Everyone was instantly shocked as Evan Yang was sent flying, his soul slowly dissipating before their eyes.
"No!" Elder Lewis cried out in alarm, but it was already too late. Even if he had the Undying Divine Pill, it would be useless for Evan Yang now, because Evan's soul was already nearly annihilated.
Evan felt his whole body turn weightless, a drowsy sensation washing over him. Yet he clearly saw the attacker—it was the same one as before, sent by the Yang Clan.
"Am I really going to die?" Evan felt his soul dispersing, bit by bit vanishing into the air.
Everyone was stunned. The deathsworn assassins were destroyed by Elder Lewis and the others in their fury, leaving six corpses lying there. The last attacker, having succeeded, slipped away and vanished.
Evan's body dropped not far away, crashing into some rubble and getting buried beneath it.
"How could this happen!" Yvonne Darkmoon couldn't believe it. She rushed over, digging Evan out. Damien and the others quickly joined her, working together to remove the stones.
What they saw was a cold Evan Yang, eyes closed, lying there—his life force already gone.
"No, this can't be!" Yvonne cried out in shock when she saw Evan was already dead.
She hadn't known Evan Yang for long, but she was grateful to him and saw him as a formidable friend. Now, he had vanished just like that.
Elder Lewis checked carefully, confirmed the death, and shook his head helplessly. "He's gone."
The people around were stunned, unable to believe it. But everyone had seen Evan's soul dissipate—his body remained, but his soul had been shattered.
Nangong Palace Lord, Terry Yang, and Elder Simon Spring saw Evan's cold corpse and secretly rejoiced.
After a long moment, Elder Lewis managed to suppress his grief. "Give him a proper burial. Sister Serenity, please help guide his soul so he may reincarnate quickly."
"But his soul has already..." Sister Serenity knew Evan's soul had fully dissipated—reincarnation was impossible.
Elder Lewis certainly knew Evan's soul was gone and reincarnation was impossible. This was true death. Asking Sister Serenity to guide him was just a formality.
"Thank you." Elder Lewis sighed. He hadn't expected such a genius to die so young. Yvonne Darkmoon was still unwilling to accept it. "Dad, isn't there any way to bring him back?"
"You saw it yourself—his soul was shattered, the worst kind of soul annihilation. There's no way to save him." Damien Darkmoon sighed.
Hearing Evan was truly dead, Yvonne couldn't hold back her tears. The atmosphere grew even sadder—after all, Evan had broken the formation for everyone.
"Even though he's gone, we'll find the murderer. If we discover who it was, we'll kill them without mercy!" Elder Lewis knew someone was plotting behind the scenes—otherwise, those deathsworn wouldn't have been hired.
His words carried great authority, echoing across the area. Everyone who heard it was startled.
Terry Yang didn't care—at worst, they'd come after the Yang Clan. Nangong Palace Lord was a bit surprised, but seeing the deathsworn assassins all dead, he knew it wouldn't lead back to him.
Those afraid of being suspected quickly left. In the end, only a few people remained, staring at Evan's corpse. Elder Lewis sighed, "Give him a proper burial. Sister Serenity, I'm counting on you."
"Let me pick a good spot," Damien Darkmoon said after thinking for a moment.
"Is there a good place here?" Elder Lewis asked.
"Every faction has its own cemetery, forbidden to outsiders. But since I'm here for a burial, I can place Evan inside." Damien explained.
"Will the others agree?" Elder Lewis asked.
"I'll fight for it. Even if Evan is gone, that cemetery is a symbol of strength—his talent shouldn't be buried without honor." Damien said.
Elder Lewis nodded. "I'll go with you."
Yvonne Darkmoon sobbed, "I'm going too."
Everyone knew Yvonne was heartbroken. The mood was somber for all, though only she cried. Evan's body was carried away.
News of the incident spread quickly, causing a huge stir. Damien handled the funeral arrangements, and three days later, the contest resumed.
"You did well," Terry Yang said to his personal guard.
"This time his soul was destroyed—even with divine pills, he can't come back," the guard replied.
"Right, but your face is known to everyone. So until you leave, don't set foot inside or meet anyone," Terry Yang instructed.
"Understood," the guard nodded.
The guard then went into a room to cultivate in seclusion, seeing no one. Terry Yang, having finally dealt with Evan, happily went to talk with Nangong Palace Lord.
Evan's corpse was sent to Black Castle. When they tried to move it to the tomb beneath the tower, someone blocked them.
"Emperor Damien, he's not one of our faction—he's not qualified to enter." General Leon Long heard about it and rushed over, blocking Damien and the others.
