Immortal cultivators at the Golden Immortal Realm were simply far too weak before Evan Lin. Killing them was effortless, not even remotely challenging—like chopping up radishes, he could wipe them out in an instant. For Evan, it was easy; but for the crowd watching below, it was like a tidal wave crashing through their hearts. To kill a Golden Immortal with a single move—this was something only a Da Luo Golden Immortal could pull off.
Yet this youth looked at most twenty-something—how could he possibly possess such terrifying power? Many people grew curious about his identity, and soon the sound of lively discussion filled the air.
After burning the three corpses, Evan Lin flashed toward the City Lord’s Mansion. What he wanted now was a real expert to fight against. He knew that in a small, remote city like Coldriver City, there were no Immortal Lords around. If he ran into a Ninth-Heaven Arch-Immortal, he was confident he could battle them head-to-head.
Once Evan Lin headed for the City Lord’s Mansion, the crowd at the city gate rushed after him. In no time, the streets surged with people, everyone desperate not to miss the most exciting part—so much so that they ran as if their lives depended on it.
In Coldriver City, only those from the City Lord’s Mansion with special business could fly through the skies; everyone else had to travel on foot. Anyone caught flying would be severely punished.
Evan Lin’s appearance immediately drew attention from those inside the City Lord’s Mansion. He glanced at the compound—it was no weaker than his old Frostbane Sect, massive and imposing. A casual sweep of his divine sense revealed thousands of people inside; clearly, this was no small power.
Within a few breaths, dozens of figures burst out from the City Lord’s Mansion. Seeing Evan Lin in the air, they all flew up and surrounded him. Evan quickly scanned their strength and found only one middle-aged man who was decent—he’d reached early Da Luo Golden Immortal. The rest were just Golden Immortals or Heavenly Immortals, not worth his interest at all.
"Kid, you’ve got guts—daring to fly over the City Lord’s Mansion. Clearly you’re here to cause trouble. Coldriver City isn’t a place where you can act so recklessly. Take this brat down and hand him over to the City Lord for punishment!" The strongest middle-aged man barked at Evan Lin.
"Who made up that rule about not flying in Coldriver City? And who do you think you are? You think you have any right to meddle in my affairs?" Evan Lin sneered, his expression full of disdain.
"You’ve got nerve. Even surrounded, you can talk so calmly—clearly you’re not weak. The rule was set by the City Lord himself. Break it, and you’ll be punished. I advise you to surrender, or you won’t even know how you died." the middle-aged man warned.
"Elder, there's no need to waste words with this brat. Let me just take him down and hand him to the City Lord. Such a trivial matter doesn't need your personal attention." said the middle-aged man closest to Evan Lin. The moment he spoke, Evan had already marked him for death—the first one he planned to kill. As for bootlickers, Evan didn't care if a hundred of them died.
"Go ahead, I'll let you have this chance to earn merit. You’ve always shown me respect these years, so I’m giving you this opportunity—just don’t mess it up." the elder replied.
Evan Lin couldn’t help but laugh at how these people ignored him. "Don’t think too highly of yourselves, alright? In my eyes, you’re not even ants. And you want to earn merit? That’s just ridiculous."
The middle-aged man flushed with embarrassment after being mocked by Evan Lin in front of everyone. He’d wanted to show off before the elder, but now he was the butt of the joke. Furious, he shouted, "Kid, today you’re going to learn how tough I am!" With that, he lunged bare-handed at Evan Lin.
To him, Evan Lin was just an Earth Immortal, while he himself was early Golden Immortal—killing him should have been a sure thing. The crowd didn’t pay much attention either; after all, it had been ages since anything big happened in Coldriver City, and this little troublemaker might at least provide some entertainment.
Too bad they all miscalculated—Evan Lin was no small fry. To them, he was the big boss, a terrifying existence who could easily slaughter everyone. As the middle-aged man reached out to grab him, expecting an easy win, he suddenly found his own arm caught by Evan Lin instead.
He didn’t even see when Evan Lin moved. All he felt was a burst of agony in his wrist, then let out a pig-slaughtering scream as his whole body was flung away—both arms gone, blood spurting from his shoulders, his face instantly turning pale.
Evan Lin casually tossed the severed arms aside and laughed, "Ants have no right to act arrogant in front of me. That was just an appetizer—now it’s time for you to die."
As soon as he finished speaking, Evan Lin flashed before the middle-aged man. With a light tap of his finger, a powerful sword-qi shot from his fingertip, instantly shattering the man’s heart, annihilating the Immortal Infant in his dantian, and pulverizing his internal organs—all in one strike.
Before the crowd could even react, the middle-aged man was already dead. Evan conjured a fireball and burned the corpse to ash, then laughed, "That’s what happens when you disrespect me. Surprised, aren’t you? An Earth Immortal like me just killed an early Golden Immortal right before your eyes."
Everyone stared at Evan Lin in shock. The strongest middle-aged man spoke up, "Such speed, such powerful flame—who would have thought you actually have late Golden Immortal–level strength? Truly surprising. You’re very skilled at hiding your cultivation; even I can’t see through you. Who are you, and why have you come to Coldriver City?"
Evan Lin noticed how the man’s attitude shifted after seeing his true strength—was he actually thinking of recruiting him into the City Lord’s Mansion? Evan had no interest. He’d come here to test his current power and to rescue Noah Jin, and of course to fulfill his promise to the old transmission elder. Without that elder helping him break through to late Heavenly Immortal, he never would have advanced so quickly.
"I came to Coldriver City to kill people. Now that there are so many of you, it’s just right—I can get some practice in. Why don’t you all attack together? Killing you one by one would be too much trouble," Evan Lin said.
His words instantly threw the crowd into chaos—someone actually dared to openly challenge the dignity of the City Lord’s Mansion. Everyone was furious, itching to kill Evan Lin on the spot. The middle-aged man suddenly said, "Kid, I was going to spare your life and make you a guest elder of the City Lord’s Mansion, but since you don’t know how to appreciate kindness, I can’t let you go. You killed my people—you must die!"
With that, the middle-aged man’s figure blurred and appeared before Evan Lin. As an early Da Luo Golden Immortal, he made Evan’s heart race—"Finally, I can test my current strength. I hope he won’t disappoint me."