Evan Chu froze for a moment, still holding the woman's longsword. He didn't know whether to trust her, and for the first time in his life, he felt truly helpless.
"Why did you save me? If you don't trust me, why not let me die? What's the point of living with this pain?" the woman choked out, her voice trembling.
After tossing aside the longsword, Evan Chu said, "If you really are Serena, then don't make things harder for me. The Sea Dragon Forbidden Land is extremely dangerous, and your sudden appearance naturally startled me. It's only normal for me to be suspicious—you should understand that."
The woman was stunned for a moment, then replied, "Of course I understand. If someone desperately misses the one they love, yet is mistaken for a liar, do you think she would still have the strength to go on living?"
Evan Chu glanced at the woman, wanting to comfort her, but something felt off—whether subconscious suspicion or unease, he couldn't bring himself to act.
"Since you say you're Serena, I'll trust you for now. But this place is dangerous—stay close and don't wander. Once I find Ghostshade Herb, I'll take you out of the Sea Regions," Evan Chu said, unable to hide his helplessness.
Seeing that Evan Chu believed her, the woman was instantly delighted, her face breaking into a blissful smile. "Since you believe I'm Serena, why not give me a hug? Don't you miss me? Or are you just afraid to show how much you care?"
Evan Chu hadn't expected her to say that. Reluctantly, he pulled her into his arms. The scent of her hair washed over him, so familiar it made him hold her even tighter.
But on the woman's face appeared a strange, sinister smile. Her beautiful fingers suddenly sprouted long, sharp nails, gleaming with a ghostly light. She even measured a spot on Evan Chu's back as if she intended to stab him with those claws.
Evan Chu seemed to sense something and slowly loosened his embrace. Her nails returned to normal. "Evan Chu, this feels so good. I've waited so long for your hug, and today my wish finally came true. I'm so happy," the woman said.
"As long as you're happy! By the way, since you've been here so long, have you ever seen Ghostshade Herb? The whole reason I came in was to find it, so I'm determined to get it. If you know anything, that'll save us a lot of trouble and we can leave sooner," Evan Chu said.
"Ghostshade Herb? That's the first time I've heard that name. What does it look like? Maybe I've seen it but didn't realize," the woman replied.
Evan Chu himself didn't know what Ghostshade Herb looked like, but since it was such a rare treasure, it had to be unique. "It should be a spirit herb that's instantly recognizable. Have you ever come across any especially unusual herbs here?"
"The spirit herb I saw last time was just ahead. But the fog here is strange—it's easy to get trapped in illusions, so we need to be careful. Last time, I was almost lost in a hallucination and stuck inside for ages before I got out," said the fake Princess Serena.
"Watch out!" cried the fake Princess Serena—a heart-devil entity in disguise. Before Evan Chu could react, a giant tentacle had already grabbed him...
The woman smiled, "It's still quite far from here. I'll take you!" With that, she strode off ahead, seeming very familiar with the Sea Dragon Forbidden Land.
"Early-stage God-Venerable, same as you. I was at that realm back then, and it didn't take long to recover. In the Netherworld, I had a technique to hide my true strength, so you can't see my real cultivation," the fake Princess Serena replied.
Frostbane, I'm trapped here all because of you. If I ever escape the Sea Regions and make it back to the Demonic Realm, I'll resurrect Demon Venerable Stonehaven—and that'll be the end for you. For now, I'll let you live a few days longer.
Once inside, Evan Chu found the place even darker and more oppressive. Gloomy winds whipped around him, making his skin crawl. His divine sense was cut down to less than ten meters, turning the search into a nightmare.
Evan Chu and this mysterious woman—the fake Princess Serena—hurried forward. Though they didn't seem to be moving fast, in just a few breaths they'd already covered several miles.
Meanwhile, the Sea Dragon Hall Master, Silver Dragon, and the others were slowly searching for Ghostshade Herb. Although their divine senses were spread out, they gradually lost track of Evan Chu.
In the Sea Dragon Forbidden Land, even expanding divine sense is heavily restricted. With the Hall Master's strength, he could only probe a few dozen meters at most, and now, having lost Evan Chu's trail, he was deeply worried.
He immediately notified the Third Elder and Silver Dragon, and soon the three gathered together. "The King has disappeared. This Sea Dragon Forbidden Land is already extremely dangerous—what should we do?"
"Of course we have to look for him! What, are we just going to wait for him to find us? There's no way the Young Master would vanish for no reason—something must've happened. Maybe he's run into a heart-devil illusion?" Silver Dragon guessed.
"What should we do? If anything happens to the King, the Sea Dragon Clan can't bear the consequences. I think we should all search together—the terrain here is extremely complex, and if we get separated again, it'll be a nightmare to regroup," said the Third Elder.
The three of them immediately headed deeper into the forbidden land, while Evan Chu and the fake Princess Serena stopped in a mist-shrouded area.
"The spirit herb with powerful energy that I saw last time was just up ahead. But the fog here is really strange—it easily causes hallucinations, so we need to be careful. Last time, I almost got trapped by illusions and was stuck inside for a long time before I got out," said the fake Princess Serena.
Evan Chu carefully inspected the surroundings and found them truly eerie. But for Mina's sake, and to obtain the Ghostshade Herb, he could only take the risk and go in.
"If it's that dangerous inside, then you should wait here for me! I'll be back soon," Evan Chu said seriously.
"No way, I don't want you taking risks. Besides, I've already been through it once, so I'm better suited to go in. You should wait here instead!" the fake Princess Serena insisted.
Evan Chu knew that if they kept arguing, neither of them would go in. "Fine, let's not fight. We'll go in together and look out for each other. By the way, why can't I sense your cultivation level? What realm have you reached now?"
"Early Divine Lord, same as you. I was at Early Divine Lord back then, and it didn't take long to recover. Back in the Netherworld, I had a technique to hide my true strength, so you can't see my real cultivation," the fake Princess Serena replied.
Evan Chu was half convinced, half skeptical. But everything she said seemed true—when he first met Princess Serena, she really was at Early Divine Lord. Hearing her say this now, he almost believed her.
Once inside, Evan Chu found the place even gloomier. Gusts of cold wind made his skin crawl, and his divine sense was restricted to less than ten meters, making the search even harder.
"Watch out!" cried the fake Princess Serena. Before Evan Chu could react, a giant tentacle had already grabbed him...