"But he contributed so much to us. Without him, we'd all still be trapped here, waiting for the Devil Realm Emissary to slowly consume us," Damien argued.
"That's not my concern. I'm just following the rules," General Leon Long said, sneering inwardly. "Let him in? Dream on."
Yvonne Darkmoon protested, "You won't even show mercy to the dead."
"What do you mean by that?" General Leon Long snapped.
"What do I mean? You obviously hate him for stopping you from killing my father," Yvonne retorted.
"What? He stopped me from killing your father? When did that happen? I have no idea," General Leon Long replied.
Yvonne realized she had said too much and quickly shut her mouth. Damien spoke up, "General Leon Long, Evan contributed greatly to us, so he deserves to be buried inside."
"That's not my concern. Unless all the Eighth Great Power's administrators vote to approve, I have no objection," General Leon Long said with a smile.
(This chapter isn't finished yet~.~ Please click next page to continue reading!)
"You—" Damien hadn't expected General Leon Long to make things difficult at this moment.
Just then, a lazy voice sounded, "What's going on, what's all the noise?"
"Grandpa Sleepy, he won't let us in," Yvonne said.
The newcomer was Grandpa Sleepy. He glanced at Evan and, seeing he was dead, frowned. "What happened here?"
Yvonne, grief-stricken, explained everything that had happened, detailing Evan's achievements. Hearing her, Grandpa Sleepy sighed, "I didn't expect it to happen so soon."
"Grandpa Sleepy, please let him in," Yvonne pleaded.
"Elder Sleepy, he's not one of our faction—he's not qualified to enter," General Leon Long knew Grandpa Sleepy's reputation. If he intervened, many would agree, so he spoke up to block them.
Grandpa Sleepy said, "Who says he's not one of our faction?"
"Elder Sleepy, are you confused? He's Evan Yang. We don't have anyone like him in our ranks," General Leon Long said.
Elder Lewis and the others also knew Evan wasn't officially part of their faction.
"He's my disciple. So tell me, is he one of us or not?" Grandpa Sleepy declared.
"What?" General Leon Long was stunned. Damien, Yvonne, and the others exchanged glances, thinking Grandpa Sleepy was just making an excuse. With Evan dead, no one could confirm if he was really Grandpa Sleepy's disciple.
"Do I need to repeat myself?" Grandpa Sleepy said.
"I didn't expect Grandpa Sleepy to accept such a talented disciple. It's a pity he's dead. In that case, I won't interfere," General Leon Long realized there was no point in arguing further. Besides, he didn't want to offend Grandpa Sleepy over a dead man.
General Leon Long snorted and left.
Yvonne thanked him, "Thank you, Grandpa Sleepy, for your help."
"He's gone... Ah, I didn't expect it. Last time we met and this time, only a few days apart. I thought he'd reach the peak, but fate had other plans," Grandpa Sleepy said helplessly, feeling as if the heavens envied talent.
"Grandpa Sleepy, please stop. I'll cry again if you keep talking," Yvonne said, nearly breaking down in tears.
"Alright, I won't say more. The three of you go on ahead. I'll take him in and handle the burial myself," Grandpa Sleepy said.
Elder Lewis and the other two nodded and left, helpless. Evan lay cold in Grandpa Sleepy's hands.
Grandpa Sleepy simply dragged Evan inside. On the way, many people glanced at Evan, saw he was dead, and looked away.
They arrived at the dark void that Evan had once crossed with Grandpa Sleepy and Yvonne.
Staring at the void, Grandpa Sleepy sighed, "Rest in peace." With that, he tossed Evan's body down.
If Evan knew his body was disposed of this way, he'd be terrified. Who knew where that void led?
Once Evan vanished into the void, Grandpa Sleepy found a spot to lie down, closed his eyes, and muttered, "A genius lost, what a pity."
News of Evan's death spread outside. Many mourned the fallen genius, though some were secretly pleased.
"Emperor Damien, please investigate that person's whereabouts. Also, coordinate with the other factions and ask for their help. Now that the Devil Realm Emissary's threat is gone, I want to know who wanted Evan dead, and who the killer was," Elder Lewis said.
"Understood. I'll find out as soon as possible," Damien replied.
Yvonne was still grieving. "Let me know if you hear anything. I must avenge Evan," she said.
"Alright, go get some rest," Damien said.
Yvonne nodded and left. Elder Lewis contacted a few members of the Celestial Alliance stationed here, then discussed recent events with them.
Thanks to Evan's help, the formation was broken. Some wanderers and non-participants left, though many remained. After all, they'd contributed many planets—only through the contest could they win them back.