Titus Skyflood, the Sky-Flooding Demon Sovereign, snorted coldly. "Overestimating yourself." He struck out with his palm; the other man, unaware of Titus's true strength, met it head-on and was sent flying, crashing into a pile of scattered rocks nearby.
The surrounding crowd was shocked, all staring at these two mysterious newcomers.
"If you know what's good for you, hurry up and tell me where Evan Yang is!" Titus Skyflood shouted angrily.
"Who dares to act so wildly here?" a loud voice boomed—the speaker was Palace Lord Rowan of the Wood Temple. He glanced at Nero Netherfiend and Titus Skyflood, then looked at the disciple lying among the rocks, glaring at them with fury.
"Who are you?" Titus Skyflood demanded.
"Palace Lord Rowan of the Wood Temple," Rowan replied.
"I don't care what palace you run—tell me where Evan Yang is, or I'll cripple you right now!" Titus Skyflood threatened.
"Is that so? Then I'd like to see what you're capable of." Rowan snorted coldly. Seeing Rowan unafraid, Titus Skyflood charged in with a wild assault. Rowan frowned at the demonic aura, saying, "So you're from the Devil Realm. Watch this."
With that, Rowan and Titus Skyflood began their battle. At first, Rowan was no match for Titus, so he unleashed his suppressed cultivation, instantly fighting Titus to a standstill.
Titus Skyflood was shocked—he hadn't expected to encounter such a powerful opponent here. Meanwhile, Nero Netherfiend was battling other Wood Temple disciples.
Nero Netherfiend revealed his concern, sensing something ominous.
"Titus Skyflood and someone from the Otherworld, you two came here today to stir up trouble—what's your purpose?" Elder Woodspirit's voice rang out.
"So you know my name? Then hurry up and surrender! Stop sneaking around. As for this 'Otherworld' you mention, I don't know what you're talking about. Just say Devil Realm, that's enough." Titus Skyflood had no idea Nero Netherfiend was from the Otherworld, so he didn't understand Elder Woodspirit's meaning.
Elder Woodspirit snorted coldly, "Since you don't understand, today I'll tidy up this Demon Sovereign for the Immortal Realm."
"What the hell?" Titus Skyflood found his hand trembling, blood dripping from his arm—the wound was caused by the powerful counterattack just now.
Titus Skyflood refused to back down, cursing, "Hmph, I don't believe I can't break this lousy staff." He swung the Divine Demon Saber again, this time with even greater force. A flash of golden light burst forth, and with a thunderous crash, Titus Skyflood was sent flying.
With a mouthful of fresh blood spurting from his chest, Titus Skyflood couldn't believe a wooden staff could unleash such power. Nero Netherfiend wasn't thinking about this—he knew it was Elder Woodspirit, and he had to escape quickly. He grabbed Titus Skyflood and flew into the void.
The wooden staff soared after them, intercepting in midair and smashing the two back to the ground with a series of blows.
Then it stabbed heavily into the earth. Elder Woodspirit's voice echoed again: "Do you still dare to act so arrogantly?"
"I never imagined the Immortal Realm had such a figure. Who exactly are you?" Titus Skyflood had never been so badly wounded by a single person.
"The one beside you should know," the voice replied.
"He's Elder Woodspirit. The most terrifying being in the Immortal Realm," Nero Netherfiend said.
"So it's true. I always thought those stories were exaggerated, but his strength is indeed formidable—just a step short of Godhood," Titus Skyflood muttered, licking the corner of his mouth.
"If you spent more time cultivating instead of invading the Immortal Realm, you wouldn't be wasting your potential. Now you even come to my Wood Temple to cause trouble—you're squandering your future," Elder Woodspirit said.
"Wasting my future? That depends on who gets in my way. Everything is Evan Yang's fault! Where is he?" Titus Skyflood demanded.
"You're too stubborn. Since you're so eager to see Evan Yang, I'll imprison you first—then let you meet him in the future," Elder Woodspirit declared.
Suddenly, the staff multiplied into countless wooden rods, weaving a dense net that sealed both Titus Skyflood and Nero Netherfiend inside a small world with no gaps.
With the enemies contained, peace returned. Palace Lord Rowan and the others withdrew, leaving the wooden net-world as a guard formation.
Inside, Titus Skyflood cursed Elder Woodspirit, while Nero Netherfiend despaired that escaping might be impossible. Occasionally, they attacked the wooden barrier, but the net-world was utterly unbreakable.
Meanwhile, Lord Greenguard, who sent Nero Netherfiend to the Immortal Realm, received no news and grew uneasy. Still trapped by the demon-beast sovereigns' grand array in the Demon-Beast Realm, he focused on breaking that formation, unaware his Immortal Realm operatives were already sealed.
