In his line of sight, there was nothing but a massive boulder.
This boulder stood atop the mountain, in the southern corner. At first glance, it looked utterly ordinary, nothing special about it at all.
During Evan Lin's fight with Master Morgan just now, he hadn't paid any attention to that area.
Evan felt a strange sense of unease in his heart. With a wave of his hand, the four-foot sword in his grip shot toward the boulder. With a thunderous crash, a powerful shockwave blasted countless fragments apart.
"What is that...?"
Evan's heart skipped a beat. When the boulder shattered, it revealed a blue-gray bronze statue over a meter tall inside.
Judging by its form, the statue was slender and graceful, with flowing robes that carried a touch of ancient style.
It was clearly modeled after a woman ready to ascend at any moment!
But this bronze statue hidden inside the boulder was stained with blood all over, the mottled bloodstains as if telling the story of a brutal battle long ago.
Most importantly, the woman's statue had no head!
The neck above the statue had been completely cut off, the cut surface smooth—only the bronze body remained.
"That's the reason I have to kill you here."
Behind Evan, Master Morgan spoke in a frosty tone, tinged with a hint of longing and greed.
"Who is she?"
Evan turned to look at Master Morgan, his brows furrowing.
This was already the third one—the third statue of a woman!
The first statue was in Zhaoyu Town, Whitewood County—a wooden effigy worshipped by the Old Immortal Sage, but it was destroyed in flames.
The second statue was inside the Southriver Sword Sect, hidden at the top of Heavenly Sword Mountain in a secret hall—a stone statue, but with no face.
The third statue was right here—the headless bronze woman standing before him!
Besides these, at Thornridge Mountain, there was also a fake Yellow Springs and the deceived emperor puppet. From what the emperor puppet once said, it’s easy to deduce that somewhere in that place, there must be another statue of a woman!
Evan felt a faint sense of weirdness in his heart.
"She... she is the true..."
Master Morgan stopped halfway through his sentence, suddenly falling silent. He looked at Evan, took a deep breath, and shook his head slightly. "Forget it, telling you is pointless."
"You may be monstrously talented, but that last sword strike failed to kill me. That means you won't get another chance."
Master Morgan's tone returned to calm, sweeping away the earlier weakness from Evan's attack.
"I can defeat you once, and I can defeat you twice."
Evan frowned deeply.
But as soon as he spoke, Master Morgan suddenly laughed, shaking his head. "Remarkable. In my very first battle after entering the Pointing-to-Mystery Realm, you managed to force me to this point."
"But you made one mistake."
Master Morgan gazed intently at Evan. "You may have defeated me once, but you'll never defeat me a second time."
"The Pointing-to-Mystery Realm is far deeper and more profound than you imagine!"
Master Morgan stomped the ground, his whole body retreating backward.
Behind him, a bridge of snow quickly formed, suspended in midair.
"Master Morgan seems fine again?"
The people below stared at the scene, stunned and bewildered.
From below, they couldn't see exactly what had happened above. They thought that Master Lin from Seacrest had already slain Master Morgan on the spot.
"Master Lin from Seacrest truly lives up to his reputation."
"Before, I thought if we spared your life, you might catch up to me in ten years. But now, I suspect that within three years, you'll surpass me."
Master Morgan looked down, his tone flat, tinged with a hint of melancholy.
Hearing this, the people below felt numb, almost indifferent.
They were already completely convinced by Master Lin from Seacrest's abilities.
Such talent—calling him a genius doesn't even begin to describe it. He was a monster among monsters!
"I thought I could kill you without using my source power, but your strength exceeded my expectations. Since that's the case, let me show you another layer of the Pointing-to-Mystery Realm's true meaning."
Master Morgan snorted coldly and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
The blood he spat out pooled on the ground before him.
With that mouthful of blood, Master Morgan's face turned deathly pale, clearly drained.
He forced himself to stay upright, and with a light tap of his finger, he touched the blood floating in midair.
Pop...
A faint sound echoed.
It was like a raindrop landing on a lake, ripples spreading through the air.
"Just exchanging life for power—is that really a profound secret?"
Evan raised his eyebrows, not rushing to attack.
Master Morgan remained silent, his expression growing even more solemn.
A long silence followed.
In the lonely sky, wind whipped up the snow.
Below the summit, among the Thousand-Saints Mountain, countless snow-laden thickets and forests swayed in the wind.
Vast swathes of white snow surged in, like a bone-chilling cold tide, carrying endless cold, completely enveloping the summit.
More and more heavy snow gathered here, piling up faster and faster.
Evan watched the blizzard blot out the sky, his face calm. With a wave of his hand, several fire dragons rushed toward the sweeping snow.
The raging, scorching fire dragons let out a mournful cry the instant they touched the endless snow, and were instantly snuffed out, vanishing without a trace.
The fire dragons that had broken through the wall of snow earlier now had no effect at all on this blizzard.
What terrifying power!
The crowd watched, faces pale. Those standing closer to the summit were shivering violently, the cold biting.
"It's useless." Master Morgan, face ashen, looked at Evan and smiled. "I admit your talent is extraordinary, but this power is borrowed with my blood. It's not something you can possibly overcome!"
"When I entered the Pointing-to-Mystery Realm, I could kill every Vajra with a single finger."
"But meeting you today was unexpected."
Master Morgan sighed, "Still, I'm willing to sacrifice ten years of cultivation, even if it means falling back to the Vajra Realm, just to trap and kill you here."
"This endless snow is the grave I've built for you!"
Snow drifted, wind carried it high.
The blood that had gathered began to slowly pile up from all directions toward Evan.
More and more fire dragons burst out around Evan, trying to break through, but as expected, every single one was instantly shredded by the wind and snow!
"That's it—Master Lin from Seacrest is finished!"
"Master Morgan has finally won."
Onlookers shook their heads and sighed as they watched the fire dragons shredded by the snow.
Seeing Master Lin from Seacrest still standing there, they thought he had already accepted his fate.
Chen Linyan gazed at Master Lin from Seacrest standing in the wind and snow, feeling a strange, unexplainable worry in her heart.
"Will he die?" Mia Chen's face was deathly pale, startled. She didn't know Master Lin from Seacrest, but she couldn't help feeling a bit of pity.
"Did he lose?" Natsume clenched his fists, biting his lip, his eyes full of tension.
"Master Morgan still won in the end." Zheng Fuyi sighed, unable to hide a trace of regret.
"That kid died a worthy death—he'll be remembered in legend." Butcher Tu grinned viciously. "With Master Morgan's realm fallen, that's just perfect for me!"