, he can paint anywhere, and the painting becomes like a real thing. Anyone whose cultivation is lower than his will fall into an illusion. If you can break through the key element in the illusion, you can escape. If not, you'll die in the painting," Clara Snow said with a smile.
Evan Yang showed a surprised expression. This was incredible.
Seeing Evan Yang's stunned expression, Clara Snow said with a smile, "What do you think? Impressive, right?"
"Impressive, impressive," Evan Yang said.
"Impressive? Don't exaggerate. But why have you come to see me?" the Immortal Painter said with a smile.
"This is my friend. I brought him to meet Senior. Senior, you don't mind having a few more friends, do you?" Clara Snow said with a smile.
"I thought you had something else in mind, but it's just this. Of course I don't mind, especially since he's from the Immortal Realm," the Immortal Painter said with a smile.
"You know I'm from the Immortal Realm?" Evan Yang asked suspiciously.
"Of course. I can sense a bit of Immortal Essence from you. Devil Realm people can't sense it, but I'm different—I'm from the Immortal Realm too, so I can pick up even a trace," the Immortal Painter said with a smile.
"I see. I thought I'd been exposed," Evan Yang said awkwardly.
"It's fine. Unless you run into an Immortal Realm expert, no one will notice," the Immortal Painter said with a smile.
"Alright," Evan Yang nodded.
"Immortal Painter, weren't you looking for a disciple? How about him? He's handsome and pretty good, just a bit weak in cultivation, but that can be improved," Clara Snow said with a smile. "You girl, you really know how to pick," the Immortal Painter suddenly smiled. "Wasn't it you who said you wouldn't teach me because I'm a girl? Now I've found a guy from the Immortal Realm. You can't object now, right?" Clara Snow laughed.
Evan Yang realized Clara Snow was very familiar with the Immortal Painter; otherwise, how would he know Clara Snow was a girl?
"That's true, but it depends if he's suitable," the Immortal Painter said with a smile.
"How do you determine suitability?" Clara Snow asked suspiciously.
"Earlier, you helped him break the painting array. Now, I want him to solve it on his own. If he can get out within the set time, he's qualified," the Immortal Painter said.
"Alright, I'll ask him," Clara Snow said.
Evan Yang was very interested in the painting array. Without realizing it, people were drawn into the formation, not even knowing they were inside a painting. So before Clara Snow could ask, he smiled and said, "I accept the challenge."
"You heard him," Clara Snow said with a smile.
"Alright, follow me," the Immortal Painter said, then led Clara Snow and Evan Yang to a room with five racks, each covered with cloth. The Immortal Painter said to Clara Snow, 'Close your eyes and guard your mind. As for you, let's see if you can escape from these five linked paintings.'
"Okay," Evan Yang said with a smile.
Seeing Evan Yang so confident, the Immortal Painter smiled, then, as he uncovered the cloth, Evan Yang felt as if he had entered another space, just like before.
The Immortal Painter said to Clara Snow, "You can open your eyes now."
Clara Snow opened her eyes and saw that each of the five paintings was different. Each painting had a unique environment, and the people and animals in them grew stronger and stranger with each one.
When she saw the last painting, she exclaimed, "Senior, this isn't fair. Even I couldn't defeat the last one."
"Don't worry, mine are just paintings—they're different from real things and only have half their true power. If he can break my painting array, he's qualified to be my disciple. If he can't, I'd rather take in a useless person," the Immortal Painter said with a smile.