Back in the Heaven-Mystic Mirage Realm, Evan Yang continued cultivating, not knowing what was happening outside. He realized his progress here was not just several times faster, but fundamentally different: his comprehension itself was greatly amplified. In only three years, he reached peak Emperor Realm.
He opened his eyes, marveling at the place. "Just three years, and this place is truly miraculous," he sighed.
"This is a cultivation ground created by many Gods. Natural training speed and comprehension here are much faster than elsewhere, and only someone with multiple attributes like you is suited for it. It was prepared for future heirs, and now it's finally being used as intended," Elder Woodspirit explained with a smile.
Hearing Elder Woodspirit's voice, Evan Yang asked curiously, "Elder Woodspirit, what should I do next?"
"You can leave now. Next, Palace Lord Rowan will take you to another place. Once you arrive, report your situation to the person there, then you can attempt to break through to Immortal Sovereign. Only after reaching Immortal Sovereign can you leave; otherwise, I'd rather you never go to the Otherworld," Elder Woodspirit said.
Evan Yang replied, "Alright." As soon as he finished, a tunnel appeared before him. Evan Yang stepped through and soon saw Palace Lord Rowan.
"Reaching peak Emperor Realm in just three years—remarkable," Palace Lord Rowan said in delight.
"If not for Elder Woodspirit, I wouldn't have advanced so quickly," Evan Yang laughed.
"No matter what, it's your own talent. Even Titus Skyflood risked his life coming here to find you," Palace Lord Rowan replied, accidentally mentioning Titus Skyflood.
"Titus Skyflood came here?" Evan Yang asked, curious.
"Yes, but he's already been trapped by Elder Woodspirit. Now he's sealed inside a small world with another person, unable to escape for now," Palace Lord Rowan explained.
Evan Yang knew how formidable Titus Skyflood was, especially with the Divine Demon Saber, so he could imagine Elder Woodspirit's terrifying power.
"Can you take me to see them?" Evan Yang asked curiously.
"Of course. Follow me," Palace Lord Rowan said.
So Evan Yang was led to a place filled with wooden rods. From outside, he could vaguely see inside, and occasionally hear muffled sounds of fighting, as if someone was attacking the wooden rods.
"Did Elder Woodspirit create all this?" Evan Yang asked curiously.
"That's right," Palace Lord Rowan replied.
"Impressive," Evan Yang said.
At that moment, Titus Skyflood heard Evan Yang's voice and shouted, "Evan Yang, you coward! Hiding behind Elder Woodspirit!"
Recognizing Titus's voice, Evan Yang smiled, "Titus Skyflood, I never thought you'd end up like this. How is it inside—fun?"
"If you've got guts, fight me one-on-one!" Titus Skyflood shouted angrily.
"I don't have time now. Next time I return, I'll fight you," Evan Yang said. He knew that even at peak Emperor Realm, he might not be a match for Titus Skyflood—unless he reached Immortal Sovereign.
Hearing that Evan Yang was leaving again, Titus Skyflood cursed, "You coward!"
"Whatever you say. I hope we meet again, Titus Skyflood," Evan Yang said with a smile, then asked Palace Lord Rowan to lead the way out of the Wood Temple.
After Evan Yang's voice disappeared, Titus Skyflood fumed, "That coward!"
"Stop cursing—he won't come back just because you yell. Looks like he's gone," Nero Netherfiend sighed.
"We can't stay trapped here forever—I've never been so humiliated," Titus Skyflood said.
Nero Netherfiend was helpless—the wooden rod formation was truly odd, even space couldn't be moved. They tried many ways, but couldn't escape.
After a while, hearing nothing more, Titus Skyflood gave up and closed his eyes again, hoping to find another way to break the wooden formation. Evan Yang, meanwhile, left the Immortal Realm with Palace Lord Rowan, heading for the Chaos Realm.
Evan Yang frowned, "Palace Lord Rowan, where are we going? Why leave the Immortal Realm for the Chaos Realm?"
"Where we're going is in another plane—we can only get there from here," Palace Lord Rowan explained.
"But aren't we forbidden from entering other planes unless it's through a spatial rift?" Evan Yang asked curiously.
"That's the rule. But this time, we're taking a special route," Palace Lord Rowan replied.
As they left, the world grew quiet. Palace Lord Rowan and the others withdrew, leaving the wooden rods standing guard.
Titus Skyflood muttered, "Looks like we're stuck this time. We can't get out." Nero Netherfiend sighed, "What's there to fear? At worst, we die. But judging by Elder Woodspirit's words, maybe we'll get to see Evan Yang again." Titus Skyflood didn't lose his nerve, "Fine, I'll wait for my chance." Nero Netherfiend hadn't expected Elder Woodspirit's power to be so terrifying. Now, even leaving here was nearly impossible—they could only wait and see.