"With you by my side, I feel way more relaxed. Once Sister Selena breaks through, we’ll head back!" Evan Chu grinned.
Evan Chu turned to Goldwing and teased, "Old Goldwing, this is your sister-in-law. She’s a Saint Martial powerhouse—and a real tigress, so you’d better watch your mouth around her!"
"Greetings, sister-in-law!" Goldwing bowed respectfully to Selena.
Selena Yale shot Goldwing a puzzled look. "Are you Evan’s little brother? Why do you smell like a monster beast? Don’t tell me you’re a beast in disguise?"
Evan Chu chuckled, "That’s right. Old Goldwing is a flying monster beast. The vulture tattoo on my back? That’s him. He and I signed a soul contract—he’s my sworn brother for life and death."
Selena nodded, finally understanding. Anyone able to form a soul contract with a monster beast had to be extraordinary. No wonder Evan Chu had Goldwing at his side—it all made sense now.
Evan Chu asked, "How do you feel now? Did you break through?"
"I didn’t let you down! With Stellar Power this dense, it’d be harder not to break through. We’ve been in here for over ten days—it’s about time we head out!" Selena said, sounding refreshed.
"Exactly. Time to get moving. Wonder what’s been happening at Frostbane Sect while I’ve been missing for ten days? As Sect Master, I bet the disciples are starting to grumble." Evan Chu laughed.
They walked up to the stone door. Getting out was easy—there was a button right above the door. Press it, and the stone door swung open, way simpler than getting in.
Not long after Evan Chu, Selena, and Goldwing stepped out, the stone door of the Stellar Cultivation Chamber closed behind them automatically. Evan and Selena were used to this sort of thing by now. The three of them followed the passage all the way to its end.
At the end, there was another stone door with a big, obvious button on it. They pressed it and the door slid open. When they came out, Evan realized the entrance wasn’t near the artificial rockery but close to a pavilion—no wonder nobody found it when searching before.
They didn’t linger. The three of them left the courtyard and headed straight for Frostbane Sect’s main hall. Evan Chu was stunned—after just ten days, Frostbane Sect looked completely different.
Buildings had sprung up everywhere—some still unfinished, but most nearly done. Rare flowers and exotic grasses dotted the grounds. Most eye-catching of all was a massive Martial Testing Ground, its floor paved with incredibly tough Azurestone, stretching out for tens of thousands of square meters.
Money really does make the world go round. Evan saw craftsmen hustling everywhere, with some sect disciples pitching in. Whenever they spotted Evan Chu and Selena Yale, they bowed respectfully.
Soon Evan Chu reached the main hall. Joan He had just returned from outside. Seeing Evan, she rushed up and said, "Sect Master, where did you go? We’ve searched Frostbane Sect dozens of times and couldn’t find a trace of you!"
Evan Chu sensed something was wrong—Joan He wouldn’t be this frantic otherwise. He asked, "Did something happen?"
"You got it. It’s serious. A few days ago, my spies reported that several second-rate sects who joined the tournament have all been wiped out—just like Mist Rain Pavilion. The Freewind Palace Lord and Sacred Sword Sect Master are already investigating." Joan He said, her voice tense.
Evan Chu frowned. "Besides those small sects, have any of the bigger sects made a move? Or is there any news from Dark Sanctuary?"
"No sign of any movement. As for Dark Sanctuary, all the major sects have sent spies to look into it, but there’s no concrete news. Odds are, this incident has nothing to do with Dark Sanctuary. Sect Master, what’s your plan?" Joan He asked.
Now that Frostbane Sect is counted among the great powers, we’re obliged to help track down the real culprit when weak sects get wiped out. Evan Chu thought for a moment, then asked, "How many more days to finish Frostbane Sect’s expansion?"
"Seven or eight days, give or take. Sect Master, are you planning to leave Frostbane Sect?" Joan He asked.
"That’s right. I want to investigate in person. Sister Selena, you’ll stay here—Frostbane Sect needs a powerhouse to hold the fort. When I return, you can go back to Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, and by then it’ll be about time for our wedding." Evan Chu said.
With Evan Chu saying that, Selena Yale couldn’t refuse. She trusted Evan completely—besides those ancient monsters in the top sects, nobody in Azure Tide Ruins could match him now. His defense alone was terrifying.
