The crowd around had already scattered—they all knew the reputation of General Hugh. If they got caught in the crossfire, it would be a disaster. Soon, only Evan Yang and General Hugh remained in the arena, while Lynn and Melody stood with the guards.
General Hugh drew his sword—a blade entirely black—and swung it straight at Evan Yang. The attack was incredibly fast.
Evan Yang grabbed the Limitless Spear and whipped it out. The two forces collided—boom! Nearby stalls were blown away by the shockwave.
"Not bad, you’ve got some skill," General Hugh laughed as Evan Yang managed to block his first strike.
Evan Yang smiled. "You’re not lazy either, General."
"This is just the beginning. Watch closely—my sword isn’t just any ordinary blade," General Hugh said with a smile. He ran his hand along the sword, and suddenly flames leapt across its black surface.
"Fire-type, huh?" Evan Yang chuckled.
"That’s right. Watch how I torture you to death," General Hugh sneered. He swung his sword, sending a wave of flames with his sword-qi. Evan Yang knew he could knock away the sword-qi, but not the pure flames. To break it, he had to counter fire with water. Instantly, the Limitless Spear froze over, a surge of cold energy swept out, swallowing up the flames.
Not only that, the chill pressed right up to General Hugh. Shocked, he quickly ignited a fiery aura around himself to resist the cold.
"Well, well—you’re actually a water-type," General Hugh snorted.
"That’s right. Perfectly counters your fire, General. How does it feel?" Evan Yang grinned.
"Hmph, so what if it’s water? As long as my flames are strong enough, I can still destroy your water," General Hugh scoffed. He intensified his flames, multiplying their power more than tenfold.
"Your flames are impressive, General, but that won’t change my water," Evan Yang replied. He knew his power was ice-fire, not something just anyone could alter. He ramped up his ice-fire output, instantly suppressing the spreading flames again.
General Hugh was shocked. What kind of ice was this—so cold! He had already boosted his flames several times, but couldn’t keep up.
"Damn it!" General Hugh raged, then pulled out his sword and aimed it at Evan Yang. His helmet began to shine.
Evan Yang was curious about the helmet’s origin and what the sword was for. At that moment, General Hugh spoke: "I beseech the Fire Phoenix—grant me strength!"
As soon as he finished, flames erupted from the helmet, and a living creature seemed to fly out—a bird, enormous and made entirely of fire.
The bird screeched and charged straight at Evan Yang.
Evan Yang immediately aimed the Limitless Spear at the firebird and unleashed a torrent of ice-fire.
The bird crashed into the ice-fire, the two forces locked in a fierce standoff.
"Could this really be the divine beast, the Fire Phoenix?" Evan Yang wondered in shock.
General Hugh was astonished to see Evan Yang actually holding his own against the Fire Phoenix phantom. He knew the power of the Fire Phoenix—it could wipe out any Immortal Sovereign.
For the first time, Evan Yang felt his ice-fire struggling—the flames before him were just too powerful.
"Hang in there, I can do this," Evan Yang muttered to himself. He believed the general couldn’t last much longer; after all, maintaining this output consumed tremendous power. With his Heaven-Cold Seed, Evan’s recovery was faster—he’d outlast his opponent.
General Hugh worried that if this stalemate continued, he’d be drained of all his strength without defeating Evan Yang.
"Damn it, who is this guy anyway?" General Hugh exclaimed in shock.
The fierce battle between Evan Yang and General Hugh shook the imperial capital. News quickly reached Empress Myra, who murmured, "Someone can actually stand against the Fire Phoenix phantom? Incredible. I have to see this for myself."
With a flicker, Empress Myra vanished from the palace and reappeared beside Evan Yang’s battlefield.
Watching Evan Yang truly contend with the Fire Phoenix phantom, her eyes gleamed with excitement. "Perfect," Empress Myra whispered.
Just as the two combatants clashed, Empress Myra spoke, "Everyone, stop!"
Hearing Empress Myra’s voice, General Hugh immediately stepped back. Seeing General Hugh retreat, Evan Yang did the same, and both stopped fighting at once.
Seeing Empress Myra arrive, General Hugh stepped forward. "Your Majesty," he greeted.
"Your Majesty," the envoy also greeted respectfully, though he was puzzled why the empress had come in person.
"General Hugh, what’s going on here?" Empress Myra asked.
"Your Majesty, he’s the one who offended the Desert Tribes," General Hugh reported.
Empress Myra glanced at Evan Yang, then at the Desert envoy. "There must be some misunderstanding here. Would you both come to my palace to resolve it in detail?"
General Hugh was confused—just moments ago, Empress Myra had told him to teach Evan Yang a lesson. Why the sudden change? Evan Yang was also curious about her intentions, but realizing she was Empress Myra of the Meyor Dynasty, he was surprised.
"Well?" Empress Myra smiled when she saw Evan Yang hesitating.
"If Her Majesty is so gracious, how could I refuse?" Evan Yang smiled, referring to Empress Myra.
