Evan Chu led Alex Xiao and the Violet Thunder Fox toward the rooms where Selena Yale and the others were staying. Since he was about to enter seclusion, he needed to explain things to them—and also introduce Alex to everyone.
Dream Princess was very familiar with Alex, but the other women only had a vague idea. When they learned Alex was an ancient spirit beast, they were all stunned.
After Evan briefly explained his plans for seclusion to the group, he turned and left, leaving the women behind with puzzled looks, unable to understand why he was acting this way.
"Sister Selena, do you think Evan is angry at us? He asked us to keep him company, but none of us went. Otherwise, with his personality, he wouldn’t rush into seclusion like this—he just came out of the Stellar Chamber not long ago," Lynne Nie said.
"I’m not sure either. Maybe we did go a bit too far. How about we all go keep him company tonight, so he can settle into his seclusion more comfortably?" Selena Yale suggested.
Evan sneaking into their rooms to have fun with the women was something no one would ever mention. Everyone believed Evan’s attention was special to themselves, but in truth, he cared for each of them.
"Maybe it’s too late. Evan should already be in seclusion by now. I think we should wait until he comes out, then all keep him company together. He needs to understand that some things really can’t be forced. Even though we all love him deeply, there are things we just can’t let go of," Dream Princess said at that moment.
"That’s right, Dream Princess is correct. Evan can’t be too indulgent—men should focus on their ambitions. If he gets lost in romance and tenderness all day, it’s actually hurting him. He still has so many responsibilities on his shoulders," Claire Ouyang echoed.
Seeing the women’s slightly disappointed expressions, the Violet Thunder Fox smiled and said, "Don’t overthink it. Big Bro really does need to go into seclusion this time. Just take good care of his children—that’s enough."
At this moment, Evan found Joan He to hand over some sect matters, then took the Starflare Stone from her and entered the underground chamber.
Returning to the Stellar Chamber once again, Evan felt a strange mix of emotions. He’d spent a whole year here—and all of it without knowing anything. Just thinking about it made him dizzy.
Evan had two goals for this seclusion. First, he wanted to recover Lord Frostbane’s memories. Even if he couldn’t get them all, it would be much better than now. Second, he planned to fully merge his Fivefold Transformations, so the true power of the five elements would appear inside him. At that point, his strength would no longer be just Chaos Dragon Force—it would become Five-Element Dragon Force, and he’d be even stronger.
At this moment, Evan sat down on the ground and decided to start by recovering some of Lord Frostbane’s memories. Maybe it would help him merge the five elemental powers.
Evan took a deep breath, calmed his mind, and slowly extended his divine sense into the Timewheel Bracelet. This was his second time entering it—the space inside was vast beyond description.
He’d tried probing the Timewheel Bracelet with his divine sense before, but some invisible power always bounced him back. It didn’t hurt him, but he couldn’t get inside.
The sword spirit had told him that only after using the Timewheel Bracelet could he enter. If he wanted to go in again, he’d have to use the bracelet another time. The aftereffects of using the Timewheel Bracelet were huge—Evan knew that all too well.
Now, Evan’s divine sense was much stronger than before. It didn’t take long to find Lord Frostbane’s location, and soon he was standing before him.
Lord Frostbane said, “I didn’t expect you to break through to this realm in just a year—not bad. I suppose you have a lot of questions for me?”
“That’s right. Can you give me all your memories this time? Without them, it’s hard to do many things. What really happened back then with the Blood Emperor and Nether Monarch Ming? Weren’t they supposed to be dead? Why have they reappeared?”
Lord Frostbane’s phantom paused for a moment. “The Blood Emperor has appeared? It looks like he’s found a rare innate earth-spirit body. If he’s back, then in the Azure Tide Ruins, there may be no one who can stand against him. You must’ve used the Timewheel Bracelet because of him, right?”
"That’s right. If I hadn’t used it, I’d be dead. But since I did, he’s the one who died. Even though I couldn’t truly kill him, I destroyed the body he possessed. If he wants to seize someone else’s body again, he’ll have to wait until his injuries heal—it’ll take years before he can try." Evan said.
Lord Frostbane was a little surprised. “You actually managed to defeat the Blood Emperor? You must’ve used Star-Cleave. With your current strength, you shouldn’t be able to use that move at all. Even Heaven-Cleave is extremely difficult. I didn’t expect you to pull it off—looks like I chose the right person.”
"Is there another move after Star-Cleave? What’s it called? What realm do I need to reach to learn it?" Evan asked.
"There are actually two more moves. Back then, I only mastered the sixth form—Divine Cleave. As for the seventh, I never had the strength to learn it, which is why I was forced to reincarnate. Divine Cleave is countless times stronger than Star-Cleave, but its consumption of Stellar Power is terrifying.
Even at my peak, I could only barely use Divine Cleave, and I never unleashed it for real. If I did, the Divine Battlefield might have vanished, and even the Azure Tide Ruins could have been affected.
As for the last move, I don’t even know its name. You’ll probably need at least Ninth-Layer Saint Martial Realm to use it. To break through, you’ll have to find the Netherghost Violet Orchid." Lord Frostbane said.
Evan’s heart surged with emotion at Lord Frostbane’s words. He believed every bit—when he practiced Star-Cleave in his mind, he felt it could level a hundred miles, maybe even more.
"Is there a realm above Ninth-Layer Saint Martial Realm? Has anyone ever broken through it?" Evan asked, thinking of the sword spirit’s origins—maybe that’s where those who surpassed Saint Martial went.
"You really do know a lot. That’s right—the Azure Tide Ruins are just an ordinary place. The true experts are those who’ve broken past Ninth-Layer Saint Martial Realm. It seems they step into another world entirely, but I only read about it in an ancient text—I don’t know where it is.
Apparently, the passage to that other world has been sealed for some reason, so for tens of thousands of years, no one’s managed it. Just like you need a Netherghost Violet Orchid to break into Saint Martial Realm, there’s some unique item required to go even further—but that’s a secret you’ll have to uncover yourself."
"This world really isn’t simple. The next time I come in, you’ll disappear completely, won’t you?" Evan asked, noticing Lord Frostbane’s figure growing fainter.
"More or less. In truth, I am you, and you are me. Now, let me pass you another portion of my memories." Lord Frostbane said. Instantly, a flood of information poured into Evan’s mind…