The man standing there wore black robes, his appearance strikingly handsome. A slender belt at his waist fluttered in the wind. Though he wore no mask, Kevin Qin and the others were shocked to find they couldn't see his face at all.
His face seemed shrouded in a layer of black mist.
"Who are you!"
Kevin Qin's expression grew stern as he stepped in front of Evan Lin, staring at the newcomer from a distance.
The iron cavalry earlier was terrifying, but the man before them now felt even more uncanny and unsettling.
Unexpectedly, the man in front of the temple merely glanced lightly in Kevin Qin's direction, his gaze calm.
Before Jenna Jiang and the others could react, everyone heard a dull thud, and saw Kevin Qin blasted away in an instant.
"Kevin!"
Jenna Jiang and the others' faces changed dramatically as they rushed toward the fallen Kevin Qin.
Blood trickled from the corner of Kevin Qin's mouth, his face pale and bleak. He was badly injured, his expression shaken. In that moment, he couldn't even understand how he'd been sent flying.
The sudden turn of events sent Jenna Jiang and the rest into a frenzy.
Such overwhelming power!
With just a single look, Kevin Qin was blasted over ten meters away. With strength like that, if this man really wanted to fight, none of them would even have a chance to escape.
The yellow ox stood behind the man, the cowherd boy on its back propping himself up and watching everything unfold with a blank expression.
"You are Everlost."
Evan Lin looked at the man, utterly unfazed by Kevin Qin being sent flying, showing no sign of nervousness or any other emotion.
Hearing Evan Lin's words, the man didn't reply. His gaze focused on Evan's Spatial Ring.
He remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, his voice carrying a faint, ethereal quality.
"Everlost—that was a name from a very, very long time ago."
His eyes shifted to Evan Lin's face: "You carry a familiar aura."
As soon as he finished speaking, he pointed a single finger in Evan Lin's direction.
With that gesture, a faint light flashed.
Inside Evan Lin's Spatial Ring, the Soul-Sacrifice Beauty Scroll trembled slightly. After a burst of radiance, Lily Zhao's body appeared before everyone.
Lily Zhao's eyes remained closed; she was still in a deep sleep.
Evan Lin didn't try to stop it. He could sense the immense power of the man before him, but felt no trace of malice.
On Evan's side, Yvette Ye and the others all stared wide-eyed at Lily Zhao, utterly speechless at her sudden appearance.
Lily Zhao's eyes stayed tightly shut, her robes gently rippling, sending out waves of spiritual energy.
The man gazed at Lily Zhao in the center, his entire face hidden in black mist, making it impossible to read his expression.
The atmosphere fell silent once again.
All around, the ruined village still burned, but the severed limbs and corpses had vanished completely.
A strand of spiritual light flared from the man's fingertip again, surging toward Lily Zhao.
As the light entered her body, Lily Zhao's brows knitted slightly.
"She will awaken in three days. When she wakes, she'll be able to cast one spell."
The man standing there spoke calmly, then turned to Evan Lin: "You and I shouldn't meet here. Today isn't the day I ought to awaken."
"Consider this a gift for you."
As he finished speaking, he flicked his finger, and in an instant, a pale mist condensed in front of Yvette Ye and the others.
"Leave now. There's nothing here you want to find."
His voice remained calm. The floating Lily Zhao was once again drawn back into the Soul-Sacrifice Beauty Scroll.
Jenna Jiang supported Kevin Qin, and the group dared not say much as they each stepped into the mist, leaving the place.
Yvette Ye was the last to leave. She stood by Evan Lin's side: "Let's go together."
"You go first."
Hearing Evan Lin's words, Yvette Ye bit her lip, then finally stepped into the mist.
The rest of Moonshade's group left one by one. The man standing at the temple entrance glanced at Evan Lin: "Not leaving?"
"I just want to ask—who is the 'Li-li' you mentioned?"
Evan Lin stared at him. The scene of the boy chasing after the girl named Li-li still lingered in Evan's mind, refusing to fade.
This was the answer Evan Lin wanted to figure out.
Just as Lily Zhao had described before—something like reincarnation—and now, Evan clearly felt the Lyria Blossom above his heart flickering with black light, leaking a chilling aura.
"That has nothing to do with you as you are now."
The man shook his head: "You should understand, as you are now, you can't possibly be my opponent."
"You and I represent the peak strength of different eras. Whether we're enemies or allies, that can't be decided yet."
"I know you have many doubts. Those same doubts exist in my heart as well."
His tone was calm, betraying no hint of joy or sorrow.
Everlost Immortal Lord from over a hundred thousand years ago—the one who single-handedly buried the entire Divine Wind Dynasty—was now standing alive before Evan Lin.
Even Evan Lin, the Nine Mysteries Immortal Lord, felt a chill deep in his heart as he looked at this figure.
On the Immortal Martial Continent, an Immortal Lord's lifespan is roughly ten thousand years, while the Immortal Realm is said to grant true immortality. Whether immortals truly live forever, no one knows.
Yet this man before him, just by appearing here, proved he'd already lived for over a hundred thousand years!
He hadn't been erased by time; as an Immortal Lord, he'd escaped the scythe of time itself.
"Since you are Everlost, why did you not become an Immortal?"
Evan Lin frowned. On the Immortal Martial Continent, every cultivator strives to reach the Immortal Realm above Heaven Gate.
Seeking immortality and the dao—those who succeed gain eternal life!
But if one becomes an immortal, they can no longer remain in the mortal world, for heaven and earth forbid it; that would break the rules.
For someone like Everlost Immortal Lord, who toppled the Divine Wind Dynasty single-handedly, there was no reason he couldn't open the Heaven Gate, enter the Immortal Realm, and shed his mortal body.
Yet the fact that he appeared here meant he hadn't taken that final step.
"What is an immortal?"
The man looked at Evan Lin and asked, while the cowherd boy beside him remained expressionless. The old yellow ox swished its tail, tilting its head to study Evan with curious eyes.
"And why should I become an immortal?"
He continued questioning. Seeing Evan Lin remain silent, he shook his head gently, drawing a line in the air with his finger. Suddenly, thunder rumbled in the sky.
Evan Lin looked up, his eyes narrowing as he saw the sky of this small world torn open. Through the rift, countless floating palaces, colossal mountains, and immortal cranes appeared, all tranquil and harmonious.
"Many become immortals, but few become me."
"I choose neither immortality nor death. Who says only immortals can live forever under heaven?"