Seeing Evan Yang agree, the empress smiled. "Good. Desert envoy, you come too."
With that, Empress Myra had General Hugh make arrangements, while she herself returned to the palace ahead of them.
Lynn and Melody approached Evan Yang, asking if there was any problem. Evan Yang smiled, "Since the empress invited us, let’s just go."
"What if it’s a Hongmen Banquet?" Lynn asked suspiciously.
"Hongmen Banquet? I can leave whenever I want," Evan Yang laughed.
"You sure sound bold. Fine, we’ll just follow you," Lynn said.
Evan Yang smiled, while General Hugh put away the Fire Phoenix phantom and looked at Evan Yang. "Since Empress Myra has invited you, I apologize for my earlier actions."
Evan Yang was curious about General Hugh—so adaptable, always doing whatever his master said. Of course, he wouldn’t say that aloud; he just smiled. "No worries. Let’s go."
Evan Yang and General Hugh walked off together. The Desert envoy, still suspicious, wondered aloud, "What is Empress Myra up to?"
In the end, the Desert envoy had no choice but to follow them to the palace. Meanwhile, news of Evan Yang’s battle with General Hugh, the Meyor Dynasty’s top general, quickly spread throughout the imperial capital. Everyone wanted to know who Evan Yang really was.
This chapter isn’t finished yet~.~ Please click next page to continue reading the exciting story!
At that moment, Evan Yang, Lynn, and Melody arrived outside the palace. Evan Yang was surprised to see so many experts guarding the place—was every ruler’s residence in the imperial capital filled with masters?
Evan Yang was even more curious about the empress’s reason for inviting him to the palace. Surely it wasn’t just to resolve a simple misunderstanding.
Driven by curiosity, Evan Yang was led into the palace. Inside, Empress Myra sat on her throne, smiling at Evan Yang and the Desert envoy below. "If there’s any misunderstanding, I can help resolve it."
"Your Majesty, he ignored our agreement with the Meyor Dynasty and attacked us without reason," the Desert envoy said.
"You started it, didn’t you?" Evan Yang replied.
The Desert envoy sent a voice transmission to the empress: "Your Majesty, he’s not a member of the Meyor Dynasty. My people disciplining them is no issue, as you know."
Empress Myra replied with a smile via voice transmission, "Are you telling me how to do my job?"
Hearing the empress’s laughter, the Desert envoy sensed something was off but had to endure it.
Empress Myra said aloud, "I hope you’ll consider the Meyor Dynasty and myself, and let bygones be bygones. I love making friends—especially talents like you."
Evan Yang hadn’t expected Empress Myra to say such things, and General Hugh was even more surprised. Was Empress Myra about to break with the Desert Tribes—for one person?
The Desert envoy was furious, unable to understand the empress’s intentions.
"I have no problem with that," Evan Yang said with a smile. Anything to end the entanglement with these Desert people was fine by him.
The Desert envoy’s face darkened. "If Her Majesty says so, what else can I say? I’ll leave now and report everything to the Desert Khan."
With that, the Desert envoy left with his people. Empress Myra sent a voice transmission to General Hugh: "Don’t let them leave. Detain them all, and don’t let anyone find out."
General Hugh was shocked—what was going on? Still, he did as Empress Myra ordered, leaving the palace and leaving only Evan Yang and his companions with Empress Myra.
Just a few steps outside the palace, the Desert envoy cursed, "What is that empress up to?"
"Desert friends, please come with me," General Hugh said, appearing behind them.
Hearing General Hugh’s words, the Desert envoy frowned. "What do you mean by this?"
"It’s nothing. Her Majesty just wants to invite you for a chat," General Hugh replied.
"Is this how you invite people?" The Desert envoy and his men realized the area was surrounded by masters—if they moved, they’d be attacked instantly.
"Just a precaution. Let’s go," General Hugh said.
The Desert envoy snorted coldly. "I’d like to see what Empress Myra is up to."
With that, the Desert envoy and his people were taken away by General Hugh.
Meanwhile, Evan Yang, still in the main hall, asked curiously, "Empress Myra, what did I do to make you risk offending the Desert Tribes for me?"
"I like straightforward people, and I don’t care for beating around the bush. Let’s put it simply—I need a favor from you," Empress Myra said with a smile.
"A favor? Why do you think I’d help you?" Evan Yang asked, curious.
"Because you have no choice," Empress Myra replied with a cold smile.
Evan Yang sensed something was wrong. Suddenly, Lynn cried out, "Ah!"
Melody frowned. "What are these?"
Evan Yang looked around and saw insects everywhere—he hadn’t noticed them emerge from underground.
"What are these?" Evan Yang asked, confused and alarmed.
"These are my little darlings. They obey me well, but if they bite someone who doesn’t listen, it’s dangerous. Their soul could be destroyed within three days," Empress Myra said, gathering up the insects with a smile.
Evan Yang realized Empress Myra’s insect arts were top-notch—she’d managed to injure Lynn and Melody without him noticing.
"Go ahead, what do you want me to do?" Evan Yang asked, suppressing his anger.