Maybe Evan Chu underestimated Zander Xiang’s true strength. Zander’s attack looked casual, but in reality, the power behind it was immense—he struck with at least ninety percent of his full force, far beyond what Evan’s own blow could withstand.
Wind blades might be fierce, but against an opponent as powerful as Zander Xiang, they seemed weak and were quickly broken. Zander’s attack didn’t lose much of its force; it landed squarely on Evan, sending him flying dozens of meters and crashing through a building.
Zander Xiang, meanwhile, was only forced back a few meters by Evan’s sword-qi before stabilizing his stance. He glanced at Patriarch Owen Yang—not far away—since Owen’s presence posed a deadly threat to the girl at his side. Zander knew he had to kill Owen first.
Just as Zander moved to kill him, Evan—who’d been sent flying—suddenly appeared right in front of Zander. At the same time, he swung his Frostbane Sword in a rapid Star-Cleave, hoping to knock Zander back and give Patriarch Owen a chance to escape.
The instant Star-Cleave appeared, the whole battlefield changed. Its overwhelming power leveled buildings within several hundred meters. Zander immediately returned to the girl’s side and raised an energy barrier, blocking Evan’s attack completely.
Evan was stunned to see someone directly block his strongest sword art. For the first time, he realized Zander Xiang must be at least a Sixth-Layer Venerable Martial expert—someone he might not be able to defeat and would have to treat with extreme caution.
“Go, hurry! This man’s strength is unfathomable—don’t worry about my safety!” Evan shouted urgently at Patriarch Owen.
Patriarch Owen Yang was no fool. He immediately flashed away and vanished into the air. Both Evan and Zander let out a sigh of relief—one worried for Owen’s safety, the other for the girl’s.
At this moment, Evan’s chest surged with blood—if not for his powerful defenses, Zander’s blow would have left him gravely injured. He forced himself to suppress the turmoil, refusing to cough up blood.
A hint of surprise flashed across Zander Xiang’s face. His attack hadn’t killed Evan outright? This kid really was defying the heavens. If he wasn’t eliminated, he might one day rule the entire Netherworld—a truly terrifying prospect.
“Kid, you actually managed to take my attack. Looks like you’ve got some skill after all. But let’s see if you can escape my Double Domain!” Zander Xiang said.
Double Domain? Just from the name, Evan could tell it fused two domains. Zander really wasn’t simple. No doubt this domain would be terrifying. Evan could communicate with elemental particles, but would that work in a Double Domain? For the first time, he felt genuine pressure.
“Lin Feng, this guy is extremely dangerous. He’s long since broken through to the Sixth Layer of the Venerable Martial Realm—late stage, at that. Anyone who can wield a Double Domain has terrifying elemental control. For someone with this much power to hide it for so long… he’s no ordinary man. Be careful—if you can’t win, you’d better run.” The Sword Spirit warned Evan.
The Sword Spirit’s words made Evan suck in a cold breath. Zander Xiang was even scarier than he’d imagined. Evan knew he had to find a way out—he definitely wasn’t a match right now. Of course, if Tom Chu used his immobilization art, that’d be different, but it would send Tom Chu back into deep sleep, and Evan refused to pay that price.
“Old man, you really think I’m scared of you? I’ve got business to handle, so I won’t waste time playing with you. Save your Double Domain for someone else!” Evan retorted.
“Trying to run, kid? Do you really think you can escape in front of me? Die!” Zander’s aura suddenly shifted, and a crushing pressure filled the air. Even with his Seventh-Layer Starforge Body defenses, Evan was nearly forced to his knees.
Sixth-Layer Venerable Martial Realm—no wonder it was so terrifying. Evan hadn’t realized that after reaching the Venerable Realm, the first five layers were merely average; the Sixth Layer was the real threshold. Breaking through to the Sixth meant your attack power multiplied several times over. Even ten Fifth-Layer Venerables might not be able to kill a single Sixth-Layer expert.
So strong! That was all Evan could think, as he rapidly sent out his god-sense to probe the elemental particles inside Zander’s Double Domain.
Under this pressure, Evan figured he could last half a stick of incense at most—otherwise, he’d be crushed into paste. In that time, Zander could use countless ways to kill him, while Evan himself couldn’t even move—a lamb waiting for slaughter.
But soon, he noticed the space was saturated with water element. This meant the Double Domain definitely included a Water Domain. Evan quickly attuned himself to the water element, and after a few breaths, achieved resonance—instantly, much of the pressure lifted.
Even so, Evan still couldn’t move—there was another domain pressure holding him down. He reached out with his senses for another element, and at that moment Zander Xiang laughed: “Kid, you’re impressive. You can last this long under my Double Domain—your defenses really are heaven-defying. But I won’t let you die crushed by domain pressure. I’m going to slice the flesh from your body, piece by piece, and make you die slowly in agony.”
Only then will I be able to let go of my hatred. Anyone who kills my beloved disciple must die a miserable, miserable death!"
Just then, Evan sensed another element—fire. Most people wouldn’t have noticed it, but Zander had fused water and fire together. The Double Domain was built on water as the main field, fire as support. Luckily, Evan had already mastered all five elements; otherwise, he’d be in real danger.
He immediately attuned himself to the fire element. Zander’s face turned cold as he approached Evan. “Why aren’t you running now? Go on, run! Aren’t you supposed to be so tough? Let’s see just how strong your body really is.”
As Zander spoke, a thin sword appeared in his hand—its blade as fine as a cicada’s wing, gleaming with ghostly light. Clearly not an ordinary weapon. At that exact moment, Evan completed his resonance with the fire element—the pressure vanished, and he regained full freedom of movement.
You want to slice my flesh? Not so easy! Evan snarled inwardly. Chaos Dragon Force surged through his body—he was ready for a sudden ambush. There was no time to assemble a full water-and-fire attack; his only choice was to strike by surprise and escape. Facing such overwhelming strength, Evan knew he couldn’t win head-on—he’d have to rely on strategy.