"What incredible speed! I've never seen anything like it in my life!" Master Shaw of Crescent Moon Sect exclaimed in awe.
After a few teleportations, Evan Chu was already hundreds of miles away. He stopped atop a mountain—not because he couldn’t keep going, but because he didn’t know where to head next. Wandering aimlessly seemed pointless, so he decided to sit down quietly and think things through.
"Luna, what did you learn from that black-clothed man?" Evan asked.
After a moment, Luna finally spoke: "Heh, I thought you'd forgotten all about it. Only now you ask me—don't tell me you're lost and have no idea where to go?"
Evan knew Luna was soul-linked to him—she always understood what he was thinking. He laughed, "How could I forget something so important? Come on, Luna, just tell me already!"
"That black-clothed man was just a puppet of the dark organization. He didn’t know much, and his mind had a soul-seal planted by someone else. I could only break part of it, so I didn’t get much more information," Luna explained.
"Soul-seal? What’s that? With that kind of strength, he was still just a puppet? Wasn’t he called a Protector? If even Protectors are puppets, who knows how many more there are like him," Evan said, puzzled.
"I don’t know the full details either. If someone forcibly breaks a soul-seal, the person dies instantly, so it’s impossible to get information that way. The soul-seal in his mind was probably set by a Demon General—only ancient experts could do something like that.
His code name was Number Three. The dark organization has ten such numbered operatives, all at least First-Layer Saint Martial, maybe even stronger—I’m not sure.
There are also ten hall masters, but I don’t know how they’re distributed. One thing that’s important for you: the dark organization has six elders, and those are the six Demon Generals. Two are currently directing operations, while the other four are in seclusion. As for their so-called master—the Lord, Venerable Solus—I couldn’t find any trace of him." Luna told Evan everything she knew.
Evan Chu’s sudden arrival stunned the black-clothed attackers. How could such a powerful cultivator show up here? Several of them, all around Seventh or Eighth Layer Divine Martial, tried to surround him—but they were nowhere near his match.
He unleashed Tyrant Cleave, instantly slaying several men. Severed limbs flew everywhere, but soon dissolved into black mist, leaving the battlefield eerily strange.
The Skystar Valley disciples were overjoyed at Evan Chu’s display. This was a true savior—so long as he was here, their lives might just be spared.
Just then, a black-clothed man stepped forward and said, "Kid, this isn’t a place for you. If you want to stick your neck out, you’d better be ready for the consequences. Let this Protector see what you’re made of!"
Evan Chu glanced at him, then laughed, "Are you even qualified? I’m curious—which number are you? Don’t tell me you’re Number One. Even if your elders were here, I wouldn’t care, let alone a puppet like you being controlled by others."
Evan’s words visibly shook the man. That was one of the organization’s deepest secrets—how could this kid know? Clearly, he was no ordinary opponent and needed to be handled carefully.
Evan couldn’t be bothered to waste words. With a thought, the Frostbane Sword flashed with cyan light, and he unleashed Soul Rend, hoping to extract more information from this black-clothed man.
If he could wound the man’s soul, he’d be temporarily unable to fight. The rest of these small fry wouldn’t be worth worrying about.
Seeing Evan move, the black-clothed man reacted just as quickly. A powerful sword qi burst from his blade, causing the very air to ripple violently. Clearly, his strength was well above First-Layer Saint Martial.
But unfortunately for him, his opponent was Evan Chu. His attack landed squarely on Evan, its force enough to kill most cultivators outright—but at the same time, Evan’s Frostbane Sword struck him as well.
The surrounding Skystar Valley disciples watched as their savior took a direct hit. With such terrifying power, even the strongest youth couldn’t possibly withstand it—despair welled up in their hearts once more...
But Evan Chu was no ordinary youth. His monstrous defense and Chaos Dragon bloodline meant that even such a devastating blow couldn’t take him down.
Meanwhile, Evan’s Soul Rend sword glow slammed into the Protector, targeting his soul directly and crippling his ability to fight.
The black-clothed Protector’s body shuddered violently, his eyes filling with disbelief and pain as his soul was torn apart from within.
Evan hovered in midair, cold and unyielding, the Frostbane Sword still humming with cyan light. The battlefield fell silent, everyone watching him in awe and fear.
The Skystar Valley disciples couldn’t believe their eyes. Their savior had survived the Protector’s terrifying strike and was still standing strong.
Evan glanced down, his gaze sweeping over the blood-soaked valley. He knew this was just the beginning—the dark organization would not stop until they were destroyed for good.
He tightened his grip on the Frostbane Sword, eyes burning with determination. "No matter how deep you hide, I’ll drag you out and make you pay!" he vowed silently.
Above the valley, the wind howled—carrying away the last traces of black mist as Evan prepared to hunt down the remaining attackers.
The battle at Skystar Valley was far from over, but with Evan Chu here, hope had returned to the blood-soaked sect.
As the sun broke through the clouds, illuminating the devastation below, Evan Chu readied himself for the next confrontation—determined to crush the dark organization and restore peace to the Azure Tide Ruins.