Evan Chu stared at Selena, hoping she would tell him why she was suddenly so furious—furious enough to want to kill him.
Selena looked up at the sky, sighed deeply, and said, "How much longer do you plan to keep lying to me? I treated you as a friend, but you played me like a three-year-old—don’t you deserve to die for that?"
From her words, Evan felt there was something more—he hadn’t said anything to her, so how could he have lied? He was completely baffled. "I don’t understand. When did I ever lie to you?"
Selena let out a cold, chilling laugh that made Evan’s skin crawl. "You seem to have a sword—a sword just as rusty as the Frostbane Sword, right?"
This was exactly what Evan feared most, and he never expected to hear it from her mouth. Pingwu Auction House really did have incredible sources—they could even dig up this kind of information.
Evan was torn, unsure whether to tell the truth or keep covering up this massive lie. He felt a surge of anxiety.
"Are you wondering how I found out?" Selena’s voice was still icy.
"I’m definitely curious. If the auction master would clear up my doubts, I’d be truly grateful," Evan said with a bitter smile. In front of a Divine Martial expert, he was nothing—she could crush him with a single gesture.
"The Assassin Guild told me. One of their killers said he saw you wielding a rusty, battered weapon. Why did you lie to me?" Selena snapped, her demonic aura surging—she was clearly holding herself back.
Evan knew that if he didn’t say something, he’d never be able to calm her rage. He forced a bitter smile and said, "Can you please calm down? There’s no need for all this. We haven’t known each other long, but I feel like I understand you pretty well. You don’t need to act this way."
Selena slowly reined in her aura, staring at Evan. "Looks like you’re counting on me not to kill you, so you act so fearless. If that’s what you think, you’re dead wrong. I’ve killed more people than I can count—I won’t lose sleep over adding you to the list."
After saying this, Selena felt a strange pain in her heart—vague but real, leaving her confused.
Evan chuckled. "Why do you trust that killer’s words so much? If I say I don’t have it, would you believe me?"
"No. You’re too cunning—no one can trust you. If you don’t show me your sword, I have ways to make you talk," Selena said.
"Evan, take out the sword. Even if she gets it now, she can’t break the seal. Honestly, your luck is beyond belief," Luna, the sword spirit, said at that moment.
Hearing Luna’s words, Evan slowly took the Frostbane Sword out of his storage ring. "This is my sword. Take a close look—is it really the Frostbane Sword you’ve been searching for?"
The moment Evan produced the Frostbane Sword, he’d already made up his mind about how to keep it. Now that Selena knew, there was no way to hide it—he’d just have to improvise.
Selena’s eyes lit up when she saw the Frostbane Sword in Evan’s hand. She snatched it, but the instant her hand closed around the hilt, a massive rebound force blasted her away.
The Frostbane Sword fell straight to the ground, and the tiger’s-mouth of Selena’s palm was split open, blood pouring out.
Her blood dripped onto the Frostbane Sword lying on the ground. Instantly, the blade erupted in dazzling white light, and a vague voice echoed in both their ears.
"Only the true master of Frostbane Sword can break my seal. My child, you must not act recklessly—otherwise the sealing power will destroy your body and soul."
Then the white light on the Frostbane Sword faded, and it returned to its usual dull appearance, lying quietly on the ground.
Neither Evan nor Selena had expected anything so bizarre. Both stared at the Frostbane Sword in silence, but Evan was by far the most shocked.
The words 'my child' revealed Selena’s true identity. She’d said there was a remnant soul sealed in the Frostbane Sword, but Evan never imagined it would be her father. No wonder she was so determined to find it. Still, Evan couldn’t understand why she was searching in the Heavenly Dragon Empire, instead of places like the Canglan Ruins, the sea, or the Divine Battlefield.
Evan was now certain—the soul sealed in the Frostbane Sword was the Demon Lord who once fought the Lord of Frostbane on the Divine Battlefield. If that remnant soul was released, the Demon Lord might truly revive—and the world would be thrown into chaos.
Evan calmly picked up the Frostbane Sword from the ground. "You’ve seen it for yourself. Isn’t it time to give up? The Frostbane Sword is sealed—there’s no getting around that. You’re not going to kill me now, are you?"
Selena seemed to fall into a trance, and only after a long while did she return to herself. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at Evan. "You knew all along this sword was Frostbane, didn’t you?"
"That’s right. But it’s sealed, and breaking that seal is incredibly difficult. For now, it’s just a spirit sword that can cut iron like mud. I know why you’re searching for it, but freeing what’s inside isn’t something that can be done overnight—you understand that, don’t you?" Evan said.
He’d never dreamed things would take such a turn. Was it really fate? Would his final opponent be the one he himself released? If he never used the Frostbane Sword again, could he keep the Demon Lord sealed forever?
"You’re a mystery. Since only you can break the seal, I won’t kill you—but I won’t forgive your deception, either. So, how can the seal be broken?" Selena’s voice grew even colder.
"Only Heavenward Spirit Water and Sacred Snow Lotus can break the seal—and I must reach the Divine Martial Realm first," Evan said, though the last part was his own addition.
What if Selena actually had Heavenward Spirit Water and Sacred Snow Lotus, and forced him to unseal it immediately? If the Demon Lord’s remnant soul came out, wouldn’t he be doomed?
[Irrelevant system message skipped.]
Selena’s whole demeanor fell. After a long silence, she said, "Both of those things only exist on the Divine Battlefield. But that place vanished long ago—finding it is nearly impossible."
Evan was stunned. The Divine Battlefield disappeared? How could that be? He asked, "How did it vanish? Is it really that small?"
Selena shot Evan a look. "The Divine Battlefield is bigger than you can imagine. If the Heavenly Dragon Empire is a drop of water, then the Divine Battlefield is a river—or even an ocean. No one has ever traversed it, not even ninth-layer Divine Martial experts."
After that ancient war, the place simply vanished. For tens of thousands of years, top experts have searched everywhere, but no one has found a trace.
Evan thought for a moment, then asked, "What do you plan to do with the Frostbane Sword? And why are you searching in the Heavenly Dragon Empire instead of elsewhere?"
"My Demon Race has a secret art that can roughly pinpoint the location—it’s within the Heavenly Dragon Empire. If the Frostbane Sword’s seal wasn’t so powerful, we’d have found it long ago. As for the sword, keep it safe. I hope you reach the Divine Martial Realm soon and help me save my father. When that day comes, I’ll grant you anything you want!" Selena said.
Even if I reach that level, I wouldn’t dare save him. Her wish is more than I can handle, Evan thought to himself.
"I hope you’ll keep the Frostbane Sword a secret. I don’t want to die before I reach the Divine Martial Realm," Evan said. Since they needed him, he intended to make the most of it—wasting resources would be foolish.
"I’ve already killed that assassin for you. I’ll have Lynn stay by your side for now. I don’t want any conflict with the human race—you understand, right?" Selena said.
It’s not the right time. If your damned father were released, you wouldn’t be so calm talking to me—you’d probably have killed me already, Evan thought.
"Shouldn’t we head back? I’ve got something important to auction tomorrow," Evan said.
"Let’s treat today as a kind of pact between us. When you break Frostbane’s seal, that’s when you’ll marry into the Demonic Realm," Selena said. With that, her figure flickered and vanished.
"Damn! She just left me here alone—marry into the Demonic Realm? Hell no! She must be crazy," Evan grumbled, heading toward the city.