"Go on, then. I’ll take good care of Frostbane Sect—this place is my home now, too. When are you heading out?" Selena Yale asked.
"Today. Joan, fill me in on the locations and circumstances of those destroyed sects. I need some background. If I’m right, a few days from now more weak sects will be wiped out." Evan Chu said.
Judging by the sects that have already been destroyed, that Demon General must have recovered over half its strength. Give it a little more time and it might start attacking major sects. If that happens, Azure Tide Ruins will be drenched in blood.
Joan He quickly gave Evan Chu all the details about the destroyed sects—their locations and internal circumstances. Evan just gave a few brief instructions, then left with Goldwing.
Compared to Evan Chu, Goldwing was way too slow now. Evan had Goldwing return to his beast-space, then used his improved teleportation art. Thanks to the training inside the spatial black hole, each blink now carried him several kilometers.
With that speed, Evan Chu reached the nearest destroyed sect in less than an hour. When he arrived, plenty of people were already gathered.
Lots of people recognized Evan Chu. After all, his performance at the tournament had left a deep impression—everyone knew he was ruthless and fierce, the kind of guy who split a mountain in half with a single sword strike.
Evan Chu barely glanced at the crowd before heading straight to the scene. He didn’t say much—just started investigating. There weren’t any obvious clues, but maybe he could spot something the others missed.
This sect was called Prime Might Sect. Its master was a Ninth-Layer Divine Martial expert, with several Eighth-Layer disciples and over a thousand members.
A second-rate sect with over a thousand people, wiped out overnight—all of them drained of blood. That’s not something one or two people could pull off, and they didn’t even alert anyone else. There must have been dozens involved, maybe more.
There are only six Demon Generals. Even if they all fed, there’s no way they could drain over a thousand people by themselves. That means there had to be other blood-drinkers—if everyone here was a vampire, that’s just insane.
The more Evan Chu thought about it, the scarier it got. This crew had become downright terrifying. If things kept going like this, who knew what kind of disaster would hit next.
Soon Evan Chu reached the corpse of Prime Might Sect’s master—someone the others pointed out, since he didn’t know him personally. Up close, Evan saw the body was just a shriveled husk, but the robes had several sword-qi tears.
Those were sword-qi wounds—Evan Chu could tell at a glance. Just then, Luna’s voice rang out from the sword spirit: "That sword-qi is no joke, Evan. This was the Demon General’s work—I can sense lingering demonic energy in the air. It’s faded a lot, but it’s still there."
"I think so too. If the Demon General can cut down a Ninth-Layer Divine Martial master so easily, they must’ve recovered to at least the Saint Martial Realm. That’s bad news. Luna, what’s the counter?" Evan Chu asked urgently.
He knew that once the Demon Generals reached Saint Martial Realm, they wouldn’t need Netherghost Violet Orchid anymore. Six Saint-level monsters—if any reached Fourth or Fifth Layer, not a single sect in Azure Tide Ruins would survive.
"Only you can handle this—you’re the savior of this world. First, figure out where they’ll strike next, then race to the scene yourself. If you can capture one alive, I might be able to soul-search them and get the info you need. That’s all I can do." Luna said.
Evan Chu already had a plan. He asked Luna, "Is there a way for people to notify me directly? Like, some kind of instant message—kind of like Jenny Sima’s red jade pendant from before?"
"That’s easy. Just buy a few jade pendants and inject your divine sense into them. If someone breaks a pendant, you’ll feel it instantly." Luna replied.
Evan Chu was skeptical. "Divine sense can be stored? That sounds impossible!"
"There are plenty of impossible things. Jade is the best material for storing stuff—pills, spiritual herbs, you name it. Divine sense works the same. If I say you can do it, you can. Just get it done." Luna said.
Evan Chu walked up to a middle-aged man and asked, "Hey, brother—any idea where I can buy jade pendants around here? I need a few for messaging."
"Sect Master Chu, you’re too polite! Frostbane Sect is one of the top powers in Azure Tide Ruins—I’m not worthy of such respect. But I can help you with jade pendants; I’m actually a jade merchant and just happened to stop by to see Prime Might Sect’s tragedy. Meeting you here is a rare honor." the man replied warmly.