The two immediately looked over at Victor Zhang in the distance, and sure enough, his face was twisted in pain—he was clearly injured. With their Saint Martial Realm strength, both could see it at a glance.
"Evan Chu really is something else. From the very start, he already had a concrete plan to kill his opponent. That first sword strike was fierce, but it wasn't his true killing move—it was just to test the opponent's attack power.
Then, judging from the power of that sword, he figured out how much damage the opponent's strongest attack could do to him. So for his second strike, he used Soul Rend. That sword might not hurt the opponent's body, but the damage to the soul was absolutely massive.
If someone weaker were hit by that sword, they'd be turned into a complete idiot and lose all ability to fight. As for him, even though he'd be seriously injured, his monstrous defense and regeneration would let him come out safe and sound. Pulling this off takes rock-solid resolve and guts—he's really something.
The next sword is going to be the one that kills Victor Zhang. Its power should be no less than the attacks you or I could unleash—maybe even stronger. Just watch and see!" The Sacred Sword Sect Master rattled off all this in one breath.
Selena Yale and the Freewind Palace Lord both stared in shock at Evan Chu in the distance, their opinion of him shooting through the roof.
Selena was overjoyed inside—her man was actually this powerful. Even if the whole world found out about their relationship, she believed hardly anyone would dare oppose it.
But the Freewind Palace Lord had already made an important decision: Evan Chu was someone she absolutely had to befriend. Maybe the Azure Tide Ruins would belong to him in the future, and perhaps only he could wipe out the lurking forces of darkness.
Although Dark Sanctuary was mysterious, from what she knew, some of these things probably weren't their doing. Or maybe Dark Sanctuary was just a branch of some deeper force, used to gather intelligence.
Just when everyone thought Evan Chu was bound to lose, he did something shocking. He grinned and said, "So this is all the Mist Rain Pavilion Master has got? Now it's your turn to taste my martial arts."
As Evan Chu finished speaking, a sovereign aura surged from his body, leaving the crowd utterly stunned. In his hand, the sword suddenly transformed into a rusty, battered iron blade.
With a blur, he charged straight at Victor Zhang. The iron sword in his grip unleashed a three-meter-long arc of sword light, thunder and wind roaring from its edge as it slashed toward his opponent like a bolt of lightning.
Victor Zhang, his spirit already shattered, could hardly believe Evan Chu was unharmed. Now, faced with this sudden, overwhelming attack, true terror of death welled up from the depths of his heart for the first time.
Gritting his teeth, Victor Zhang desperately swung his sword. Their attacks collided in an instant, but the sheer power of Evan Chu's Earthsplitter was on a whole other level—nothing Victor could muster in his wounded state could compare.
A deafening boom erupted, shaking the earth as if the world itself were being torn apart. Evan Chu's strike carved a two-meter-wide fissure across the mountaintop, and the ground began to tremble violently.
It was like an earthquake—many people lost their footing and fell to the ground, while the chasm kept widening and lengthening. In just a few breaths, Frostbane Sect's rear mountain was split clean in two by Evan Chu's sword.
Boom! Thunder roared endlessly atop the mountain as the rear peak began to collapse. To see a single sword bring down a mountain—such terrifying power was a first for everyone present, even the masters of Freewind Palace, Bloodfiend Hall, and Sacred Sword Sect.
This was Evan Chu's Earthsplitter—a true earth-rending, heaven-shattering move. Everyone soared into the air, while Victor Zhang was nowhere to be seen, utterly erased by Evan Chu's sword.
Those with sharp eyes might notice Victor Zhang had been reduced to powder by the sword, shredded by sword-qi until not even a drop of blood remained. It was as if he had vanished from existence.
With the mountain collapsing, a cloud of dust soared skyward, turning the heavens a dull, ashen gray.
Everyone stared in shock at Evan Chu, wielding that battered iron sword—he hovered above the ruins like an undefeated war god, inspiring awe and fear in all who looked upon him.
Evan Chu smiled and declared, "Mist Rain Pavilion, listen well! Your Pavilion Master has been slain by my hand. If you want revenge, come find me yourselves!"
His words sent shockwaves through the crowd. Many hadn't even seen what became of Victor Zhang, but now they understood—against such heaven-defying power, even a Fourth-Layer Saint Martial expert could only be slain.
Even Evan Chu himself hadn't expected Earthsplitter to be so devastating. Back in the spatial black hole, he hadn't felt its true force—perhaps because the ground there was too tough. But compared to Frostbane Sect's mountaintop, it was no contest; the stone here couldn't withstand his power.
Scanning the crowd, Evan Chu continued, "Today, I, Evan Chu, publicly declare: Frostbane Sect will rise in the Azure Tide Ruins! Any sect that dares oppose us, come face me directly. Even if all Nine Great Sects unite against me, I will not flinch!"
His words stirred another uproar—such arrogance, to challenge all Nine Great Sects! No matter how strong he was, surely he couldn't match the other sect masters. Many voiced their disbelief.
But moments after Evan Chu spoke, the Sacred Sword Sect Master flew up to him, saluted respectfully, and said, "Greetings, Senior Frostbane. I was blind not to see it before—only now do I realize you are the reincarnation of Lord Frostbane himself."
His voice was low, perhaps only Evan Chu could hear. Evan Chu paused, then smiled, "There's no need for such formality, Sect Master. Since I've been reborn, I'm no longer your senior. Let's do it this way—I'll call you 'Brother' from now on. Given the bond between Frostbane Sect and Sacred Sword Sect, that's only fitting."
The Sacred Sword Sect Master grinned, then turned to the crowd and announced, "Sacred Sword Sect fully supports Frostbane Sect's rise! Any sect that objects can take it up with us directly—we'll treat you as our enemy!"
"Freewind Palace also supports Frostbane Sect's rise! Any sect that opposes them will be our enemy as well!" declared the Freewind Palace Lord, soaring over to join them.
"Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion stands with Frostbane Sect! From this day forward, we are bound as life-and-death allies!" Selena Yale proclaimed.