Breaking open the entrance to this barrier didn’t take much time. This trip into Godfall Valley had been a huge haul for Evan Chu—not just because he’d gotten Darkfruit and God-Drunk Herb, but mainly because he’d uncovered some earth-shattering secrets.
For example, the Crimson Demon Star, the Primordial Fiends, and the basic situation with some of the Immortal Beasts inside. Most crucially, he’d learned the location of an entrance to the Netherworld—and, of course, he’d obtained a beast core that could boost his Thundershift transformation.
Evan went straight back to Frostbane Imperial Palace. He’d originally wanted to visit the Emperor Martial Domain to check on Nangong Ming, but in the end, he held back—after all, he’d been gone for quite a while, and since Frostbane Imperial Palace had only just risen, there were still matters he needed to handle personally.
Upon returning to the palace, he found everything normal. Those in seclusion were still in seclusion; the whole Frostbane Imperial Palace was caught up in a closed-door cultivation frenzy. At this point, experts were everywhere, and the palace was solid as an iron fortress.
With nothing pressing in the palace, Evan was surprisingly free. He called out Chu Qing and Chu Tong—both were strong now, but still needed more time in seclusion, so he simply sent them into the Timewheel Bracelet.
He could only use the Timewheel Bracelet one more time in the Immortal Realm—just a thousand years. He wouldn’t waste that chance lightly; he’d save it for a breakthrough that really mattered, only entering once the Immortal Realm was truly stable and he was ready to ascend to the God Realm.
If he went into seclusion now and his cultivation soared too fast, he could end up ascending to the God Realm right away—and that would throw the entire Immortal Realm into chaos, which was the last thing he wanted.
Goldwing and Shadow had become Frostbane Imperial Palace’s guardian beasts. Both reverted to their true forms, though much smaller, and kept watch at the main hall entrance every day. Anyone foolish enough to underestimate them would only learn the hard way what that meant.
With two hundred years left until the Immortal-Beast War, Evan resolved to break through to mid-stage Immortal Emperor. Only then could he stand truly invincible—and meanwhile, he’d absorb the beast core to push Thundershift to its second layer.
During this period, he also swallowed two Darkfruits, smoothly advancing Darkshift to the second layer. Breaking through to the third layer would require even stronger dark-element energy—something he didn’t dare hope for, since that kind of opportunity could only come by luck.
He hadn’t given the God-Drunk Herb to the Emerald Immortal Empress yet, and both had been in seclusion for ages. Even after millions of years, she hadn’t rushed him—what was a little longer?
Everything was proceeding in tense, orderly fashion. Evan spent half a year fully absorbing the beast core and breaking through Thundershift—only he truly understood the hardship involved.
After another hundred years, he advanced to mid-stage Immortal Emperor. The powerful energy released by God’s Blood had already pushed him to the peak of early Immortal Emperor—breaking through was just a matter of time.
When Evan finally emerged, Goldwing told him that thirty years into his seclusion, someone from the lower realms had ascended. That person, now also in closed-door cultivation, was none other than Gavin Wei, the Medicine Immortal.
Evan considered visiting him, but knowing Gavin was in seclusion, he held back. Now, Evan felt confident he could even challenge demigod rank—if he unleashed Divine Cleave, no demigod could stand against him.
He was full of confidence for the coming Immortal-Beast War. His greatest hope was to use his identity to minimize casualties—after all, the real fight would come later, against even stronger experts from the Demonic Realm.
About a hundred and thirty years later, Frostbane Imperial Palace welcomed another ascendee from the lower realms—this time from the Netherworld. As soon as Evan got word from the Ascension Pool, he rushed over immediately.
The ascendee was none other than Lillian Zhang, once the strongest among them. Evan confirmed again that anyone who could absorb Immortal Essence could ascend to the Immortal Realm.
When Evan arrived, Lillian was just rising from the Ascension Pool. The moment she saw him, she was overcome with emotion—tears streamed down her face, joy and relief bursting forth.
"Lillian, you must’ve suffered terribly crossing the Tribulation Lightning. It’s been so hard for you!" Evan said gently, his tone full of warmth.
"It wasn't suffering at all. As long as I could see you again, none of it felt bitter. I never imagined I'd actually ascend to the Immortal Realm instead of the Netherworld... I'm so happy!" Lillian Zhang choked out, tears streaming down her face.
The Immortal guards at the Ascension Platform stared in shock at the scene. In the Immortal Realm, everyone knew that Evan Chu had three Immortal fairies and a beautiful woman who ascended alongside him—four stunning women, all his partners. Now, another woman appeared whose beauty rivaled the four, leaving everyone bewildered.
"Palace Lord Chu, is this lady also one of the Palace Lord’s wives?" the Immortal Emperor on duty asked respectfully, addressing Evan Chu.
"That's right. She is one of my wives from the lower realms. Thank you all for your hard work. I believe many more of my people will ascend in the future—if you notify me promptly, you will certainly be rewarded." Evan Chu replied with a warm smile.
The four Ascension Platform guardians immediately greeted Lillian Zhang, saying, "Greetings, Lady of Palace Lord Chu!"
Without further delay, Evan took Lillian Zhang onto Goldwing’s back and flew straight to Frostbane Imperial Palace. Seeing the vast, majestic palace, Lillian was overwhelmed with awe.
Yet when everyone saw Palace Lord Chu personally leading a woman of mere god-rank into the grand hall, their astonishment grew. They all speculated about her identity—and couldn’t help but feel envious.
Soon after, Evan Chu publicly introduced Lillian Zhang’s identity to the core followers, shocking them once again. Not only was she another Palace Lord’s Lady, but she was formally married to him in the lower realms, her status even surpassing the three Immortal fairies.
Over the next few days, Evan and Lillian reunited passionately. Each time left her utterly exhausted, but she was happy and content...
Knowing her strength was far below the palace’s top echelon, Lillian Zhang proactively requested closed-door cultivation, hoping to reach the Earth Immortal realm. With her in seclusion, Evan found himself momentarily without pressing tasks.
"Master, since you’re free now, could you let me consume the God-Drunk Herb? I want to gather my remaining soul fragments and ask you to help restore my spiritual body," the Emerald Immortal Empress spoke up at that moment.
If she hadn’t mentioned it, Evan would have truly forgotten. He felt a pang of guilt, then immediately took out the God-Drunk Herb from his storage ring. "Emerald, how much of the herb do you need?" he asked.
"Just a single leaf will suffice. Place it on the table and I’ll naturally absorb it," the Emerald Immortal Empress replied calmly.
Evan promptly broke off the largest leaf and set it on the tabletop. With a thought, he released the Emerald Immortal Empress’s remnant soul from his storage ring...