Rainbow Court Mistress Rainveil looked at Evan Chu, half believing, half doubting. Seeing sweat pouring down his face, she asked, "Can you still hold on? You look like you're in a lot of pain. Maybe you should go up first and let me handle the search alone."
"Elena, don't joke around. If I go up now, it'll be almost impossible for you to get out on your own. Even if you're late-stage God-Venerable, so what? Down here you can't use much of your power at all. Just hurry up and check—I can still hold on a while longer," Evan Chu said.
Mistress Rainveil understood Evan's point—down in these earth layers, she was completely squeezed, as if bound by invisible restraints. No matter how strong she was, it was hard to exert her full power. Seeing his determination, she stopped hesitating and quickly spread her divine sense to investigate.
Evan Chu gritted his teeth and endured. He knew he could last at most half a stick of incense—this was his current absolute limit. If Mistress Rainveil couldn't locate the mine core within that time, they'd have to give up.
Once Rainveil spread her divine sense, she found it even more restricted here. She could move it, but only very slowly. Just as Evan said, if she ever faced danger, hiding in these earth layers would basically guarantee her safety.
And this was with a God-Venerable's divine sense—anyone weaker would barely be able to move at all. After a while, Rainveil sensed a powerful energy fluctuation not far below, but her divine sense couldn't get close. The spot was about thirty meters beneath their current position.
She tried several times but failed, and ended up dizzy. Meanwhile, Evan Chu's face was already pale; golden blood trickled from his nose and mouth, and he looked on the verge of collapse, as if he could die at any moment.
"Evan, let's get out of here. Once we're up, I'll tell you what I found." Mistress Rainveil snapped back to herself, realizing she'd been probing with her divine sense for too long and had forgotten about Evan's condition. Guilt flooded her heart.
Evan Chu forced a faint smile, then grabbed Rainveil and quickly moved upward through the earth layers. Going down was tough, but getting back up was much easier. Soon, the two of them broke through to the surface. Evan collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, not even bothering to wipe the blood from his lips.
When the four Divine Beasts saw Evan Chu's condition, they were shocked and rushed over. The Fire Dragon asked, "Sister-in-law, what's happened to the young master? He looks seriously injured—what exactly went wrong?"
"It must have been the overwhelming pressure in the earth that caused this. It's all my fault—I forgot how low his cultivation realm is and that he couldn't possibly withstand that kind of force. I just hope nothing happens to him," Rainveil said, her face dark with worry.
"Fire Dragon, you all don't need to worry about me. I'll be fine after I rest for a bit. For now, go back into the Timewheel Bracelet. When I need your help, I'll call you out," Evan Chu said.
With a thought, the four Divine Beasts instantly vanished, entering the Timewheel Bracelet. Only then did Evan turn to Rainveil and say, "Silly, how could this be your fault? But if you had kept probing with your divine sense even a little longer, I might've died right there. Luckily you stopped. So, what did you find?"
At that moment, Rainveil felt an indescribable emotion toward Evan Chu. She knew he was suffering, yet he endured it without complaint. In her heart, she accepted this new Evan even more deeply.
"I saw a powerful energy mass down below, but my divine sense couldn't get close. Every time I tried, it was bounced back. I don't know if that's the mine core you mentioned, but seeing you hurt like this—it really breaks my heart," Rainveil said seriously, her face completely free of blush.
"That must be the mine core. Just as I thought—if it can repel your divine sense, it must be massive. If we can get it, rebuilding Frostbane Divine Palace will never be a problem," Evan said, his eyes lighting up.
"Lin Feng, are you joking? That place is at least thirty meters deep. There's no way we can reach it right now, so your idea isn't realistic. For now, just focus on recovering. I have some high-grade healing medicine in my storage ring—why don't you take some first?" Rainveil asked.
"No need. Just wait beside me—I’ll recover soon. Thirty meters isn’t much. If my Earthshift reaches the fourth layer and I have mid- or late-stage God-Emperor strength, I’ll be able to get there easily. You don’t need to worry about that," Evan replied with a smile.
He then sat cross-legged on the ground, activating his wood element to rapidly heal. Rainveil watched him quietly, saying nothing. She had originally planned to return to Rainbow Court, knowing that the longer she stayed out, the greater the risk to Evan. But now, with her long-extinguished love rekindled and seeing Evan injured, she simply couldn’t bring herself to leave.
Two hours later, Evan finished his recovery. The wounds and exhaustion were mostly gone. He slowly stood up and saw Rainveil still staring at him. Smiling, he said, "Rainveil, I made you worry. I’m really sorry—I overestimated myself. But I’m fine now."
"You really are a fool! How could you risk your body like that? What if something happened to you—did you ever think about how I’d feel? Or how your other women would feel? How are we supposed to go on living if you’re gone?" Rainveil choked, her voice trembling.
Evan realized that in this moment, he had truly won her heart again. Though she had already given him her heart and even borne his child, to reclaim her love after all these years was no easy feat.
Evan felt his own heart melt. Looking into Rainveil’s eyes, he said softly, "Rainveil, I promise you—from now on, I’ll take care of myself. I won’t make you worry anymore, okay?" His voice was tender.
Rainveil could hold back no longer. She threw herself into Evan’s arms, hugging him tightly, as if afraid he would slip away if she let go.
Evan keenly felt the warmth of Rainveil’s body pressed against his chest. A long-buried desire stirred within him. Gently, he lifted her chin and slowly pressed his lips to hers.
It was as if dry wood met wildfire. That long-lost feeling blazed up between them in an instant—urgent, wild, and unstoppable. In just a few breaths, their clothes were nearly gone...